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Winners’ Corner Contents
Carol Davidson from Smalley who has won a bottle of Champagne.
CONGRATULATIONS
Helen Bostock from Turnditch who has won a 3-course meal for 2 people at Anila Indian Restaurant, Ambergate. ADVERTISEMENT
Advertising Enquiries: Ruth Brown E: ruth@allthingslocal.co.uk T: 07545 261034
Bennet Samways is an independent, award-winning estate agency serving Belper and the surrounding Derbyshire villages. We specialise in residential sales, offering a bespoke, highly personal service backed by in-depth local knowledge and proven results.
Founded by experienced property professionals with over 35 years of combined experience, we understand
what makes Belper such a sought-after place to live — and how to present homes here to attract the right buyers and achieve the best possible price.
Winners of multiple British Property Awards, and licensed members of Propertymark and The Property Ombudsman, we pride ourselves on clear communication, honest advice and exceptional service from start to finish.
WELCOME LETTER
Hello readers
Welcome to the June/July issue of All Things Local! As we write, the weather is very much keeping us on our toes, but we have seen a few suggestions of summer … hopefully it’s just practising for the main event! We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the sunshine will make a prolonged appearance very soon.
While things in the wider world are very turbulent at the moment, we’re keeping our focus closer to home and appreciating all the good things in our local community that we can celebrate. There’s the year-long Belper 250 festival, commemorating the town’s role in the Industrial Revolution, bringing a whole host of events throughout the year from walks and talks to exhibitions and music. Read more about it on page 14 or visit belper250.co.uk. Then, there are numerous carnivals and festivals including Belper Goes Green from 5th – 7th June, Duffield Carnival on 27th June, The Eyes Have It music festival from 2nd – 5th July, Little Eaton Carnival on 4th July (preceded by a week of carnival events), Horsley Woodhouse Carnival on 18th July and the Love Belper Festival (part of Belper 250) on 26th July. And this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list! There are so many great things going on in and around the local area during the summer months. When there’s so much conflict in the world, the best thing we can do is come together and unite locally, creating a strong, cohesive community, and making our local area the happy place that we all love to live!
Summer is a great time to explore, too, and if you’re not going away for a holiday this year there’s no need to feel like you’re missing out. Why not be a ‘tourist’ at home and spend some time visiting places right on your doorstep that you may never have been to before. From trips on the bus or train, to local walks, there’s
a plethora of things to see and do in Derbyshire and surrounding counties. You may just discover a new favourite spot!
Talking of visiting new places … have you visited The Cow at Dalbury Lees, near Ashbourne? It’s a lovely pub that’s well worth a trip and they’re kindly giving the prize in our Crossword Competition for this issue – so, turn to page 6 and get your entry in by 10th June and you could be in with the chance of winning a Sunday lunch for two! Of course, we also have our usual Champagne Sudoku competition on page 62, too, so try your luck with that one and you may just be the lucky winner of a bottle of fizz.
And there’s one more thing we’re celebrating this summer, too … it’s the 19th anniversary of All Things Local in June! We’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all our readers, advertisers, contributors and distributors who’ve supported our independent community magazine over the years. We can’t wait to celebrate two decades of All Things Local next year!
We hope you have a wonderful couple of months, whatever you’re up to, and we’ll be back soon with our August/September issue.
All the best,
Team ATL
Pictured l to r: Karyn Milner (Publisher/Editor), Ruth Brown (Advertising Sales), Helen Young (Editorial Copywriter & Coordinator)
Advertising Enquiries: Ruth Brown
E: ruth@allthingslocal.co.uk
T: 07545 261034
W: www.allthingslocal.co.uk AllThingsLocalMagazines
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Legal Matters: Navigating the Conveyancing Process
The path to your new front door…
So, you’ve found the one. Your offer gets accepted on a new home, and the estate agent asks which solicitor you have instructed for the conveyancing – but what exactly is conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the process of transferring legal ownership from one person to another. Here is a breakdown of the key stages to help you navigate the process.
1. Initial Instructions
The fun begins.
You instruct a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to act on your behalf and this will include having your ID verified and providing source of funds and wealth information.
We will receive what is called the ‘contract pack’ from the seller’s solicitor which includes the draft contract and important information about the property.
2. Searches & Enquiries
The detective stage.
We investigate to uncover any nasty or unwanted surprises. You would probably want to know that a new commercial development has been proposed next to your new property or that there is a public right of way through the back garden, right?
This will entail:
• Reviewing your property searches – including the Local Authority Search, Water & Drainage, Coal Mining and Environmental Search.
• Reviewing the contract pack and all information provided by the seller.
• Raising enquiries with the seller’s solicitor
3. Mortgage Offer and Reporting
Speak now or forever hold your peace. Your lender should conduct a valuation of the property and send us your mortgage offer. Once we have concluded our investigations, we will send you a property report which includes all the
necessary information you need to make an informed decision about whether to buy the property. Read it carefully! This may be your last chance to raise concerns or ask the seller questions before contracts are exchanged.
4. Exchange of Contracts
The point of no return.
Whether you are a first-time buyer, downsizing or relocating, the phrase ‘exchange of contracts’ brings a buzz of excitement and is a sign that moving day is on the horizon.
When contracts are exchanged, the deposit is paid (10%), the completion date is set and the transaction becomes legally binding.
5. Completion
The big day!
The removals are booked, your life is packed into boxes, so what are you waiting for?
On completion, the purchase price is transferred to the seller’s solicitor and once they receive it, keys are released and the property is yours.
Keys things to remember:
• The timescale for a transaction can vary depending on the length of the chain, searches, response times, etc. Don’t fall into the trap of comparing a 10-party chain to a simple ‘no chain’ transaction.
• Conveyancing is a prime target for criminals as it involves large sums of money - stay alert and contact your solicitor before transferring money.
The information in this article is for general guidance only and advice should always be sought for your circumstances. To find out how we can help, contact Jordanna Smedley, Solicitor, at Shacklocks LLP on 01773 822333, 01332 559281 or email conveyancingservices@shacklocks.co.uk
The information in this article is for guidance only and should not be relied upon for the purposes of Legal Advice.
Money Matters The Value of Financial Advice
When people talk about financial advice, cost is often the first thing mentioned. Cost is simply the price paid for a service. Value, however, is far broader. It reflects the benefit received, whether that benefit is financial, emotional, or practical. Value is also subjective, differing from one person to the next. So why do people choose to pay for financial advice?
Numerous studies suggest that good advice can add value over time through improved investment outcomes, tax efficiencies, and the avoidance of costly mistakes. But beyond figures and returns, financial advice offers something harder to measure yet just as important: reassurance.
Most financial advisers act as behavioural coaches as much as technical financial experts. During periods of market stress— such as the Banking Crisis, Covid, geopolitical conflict, or political uncertainty (think Trump!)—emotions can run high. Fear often replaces logic, and investors may feel compelled to act quickly to “stop the losses”. At these times, an adviser can provide a calm, measured voice and prevent emotionally driven decisions that may cause lasting damage.
