Latest news with #PeakDistrict
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Row breaks out in Peak District town as Pride flag is removed by council after complaints from Christians worried about 'the gay rights situation'
A row has broken out in a spa town in the Peak District after a Pride flag was removed from by its council following complaints. Matlock Town Council put up a number rainbow flags along its highstreet for the first time to mark the start of national Pride month, which takes place in June. The flags were erected along with others including the St George's Cross and the union flag, which had previously hung above shop windows and were in need a refresh after becoming 'old and dirty'. But just days after being displayed, one Pride flag has now been removed from the historic highstreet following a complaint from a Christian bookshop. The Cornerstone Bookshop, which is run by a charitable Trust, admitted it had asked for the flag to be removed as it did not want to 'promote homosexuality'. Judy Crook, who runs the bookshop, told the Guardian that as 'a point of basic Christian belief, we welcome everybody', but admitted 'we're not happy with the gay rights situation'. 'We have to respect other people's views. But we didn't want the flag flying outside our shop.' The move has caused outrage among members of the LGBTQ+ community in Matlock as well as local residents, who have claimed the council bowed to pressure from the bookstore - which the local authority denies. Cornerstone Bookshop praised the 'speedy removal' of the flag after raising concerns to the council and has rejected any accusations of homophobia. In a joint statement, the Trust's trustees told the Derbyshire Times: 'Cornerstone Christian Bookshop is an inclusive organisation that wants to share the Christian faith with everyone. 'All are welcome to our bookshop, regardless of their sexuality. 'We would be delighted to fly the Derbyshire flag, the flag of St George or the Union Flag. 'However, we would decline to fly any flag representing specific political causes, as our aim is solely to promote the Christian faith. 'We note that there are many other places where the pride flag can be flown. As you will no doubt be aware, many other faith communities would also decline to fly this flag.' The council later put out a statement saying it had removed the flag after fearing someone may remove it themselves and be injured doing so. However, the bookshop denies making any threat to remove it themselves, according to The Derbyshire Times. The council clerk, Simon Hosmer, said: 'We removed the flag due to a strong belief someone would put themselves in danger by removing it themselves. 'As a town council we can ill afford damage to property let alone damage to a person that we may be liable for. 'A lot of the local community are rightly upset that this has happened. 'It may look to people that we have bowed under the pressure of a single complaint. That is simply not the case.' But locals in Matlock have been left outraged by the decision from the council to remove the flag, claiming it is 'appalling' and 'disgusting'. Kate Bond, who lives in the Derbyshire town, said she donated £150 to the council to revitalise the flags but was dismayed when she heard the news. 'More than anything, what I'm bothered about is the fact that it's happened without anybody knowing about it. This sly little way it's been done, it's wrong somehow. If it's your idea to put them up, stand by it,' she told The Guardian. Others on social media have also been strong in their condemnation of the council's move to remove the flag. Angela Hardy said: 'This is appalling and I am keen to point out it does not reflect the views of all religions or even Christians. 'In my experience everyone is welcomed regardless of race, colour, age, sexuality or anything else.' 'I agree that their exclusive views should not be allowed to influence the council and the town as a whole.' Eileen Gallagher added: 'This is absolutely disgusting [in] this day [and] age. The council should be ashamed for even pandering to these type of people.' There have been a number of cases in towns and cities across the UK where rainbow flags have been torn down, stolen or vandalised earlier this year. And in London a council has been warned of legal action over its plans to hang up trans-inclusive flags to mark Pride Month. In collaboration with Westminster City Council, the Crown Estate, who own the majority of properties on Regent Street, plan to fly Progress Pride flags in 20 locations throughout the central London area between mid-June and mid-July. But if the proposed decorations are hoisted into the air, the council, nicknamed 'Wokeminster' by its own chief executive Stuart Love, and the Crown Estate risk facing legal action from the Christian Legal Centre. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, told The Telegraph that the Pride flags were an attack on traditional beliefs about sex and gender. She warned that the Christian Legal Centre would have no option but to pursue legal action if the council chooses to proceed with the Pride display, arguing that everyone should feel welcome in Regent Street. Ms Williams said: 'They send the message that people holding these views – which are worthy of respect in a democratic society – are not welcome. 'The majority of the public do not know the highly controversial and harmful symbolism presented by the Progress Pride Flag.'
