A NUMBER of fans have mentioned the size of the crowd at Sunday's opening game against Blackburn Rovers.

The fixture attracted a gate of 21,188, which included 746 Blackburn supporters.

Being switched to 4pm on a Sunday for the sole benefit of television did not help and we are still in the summer holiday season.

However, facts are facts and it was the lowest attendance for a Rams opening League game at home in 17 years.

That was since 17,925 watched a draw against Leeds United at the start of 1996-97, the last season at the Baseball Ground.

Derby's gate was still the third-highest in the Championship over the weekend behind Leeds United (33,432) and Nottingham Forest (25,535).

FOR Tyler Stackhouse and his family, this year's summer holiday will be particularly special.

For it is the first time they will have been able to go away together, as four-year-old Tyler has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia for the last 18 months.

Tyler, dad Jamie, one-year-old sister Alesha and mum Alex Haynes cannot wait for their trip to Ingoldmells, near Skegness, later this month.

His grandparents, Julie and Craig Haynes, will also join them to give Tyler's parents a well-deserved break.

Alex, 21, said: "This is our first-ever holiday as a family so it will be a really special time. I never thought we'd have the chance to do something like this because of how Tyler used to be when he was ill."

She added: "He's thankfully now a lot better and he's back on his feet. He starts school full-time in September which he's really excited for.

"The break is a great chance to get out of the routine and to do something different in a different place. We're so used to doing the same thing so this will be brilliant."

And for Alex and Jamie, having grandparents on hand to help look after the children mean they will be able to go out for a meal and a drink on their own together for the first time in years.

"It will be so nice to have a few hours alone," said Alex. "My parents will also love having Tyler and Alesha to themselves."

The family, who live on Nottingham Road, will be staying in a caravan park near to the Fantasy Island theme park which includes arcades and a mini dodgems.

The money for the holiday has been raised through a combination of local organisations making donations and family fun days.

The family had originally planned to visit Flamingo Land in Yorkshire but it was fully booked.

And the couple are already looking to the future, with a trip to Spain on the cards when Tyler is fully recovered.

Alesha was only a month old when her brother was diagnosed and the family had to be apart as Jamie spent three months at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham with Tyler, leaving Alex at home with their new baby.

Now Tyler is on the road to recovery, Alex is enjoying watching the siblings bond and get along together, making up for lost time.

"It's so nice to see Tyler and Alesha get along, especially now he understands who she is, and they'll have a great time on holiday," she said.

"Things have been a lot easier over the past few months and I think we really deserve this break.

"We just want to have some nice weather for it now."

SUPPORTERS of Matlock Bath's Grand Pavilion are bidding for £3.5 million of National Lottery cash to restore it to its former glory.

The Derbyshire landmark was built as an Edwardian theatre but has had a chequered history in recent times and served as a nightclub before closing its doors as an entertainment venue in 2008.

But local people set up a charity to save it from ruin and bought it from owner Derbyshire Dales District Council for only £1. They reopened it last April and have staged a series of art and music events – the latest of which is a wildlife photo exhibition which runs until September 1.

They have set up a company, called Grand Pavilion Ltd, to run the building and are applying for grants to pay for its refurbishment.

Tomorrow, members head to the headquarters of the Heritage Lottery Fund, in Nottingham, to lodge their bid. Fittingly, they will travel in a bus built in 1910, the year the pavilion was built.

Grand Pavilion patron and former Blue Peter presenter Simon Groom will deliver it, alongside Matlock artist Pollyanna Pickering and other campaigners.

Grand Pavilion chairman Gregor Macgregor said: "We have now reached the culmination of three-and-a-half years of frantic activity.

"When we started, no one believed that we would get to this position. We are now an established charity, with massive local support and many important backers, from the local council to the Theatres Trust.

"We are making a professional bid for a really credible plan and presenting it with some verve.

"We hope the Heritage Lottery Fund will agree that this is the plan to back. They will make their decision in December."

