Voice Magazines - Swanwick, Riddings, Leabrooks and Somercotes Edition - October 2023

From the Editor

fist is fine after 3 weeks and as long as it feels alright to do so. Anyway, tested out the hockey stick on week 2 and all is well! Let’s see how long I can hold out for my beloved Netball!!

In other news, I’m sorry to be the one (although, if you’ve been into Tesco at Alfreton recently, they started it!) but we’ve started planning for Christmas, so now is the time to contact us if you want to promote something special for Christmas, shout about an event you are holding, wish your clients a lovely festive holiday time or feature in our High Street special if you are a retailer. We have all had a tough time since 2020 and every year, I like to bang the ‘Shop Local’ drum. Small businesses can’t survive without your help and as much as I love a generic national brand winter spiced pumpkin latte –with their billions of pounds of profits, they find it much easier to survive and thrive than the rest of us little fellas, so do us a solid and help out where you can this year – it is appreciated.

Happy Reading

The Ghost of our Celtic Past

All Hallow’s Eve. All Saint’s Eve. Samhain.

The original Celtic celebration, Samhain (pronounced sow-ain) actually marked the end of one year and the transition to the next. The move from the abundance of summer and the harvest into the scarcity and cold of winter. Celts associated winter with death and believed the shift to the new year caused the veil between this world and the next to thin, allowing the spirits of the ancestors to visit.

As so often happens, a new religion, Christianity, absorbed and subsumed the old celebration.

And yet the old beliefs still linger, only now they are remembered in an orgy of “candy” consumption. Sweet stuff obtained by knocking on stranger’s doors and demanding it on pain of suffering “a trick” if the desired sticky treats are not forthcoming!

The idea that dead ancestors will come a calling, is relegated to dressing up as ghouls and ghosts.

To face painting and costume wearing. Honestly, our Celtic antecedents must be spinning in their graves. Imagine if the most sacred date in the Christian calendar was reduced to straight out consumerism and consumption.

Oh, hang on…

Of course Halloween is not just a British thingall though the way we do it now is definitely more North American than homegrown - the day, and those following are marked around the world. None more so than in Mexico with the famous Día de los Muertos (day of the dead).

Día de los Muertos is actually celebrated on November 2, but begins the day we designate as Halloween. The celebration is designed to honour the dead who, it is believed, return to their earthly homes on October 31. Then on November 2, relatives gather at gravesides to picnic and reminisce. Some gatherings even include tequila and a mariachi band…sounds fun.

We can blame our American cousins for the commercialism of Halloween. As a melting pot of many ethnicities, the traditions of different cultures were assimilated into a wholly unique way to mark the thinning of the veils.

An old English tradition of giving pastries called “soul cakes” to beggars in return for promises to pray for the dead of the donors, probably transmuted to “trick or treat”. Although there could also be links to “Mischief Night” which occurs around the same time as Halloween.

Dressing in outlandish “spooky” costumes may derive from the custom of wearing masks to confuse any visiting dead who decide to pop through from the other side.

Whatever the origins of the “customs” we now see being played out at Halloween, the overriding theme seems to be “spend money”. Buy sweets (I refuse to type candy again!), buy the kids costumes, buy decorations for your house, place of work…buy, buy, buy.

I shall, as usual, turn out the lights and keep the front door shut. Trick or treaters won’t be able to blame dental decay on me!

The night when, allegedly, the “veils” between the living and the dead are at their thinnest.

SOUTH WINGFIELD SOCIAL CLUB

BONFIRE NIGHT and DISCO

COME AND JOIN US ON SATURDAY 4TH NOVEMBER

GATES OPEN AT 5pm

Entry Adults £5.00 Children 10-14yrs £3.00 Children under 10yrs free

BONFIRE LIGHTING AT 7PM

FIREWORK DISPLAY 7:30PM APPROX.

Bar stocking a selection of Real Ales

Food available on site For further details see our fb page southwingfieldsocialclub

WE ALSO HAVE THE FOLLOWING EVENTS...

Sat 21st Oct

Stumble Brothers

Fri 27th

Halloween Night - Black Top Sliders

Fri 10th Nov

Naughty 90’s

Theme, Disco / Drag Artists

Fancy Dress is optional

SCARPA TERRA GORE-TEX

Women’s walking boot

KEEN TARGHEE III

Waterproof Men’s hiking boots

THE MIDLANDS LARGEST STOCKIST OF HIKING FOOTWEAR

FACTORY SHOP

Rock Fall UK, Wimsey Way

Tr. Est, Somercotes DE55 4LS

Voice Team on 01773 549 035

MON-FRI 08:00-16:30 SAT 08:00-14:00

Guess the words and Fill in the crossword ! Pitcherwits®

Pitcherwits® are crossword puzzles where some of the clues are in pictures. Sound easy? It’s not called “Pit-your-wits” for nothing! The mixture of cryptic and picture clues, combined with Professor Rebus’ unique sense of humour, will keep you entertained for hours.

