Newton Solney Plant Sale May 23rd 2026
On Saturday the 23rd of May the annual Plant Sale was held in Newton Solney Village Hall between 10am and 12 midday.
The popularity of this event grows every year, and at 09.45 there was a queue for entry which stretched from the side entrance to the roadside. Approximately 30/35 people braved the increasing heat levels to get their plant bargains, rising to over 100 as the morning progressed. Copious amounts of tea, coffee and homemade cakes refreshed the plant purchasers before meandering home fully laden with both plants and tea and cakes.
As always thanks go to our growers/ contributors of which there are many. Funds raised by the sale go towards our Village Hall upkeep.
Newton Solney Village Show 30th August 2025
This year’s show was held in the Village Hall on 30th August. It was a bit touch and go this year as work to refurbish the roof had started late on in June. The weather held fine and the roofers completed ahead of schedule making it possible to hold the show.
After all the panic by the committee as to whether or not this year’s show would run, all came good, it was probably the best for some time. There was a high turn out of exhibits in all categories and some excellent work shown particularly in Art and Photography. There were some delightful entries in the Home Produce and Fruit and Vegetable categories with some 1st class entries in the Handicraft section. We were fortunate this year to have Radio Derby’s “Potty Plotters” with us who were available for chatting, and question and answer sessions concerning plants etc. They also ran our raffle and auctioned off all the excess produce, everything was sold. A big thank you for their support and they have said they will return next year.
Newton Solney History Day 3rd August 2025
Following the success of the Repton gallery display earlier in the year we decided to do something for Newton Solney, supported by the Repton Village History Group members.
The planning involved asking around for old photographs /maps of the village anything relating to Newton Solney including memorabilia. Thanks to exhibits from many of the villagers and also Repton folk we had quite a display, to such extent we needed more tables.
The photos included families, buildings, farming, brewing, war life, sports days, jubilees, school life and even pancake races.
Many subjects were covered; some of the interesting items were loaned included sales, auctions of house properties including the Ratcliff estate and all the effects from the house, now the hotel.
The aerial photos from the 60’s-70’s were useful in seeing how things had changed.
The two cannon balls from the village were also on display. Many people donated cakes and these were a great success.
I had two tours planned of the graveyard to talk about people of the past. They were successful and attendance was quite high meaning I did an extra tour towards the end of the day.
Some of the people noted on the tours were Ronald Lomas, Walter Pounds, Col Robert Ratcliff, his brother Percy Ratcliff, Capt. Robert John Mead RE (1st of the two commonwealth graves in the yard), Rev Francis Charles Theodore Jansen (vicar of St Mary’s for no less than 56 years), William Henry Taylor RASC (2nd Commonwealth grave), Thomas Cave Brown Cave, The Higgotts and the oldest grave in the churchyard still standing of Thomas Wakefield of 1693.
