AUGUST ‘22
CLAY CROSS, DANESMOOR, LOWER PILSLEY, OLD TUPTON, PILSLEY
World Elephant Day 12th August
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Stay safe during your summer holidays If you have an accident while on holiday and you intend to file a compensation claim, it’s important to document everything while you are still abroad: 1. Gather evidence about what caused the accident: photos of the scene, the injury and witness contact details 2. Get a medical report from a local GP or hospital
3. Call your holiday rep, ask tell them to file an accident report and to post you a copy 4. Once you are home visit your own GP 5. Contact your holiday insurer to report what happened.
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From the Editor
LTD
VOICE
Dear Readers, As I type, whilst sat on what feels like the face of the Sun (42 degrees), we’re going through a bit of a heatwave apparently. I’m all for a bit of warmth and sun on my face but usually, I like to be near water to cool down and/or aircon and a nice cocktail in hand – I currently have none of the above – very sad times! Maybe I should start having a nice spot of gin in my bottom drawer for such occasions, it’d go down a treat with the warm cordial I am enduring to ‘stay hydrated’! pffft, ‘stay hydrated’ Fat chance of that! I’d need to down 6 gallons every 20mins to get close! Anyway, thunderstorms are due so every cloud and all that, I guess! So, have you seen our front covers this month in homage to World Elephant Day? Laura has written about them in her article and personally speaking, I adore elephants. A few years back, we were lucky enough to have a close encounter with an elephant whilst travelling and whilst I was washed her feet & feed her a ball of hay a few of the other tourists got up on her back and were sprayed from her trunk. It was in a nature reserve, and they were fed and well looked after, but I struggled with it. I can’t help but feel that the allure of western money to make them perform for the tourists is just too much. Why can’t we just leave them be (protect and preserve where necessary) and not poach them, so that they can just be peaceful in their natural habitat? I appreciate that this is controversial for many, so it is only my opinion but personally speaking it has given me a different perspective when a holiday involves animals, but then again, isn’t that what travel is all about – broadening horizons & challenging opinions?! In other news, it appears that I jumped the gun a bit last month – the YNot outing won’t be reported upon until next month but we are starting to prep – we’ve got fancy dress to plan apparently!! We’ve drawn our winners, so big congratulations to those and we’ll see you there!
CONTENT Professional Services pg7 Food & Retail pg12
Wish me luck and send help!!!
x Emily
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To advertise email: info@voicemagazines.co.uk or call us on 01773 549 035 Printed by Phase Print Ltd and distributed to 5,000 homes in Clay Cross and surrounding villages. Disclaimer: No responsibility is accepted by Voice Magazines Limited for claims, errors or omissions made in advertisements appearing in this issue. All advertisers are accepted in good faith and we are not responsible for views expressed by contributor or other sources. Reproduction of the contents of this magazine is not permitted without the prior consent of the publisher. Voice Magazines Limited, 40 High Street, South Normanton, Derbyshire. DE55 2BP. Registered in England & Wales No: 10550557
COMMUNITY NOTICE
Aug 2022
01246 250 599
Pilsley Road, Danesmoor, S45 9BU • www.stbarnabascentre.co.uk
News & Events
Cream Tea for over one hundred, piece of cake! On Tuesday 5th July Valley CIDS, who run the Lighthouse chain of charity shops, invited their staff to attend a charity information day at the Centre. We provided a mouthwatering afternoon tea for 130 staff and volunteers who networked
and shared info whilst tucking into finger sandwiches, cakes, and scones. Jonathan Brook from Valley CIDS said, “What a fantastic venue, we will be back.”
Last night of the Proms Join us on SATURDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER FROM 7PM for this special Proms screening. Enjoy great music from the Albert Hall in our comfortable surroundings. FREE ADMISSION, food and refreshments available. Flags will be provided.
If you are a community group who is looking for a home get in touch email steve@stbarnabascentre.co.uk
Book your next party at the Centre, get in touch today Children’s Party Packages from £79
Evening Functions from £160
St. Barnabas is the ideal venue for your next celebration!