Across

5 Only Newton could produce such material (5)

7 Sonar detection of fire-raising (5)

11 Have some bearing for the listener (3)

12 A test of your income from drawing pins, say? (3)

16 Open more than the junction (5)

17 Fraudulently make the smithy (5)

Down

2 Oz lager sounds a bit thin (5)

3 William Butler, as yet unplaced (5)

10 Accomplices in the theft of ‘diamonds’ (3)

14 Ridiculously opulent, but not on stopping (3-2)

15 Attempt to choose (2,3)

1 Pellets gone astray on a slight incline (6,5)

4 Little horse to talk about US mail (4,7)

6 Block a few stories, say? (3,4)

8 Negotiator who’s moved to live abroad? (7)

This puzzles has been devised by the brilliant Professor Rebus. For more of his puzzles visit www.pitcherwits.co.uk

THE LITTLE RED HEN HOUSE

NORTHUMBERLAND

STUNNING HOLIDAY COTTAGE IN WARKWORTH, NORTHUMBERLAND

Treat yourself to a luxury break at the 4* Gold Award winning Little Red Hen House. An elegant and cosy holiday home just a 7 minute drive from award-winning and dog-friendly Warkworth beach.

*SALE* PRICES REDUCED ON 2023 BOOKINGS! *SALE*

✽ 2 spacious en-suite bedrooms

✽ A fully enclosed garden

✽ 2 small to medium dogs welcome (3 upon request)

✽ Fully equipped kitchen, including an American style fridge freezer

✽ Perfect for exploring the stunning Northumbrian Heritage Coastline

✽ Close to a range of dog friendly pubs, cafes and restaurants in stunning Warworth

✽ We have fast fibre Wi-Fi and smart TV’s

Search ‘The Little Red Hen House’ at:

OFFERING MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS IN A CHALLENGING FINANCIAL CLIMATE

We recently had the great pleasure of visiting Renshaw Mortgage Solutions at their new location on Jacksdale High Street. They moved there in March and the place looks amazing.

Our visit was personal this time. We needed a new mortgage so we visited our trusted advisor, Andy Renshaw. Andy has been advising us for years and by getting to know us and our personal circumstances he is able to tailor his advice best to us and always gets us the best deal. Andy is always super friendly and professional and has his fingers on the pulse with all the latest happenings in the relevant markets. We can’t recommend him highly enough!

Renshaw Mortgage Solutions has been in business since 2007 and the team, consisting of Andy, Corinne, Rachel and Paul can offer a number of services, including mortgages, remortgages, life insurance and critical illness cover.

Right now it is a great time to talk to them if your mortgage is due for renewal in the near or mid-term future. They can help you plan ahead and secure the best rates for your future. For example, they can lock in a remortgage deal up to six months before your current one expires, but you can still change it until the last minute if you find a better one. How great is that?

In a departure from the regular Speeds competitions and with only eight weeks to competition day, could RASCALS Lifesavers step up and be competition ready for their first Traditional Lifesaving Competition in 2023? Up for a challenge, Rachel Healey and Karen Clark were quick to volunteer to co-ordinate eight weeks of targeted and focused training. On Saturday, 2nd September, 17 enthusiastic RASCALS lifesavers headed to Retford for the Traditional Lifesaving Regional Championship, hoping to do their club proud but also hoping to quality for the next stage of the competition – the National competition in Leeds in November!

The National Lifesaving Championships (Nationals) encourages Lifesavers to develop and maintain the essential physical and mental skills to save lives. Our 17 Lifesavers threw all their training and knowledge into the four elements of the competition. The Life Support Initiative Test allowed the Lifesavers 90 seconds to respond to a dry simulation to demonstrate emergency first aid and casualty care and similarly, the Aquatic Initiative Test gave the Lifesavers the same allocation of time to test their assessment of the situation, their lifesaving skills and after rescue treatment. Swim and Tow

“the whole team should be very proud of themselves, an incredible set of results with several 1st and 2nd places awarded in the individual elements”. After a very long day of competition, congratulations to pairing Sophia Froggatt/Harry Pollicott who qualified for the National Finals along with Rachel Healey who topped the scoreboard in her category. Narrowly missing out a place in Nationals was pairing Ruth Watson/Ruby Postlethwaithe who came joint winners in their category but unfortunately lost out on weighted results. Other competitors on the day were Aydrian Cope, Cillian Lamont, Elena Quinn, Grace Clark, Harriett Moores, Hannah Reast, Hannah Murphy, Natasha Everitt, Scarlett Mann, Sophie Hodgkinson, Tobias Watson and Thea Bednall.

A huge thank you to all our Lifesaving parents and siblings who gave Oscar winning performances as dry side and drowning casualties as well as timekeeping for the competition along with Rich Moores, Ed Mann and Jennie Lockwood who supported the training schedule.

If you would like to expand your swimming activities or try something new, please contact us. contact@ripleyrascals.org.uk | www.ripleyrascals.org.uk

SWIMMING CLUB

ADAM PEATY COACHES ASPIRING SWIMMERS FROM BELPER MARLIN SWIMMING CLUB

Ten lucky swimmers, from Belper Marlin Swimming Club, have spent the day training with triple Olympic Champion Adam Peaty. The Race Clinic, held at Whitwick and Coalville Leisure Centre, provided aspiring swimmers from the East Midlands with a world class racing experience.

The AP Race Clinics were founded in 2019, with the aim of inspiring swimmers, parents, and coaches on their journey through the sport of swimming. In 2023 alone, the wider AP Race Team will interact with over 10,000 swimmers, parents, and coaches.

An on-line competition invited clubs to say why their swimmers deserved to win ten places at the Coalville clinic. Parents and friends were quick to take to social media to praise Belper Marlin swimmers for their incredible fundraising efforts. Together they raised £6,639 for the Laura Centre in Leicester by taking part in a Mega Swim. Swimmers were also recognised for participating in a four-mile protest march to help save their home pool, Belper Leisure Centre, which had been at risk of closure due to soaring operating costs. A recent announcement confirmed that the leisure centre’s future has now been secured by appointment of a new operator, not-for-profit company Trilogy Active Limited.

