Children’s Puzzles

The Diary of a Local Mum

Spending Time Together

I heard someone recently saying their 2020 New Year’s resolution was to spend more time together as a family…they hardly dared to make a resolution for 2021 after that one totally surpassed everyone’s expectations! Be careful what you wish for, eh!

Over this past year we’ve spent much more time at home than ever before, with the usually packed social schedules screeching to a resounding halt. This time has been challenging but in many ways enjoyable as we’ve had chance to slow down, be less ruled by the clock or calendar, and enjoy more time in each other’s company.

This is precious time that we wouldn’t have otherwise been afforded and it’s given us chance to find simple pleasures. We’ve found ways to make fun, cheap, easy entertainment at home; we’ve exercised together, cooked together, eaten as a family, talked, played, danced and laughed.

But, as we all know too well, this situation has continued far longer than we could have imagined whilst in the midst of the first lockdown in 2020. At first, it was a bit of a ‘project’ – entertaining everyone, creating new schedules to fit with work and school commitments, kicking off the day with PE with Joe and ending it with family board games or online quizzes. There was a certain novelty factor, helped by the glorious weather. I’ve no doubt that in the future, when we look back at 2020 with weary bemusement, we will find some positivity in the memories of the time when the world slowed down.

However, over 10 months later we find ourselves still in a very similar situation. The quizzes have lost their appeal, board games are greeted with sighs, we’ve watched most of Netflix, no one ever wants to see another banana bread as long as they live … even Joe Wicks’ infectious energy is wearing a little thin (sorry Joe, I do love you but there’s only so many times you can get excited about a burpee, fancy dress or not). Keeping everyone entertained is becoming increasingly difficult. ‘Another walk, anyone?’

I know that we shouldn’t complain. A little boredom is really nothing when compared to what others are going through. We’re incredibly grateful for our health and completely understand how vital it is to stay at home and do what we can to stay safe and protect others… but trying to remain upbeat and enthusiastic in this situation really is exhausting. We’re constantly bombarded with negativity from the media and, despite the promising news of the vaccine roll-out, it’s still difficult to envision an end to all this any time soon. To top it all off, it’s dark, cold and miserable outside. Slapping on a smile and finding something fun to do is hard.

Time together now frequently involves everyone staring at individual screens…sometimes in the same room, sometimes not. But is that a bad thing? We often feel guilty for letting kids have too much screen time, or for being distracted by our own phones, but we’ve reached the point where we all just need some escapism. Spending time together as a family is great, but it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, right? Enforced enjoyment just isn’t fun!

In this most unusual of situations, it’s time to take the pressure off. Don’t feel obliged to create entertainment, to make memories, take photos, capture moments, and fill the days with something positive when, in fact, we should probably be content to just ‘be’.

Spending time together can be just that – sharing the hours and appreciating a bit of nothingness. Enjoy each other’s company in the simplest of ways and take pleasure in having a little space when you need it. Cherish the opportunity to sit and stare at screens together, knowing you’re all safe and healthy. The exciting times will return, one day.

By Helen Young

Parenting

Genius inventions to help your baby sleep

Gifts and gadgets to make parenting just that little bit easier

Apparently, babies sleep for fifteen to seventeen hours a day. Try telling that to a sleep-deprived parent. We can’t wave a magic wand to make your baby sleep better, but we can recommend some new innovations that might help you to get a bit more shuteye.

Sneaky nappy changes

“Ah 3 am nappy changes. What fun,” said no one, ever. Being wrestled out of an awkward sleepsuit is pretty much guaranteed to turn a half-asleep baby to a wide-awake one. Enter the SnüzPouch. Unlike most baby sleeping bags, this one has a curved zip on the front. Open it up, slip a travel changing mat under your baby’s bottom and get to work changing that nappy. You don’t need to lift your baby out of the cot or battle to prize their legs back into a Babygro. And zips are a lot easier than poppers. The SnüzPouch is made from 100% cotton and available in lightweight 0.5 and 1 tog versions for summer and a snuggly 2.5 tog for the rest of the year. There are two sizes available and ten designs to choose from. £29.95, see www.snuz.co.uk.

