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From the Editor Howdi Readers, So, one of the fun things we get to do with the magazines and have done for a while is find out about the many National Days that we have in place. This month, Laura has written about ‘British Pudding Day’ which fits in beautifully with the return of Noel, Prue, Blue Eyes Hollywood and now Hammond (Alison, not the Hamster for Top Gear!). I have to say, I’m fairly late to the ‘GBBO’ party, having only started watching it when it moved to Channel 4 but nothing symbolises winter better than ice-cream week during the summer heat wave (remember those heat waves and how we craved the cooler weather #carefulwhatyouwishfor!). I do wonder whether I’m drawn to that programme in particular because I have a bit of a sweet-tooth? It’s fair to say, I do lose interest a bit on bread week! Anyways, I think everyone has their ‘go to’ winter TV programme don’t they? Whether it is ‘Dancing on Ice’, ‘Strictly’ or one of the talent shows but for me – Tuesday night is my guilty pleasure, vicariously eating all those wonderful, delicious calories through the screen!! Whilst we’re talking about the swift move to winter, seeing as Autumn has been bypassed this year! And we’re into the year of the floods already. Some of our team have been hit and our heartfelt commiserations go out to everyone who has been affected.
Meanwhile, the man in the red suit is donning his boots as I type! It’s clearly Christmas!!! Well, not quite but it feels like it at Voice HQ as we have already been busily working on our Christmas editions for the last month or so. So, for us Christmas is already old (Santa’s) hat, but for the rest of you it’s last chance if you want to get something in the magazine in time for Christmas. So if you have a fair, fayre, fete, festival, feast, fiesta, messages of good will to your customers or just a plain old party don’t forget to let us know. Finally, for all those wondering, my much-feted finger is (I know it was the reason you picked up the magazine this month!), the good news is it’s just about healed (as much as it’s going to be!). So, I’m back, terrorising the pitches and courts of Hockey and Netball with renewed vigour! Well, at least for the first few games before my old bod gets a bit tired and achy and the deep heat/tiger balm and ibuprofen/paracetamol/ glucosamine ritual begins again – it’s not much fun getting older is it? But like my dad says “it’s better than the alternative”!!! Have a good month, Happy Reading
x Emily
WITH 12 MAGAZINES COVERING NOTTINGHAMSHIRE & DERBYSHIRE, WHY NOT ADVERTISE IN ANOTHER AREA?
Upcoming Submission Deadline for Advertisers & Contributors: December ‘23 Edition - 10th November ‘23 • January ‘24 Edition - 8th December ‘23
To advertise email: info@voicemagazines.co.uk or call us on 01773 549 035 Printed by CPUK Ltd and distributed to 6,500 homes in Kirkby-in-Ashfield & Annesley 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
BRITISH PUDDING DAY 9TH NOVEMBER I didn’t know there was a day set aside in celebration of the British pudding…so naturally I had to investigate. I also didn’t know about “National Roast Dinner Day” on November 4th – what have I been doing to not be aware of special days set aside to celebrate two things I enjoy immensely? And, as a note to whoever sets the dates for these days, why didn’t you have Roast Dinner day and Pudding day at the same time? I mean, who wants to wait four days for pudding after the roast beef and yorkies? Shall we have a brief look at the loveliness that is the British pudding? Top of my list has to be sticky toffee pudding. Who can resist the sweet, sticky unctuousness of a traditional STP? There has to be lashings of toffee sauce – thick and gooey, never runny – and a wellplaced scoop of vanilla ice cream, which melts and blends with the fudgy deliciousness. Steamed treacle sponge is another favourite. I like to add a tiny bit of lemon zest to my steamed sponge – trust me, it adds a bit of “je ne sais quoi”. Smother your portion with custard – not crème anglaise – good old-fashioned custard (made with powder from a tin), and dive in. Heaven. Veering off piste to cold puds, there are Sherry Trifles and Eton Messes to be consumed. I mean, what’s not to like about lashings of whipped cream accompanying fruit (and booze)? OK, that’s enough of fridge puddings, it is November after all. What else is there in the lexicon of British puddings?