Our Centre offers high quality spaces and equipment, friendly customer service, fantastic catering and great value packages. Take a look and get in touch - we look forward to helping you bring your next party or function to life.
For Community Advertising Contact Danielle on 01773 549035 4
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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
ELEPHANT FACTS In honour of World Elephant Day on August 12th, here are some facts you may find interesting. The elephants we see today (and there are THREE species, not just two – more on this in a mo) share a common ancestor with the Woolly Mammoths who roamed the Ice Age World between 300,000 years ago to around 10,000 years ago. This common ancestor was part of a group of herbivores named Proboscidea, whose origins date back sixty million years. Most proboscideans were relatively small compared to modern elephants and would have borne little resemblance to the animals we know today. Some six million years ago, proboscideans began to separate into different species. DNA research shows that the African elephants were the first to diverge, whilst Woolly Mammoths and Asian Elephants followed suit around 440,000 years later. Now back to the fact that there are THREE distinct species of elephant around today, and these are: •
The African savanna elephant
•
The African forest elephant
•
The Asian elephant
DNA shows the two African species diverged about 2.6 million years ago. The African savanna elephant is the largest living land animal; an adult can tip the scales at 16,500 lbs (7,500 kg) and stand 10–13 ft (3–4 m) tall at the shoulder.
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Forest elephants are smaller than the savannadwelling species and have thinner, straighter tusks. The remaining 150,000 or so forest elephants are found mainly in the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Cameroon An Asian elephant weighs about 12,000 lbs (5,500 kg) and stands about 10 ft (3 m) tall. Apart from the differences in sizes, there are several other ways to distinguish the three species visually: Ears African elephants have much larger ears than their Asian counterparts, and it’s possible to tell the difference between the savanna-dwelling species, whose ears closely resemble the outline of the continent of Africa, and the forest livers with more oval-shaped ears. Head shape Both species of African elephants have a rounded, dome-like skull (the forest elephants being smaller), whilst the Indian elephant has a very distinct twin domed head with a clearly defined indent running down the middle. Toenails! African forest elephants have five toenails on the front feet and four on the back, while African savanna elephants have four on the front and three on the back. Asian elephants have five toenails on the front and four on the back. Trunks African elephants have a kind of two-finger arrangement at the end of their trunks, giving them tremendous dexterity; Indian elephants, however, have only one “finger”. One final note, all three species of elephants are considered to be at risk. Some African populations are increasing, mainly in Southern Africa, whilst in other areas, they are being poached to near extinction level, and Asian elephant numbers have declined by 50% in the last three generations! Could you imagine a world without elephants? I know I couldn’t.
These articles are researched and written by Laura Billingham, a local content writer and author. Laura moved to the Peak District several years ago to pursue her passion for writing. Don’t to mention Voice Magazines when To find out moreforget visit www.landgassociates.co.uk or contact Laura on responding 07736 351 341 to the
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Book Review
Luckenbooth, it has to be said, is a very strange book, not your normal summer holiday read, but if you’re looking for something more than a bit dark and decidedly different, this could be worth a punt. 10 Luckenbooth Close Edinburgh has descended from its heyday as a fine residence to a series of seedy squats. But its walls reveal many histories, starting with the arrival of the devil’s daughter, a curse on the building and the impact it has on the lives of the people on its nine floors over the same number of decades. It’s a genuinely original bit of writing from Jenni Fagan, definitely gothic and very punchily written. Don’t say you haven’t been warned At the other end of the summer reading spectrum is Still Life from Sarah Winman, a warm and light story set in Florence and London full of well-drawn attractive characters, sunshine and light and art and history and the Italian countryside. It’s a generous tale of how lives can be changed and poetic and it’s thoughtful and funny at the same time. As they say, different strokes for different folks
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BLT Salad
on each side (if using medallions, cook for 2 minutes on each side), or until cooked through. Slice into strips.