He said the money would help pay for the refurbishment of the main hall and provide two lifts, new toilets, new heating and electrical systems, stage fittings and lighting and improve pedestrian access at the front of the building. The projected finish date is July 2017.

After The Pav nightclub closed, the Peak District Mining Museum remained open in one wing of the Grand Pavilion.

Since the building's reopening, it has staged a number of events, including a concert in April by indie punk band Half Man Half Biscuit, which 500 people attended.

The Grand Pavilion has already been awarded a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund – £9,200 from its Your Heritage scheme in May – to record people's memories of the building for a display in the mining museum.

Charles Beresford, who is co-ordinating the latest grant bid, said: "Having won funding for a small project to record people's memories of the pavilion, we have been working with the Heritage Lottery Fund for some time.

"We have built up a very good relationship with them. Their East Midlands office has been very helpful in clarifying the rules which we have to follow for this larger bid."

Andie Brazewell, the pavilion's events director, said: "Of all the good people I have met over the years, this team has been outstanding in delivering every time. I know it will all come together."

A 22-YEAR-OLD accused of hitting a man on the head with a hammer and punching him in a gang attack has denied any involvement.

Shabaz Alam yesterday told a jury that he had been at a friend's house when motorist Mohammed Khan and passenger Abdul Jabbar were attacked in Normanton.

Alam, formerly of Fairfax Road, Normanton, told Derby Crown Court: "I have never been involved in something like that in my life."

Mr Khan picked out Alam in an identification procedure at the police station as one of the 10-to-15-strong gang who had attacked him in Lower Dale Road, at about 9pm on February 16.

On Monday, Mr Khan told the jury that the masked gang, who were armed with hammers and metal bars, attacked him, his passenger and car after he stopped at a junction.

He said he was hit on the head with a hammer and punched by Alam – someone whom he recognised from the area – after he got out of his car.

Mr Khan said Alam had been wearing a black Adidas jacket with red stripes down the sleeves.

But yesterday, Alam told the jury that on the day of the attack he caught a taxi at about 7.45pm to the corner of Cameron Road and Brunswick Street to see a friend and had stayed there until after 9pm.

He said he had not told officers about this visit because his friend was wanted by the police for another matter and did not want to give his name.

He said that after the attack he received phone calls asking him if he had been involved in the incident but before the calls had known nothing about it.

He told the court that the top Mr Khan said he had been wearing – a black hoodie with red stripes down the sleeves – was something he only ever wore to work as a car mechanic.

He said he would never wear it elsewhere because it was "covered in black dirt and grease".

Mr Khan also identified Jassi Bassi and Akaash Hasham among the group of men. Bassi is on trial, alongside Alam, and also claims he was not part of the gang.

Alam, 22, now of Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham, and Bassi, 19, now of Birdhill Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough, deny affray and having an offensive weapon in a public place.

Hasham, 21, of Dexter Street, Derby, previously pleaded guilty to the charges.

The trial continues.

NEIGHBOURS living in a cul-de-sac say they are fed up with their homes flooding during spells of heavy rain.

At least 11 properties in Milton Close, Mickleover, have been left under water in recent years.

Two couples were forced to move out for six months.

Residents say the development of two housing estates has contributed to the problem – as rainwater is no longer being soaked up in the ground.

They say torrential rain sends water gushing down a cycle path and down into their street.

Sandbags have failed – and neighbours are now demanding Derby City Council invest in flood defences.

Margaret Churm, who lives at the end of Milton Close, was among those forced out of her home for six months.

She said: "In July last year, we had a month's rainfall in the space of 24 hours.

"We were given no protection – not even sandbags.

"It was like having a waterfall coming through the garage and into the house. The water came to the top of the skirting boards.

"The damage to our home must have been around £25,000.

"We had to move out for six months and so did next door.

"The ground can't take it when it rains heavy. There's not enough drainage.

"A couple of weekends ago there was torrential rain and it came up to the top of my wellies. Two houses were flooded. All the neighbours were out sweeping the water away. We didn't get to bed until 1.45am.

"We have now been given sandbags but people keep pinching them."