How about a good old-fashioned crumble? Apple, apple and blackberry, or my favourite, rhubarb. One of the quickest and easiest puddings to make, the biggest decision is what to serve with it, pouring cream, ice cream, or custard. Such a hard life! Delving into the realm of “nursery room puds”, aka as still served to Jacob Rees Mogg by his nanny (probably)! We have spotted dick, jam roly poly, and Eve’s pudding. I accepted I was working class when I realised jam roly poly did not mean a slice from a shop bought jam roll cake covered in Bird’s custard. Delicious certainly, but not as served to Little Lord Fauntleroy’s around the land! I suppose rice pudding falls into the category of nursery room food but, done properly, it can be a thing of joy. Forget the stuff that comes in cans (nice though that is) and make your own. Easy peasy, especially in a slow cooker – add the ingredients, stir and leave it alone. Beloved of school dinner cooks, who can forget tapioca (frogspawn) and semolina? Now, oddly, I used to really enjoy tinned semolina; I think because it tasted of evaporated milk. The stuff served at school though…urgh…it was often so thick you could slice it! If I’ve overlooked some of your personal favourites, I apologise, but I hope I’ve given you the excuse to get cooking up some puds!
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. To find out more visit www.word-witch.co.uk or contact Laura on 07736 351 341
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SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE The Enterprising Ashfield project offers FREE training and support for individuals and business who live or work in the Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield Towns Fund area. Freeskillscourses to boost your CV. Growthgrants to help new business and sole traders. Start-up grants to get that side hustle off the ground. Supporttohireapprentice and graduate talent. Bespokecourses for businesses to plug skills gaps Find out more at
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SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE - CLAIRE KEEGAN
The true story of the Magdalene laundries is not new. Each one a convent, a training school and a laundry where young women lived and worked. They were unmarried girls, the subject of much gossip, hidden away after giving birth. It’s estimated that 30,000 Irish women were treated to this form of “training” and servitude between the 18th and 20th centuries, in a fiercely Catholic Ireland. The fate of many of their babies has never been known. In Claire Keegan’s beautifully written short novel Small Things Like These, coal and timber merchant Bill Furlong lives a simple
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compassionate life of hard work providing for his wife and five daughters. He delivers coal to one of the laundries and during one of these deliveries a young girl asks him to drive her to the river where she intends to drown herself. He doesn’t, but the experience starts a train of events which explores how communities across Ireland dealt with what they knew about the laundries. It’s a nuanced story, no unnecessary words but plenty of human frailty and it doesn’t give pat answers – just the idea that this is the way it was. It may be short but it packs in a powerful tale and is long enough to say what needs to be said.
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Slimming World Recipe Chicken Curry Noodles Method:
Partial to a pot of instant noodles? Then grab your fork, because there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure at Slimming World – especially when you can create this Free version, taken from the Air Fryers and Friends cookbook!