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Dismay as Derbyshire council removes Pride flag after Christians complain
The spa town of Matlock in the Peak District is known for the joyful flags adorning its historical high street. The St George's Cross, the union flag, the Derbyshire county flag and the Pride flag flutter brightly above the town's many independent businesses. That was until a row erupted that has divided the town, after the mysterious disappearance of a Pride flag turned out to be the work of the very council that had installed it. Townspeople and the local MP are calling for its return after a LGBTQ+ standard was removed in a 'sly little way' following complaints from some Christians. Kate Bond, who lives in the Derbyshire town, said she had donated £150 to the council to refresh the flags as they had become tatty over time. 'They were such a mess because they were really old and dirty,' she said. Only the St George's Cross and the union flag had previously been flown, so when the new flags went up on the high street last week she was delighted to see the addition of the Derbyshire flag and the Pride flag, following a decision by the 11 members of Matlock town council. 'I thought it was amazing to be honest. I thought, 'Oh that's brilliant. How nice.' I was just thinking it looked really good,' she said. When a Pride flag disappeared, she thought it might be the work of lone homophobes – which has happened in various towns and cities in the UK – and was shocked to discover the council had done it, appearing to bow to pressure from a homophobic minority. 'It's crazy. You just can't believe it. More than anything, what I'm bothered about is the fact that it's happened without anybody knowing about it. This sly little way it's been done, it's wrong somehow. If it's your idea to put them up, stand by it,' she said. It is not clear how many people complained but one was Cornerstone Bookshop, run by a Christian charity, which said it was 'grateful for the speedy removal' of the Pride flag. Judy Crook, who runs the bookshop, told the Guardian that, though as 'a point of basic Christian belief, we welcome everybody', they did not want to promote homosexuality and 'we're not happy with the gay rights situation'. 'We have to respect other people's views. But we didn't want the flag flying outside our shop.' In a statement, the bookshop added: 'Fortunately, we are blessed in this country with freedom of conscience and freedom of religion legislation, enshrined in the Equality Act of 2010 which allows religion or belief as a protected characteristic. We are therefore very grateful for the speedy removal of this flag when we raised our concern to the council.' Bond, who is gay, responded: 'You can't do anything about homophobes. They're going to be in the world. So my complaint really isn't with [Crook], it's the fact that the council have agreed to it. There's obviously some people in Matlock, and perhaps just generally, that have more power than others.' The council clerk, Simon Hosmer, said: 'We removed the flag due to a strong belief someone would put themselves in danger by removing it themselves. As a town council we can ill afford damage to property let alone damage to a person that we may be liable for. 'A lot of the local community are rightly upset that this has happened. It may look to people that we have bowed under the pressure of a single complaint. That is simply not the case.' He said more Pride flags had been ordered, despite the wider Derbyshire county council, now led by Reform UK, 'wanting only union flags on public buildings'. Reform, which won a majority in the May local election, has banned the LGBTQ flag from the town hall in Matlock, along with the Ukrainian flag. The Guardian understands the council has since done a U-turn on the Ukrainian flag ban. The new administration has also introduced Christian prayer at the start of its meetings, with a Reform councillor, the group whip Dan Price, saying the UK was a 'Christian country'.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Doncaster downhill skateboarder eyes world championship glory
