Rural Voice - Darley Dale & Villages Edition - August 2022

AUGUST ‘22

DARLEY BRIDGE • DARLEY DALE • DARLEY HILLSIDE • ELTON FARLEY • HACKNEY • NORTHWOOD • ROWSLEY • STANTON IN PEAK TWO DALES • UPPER HACKNEY • YOULGRAVE.

World Elephant Da y 12th August

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From the Editor Dear Readers, As I type, whilst sat on what feels like the face of the Sun (42 degrees), we’re going through a bit of a heatwave apparently. I’m all for a bit of warmth and sun on my face but usually, I like to be near water to cool down and/or aircon and a nice cocktail or fruity cider in hand – I currently have none of the above – very sad times! I genuinely thought about sleeping in the car last night but reconsidered when I realised how irritating it would be to the neighbours to hear my car ticking away and then keep kicking in to keep the aircon cool! Maybe I should start having a nice spot of gin in my bottom drawer for such occasions, it’d go down a treat with the warm cordial I am enduring to ‘stay hydrated’! pffft, ‘stay hydrated’ Fat chance of that!

I’d need to down 6 gallons every 20mins to get close!

Anyway, thunderstorms are due so every cloud and all that, I guess!

So, have you seen our front covers this month in homage to World Elephant Day. Laura has written about them in her article and personally speaking, I adore elephants.

A few years back, we were lucky enough to have a close encounter with an elephant whilst travelling and whilst I was fortunate enough to wash her feet & feed her a ball of hay a few of the other tourists got up on her back and were sprayed from her trunk. For me it was such an amazing experience, getting to be so close to such a beautiful animal but I still struggle with it.

Even though it was in a nature reserve and they were fed and well looked after, I can’t help but feel that the allure of western money to make them perform for the tourists is just too much. Why can’t we just leave them be

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(protect and preserve where necessary) and not poach them, so that they can just be peaceful in their natural habitat? I appreciate that this is controversial for many and has many perspectives attached to it and I know people who have straddled an Elephants back and been sprayed or enjoyed other parlour tricks at the hands of their handler, so it is only my opinion but I often think about that beautiful elephant, laying on her side in the river whilst I scratched her feet – she may have enjoyed it, but personally speaking it has given me a different perspective when a holiday involves animals, but then again, isn’t that what travel is all about – broadening horizons & challenging opinions?!

In other news, it appears that I had jumped the gun a bit last month – the YNot outing won’t be reported upon until next month but we are starting to prep – we’ve got fancy dress to plan apparently!! We’ve drawn our winners, so big congratulations to those and we’ll see you there. I mean, we haven’t decided for definite yet but there is a fair chance that we’ll be closed on Friday 29th July and Monday 1st August as the team are planning for a big weekend!!!

Wish me luck and send help!!!

Happy Reading,

x Emily

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Upcoming Submission Deadline for Advertisers & Contributors: September ‘22 Edition - 12th August • October ‘22 Edition - 9th September

To advertise email: info@voicemagazines.co.uk or call us on 01773 549 035 Printed by Phase Print Ltd and distributed to 5,000 homes in North Derbyshire. 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

ELEPHANT FACTS In honour of World Elephant Day on August 12th, here are some facts you may find interesting.

The elephants we see today (and there are THREE species, not just two – more on this in a mo) share a common ancestor with the Woolly Mammoths who roamed the Ice Age World between 300,000 years ago to around 10,000 years ago.

This common ancestor was part of a group of herbivores named Proboscidea, whose origins date back sixty million years.

Most proboscideans were relatively small compared to modern elephants and would have borne little resemblance to the animals we know today.

Some six million years ago, proboscideans began to separate into different species. DNA research shows that the African elephants were the first to diverge, whilst Woolly Mammoths and Asian Elephants followed suit around 440,000 years later.

Now back to the fact that there are THREE distinct species of elephant around today, and these are: •

The African savanna elephant

•

The African forest elephant

•

The Asian elephant

DNA shows the two African species diverged about 2.6 million years ago.

The African savanna elephant is the largest living land animal; an adult can tip the scales at 16,500 lbs (7,500 kg) and stand 10–13 ft (3–4 m) tall at the shoulder.

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Forest elephants are smaller than the savannadwelling species and have thinner, straighter tusks.

The remaining 150,000 or so forest elephants are found mainly in the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Cameroon An Asian elephant weighs about 12,000 lbs (5,500 kg) and stands about 10 ft (3 m) tall.