This is where perception plays a critical role. A perceived loss is not always a real one. For example, an investor may say, “My pension has lost £20,000.” In many cases, the number of units held remains unchanged; only the value of those units has fallen temporarily. The loss becomes real only if the investment is sold during the downturn. Until then, it remains an unrecovered fluctuation rather than a realised loss.
Markets naturally rise and fall, sometimes quite sharply. Although recoveries are never guaranteed, history shows that markets often regain value over time. Doing nothing can sometimes be the most sensible action. To quote Christopher Robin “Doing nothing often leads to the very best something.” Part of an adviser’s role is to help clients decide when patience is appropriate and when action is genuinely required, always tailored to individual circumstances.
Everyone’s relationship with risk is different. A good adviser will assess both a client’s financial capacity for loss and their emotional tolerance for market volatility. Some investors are thoughtful and philosophical, while others become anxious when values fall. An adviser recognises that investor experience plays a part too. Seasoned investors may have lived through previous downturns and some without even realising! An adviser can point this out based upon empirical evidence-based data! However, a new investor may find their first market fall unsettling despite it being an inevitable characteristic of investing. Over the years, a Financial Adviser often ‘earns their corn’ more than ever in adversity compared to times when markets and valuations are buoyant.
Workplace pensions highlight another area where advice adds value. While automatic enrolment has encouraged widespread retirement saving, most schemes default members into investments based largely on age to retirement rather than personal risk preferences or objectives. These schemes are valuable, but they rarely come with tailored advice. For those who are risk averse or prone to panic, personalised guidance can make a significant difference.
Often investors have other overlooked needs too which the adviser can help with such as what happens to their savings and investments if the client becomes unwell for example. Or inheritance tax mitigation and legacy planning.
Paying for financial advice involves a cost—but choosing not to seek advice can potentially cost you more. In the long run, informed decisions, emotional discipline, and steady guidance may be among the most valuable investments of all.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate taxation advice.
By Kevin Glover, Financial Planner, Perspective (Belper)
This information is general only and is not intended to address your particular requirements. The data above should not be relied upon in its entirety and shall not be deemed to be or constitute advice. No individual or company should act upon
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Belper 250 A Town with a History Worth
Celebrating
Belper’s 250th anniversary is already in full swing with a packed calendar of events focusing on heritage, creativity and community, reimagining old customs and starting new ones.
Jedidiah Strutt’s legacy takes centre stage in this celebratory year - a fitting testimony to a man whose pioneering technology and benevolent paternalism not only established the world’s first factory town but helped unleash the industrial revolution itself. Alongside talks and town tours, there are concerts, competitions and craft fairs, painting, performance, photography and food.
The term ‘Struttybanger’ was used to describe the pupils at the former Herbert Strutt School, but it will live on as a new sausage recipe, the flavour of which has yet to be chosen. In partnership with master butchers, GB Maycocks & Sons of Openwoodgate, Belper250 has launched a competition to create a Belper delicacy with the staying power to become a gastronomic tradition. The results will be announced in June and the Struttybangers will be available for purchase thereafter. Bon appetit!
You can explore Belper’s hidden history in the landscape and the built environment at the Belper250 Walks Festival from 5th – 21st June through themes ranging from pubs to poets. And from 18th to 31st July, the Churchyard at St Peter’s will be transformed into a woolly paradise by local crafters, Woollen Woods, whose enchanting installations on the theme ‘Celebration’, will be decorating the trees with gloriously coloured yarns.
Fleet Arts and Folkloric Forum have given the reinvention of Belper’s long-forgotten Donkey Derby a modern twist with a series of free workshops in June. Under the direction of local artist, Chris Lewis Jones, children will have the opportunity to fashion their own ‘hobby donkeys’ in preparation for the August 2nd Hobby Donkey Derby in the Memorial Gardens. Prizes for ‘best in show’ will be awarded to the contestants with the most imaginative and inspired entries and all competitors will have their moment of glory in the ring.
However, the summer’s highlight will unquestionably be the inaugural Love Belper Town Festival on Sunday,
26th July. Bringing people of all ages together to celebrate our vibrant past and present in inimitable Belper style, the festival will fill our streets with music, theatre, handicrafts and local fare. Festival showstoppers include vaudeville-style street performers alongside local dance groups, choirs, bands and DJ sets, with a programme designed to showcase the best of Belper talent and innovation.
Ali Fisher of Love Belper says, “By attracting people into the town centre, the festival will support the high street, encourage repeat visits and highlight the distinctive blend of independent shops, cafés, culture and community that gives Belper its unique character and signature vibe. We hope that this celebration, created by the community for the community and rooted firmly in the heart of the high street, will become an eagerly anticipated annual diary fixture for residents and visitors alike.”
And that historic day also marks the 300th anniversary of Jedidiah’s birth when Belper Unitarians will host a special ceremony in honour of his memory. Held in the very chapel he built for his workers and where he now lies at rest, this dedicated service will offer a moment to reflect on the enduring spirit of the visionary who continues to shape our town and its people.
Full programme and details available at: belper250.co.uk
Photo courtesy of Jim Bell
Look to the Skies and See…?
World UFO Day is the perfect excuse for anyone (especially X-Files fans of course) to ponder the mystery, the myth, and the possibility that we are not alone. And you’re spoilt for choice with two different dates to choose from.
June the 24th marks a big turning point in UFO history. On that day, in 1947, private pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing a formation of fast-moving, disc-like objects near Mount Rainier in Washington. He described their motion as skipping across the sky like a saucer on water. The newspapers picked up on that detail and the phrase “flying saucers” was coined.
That same year, on July the 2nd, the world-famous Roswell incident occurred. Debris discovered on a ranch in New Mexico sparked headlines when the military claimed it had recovered a “flying disc.”
Not long after, they retracted the initial statement and changed the explanation claiming it was actually a weather balloon. This sudden reversal caused suspicion turning the Roswell incident into the defining UFO story
Just a THOR-t Frozen Hearts Can Thor…
After my dad lost his life to mental health, I was understandably diagnosed with PTSD. This condition presents differently to each individual. For me, it meant terrifying flashbacks, memory blanks and high levels of anxiety.
One of the symptoms I was not expecting was a total shutdown and numbing out of ALL emotions. I was unable to feel joy, to experience contentment or warmth and, hardest of all, I was unable to cry when I was sad. You’d think a grief so deep would have had me in tears on a regular basis – but no, my heart was utterly frozen. Living like this for the past 7 years has been abhorrent. I have papered over it with a mask of positivity and never talking about my emotional paralysis, but it has distressed me daily. Then, on New Year’s Day 2026, we took our children to get their very first pet rabbit. We named him Thor – though he was a tiny bunny he had a mighty character. He was pure love, joy and innocence and brought magic into our lives from day one.
At 5 months old he developed a large abscess on his neck, and it required surgery. The vet warned us that
of crashed extraterrestrials. It’s a story that still inspires conspiracy theories and UFO enthusiasts to this day.