Margaret's husband, Bob Churm said, at times, the cycle path had been turned into a river. "It was that bad last year, you could go canoeing in it," he said.

Neighbour Adrian Ballin-ger said: "Part of the problem is there is a broken pipe. We assume it's there to take the water down past our properties.

"All the authorities have done is made recommendations of what we can do ourselves. Those recommendations would cost me £4,000-£5,000. They're not doing anything themselves."

Stefan Czuplak, who lives at the top of the street, said his property had been flooded four times.

He said: "We've had two new housing estates been built over the past 10 years and another two are on the way. This compounds the problem – the hardground means the rainwater flows down into our street."

Fellow resident Jayne Pearce said the problems were extremely frustrating. "No one can move because no one can sell," she said.

A Derby City Council spokesman said the authority has applied for funding from the Environment Agency to address the flooding problems in Milton Close but would not say for how much money the council had applied.

POLICE are continuing to investigate an incident in which a city councillor's car was peppered with air pellets in a late-night shooting outside his home.

Officers will meet today with Balbir Sandhu to discuss the investigation.

The 55-year-old, who represents Normanton ward, was asleep in his bedroom when he heard the pellets smash the back windscreen of a BMW parked on his drive.

The incident happened at about midnight on Friday outside Mr Sandhu's home in Field Rise, Littleover.

A MAN who was mauled by a dog said that changes in the law regarding dangerous dogs needed to be made.

Stephen Toward backed proposed changes but said that prosecuting owners would be like "jailing the parents if a son kills someone."

Mr Toward, 59, suffered severe injuries after being attacked in 2009. He had bites on his arm, finger and chest when a dog attacked him as he left his Chaddesden home.

Before the attack, Mr Toward was getting over the cancer he had been diagnosed with in 2006.

He said: "I also contracted encephalitis and although the doctors couldn't prove that it was due to the dog attack, I think it was all linked. I was getting better and doing okay before I was attacked."

Mr Toward has been left disabled because of the attack and cannot work.

He said: "I spent a lot of time in hospital and didn't know who my wife or children were, I had to learn to wash myself again and could not read or write.

"I'm angry about how the attack left me and how it has affected my life. I have very strong feelings but you have to live with it. The worst thing is that I cannot work."

The Government has put proposals for higher jail terms out to consultation.

For owners whose dogs kill their victims, life imprisonment is an option, while 10 years is the maximum term suggested for injuring a person or killing an assistance dog, like a guide dog for the blind.

The new consultation will run to September 1 and will be used to inform recommendations put forward in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill.

Sixteen people have been killed by dangerous dogs since 2005. There are 210,000 attacks and more than 6,000 hospital visits caused by dangerous dogs each year.

FAMILIES have condemned proposals for parking permits in a swathe of city streets, described by one resident as "money-grabbing".

One driver said he was appalled to learn he may face charges of £75 a year just to park his two cars outside his home.

Gary Slater, of Franchise Street, said he could not see why he should have to "pay to park outside his own house".

He said: "The street is never chock-a-block so I don't see the point. And some people in this area can't afford it."

Edvinas Lingys, 23, of Peet Street, said he shared his home with three others who all needed cars.

He said: "We all have jobs that we need the cars to get to. This would be another expense for us and I want it to stay free."

John Noland, 75, of Spring Street, said: "We already pay our rates. It's just another way of the council grabbing more money."

But Simon Bradshaw, 45, of Spring Street, was among those who said it was a "good idea" and he would be willing to pay.

He said: "When the students come in September sometimes you can't park at all and you might have to park as far away as Stockbrook Street."

For the first year they would be free. Then the council says it will decide, with the help of residents, if the scheme should continue, with charges introduced.

The current prices for similar schemes in the city are £25 for one vehicle and £50 for each additional vehicle, with sheets of four visitor permits costing 80p each.