Speaking about the club’s achievements, Sophie Axford, Chair of Belper Marlin Swimming Club, commented: ‘We are delighted that the leisure centre is safe. It’s been our home since 1974 and is such a valuable resource for the wider community. Our swimmers thoroughly deserved their places at the AP Race Clinic.’

Swimmers at the Race Clinic were put through their paces at three stations throughout the day.

At the swim station they were coached by Adam himself. They went on to attend a gym station and a racing edge station, where they were coached by Adam’s Strength and Conditioning Coach and his Psychologist respectively.

Parents were able to attend a special parent’s support station where they gained insights shared from the teams’ combined experiences. To round off the day for everyone, Adam gave a presentation around his journey through swimming, the lessons he has learnt, how he has managed to retain unparalleled levels of success for so long and all about his pursuit of becoming Better Than Yesterday.

Speaking after the event, 13-year-old Finley Jenkins, a competitive swimmer for the club, commented: ‘Today has been amazing. Breaststroke is my favourite stroke and to be trained by Adam Peaty is a dream come true.’

You can find out more about Belper Marlin Swimming Club here: www.belpermarlin.co.uk

You can find out more about the AP Race Clinics here: www.clinics.aprace.club

If you are interested, please go to our website www.belpermarlin.co.uk and click “Join Us” or email us on info@belpermarlin.co.uk.

MANDY’S TRAVEL PAGE

Hi I’m Mandy your Personal Travel Counsellor.

VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA FOR SOLO TRAVELLERS

Are you a solo traveller looking for a holiday adventure to tick off that ever growing bucket list? If you are reading this and thinking, YES, that’s me. This could be the trip for you.

Visit the highlights of Vietnam and Cambodia, the very essence of Indochina, experiencing their captivating blend of French colonial history, unique local culture, and beautiful rural scenery.

This tour in Cambodia includes a stay in the capital, Phnom Penh. Beautifully located at the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers, Phnom Penh, with its vibrant riverside ambience, is one of the ‘hidden gems’ of Asian cities. Highlights

• See the hauntingly beautiful and inspirational countryside with shimmering rice fields, where buffaloes are tended by farmers adorned with conical hats.

• Visit the Angkor ruins, a UNESCOlisted complex of ancient temples and one of the world’s greatest ancient sites.

• Guided tour of the fascinating CuChi tunnels, the former Vietcong underground stronghold and a poignant reminder of the US-Vietnam conflict.

• Cycle rickshaw tour of Hanoi seeing the Temple of Literature, tree-lined avenues, colonial belle-époque villas.

• Take a leisurely cruise in UNESCOlisted Ha Long Bay aboard a converted Chinese junk.

• Visit to Hue with a guided tour of the Citadel and Forbidden City plus visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and Emperor Tu Duc’s temple.

• Enjoy a full-day trip on the mighty Mekong delta, the world’s 10thlargest river system.

• City tour of Phnom Penh including the Tuol Sleng Museum

This tour operates on selected dates in 2024 and 2025 or why not travel this year? Depart 17th November 2023.

Price from £4049.00 (based on sole occupancy).

Cost includes:

• 13 nights in four to five-star accommodation.

• Return flights & transfers.

• Programme of daily tours & visits.

• 9 meals: 13 breakfasts, 5 lunches & 1 welcome dinner.

• Expert Tour Manager.

• Checked luggage.

Slimming World Recipe Prawn

Stir Fry

Stir frys are such an easy win. Quick to prep and cook, loads of flavour and packed full of healthy ingredients. Perfect for a family feast!

Method:

1. Mix together the cornflour, garlic, ginger, chilli sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweetener, tomato purée and stock in a small bowl.

2. Spray a deep non-stick frying pan or wok with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a high heat. When hot, add the onions, peppers and 2 tbsp water and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add the green beans and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until all the vegetables are just tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the pack instructions and drain well.

4. Add the prawns and bamboo shoots to the vegetables and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the noodles and the chilli sauce mixture and toss well. Simmer for 1 minute, or until the sauce has thickened.

5. Divide between 4 bowls and serve piping hot.

For more information visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk

Ingredients:

• 2 level tsp cornflour

• 1 tsp chopped garlic in vinegar from a jar, drained

• 1 tbsp chopped ginger in vinegar from a jar, drained

• 1 level tbsp hot chilli sauce, such as sriracha

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• Pinch of sweetener granules

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 100ml boiling chicken stock

Serves: 4 Ready in: 20 mins

TURKISH KITCHEN & BBQ

OPENING HOURS:

Monday closed

Tuesday - Saturday 12pm - 10:30pm Sunday 12pm - 10:00pm

01773 475 814

32 Oxford Street, Ripley

• Low-calorie cooking spray

• 200g frozen sliced red onions

• 300g frozen mixed sliced peppers

• 200g frozen green beans

• 250g dried egg noodles

• 400g frozen cooked and peeled prawns, thawed

• 225g can sliced bamboo shoots, drained

Syns per serving: 0.5

SOMERCOTES VILLAGE HALL

Nottingham Road, Somercotes, DE55 4HQ

PALMER MOREWOOD MEMORIAL CLUB 36 Hall Street, Alfreton, DE55 7BU

CHRIST THE KING CHURCH HALL

Nottingham Road, Alfreton, DE55 7GL

FRIDAY MORNING

SELSTON PARISH HALL

Sue: 07738 118 130

Mansfield Road, Selston, NG16 6EE #YesYouCanWithSlimmingWorld

Don’t forget to mention Voice Magazines when responding to the Ads

Relocation of an Established Business: A New Chapter for

D.M. FURNISHINGS

For the past eight years, D.M. Furnishings has been an integral part of the vibrant Sutton-in-Ashfield high street community. As a local enterprise deeply rooted in the area, owner Darren has not only served the town but has also become synonymous with quality and reliability. Now, with an eye on expanding horizons, this cherished family venture is embarking on an exciting journey from Low Street to a more prominent spot on Outram Street.

