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From the Editor

UPCOMING SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISERS & CONTRIBUTORS: FEB ‘26 EDITION - 9TH JAN ‘26 • MAR ‘26 EDITION - 6TH FEB ‘26

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COMMUNITY

Save the Date: Big Garden Birdwatch 23-25 January 2026

Every January, something rather magical happens across the UK. Hundreds of thousands of people step outside, settle in by a window, or take a quiet stroll through their local park… all to take part in the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. And now it’s almost time to do it all again. The Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 is taking place from 23–25 January, and you’re invited to join in. Registration opens in mid-December, and once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive handy updates and top tips to help you get the most out of your birdwatching hour. Whether you’re a seasoned spotter or someone who can just about tell a pigeon from a parrot, everyone is welcome.

patient peering into hedges. But while much has changed since the 1970s, the question remains: how are our birds doing today?

Big Garden Birdwatch 2025: The Top Five

Taking part couldn’t be simpler. Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to spend one hour during the Birdwatch weekend watching the birds in your garden, on your balcony, or in your nearest green space. Then, just send in what you’ve seen. You don’t need expensive binoculars or encyclopaedic knowledge; even seeing no birds at all is valuable information. The survey helps build a detailed picture of the health of the nation’s birds, showing us, which species are thriving, and which may need a bit more help.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the reign of the House Sparrow. For the 22nd year running, this cheerful little bird topped the charts, with a remarkable 1,211,260 sightings recorded. Joining it in the nation’s top five were:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

House Sparrow – 1,211,260 Blue Tit – 946,698 Woodpigeon – 859,780 Starling – 784,741 Blackbird – 732,472

These results tell a fascinating story about the birds that share our green spaces, from the ever-energetic Blue Tit to the unmistakable Woodpigeon, who always seems to be in the middle of something important.

To appreciate why your hour matters, take a look at the scale of last year’s event. In 2025, more than 590,000 people took part, counting an incredible 9.1 million birds between them. Since the Birdwatch first began in 1979 - when children’s TV show Blue Peter encouraged viewers to post in their sightings—participants have together clocked up an astonishing 12.6 million hours observing UK birdlife. That’s a lot of tea, biscuits, and

H ATC

RDW N BI

6 2 20 E

D GAR BIG

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Feeding the birds is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to give our feathered friends a hand, especially in winter when food is harder to find.

HOW TO MAKE A BIRD FOOD CAKE Making cakes for the birds is great, sticky fun and the mix of fat, seeds and mealworms is irresistible for many garden birds.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: String, Scissors, Mixing bowl, Moulds eg empty yoghurt pots, Lard to bind the other ingredients together, Mealworms, Mixed seed, Nuts (unsalted), Raisins, Hard cheese, Camera or smart phone. 1. Carefully make a small hole in the bottom of your mould or yoghurt pot. Thread string through the hole and tie a knot on the inside. Leave enough string so that you can tie the pot to a tree. 2. If you’re using lard, allow the fat to warm up to room temperature, but don’t melt it. Then cut it up into

small pieces and put it in the mixing bowl. 3. Add the other ingredients to the bowl and mix them together with your fingertips. Keep adding the seed/raisin/cheese mixture and squidging it until the fat holds it all together. This bit can get quite sticky.

4. Fill your yoghurt pots with bird cake mixture and put them in the fridge to set for an hour or so. 5. Hang your speedy bird cakes from trees. Watch for Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Blackbirds and Sparrows.

RECIPE FROM: www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-you-can-do/activities/feed-the-birds

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Slimming World Recipe Homity Pie

January is a month that demands comfort food and this recipe is a perfect slice of comfort… enjoy!

Method: heat for 6-8 minutes, or 1. Preheat your oven to until the vegetables have 220°C/200°F/Gas 7. softened. Spray a medium-size, ovenproof non-stick dish 4. Add the mashed with low-calorie cooking potatoes, garlic, parsley, spray. thyme eggs, stock and half the cheese, 2. Boil the potatoes for season lightly and stir 15-20 minutes, or until to combine. Spoon tender. Drain, return to the mixture into the the pan and mash. Set prepared ovenproof dish aside until needed. and scatter over the 3. Spray a large non-stick remaining cheese. Bake frying pan with lowfor 20 minutes or until calorie cooking spray and golden. stir-fry the onions, leeks and peas over a medium For more information visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk

Serves: 4 Syns per serving: 6

Ingredients: • • Low-calorie cooking spray • • 340g potatoes, cubed • • 225g onions, chopped • 225g leeks, thinly • sliced • 200g frozen peas • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • Handful fresh parsley, chopped