Together, these events turned odd sightings into a full-blown global obsession fuelled by sci-fi, secrecy, and the possibility that Earth is not the only place with life.
And really, when you consider how vast the universe is, it seems more than likely that civilizations could be scattered all over it. On a scale so enormous, Earth surely can’t be the only place where life found its way...
Whichever day you choose, it’s a chance to celebrate the strange and other-worldly. You could rewatch all your favourite X-Files episodes, have a sci-fi alien-themed movie night, or even read up on some famous UFO reports.
Most importantly, of course, you can step outside after dark and take part in some serious skywatching.
So, pick a UFO Day and channel your inner Fox Mulder or Dana Scully, look up to the sky and see what you can spot among the stars.
By Jessica White
rabbits are very sensitive to anaesthesia, but I kissed his little head and told him Mummy would pick him up that afternoon. I did pick him up that afternoon – but he had not survived the anaesthetic.
At first, I was stoic, in my usual inability to feel anything –pragmatic even. And then something incredible happened – the flood gates opened and I sobbed and wailed with pain and grief. The tears fell constantly for days after, and I oozed with emotion which was terrifying. Our angel bunny had saved me – he had taught me how to feel again. His life was too short, but his legacy is enormous and endless. He saved my life and I will be forever grateful for every single second I spent with him. So, I offer this as a beacon of hope that even the most traumatised hearts can learn to love and trust again. Sleep well our baby bunny – in our hearts forever.
By Fliss Goldsmith of Belper
Lifestyle
Travel: Find Paradise in Puerto Rico
Swathed in sunshine, Puerto Rico is a tropical cocktail of Spanish, American and Caribbean influences. Technically part of the United States, but not a state, the archipelago has its own constitution, elected governor and legislature –not to mention a unique cultural identity that it wears with pride.
It’s easy to see why; offering everything from stunning landscapes, exhilarating outdoor adventures and idyllic beaches, to rich heritage and fantastic food, there are so many reasons to add Puerto Rico to your travel wish list. What’s more, the islands are blessed with approximately 300 days of sunshine each year and a relatively low level of rainfall, making them perfect for enjoying nature.
Here’s just a handful of the best things to do and see while you’re there.
Explore San Juan
Puerto Rico’s capital is where past and present meet. Centuries-old forts and ancient cobblestone streets nudge shoulders with neighbourhoods where cafés spill onto sidewalks, street food sizzles in the heat and the sound of salsa follows you wherever you go.
Old San Juan is a must-visit. Founded by Spanish settlers in the early 1500s, this UNESCO-listed colonial district is characterised by its sixteenth-century walls and pastel-toned colonial architecture.
Watch the water light up
Puerto Rico is home to three of the brightest bioluminescent bays in the world, with Vieques’ Bahía Mosquito coming out on top. It’s here you can witness the natural phenomenon known as bioluminescence –a glow emitted by living organisms through a chemical reaction in the water. One of the best ways to
experience it is by kayaking after dark; see the water light up as you paddle beneath the stars.
Hike through El Yunque National Forest
Just a short drive from San Juan lies El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System. This lush paradise is a prime spot for hikers.
the coquí, as you go.
Bask on the beach
Cramming in more than 300 miles of coastline, Puerto Rico has a strip of sand to suit everyone. Surfers gravitate towards the idyllic beaches in the north west, while sun worshippers relish the powdery white sand of Flamenco Beach, ranked among the best beaches in the Caribbean. There are plenty of snorkelling opportunities too, especially around Culebra, Vieques and the south-west coast. Puerto Rico’s vibrant marine life includes sea turtles, rays and parrotfish.
Embark on a culinary journey
Flavour sits at the centre of Puerto Rican culture, with a blend of Spanish, African and indigenous Taíno influences. Eat your way along the Ruta del Lechón (Pork Highway) in Guavate and try the country’s national cocktail – piña colada – in Old San Juan.
Puerto Rico also famously produces some of the world’s best coffee, which you can learn about by touring coffee haciendas. Polish off your culinary journey with some mofongo, fried green plantains mashed with garlic and pork cracklings.
Walk to La Mina Falls to swim beneath the cascades or take the challenging river trek along Las Paylas – listening out for the island’s tiny native frog,
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Food, Drink & Entertainment
Beer: Saison
Rooted in rustic tradition across the fields of Belgium, Saison has always been a style with broad interpretation.
What anchors it is its structure: high attenuation, expressive yeast character, and a dry, effervescent finish that carries flavour cleanly.
That versatility gives Saison its enduring appeal. It can lean into peppery phenols, bright citrus, soft orchard fruit, or a gentle earthiness, all while maintaining a sense of balance and drinkability. Whether delicate or more assertive, the hallmark is a finish that truly refreshes.
The examples below explore that range, showing how complexity and elegance can sit comfortably side by side.
Brasserie Dupont –
Saison Dupont (6.5%)
Regarded as the quintessential example of the Saison style. It is a copper-blonde, top fermented, and bottle conditioned ale characterised by a dry, refreshing profile with high carbonation, and distinct notes of citrus, spice, and earthy hops.
Word on Wine
Following on from the last issue’s ‘Word on Wine’, we look at red wines in the M&S ‘Found’ range, using old or overlooked grape varieties from Europe.
The red wine range includes ‘Feteasca Negro’ from Moldova, ‘Kratosija’ from Macedonia, ‘Saperavi’ from Georgia and ‘Nerello Cappuccio’, ‘Marzemino’ and ‘Refosco’ from Italy.
Let us look at the ‘Refosco’ wine. This is an old wine which was around in Roman times, praised by Pliny the Elder and reputed to be the favourite wine of Livia, second wife of Augustus Caesar, according to a document of 1390 called ‘Annals of Friuli’. DNA has shown that ‘Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso’ has a parent-offspring relationship with ‘Marzemino’, one of the other ‘Found’ wines. There has been a resurgence of interest in Refosco wines since the 1980s, with added care in cultivation and vinification. Various experiments have been tried to improve the wines, including the use of small oak barrels, which produced a wine with high acidity. Some of the experiments were not successful.
The M&S ‘Found – Refosco’ 2023 vintage comes from the north-east Italian region of Venezia-Giulia, around the village of Friuli. The vines are grown on both the hillsides and flat areas around Friuli. This produces a deep coloured, fruity red
Tartarus – Tequila BA Naga Thai
Green Curry Saison - 8.4 %
This is a Saison pushed to its outer edge, a bold collision of Thai green curry aromatics and tequila barrel character, where lemongrass, lime leaf and chilli heat sit atop a dry, highly attenuated base. Despite its intensity, the effervescent finish and expressive yeast keep it grounded, pulling the beer back from novelty into something surprisingly cohesive and drinkable.
Burning Sky –Saison Provision (6.7%)
This tavern strength farmhouse beer is first fermented with saison yeast and then with a blend of Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces whilst ageing in oak foudres. The result is tart, crisp, slightly sour and incredibly refreshing.
By Sean McKeown
Twitter/X and Instagram: @belperbeerclub
wine with plummy and almond notes using the grapes of ‘Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso’. The wine is vegan and vegetarian friendly and contains sulphides.
