Voice Magazines - Ripley & Marehay - March 2024

Mothering Sunday: BEYOND FLOWERS

& CHOCOLATES

Ah, Mother’s Day – or as it was more traditionally known, Mothering Sunday, the one day of the year we are all supposed to thank the women who gave life to us and the ones who raised us (they aren’t always the same people).

But did you know that the UK Mothering Sunday probably has very little to do with honouring our birth mums and carers?

Although the facts are murky (thanks Wikipedia for all the conflicting accounts!) it appears that the day is connected more closely to Christianity than to showing our mum how much we love her.

You see, in the UK, Mothering Sunday is not a fixed day as it is in the US, instead it is linked to Lent, the Christian period of abstinence preceding Easter. And as we all know, Easter, and therefore Lent, is a moveable feast (or nonfeast in the case of Lent!). Mothering Sunday always falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday), three weeks before Easter Sunday – this year, that means March 10th.

If you try to search the history of Mothering Sunday, you will find claims it was initially linked to The Feast of Annunciation, a day devised to celebrate the Virgin Mary – Mother Mary, and held each year on March 25th. I read, “it is no coincidence that over time, March 25th, or the nearest Sunday, became a celebration of all motherhood.”

I’m not altogether sure I believe this…

The alternative view is that by the 16th century people were moving away from the areas in which they had been born, and therefore

baptised, but would return once a year around Lent to visit their “Mother Church”.

Another tradition dating back to the same time is those working in the fields, farms, and grand houses of wealthy landowners would be given the day off on the fourth Sunday of Lent to visit their mothers and possibly go to church. With no cars, buses, or railways, that may have been a difficult task, and it certainly marked a move towards the more family focused Mother’s Day we celebrate today.

Whatever the origins, Mother’s Day should not be the only day we give extra love and attention to all the mothers in our lives. I would rather see my grown-up children regularly bearing no gifts than have them turn up once a year with a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates! The hype surrounding this one day helps those who don’t really care about family tick a box on their social conscience calendar…”card and flowers for mum” – tick.

Buy a card, make a card (us mums will always remember the ones made by little hands at school more than the ostentatious shop bought ones), give flowers, give chocolate and cakes…but most of all, give love and thanks to the person who carried you inside them for nine long months…and don’t just do that once a year!

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is a fast and furious read. It’s a mix of The Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale and a female Lord of the Flies set in a dystopian society where girls and woman are believed to have “magic” which they use to control men’s minds and which has to be driven out of them in a Grace Year when they are 16.

The best that can be hoped for in this misogynistic patriarchal society is to become a wife. Enter the rebel, Tierney James, brought up by her father to be

the son he never had and consequently taught a lot of useful stuff.

These girls aren’t sent to a nunnery to drive out their magic – they get an island where they have to survive against brutal odds. The ones that come back are the lucky ones – or are they?

It’s entertaining and a page turner – the sort of thing you could polish off quite happily on a cross country train journey. It’s not high literature, but it does grab your attention.

All Around the Shire

JUST A SIMPLE SLICE OF TOAST

One of life’s great pleasures is a simple slice of toast – warm and buttery with a smell that instantly comforts you. In my childhood, a brass toasting fork hung on a hook at the side of the fireplace at our house and at that of my grandparents. Not for everyday use, but for special Sunday afternoons during the darker months when sliced bread, crumpets or pikelets would be skewered on the fork and held in front of a coal fire until golden and hot. The toast could be quite singed and tasted of coal smoke but that added to the sense of adventure. It would be enjoyed, not at the table, but around the fire with children and grown-ups waiting and hoping for the next slice to be theirs. Toppings were simple. Either dripping with salt, Bovril or proper butter (not axle grease, as my dad called margarine). What a treat.

One of our recent visits to a group has resulted in a lady generously donating a boxful of precious family items that she knew would be enjoyed by our many audiences. This box included a beautiful electric toaster that her parents had been

given as a wedding gift in 1952. It has flaps that open out for two rounds of bread. Very stylish and functional.

No one I knew had a toaster until the 1970s when teasmades also made a brief appearance. Usually, my mum would cook toast in the grill on the gas cooker. If you remember, the grill used to be at eye level, so you could keep an eye on what was toasting or burning.

Happy Days!