Darren's connection to Sutton-in-Ashfield runs deep, and his commitment to supporting the local high street is unwavering. This commitment has been the driving force behind the decision to relocate the business, setting up shop in a spacious, two-level store. The move provides an opportunity to exhibit an even more extensive array of products, showcasing D.M. Furnishings' diverse range to its full potential. The story of D.M. Furnishings goes beyond its time on the high street. Prior to this venture, Darren successfully ran his own furniture manufacturing and reupholstering factory. With over two decades of experience in the industry, Darren's expertise is the cornerstone of the business's reputation for quality and craftsmanship.

Central to D.M. Furnishings' ethos is the dedication to exceptional customer service. Darren goes the extra mile to ensure that each customer's experience is personalised and hassle-free. Before finalising any sale, he personally visits the customer's residence to assess the available space and the property's access points. This meticulous approach prevents the all-too-common disappointment of purchasing furniture that doesn't quite fit the intended space.

D.M. Furnishings also offer a wide variety of bespoke products including sofas, chairs, and recliners. The allure lies not only in the diversity of products but also in the ability to tailor each piece to your precise measurements. With a vast selection of fabrics, customers can truly imbue their individual style into every piece they choose. As a testament to their commitment to customer convenience, D.M. Furnishings also provides a home delivery service for all products.

YOUR LOCAL RISE AND RECLINER

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Made to order in 2-6 weeks.

Matching Sofas & Chairs also available.

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We will happily visit you in the comfort of your home to discuss your individual needs and requirements to help you choose your fabrics.

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Don’t forget to check with us to see if you qualify for extra saviings!

5 YEAR WARRANTY on all recliners including mechanisms & motor.

9-11 Outram Street, Sutton- in- Ashfield, Notts, NG17 4BA (Next door to Wilko’s and with Asda car park directly behind us) VISIT OUR BRAND NEW SHOWROOM TO CHECK OUT OUR LIMITED TIME NEW OPENING OFFERS WE CURRENTLY HAVE OVER 150 PIECES OF FURNITURE ON DISPLAY

WE ALSO SELL BEDS & MATTRESSES

No high pressure sales tactics, only friendly, helpful advice.

Full range of mattresses including orthopaedic, memory foam, latex & pocket sprung. Single, ¾, Double, Kingsize and Superking all available

Over 150 fabric choices for all divans & headboards. Electric adjustable beds available in all sizes.

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Flake’ s Favourites

Re-walking Rafa’s Rambles

So we agonised over the new title. There were some great suggestions but we felt this way we could give a nod to Rafa, who walked the length and breadth of the local area for around 14 years, checking out the best walks, before putting his paws up. Rafa is still (slowly) wandering around his favourite parks and fields but the big walks are beyond him these days.

This month Flakey has re-rambled a walk we first featured in May 2018. It’s a great walk, with some lovely views, woods to explore and quiet country lanes. Perfect for a sunday stroll with your furry friend!

6.5-MILE CIRCULAR WALK FROM THE CARRS PARK

A mid-distance walk which should take you and your dog around 2.5 - 3 hours to complete. The walk is mostly on trails and paths but there are a few short stretches of road so please take care. There may be some uneven and muddy terrain, so please wear appropriate footwear and as always, please follow the countryside code.

START: THE CARRS PARK, CHURCH ROAD PARKING, CHURCH ROAD, CHURCH WARSOP. NG20 0SF

1. Head back through car park entrance and turn left along the main road for a short distance, then turn right onto a main road signposted for ‘Meden Vale’. Continue along this road for some distance and then take the first right into ‘Manor Court’.

2. Continue to walk to the very end of this road and continue straight ahead onto a tarmac footpath threading between the houses. Follow the tarmac path around the back of the houses to pass through a large wooden gate and turn right along a road.

3. Continue until reaching a T-junction of roads. Turn right and then continue straight ahead to cross over a river bridge. Shortly after, at a T junction, turn left to continue along a single-track road. Pass a farm on your right and then continue for some distance until reaching a gated single-track road on your right.

4. Turn right to pass by the large metal gate and continue uphill. At the top of the hill pass over a railway bridge and then continue straight ahead. Eventually the road turns into a bumpy lane.

5. As you continue along the lane you will pass by a water treatment plant with a chain link fence on your left. When the fence on your left comes to an end, bear left and downhill to continue along the lane. Continue to the bottom of the hill and then begin to gently climb for some distance before reaching a crossroads of lanes.

6. Continue straight ahead keeping a hedge on your left and open fields on your right. Eventually the lane narrows into a footpath and begins to drop downhill towards some trees. Continue straight ahead into the trees passing through some metal posts and then ignoring a footpath to your right continue ahead keeping trees on your right and open views to your left.

7. Continue for some distance and then pass by a signposted bridleway on your left. Continue straight ahead going downhill until reaching the bottom of the hill and a signposted crossroads of footpaths. Turn right going gently uphill along a tarmac path and continue straight ahead for a long distance until reaching a track on your left.