1. Break up the noodle 2. Add the peppers, garlic, nests so they fit into a curry powder, turmeric, 2.5-litre microwaveable stock, peas, sweetcorn and chicken to the bowl or container. Cover with boiling water and noodles and stir well. microwave on high for 3 Cover and cook on high for 6 minutes. Stir again, minutes or until almost scatter over the spring tender. Drain and put the noodles back in the onions, season to taste same bowl or container. and serve. To cook this on the hob: Spray a non-stick frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and cook the peppers, garlic and spices over a low heat for 2 minutes. Add the stock, peas, corn and chicken and cook for 10 minutes over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook the noodles separately, drain and stir them through. For more information visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk
Ingredients: • 2 dried egg noodle • 200ml hot chicken nests
stock
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All Around the Shire MEMORIES OF A SIMPLER TIME
GREEN SHIELD STAMPS stamps: Fine Fares were pink. A strong memory I have from my childhood is sticking the green shield stamps we obtained from our shopping into the little orange books provided. 40 stamps on each page. I remember the gum getting on my fingers and face. But then there was the excitement of choosing which item to send away for. In our house, it was usually glass tumblers or cutlery. However, if you had a spare 81 and a half books, a twin tub washing machine could be yours! The stamps were introduced into the UK in 1958 from America and were given to shoppers by retailers who participated in the scheme to encourage shoppers to spend money in their filling station, supermarket, or corner shop. The first loyalty scheme in this country had been the Co-op Dividend. Can you remember your or your mum’s divvi number? Green shield stamps were the first scheme involving stamps. Seeing its success, other retailers followed suit using different coloured
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Larger stamps were also introduced, for example a stamp worth 40 small stamps. After a period when customers were allowed to use a mixture of cash and stamps to purchase catalogue goods, the company eventually became Argos stores in 1973 and cash only was required. I came across a woman during one of our reminiscence sessions who told me that she still uses a casserole dish her mother bought using stamps. Do you have any green shield memories or items you still use from its catalogue?
Janet and Paul Barrass are All Around the Shire. Find us on or email: oldfield512@btinternet.com for more information.
Janet
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COACH TOUR HOLIDAYS
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MOBILE BOOKING OFFICE LOCATIONS 1st Friday of each month 9.30am - 1pm | Shirebrook market 2nd Tuesday of each month 9am - 1pm | South Normanton Market Place 2nd Friday of each month 9am - 1pm | Ripley Market Place
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
SUDOKU #40
Fill in all the numbers! This is a sudoku 1 square grid 81 cells 9 3x3 blocks 1 simple rule: Use all the numbers 1-9, with no duplicates allowed, in any row, column, or block. This puzzles has been devised by the brilliant Professor Rebus. For more of his puzzles visit www.pitcherwits.co.uk
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! 8
7 1 3 6 3 2 4 3 8 7 9 1 6 2 9 4 8 5 5 4 2 4 1 3 2 9 8 9 5 3
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s Flake’ tes i r u o v a F
Re-walking Rafa’s Rambles
Flake continues his forays into the local countryside. Re-walking some of Rafa’s best loved rambles. As you can see he has been working on posing for the photo’s. This month’s walk we return to the Maun Valley Trail which runs alongside the river Maun. So, if your furry friend likes a swim then prepare for a soggy doggy! A couple of miles into the walk the trial takes you past some fishing ponds so please make sure your dog doesn’t disturb the fishermen. After this the route diverts up a lane towards Clipstone and then around the edge of Forest Town providing some fantastic views before taking you back to the beginning along convenient lanes and byways.
7-MILE CIRCULAR WALK FROM MAUN VALLEY PARK
A mid-distance walk which should take you and your dog around 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. Even with the improving weather there may be some uneven and muddy terrain, so please wear appropriate footwear and as always, please follow the countryside code!
START: MAUN VALLEY PARK, OLD MILL LANE, MANSFIELD WOODHOUSE. NOTTS. NEAR TO: NG19 9AL 1. Pass through a metal swing gate that is opposite the car park entrance and then continue straight ahead on a well laid path. After some distance cross over stone bridge and then immediately after at a fork in the path take the right fork.
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2. After a short distance at a T junction of paths turn right and continue straight ahead until reaching a metal swing gate. Pass through the gate, cross over a road and then carry on ahead to take the wider, right fork, signposted as a public bridleway.
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4. Continue ahead for some distance. Pass a pond on your left, and then after some distance cross straight over a crossroads of footpaths. Pass over another crossroads of footpaths with a yellow marker post on your right. 5. After the path narrows, with trees on your left and a hedge on your right, continue ahead for quite some distance until reaching a T-junction with a lane. At the T-junction turn right going downhill. Pass through a gap adjacent to a metal gate. Continue to the bottom of the hill and follow the lane around to the left to keep a pond on your left and a river on your right. 6. Continue for some distance to pass by a breezeblock built pump house on your left and then continue with the river on your right. After some distance pass a yellow marker post and a concrete bridge on your right and continue with a river on your right.