Baby radio

Babies tend to love music. If you’re fed up of listening to the same songs or scrolling through Spotify for something different, try Rockabye Radio (www.rockabyeradio.co.uk). It plays non-stop music around the clock, with tunes chosen to suit the time of day. So you’ll hear relaxing, calming lullabies at naptime and bedtime, and upbeat fun melodies to bounce around to at other hours. There’s even a daily disco.

The station is the brainchild of Karen and Mike. Between them, they’ve composed music for the likes of CBeebies, worked on West End Shows like The Lion King, trained music teachers and set up The British Academy of New Music. In other words, they know what they’re talking about.

Good vibrations

I wish the NapNap sleep mat had been around when my daughter was a baby. I may have fewer grey hairs and yawn-induced wrinkles. She was a bit of a nightmare sleeper. I don’t think she slept for more than a couple of hours at a time until after her first birthday; it was exhausting.

The NapNap combines gentle vibrations with white noise to comfort and calm a baby. Basically, it’s designed to mimic a womb environment. You can use it in a cot or pram and it rolls up into a bag so is handy for travelling. You can also use it on the floor for tummy time (it might help to ease colic). There are six levels of vibration to choose from, including two that mimic a heartbeat. And it’s waterproof, with a machine washable cotton cover. All in all, it’s a genius idea. At £120 it isn’t cheap, but when I was sleep-deprived I’d have probably sold a kidney to get more shuteye. See www.napnapuk.co.

Belper School

This poem was written by a year 13 student at Belper School and it is their very first ‘public’ piece of poetry, after only showing a handful of close friends and family their work, so this is a big step in their progress – how exciting!

Inspired by a trip to the memorial gardens in Belper, on an autumnal day in 2020, the student wrote this poem to consider society’s thoughts in the present (which was, at the time of writing, December 2020) but, most importantly, as a prediction of what life will be like in the Spring of 2021, where the readers of this magazine will be reading, and hopefully enjoying, their work as much as they did writing it. This student is hoping to pursue an undergraduate degree in creative writing; writing for them is impulsive, they don’t know what and when something will influence them, it just happens, and, in that very moment, they produce poetry. That is exactly what happened with the following poem…

Looking to spring, after a 2-metre Christmas...

‘Do you think they’ll ever open again?’

You asked from across the bench, Your voice 2 metres away from me, Whilst your words were muffled by the pigeon procession, That was permitted to stand beside you, The cinemas had already fallen, The first victims in a worldwide struggle, And now I feared that the pubs couldn’t stand much more, But underneath the horrific headlines, From behind the closed doors and empty streets, I knew that we would convince the world to work,

So I began to dream, Restaurants would be revived, Cinemas would be crowded once more, And we would shake hands before every game, And I’d watch as my cousins, Would all reach for the same piece of turkey, Their hands always meeting instinctively, I would see you in your own home, And visit my grandparents every day, Treasuring every last second with them, And people would stand side by side, In carnival crowds, parties and festivals,

But then, you coughed with impatience, And I was reminded of the past, When the loudest noise was my own breathing, I saw you hastily adjust your mask, In order to cover your tears,

But then, gradually, you lowered it, And through its spotless surface, Behind your exhausted exterior, I noticed your lips parting, Like clouds freeing the rising sun, So I could see, that in the end,

You were still able to smile...

So, readers of All Things Local, we turn to the future: 2021: hope, prosperity and more smiles.

In springtime we look forward to the blooms of flowers, families and friends.

A national rebirth. Here’s to hope, everyone. Thank you for reading.

Love learning locally

Adult education courses and workshops in Derbyshire We’re still here to support you to learn. Book We’re delivering learning a little differently this year. Find out about your next our programme of online courses and what we will be offering in our course adult community education centres: now! /DerbyshireAdultEducation @DerbyshireACE Sign up to Adult Community Education News at www.derbyshire.gov.uk – “subscribe for updates”

www.derbyshire.gov.uk/adulteducation Get skilled, have some fun!