2. Put the remaining tomatoes, vinaigrette, 4. Divide the lettuce between 4 plates. Toss the bacon vinegar, mustard powder strips through the bean and garlic into a food mixture, then spoon over processor and whizz until the lettuce and serve. almost smooth. Pour over the bean mixture and toss everything together. 3. Preheat a non-stick griddle pan to hot or your grill to high, then cook the bacon steaks for 3-4 minutes
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3rd Tuesday of each month 9am - 12noon | Blackwell Community Centre 3rd Thursday of each month 9am - 1pm | Alfreton Severn Square Car Park (Outside B&M) 3rd Friday of each month 9am - 1pm | Sutton-in-Ashfield, Portland Square
Salads don’t need to be boring, or leave you hungry. Give this one a try and you will see!
Method 1. Tip the beans into a large bowl with 350g tomatoes, the onion, sugar snap peas and parsley.
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CLAY CROSS PARISH COUNCIL
Jubilee Celebration Tea
Over a hundred residents enjoyed the Jubilee Celebration Tea provided by the Parish Council and supported by County Councillors Charlotte Cupit and Kevin Gillott. One surprised resident was Agnes Walker, seen here with the Chair of the Parish Council, Cllr Gerry Morley having been presented with flowers for her belated 100th birthday.
Queens Platinum Jubilee Celebration Event
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UPDATE:
nah n a v a S e Blu
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Clay Cross Social Centre
Did you know that you can hire the hall including the bar for just £72 for six hours? Our diary for both 2022 and 2023 is filling up with many events such as weddings, birthday and anniversary celebrations, give us a call to see if we can fit you in. More details are on our website www.claycross.gov.uk.
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The Shoulder at Hardstoft is a 350 year old country pub that offers traditional home cooked food, cocktails, local ales, good selection of lager and spirits, a beautiful large function room and hotel rooms. • Hire our function room from £100
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All Around the Shire One of our smallest yet most recognised items in our collection of artefacts is a tiny blue cylinder with a sprout of muslin at its top. I take it round to show each person in turn and open my hand to reveal the treasure. “It’s a dolly blue!” “Reckitt’s blue bag!” and stories of washing day come alive. It was a real chore to maintain white linens and cotton fabrics. As time went on, they became aged and yellowed. Putting a blue pigment into the final rinse of the wash, gave the appearance of a blue-white fabric and the illusion of cleaner whites.
Whiter than white
From the 1950s, twin-tub washing machines began to replace the copper, washboard, mangle, dolly, poncher, and other Monday laundry paraphernalia. Advertisements proclaimed their detergent produced the whitest, cleanest, softest wash above their competitors. Nowadays, laundry detergent contains many chemicals and fragrances, and whiteners are incorporated into the powder or liquid.
There was clean laundry before washing machines and twin-tubs, but the physical The dolly blue was created by a firm called Reckitt. In the work was hard. However, even something 1850s, Isaac Reckitt’s company had started to manufacture as small as a blue bag can unlock a blueing agents for laundry using aquamarine which is a deep washing line of memories that remind blue pigment made from grinding lapis lazuli into a powder. us of the people and places who were Artificial pigment was created in 1882 and the firm began to important to us when we were young. make serious money. The contents of the bag were baking soda and synthetic aquamarine and cost one penny. In the Janet and Paul Barrass are middle of the 20th century, the All Around the Shire. bags were replaced by a cube of Find us on or email: blue whitener.
Janet
oldfield512@btinternet.com for more information.