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3. Continue for a short distance and pass through a gap adjacent to a metal gate. After some distance ignore a lane/path to your left and then further on, ignore a lane bearing to the right and downhill.
13. Continue along the edge of the field going downhill. At the bottom of the hill pass a yellow marker post on your right and then, ignoring the path and swing gate straight ahead, turn left to continue along the edge of the same field, going uphill with a hedge on your right. 14. At the top of the hill, continue straight ahead out of the field and onto a lane. Continue straight ahead along the lane for quite some distance until reaching a main road. Turn right along the main road for a short distance and then turn left onto a signposted byway. 15. Continue along the byway going uphill for some distance and then continue down the other side until reaching a main road. Turn right along the main road and continue for some distance until reaching the car park and starting point of your walk on your right.
7. Continue until reaching a T junction of lanes with a yellow marker post on your right. Turn right to pass over a river bridge and along the lane going uphill. After some distance at a fork in the lane take the right fork passing a yellow marker post on your left and continue uphill. 8. At the top of the hill bear around to the right passing a yellow marker post on your left. After a short distance bear to the right again passing another yellow marker post on your left. 9. Continue straight ahead for some distance and then pass a yellow marker post and a lane on your right. After further distance pass a yellow marker post on your right and a footpath on your left. Continue to pass a lane on your right and a little further on a signed footpath on your left. 10. After a short distance pass through a gap adjacent to a metal gate and then continue straight ahead along the lane. Eventually the lane turns into a road. Continue along the road for some distance until reaching a T junction with a main road. 11. At the T junction turn right and then turn immediately right again along another main road going downhill. Continue along the road for some distance and then turn right onto a signposted public footpath to cross an open field going downhill. 12. At the bottom of the hill, standing in the middle of the open field, ignore the path straight ahead and bear left to go uphill. At the top of the hill pass through a gap adjacent to a metal gate and now cross a field with a hedge on your right.
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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.
Maun Valley Park MansfIe Woodho ld use e
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Forest Town
Riv Ma er un
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Just For You Health and Beauty salon
TONING TABLES AVAILABLE
Kayleigh Linworth
01623 750 055
111 Lowmoor Road, Kikrby in Ashfield, NG17 7BH
Est 1956
SCHOOL OF DANCE, DRAMA AND SINGING
Classes for all ages, mother and toddler, beginners to advanced and adults.
07809 766 276 cmsd0607@gmail.com
The Hall, 16 Beulah Rd, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, NG17 7EL
CUT LOOSE
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07724 040 561
109 Lowmoor Road Kirkby in Ashfield NG17 7BH
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PET SERVICES
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With 30 years experience and as a qualified trainer for the Ins�tue of Modern Dog Trainers I offer science based, force free, posi�ve reinforcement training. From one to one puppy lessons to dealing with more complex behaviour issues give me a call to discuss your individual needs. I also offer Dog Walking, Pet Visits, House Si�ng and Pet Taxi services for all small animals.
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Colemans Est 1982
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Colemans have been manufacturing bespoke kitchen and bedroom furniture for over 40 years. We are a family run business with a belief in great quality products and service at sensible prices. All our products are built specifically for you and your needs, we can manufacture in any colour and style your heart desires. With Colemans the possibilities are endless.