Handful fresh thyme, chopped 2 eggs, lightly beaten 85ml hot vegetable stock 160g reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, grated

Ready in: 1hr 5mins

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COACH TOUR HOLIDA CLAIR’S NEW BOOKING OFFICE

ALL HALF BOARD INCLUDING EXCURSIONS & ENT

SNOW DROPS On Monday the 5th of January, we are going to openLLANDUDNO our new Landlubbers Cruise - Tynedale Hotel Mercure Hotel, Hull booking office, which will be at the same address, but will be Sat 14th - Wed 18th Mar Thu 12th - Fri 13th Feb accessed through the arch on the side of the building. Local Pick Local Pick 2 Days - £145

5 Days - £599

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H Sun 2 7

it’s Sutton or Local Pick M Up Points DURHAM Alfreton, Ripley or A Radisson Blu Hotel Bolsover there will Mon 2 15th chance - Mon 16th Mar beSun a better 5 2 Days £145 of getting in out-of theTreat rain.the one you love to a LYTHAM ST ANNES - SINGLES BREAK Special Mother’s Dayand Break Charlene Gill in will be at the Fast forward a few more years and this office Clair, Pam,

We started off 10 years ago with our small ISLE OF WIGHT mobile booking office, which is still going Burlington Hotel, Sandown strong,Mon but after first fewFeb years it became 16ththe - Fri 20th clear that we needed to have Mon 23rd - Fri 27th Feb something a Local Pick Up Pointsmore little and so we opened the 5 permanent Days - From £240 office in Clay Cross.

Clar

Inn on the Prom

LYTHAM ST ANNES Pick offering teas and coffees, maybeMon 30 just isn’t big23rd enough and so we areLocal opening, Mon - Frianymore 27th Feb Up Points Inn On The Prom even a biscuit or two, you’re lucky, Graham having a larger office at the rear of the house. 5 5 Days - £395 Sun 15th – Mon 16th Mar • 2if Days - £145 and some of the drivers may pop in through January will also be when the new larger MOBILE BOOKING OFFIC 2026 ARE NOWwhether OUT the day too. mobileBROCHURES office hits the marketplaces, 2nd Tuesday of each month 3rd TO BOOK A HOLIDAY PHONE DO 9am – 1pm | South Normanton 9am OR PIC TO D 01773 590 808, 01246 604 764 Market Place Squ K U OO Poun R P 2nd Friday of each month or 07483 357 958 ! 9am – 1pm | Ripley Market Place 3rd Go online WWW.CLAIRSCOACHES.CO.UK ALL HALF BOARD INCLUDING EXCURSIONS & ENTERTAINMENT! 9am 3rd Tuesday of each month Port LLANDUDNO SNOW DROPS 9am 12noon | Blackwell CROMER BOOKING OFFICE: Parkvilla, Landlubbers Cruise - Tynedale Hotel Community Hotel De Paris Centre Mercure Hotel, Hull

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Burlington Hotel, Sandown Mon 16th - Fri 20th Feb Mon 23rd - Fri 27th Feb Local Pick Up Points 5 Days - From £240 LYTHAM ST ANNES - SINGLES BREAK Inn on the Prom Mon 23rd - Fri 27th Feb 5 Days - £395

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DURHAM

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Radisson Blu Hotel Sun 15th - Mon 16th Mar 2 Days - £145 Treat the one you love to a

Special Mother’s Day Break in Local Pick Up Points

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Inn On The Prom Sun 15th – Mon 16th Mar • 2 Days - £145

2026 BROCHURES ARE NOW OUT

TO BOOK A HOLIDAY PHONE 01773 590 808, 01246 604 764 or 07483 357 958 Go online WWW.CLAIRSCOACHES.CO.UK BOOKING OFFICE: Parkvilla, 124 Market Street, Clay Cross, Derbyshire S45 9LY

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Sun 22nd - Sat 28th Mar 7 Days - £550

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MOBILE BOOKING OFFICE LOCATIONS

1st Friday of each month 3rd Thursday of each month 9.30am - 1pm | Shirebrook market 9am - 1pm | Alfreton Severn Square Car Park (Outside 2nd Tuesday of each month Poundstretcher) 9am - 1pm | South Normanton Market Place 3rd Friday of each month 9am - 1pm | Sutton-in-Ashfield, 2nd Friday of each month Portland Square 9am - 1pm | Ripley Market Place