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SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN THE NORTH DERBYSHIRE YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE FOR
NEW TUPTON IVANHOE FC The 2021/22 season has been New Tupton Ivanhoe FC’s best in the North Derbyshire Youth Football League. Teams from the club finished as winners in five of the North Derbyshire Youth Football Leagues. The clubs under U7s White finished ahead of Staveley Miners Welfare to win the U7 Yellow division. The U8s Gold were crowned champions of the U8 Blue league, the top division for their age group. The U9s White won the under 9’s Yellow division and the U12s gold were crowned champions of the u12s league whilst our u13’s secured back-to-back titles winning division 3 in their competition. The U7-U11 age groups are non-competitive, and decided on sportsmanship, and other factors whilst The U12-U18s leagues are competitive and decided on points scored.
titles, cup competitions and tournaments. We look forward to the 2022/23 season and wish all our teams the best of luck.” Antony Maidans, Chairman of New Tupton Ivanhoe F.C. added: “Congratulations to all the players and coaches who have secured league titles this season. I also want to say well done and thank you to all the players and coaches across the club for the last season. I know that everyone works hard to develop their teams and create a fun environment to play football.” A full list of the winners and the runners up can be downloaded from the North Derbyshire Youth Football League website.
To find out more about the club visit www.newtuptonivanhoefc.co.uk
The league successes follow on from cup success for our U12’s gold and our U9’s Yellows as well as tournament wins for teams across the club. Dave Hoult, Secretary of New Tupton Ivanhoe FC commented: “We are proud of all the teams that have had success in the North Derbyshire Football League over the past season. This has been New Tupton Ivanhoe F.C.’s most successful season for honours with teams winning league If you are interested in Little Ivanhoes, The Wildcat Centre or joining a team please message the clubs facebook page at: www.facebook.com/newtuptonivanhoefc/ visit: www.newtuptonivanhoefc.co.uk or contact the Dave Hoult, Club Secretary on 07759 048 037
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Vintage Rambles y e with raifllaa ke andaF B
We’re back at Homesford for our third and final walk in this series. I hope you are enjoying it as much as we have! This month the walk was done without our four-legged friends due to the heatwave. So don’t worry that they are not in the pics. They will be back soon (weather permitting!) I have put these walks together as a series as the walk from last month can be combined with the walk from this month to make a 6-mile, figure of eight walk, if you like something a little more taxing. I hope you manage to enjoy the weather, we’ll be back to grumbling about the rain soon!
3 MILE CIRCULAR WALK FROM HOMESFORD TEA ROOMS, ON THE A6 NEAR WHATSTANDWELL A nice short but fun packed walk for you and your dog! There are some uphill sections on this walk so should it take around 1½ hours to complete. There is a range of terrain, which can be muddy and uneven, although unlikely during a heatwave! There are also a few sections of road, so take plenty of care and make sure you wear appropriate footwear.
START: HOMESFORD TEA ROOMS A6, WHATSTANDWELL, DE4 5HJ 1.
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Stand, facing the road, with your back to 2. the tea rooms and turn left to continue along the main road. After a short distance turn left, pass by a metal gate to continue downhill along a tarmac lane and signposted footpath.
At the bottom of the hill follow the lane around to the left and pass underneath a railway bridge. Immediately after the bridge keep to the right and follow a footpath to climb some steps and cross over a river bridge.
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3.
Immediately after the river bridge turn left to follow the footpath and continue until reaching a T junction of paths. Turn right along the first footpath signposted for ‘Holloway’. After a short distance you will pass another signpost for Ambergate on your left. Continue straight ahead, now going downhill until this path merges with another.
4.
Now continue for some distance with a canal on your left and just prior to passing under a bridge turn right and up some steps.
5.
At the top of the steps pass through a wooden gate and then turn sharp left to pass over the canal. Continue straight ahead along a tarmac lane.
6.
After a short distance cross straight over a road and continue along a lane into some trees. Eventually the lane becomes a footpath. Continue straight ahead climbing uphill for a long distance, when the path splits, continue right and then pass through a wooden gate.
7.
Now continue with a wooden fence and views to your right. After some distance pass through a 2nd wooden gate and then pass through a gap onto a road.
8.
Turn right along the road and ignore the first signposted footpath on your right. Continue straight ahead passing a bus stop and then when the road bends around to the right, turn right through a gap in a stone wall and onto a signposted footpath.
9.
Continue downhill through a field staying close to the trees and bushes on your left. At the bottom of the field continue straight ahead to pass into some trees.