Apart from the differences in sizes, there are several other ways to distinguish the three species visually: Ears African elephants have much larger ears than their Asian counterparts, and it’s possible to tell the difference between the savanna-dwelling species, whose ears closely resemble the outline of the continent of Africa, and the forest livers with more oval-shaped ears.

Head shape Both species of African elephants have a rounded, dome-like skull (the forest elephants being smaller), whilst the Indian elephant has a very distinct twin domed head with a clearly defined indent running down the middle.

Toenails!

African forest elephants have five toenails on the front feet and four on the back, while African savanna elephants have four on the front and three on the back. Asian elephants have five toenails on the front and four on the back.

Trunks African elephants have a kind of two-finger arrangement at the end of their trunks, giving them tremendous dexterity; Indian elephants, however, have only one “finger”.

One final note, all three species of elephants are considered to be at risk. Some African populations are increasing, mainly in Southern Africa, whilst in other areas, they are being poached to near extinction level, and Asian elephant numbers have declined by 50% in the last three generations!

Could you imagine a world without elephants?

I know I couldn’t.

These articles are researched and written by Laura Billingham, a local content writer and author.

Laura moved to the Peak District several years ago to pursue her passion for writing.

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ARE YOU HAVING SLEEPLESS NIGHTS? A friend of mine was having sleepless nights but after following these steps she sleeps well.

This is what she did: Before laying down to sleep she thanked God for a good night’s sleep. Speak normally to God - and say ‘I thank you Father for your loving kindness and tender mercies and for restful sleep’

Welcome to YOUR community noticeboard. A dedicated space for you to post notices, events and for not-for-profit community groups advertise in.

To place a notice, from a super-low rate of 6+VAT per square Contact Danielle on 01773 549035 or community@voicemagazines.co.uk

Then make a decision that you will have a good night’s sleep.

I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy mountain.

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me.

Psalm 3:4-5 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 3:24 The Lord is so good - He wants only good for you.

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All Around the Shire One of our smallest yet most recognised items in our collection of artefacts is a tiny blue cylinder with a sprout of muslin at its top. I take it round to show each person in turn and open my hand to reveal the treasure. “It’s a dolly blue!”

“Reckitt’s blue bag!” and stories of washing day come alive.

It was a real chore to maintain white linens and cotton fabrics.

As time went on, they became aged and yellowed. Putting a blue pigment into the final rinse of the wash, gave the appearance of a blue-white fabric and the illusion of cleaner whites.

Whiter than white

From the 1950s, twin-tub washing machines began to replace the copper, washboard, mangle, dolly, poncher, and other Monday laundry paraphernalia.

Advertisements proclaimed their detergent produced the whitest, cleanest, softest wash above their competitors. Nowadays, laundry detergent contains many chemicals and fragrances, and whiteners are incorporated into the powder or liquid.

There was clean laundry before washing machines and twin-tubs, but the physical The dolly blue was created by a firm called Reckitt. In the work was hard. However, even something 1850s, Isaac Reckitt’s company had started to manufacture as small as a blue bag can unlock a blueing agents for laundry using aquamarine which is a deep washing line of memories that remind blue pigment made from grinding lapis lazuli into a powder. us of the people and places who were Artificial pigment was created in 1882 and the firm began to important to us when we were young. make serious money. The contents of the bag were baking soda and synthetic aquamarine and cost one penny. In the Janet and Paul Barrass are middle of the 20th century, the All Around the Shire. bags were replaced by a cube of Find us on or email: blue whitener.

Janet

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FOOD & RETAIL

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Ridgeway Nursing Home is situated in a beautiful rural location, just outside Belper, on a private road overlooking the surrounding countryside.

We provide Nursing, Dementia, and Palliative Care, as well as respite and short stay accommodation.

Our team of experienced staff include nurses, care staff and ancillary staff all providing good quality care to our residents.

We have a fantastic chef who provides tasty, nutritious food to all. Each resident is individually catered for, with nothing being too much trouble.

Our rooms are furnished with welcoming touches, and residents can add their own familiar items to make it even more homely.

We have a “quiet” space for residents and families with calming lighting and soothing music, this works well for residents who require some tranquillity.

Ridgeway has its own activity coordinator who is committed to supporting our residents with a range of activities, outside entertainment, one to one time and days out.

We have a lovely outside space for residents to sit and visit with family, weather permitting.

If you would like further information please call the number shown or email

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Come and see a range of products including: • Mobility Scooters • Rise and Recline Chairs • Profiling Beds • Manual Wheelchairs • Powered Wheelchairs • Stairlifts

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Scarsdale Opens for Alfreton’s Awesome Pets Scarsdale Vets opened its doors for Alfreton’s awesome pets and their amazing owners across the community with their official open day on 25th June.

