Members

The Langley Mill Heritage Group IS its members both present and past

To see details of some of our past members click here

	Brian Gration CPAGB is Chairman. A native of Ripley from 1940, he settled in Heanor in 1968. Moving to Langley Mill in 2001 and a local councillor, his interests naturally lean towards local politics, in addition to local history and photography, the latter a real dedication that has earned him the accolade CPAGB (Credit Award of Photographic Alliance for Great Britain )		Bob Taylor, is Vice Chairman a recent member who moved to Langley Mill from Coventry with his now late wife and two sons in July 1985. He and his wife loved their walks across fields down Aldercar Lane , as well as other local strolls. He declares he prefers country life to that of the big city and discovered the Heritage Group to be a godsend when learning of the local history of the village and surrounds.

	Derek M. Fox founder of Group, is a local author, tutor and lecturer and has become immersed in all things pertaining to Langley Mill over the past 8 years. He enjoys the camaraderie promoted by its members and by working together they have engineered two books, numerous exhibitions and not least a 50 minute film aided by a Lottery/English Heritage grant. A new book should be available mid-2009.		Allan Asling, Secretary, came to live in Langley Mill with his wife Lesley in 2001 although he has lived around the area for many years. With his love of the area's heritage he joined the group in 2005. Since that time and due to his great interest, he has learned more and contributed much to an area that was once a hub of industry.

	Carol Gration Treasurer. Carol is the Treasurer and is married to Brian (see above). Her interests are caravaning and oil painting		Alf Hursthouse, has lived and worked in Langley Mill for 55 years. When Aristoc built their dye house he was one of the ‘original' workers, one amongst many who cycled to work. You might say he was ‘dyeing to work'!

	Brian T. Wright. Local historian and co-author of Bygone Langley Mill - a pictorial look at Langley Mill in the 20th century. Born and brought upp on Cromford Road. A keen collector of artefacts of local interest including mining and railway memorabilia		Jim Trueman, a member of the Heritage Group since its inception, is 67 years of age; a resident of The Mill for 28 years it can be said he has lived in the locality all his life. His knowledge adds to the group's collections, his quick wit second to none.

	Dennis Yates, was born in Ebenezer Street in 1922 and worked at Vic Hallam's as a joiner. He served in the Royal Navy from 1941 until 1949 and today resides in Marlpool. His anecdotes in respect of life and its people prove enlightening.		William Wood, although a native of Heanor, has attended the group for 4 years and is a contributory member to many things historic. Reliable too when toting a microphone on the 5 days the group were shooting the film ‘Through the Mill'.










	In Memoriam Some of our past members		Return to top
	In June, 2010, our Chairman, Bernard Desmond Goodall took a last walk around the locales he knew. Such locales he wrote of with interest practically since the year of his birth in 1926. You can say he was a Langley Mill historian, his remarkable memory of all aspects of the village's life, its people, and more notably its industry, promoted in the Heritage Group's books over the years of his membership – quite a few! Group members always called him Des: a kind, gentle man willing to help everyone, although it's said he had a penchant for fisticuffs in his youth – so a boxer and a writer. A music lover too, he enjoyed Wagner; as a collector of photographs his collection was quite something; his love of railways, indeed any form of transport, adding more to the revelations of the village's history. Four years ago, he immersed himself in helping to make the group's film Through the Mill, his contributions valued, ideas welcomed. So: from boxer, to a company director, to a writer, and what could be easily termed 'a custodian of memories', our Des won't be missed simply because his writings will be around in book form, and on film. Yes, Bernard Desmond Goodall, husband, father, grandfather, and to be honest a star in his own right. Eighty four years! That's one heck of a contribution.		It is never easy to report a loss. And two in such a short space of time is difficult in coming to terms with. Vera Hutchinson, another treasured member of our group, passed away in late June aged 91. Derek Fox, the group's founder first met Vera when she joined his Creative Writing class at The Bridge Centre and later grew quite intensely involved with the Heritage Group. All were pleased to say: 'Aloe Vera' ? a play on a well-known herb. This lady loved it, thought it a huge joke! Nothing she liked better than to walk in of a Monday morning and hear everyone greet her that way. Her sense of humour showed in her work, her varied contributions to books and the film Through the Mill, and not least her remarkable interview reflecting on her work at Aristoc and Collaro during the war years, brought favoured comments from readers, and viewers. When one meets and gets to know such highly regarded people like Vera, they leave an indelible memory in our mind; like Des Goodall, Vera will remain a stalwart, indeed a guiding influence on anything we may consider in future work, most certainly the village's heritage. Never say goodbye, for again we can read all that Vera had to say, and comment upon. We can acknowledge her again by whispering: 'ALOE VERA'!