Technical Details
Grape: 100% Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso
Appearance: Clean, deeply coloured red wine. Characteristics: Flavours of wild berries, plums, bitter cherries and herbs.
Alcohol by Volume: 13% Food Match: Red meats, aged cheeses, cold cuts, grills and roasts, plus bold flavoured pasta dishes.
Available from: M&S Stores though out the region, £8.50 per bottle (April 2026).
To see the full ‘Found’ range, visit www.marksandspencer.com.
If you like wine and would like to learn more please visit our website www.kilburnwinecircle.weebly.com for our 2026 programme.
By David Savidge Kilburn Wine Circle
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Food, Drink & Entertainment
Recipe Seasonal Vegetable Pizza
Make one large pizza, bursting with flavour and crunch, or four individual ones – just divide the dough accordingly. A large one may take longer to cook.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20-25 minutes, plus 30 minutes proving time
Cooking time: 12-15 minutes
Ingredients
• 500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp easy-blend yeast
• 11/2 tsp caster sugar
For the topping
• 300g Jersey Royals, sliced thinly
• 75g asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 75g mangetout
• 75g peas, defrosted if frozen
• 100g grated mozzarella
• 15g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• 50g fresh pea shoots
Method
In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and sugar with 11/2 teaspoon salt and 400ml tepid water. Mix into a dough, tip it out onto a work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover loosely with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the potato slices and simmer for 5-6 minutes until just soft. Add the asparagus for 1 minute, then drain and refresh in cold water. Beat the ricotta smooth.
Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas mark 7 and dust a couple of baking trays with a little flour.
Divide the dough into 4 portions (if making separate pizzas) and roll out or hand-stretch as thinly as you can. Spread with the beaten ricotta, then top with the potato, asparagus, mangetout and peas. Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden and the base is crisp. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and with the pea shoots scattered over.
Jersey’s seasonal potatoes are available to buy from April to July. For more information and recipe inspiration, visit www.jerseyroyals.co.uk.
Fitness Matters
Fitting in Fitness
Fitting exercise into everyday life doesn’t require hours in the gym or a complete lifestyle overhaul. Instead, it’s about building consistent habits that work around your routine.
Simple changes can make a significant difference over time. Even 10 to 15-minute bursts of activity can improve fitness when done regularly. Planning ahead also helps; scheduling workouts like appointments increases the likelihood of sticking to them.
Different exercise routines offer different benefits. While cardiovascular exercise, such as running, swimming, or cycling, improves heart health, lung capacity, and endurance, strength training, including bodyweight exercises or weightlifting, builds muscle, supports bone health, and boosts metabolism. Flexibility and mobility, like yoga or stretching, enhance joint health, posture, and reduce injury risk. A balanced routine that combines all these elements provides the most comprehensive health benefits.
Home workouts can remove common barriers such as cost and travel time, making it easier to stay consistent. Online apps and classes provide structure and, as long as motivation stays high and effort and progression are consistent, home workouts can be highly effective.
Level 3 personal trainer. Andy is now taking clients. 1:1 sessions in a private studio.
ARR
Health, Beauty & Fitness
Gym classes offer a different experience, often combining structure, motivation, and social interaction. Instructors provide guidance on technique and intensity, which can improve performance and reduce injury risk. The group environment can boost motivation and classes provide variety, keeping exercise enjoyable. For many people, this social and supportive environment is a key factor in maintaining long-term consistency.
There are also some general differences between men and women when it comes to exercise, but, remember, individual variation is greater than any gender differences. The fundamental principles of training – progressive overload, consistency, and recovery – apply equally to both men and women. Both can benefit from a balanced programme that includes strength, cardio, and flexibility work.
In conclusion, exercise can be successfully integrated into daily life through small, consistent changes. Whether at home, in the gym, or through structured classes, the key is finding an approach that is enjoyable and sustainable.
By Alex Robinson
Level 4 Personal Trainer with additional qualifications in GP referrals – Pre- & post-natal exercise. Personal Trainer for over 15 years, supporting and helping people to meet their goals in fitness and lifestyle changes, from losing weight to running marathons. 01773 512410 • 07817 337861
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Derbyshire Walking:
A Walk Through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site at Cromford
There is a small information centre here and the workshops, which date from the earliest days of the railway, are virtually unchanged since then.
Start/parking: Cromford Wharf. Turn right off the A6 at the crossroads in Cromford (traffic lights), signposted to Lea and Cromford Mill. The car park is on the right-hand side just after the wharf buildings.
For public transport: Cromford railway station is nearby and frequent buses also operate to Cromford.
Distance: 6 or 8 miles
Map: OS Explorer OL24 (White Peak Area)
A delightful 6 mile or 8 mile walk through some of the key places within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site in Cromford and Lea. Enjoy woodland and canal-side paths, plus a historic railway.
Directions:
1. From the car park, cross over the road and pay a visit to Arkwright’s first mill at Cromford. The buildings are being restored, and it is not hard to imagine the harsh working conditions of the mill workers, including children.
2. Then walk up the road to the A6 and cross the busy road into the village of Cromford, built by Arkwright for his workers. Walk up the main road through the village, with the market square on your right, noting the particularly attractive cottages in North Street.
3. Turn left up Bedehouse Lane which turns into a narrow tarmac alley after rounding some almshouses. At the top of the lane by a street of 1970s housing, follow the signpost to Black Rocks to meet a lane. Turn left along the winding lane which soon divides.
4. Take the right fork, on reaching a house with woods behind turn right through a gate and follow the top field edge.
5. After climbing some steps, ascend left through the woods of Dimons Dale and up to the Black Rocks car park and picnic site. Detour up to Black Rocks for a good view of the town, Riber Castle and the Derwent Valley.
6. Returning to the car park, turn right onto the High Peak Trail, the former railway track of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, and follow this down to High Peak Junction, where it meets the canal.
7. At High Peak Junction you have the choice of either following the canal back to Cromford or adding on an extra loop to the walk to create a slightly longer walk. The longer one involves a pleasant walk along the Cromford Canal and past the former home of Florence Nightingale.
8. Turn right along the canal towpath and follow it until you come to a cottage on the left. Then follow the sign to Lea Bridge.
Walk kindly supplied by Visit Peak District & Derbyshire (visitpeakdistrict.com). To download a more detailed PDF description, visit visitpeakdistrict.com/trails/walk-throughthe-derwent-valley-mills-world-heritage-site.
It is advisable to carry the relevant OS map when walking the route, and wear appropriate clothing/ footwear. The publisher accepts no responsibility for any injuries caused to readers whilst following the walk
Motoring
Electric Avenue
With plug-in hybrids going further on electric power than ever before, which ones have the longest ranges?
Plug-in hybrids – or PHEVs – have been rising in popularity. They offer the ability to run on electriconly power for a portion of the time while having a combustion engine to fall back on when you need to go further afield. We’re seeing more complex models that can travel on electric-only power for longer and longer. Which ones rank highest?