The council is consulting in Stockbrook Street, Pelham Street, Spring Street, Copperleaf Close, Farm Street, Sun Street, Pittar Street, May Street, Ridding Street, Woods Lane, Crown Street, Sherwood Street, Ward Street, Peet Street, Parliament Street, Olive Street, Franchise Street, and Freehold Street.

A council spokeswoman said the authority was "responding directly to concerns raised by residents in the area". People are being asked to give views on the proposals which will then be presented to Abbey ward neighbourhood board so it can "establish if there is sufficient support to implement the scheme".

Councillor Asaf Afzal, chairman of Abbey Neighbourhood Board, said: "The neighbourhood board has identified this as a priority for this year and welcomes residents' views on the proposals."

Parking permits are already in use in nearby Drewry Lane, Wolfa Street, King Alfred Street, Werburgh Street, Lynton Street, Bakewell Street and Jackson Street.

A CITY takeaway is under Government investigation after a raid found it employed immigrants with no right to work in the UK.

The owner of city centre USA Fried Chicken admitted to immigration officials he had paid staff in cash and had seen no papers proving they were entitled to work.

It emerged Wab Ashouri also did not have the necessary food licence and, though he then obtained one, police have now prompted a review of whether he should keep it.

A statement from Derby's police chief, Superintendent Gary Parkin, said: "At the time of the execution of the warrant, Mr Ashouri was uncooperative and seemed to have a total disregard with regards to the employment of his staff, complying with the Immigration Act and adhering to the Licensing Act."

The Home Office has confirmed an investigation into what happened is ongoing.

Mr Parkin's statement said Mr Ashouri could be fined up to £20,000.

And the incident has even prompted comment from Immigration Minister Mark Harper. He said: "Operations like this are carried out every day to stamp out illegal working.

"We are sending a clear message to employers who choose to use illegal labour: we will find you and you will pay a heavy penalty.

"Illegal working undercuts legitimate businesses and is often linked to exploitative behaviour such as tax evasion and harmful working conditions.

"We will not allow the growth of a shadow economy for illegal migrants."

Immigration officers swooped on the takeaway in Osmaston Road on April 19.

One male member of staff escaped on foot and was lost in Derby following a chase.

But he was detained in Dover three days later.

Another man was detained and arrested at the takeaway. Both from Afghanistan, they are expected to be deported.

Mr Ashouri, who is also originally from Afghanistan, said he was now following immigration guidelines and that he hadn't known much about opening a business when he started out.

He said: "I feel I should have been given more help when I opened up. Nobody told me about business rates, for example. I just thought you get your business, you pay the landlord, and that's it – there's your business."

Supt Parkin's statement said Mr Ashouri had "informed officers that he paid his staff in cash and he hadn't seen any documents giving his workers permission to work in the UK".

It said Mr Ashouri had said he took over the business in February.

A police spokeswoman said yesterday that, at the time of the raid, Mr Ashouri did not have a licence to sell food late at night.

She said: "We told him to apply for one immediately and he didn't for almost two months."

She added that all the problems combined led to the police asking the council to "review the licence with a view to either adding conditions to it or revoking it completely".

The Home Office's UK Border Agency said it did not hold regional figures but that, in 2012-13, its officers made 14,000 enforcement visits to businesses.

They found 5,000 "illegal working operations" which led to 4,500 arrests.

THE owner of USA Fried Chicken, Wab Ashouri, said he may have to close if his licence to serve food late at night was revoked.

And he added that he could not pay the up-to-£20,000 fine he may face for employing two immigration offenders with no permission to work in the UK.

Mr Ashouri said: "I don't think I deserve to have my licence revoked. Friday and Saturday night covers our costs for the week and the council knows how expensive business rates are in the area – nearly £6,000 a month."

He added: "If I had known what I needed to do, I would have done it."

Mr Ashouri said he had come from Holland to the UK in 2008, having been born in Afghanistan.

He said the two men he had been employing, who had no permission to work in the UK, were also from Afghanistan.

Mr Ashouri, 22, said he took over the takeaway in February, and did not know anything about immigration rules until the raid.

A CONTROVERSIAL new housing scheme could take place near tar pits.