Janet

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

RASCALS LIFESAVERS BRILLIANT AT BILLINGHAM

Here at RASCALS, our Swimming and Lifesaving squads are never far from action. In an exhilarating kick-off to 2024 Lifesaving competitions, our junior Lifesavers were certainly making waves at the Short Course Lifesaving competition held in January at Billingham, County Durham. Nineteen talented athletes, aged 10 to 16 years, dived into the intense atmosphere of the nine-event competition, showcasing both seasoned competitors and fresh faces eager to make a splash. The North-East witnessed a fierce battle of skill and determination as teams from across the region vied for victory. Against this backdrop, RASCALS emerged triumphant, securing an impressive haul of 6 Gold, 3 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals. Congratulations to everyone involved in the lead up to the day! Special mention to medal winners Jack Bough, Stanley Clark, Poppy England, Samual Malcolm, Thomas Malcolm, Benjamin Wilkinson-Cleaver and Ellis Worthington. One standout Billingham moment came from one of our newly appointed Lifesaving Team Captains Freddie Postlethwaite, who, in addition to supporting the team, was invited to participate in the 50-meter manikin carry event. His stellar performance left spectators in awe – a clear testament to why he earned a coveted spot on Great Britain’s roster in 2023. In the four years that Freddie has been with RASCALS, he has progressed from being a Lifesaving novice to a GBR and England team member. Last year’s competitive journey has taken him from the European Championships in Poland

to the Lifesaving Commonwealth Games in Canada! A volunteer Rookie Coach, he takes great joy from training the next wave of young RASCALS Lifesavers.

Freddie joins rising star Mimi Fisher as fellow Lifesaver Club Captain. A RASCALS member since the age of 5, Mimi is no stranger to competition, celebrating great success across both Swimming and Lifesaving disciplines. Excited about her role as captain Mimi admits, “I just really enjoy training and competing – our coaches do make us work hard but we have a really great team spirit and supportive teammates”. As they carry this momentum forward, the squad is surely poised for an exciting and promising year ahead!

RASCALS success at Billingham not only celebrates prowess in life-saving techniques but also highlights the dedication and talent within the local community. If you would like to expand your swimming activities or try something new, please contact us.

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

RASCALS Lifesavers with coach Terry Fox

Freddie Postlethwaite and Mimi Fisher

Food

2021 BROCHURE AVAILABLE

CONTINENTAL COACHING

Slimming World Recipe

Hunters Chicken

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/gas 6.

2. Put the vinegar, paprika, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and chopped tomatoes in a large, shallow, flameproof casserole dish. Put it over a medium-high heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.

3. At the same time, gently bash the bacon medallions to flatten them out and lengthen slightly. Stretch a piece of bacon over each chicken breast.

For

This pub grub classic has the slimming World twist, which means it is super healthy, filling and bang on plan. Enjoy!

4. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce and spoon a little sauce over the top. Divide the mozzarella over the chicken breasts and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

5. When the chicken’s almost ready, steam or boil the green beans for 3-4 minutes, then drain. Scatter the parsley over the chicken, then divide the chicken and sauce between 4 plates, and serve with the beans and baked potatoes.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1½ tsp sweet or hot smoked paprika

• 1½ tsp garlic granules

• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

• 4 smoked bacon medallions, visible fat removed

• 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts

• 200g grated mozzarella

• 400g green beans, trimmed

• ½ small pack fresh parsley, chopped, to serve

• 4 microwaved or oven-cooked baking potatoes, to serve

Ready in: 50 minutes

Syns per serving: 6

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.

✽ 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 Warkworth

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

Alfreton & District Heritage Trust

MARCH 2024

NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN

As many of you know, the Heritage Trust have been hosting a series of talks and craft sessions down at the Palmer Morewood Memorial Club (The Welfare) through the Lottery Community Fund. Our latest offering “My Mum had one of Those” featured Paul and Janet Barrass of All Around The Shires. Brilliant speakers so if you get chance to see them don’t miss out! Over 80 people attended, and all was going well until Janet produced a roll of Izal Toilet Paper! A shudder ran through the audience as memories of schooldays came flooding back, taking the rough with the smooth had a whole new meaning in those days.

Izal originated in Sheffield, when in 1890, the Newton Chambers Company registered Thorncliffe Patent Disinfectant. This was widely used in hospitals and public buildings as a safer alternative to carbolic acid. They then decided this could be impregnated into toilet paper and thus San Izal was unleashed upon an un-suspecting public in 1922. The strong paper

did not dissolve easily in water so was difficult for sewage works to deal with, whilst glossy on one side and dull and rough on the other, it could be used for either scraping or polishing. Before the advent of soft toilet tissue, this eminently unsuitable medium remained the only alternative to newsprint (where the ink came off) but at least your finger would not go through it. This one product alone could be the cause of those sombre faces in posed old photographs of past relatives and the reason they had nothing to smile about!

