At the Civic Council on Thursday 29 May Cllr Mrs Ann Hood was elected Chairman of the Council and Cllr Pat Murray was elected as Vice-Chairman.

County Councillor Frank Hood will be Consort to the Chairman of the Council and Miss Sandra Roberts is the Vice-Chairman’s fiancée and Consort

The theme of the new Chairman's Civic Year will be "A woman's work …"

Says Cllr Mrs Ann Hood, "I want to meet the women who are achieving so much in South Derbyshire. My year begins with a remarkable event with the theme of Celebrating Women at Sharpe's Pottery Museum at West Street in Swadlincote at 7pm on Saturday 7 June.

"The performance is a preview of the material in a new book created by the community arts organisation People Express which features stories and poems written by women of all ages from South Derbyshire. The decision to feature the lives of the women of South Derbyshire follows on from People Express' earlier book "Fields and Tunnels" which concentrated on the agricultural and mining heritage of the area. It was mainly about the lives of the men of the District although we did speak to one farmer’s wife who had a fascinating story to tell. She said she’d never been asked about her life.

"In the new book there are the stories of a 72 year old lady who passed her Heavy Goods Vehicle licence twenty years ago, a South Derbyshire woman who rescues and adopts children in Burundi and a lady who inherited one of the District’s country homes. It’s making history her story too."

The event is free but tickets need to be reserved in advance from People Express by telephoning 01283 552962 or email enquiries@people-express.org.uk