The Cinderhill site in Denby is the proposed place for development by Fisher German.

Up to 170 houses could be built on the site, which has long been earmarked for development.

The land is owned by Locko Park Estates.

The site has met with controversy in the past due to its closeness to tar pits.

The most recent approved planning application on the land, for 300 homes and 30 hectares of employment land, was later quashed by the High Court.

The decision followed a legal challenge.

Jonathan Hunt, who lives in the area, sent a sample of the soil and water at the pits to Greenpeace in 2006.

The results indicated high levels of chemicals and, according to Dr Kevin Brigden at Greenpeace, raised "cause for concern".

Mr Hunt said he had made these results public only recently because of the potential development of the site.

He claimed: "There is a definite need to conduct a full site investigation to find out where the contamination has spread to before an effective clean-up can be undertaken."

And Mr Hunt claimed the proposed development site was "highly contaminated".

Although initial development by Fisher German will not be directly on the tar pits, it has pledged that any building will include "remediation of the tar pits and any contamination issues identified on the site".

The development has recently been under public consultation prior to a planning application being submitted this autumn.

In 2007 the Environment Agency was responsible for regulating part of the Cinderhill site.

It had fencing erected around the pits to prevent people coming into contact with the tar.

Derek Stafford, Amber Valley Borough Council's assistant director for planning and regeneration, said a previous application on the site for 300 homes and 30 hectares of employment land was expected to be withdrawn.

Mr Stafford said: "The difficulty facing Fisher German, or anyone else who may wish to submit a planning application for the development of only part of the site, is how they would be able to secure the remediation of the tar pits as well as the provision of improvements to the surrounding road infrastructure and other infrastructure and community benefits necessary in conjunction with development.

"The council is continuing to work with the Commercial Estates Group in relation to the potential development of the whole of the site on a comprehensive basis, including how development can secure the successful remediation of the tar pits."

A PAEDOPHILE was jailed for nine years and told by a judge that his victim's life had been blighted.

Six years of abuse only ended when she was in her mid-teens, leaving her suicidal and feeling helpless, a court heard.

Judge Andrew Hamilton told 65-year-old Peter Widdowson: ''She has been robbed of her childhood. I am afraid there is nothing I can do to give that back.

''It was a most awful experience – there was nothing she could do to avoid it. Nobody can blame her whatsoever. She must feel no guilt whatsoever.''

Widdowson, of Brookside, Belper, admitted six charges of sexual abuse ending in 1992.

He was put on the Sex Offenders' Register and banned from unsupervised contact with any girl under 16.

Gareth Gimson, prosecuting, said in a statement, the victim said: "I can remember saying 'stop it' but he kept going.

''He just ignored me when I said 'stop it.'

"I just could not escape him.''

Mr Gimson told Nottingham Crown Court the victim was left feeling suicidal and described ''several times she wanted to die''.

He said: ''Her childhood was stolen from her. It scarred other relationships.

''She was feeling violated, terrified and terribly disempowered. He was initially trying to make it some sort of game.''

Gurdial Singh, for Widdowson, said he was not involved in religion at the time of the offences but told the judge: ''In 2000, he found God.

''He is now a religious man. He accepts he is going to go into custody and has come here with a bag today.

"He stands by his faith which has enabled him to come to terms with his criminality.

''He entered prompt guilty pleas at the first opportunity. He entered those pleas and avoided any trial.

''He is someone who is well thought of. He knows he is going to be punished,'' added Mr Singh.

Widdowson had no previous convictions.

Detective Constable Emily Town, who investigated the case, said: ''I praise the bravery of the victim for finding the courage to come forward.

"I hope the sentence will allow her to put this behind her and move forward with her life.

''Being sent to prison reflects the severity of the crime. Derbyshire police always take reports of sexual abuse very seriously and offences like this, which were committed many years ago, will be investigated thoroughly,'' she added.

During the hearing, the judge said Widdowson had to be sentenced under old laws because of the dates of the offences. It meant a ten-year term was the maximum.