Education & Skills Funding Agency

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School Information

Ambergate Primary School Anthony Gell School Belper Long Row Primary Belper School Breadsall CofE VE Primary School Codnor Community Primary School C of E Controlled Denby Free C of E Primary Ecclesbourne School Fritchley CE (Aided) Primary Heage Primary School Heanor Gate Science College Herbert Strutt Primary Holbrook C of E Primary Horsley C of E Primary Horsley Woodhouse Primary John Flamsteed Community School Kilburn Infant & Nursery School Kilburn Junior Langley Mill (CE) Controlled Infant School & Nursery Little Eaton Primary Mapperley CofE Primary School 01773 852204 01629 825577 01773 823319 01773 825281 01332 831328 01773 742537

01332 880416 01332 840645 01773 852216 01773 852188 01773 716396 01773 822771 01332 880277 01332 880782 01332 880403 01332 880260 01332 880449 01332 880540

01773 713429 01332 831471 0115 9325386

13/08/2020 17:34:50

Meadows Primary 01332 840305 Milford Primary 01332 841316 Morley Primary 01332 831295 Pottery Primary 01773 823383 Richardson Endowed Primary School 01332 880317 Ripley Junior School 01773 742281 St Andrew’s C of E Primary School 0115 9324252 St Benedict 01332 557032 St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary 01773 822278 St John’s CE Primary, Belper 01773 822995 Stanley Common Primary School 0115 9322437 Street Lane Primary 01773 742717 Swanwick Hall School 01773 602106 Turnditch CE VA Primary 01773 550304 William Gilbert Primary 01332 840395 School Terms 2021

All dates taken from www.derbyshire.gov.uk Term 3: Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021 Term 4: Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021 Term 5: Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021 Term 6: Monday 7 June 2021 to Thursday 22 July 2021 Term 1: Thursday 2 September 2021 to Friday 22 October 2021 Term 2: Monday 1 November 2021 to Thursday 23 December 2021

Anniversaries in Spring 2021

100 Years

Birth of Welsh comedy magician Tommy Cooper (d. 1984).

Birth of Donald Campbell, British racing driver who broke the land and water speed records eight times (d. 1967).

80 Years

British police constable Albert Alexander became the first person in the world to be treated with the antibiotic penicillin. He was terminally ill after a scratch on his face turned septic. He staged a remarkable recovery within four days of starting his treatment, but the infection returned when the supply of penicillin ran out. He died four weeks later.

75 Years

London’s Heathrow Airport was opened. It was originally just called London Airport and was renamed in 1966.

50 Years

NASDAQ, the first electronic stock exchange, began trading. Switzerland granted women the right to vote.

40 Years

Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

The Sinclair ZX81 home computer was released.

Image Evan-Amos - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was launched in Britain.

25 Years

The first genetically modified food went on sale in the UK: tomato puree. It was withdrawn three years later following strong opposition.

The British Government reported that CJD was linked to mad cow disease and could be transmitted to humans who ate infected beef.

IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue defeated the world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in the first of their six games. Although Kasparov went on to with the tournament 4-2, he was defeated the following year.

Image GFHund - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

15 Years

The first computer virus to attack the Apple Mac OS X operating system was discovered. Many Mac owners were taken by surprise as they believed their machines were immune to such attacks.

The largest cash robbery in British history took place at a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent. Over £53 million in bank notes was stolen.

Scotland banned smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces. It was over a year later before England and Wales imposed a similar ban.

10 Years

Death of Elizabeth Taylor, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the 1950s and 1960s. She was married eight times, two of them to Richard Burton.

Local History

William Strutt’s House

Writing about his tour throughout the United Kingdom in 1829, Sir Richard Philips described his visit to the home of William Strutt, industrialist, engineer, inventor.

“The house of Mr. William Strutt is one of the handsomest mansions in Derby [St Helen’s House built in 1766-7 by Joseph Pickford for John Gisbourne], and surrounded by a fine park of eighty acres, adjoining one side of the town. This gentleman is President of the Derby Philosophical Society and was the personal friend of Darwin, Wright, and Arkwright. It is impossible to imagine a more urbane, kind, and intelligent man.

The house of Mr. W. Strutt is a school of experiment and a triumph of science over the stubbornness of nature. The first thing that strikes a visitor, is the uniform temperature, for by the skill of Mr. Strutt, it is never below fifty-five degrees, and this is effected by the ingenious distribution of hot air. The kitchen is a triumph of art. An open grate, is adapted with economical appropriations which render it capable of roasting with access of air, of steaming, heating, &c.. The stoves give heat to an extended surface, and prepare, with slight fuel, many stews, &c. There is also a steam engine, of a one-horse power, for washing, mangling, pressing, drying, all conducted with unparalleled ingenuity to effect their surprising and often complicated purposes. A small steam-boiler places hot water over cold, and there is always hot water for culinary purposes, while the same boiler heats a noble bath, which is a frequent source of enjoyment to Mr. Strutt. Thus steam, gas, heat, hot air, philosophy and mechanics, are all brought to bear on these premises, on every branch of domestic economy.

