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Rising number of cohabiting couples risk homelessness if a partner dies without a Will A stark new warning has been issued to unmarried couples after national research revealed that most cohabitees have little idea what would happen to their partner – or their home – if one of them dies without a Will. According to figures from the Will Aid campaign, two thirds of cohabitees misunderstand the law surrounding intestacy, and a quarter wrongly assume their estate would automatically pass to their partner. In reality, unmarried partners have no automatic rights at all – meaning many surviving partners could face the very real prospect of losing their home. Under intestacy rules, if an unmarried individual dies without a Will, their entire estate passes to their closest blood relatives. This includes the family home if it is owned in their sole

name, leaving the surviving partner with no entitlement and, in some cases, no legal right to remain in the property. Laura Cowan, head of Graysons’ private client team, said the findings should act as a “wake-up call”: “This is a worrying revelation, particularly at a time when cohabitation is the fastest-growing family type in the UK. The number of cohabiting couples has risen by 144% since 1996 – yet the myth of ‘common law marriage’ stubbornly persists. It simply does not exist. Without a valid Will, an unmarried partner could be left with nothing, and in the worst cases, even face homelessness.” Despite this, 17% of respondents admitted they had never even thought about what would happen to

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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. 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. 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

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 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. H

WAT BIRD

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M U S EU M

DO WE REALLY KNOW? In 1632, when this tale begins, any fever, rash, respiratory problems or symptoms resulting in sudden death were usually attributed to plague and recorded as such. The concept of germs wasn’t recognised. Ideas like keeping windows and doors tightly shut became popular which, instead of helping, would have increased the risk of disease spreading. Many believed disease was divine punishment from God or brought on by spirits, demons, or worse still witchcraft. Various cures for ‘plague’ were tried. One, plucking feathers from the rump of a live chicken and pressing it against the victim, was intended to draw out the disease, please don’t try this at home - it didn’t work. Other remedies included attaching leeches to feed on the blood of patients, applying animal excrement, bathing in urine or drinking snail syrup. (don’t ask) When it became known a family was infected, they could be barred in their houses until they were dead from either infection or starvation. Where Parish records show that one person, or a single family died from plague, yet few other deaths were recorded at the same time, there is a strong possibility that the disease wasn’t plague at all but some ailment that these days would be diagnosed under a different name. Could this be the case in Curbar? Local history would have us believe that in 1632, the Cundy family of Grislowfield Farm, Thomas, his wife Ada and their three children, all perished from the plague. Their graves lay in the corner of a field on a path below Baslow Edge. A memorial plaque, erected in 1960, states that the Cundy’s were, ‘victims of the plague that was to devastate Eyam 34 years later.’ But is this correct? It is generally believed that the whole family died of the plague, yet there seems no actual evidence to prove that is the case. All articles and publications about the family, and their graves, seem to stem from each other with the same phrases repeated. After much research, I have been unable to discover any conclusive information. This raises so many questions.

The Cundy Farm was remote, on the edge of the village, how could the family have contracted the plague? Victims of plague were to be avoided, who would have known they were ill? Who discovered them? Who buried them? And how, all these years on, do we know they actually died of plague? The answer to all these questions is we don’t. So, what if a stranger, a traveller, came by the farm one day. He chats to Thomas Cundy. Being a kind and friendly man Thomas might offer him a meal and shelter for the night. The traveller entertains the family with the exciting tales he tells. He could have brought a deadly disease, but what if he didn’t? Let’s say this man is strong and he offers to help out on the farm for a couple of days. Thomas is pleased; he can always do with an extra pair of hands. The stranger might take a shine to one of the daughters, she might like him too. Then one day, he takes advantage, oversteps the mark and Thomas, as any good father would, tells him to move on. What if the traveller doesn’t want to leave, the men fight and Thomas hits his head on a stone as he falls. Ada comes out and sees her husband. The stranger panics, he murders her, then the children, even the daughter he admires. He feels guilty so he gives them a decent burial in a corner of the field. He must leave, but it dawns on him that folk will wonder why Thomas hasn’t been to the village. On his way through Curbar the stranger calls into the tavern to relate his tale of finding the family up on Grislowfield, all dead of the plague. Who would dare go near the farm? Of course, it might have been plague that took away this family, I could be allowing my imagination to run away with me. But the truth is, no one really knows? Joyce Janes on behalf of Bakewell Old House Museum

THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED FOR WINTER BUT WILL REOPEN ON 25TH MARCH 2026

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Pitcherwits

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Across

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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.

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

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NATURE NOTES FROM THE PEAK DISTRICT

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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S ENER D R A G NDAR CALE

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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