Chery Omoda 9: 93 miles
This Chinese newcomer offers the best possible electric-only range of up to 93 miles. It means you can take it on bigger trips without needing to call the 1.5-litre petrol engine into use too often. The huge 34.46kWh battery helps this large, comfortable SUV deliver good levels of efficiency overall.
Chery Tiggo 9: 91 miles
Like the Omoda 9, the Tiggo 9 gets a big battery to help it bring up to 91 miles of electric-only range. Meanwhile, a maximum charging speed of 71kW makes for a 30% to 80% top-up in 18 minutes.
BYD Seal 6 DM-i: 87 miles
At 87 miles, the Seal 6 DM-i from China-based BYD offers a respectable distance, while top-spec Comfort cars can be charged at speeds of up to 26kW for a 15% to 100% charge in 23 minutes.
Skoda Superb iV PHEV: 84 miles
The first non-Chinese entry in this ranking is Skoda’s Superb PHEV, coming in with a decent electric-only range of up to 84 miles. The Superb’s great refinement and large, spacious cabin – and boot –also make it an excellent long-distance model.
Volkswagen Passat eHybrid: 81 miles
It’s not much of a surprise to see Volkswagen’s Passat PHEV coming after the Superb – the two share a platform and many key technologies. Like the Superb, the Passat is a large, spacious and comfortable cruiser
and, in PHEV form, one which can deliver up to 81 miles of electric-only range.
Audi Q3 e-hybrid: 73 miles
Audi’s new Q3 might be compact but in e-hybrid form, it’s impressively electrified, offering up to 73 miles on a single charge. The latest Q3 is by far the most tech-packed to date, too.
Mercedes GLC300e: 78 miles
The Mercedes GLC300e occupies a handy space between the smaller GLA and larger GLE models. It gets a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine linked to a 31.2kWh battery, which can help it deliver up to 78 miles of electric-only range. Plus, it can charge at speeds of up to 60kW, meaning a full charge in just over 30 minutes.
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Borek – Belmonte Collection
Belmonte is a contemporary piece of furniture with a small nod to the past through the use of fibre. A modern round design and an open weaving technique emphasise the airy design of the collection. The lounge chair, sofa, side table and low table are all collection items that have a beautiful natural look with a handcrafted woven pattern and rounded shapes. The fact that the weaving has also been used for the seat retains its seating comfort.
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Book Reviews: Chasing the Light
The Summer Solstice – usually falling on 20 or 21 June – has long been a moment of ritual, folklore and storytelling. Here are books that capture the spirit of the longest day.
The Stations of the Sun
Ronald Hutton
A rich, authoritative exploration of the British ritual year, exploring how festivals like Midsummer evolved, from pagan solstice observation to Christian feast days such as St John’s Eve. Bonfires, dancing, protective herbs hung above doorways – many customs survive in adapted form.
The Dead of Summer
edited Johnny Mains
May Day Eve, Walpurgis Night and Midsummer Eve or the Summer Solstice –this is a collection of tales of these fated days and nights, and their riotous rituals and feasts. It features stories from classic authors such as E F Benson and Joan Aiken, along with lost classics from obscure periodicals of Britain and America.
Britain’s Folklore Year
Mark Norman
Step into the spellbinding world of British folklore with this beautifully crafted book, billed as “a seasonal journey through our customs, celebrations and rituals”. As well as forgotten stories rooted in our landscape, there are entertaining and often perilous sporting traditions, from worm-charming to wife-carrying, from nettle eating to cheese-chasing.
Colouring Book of Shadows: Litha the Summer Solstice
Amy Cesari
Whether you’re a seasoned witch or just beginning your path, this book, containing 60 pages of art, offers a creative way to deepen your connection to the Wheel of the Year and enjoy the magic of summer. Explore spells, rituals, food, folklore and magical symbols in this colouring book that weaves modern witchcraft, ancient solstice traditions and creativity.
Midsummer: Rituals, Recipes and Lore for Litha
Deborah Blake
Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials series explores the old and new ways of celebrating the seasonal rites that are the cornerstones of the witch’s year. This accessible guide explores Litha – the solstice celebration in contemporary pagan practice. It includes rituals, seasonal foods, symbolic flowers (think St John’s Wort and elderflower), and reflections on honouring light, growth and gratitude.
KILN DRIED
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Gardening: The Joy of June
The first month of summer is here! It’s incredible to experience over 16 hours of daylight on June days. It also means there are gardening opportunities for two-thirds of the day, and it’s a time for reaping the rewards of spring efforts.
Joyous jobs for June
Perform the Chelsea Chop. This is not a dance, but a practice inspired by the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which took place last month. Cut back certain perennials such as hardy geraniums, Alchemilla mollis (lady’s mantle), Stachys (lamb’s ear) and Heuchera (coral bells). It might seem a shame but it encourages them to produce fresh foliage and blooms.
The beginning of June is the key time to fill gaps by planting new perennials and annuals. You want your garden to look its best by the end of the month, because it probably won’t get much better than this!
Deadhead roses to encourage the formation of new buds and further flowers. Not all roses respond in this way: traditional shrub roses and ramblers tend to flower only once a year. Also be sure to remove suckers by twisting them off directly from where they emerge from the main stem.
Keep weeds under control in borders as they will be competing with shrubs and perennials for space and nutrients. Hoeing cuts them off near the soil surface.
A great way to reduce weed numbers is to plant densely, leaving little bare soil.
Keep an eye out for pests, including lily beetles and vine weevil. They can decimate plants.
Try not to water anything apart from containers and plants that haven’t yet established a healthy root system. Lawns will recover from turning brown during dry spells and should be as biodiverse as possible, with areas of longer grass, wildflowers and clover.
Certain edible plants are so easy to grow that it would be rude not to. Cut-and-come-again salads are among these. They can be sown into pots and prepared beds, where they will germinate and grow quickly. Harvest the leaves with scissors and the plants will continue to produce more.
Deter slugs. Try using nematodes (microscopic parasitic creatures), diatomaceous earth (DE) sprinkled around the stems (use food-grade DE around edible plants), sheep’s wool pellets on the soil, or a good helping of sharp gravel, coffee grounds or crushed eggshells around prized plants. Where slugs prove to be a huge problem, choose plants they find unpalatable, such as Aquilegia, Astrantia, Bergenia, Crocosmia, Euphorbia, foxgloves, Geum, lavender, Penstemon, rosemary, Veronica, ornamental grasses and shrubby plants.
Sit back, relax and find time to enjoy your garden this month. It really is the very best time to immerse yourself in the blissful space you’ve created.
By Caroline Knight
CHILDREN’S PUZZLE PAGE
Dribble through the maze and find the path to the goal!
Why did the footballer take a pencil onto the pitch?
In case he needed to draw a match!
Why was the football pitch always wet?
Because the players kept dribbling!
Why was the football team bad at telling secrets?
Because they kept passing everything around!
WORLD CUP HOST COUNTRIES WORDSEARCH
Can you find the countries that have hosted the FIFA World Cup?
Words may go across, down, or diagonally!