8. At this point, ignore the track on your left and continue a little further to a yellow marker post and a track on your right. Turn right along the track and after a very short distance curl around to the left. Continue along the track for quite some distance and then ignore a track on your left to continue straight ahead.

9. After some distance ignore a signposted footpath directly ahead of you and bear around to the right to continue along the track going downhill. At the bottom of the hill at a junction of paths, bear right,

then immediately left to take a small footpath going into the woods.

10. Continue for some distance and at a crossroads of footpaths continue straight ahead along a footpath with trees on your right and open views to your left. Continue until reaching a T-junction of paths with open views directly in front of you. Turn right and then after a very short distance turn left to continue along a farm track with a hedge on your right.

11. Continue along the farm track with a hedge on your right for a long distance. Prior to reaching a rail bridge directly in front of you and at a signposted footpath on your right, turn sharp left to continue along a signposted bridleway and farm track with a hedge on both sides. After a short distance continue ahead going uphill with a hedge on your right and open views to your left.

12. At the top of the hill the track narrows down into a footpath with a hedge on both sides. Continue straight ahead until dropping into a dip and then turn right along a footpath going gently downhill. After some distance pass underneath a rail bridge and eventually reach a road. Cross straight over the road to continue along a narrow lane.

13. After a short distance you will reach a road. Continue straight ahead to go downhill along Sandy Lane. At the bottom of the hill, at a T-junction of roads, turn left and continue for a short distance and then turn right along Hetts Lane.

14. Continue straight ahead to a T-junction with a main road. Cross straight over the main road to continue straight ahead along a wide tarmac footpath with a wall on your left and a fence on your right. After a short distance continue straight ahead to cross over a river bridge. Immediately after crossing the bridge turn right to follow footpath with the river on your right.

15. Continue to wind along the footpath with the river on your right until reaching the car park and starting point..

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.

FESTIVE GIFT FAIR AT THE

Thursday

THE BIGGEST AND MOST LIVELY INDOOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING FAIR IN THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY IS BACK! .... FABULOUS BARGAINS, GREAT MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT AND SO MUCH CHOICE!

Be inspired and get your festive preparations off to a flying start at the ever-popular 4-day FESTIVE GIFT FAIR this November. Now in its 27th fabulous year, it remains one of the most popular Christmas Shopping events in the UK for a good reason!

The Fair will be bursting at the seams with a colourful, eclectic mix of unusual stocking fillers and presents, festive food and drink and great Christmas decorations for your home and garden. 325+ stalls all in one hall …. with clever gift ideas for all ages and tastes … and lots of Special Show Offers!

The festive atmosphere is always fantastic! While browsing the stalls, let the music get you into that Christmassy mood and enjoy being entertained by the Grinch … up to his usual menacing antics, Father Christmas with his amazing sleigh, a whole variety of Christmas harmonies by our live musicians and jazz stilt walkers who will be legging it up the aisles!

Make sure you visit the popular Festive Food & Drink area where you’ll find tempting stalls selling everything from cheese to chutneys, spices to spirits, puddings to preserves, chocolates to champagne, beers to brownies and hampers to hog roasts!

THE MERCIAN REGIMENTAL MEMORIAL TOWER

As a boy growing up in South Normanton, I remember one evening on the village Common being shown for the first time, a luminous beam gleaming from a lighthouse structure far away, high on the Derbyshire horizon.

This beacon flashed through the faint nightlight every eleven seconds, and I was told then that it was (of course) familiar to us locals, as Crich Stand; more recently known as the Mercian Regimental Memorial Tower up on the summit of Crich Hill.

This year marks the 100th annual pilgrimage to the Memorial Tower which was officially opened at 4pm on Monday 6th August 1923, with the ceremony being carried out by the Colonel of the Regiment General Sir Horace L Smith-Dorrien, His Grace the Duke of Portland, His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, Admiral Salmon and the Bishop of Southwell.

Originally the Tower was constructed to commemorate the 11,409 men of the Sherwood Foresters Regiment who gave their lives in the First World War 1914-18, then in 1952 it was further dedicated to the memory of the 1,520 men of the Regiment who paid the supreme sacrifice in the Second World War 1939-45.

During 1991 the Memorial was dedicated to Sherwood Foresters killed in service between the years 1945-70. There have been many structures on this vantage point with records showing that a wooden tower was built and erected here to “allegedly” mark King George III’s accession to the throne in 1760; whatever, it was a significant landmark from which some of the best views in the county were to be had. This wooden structure, because of it being sited in such an exposed area, lasted no longer than 25 years.

In 1788 a conical limestone structure with a wooden top was placed on the site, but this was in such a state of ill-repair by1843 a decision was taken to rebuild, and in 1849 some of the masonry and stone from this conical structure were used for the base of a new circular tower built from gritstone.

June of 1882 witnessed a major landslide in the limestone quarry, notwithstanding lightning strikes and

further land movements creating serious subsidence on this latest venture resulting in the closure of the Tower for public safety concerns.

In October 1914, an area of this hilltop was sold to the Clay Cross Company, on condition the Tower was demolished completely, and that a new Crich Stand was built along a similar format.

The Great War was responsible for delaying this new structure and it was not until 1922, four years after the cessation of hostilities when the rebuild began in earnest with completion following the next year.

Right next to the Tower on Crich Hill sits a beacon that may well have been part of a beacon chain used in 1588 to warn people of the approaching Spanish Armada. The beacon was then lit in 1988 on the 400th anniversary of the Armada. On New Years Day 2000 the beacon was lit for the start of the new millennium, and it was also lit to celebrate Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s hundredth birthday.