In the library is a set of instruments for all kinds of meteorological observations, and on the table a clock of the most simple and original movements, invented by Mr. Strutt. The pendulum, springs and escapement, are constructed like other clocks, but the movements of the hands are altogether new, and produced by only three wheels. But the triumph of mechanics and science is displayed in the hot houses. Here Mr. Strutt has combined a pinery and grapery in the shape of a quadrant, from West to East. The elevation is also the quarter of a circle; its radius is above twenty feet, and the form of the lights is in the periphery of the quadrant; the rows of lights, instead of being flat, project in an angle of about 100˚, fitted into lead frames, so as to be nearly air and water tight. The sun’s light is therefore equal through the day. The temperature is adjusted by air holes amid various balances, such as alone could present themselves to so practised an experimentalist. The pines thrive as well in the open ground, as in pots, owing to the steam being allowed to percolate the earth. The lights are framed in cast iron, and stages work round the glass both outside and inside, giving easy access to every part. In a word, Mr. Strutt’s hot-house is the most perfect in this country, and for mechanical perfection, perhaps, without equal in any country. I never before saw so many clever and original contrivances, mostly his own, as I beheld in these hothouses, as well as in other domestic machinery on his premise; while the modesty, with which he admitted the originality of his inventions, was at once affecting and delightful.

In short, a full history of Mr. Strutt’s house and grounds would be a synopsis of mechanics, domestic economy, and horticulture, and would fill a volume, instead of a page or two.”

It would be interesting to know what the domestic staff and Mrs Strutt thought! [née Barbara Evans]

Upbeat

We are now several weeks into Operation Derbyshire – an initiative to share with our communities the excellent work that is going on to tackle certain crime types in the county and support victims.

At the end of last year, Derbyshire welcomed a new Chief Constable, Rachel Swann, and she and Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa have worked together to set these crime types as their priorities.

We recognise that many crimes have a devastating effect on the victim and those close to them. There are so many crimes that have an impact, but that may not always be in the spotlight – these will be the focus for this operation.

The operation will highlight what we are doing to reduce speeding, tackle wildlife, heritage and rural crime and target community crimes like anti-social behaviour.

Operation Derbyshire will also highlight the work that we and our partners do to support victims and bring offenders to justice. Chief Constable Swann said: “Focusing on delivering a high-quality service to the public is at the core of everything we do at Derbyshire Constabulary.

“We do this by fighting crime, proactively bringing offenders to justice and protecting the most vulnerable from harm.”

Mr Dhindsa said: “We really want our communities to know that we focus on long-term problem solving, engaging, listening and responding. We then need to ensure that we let the public know what we’ve done – this is a really important part.”

You can find out more about the operation and what is happening in your area by signing up to our messaging service, Derbyshire Alert. The system allows us to send you local information about crimes and initiatives in your community. You can also use the system to contact us, feeding back on any concerns you have or telling us what you think our priorities should be. You can sign up for alerts by visiting www.derbyshirealert.co.uk.

You can also follow your local policing team on social media. Visit www.derbyshire.police.uk/FollowYourSNT to find out more.

PC Tips from your ‘Local’ Computer Tutor Creating Space on your iPhone

Trying to back up to the cloud and it’s grumbling that there’s not enough space! Here’s an idea.

When you receive a photo in WhatsApp it’s stored in three places; WhatsApp, WhatsApp Album and Recents Album. These take up space. Depending on how much space you need to gain, choose one of the options below. 1. Delete a photo in WhatsApp message & it remains in the Recents & WhatsApp Albums 2. Delete a photo in Recents Album it will delete from the WhatsApp Album but remains in the WhatsApp Message 3. Delete a photo in the WhatsApp Album it will offer Remove from Album or Delete? If you choose Delete it will remove from both Recents and WhatsApp Albums & remains in the Message

For Help, Advice or Training call 07810562532 email computertutor4you@icloud.com

Animal Tales

The dogs that sniff out sickness

We are all accustomed to the idea of police tracker dogs searching for hidden drugs or explosives, sniffing out evidence at a murder scene or following the trail of a missing person. But what if a dog could use its remarkable sense of smell for another purpose, such as detecting disease within the human body? The idea sounds like something out of a science-fiction novel, but for some time dogs have been used to detect and warn against all kinds of medical conditions.