10. Continue along the path downhill and then pass through a gap in a fence. Continue straight ahead and pass through 2 metal gates. Upon reaching a road, cross straight over the road and continue downhill along the footpath.
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11. Eventually the path begins to level out and curl around to the left. Look out for a footpath with a footbridge going off to the right. Take this path, cross over the footbridge and then at a T junction of paths turn right along a path signposted for’ Cromford’. 12. Continue along this path with a canal on your right for a long distance and then pass through a long tunnel. Immediately after the tunnel turn left along a footpath signposted for ‘Homesford’. 13. Continue along this path crossing over a river bridge, down some steps, and then underneath a railway bridge. Follow the tarmac lane back to the main road and then turn right along the road back to the tea rooms.
This walk is for illustrative purposes only. Voice Magazines Ltd takes no responsibility for anyone who chooses to follow this route and encourages all walkers to obey all byelaws and signs and to respect the area they are walking in, ensuring they pick up all dog mess and obey the countryside code at all times.
Homes fo Tea Ro rd oms
dwell Whatstan
Cromford Canal gh Hi ak n Pe ctio n u J
Cro mfo rd
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KIDS & FAMILIES
Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service Learn with us for Meeting new people | Health and Wellbeing | Employment Skills | Developing new interests | Personal Development | Work We offer an amazing range of low cost and free qualifications, skills, community learning and family learning courses online and in venues across Derbyshire. Visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/adulteducation to see what is coming up Email: adult.education@derbyshire.gov.uk Phone: 01629 535895
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KIDS & FAMILIES
Joke Time! I like a joke as much as the next person but I have real difficulty telling them! Either I forget the punchline, miss a vital something, or…as my other half repeatedly says, I meander all over the place and end up telling a “mini-story” instead of a quick joke! But where do jokes come from? I thought I’d do some digging to see if I could find a plausible origin story. Turns out there isn’t one – what a surprise. If you think about it though, jokes must have always been around in both a physical, slapstick, falling over AND in the verbal, play on words sense. I say this because I bet humans have always needed to laugh at each other – it seems to be a default, we laugh at ourselves, and we laugh at others, don’t we? When it comes to looking at recorded jokes, Wikipedia shares the following with us: The oldest identified joke is an ancient Sumerian proverb from 1900 BC containing toilet humour: “Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.” Its records were dated to the Old Babylonian period, and the joke may go as far back as 2300 BC. The second oldest joke found on the Westcar Papyrus and believed to be about Sneferu was from Ancient Egypt circa 1600 BC: “How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish.” Isn’t it nice to know that toilet humour and sex were the subjects of “jokes” dating back thousands of years? Some things never change.
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My “research” then moved to look for the world’s funniest joke, and I discovered that good old Reader’s Digest has an article called… The 100 Funniest Jokes from the Last 100 Years. Here are a few I picked out. Why don’t pirates take a shower before they walk the plank? They just wash up on shore. Two Hollywood stars ran into each other at the door of their psychiatrist’s office. “Hello, there,” said one. “Are you coming or going?” “If I knew that,” said the other, “I wouldn’t be here.” “My son had to give up his career because of fallen arches.” “He’s an athlete?” “No—an architect.” These give you an indication of the quality (or not) of the remaining 97 puns. Personally, I think the Ancient Egyptian one is funnier, but then again, I’m not a joke connoisseur! Perhaps Reader’s Digest should be advised to steer clear of the humour business. I’ll finish by asking you, the readers if you have a favourite joke? I’m not sure I do, and yet I came across this one whilst writing this article, and it did make me laugh… simplicity and a play on words. “ I went to the zoo the other day, there was only one dog in it, it was a shitzu.”