The product was marketed with missionary zeal and racked up sales worldwide. The scratchy toilet paper was overprinted with ‘Now wash your hands’ and often Government logos’ like ‘Property of British Railways’ or just ‘Government property’. For a while, small verses and ditties were interleaved within the roll to make the product more appealing to children. During the Second World War, cartoon images of Adolf Hitler were popular but frowned upon by the Government because “It

wasn’t proper, not the British thing to do.” It was particularly prized in schools, during Post War austerity and beyond, as an alternative to tracing paper and many a child got a good tune out of it stretched over an old comb.

In San Izal times, being regular or when suffering from piles or diarrhoea you just had to accept that mother or science knew best, little comfort if you’d used the sandpaper side on your delicate nether region!

Flake’ s Favourites

Re-walking Rafa’s Rambles

This month the woeful weather left me wondering if dogs could suffer from trench foot. So, we pulled a short but sweet walk out of the bag. Despite this Flake still looked like some sort of bog creature by the time we got him back to the car. So it was straight into the bath when we got home.

The walk begins at Pinxton Wharf from where we head along the canal for a short while before branching off across country towards Selston. We enter Selston briefly and walk past St Helen’s Church. Before heading back across country back towards Pinxton Wharf.

Fingers crossed for better weather in March!

3-MILE CIRCULAR WALK FROM PINXTON WHARF VIA SELSTON

A gentle walk which should take you and your dog around 1½-2 hours to complete. There is a couple of quiet roads so please take care, however most of the walk is on paths and trails. Please wear appropriate footwear and, as always, follow the countryside code..

START: PINXTON WHARF, ALEXANDER TERRACE, OFF WHARF ROAD, PINXTON. NOTTS. NG16 6PL

1. Enter the wharf through a squeeze gate on Alexander Terrace near the railway crossing and continue straight ahead along the footpath directly in front of you. (Pinxton Wharf was the terminus for the Cromford canal, which was built to link the collieries to the River Trent. Pinxton China works were also in operation very close to the wharf.) After some distance cross over a small wooden footbridge and then a little further on pass over a larger wooden

Sponsored by

footbridge. Immediately after crossing the 2nd bridge turn right to continue along a footpath with a canal on your right.

2. Continue along the footpath passing ‘The Boat Inn’ on your left, until reaching a squeeze gate. Pass through the gate and then bear right. After a very short distance pass through a gap adjacent to a large metal gate and continue straight ahead along a lane keeping the canal on your right.

3. Continue along the lane for some distance and the immediately after passing some sheds on your left, turn left to pass through a gap in a fence along a marked footpath. The path leads to a farm track. Continue along the track to continue up and over a bridge. Shortly after the bridge and just prior to reaching a large metal gate directly in front of you, turn left to walk along a farm track going uphill.

4. At the top of the hill keep ahead into an open field, passing a yellow marker post on your left. Continue straight ahead over the brow of the hill and down the other side aiming for a small single tree in the hedge row on the far side of the field. Cross over a tiny stream and pass through the hedge to continue straight ahead for a short distance across another field.

5. 5At the far side pass through a gap into another field and now continue with the hedge on your right. Upon reaching a large metal gate on your right, ignore a marked path straight ahead and bear left to continue along the edge of the same field keeping the hedge on your right. At the far side of the field continue straight ahead along a narrow path with a fence on your left until reaching a kissing gate. Cross the stile and continue along the edge of another field with a hedge on your right.

6. At the far side of this field pass through another kissing gate and then continue uphill to a road. Turn left along the road and after a short distance pass the church on your left. (Take a look at St Helens Church which holds the grave of Gypsy King Dan

Boswell. [walk to the left hand side of the church and it is a few feet from the door by a small holly tree] The grave stone faces the wrong way-it is not the original stone which was supposedly broken in two after being kicked by a cow. This dates back to when cows were kept in the church yard. St Helens Church also contains the only 12thC incised stone in England. This is sited by the Chancel and is really worth viewing.) After passing the church continue along the road for some distance until reaching No.123. Turn left along a marked footpath adjacent to No.123 going downhill. After a short distance cross straight over a lane, pass through a gap and continue straight ahead across a field with a hedge on your left.

7. Continue to the far side of the field, pass through a gap and continue through a kissing gate. Now continue with a hedge on your left. After some distance follow the path over to the right to meet up with a kissing gate at the far side of the field. Pass through the gate and cross over a tarmac lane onto a marked footpath. Pass a farm and then a wind turbine on your left to continue straight ahead going downhill with a hedge on your left.