So finely tuned are these dogs’ ultra-sensitive noses that they are capable of picking up trace odours that are the equivalent of dropping a teaspoon of sugar into two Olympic-sized swimming pools. The charity Medical Detection Dogs (MDD), based in Milton Keynes, is at the forefront of research into medical sniffer dogs, and MDD’s researchers already have animals capable of spotting the scent of malaria, cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, however, attention has turned to whether the dogs would be able to detect traces of coronavirus on skin and clothing.

Covid detectives

“When we have a particular disease or condition our odour changes, and a dog is able to detect this odour and, when trained, to tell us about it,” explained the charity’s Chief Executive Dr Claire Guest, speaking recently to ITV News.

It turns out that the coronavirus that caused the Covid-19 pandemic has its own distinctive chemical signature that can be detected by carefully trained sniffer dogs.

MDD currently has several dogs in Covid training and Dr Guest comments that “The study is moving forwards very well and the signs are all really positive.” One dog in particular has shown a remarkable ability to detect the coronavirus odour, unfailingly pointing it out on each test. After eight weeks in the laboratory during the first phase of training, the dogs will move on to use their newly learned skill in real-life situations.

The charity, which has been working with the London School of Tropical Medicine and Durham University, ultimately hopes that the scheme can be expanded. The plan is to station dogs in places such as testing centres and airports, where they will be able to screen up to 250 people per hour.

The secrets of the canine nose

Dogs owe their extraordinary sense of smell to the complex structure inside their noses. Whereas a human has around five million scent receptors, dogs have over 300 million. Specialised bones in the dog’s nasal cavity create more space for these scent receptor cells, and the part of the brain that processes scents is particularly large in a dog. This gives them an incredible ability not just to pick out single odours, but to detect subtle differences within a complex group of scents.

This ability, when combined with dogs’ intelligence and willingness to learn, makes them the best biosensors known to man. Clearly there is huge potential to develop this area of medicine and the results speak for themselves: dogs are able to pick out blood samples from people with cancer with almost 97 percent accuracy. Let’s hope that this fascinating field of research continues to receive the funding and support it so richly deserves.

By Kate McLelland

29 Gregorys Way, Belper DE56 0HS (Near Tesco Express) Tel: 01773 825153

Beautiful flowers for Valentine’s Day & Mother's Day (14th March) Order by telephone 01773 825153 or online at www.floraline.co.uk

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Useful Numbers

Doctors & Hospitals, Emergencies

Appletree Medical Practice Arthur Medical Centre Amber Pharmacy Crimestoppers Drug Helpline (24 hour) London Road Community Hospital NHS 111 Out of Hours (24 hour helpline) Police (non emergency) Ripley Hospital Ripley Medical Centre Riversdale Surgery Royal Derby Hospital RSPCA Emergency Samaritans (24 hour) Severn Trent Water Social Care Services - Call Derbyshire Water Floodline Whitemoor Medical Centre 01332 842288 01332 880249 01332 985950 0800 555111 0800 776600 01332 265500 111 101 01773 743456 01773 303591 01773 822386 01332 340131 0300 1234999 116123 0800 7834444 01629 533190 08459 881188 01773 880099

Post Offices

Belper (Strutt Street) Duffield Holbrook Kilburn Little Eaton Sawmills Smalley Stanley Stanley Common

Travel

Birmingham Airport East Midlands Airport East Midlands Trains Manchester Airport Flight Info National Rail Enquiries Roads - to report a fault Traveline – public transport info * Premium rate 01773 820108 01332 840105 01332 882537 01332 880444 01332 832780 01773 852060 01332 882222 0345 7223344 0345 6112970

0871 222 0072 0800 083 8759 03457 125678 090 10 10 1000* 08457 484950 01629 580000 0871 2002233