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HOME IMPROVEMENTS

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A dogs Day out This walk last featured in the magazines nearly 8 years ago. There have been a few small changes to the route, so we are very grateful to Michelle and Dean for re-walking the route and updating the instructions. This is a lovely walk, which passes through a pretty area around Blidworth and near to Jerry Green Dog Rescue, who do great things to help re-home our furry friends. 7 1/2-MILE CIRCULAR WALK NEAR BLIDWORTH

BENCH

TA R

CAR PARK

OA D

A decent hike for you and your dog, which should take around 3 to 4 hours to complete. There is the usual mix of terrains and if it’s wet (as it was for us!), mud and puddles, so make sure you wear appropriate footwear. There are also a couple of sections of road, so please take plenty of care and as always follow the countryside code. GO

BURMA ROAD

WIDTH RESTRICTOR

FIRE STATION

ROAD

LOCAL

POST OFFICE OW AD ME RD

ROAD WOODEN GATE

STILE

CAR PARK

TELEGRAPH POLE

END

START

ROA

IN MA

E LAN CK BE

WAR MEMORIAL

START: Forestry Commission, Haywood Oaks Car Park, Haywood Oaks Lane. Blidworth. NG21 0PE

Standing in the car park with your back to the large information signboard, walk straight ahead to cross the car park to take a path towards the edge of the woodland. Once reaching the edge of the woodland turn right onto a well laid path and continue to walk with a hedge and open views to your left and woodland on your right.

After a short distance you will begin to descend gently and then after a short distance you will reach a T junction of paths. Turn left and continue along a well laid path for a long distance. Eventually pass by a metal gate, through a small car park and to a road.

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Cross straight over the road and continue along a footpath threading through the trees. The path bears to the left and begins to run parallel with the road. After a short distance you will reach a crossroads of paths with a metal gate just prior to the road on your left. At this point turn right along a well laid path heading gently downhill.

13. Continue to pass ‘Burma Road’ and the fire station on your left and then further on the GoLocal food shop on your right. Immediately after the GoLocal and Chip Shop (on the corner), you will reach a road on the right. Cross straight over this road and take a tarmac footpath to the left of the Post Office.

At the bottom of the hill follow the path around to the left, passing a marker post and a footpath on your right. A little further on follow the path around to the right passing over a crossroads of footpaths and then gently climbing uphill.

After a short distance pass by a metal gate and then continue straight ahead. After a short distance you will continue along the path with open views to your right and trees to your left. Continue along this path until reaching a T junction of paths.

14. After a short distance you will reach a road. Continue straight ahead and gently downhill going along ‘Meadow Road’. At the bottom of the hill continue straight ahead onto a signposted footpath. Continue with a hedge on both sides and at the end of the alleyway continue straight along the pavement through the houses until you reach a T junction. Turn left onto ‘Marriott Lane’. Staying left continue for a short distance until reaching ‘Main Road’ at the top of ‘Marriott Lane’.

Turn right at the T junction and continue along this path for some distance until the path splits two ways. Ignore the left-hand split heading uphill. Take the right hand split and follow the path for some distance until reaching a bench seat directly in front of you. At this point turn sharp left and follow a path steep uphill and slightly overgrown through some trees.

At the top of the hill and at a T junction of paths, turn right and follow a well laid path straight ahead. After some distance follow the path around to the left and then continue straight ahead. After some distance the path bends around to the left a second time. Follow the path around to the left and then after a short distance bear right along a path heading gently uphill.

Follow this path heading over the top of the hill and down the other side heading towards some industrial buildings. Before reaching the buildings and at a T junction of paths turn right along a well laid path. Continue straight along this path for some distance, pass by a metal gate and then continue straight ahead along a single-track tarmac road. After some distance cross over a road bridge and then after a short distance turn sharp right to follow a path down to the road.

15. Turn left along the main road and continue for a short distance until reaching a war memorial on your right-hand side. At this point turn right, to pass the war memorial on your left and continue uphill along ‘Beck Lane’. Continue to the top of the hill and as you begin to descend continue straight ahead into a lane and signposted ‘byway’. 16. Continue along the lane for some distance with open views to the left and right. Continue past the beginning of some woodland, a telegraph pole and metal gate on your left. After a short distance turn left onto a footpath passing 4 wooden stumps follow the path keeping the wood to your left and open views to your right. 17. After some distance at the T junction turn right onto the way laid path after some distance the path bends to the left with woodland either side. Continue along the path until you reach the T junction, turn right onto the well laid path. 18. Continue along the path going past a metal gate to the road. Cross straight over the road and through a gap. Turn immediately left and follow a path along the edge of the woodland running parallel with the road. Continue until reaching a T-junction and turn right along the lane heading back to the car park.