These articles are researched and written by Laura Billingham, a local content writer and author. Laura moved to the Peak District several years ago to pursue her passion for writing. Don’t to mention Voice Magazines whenonresponding To find out moreforget visit www.landgassociates.co.uk or contact Laura 07736 351 341to the
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HEALTH & BEAUTY
UNDER PRESSURE
“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.” So wrote John Newton (1725-1807), author of the iconic hymn Amazing Grace, Anglican clergyman and former slave ship master who was hugely influential in ending the slave trade. As a modernday therapist with the benefit of many centuries of research since Newton’s time, I can only say ‘amen’ to his insightful observation of what we nowadays may call ‘stress overload’. Stress gets a bad rap… it gets blamed for all kinds of things (often rightly so, to be fair!). Stress is pressure and pressure is not in itself a bad thing - without pressure or need, some of us may never get out of bed! The pressure to hunt and find food, to find shelter, is what enabled the human race to survive… If Ugg the caveman spent all of his day sitting under a tree meditating, then you and I wouldn’t be here to have this conversation. So, when does stress or pressure become harmful? We do know that too much stress can make us ill, worsen illnesses we may already have or just plain make us miserable and overwhelmed. Whatever your lifestyle you won’t be immune - the pressure of our responsibilities, stress from health, work, relationships, finances, most of us have a complex mix of all of these. So, how much is too much? Newton gave us a really good starting point… dragging our old ‘stuff’ into the fresh pressures of today, start’s us off at a disadvantage. I often use the
analogy of a radio with a set bandwidth - we have so much capacity and when it’s full, it’s full and we literally cannot take anything else. The stresses of yesterday can look as big as childhood trauma that has damaged our view of ourselves and the world around us, leaving us feeling unsafe: perpetually stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode… and as ‘small’ as ruminating or worrying over events that are in the past. And so, we have the old stresses, added to the ones that were generated today and like the cherry on the cake, we can often add in ‘the stress that is yet to come’ - worrying in “what if?” terms about things that have not yet happened. That’s how our bandwidth can fill up, leaving us no capacity to deal with the unexpected or generally leaving us feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope. Dealing with difficulties from the past and learning to live more in the moment is something that can be learned. However, you choose to manage the pressures of life, begin with the awareness of how much belongs to today… how much to yesterday (the old stuff) and then notice how much you’re already imagining things in the future that haven’t happened yet. Start by eating what’s on your plate today. The past is over, and the future is not yet written. Start with the ‘now’.
Article written by Sarah Kallend. Sarah is an Emotional & Mental Health Therapist offering a variety of therapies at her base at Ogston Reservoir. You can find out more about Sarah at 26 www.sarahkallend.com Don’t forget to mention Voice Magazines when responding to the Ads or get in touch at sarah@sarahkallend.com
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Riddings PHARMACY ABOUT RIDDINGS PHARMACY Moh Dara, Pharmacist, took over running Riddings Pharmacy back in 2016. Moh has over 27 years’ experience working as a pharmacist, having spent many years working within Poole and Bournemouth. In 2016, Moh made the move to Riddings. Since then, the business has gone from strength to strength, offering more and more services for problems such as UTI’s, ear infections, infected insect bites, impetigo, erectile dysfunction, etc. Moh works alongside a great team at Riddings Pharmacy. So, when a new exciting opportunity came his way, he jumped at the chance. Laura, a highly qualified technician with many years of experience working in community pharmacy, expressed an interest to widen her knowledge by undertaking Ear Mircosuction training, so off to London she went to get the relevant training.
must be used for a minimum of five to seven days prior to treatment. If you feel your ears are blocked, and would like them to be checked, pop along to Riddings Pharmacy. Here, they will do a free of charge check and Laura will advise if there is any wax removal required and then perform a clinical check to see if the service is suitable for you. Before Ear Mircosuction treatment can be carried out, you need to apply olive oil, at home, to the affected ear twice a day, to soften any wax. On arrival for your microsuction appointment, Laura will complete some paperwork with you and perform a physical check of your ear(s) to rule out any infection and/or swollen glands. Then, on completion of the treatment, you will receive after-care information and will be informed about the free six-monthly check-up.
