On Sunday, August 31 at 12.30pm, Blisworth village will have a new bench for travellers to rest upon.

Sited at the junction of Little Lane and Chapel Lane, it is in memory of Dr Derek Bull who died in April 2024 at the age of 96. Derek was a much loved and respected family doctor, practising in the village from 1956 until his retirement in 1992. In 1964 he had a home and surgery annex built in Little Lane and called Candlebridge, where he lived until moving into Richmond Village in Grange Park a few years ago. The surgery had transferred to larger premises in 1985 to Stoke Road.

After his retirement, Derek and his wife Shirley, remained active participants in village life, hosting coffee and cake mornings at their home to raise funds for the local church.

The idea for a memorial bench was raised by villagers and enthusiastically taken up by Blisworth Community Projects Group under the chairmanship of Dr Tony Hillier, who was a medical partner of Dr Bull from 1978. He, together with Dr Jonathan Taylor, also a medical partner, and with donations from many village residents, funded the purchase, engraved inscription, and installation of the bench, which will be declared "open" on what would have been his 98th birthday.

The bench is sited opposite his house and surgery in Little Lane, which also seems a fitting tribute to a very kind and dedicated person.