The Diary of a Local Mum
Time Together…
There’s a time, when your kids are little, when you’d give anything for a few minutes’ peace and quiet.
You know the phase – when you can’t even nip to the loo in peace and they seem to require your attention 24/7. Sometimes, they don’t even really want you; they just want to know you’re there. You leave the room and within seconds they’re yelling ‘Muuuuum’ not because there’s an emergency (even though the pitch and volume may suggest that their leg’s just dropped off) … nope, they’re just checking you’re still there and they can get your attention if they need it.
Don’t get me wrong, this phase is exhausting and feels never-ending when you’re in it. The briefest period of alone-time, even just hanging out the washing, can feel like a holiday. But, take it from me, it will eventually come to an end and, I hate to be the one to say it, but part of you will miss it, in a very rose-tinted kind of way!
I am now at a stage where my teens/young people have their own lives and organise their own time. This is all well and good and I thankfully haven’t been followed to the toilet for many, many years now –much to my relief! However, a different challenge has presented itself – when we actually want to spend time together as a family it’s almost impossible to coordinate diaries.
Between jobs and social lives, logistics and transport arrangements, pinning everyone (and often their respective boyfriends/girlfriends) down to dates and times to do anything is a very complex project often involving days or weeks of planning and frequent rearrangements. ‘Are you 100% sure you can do that date?’ is met with the affirmative, only to be followed later by ‘Oh, wait, sorry, I have to work that day!’
Even the simplest of arrangements can be difficult.
‘Who’s in for tea tonight?’ can involve umming and ahing and non-committal replies until more people than you were expecting suddenly turn up declaring they’re hungry.
Our family holiday this year is one of the most complex things I’ve ever arranged … and no, it’s not even a month-long, multi-stop, round-the-world trip. Just a simple 7-day, single-destination, week in the sun. Finding a week when everyone could make it was extraordinarily difficult. My ‘kids’ have now discovered the delights of going away without parents so, obviously, these trips were booked in first. And I don’t blame them – that golden age being able to enjoy travel unsupervised and unleash your inner explorer is really exciting; I’m very happy for them. In fact, I’m honoured that they still wanted to come on a family holiday as well but, between their holidays, work, sporting commitments and various not-to-be-missed social engagements (prom, festivals, friends’ birthdays etc.) we managed to narrow it down to one possible week across 4 months. Add to this the complexities of meeting everyone’s vast and varied ‘must-have’ holiday requirements, oh, and then the small matter of trying to stick to a budget when your one week seems to be the most expensive week of the summer but you have absolutely no flexibility on dates … well, needless to say, I felt like I needed a holiday to recover from the holiday planning! But, it’s totally worth it. Having everyone in one place for a week will be lovely and I can’t wait.
I’m loathe to say I miss the days when they were permanently clinging to my ankles … because I really don’t … but when they start to get lives of their own it does become increasingly difficult to grab pockets of time and the moments that are spent together become even more precious.
One thing’s for sure though – when I do manage to pin them down and we spend some time together, whether it’s a few hours or a few days, they will get a BIG hug from Mum. That’s always non-negotiable.
By Helen Young
Belper School
The Importance of Boredom and Idleness in a Busy World
As humans we are not bored enough. In an age of abundant visual and audible information access to knowledge has never been so easy, but does this mean we are thinking less?
As award-winning performance poet John Cooper Clarke once declared: ‘Idleness is your best friend.’ In context, he means the simple act of doing nothing enabled him to write scores of poems over the decades from idleness prompting his ideas.
To many, idleness is simply an act of wasting one’s precious time, meaning nowadays we fill any break in our routine mainly with screens. This gives us little time to disconnect from our daily routines and, with it, no time to just sit and think; as a result, we chase ideas instead of letting them come to us, meaning we never wring out the sponge of information that is our brain, and actually use the information to be creative and reflective.
It was recently that Ed Sheeran admitted he hadn’t owned a phone since 2015 primarily due to it having affected his mental health. However, his phoneless-ness permitted him to be bored, and it was in these moments of boredom that his musical creativity flourished and, possibly, where the sing-a-long melodies many know and love today could have originated from. “I just was losing real-life interaction,” he said, when discussing the topic on a talk show. Just think, if Mr Sheeran’s boredom were to have been occupied with a phone instead of his musical knack and six string, would we enjoy the same timeless discography we do today?
It’s a relief for many Ed Sheeran fans that this wasn’t the case, but opposite scenarios can be a reality. It was, unfortunately, for American jazz musician Herbie Hancock whose tendency to fall
into YouTube rabbit holes cost him 15 albumless years. Put into perspective, Prince William and Kate Middleton got married 15 years ago. This symbolises the damage on productivity and creativity small habits can have, the ones that have become commonplace in our routines; the main culprit being those time zapping rectangles in our pockets.
It’s not guaranteed you’ll produce the next great novel or compose a double platinum record out of sheer thought, but ideas have driven societal development for millennia and so how can we innovate and evolve without them? If thoughts are finished and mental challenges overcome, then we would have much more flair to our intellect. Conversely, relinquishing mental tasks to AI can have cognitive implications. Not long ago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that people who frequently use ChatGPT to write essays show less brain activity in networks associated with cognitive processing.
These risks must be heeded, but being a technologically abstemious philosopher won’t yield a healthy lifestyle either as informative input still remains important. Humans have always craved knowledge. Books are historically the most popular source, acting as the cornerstone of human development. Also, the rise of podcasts provides a plethora of ways to interact with personal interests and delve into the world of debate from the comfort of home. Still, without ideas that stem from boredom and idleness, who will write the books and make the podcasts? In a time of abundant visual and audible information, it’s imperative that we have a balance between informational input and thinking output where we dismiss our devices once in a while to let ideas find us instead of constantly trying to find them.
By Owen Siddall, Belper School Student
School Information
Ambergate Primary School 01773 852204
Anthony Gell School 01629 825577
Belper Long Row Primary 01773 823319
Belper School 01773 825281
Breadsall CofE VE Primary School 01332 831328
Codnor Community Primary School 01773 742537
C of E Controlled
Denby Free C of E Primary 01332 880416
Ecclesbourne School 01332 840645
Fritchley CE (Aided) Primary 01773 852216
Heage Primary School 01773 852188
Heanor Gate Science College 01773 716396
Herbert Strutt Primary 01773 822771
Holbrook C of E Primary 01332 880277
Horsley C of E Primary 01332 880782
Horsley Woodhouse Primary 01332 880403
John Flamsteed Community School 01332 880260
Kilburn Infant & Nursery School 01332 880449
Kilburn Junior 01332 880540
Langley Mill (CE) Controlled Infant
School & Nursery 01773 713429
Little Eaton Primary 01332 831471
Mapperley CofE Primary School 0115 9325386
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
Scargill CE Primary, West Hallam 0115 9320005
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 2026/27
All dates taken from www.derbyshire.gov.uk
Term 6: Monday 1 June 2026 to Thursday 23 July 2026
Term 1: Friday 4 September 2026 to Friday 23 October 2026
Term 2: Monday 2 November 2026 to Friday 18 December 2026
Term 3: Monday 4 January 2027 to Friday 12 February 2027
Term 4: Monday 22 February 2027 to Thursday 25 March 2027
Term 5: Monday 12 April 2027 to Friday 28 May 2027
Pets: Have Pet, Will Travel
If you’re driving to an EU country this summer, you may want your dog, cat – or even ferret – to come too. Just make sure you know the post-Brexit rules.