The Memorial Tower has a height of 19m (63 feet), it’s base is 291m (955 feet) above sea level, and there are 58 steps that take you up to the viewing gallery: well worth the effort.

The dome weighs 40 tons and all of it built at a cost of £1.182.8s. 5d, the lamp is 15,000 candle power and can be seen across several counties including Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, South Yorkshire and of course its home county of Derbyshire.

Should you wish to visit the monument the opening hours are Thursday-Monday during British Summer Time from 10am until 5pm and Winter visiting hours are 10am until 4pm also Thursday-Monday.

There is a tearoom on site and the car parking fee is £1.50 and it is a cash only site.

Words by Roger West Painted by Lisa Artliff to buy this artwork or others please go to Instagram.com/artliff_art_illustration

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Leeva Plumbing and Heating was established in March 2000 with the aim of giving a reliable and friendly service to all of its clients. With over 20 years’ experience in the industry, we set out to complete every job with an attention to detail. We are very customer focused, especially when it comes to the care of your home, and because of this our business has expanded gradually through the demand of recommendation.

Our team at Leeva Plumbing are highly trained engineers (not sub-contractors) who show a high level attention to detail, which was important from the outset of the company.

As a business, we rely on personal recommendations from our clients. We always do our best to keep you informed and to offer you the personal service you only get from a business like ours.

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Book Review

SJ Parris’s Giordano Bruno books can become a bit of an addiction. They’re classy historical thrillers set in a period of immense global upheaval. This is the period of Elizabeth 1, religious wars, huge power struggles, treachery, intrigue and murders.

In the latest in the series - Alchemy - our urbane intellectual investigator Bruno is commissioned to dive beneath the surface of the dangerous political waters of early 1500s Prague. Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf the second is a man of science – not unlike Bruno himself, but unlike Bruno he is in thrall to power – the power of alchemy, turning base metal into gold and the search for the secret of eternal life.

These were dangerous interests to have at that time – the Catholic Church was very jealous of its control over huge swathes of Europe and as was shown by the Spanish Inquisition, willing to go to any lengths to protect that power. Science and alternative ways of thinking were not allowed.

Rudolf – and Bruno – and anyone else who gets in the way of the church, is effectively the enemy.

The twists and turns are delicious – as soon as you start to think the plot is unravelling in one direction, it’s off full at canter in another direction. And threaded through it all is considerable historical research, both of the times – as with the experience of the Jewish community in Prague at that time and with the plight of poor people. Rudolf was a real person, as indeed was Bruno, (in real life a philosopher and poet.) And though there’s no evidence he ever turned detective, there’s nowt wrong with a bit of dramatic licence.

The characters are fully drawn and there’s no shortage of wry humour. And if you like Signor Bruno there are another six books to go at.

REMEMBER, REMEMBER…

Bonfire Night - a uniquely British thing.

But the reason it exists in the first place, namely, someone failed at something! Only us Brits, with our love of understatement and inability to shout about success, would decide to celebrate an abject failure. Of course, there is an underlying reason we mark 5 November every year, and have done since 1605, and that is, the “Observance of 5th November Act 1606”, mandated an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot’s failure.

I bet you didn’t know that - I certainly didn’t. We joke these days that destroying the Houses of Parliament would be a blessing, what we really mean is that bumping off a load of politicians we don’t agree with wouldn’t be a bad thing. Now I’m not inciting random acts of assassination, truly I’m not, but I think you get the picture!

Back in 1605 however the notorious Gun Powder plotters were less concerned about a bunch of MPs and rather more focused on returning Britain to a Catholic state. In other words, turning back the clock to before King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and embraced Protestantism in order to divorce his first wife.

They decided the best way to do this would be to get rid of the protestant King James I, his nearest relatives, and members of the Privy Council, at the State Opening of Parliament. Senior judges of the English legal system, most of the Protestant aristocracy, and the bishops of the Church of England would all have attended in their capacity as members of the House of Lords.

Had the plot succeeded, in one fell swoop the entire ruling class of the country could have been wiped out.

Quite how the plotters then intended to return the country to Catholicism is unclear. Protestantism had been the official religion in England since the Act of Uniformity was passed in 1559. One thought was that Elizabeth, King James’s daughter was to be kidnapped and then installed on the throne as a Catholic Queen (her mother was Catholic). Needless to say, the role would have been purely titular.

Sadly, for the conspirators, the plot was revealed to the powers that be in an anonymous letter given to a William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, on 26 October 1605. A search of the cellar’s underneath parliament was ordered, and poor old Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder.

Fawkes and seven other conspirators were convicted of treason and, far from being burned, were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. A gruesome demise that we tend to overlook whilst carting a “Guy” to the top of our bonfires!

Fawkes was probably a very junior member of the plotters, only the fact that he was the one found with the gunpowder has immortalised his name. We could instead be celebrating “Everard Digby Day” which doesn’t have quite the same ring!

Not the blazing fires, nor the release of explosive devices in front of a crowd of people. Nope.

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Mike is always glad to hear from you at : mike.musings@outlook.com

The follies of youth!

Like a lot of people, I discovered alcohol before I was legally entitled to. Part of the problem for me was my parents ran a hotel with two very busy public bars, and when I turned 16, I was instructed to give up both my paper round and the after school and weekend role as a message boy and become a part-time barman. Not only was I promised more money but there would be tips and the occasional drink. Talk about a potential road to ruin??