Visit our showroom 178 Victoria Road, Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 8AT Tel: 01623 751239 ǁ Web: colemanskitchensandbedrooms.co.uk *see in store for details
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HOME IMPROVEMENTS
01623 459891 Rightio Plumbing & Heating 01623 594 929
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Bathroom and Kitchen Warehouse One of the largest showrooms in Nottinghamshire established over 30 years MODERN DESIGNS & FULLY FITTED
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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 7 Spoil the force, and regretting it! (5) 11 Literati, biassed about bone (5) 13 Maintain a new section that’s mindless (5) 16 A pint construed as unsuitable! (5)
Down 2 Bit of normality in front of Baba (3) 4 Able to be changed first, brother (4) 10 Stew veg. kept in barn’s crook rafter (4) 12 Well rounded dance event? (4) 15 Work on soup recipe (4) 17 All Blacks’ vests beginning to show tipple strength (1,1,1)
Across
Down
1
Scan a cabal suspiciously in Morocco (10)
3
For Monsieur? This is so cheesy! (2,6)
8
Stock market to sail again? (7)
5
Respites, of a sort, for batsmen at tea (10)
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It’s drawn out when trod on carpet pattern (10)
9
Social groups unfortunately in a misfile (8)
14 Military person said to be a bit of a nut? (7)
18 Visa issued is strangely unconvincing (10)
ANSWERS FOR LAST MONTHS PITHERWITS Across: 1 Giant Hyssop, 5 Nylon, 7 Arson, 9 Why is it, 11 Ear, 12 Tax, 13 Illegal, 16 Overt, 17 Forge, 18 Exasperates. Down: 1 Gentle slope, 2 Tinny, 3 Yeats, 4 Pony Express, 6 Low rise, 8 Settler, 10 Ice, 14 Let-up, 15 Go for.
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and Guess the words rd! ! o w s s o r c Fill in the
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This puzzles has been devised by the brilliant Professor Rebus. For more of his puzzles visit www.pitcherwits.co.uk
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A COMPLETE LOOK FOR
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Reviews 15000 + Review
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BOILER & CENTRAL HEATING PLANS TO SUIT ALL BUDGETS FLAMECARE WILL DONATE YOUR FIRST MONTH’S SUBSCRIPTION TO SUPPORT ASHGATE HOSPICE Also get a FREE Initial Service Worth £85 – when you choose a comprehensive cover plan
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35
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Heritage of Kirkby & Annesley NOVEMBER 2023
A GENTLE RIDE OUT
Bentinck Wheelers at Kirkby Cross.
Most youngsters worked for pocket money, doing paper rounds or deliveries, odd jobs for family and friends. All to be able to afford a bicycle. It was the freedom to come and go during the weekends and evenings, on your own or join a club and complete routes set down. Photo 2 was taken by Fred Maltby at Kirkby Cross in the 1950’s. The Bentinck Wheelers were getting ready for the off. The scene itself is very interesting, the cross is intact and marks the ancient marketplace, after a couple of hits, it was moved to a safer location. Just above you can see the advertisements for the cinemas in Kirkby, the Star and the Regent. Set back are the petrol pumps on the garage forecourt, they are big in the collectable markets! Two local gents stand at the Bus Stop watching, they would have been thinking about their younger days.
Talking to my father, he would go for rides into Derbyshire Matlock and Matlock Bath sometimes in the evening with a small group of lads. If they were feeling energetic a long day to Skeg, there was some mention of going through Oxton water-splash on trips. Making sure you had packed your snap, was it the wrapper from the bread or grease proof paper and the drinks you would need to take. Mind, if you needed to stop at a road-side place on part or your journey some converted building might be handy. This small building has a minerals sign on the door, it was a former toll road collection point. In more recent times the Tour de France led to the English races and people line the roads in Annesley and Kirkby to wave on the experienced riders. Sunday mornings in the better weather the multi-coloured outfits can be spotted in the countryside. When the pandemic hit, the cycle trade
The Toll House window can still be seen on the converted house just past Annesley Cutting. Photo Fred Maltby
was very busy for the exercise, although Raleigh in Nottingham are well remembered for the good ranges and employing people from this area. You could get the Raleigh by train without too much fuss, with small train stations from Kirkby. The Robin Hood Line now takes you on the route through Newstead, a modern platform, yet some of the oldest land of Sherwood Forest, ideal for two wheels.