8. At the bottom of the field keep ahead along a narrow footpath going downhill. At the bottom cross over a railway line and then continue for a short distance to pass through a squeeze gate. Immediately after, turn left pass through another squeeze gate to continue along a footpath. Continue until reaching a road and the start of your walk.

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

1 Massive mammals in the sad West Country, say? (4,6)

Across

9 Cliff, like Craig, is a one-off (4)

10 Stinging insect, initially for a privileged group (4)

11 Heart bypass for Mother, perhaps? (5)

12 Tries out isotherms for resistance (4)

14 Squint, say, at marine platform (4)

Down

3 Made a bit of a hash of it with fiery leftovers (3)

4 Needs kicking out of the resort (3)

6 Salary increase that’s easy to rip out? (3,4)

7 Late application for a bit of a meal (3)

13 River coming up as far as one’s coat (3)

16 Bit too obtuse for employment (3)

5 Stressed when the chimp ate the recipe (8)

15 Could be up to luck? “Seat belts on!” (6,2)

18 The canning process that could be captivating? (10)

Down

1 Search for treasure in sandy hairpiece? (9)

2 Sad songs that say so much about a leg, I see? (7)

8 Put caring in jeopardy by taking prisoner (9)

10 Racer that’s going to the dogs! (7)

Agent,

Down: 1 Not a sausage,

Across: 1

17 Scaley bit in Oklahoma? (3) ANSWERS

Netball team, 5 Brews up, 7 Sight, 8 Super, 9 Ulnar, 11 Thyme, 12 Aground, 13 Edible snail.

2

3 Lists, 4 Minor detail, 5 Begonia, 6 Popeyed, 10 Rural, 11 Truss.

EXPLORING THE WONDERS ON OUR DOORSTEP

In the stampede to find the sunshine, how many of us neglect the country where we live when booking a holiday?

Yes, it is always nice to have those flat on our backs soaking up the sun kind of breaks (although our skin may not thank us for this later in life), but it is just as good for the soul to do something more meaningful in our downtime.

And that’s where holidaying in the UK, and in the case of this article, specifically in England, comes to the fore. With no flights, there’s no need to drive to an airport, pay exorbitant car parking fees, and not forgetting the minimum two-hour check-in; from our part of the world, it is possible to reach every corner of England within a few hours’ drive. And no overspending in dutyfree either.

If you’re not a driver yourself, plenty of coach operators offer tours and travel-only options to locations in England.

With such a rich and varied history in this country, not to mention the stunning scenery, we really should all take some time to explore England – starting with what is right on our doorsteps! I live in a chocolate box village (Foolow) in a beautiful part of the Peak District, and yet I regret to say I just don’t travel around enough. Some of that is because I am still working and being self-employed, I don’t always take the time out for holidays! But some is because I have become so used to living in a beautiful part of the country that I don’t always appreciate it.

How bad is that?

Aiming to educate all of us about the wonders around every corner is the organisation, “Visit Britain”, which focuses on tourism in England from 15th to 24th March. Check their website https://www. visitbritain.org/working-us/english-tourismweek and subscribe to the newsletter to find out more.

In the meantime, here are some facts that may surprise you:

England’s tourism sector:

• contributes £106 billion to the British economy

• supports 2.6 million jobs

• is a major employer of school leavers and young people

• In 2019, British residents spent £19.5 billion on 99.1 million domestic overnight trips in England.

• 1.4 billion domestic day trips were taken to English destinations in 2018, with spending totalling £56.5 billion.

• There are estimated to be 5,000 to 6,000 visitor attractions in England. Why not make a promise to yourself to spend some time exploring your local area this year? Maybe book a few short breaks so you can see other parts of the country too. True, the sun may not always shine, but you’ll always be able to get a good cup of tea – well, unless you end up in one of those places with horrid, hard, scummy water!

Ripley & District: Heritage Trust

MARCH 2024

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

Now it’s the ping of the email or message. Two hundred years ago, if you wanted to contact someone in Ripley, you would probably have entrusted your letter to the new Royal Mail coach which was advertised in 1828 as calling at the White Lion every morning at ten on its way to Derby and Birmingham. A year later there were other mail coaches calling at the Red Lion, whose landlord, Thomas Moore, was now able to call himself Post Master.

Very soon afterwards, post began to arrive by rail to Butterley Station where the little hexagonal building at the gates of the works served as Post Office, initially for both the works and the town.

By the late 1840s, there was a Post Office on High Street with Ruth Wall as Postmistress. Remarkably, in the next 80 years, Ripley had only two people in charge of the Post Office: James Warriner (who

was also a hairdresser and stationer) from 1850 to 1902 and Isabella Searanche from 1902 to 1929.