The lovely new staff who are raring to go and welcome new clients with open arms as well as senior members of Scarsdale, set up a day jam packed with entertainment, goodies, and prizes, which was ultimately topped off with the official ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Amber Valley.

As locals and pet lovers popped their head into the waiting room to have a look around, they were greeted by the eager team of nurses and vets, who offered to provide tours of the facilities, handed over goody bags full to the brim with toys and treats, showcased raffle prizes and giveaways as well as having a host of snacks for the cute dogs that came along too!

Not only did Scarsdale Vets open their doors to the local community, they also partnered with local businesses and charities too, such as Project

10

D, Brinsley Animal Rescue and Grow Outside who offered an array of refreshments, workshops and giveaways.

Site Practice Manager, Tom Hallam has this to say about the opening: “We’re delighted to welcome Alfreton with open arms into our new Scarsdale Vets site, and we look forward to providing the best possible care to its owners and their pets. The day has been a roaring success and we’re glad so many people have taken time out of their day to visit us.

Please don’t forget we also have our Vets At Night service at Pride Veterinary Centre in Derby too, so we are here for the communities animal lovers whenever they need us”

If you’d like to find out more about Scarsdale Vets Alfreton site, check out their website at www.scarsdalevets.com

Tel: 01773 304914

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on each side (if using medallions, cook for 2 minutes on each side), or until cooked through. Slice into strips.

2. Put the remaining tomatoes, vinaigrette, 4. Divide the lettuce between 4 plates. Toss the bacon vinegar, mustard powder strips through the bean and garlic into a food mixture, then spoon over processor and whizz until the lettuce and serve. almost smooth. Pour over the bean mixture and toss everything together.

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For more information visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk

Serves: 4 Ready in: 20 mins

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KIDS & FAMILIES

THE PRINCESS MARY GIFT

These unassuming brass boxes were produced in 1914 as a means of cheering up the front-line military in, what was initially expressed as, being a short war. Little did they know! It was Princess Mary’s express wish that ‘every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front’ should have the present. The gifts were devised in October 1914 and intended for distribution to all who were serving overseas or at sea, in time for Christmas 1914; afterwards, with the fund in surplus and many feeling they had been ‘left out’, distribution was extended more widely – to all who were serving, whether at home or abroad, and to prisoners of war and the next of kin of 1914 casualties. This widened eligibility to an estimated figure of 2,620,019.Today these tins are very collectable and, even more so, should any of the original content be still inside. They can be sourced separately, so building up a picture of what was received. Even empty packets are hugely collectable if you find them.

Contents varied according to the country or continent a soldier may have originated from. For example, it was decided that The Gurkhas were to receive the same gift as the British troops; Sikhs the box filled with sugar candy, a tin box of spices and the Christmas card; all other Indian troops, the box with a packet of cigarettes and sugar candy, a tin box of spices and the card.

Some recipients had a considerable wait to receive their boxes, with difficulties distributing them, and with sourcing both the brass and the contents during the ongoing war. Supplies of 45 tons of brass strip, destined to make more boxes, was lost in May 1915 when RMS Lusitania was sunk off Ireland on passage from the USA. Suppliers of the content items came across troubles, and it was realised that there were still not enough to go round. The Committee resolved the problem by hurriedly buying in an assortment of substitute gifts: bullet pencil cases, tobacco pouches, shaving brushes, combs, pencil cases with packets of postcards, knives, scissors, cigarette cases and purses. Those sailors who should also have received the lighter as part of their gift, were given instead, a handsome bullet pencil in a silver cartridge case which bore Princess Mary’s monogram.

The ‘pencil bullet’ was not fashioned out of real bullet parts – it was simply a pencil with a rounded white metal end that looked like an unfired round when stored inside a brass tube resembling a cartridge case.

Distribution dragged on even beyond the Armistice in 1918 Credit: the Imperial War Museum and my personal collection

Please get in touch if you have anything you would like to share about these fascinating gifts.

Contact Richard Godley on T: 07854 646 742 18

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KIDS & FAMILIES

Meteoric Rise of a Top Menswear Shop on the outskirts of Mansfield.

One of Nottinghamshire’s favourite menswear stores has recently moved to larger premises a few miles away from its former home of Blidworth.

On offer at their new prestige store will be an extended range of top menswear brands. Ranging from Cavani, Brook Tavener, Scott by the Label, Skopes and now boosting one of the largest shops in the East Midlands stocking rails of the award-winning range of Marc D’Arcy suits, with customers flocking from across the region.