BEING INTERESTED IN LOCAL AND FAMILY HISTORY, I HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE “ANNESLEY OC HERITAGE EXTRA”, WITH MANY EXCITING FACTS ABOUT THE AREA WITH PICTURES AND COMMENTS. WHY NOT TAKE A LOOK?
OR CALL: 01623 721 36EMAIL: SPOOKYSUE2014@OUTLOOK.COM Don’t forget to mention Voice Magazines when responding to 905 the Ads
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ROOFING
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RIDGE required TILES CLADDINGGUARANTEED! ALL WORK IS No deposit GUARANTEED! No payment un�l work finished & sa�sfi ed No deposit required No payment un�l work finished & sa�sfied Local family run business & fully insured Local family run business & fully insured References available References available We guarantee to beat any wri�en quote
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1 ToUntitled-1 advertise please call 01773 549 035
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BEFORE
BEFORE
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08/06/2022 09:31:35
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REMEMBRANCE DAY DO WE REALLY REMEMBER?
The horrors of World War I ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918, with the signing of the armistice of Compiègne in a railway carriage. The First World War didn’t officially end until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. Today we remember the dead of that war, and the countless other wars that have followed the so called “war to end all wars” on the Sunday in November falling nearest to the 11th. This year Remembrance Sunday takes place on 12th November. A two-minute silence is observed on the 11th of November (whichever day it falls), and also on Remembrance Sunday itself. The tradition of Remembrance Day evolved out of Armistice Day, the first of which was observed at Buckingham Palace, with King George V hosting a “Banquet in Honour of the President of the French Republic” during the evening hours of 10 November 1919. The first official Armistice Day was subsequently held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace the following morning. It isn’t only here in the UK that this special day is marked; around the globe commonwealth countries from Canada in the north, to Australia and New Zealand in the southern hemisphere, people gather to mourn the dead and give thanks for the services the armed forces have provided.
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the armistice was signed. I have also visited the site of the Battle of the Somme. Both are eerie places where I could swear the echoes of the dead, and mutilated still linger, and if I’m honest, I couldn’t wait to leave the area. Visiting those places, and reading the history of the Great War, leaves me with a deep sadness, almost a despair, that today, 115 years later, there are still wars raging around the planet. A quick internet search revealed a web page which asserts there are 32 ongoing conflicts in the world right now, ranging from drug wars, terrorist insurgencies, ethnic conflicts, and civil wars. 32 conflicts! These include the war in the Ukraine, and numerous conflicts on the African continent. The question I ask myself, and perhaps the question we should all ask our governments, is WHY. Why are battles being fought? Why are soldiers, and innocent civilians, still being killed in the name of national this, that, or the other? Have we learned nothing at all from the past?
Several none commonwealth countries such as France, Belgium, and Serbia have their own version of Remembrance Day on 11 November, and in the US they hold Veterans Day on the same date.
It sickens me that in the 21st century, humans are still killing one another in the name of power and money. Not the power and wealth of the individual citizen, but that of the ruling class in whichever country conflict arises.
I’ve been to the woods at Compiègne, where there is a replica of the carriage in which
Will we ever change?