By 1862, the Post Office included a savings bank, and by 1870, a telegraph office. Boys as young as 13 or 14 were employed to deliver telegrams on foot or by bicycle. The first wall letter box was at the Butterley Works, with others added gradually from the 1870s. By 1912, there was a Post Office telephone exchange in Grosvenor Road, telephone number Ripley 26.

The first purposebuilt Post Office (as opposed to someone’s pub or shop) appeared in the Market Place in 1936, to be replaced by a

newer larger building in 1956 and transferred to the Coop in 1992.

How long will it be before the only Post Office is the one in our pockets?

Frederick Edward Moss, telegraph boy, c 1923

The Butterley Post Office

The old Post Office in the Market Place

Does

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Gardener’s Calendar

Top Tip:

Houseplants deserve a bit of TLC after being in centrally heated rooms over the winter so this is the time to replant any which are looking a bit droopy. Give them a slightly bigger pot and fresh compost and remove any dead foliage.

Summer flowering bulbs such as gladioli, alliums, acidanthera, lilies can go in now. They enjoy warm sunny spots either direct into the soil or, if you’re putting them in containers, in a mix of two parts compost to one part grit to give plenty of drainage. Feed them with a high potassium feed about a week after the shoots appear then regularly up till flowering.

Watch out for slugs – they like eating the green shoots of growing things almost as much as gardeners like seeing them and if your garden is particularly prone to slugs, it may even be worth giving the likes of hostas a miss altogether. Otherwise, make sure there’s no left-over leaves from last season on your soil, slugs love sheltering under them. You can try the old favourite traps, half citrus such as orange scooped out and filled with beer. The slugs go in for the beer and goodnight Vienna – at least in theory. Or you can buy nematodes, - a biological deterrent which you water into the soil – from garden centres or online. Some people use bark, others wool, others copper around the rims of pots. Worth trying anything once! And good luck.

VIKING VISITORS TO THE PEAK CAUSE QUITE A STIR

A huge influx of waxwings has caused a big stir amongst birdwatchers and other visitors. The birds have been arriving across northern England from Europe, especially Scandinavia, since early December. As they exhaust the berry supplies (their favourite food) on bushes such as hawthorn, rowan, and whitebeam, and on pyracanthas and cotoneasters in gardens and the like, they head south and west. They were in north Sheffield by December and numbers built on the railway line trail at Hassop by mid-January. The result as the birds halted here to gorge on the abundant berry crop, was a nature spectacle since these are perhaps our most exotic songbirds and moreover, are very approachable. In other words, if you get to see them, they put on a really great show, and it will be memorable.

The waxwing exhibits what we describe as ‘irruptive’ behaviour, as every few years huge numbers migrate south and west from northern Europe into Great Britain. Breeding in loose colonies, they produce young late in the season, so these hatch to coincide with abundant summer fruits. As they search the local countryside for berries and other fruit, in most years waxwings do not travel over long distances but form large flocks that quickly strip trees and bushes of berries. Waxwings also eat sap, buds, flowers, and insects they catch on the ground or in mid-air. However, there is a complication which will be familiar to gardeners, in that the fruit trees cycle good fruiting years with bad. If the Scandinavian fruit crop is good, then the birds do well and so we see relatively few over here. Also, in a good

year they breed well, and waxwing numbers increase. But a good berry crop may be followed by a poor year, now coinciding with high numbers because of a previously good season. If this occurs then the birds, desperate for food, move out en masse producing for us, a ‘waxwing winter’.

Indeed, this is the explanation for this winter’s phenomenon. The outcome of the birds’ behaviour is a splendid treat for birdwatchers. Waxwings are stunning to see, and they come complete with remarkable plumage and their distinctive trilling calls. What makes this even more exciting is that the birds are amazingly tame and approachable. In the case at Hassop Station this January, the waxwings were particularly obliging and allowed people to approach to within just a couple of metres or so. This means that in terms of a birdwatching experience for beginners too, waxwings are the ‘real deal’. They are very unlike many rare birds which tend to be LBJs or ‘little brown jobs’, and which draw in the twitchers but not the wider public. In this respect, waxwing winters are really good PR for naturewatching and therefore for conservation. These Nordic visitors are birds with ‘wow’ factor! Other European visitors are also with us as fieldfares, redwings, blackbirds, and others all stream across the North Sea for a few months of a warmer climate.

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer, broadcaster on wildlife and

Peak District

BIRDWATCHERS ADMIRING THE DERBYSHIRE WAXCAPS

WAXWING IMAGES

BY IAN ROTHERHAM