But now the normal range of prison terms was between 11 and 17 years.

The judge added: ''It indicates the serious nature Parliament takes of people who commit this type of offence.''

THE lure of a low deposit on a beautiful family home proved impossible to resist for civil servant Adam Wilkins, who jumped at the chance to take his first step onto the property ladder.

Thanks to the Government's Help to Buy shared equity scheme, Adam, 24, and his 21-year-old girlfriend Charlotte Lister could easily afford a new three-bedroomed home at Taylor Wimpey's Briars Chase development in Ilkeston.

Help to Buy enables first-time buyers like Adam and those looking to move on from an existing property to purchase their new home for 80% of its full price, including a deposit as low as 5%.

With a 75% loan-to-value mortgage all that is required, customers can take advantage of a wider range of competitive deals from lenders, and the more affordable monthly mortgage repayments they offer.

Adam says: "There's no way we would have been able to afford a house like this without Help to Buy. We were looking at two-bedroom properties but then we heard about the incentive at Briars Chase and that opened our eyes to what was possible.

"We have ended up spending far less on a deposit than we had originally budgeted for so we have been able to go out and furnish it exactly how we wanted and buy some nice things for our new house."

Adam and Charlotte are now happily living in their three-bedroomed Denby home and are looking forward to settling down to enjoy life at Briars Chase.

"It's the first time either of us has owned our own home and we're really excited to be in," says Adam. "I'd definitely recommend Help to Buy to others who think a new home may be out of their reach. It makes it so much easier.

"Previously, we were looking at places where we would perhaps live for two or three years then move on but, this way, we've got somewhere to stay for 10 years or more."

Adam has also been impressed with the location of Briars Chase.

"I know the area pretty well as I've been living in Ilkeston anyway but I'm really impressed with Briars Chase, it's perfect for us and has a great feel to it. I've lived in Taylor Wimpey homes before and really like their style and layout. My grandfather worked for them as well so it's great to now own a Taylor Wimpey home myself."

Help to Buy involves a Government loan of up to 20% and is available on new-build properties up to the value of £600,000, with no salary cap for purchasers taking advantage of the initiative.

There's a superb selection of homes currently available at Briars Chase, including two-bedroom apartments from £84,995 and four-bedroom townhouses from £160,995.

All homes at Briars Chase are completed to a high standard. Call 0116 2816470 or visit www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/eastmids.

@DerbyTelegraph dreamliner and spitfire flying over Long Eaton #RollsRoyce#derbypic.twitter.com/QASn5UWRoU

— Adam Redfern (@AdamRedfern93) August 8, 2013

Thanks to @British_Airways for flying their #Dreamliner over Derby this morning - my little boy was so excited! http://t.co/HthPtNsesX

— Kerry Vanessa Ganly (@KerryGanly) August 8, 2013

@DerbyTelegraph dreamliner and spitfire flying over Long Eaton #RollsRoyce#derbypic.twitter.com/QASn5UWRoU

— Adam Redfern (@AdamRedfern93) August 8, 2013

Thanks to @British_Airways for flying their #Dreamliner over Derby this morning - my little boy was so excited! http://t.co/HthPtNsesX

— Kerry Vanessa Ganly (@KerryGanly) August 8, 2013

HOUSEHOLDERS on a Normanton street have called for a crackdown on fly-tippers after a bin full of chicken livers, a pile of asbestos and three sofas were dumped outside their homes.

They praised the council for its swift response once the rubbish was reported in Woolrych Street.

But residents said they want more done to stop it from happening again.

The council says it expects the situation to improve as it is recruiting more enforcement officers.

Dawn Gee, from the Normanton Empowerment Team (NET), which reported the issue on Tuesday, said one person told her organisation it was "the same day in, day out", and is "desperately trying to find another house so his family can move away".

Yesterday afternoon she said that the asbestos was still in the street.

Mrs Gee said: "I appreciate that the council has cleared most of the waste quickly – but no one should have to open their front door to face this.