A man who only took up downhill skateboarding two years ago has said he would give it his "best shot" after being selected to compete in the extreme sport's world Spencer, from Doncaster, said he aimed to tackle the slopes of Erzincan, Turkey, in the World Downhill Skateboarding Championship at the Spencer said the route, which covered 1.9 miles (3km), with an average incline of 12.5%, would take just over two minutes to complete."I'm just a normal guy from Doncaster. I work in a car dealership, just lead a normal life - but I like to go fast on hills," he explained. Mr Spencer said he had been a skateboarder for nearly all his life, but he had only discovered downhill skateboarding while looking on social media two years said that after finding out more, he thought: "I fancy a crack at that." Mr Spencer said he now trained in the gym after work every day and practised most weekends in the Peak said he reached speeds of up to 77mph (124km/h) riding down hills on his skateboard, without any means of braking."It's such a buzz, it makes you feel alive," he said."It's the walk back up that finishes you off."Mr Spencer added that he thought "life is too short" to be scared of trying such ready for the world championships in just a few days time, he said: "I would love to be stood on the podium."However, he said he would remain realistic about his chances."There are some real fast guys, so I'll just go and give it my best shot." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Country diary: A priceless view of a tiger beetle – let's keep it that way
There's a tiger burning brightly in front of me – not in the forests of the night, but on a Derbyshire moor, among the heather and bilberry, and in warm sunshine. It isn't orange and black, but an iridescent green, and I need to hunker down to reach its level. The green tiger beetle is widespread in Britain, and at least to the ants and caterpillars that it predates, it is every bit as threatening as the big cat immortalised by William Blake. Magnified, its fearful symmetry becomes more apparent, its mouth parts ferocious, the dandyish purple of its elegant legs more richly obvious. One other thing I appreciate about the green tiger beetle is how easily it's identified. There are thousands of beetle species in Britain, and they're not always this easy to tease apart. It makes the green tiger especially exciting to kids, a secure toehold in the shifting complexity of nature. And it's that question, of inspiring the next generation to explore the marvels around them, that's on my mind. The day I spot my tiger, the chief executive of the Peak District national park publicly floats the idea of a tax on visitors. After a decade of deep cuts by successive governments, the authority has been stripped to the bone and can now focus only on its statutory functions, particularly planning. Earlier this year, it announced cuts to its outreach programme at local schools and visitor centres. More and more, the park and its users are perceived by politicians as just another part of the tourist industry. This seems at odds with the far‑reaching vision of the postwar Labour government that created the parks when the country was almost broke. A connection to nature was, in their eyes, a necessary part of life that should be free to all. Next year is the Peak District national park's 75th anniversary. I expect the government will bask in the achievement of its predecessor. The future for nature, though, has never seemed so uncertain. 'What the hand,' as Blake asked, 'dare seize the fire?' Ed Douglas Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
BBC News
7 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Ban on Peak District barbecues and campfires imposed in High Peak
Barbecues and campfires have been banned in part of the Peak District in a bid to stop wildfires breaking crews in the High Peak, Derbyshire, have been called to a number of fires in the national park so far this year, including a major incident in Goyt Valley which shut roads and took days to bring under Peak Borough Council on Friday approved an order for public areas of the Peak District within its borders, giving powers to police and council officers "to reduce the risk of wildfires".It has banned lighting fires, barbecues, fireworks and sky lanterns, and carrying items which officers think will be used to do so. Anyone breaking the new order faces a fine of up to £100. Councillor for community safety Godfrey Claff said "careless and thoughtless behaviour" in the Peak District carries a huge added: "We're worried about the barbecues, we're worried about people who throw away a lighted cigarette or throw away a lighted match, anything which constitutes the danger of a wildfire occurring."We take it very seriously and this may sound overdramatic, but when you see what can happen from the examples in Australia, in Canada, in Los Angeles more recently, those fires occurred because of carelessness in the first instance."But once they get a hold, then they can cause death. They can cause extensive damage to property."And the climate is changing so radically that people believe that that sort of thing is not out of reach in this country."