What is Ear Mircosuction and how does it work? Ear Microsuction ear wax removal, unlike traditional ear syringing, uses gentle suction to dislodge and get wax out of your ears. Olive oil
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Gardener’s Calendar
It’s probably been a decent year for strawberries, lots of warmth and sunshine but by August you can think about propagating for next year
Strawberry runners are offshoots which obviously grow from the main plant. Fill smallish, (about 3 inch) pots with compost and push the runners into the mix, pegging them down so they don’t pop out – a bit of wire will do. Keep well-watered and cut from the parent plant when they have developed roots. Hey presto. A new strawberry plant. Lavenders should be pruned once they’ve flowered and gone over and before they go to seed. You’ll want to keep a nice overall shape but don’t cut into old wood as that will probably kill the plant off and also don’t cut off any new young shoots as they’ll have a couple of inches growth in them before winter and will give a good start for next year.
Top Tip:
Camellias need to be well watered now as do rhododendrons as this is when they are starting to form next year’s buds.
If you pinch out the growing tips in your chrysanths you’ll get more flowers later. And stake your dahlias to stop them being damaged in early autumn winds.
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GARDENS
In Praise of the Peak’s Starlings It is always a worry when a one-time commonplace bird suddenly drops in numbers and appears to be on a long-term downward slide. This was indeed how things seemed for the starling which was once one of our most familiar birds but for some time appeared to be joining a long list of formerly ‘common or garden’ birds but which was becoming fewer and fewer in number each year. Various theories were put forwards as to the cause of the decline, but it seemed that factors like, the drying up of wetland habitats in upland moors and bogs for example, were a problem. In summer, in places like the Peak District, post-breeding flocks of starlings gather with local birds boosted by immigrants from the continent until, by the autumn into mid-winter, they grow into the now famous ‘murmurations’. These are such as at Stony Middleton where over a million birds may flock together in the late afternoon to roost overnight. However, in the mid to late summer they will have moved onto upland pastures, moors, and bogs where they habitually gorge on the vast numbers of emerging craneflies (daddy-long-legs) whose leather-jacket larvae thrive in damp turf. Longterm drying of the moors has meant fewer craneflies and hence it seemed, less starlings. I wonder if rewetting the great peat-bogs is now helping the starling to recover.
a simple pale buff. These are highly gregarious birds with a good level of intelligence and complex behaviours. They are excellent mimics and often make calls and snippets of songs pinched from other species that they have been mixing with. Indeed, you can tell where your birds have come from by their calls. I have heard very passable renditions of for instance green woodpecker, curlew, golden plover, redshank, and lapwing. For the latter species, I assume the starlings had been feeding on a wetland or coastal area. These beautiful birds are deeply embedded in our culture. In Russia for example, the return of the starlings in spring is awaited much as we anticipate the swallow, swift, and house martin. As often the case with such distinct and interesting birds, local people have developed numerous common ‘folk’ names for the starling over the centuries. As documented by Mark Cocker and Richard Mabey in their seminal ‘Birds Britannica’, these names vary from Starnel in the English Midlands, to Shepster, Sheppy, Shebster, Shep, Stinker, Shitlegs (Northern England of course), Scootie, Stirling, Stirlin, and Stirleen. Anyway, whatever we choose to call them it is wonderful to have them back again.
Now, whatever the reason, it does seem that there is a recovery happening. Where I live for instance, the starlings are nesting in my neighbour’s roof where a ridge-tile has slipped. The numbers visiting my bird feeders have risen dramatically, and the starlings also love to bathe in the pond or the birdbath. They really cannot resist an offering of dried mealworms, and at times, I have up to twenty or so birds now mixing adults, with their typically splendid plumage of myriad colours, and the youngsters which are
Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer, broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues in the Peak District and elsewhere, is contactable on info@hallamec.plus.com. Follow his website www.ukeconet.org, ianswalkonthewildside, & Twitter @IanThewildside 36 Don’t blog forget to mention Voice Magazines when responding to the Ads
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