You’ll need to obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) each time you go to Europe or Northern Ireland. This can cost several hundred pounds, and there’s a specific process to follow:
1. Microchip your pet
This has to be done before or at the same time as your pet is vaccinated against rabies.
2. Get a rabies jab for your pet
A vet must administer a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel, and your pet must be at least 12 weeks old to have one.
3. Obtain an Animal Health Certificate
To get the AHC, take your pet to an “official veterinarian” (check your vet is one) with proof of its microchipping date and vaccination history. You must enter the EU within ten days. The AHC is then valid for four months. For more information, visit www.gov.uk/taking-your-petabroad.
Just complete the Sudoku grid above, cut out and post to Sudoku Competition, All Things Local, 74 Woodhouse Road, Kilburn, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0NA. Closing date Wednesday 10th June 2026. . Remember to include a piece of paper with your name, address and contact telephone number. The winner will be notified by telephone initially. Entrants must be aged 18 or over. All entries are destroyed after the closing date and no information is given to any third party.
Upbeat: Safely Using Selling Sites
Selling something you don’t use any more can be a great way to make back some cash - and there are plenty of places to do this online.
But selling sites don’t come without risks. We have received reports of people being threatened with knives after meeting people they had agreed to sell mobile phones to using Facebook’s Marketplace feature.
In two separate cases, the phones were reportedly stolen after the threats. The sellers received no payment for the devices.
We are now urging people to take precautions when selling items in this way, and to report anything suspicious to police.
Safety tips include:
- Check the person’s Facebook profile. Scammers will often pose as someone else, creating fake profiles that have only recently been set up and have very few friends and posts
- If possible, arrange to meet in a well-lit, public place
- Take a friend with you – if you’re meeting a buyer/seller
have someone with you and make sure other people know where you are going - Only use legitimate payment methods and don’t be pressured into using platforms you aren’t comfortable with - Remember if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to walk away
For more crime prevention advice visit: www.derbyshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention.
Community Diary June/July 2026
June:
2nd: Arts Society Derby lecture: “Ghastly Good Taste! A Century of British Interiors” by Matthew Williams. 7.15pm (doors 6.30pm) at Landau Forte College, Fox St, Derby DE1 2LF. Parking free. Cost £6 for non-members/guests. Info: www.theartssocietyderby.com.
5th: Belper 50+ Open Forum meeting, 10.30am Congregational Church, Church Walk, Belper DE56 1DB. Guest speakers ‘The Potty Plotters’ of Radio Derby fame. £2 incl. raffle ticket. Open to anyone over 50. Info: fiftyplusforums@derbyshire.gov.uk; 01629 539623.
5th – 7th: ‘Belper Goes Green’ Community, Eco and Arts Festival by Transition Belper at Belper Meadows Cricket Club. Daily or weekend tickets: www.ticketsource.com/Transition-Belper. Info & events schedule: www.transitionbelper.org/belper-goes-green or Facebook.com/belpergoesgreen. 13th: Belper Organ and Keyboard Club concert: Pete Shaw. 2pm, Congregational Church, Church Walk, Belper DE56 1DB. £10 admission. Refreshments available. www.belperorganclub.com.
20th: 28 Laughs stand-up comedy at No. 28 Belper Market Place DE56 1FZ. 7.30 for 8pm, BYO drinks. Entry £11 plus fee, booking online only: www.wegottickets.com. robcoleman100@gmail.com.
20th: Derby Bach Choir Summer Concert ‘An Italian Evening’, 7.30pm at St John the Evangelist Church, Mill St, Derby DE1 3HZ. Tickets £15 incl. refreshments (u16 free) from www.derbybachchoir.com or livetickets.org. 24th: Belper Book Club: ‘The Phone Box at the Edge of the World’ by Laura Imai Messina. 7-9pm at No.28 Market Place, Belper DE56 1FZ. £2 entry, BYO refreshments/snacks. Supported by Dormouse Books. Enquiries/to book: jennifer.c.allsopp@gmail.com.
27th: Duffield Carnival, Eyes Meadow 12pm – 9pm. Procession 12.15pm from Avenue Road (road closures apply). Tickets available from mid-May in Duffield Village and via Ticketsource. Earlybird price £5 until 21st June, thereafter £7.50.
July:
2nd – 5th: The Eyes Have It Music Festival, Eyes Meadow, Duffield. For daily line-up and tickets (including daily, weekend & camping tickets) visit www.theeyeshaveit.co.uk.
4th: Little Eaton Carnival, preceded by ‘Carnival Week’ from Sunday 28th June: 11 events over 7 days, finishing on Carnival Day at St Peters Park with parade, stalls & arena events. Info: www.littleeatoncarnival.com 11th: Belper Organ and Keyboard Club concert: Mark Speight. 2pm, Congregational Church, Church Walk, Belper DE56 1DB. £10 admission. Refreshments available. www.belperorganclub.com.
17th & 18th: Hosley Woodhouse Music Night (Friday) and Carnival (Saturday – parade from 12noon), Sitwell Recreation Ground, Merlin Lane DE7 6PZ. Tickets and info: horsley-woodhouse-community-association.square.site/carnival, or Peony or Wudhus Chippy in the village. £5 adults/£2.50 children. 18th – 31st: Belper Woollen Woods with the theme of ‘Celebration’ for Belper 250 year at St Peter’s Churchyard, Church Lane, Belper. Take a walk around to enjoy beautiful, knitted creations.
26th: Love Belper Festival – part of Belper 250 celebrations – a free, one-day festival of music, dance, theatre, crafts, food & pop-up heritage museums. Throughout Belper town centre. www.lovebelpercic.co.uk, Facebook.com/lovebelper, lovebelpercic@gmail.com
Please check events with the venue/organiser as the publisher accepts no responsibility if events are changed/cancelled following publication. If you have a one-off event or special excursion for August/September 2026 please email it to helen@allthingslocal.co.uk. Deadline is Wednesday 17th June 2026.
Community
Local History Norman de Bingham
This time I am going back to medieval times and my subject is the medieval Norman de Bingham. He sounds unlikely to be a Belper person, coming from a family with origins in Bingham, Nottinghamshire. Even so, his story is worth telling.
I was fascinated to learn that in 1266 Norman was paid by Robert de Ferrers ‘for the service of hunting wolves in the demesne of Beaurepaire.’ This was the De Ferrers’ Belper estate, granted by William the Conqueror for support in the 1066 Norman conquest. After the destruction of their stronghold Duffield Castle in about 1200 Belper became the centre of their administration. At that time, kings and aristocrats would offer good rewards for the hunting of wolves and in 1281 Edward I ordered the extermination of all wolves in England. It was so effective that in the next 150 years the wolf population of England was wiped out, although they survived in Scotland for quite a while longer.