It is fair to say that this business emerged from its chrysalis to become a successful One Stop Shop it is so well known for today.

Today, Blidworth Menswear continues to grow from strength to strength thanks to its owner Glynis Staddon and her experienced team. They pride themselves on product knowledge, great customer service with a relaxed atmosphere, quite different to other retail shops.

Their new store can be found at suite 6 Oakham Business Park, Hamilton Way, Mansfield, NG18 5BU. Open 7 days a week and with two late evenings Mon and Wed until 7pm weekends till 4pm, appointments are needed please call 01623 793073

A key area of business is the full male wedding attire from suit, shirt, tie sets, shoes even pocket watches. Their superb wedding packages gets you a FREE suit if 8 suits are bought, or for smaller parties, buy 4 suits get the 5th suit 50% off.

Since moving in January 2022, with the business expanding so fast, they are now on the lookout for an extra full or part time experienced machinist for their Steam Force in-house tailoring and alterations business.

So, if you need a suit for weddings, cruise wear, business, or the races, etc you will be delighted at the selection this store can offer...

Tel: 01623 793 073 • 07807 889 795 • www.blidworthmenswear.co.uk

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Book Review

Luckenbooth, it has to be said, is a very strange book, not your normal summer holiday read, but if you’re looking for something more than a bit dark and decidedly different, this could be worth a punt.

10 Luckenbooth Close Edinburgh has descended from its heyday as a fine residence to a series of seedy squats. But its walls reveal many histories, starting with the arrival of the devil’s daughter, a curse on the building and the impact it has on the lives of the people on its nine floors over the same number of decades.

It’s a genuinely original bit of writing from Jenni Fagan, definitely gothic and very punchily written.

Don’t say you haven’t been warned At the other end of the summer reading spectrum is Still Life from Sarah Winman, a warm and light story set in Florence and London full of well-drawn attractive characters, sunshine and light and art and history and the Italian countryside.

It’s a generous tale of how lives can be changed and poetic and it’s thoughtful and funny at the same time.

As they say, different strokes for different folks

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HOME IMPROVEMENTS Expert domestic plumbing and heating services: • Boiler installation specialists • Gas, LPG and oil • Boiler servicing and repair • Radiators and underfloor heating • General plumbing works

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Joke Time!

I like a joke as much as the next person but I have real difficulty telling them! Either I forget the punchline, miss a vital something, or…as my other half repeatedly says, I meander all over the place and end up telling a “mini-story” instead of a quick joke!

But where do jokes come from?

I thought I’d do some digging to see if I could find a plausible origin story.

Turns out there isn’t one – what a surprise.

If you think about it though, jokes must have always been around in both a physical, slapstick, falling over AND in the verbal, play on words sense. I say this because I bet humans have always needed to laugh at each other – it seems to be a default, we laugh at ourselves, and we laugh at others, don’t we?

When it comes to looking at recorded jokes, Wikipedia shares the following with us: The oldest identified joke is an ancient Sumerian proverb from 1900 BC containing toilet humour: “Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.” Its records were dated to the Old Babylonian period, and the joke may go as far back as 2300 BC. The second oldest joke found on the Westcar Papyrus and believed to be about Sneferu was from Ancient Egypt circa 1600 BC: “How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish.”

Isn’t it nice to know that toilet humour and sex were the subjects of “jokes” dating back thousands of years? Some things never change.

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My “research” then moved to look for the world’s funniest joke, and I discovered that good old Reader’s Digest has an article called… The 100 Funniest Jokes from the Last 100 Years.

Here are a few I picked out.

Why don’t pirates take a shower before they walk the plank?

They just wash up on shore.

Two Hollywood stars ran into each other at the door of their psychiatrist’s office.

“Hello, there,” said one. “Are you coming or going?”

“If I knew that,” said the other, “I wouldn’t be here.”

“My son had to give up his career because of fallen arches.”

“He’s an athlete?”

“No—an architect.”

These give you an indication of the quality (or not) of the remaining 97 puns. Personally, I think the Ancient Egyptian one is funnier, but then again, I’m not a joke connoisseur! Perhaps Reader’s Digest should be advised to steer clear of the humour business.

I’ll finish by asking you, the readers if you have a favourite joke? I’m not sure I do, and yet I came across this one whilst writing this article, and it did make me laugh… simplicity and a play on words. “ I went to the zoo the other day, there was only one dog in it, it was a shitzu.”

These articles are researched and written by Laura Billingham, a local content writer and author.