10. Turn right along the road and continue for some distance. Continue along the road passing a bus shelter on the lefthand side of the road and a bus stop on the right-hand side of the road. Continue straight ahead and just prior to reaching the next bus stop on the right-hand side of the road, turn left onto a signposted footpath passing to the right of a signboard for ‘Tippings Wood’. 11. After some distance pass through a gap adjacent to a metal gate and then turn right along a footpath keeping a signboard reading ‘Boundary Wood’ on your left. Continue along this well laid path for a long distance and then pass through a gap adjacent to a metal gate into a car park. 12. Continue straight ahead across the car park and then onto a path passing through some trees. After a short distance you will climb some steps to reach a road. Turn left along the road.

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.

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Untitled-1 1

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AFTER

08/06/2022 09:31:35

DARK PLACES BY GILLIAN FLYNN It’s not very often that you are totally gripped by a book when you really don’t like the main characters. Libby Day is not a good person. A lot of bad stuff happened in her childhood – and as they say, the child is father to the man. In her case those childhood catastrophes have turned her into a mean, sarcastic and often dishonest woman. And it has to be said, most of the people around her in Dark Places are pretty unlovable. Sometimes life does that to people. The author is Gillian Flynn who wrote the 20 million selling thriller Gone Girl and Dark Places is another twisty psychological tale full of moral uncertainty. The thing is, once you are hooked, it’s hard to stop reading. The story is as dark as the title but intelligent and astute and cleverly pulls the rug away from the reader as it goes along. Just when you think you’ve got the plot nailed … no you haven’t. Ominous and interesting and a good one when you’re in the mood for something different.

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All Around the Shire THE BEST ROOM

Even though my family, grandparents and everyone I knew lived in a small, terraced house for my early childhood, there was an unspoken rule about the front room being the “Best” room. It was the first room in the house you entered into from the street. (The back door was accessed via the entry for small children coming in for their tea.) The walls had wallpaper and there was as much carpeting as could be afforded. It was only ever heated on high days and holidays (usually Christmas) when family came to spend the afternoon and open gifts. This room contained a small sofa, dining chairs and ornaments which needed to be kept out of reach of boisterous children. In my grandma’s best room there was a small coffee table standing on a white sheepskin rug and always a vase of impressive chrysanthemums (big Japs) in a smoky brown glass vase on this table. The cool of the room ensured they were fresh for weeks. She also had a rubber plant and money plant which thrived.

At one side of the room stood a china cabinet with a glass front containing a china tea set, best glasses, special photographs and mementoes. Every time someone walked past on the uneven floorboards, the nick-knacks and glass would rattle in the cabinet. This was a room for looking and definitely not touching. All family life continued next door in the living room, where they crammed a sofa, drop leaf dining table and chairs, a television set or radio and everything else needed to sustain daily life.

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S O C I ETY

NEW IDEAS IN A NEW YEAR Not really heard of much now, but the tradition was that on New Years Eve/Day, as near as possible to midnight people would look out for a man with dark hair and a blackened face.

His face was blackened by rubbing coal dust into it. He held a piece of coal. Some areas put a piece of coal with a small amount of money outside the house for him to pick up. At the time there was no central heating, either gas or electric. Everyone had open fires. The person with the blackened face would knock on the houses’ doors one by one. He would be the first person of the new year to go into the house, often putting the coal which was in his hand on the fire, or walking straight through the house using the front and back doors. It was considered to be good luck for the household. If the first person through the door was not dark haired, it wasn’t lucky. These days at midnight as Big Ben strikes 12, and it appears on radio and TV and the noise in the local pubs get louder, count down to the new year begins. Fireworks abound. Colours light up the sky. The sound of Auld Lang Syne reverberates through the air. Years ago, it was the church bells ringing which people listened for. The church bells do not always welcome in the New Year now. Some churches have no

bellringers leaving the bells idle, others chose not to. January 1st was often the start of the sales, where queues waited outside (even overnight) some of the bigger stores hoping for bargains. When the doors opened, a rush of people heading for the sale items. Even fights could take place! Today, with “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” the tradition has gone. Many churches now have a Christingle service. It appeals to children and adults, and can be held in December or January. This was used as a fundraiser for the Children’s Society. There is usually a lot of work behind the scenes making them up, and the service itself being safety conscious as it has been known for “minor fires” to happen. Prior to this there was the carol service, and often a nativity play by Sunday schools. People made new year’s resolutions, like to stop smoking; to lose weight; to get fitter… Will you carry on this tradition and make a resolution?