The attitude to wild animals in the Middle Ages was strongly influenced by the Bible. Before the invention of the printing press in 1440, when most people were illiterate and access to books was very limited, the Church had a very strong control over people’s lives and taught that animals should be tolerated, as long as they were useful for food, sport or labour. Wolves fell into none of these categories and were considered dangerous predators, threatening livestock and not beneficial to people, whereas modern thinking tends to value all creatures as part of the eco system.
Wolves could be trapped or poisoned but not shot, as bows and arrows were forbidden in the Royal Hunting Forest, where hunting deer was reserved for the aristocracy. Wolf hunters were allowed to carry a
hatchet, a battle-axe and a knife. In return for his success Norman was given a toft (a piece of land next to a cottage) and 68 acres of land in Heage in the ownership of Robert de Ferrers himself. He also gained ‘cheminage’ - the right to a carriageway. Historians studying the medieval hunting forest of Duffield Frith suggest that this land was at Heage Hall and the carriageway was the ridgeway route from Derby to Chesterfield. This ancient road passed through Heage, above the Hall, (near the more modern Heage Windmill) and reached the River Amber near Buckland Hollow. Norman de Bingham’s right to charge tolls would have made him a considerable sum of money. Anyone travelling this road today will notice that it is a deep hollow-way with high banks, a clear sign of a very old way.
Norman pops up again as a tenant of the Duchy of Lancaster at Hulland where his annual rent was a pound of cumin. Why was cumin so valuable? This spice, imported from Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, has a strong flavour and is useful for preserving foods. It was popular in stews, breads and cheeses and would have been an essential item and a status symbol in aristocratic households.
He also rented land at Bradley, near Ashbourne and in 1266 he and Robert de Ferrers were involved in forcing entry to a park at Bradley and seizing livestock owned by another tenant Roger de Stretton, who owed arrears of rent. It looks as though Norman was De Ferrer’s henchman, a man he could call upon to deal with difficult situations and get things done.
My source is the book Duffield Frith by Wiltshire, Woore, Crisp and Rich (2005).
By Viv Scott
A medieval depiction of a wolf
A medieval depiction of trapping wolves with a net
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Most of us have an idea of what we want to happen after we have gone. Who will look after things in the first few days, who will arrange our funeral and most of all, who we would choose to inherit after our death.
Without a will, legislation decides who is entitled to your money, and that may not be who you would want it to be.
Trust us to advise you on such important arrangements.
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Friendship Blooms
‘Say it with flowers’ and spread some happiness within the community! Let All Things Local help you to put a smile on the face of someone who truly deserves it.
Perhaps a friend or family member is always there for you through thick and thin, or someone in a local business always goes above and beyond to provide an exceptional service. There could be a volunteer who doesn’t realise how much their support is valued … or, maybe, someone you know has had a tough time and deserves a floral ‘pick me up’.
Whatever the reason, let All Things Local help you to show your appreciation by surprising them with a beautiful bouquet supplied by Beverley Kennedy (pictured) from Floraline, Gregory’s Way, Belper.
This issue, we’re delighted to present the Friendship Blooms bouquet to Tony Waldron and Mark Redfern, the founders of Belper’s ‘Cancer Pitstop’ group. Tony and Mark were nominated by Ann Walker, on behalf of the whole Cancer Pitstop group:
“Belper neighbours, Tony Waldron and Mark Redfern were diagnosed with cancer, around the same time. They received excellent clinical care but benefitted from peer support through casual conversations (initially chatting over the garden fence!). Realising its value, they started Cancer Pitstop in April 2025 – a monthly event for local men with cancer. Around 20 men attend each month. After a successful year and increased interest, a new group has now been launched for women. Cancer Pitstop is a supportive space that encourages everyday living and social connections during illness. There’s no fee or obligation –just a free cuppa, friendly company, and a warm welcome. From the outset, they would have been very pleased if they only helped just one person, but they have made such a massive difference to so many men already. And now we have a women’s group too, which is equally as friendly and supportive.” Ann Walker (and the members of Cancer Pitstop)
Do you know someone who deserves a bouquet? Send in your nomination and let us surprise them! Simply state (in 100 words or fewer) who you are nominating and why you’d like them to receive the Friendship Blooms bouquet. Please include your contact details as well as their name and address (or where we can find them!). You can nominate more than one person if they are living/working at the same address… and, remember, flowers don’t just have to be for women! Please note, the only rule is that the person receiving the flowers must live/work/volunteer within the distribution area of All Things Local (see front cover for details).
Send your nomination by post to: Friendship Blooms, All Things Local, 74 Woodhouse Road, Kilburn, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0NA or e-mail it to helen@allthingslocal.co.uk, putting ‘Friendship Blooms’ as the subject. Please include your full name, address and daytime telephone number on your nomination.
Closing date for nominations for the next issue is Wednesday 17th June 2026.
All nominations are kept on file and you will be contacted if your nomination has been selected. Contact information is only used by All Things Local; no information is given to any third party.
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Tony (left) and Mark (right) share the Friendship Blooms bouquet.
Beverley Kennedy
Community
(On A6. Bottom of A610 on right)
Tel: 01773 462631
If you love a culinary journey, you don’t need to travel far from home to enjoy authentic Indian flavours with a delicious twist – a short trip down the A6 will take you to Anila Indian restaurant at Ambergate, where tradition meets innovation and every dish tells a story. Their contemporary Indian cuisine celebrates bold flavours with modern variations, and beautiful presentations to ensure your meal is as visually stunning as it is delicious. Their team of experienced chefs combine traditional Indian cooking techniques with innovative flair to create a truly unique dining experience, honouring the vast and varied flavours of India. Only the best ingredients – including locally sourced produce wherever possible – are used to ensure peak freshness and taste.
Culinary delights are backed up by wonderful service with Adil and his friendly, knowledgeable team going out of their way to ensure that every occasion feels special and each visit is memorable –whether you’re celebrating or simply indulging in your love for exceptional food.
With a wide and varied menu, the team are happy to offer advice on the dishes to help you choose the flavours that will best suit your preferences, and you can pair it with a wine or drink of your choice as the restaurant is unlicensed but allows you to bring your own alcohol. They do offer soft drinks including delicious mocktails, which are well-known and loved by customers!
Conveniently located on the A6 in Ambergate, just by the junction of the A610, the restaurant is easy to access with plenty of parking – and it’s also near to Ambergate railway station or bus routes, too, if you want to leave the car at home. Or, to enjoy all the flavours in the comfort of your own home, Anila also offers a takeaway service for collection or delivery –you really don’t have to go far to enjoy the culinary adventure of their extensive menu!
Anila is open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm to 10.30pm. To find out more, or to reserve a table, visit www.anila.uk or call 01773 462631. You can also find out what other customers think and read their many 5H reviews (4.8H average!) on Google or Trip Advisor.
Mobile Fitting Charge
