Country diary: With parched fields all around, we say thank you for the water | Ed Douglas

Stoney Middleton, Derbyshire: The tradition of well dressing is strong in the Peaks, and this year, I found one featuring a certain 100-year-old naturalist I could already hear the noises of appreciation as I walked up the lane towards St Martin’s church. “Oh yes,” I heard a woman say. “That’s lovely.” Turning before the lych gate, I spotted a small knot of people standing in front of a small and apparently ancient stone basin on which rested the white frame of this year’s well dressing.The tradition of well dressing, strong in the Peak District, gives thanks for a community’s supply of safe water and is currently celebrated in more than a dozen villages across Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Given how the drought has left pastures surrounding Stoney Middleton brown and exhausted, this annual event seems more pertinent than ever. Continue reading...