Laura moved to the Peak District several years ago to pursue her passion for writing.

Don’t forget mention Voice Magazines responding to the To find out more visit to www.landgassociates.co.uk or contactwhen Laura on 07736 351 341

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Gelatine (not laced with gin) to fill with joy (5)

10 Understood to be wrapped up in the attic (5) 12 ‘A port in a storm’ painting style (2,3) Down 2

Plant to beat about the bush, right?

(5)

3

Go off analogy that could suggest an antelope (5)

11 Unshackled, so leads off jerkily with a large amount (5) 13 Sets a kind of item of worth (5)

Across

Down

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Attempt to cap column with fruit tree (7,4)

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Add horn to the mix in S Wales (7)

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Gardener’s Calendar

It’s probably been a decent year for strawberries, lots of warmth and sunshine but

by August you can think about propagating for next year

Strawberry runners are offshoots which obviously grow from the main plant. Fill smallish, (about 3 inch) pots with compost and push the runners into the mix, pegging them down so they don’t pop out – a bit of wire will do. Keep well-watered and cut from the parent plant when they have developed roots. Hey presto. A new strawberry plant.

Lavenders should be pruned once they’ve flowered and gone over and before they go to seed. You’ll want to keep a nice overall shape but don’t cut into old wood as that will probably kill the plant off and also don’t cut off any new young shoots as they’ll have a couple of inches growth in them before winter and will give a good start for next year.

Top Tip:

Camellias need to be well watered now as do rhododendrons as this is when they are starting to form next year’s buds.

If you pinch out the growing tips in your chrysanths you’ll get more flowers later. And stake your dahlias to stop them being damaged in early autumn winds.

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GARDENS

In Praise of the Peak’s Starlings It is always a worry when a one-time commonplace bird suddenly drops in numbers and appears to be on a long-term downward slide.

This was indeed how things seemed for the starling which was once one of our most familiar birds but for some time appeared to be joining a long list of formerly ‘common or garden’ birds but which was becoming fewer and fewer in number each year. Various theories were put forwards as to the cause of the decline, but it seemed that factors like, the drying up of wetland habitats in upland moors and bogs for example, were a problem. In summer, in places like the Peak District, post-breeding flocks of starlings gather with local birds boosted by immigrants from the continent until, by the autumn into mid-winter, they grow into the now famous ‘murmurations’. These are such as at Stony Middleton where over a million birds may flock together in the late afternoon to roost overnight. However, in the mid to late summer they will have moved onto upland pastures, moors, and bogs where they habitually gorge on the vast numbers of emerging craneflies (daddy-long-legs) whose leather-jacket larvae thrive in damp turf. Longterm drying of the moors has meant fewer craneflies and hence it seemed, less starlings. I wonder if rewetting the great peat-bogs is now helping the starling to recover.

a simple pale buff. These are highly gregarious birds with a good level of intelligence and complex behaviours. They are excellent mimics and often make calls and snippets of songs pinched from other species that they have been mixing with. Indeed, you can tell where your birds have come from by their calls. I have heard very passable renditions of for instance green woodpecker, curlew, golden plover, redshank, and lapwing. For the latter species, I assume the starlings had been feeding on a wetland or coastal area.

These beautiful birds are deeply embedded in our culture. In Russia for example, the return of the starlings in spring is awaited much as we anticipate the swallow, swift, and house martin. As often the case with such distinct and interesting birds, local people have developed numerous common ‘folk’ names for the starling over the centuries. As documented by Mark Cocker and Richard Mabey in their seminal ‘Birds Britannica’, these names vary from Starnel in the English Midlands, to Shepster, Sheppy, Shebster, Shep, Stinker, Shitlegs (Northern England of course), Scootie, Stirling, Stirlin, and Stirleen. Anyway, whatever we choose to call them it is wonderful to have them back again.

Now, whatever the reason, it does seem that there is a recovery happening. Where I live for instance, the starlings are nesting in my neighbour’s roof where a ridge-tile has slipped. The numbers visiting my bird feeders have risen dramatically, and the starlings also love to bathe in the pond or the birdbath. They really cannot resist an offering of dried mealworms, and at times, I have up to twenty or so birds now mixing adults, with their typically splendid plumage of myriad colours, and the youngsters which are

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer, broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues in the Peak District and elsewhere, is contactable on info@hallamec.plus.com. Follow his website www.ukeconet.org, blog ianswalkonthewildside, Twitter @IanThewildside 38 Don’t forget to mention Voice& Magazines when responding to the Ads

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