The downside of course was that being the son of someone well known in the town, it limited the opportunity for underage drinking with my mates in other licensed premises. Don’t fret, I got by!

At Headingley this summer for England’s memorable victory over the Australians, I was reminded of a tale from my youth.

It’s a long story, but I’d just turned 17 and was still at school, when I took two unauthorised (for which I was later punished) days off, and hitch-hiked south of the border for the very first time for a Friday night game of football at Elland Road.

Having got to Leeds on the Thursday night, I quickly found a cheap B&B for the night. Next, stop was a pub.

Now, back home, we underage drinkers thought that the height of sophistication was to order what we called a ‘snakebite’ i.e., a bottle of sweet stout in a pint glass topped up with cider. What we didn’t know – and I was soon to find out - was that there were variations of that ‘recipe’ in other parts of the UK.

Whatever, I entered a nearby pub, confidently walked up to the bar and ordered my first Yorkshire

snakebite, and then made my way through the cigarette smoke to sit down next to a group of lads playing dominoes.

After a few sips of my drink, I could tell that something wasn’t right. I couldn’t work out why, but this wasn’t the snakebite that I was familiar with. Anyway, I continued to sup away and in between chatting to these blokes, ordered another. When they asked what I was drinking, I told them, and one said “Ee lad, that Guinness and cider can be reet potent”. This response answered one unasked question.

I continued to chat away with them, but just as I was getting to the bottom of my third localised version of snakebite, I began to feel ‘not quite right’. Thankfully, I’d just enough time to get out and through the salon type doors before I threw up all over the pavement. As those doors swung to and fro, I’ll never forget the loud comment from within, “Scotch blokes, eh? They canna hold a drink tha knows!”

More details of other youthful misfortune can be found in my sporting memoir, copies of which are selling fast. In the meantime, feel free to pass on embarrassing tales of drinking when you were young to mike.musings@outlook.com. Don’t panic, I won’t reveal names!

All Around the Shire

POCKET MONEY

When you were small were you given pocket money? Did you have to earn it and what did you spend it on?

My experience of obtaining money as a child was usually linked to doing jobs for my parents who owned pubs as I was growing up. I would help with stocking up bottles or emptying ashtrays, sweeping up and mopping the bar floors. As I got older, I would collect dirty glasses and wash them in a fearsome glass-washing machine with a rubber, nobbled stick that spun round while shooting water inside the glass. I felt very important if I was allowed to serve children with pop and crisps at the off-sales window. Calculations with pre-decimal coinage held no fear as it was all people had ever known. Shillings, half crowns, ha’pennies, thruppenny bits and sixpences were all gratefully accumulated.

Saving was always encouraged. We all had money boxes and small savings accounts at the post office. What a big day it was to empty a full piggy bank and see your savings increase.

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Of course, some of my earnings were spent, mainly on sweets and sometimes on comics. (Beano, Dandy or Bunty). In those days, penny chews really were a penny. There was a sweet shop opposite my school where we could purchase bags of sherbet, flying saucers, gobstoppers, liquorice, candy cigarettes and coconut mushrooms amongst many other delights.

My brother sometimes spent his on caps for his cap gun or transfers which stuck on your skin like tattoos. What did you do with your pennies as a child?

Janet and Paul Barrass are All Around the Shire. Find us on or email: oldfield512@btinternet.com for more information. Janet

ALFRETON & DISTRICT HERITAGE TRUST A POOR MAN’S DOCTOR

his assistant, and then took over the practice and served the people of Alfreton for almost 50 years. Dr. Bingham may be said to have devoted his whole life to his professional work. All one time or another he was Medical Officer to most of the local clubs and institutions He was surgeon to the Blackwell Colliery Club for many years, having branch surgeries at Blackwell and South Normanton respectively , was examiner for the Board of Education; medical referee for the Prudential Assurance Company; Surgeon to the Foresters’ and Druids’ Lodges, and a variety of other appointments. He was, up to the time of his death also parish doctor and public vaccinator.

How often, when walking along the streets of Alfreton, do we think of those who came before us and what they may have contributed to the town and its people. I suspect not very often.

A walk along the High Street, just by the King Alfred, brings us to a memorial to the memory of local Doctor, John Joseph Bingham who served the people of Alfreton for many years prior to his death in 1910. The memorial is well travelled having originally been erected at the junction of Limes Avenue and High Street in what was then a corner of Dr, Bingham’s garden, (later the site of Burton’s Tailors) in the form of a granite obelisk and drinking fountain. That it was erected by public subscription gives us an idea of the respect and esteem in which he was held. Known throughout the area both as a friend of the poor and a poor man’s Doctor John Joseph Bingham deserved the recognition he received.

In 1937 it was moved to Welfare Grounds but eventually relocated to its present position which is almost across from the original location. What then do we know of Doctor Bingham?

He was the son of Mr. Thomas Bingham. of Staveley, and was born on February 27th, 1844, Dr. Bingham was educated in Jersey (Channel Islands) and at University College, London. He was a M.R.C.S (England), L.R.O.P. (St. Andrews), and M.D. (St. Andrews).

In his vouth, Dr. Bingham was apprenticed to the late Dr. Turner, of Alfreton. He afterwards became

Dr. Bingham was at one time an enthusiastic Freemason, and gained high honours. He was a Past Master of the Royal Alfred lodge, 1028.

On his death in 1910, aged just 66, Dr. Bingham left a widow and a family of six to mourn his loss.

He is also remembered at Alfreton Parish Church along with other members of his family.