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 forget tovisit mention Voice Magazines when responding to the Ads To find out more www.word-witch.co.uk or contact Laura on 07736 351 341
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NATURE NOTES FROM THE PEAK DISTRICT
OWLS ACROSS THE PEAK I think the most exciting of our owls is the ghostly barn owl or ‘screech owl’ so named because of how they hiss, yap, and snore. In summer they will often hunt well before nightfall along riversides, field edges and the like. Once almost extinct in the Peak this species has recovered thanks to conservation action by wildlife groups and importantly by individuals too. Nationally we now have around 5,000 breeding pairs and up to 25,000 birds overwintering. I know quite a few people who have put barn owl boxes in old trees, in large out-buildings, and even in their garages. Since the 1990s, these actions have been hugely successful in bringing this bird back from the brink and it is now doing really well. In Derbyshire alone, there are now over 150 breeding pairs of these gorgeous birds. It really is marvellous to once again have the almost spectral apparition of nearwhite barn owls gracing farmland, moorland edge, and around our Peak District villages. BARN OWL
Our most familiar and common owl is the tawny which is seen wherever there are trees such as in parks, gardens, woods etc. They also hunt over the Peak District moorlands where they scour the evening landscape for small mammals. In car headlights they can appear very pale and may cause confusion with barn owls but they are much larger. In fact there are five main species of owls which you might see or hear across the Peak District. These are the familiar little owl, tawny owl, and barn owl, and the less obvious short-eared owls and long-eared owls. These latter two are more localised as breeding birds and also as winter visitors. Their numbers fluctuate dramatically from year to year because they follow peaks and
troughs in small mammal populations. Short-tailed voles are one of their main prey items and have ‘boom – bust’ populations with large numbers crashing to very few and when this happens, the owls move out to pastures new. Of the more noticeable species, the little owl is an exotic (or non-native) bird and long-known to countrymen as the ‘Frenchie’; introduced to England from France in the early 1900s. You can look out for them on telegraph poles, near tumble-down buildings, and around rocky areas on the moorland edge. However, being tiny, they are easy to miss. The first time I saw one was on the Peak’s moorland fringe west of Sheffield near Bradfield. I spotted this whilst chatting to an elderly ‘countryman’ (complete with deerstalker hat). He was the one that introduced me to the name ‘Frenchie’. Little owls are busy little birds which, feeding on large insects, small mammals, and the like are ever active. Introduced in the late 1800s by ‘acclimatization societies’ of enthusiasts for releasing exotic species into the countryside ‘Frenchies’ were not always popular with farmers and landowners. They worried about possible impacts on baby game-birds. However, in the 1930s, there was a national enquiry established by gamekeepers, the shooting fraternity, and ornithologists. This showed the owls to be innocent of the charges and today we just enjoy them as a delightful addition to local avifauna. There is one other species I have heard of in the Peak and this was undoubtedly an escapee from a collection and which was reported to me by a local farmer, an eagle owl. Sadly this flew into an overhead cable and ended its time in a local taxidermist’s!
LITTLE OWL
EAGLE OWL TAWNY OWL
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 40 www.ukeconet.org, Don’t forget to mention Voice Magazines when responding to the Ads blog www.ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com, & Twitter @IanThewildside
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GARDENS
Gardener’s Calendar
This is a great time for taking stock – what has worked?
Have your salvias flourished in that slightly shaded corner of the garden, has the mansfield@caremark.co.u abundant rain proved too much for your salad leaves which have been continually cahappening remarkagain? .co.uk/mansfield eaten by slugs? How can you work out a way to stop that Keeping a diary of these thoughts can be invaluable next season so you can adjust your plans. You might imagine you’ll remember the changes you want to make; but an aide memoire doesn’t harm. If you haven’t used all your spring bulbs, or maybe haven’t got round to starting to plant them with the amount of rain and then warm weather we’ve been having, don’t despair. Most bulbs will survive fine so long as you get them in before the ground is really frosted. And if you have any spares you can always make a container bulb lasagne – (garden not oven!) and to be honest the more variety you can get into the container the better as they’ll probably flower at different times and you get a constant show of colour.
Top Tip:
The general rule for bulbs is plant at a depth three times their height. Tulips like to be deep so they go bottom then daffs and narcissus then dwarf iris, snowdrops and crocus and if you have any, add ranunculus or fritillaries. It’s always worth experimenting. A layer of compost of soil goes between each layer topped with compost and grit to stop the rodents or birds digging up what you’ve just planted!
Raise containers off patio level so they don’t get waterlogged and frosted. Terracotta pots if you have them are vulnerable to frost cracking and they are expensive to keep replacing.
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