New councillor’s vision to make Dove Holes a destination place

Melissa Drabble is championing both Dove Holes and the Village Hall in a bid to safeguard its future.

She said: “We have a great community facility here in Dove and the village hall really is the heart of the community where classes and groups meet. But if we don’t support it, we could end up losing it for good. Which is why I’ve launched a new market for Dove. It will bring people to the area which is what we need.”

The first car boot and market was on the early May Bank holiday and the next one will be on Sunday June, 4 in the car park outside the village hall.

Melissa, who works at Tin Man Scrap with her husband, said she stood for councillor after the seat had stood empty for several years.

She said: “I couldn’t understand why people weren’t taking the seat on and championing where they live. I love Dove. It's my home, it’s where I work and I care about the people here. “So I decided to do it.”

Melissa took her seat early in the month and has big plans as a councillor to put Dove on the map.

She said: “Nowadays everyone loves a bargain and to have something vintage or thrifted is very fashionable so I would love to see people coming along and making the car boot a success.”

All the monies from the car boot will go back into the village hall to help with the upkeep and running costs. Looking to the future, Melissa has big visions for the market and by next year would like to have a bigger number of traders and stall holders.

She added: “This is so good for the residents - who don’t even have a village shop - and will give them a chance to buy things without travelling out of the area.”

The next market will be on Sunday, June 4 setting up from 7am and the public arriving from 7.30am. Cars £6.50 and vans £7.50 food and refreshments will be available and there will also be indoor and outdoor seating. For more information join the Facebook group Dove Holes Sunday Car Boot Sale & Market.