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BLUE TIT

ACROSS THE PEAK, WINTER BIRDS FLOCK TO THE GARDEN FEEDERS As temperatures drop and day-lengths shorten, smaller birds need more energy from their food but have fewer daylight hours during which to replenish precious body-fat. Behaviour has also changed from the often aggressive territorial behaviour of the breeding season to a more cooperative period of ‘winter foraging flocks’. Birds such as titmice particularly, form flocks, large and small, which then range across the wider countryside (including your garden), in a communal search for vital food supplies. Blue Tits, Great Tits, and Coal Tits are joined by Long-tailed Tits (often in their own large flocks), and sometimes by Goldcrests and other birds drawn to the feeding frenzy. Other notable flocks include frequently sizable groups of Goldfinches, now increased dramatically on their former numbers, along with their cousins, the Chaffinches, Greenfinches, and the smaller Lesser Redpolls, and Siskins. The latter two species roam around the riverside alder woods and birch trees such as on the edge of heather moors. Along with feeding Long-tailed Tits they are attracted to the tiny wooden, seed-bearing ‘cones’ of these species. This form of winter-flocking behaviour means that whilst on a walk, you will have long periods with few small birds to be seen, and then a few minutes when the locale is buzzing with activity. In spring and summer, the territorial birds are spaced more evenly across the countryside. In the garden, when a large flock arrives on its foray around the area, then suddenly the feeders will be swarming with Blue Tits, Great Tits, Goldfinches, Long-tailed Tits and more. A little later, things calm down and many of the birds BLUE TIT

BLUE TIT

move on to pastures new. They will remember where the garden feeders are and can return if necessary. In the meantime, there is an advantage in knowing of other good hotspots just in case your garden feeders are empty next time around! The ambient weather makes a big difference, nighttime temperatures being especially significant because when things turn sub-zero is when small birds burn off essential body-fat. Heat loss increases in proportion with decreasing body size and so a small bird loses heat more quickly than a large bird, and they also have a much smaller store of energy-rich fat in the first place. Through the winter months and into January and February, our modern weather proves both variable and unpredictable and this can make things difficult for the birds. Even in early December, on a warm and sunny day, I heard both Great Tits and Mistle Thrushes loudly proclaiming their territorial songs as a precursor to possible breeding! Blackbirds and Tawny Owls are other local birds given to very early nesting, extending the breeding season but a risky strategy if things turn cold. For many birds across the Peak, especially smaller species, our garden feeders may make the difference between survival and starvation. However, that so many smaller birds are drawn to wildlife gardens and garden feeder-stations also brings us great pleasure and entertainment. You also feel you are doing your bit to help nature survive and thrive.

DUNOCK

GREAT TIT

GREAT SPOT

TED WOODP

BLUE TIT

LONG-TAILED TIT

ECKER (M)

D WOODPECKER

GREAT SPOTTE

(M)

GOLDFINCH BLUE TIT

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer, broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues is contactable on ianonthewildside@ukeconet.org. Follow his website www.ukeconet.org, blog www.ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com/ & Twitter Don’t@IanThewildside forget to mention Voice Magazines when responding to the Ads Bluesky @ianthewildside.bsky.social

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It’s January. ‘Nuff said! In the garden it’s largely a question of keeping things protected, enjoying the days when you can get out and planning for the coming season.

For a start you can look after the plants that are giving you a bit of winter colour. Winter pansies, while they might look a bit bedraggled in the worst frost and snow are bred to survive and given a little warmth will soon bounce back. If you’ve got them in pots try moving them nearer a wall or the house in the worst weather. But it’s important with them and with the other winter dazzler – outdoor cyclamen – to keep deadheading them to encourage more blooms. Try to avoid walking on your lawn when it’s frosty, especially if you have a lawn path down to certain parts of the garden such as a compost bin. The roots can easily get compacted when frequently wet and trodden down and badly damaged when they subsequently freeze. If you’re overwintering plants such as pelargoniums in the greenhouse try not to create the humid conditions which create mildew. Don’t overwater them. Better that they are too dry than too wet and try not to wet the leaves when watering. And they will have a much better chance of surviving if you can give them ventilation during the day. If you see any signs of mildew such as a powdery white deposit on leaves, remove immediately, Space the plants out as much as you can. Watch out for blackspot on your hellebores. Remove affected TOP leaves. Bin don’t compost. Cutting back some of the leaves will TIP also often allow the drooping flower heads to be more visible.

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