Original Bingham Memorial

Original Bingham Memorial

Bingham memorial – Welfare grounds

LEABROOKS ALLOTMENT SHOP

GROWING TO EAT FRESH ALL YEAR ROUND

It’s the time of plenty, allotments are bursting with produce, some crops will have had a bumper year others failed, or as a neighbour has suffered, been eaten and not by him. Everything wants a piece of your hard work.

Planning how to protect your crops is almost as important as planting them. Mice got my peas and corn last year, it seems there’s an insect species for every juicy plant, black birds love berries and then there’s pigeon’s. Virtually nothing is safe. One old allotmenteer I met many years ago simply took the view - “one for the birds, one for the bugs and one for you” Then he added “oh, and if you’ve them, the mice too.

I have always found some delight in watching the ingenious ways we try and protect our efforts. But as the theme of this is eating fresh all year, planning how and what to protect from what, potentially till next spring. This needs consideration before

disaster strikes, not after and don’t forget ease of access. Personally, I’m a fan of companion planting to keep the bugs off my veg in the summer, bird netting stood well off the top of the plants as this will need to last till next spring (and our local flying rats, sorry pigeon’s, have learnt to jump on low netting to squash it down!). Chicory gets fleeced in autumn so it lasts all through the winter. And I stake anything that stands tall; I’ve yet to try old socks on corn.

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CONTACT JON TAYLOR OUR PLOT MANAGER ON 07591 333871, IF YOU WANT TO DISCUSS STARTING AN ALLOTMENT.

ALLOTMENT-SHOP

Autumnal fungi of woods and pastures

Late summer and into autumn are certainly the seasons for mushrooms and other fungi, and especially the case with rain and periods of higher temperatures too. So, imagine my excitement when I came across what seemed to be a wild ‘horse mushroom’ in an area of old, unimproved wet pasture, and it was the size of a small dinner-plate. Of course, the business end of the fungus is its extensive network of hyphae underground and the ‘mushroom’ is merely the fungal equivalent of a flower. I carefully picked my prize and took it home with me. Now generally speaking, the edible , big ‘mushrooms’ look and smell like those bought from a shop, and the fragrance is very distinctively ‘mushroomy’. Indeed, most of the wild mushrooms of fields and other pastures with a whitish or ivory cap and brown gills underneath, are edible and good to eat. However, with fungi the bottom line is caution and unless you really know what it is then avoid. Each autumn a number of (sometimes knowledgeable) foragers manage to poison themselves and sometimes their families and friends too. Some of the poisonous fungi have horribly potent toxins as suggested by their names such as ‘death cap’, ‘destroying angel’, and ‘panther cap’; and so, these should be avoided at all costs. Nevertheless, as a rule of thumb, the ones which look like ordinary mushrooms and particularly with the dark gills underneath the cap, are good.

There was something not quite right about the specimen I had collected, and the first warning sign was the absence of the typical ‘mushroom’ smell. I also noticed that the stem and later the cap appeared to bruise rather yellow when handled. The gills were brownish but in fact a dull grey brown and not the rich, reddish brown of the field mushrooms and horse mushrooms. I was having doubts and my thoughts turned to a close relative of the edible mushrooms, the so-called ‘Yellow

Stainer’, a species that occurs in late summer and autumn in fields, gardens, and hedgerows. Worryingly, this is edible to a few people but poisonous to most, and whilst not actually deadly is one to avoid.

Just to be sure I cooked the specimen up and whilst it didn’t have the tell-tale iodine, inky smell reported for Yellow Stainer, it didn’t smell especially nice either. Moreover, as it cooked the plate of mushrooms turned a rather unpleasant and ominous yellow. It ended up in the bin! There are many edible mushrooms but only a handful which are unmistakable for something nasty and those are the ones I go for. The Yellow Stainer is the species responsible for most cases of moderate poisoning because it is taken as ordinary field mushroom or horse mushroom –avoid!

Another noticeable species if the ‘Fairy Ring Mushroom’ or Marasmius which again occurs in old or even ancient grassland and some rings are centuries old. Again, this is a species which is edible and delicious, but the problem here, is that certain very similar and related mushrooms which are poisonous often grow in amongst them. So once again if you are not sure then leave well alone!

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer, broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues in the Peak District and elsewhere, is contactable on ianonthewildside@ukeconet.org. Follow his website www.ukeconet.org, blog www.ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com, & Twitter @IanThewildside

Chatsworth fairy ring by Peter Wolstenholm

Yellow Stainer

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Gardener’s Calendar

October is the start of bare root planting. Apples and pears will be far less expensive if planted as roots rather than foliage-bearing trees later in the season.

Currants and gooseberries can also be planted bare root now and bare root roses will be delivered between now and spring. Dig a hole deep and wide enough for each plant or alternatively, if you live in a cold pocket with frequent early frosts, plant into a suitable sized container in good compost and put into a cold frame or greenhouse for the winter then harden off and plant out into the ground in spring.

Wallflowers can go into the ground as bare root plants now to flower in early spring and cowslips can be sown as seeds in trays in a cold frame as they need cold to germinate, while being protected from heavy rain. Ideally, they like to grow in shady wet places.

Time to think about the outdoor beasties. Hedgehogs are preparing to sleep the winter away so if you think you have them as visitors leave out meat-based cat or dog food and water so they can fatten up. Leave windfalls for the birds. Plant croci and fritillary so there is early nectar for hibernating bumblebees when they emerge in spring.

You’ll be putting your bulbs in now. Daffs and crocuses can still go in, you’re not too late, but leave tulips till October.