"It is a serious health risk. Local residents advised us that the settees arrived in the middle of the night and the chicken livers had been there for a few days. The smell was horrendous."

Mrs Gee added: "The NET team have been campaigning for enforcements to be carried out for a number of years now and nothing has happened."

Amreen Razzaq, 25, of Woolrych Street, said it would have taken a lot longer in the past for the waste to be cleared up. But she said: "It happens a lot on the street – sofa, black bags, sometimes rotting food. More needs to be done about it."

Martin Bicknall, 23, said the regular fly-tipping was "annoying" and that people should be thinking about the safety of children in the street.

Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa, cabinet member for planning, environment and public protection, said the new enforcement roles, known as "neighbourhood officers", were being recruited now.

He said: "They will be able to target people who are not recycling properly or fly-tipping and then work through the process of engagement and enforcement."

Mr Dhindsa said that, in the past, officers might have spent two or three weeks dealing with rubbish problems in an area but that, when they had to move on, the issues would come back.

He said: "With increased numbers, we are hoping to have a more consistent engagement and enforcement process."

Mr Dhindsa said he encouraged residents to keep working with the council and to report fly-tipping incidents.

THE fast-rising Mazda brand has now joined Subaru and MG at Beechwood (Derby) Ltd. Understandably, there's plenty of excitement at its arrival on the part of the team at its Siddals Road dealership.

With a line-up of ultra- stylish, world-class new models released recently, such as the stylish Mazda6 and CX-5 featuring SKYACTIVE Technology, it's a great time for Beechwood to be joining Mazda's UK dealer network.

This is the manufacturer that produces one of the world's favourite sports cars, the Mazda MX-5, which offers superb handling and real-world running costs and sells very strongly in every market around the world.

And the release of the impressive all-new Mazda3 with SKYACTIVE Technology is also just around the corner – and judging by the praise this sporty family hatchback has been receiving it's destined for great success.

You can now find the entire Mazda range on display at Beechwood Mazda, where the dealership's workshop facilities are now being upgraded to include the very latest Mazda diagnostic systems and service tooling so that full Mazda after-sales care can be provided.

Beechwood (Derby) Ltd has come a long way since 1982 when the company was established by Mike Wood, who started his working life as an apprentice mechanic in 1959 working for his uncle at Kerry's Garage in Smalley.

In 1962, Mike moved to Godfrey Street Motors in Heanor as a fully trained technician. After only 14 days, the proprietor asked Mike to become the workshop foreman, a role he held for three years until the business relocated to Raynesway, Derby.

Mike was then made service manager and the company took on the Toyota and Honda franchises. He quickly learned the organisational and management skills needed to control 10 mechanics in a large, busy workshop.

In 1970, Mike seized the opportunity to become a director of Woodford Cars, the franchise holder for Saab and Mazda in Mickleover. He left in 1982 to set up the Beechdale Motor Group in Nottingham, a company that became highly successful from the moment it started trading with Saab in September of that year from Beechdale Road in Nottingham.

In 1984, he bought a second Nottingham property in Talbot Street, which initially became the home of Fiat and then later Saab. In 1993, the Chrysler-Jeep Franchise was added at Beechdale Road, then in 1997 the next major development was the acquisition of the Saab franchise in Derby.

Subaru Isuzu was added in Derby late in 1998 and in October 2000 the company relocated both its Nottingham operations to a superb three-acre site in Lenton Lane in the city, where Subaru-Isuzu was added to the company's portfolio.

In 2004, Mike Wood took a well-earned retirement and to facilitate a smooth transition the Nottingham business was sold and the Derby Saab dealership passed into the capable hands of Mike's sons, John and Robert, trading under the new name of Beechwood (Derby) Ltd.

Today, this dealership continues to thrive thanks to its acknowledged high levels of customer care. Of course, the Subaru-Isuzu and MG franchises have played a part in its success, along with Saab after-care. The arrival of Mazda is certain to bring even more business to its site in Siddals Road.

In charge of the sales team is general sales manager, Kerry Poole. She has been with the Mazda brand since August 2005 when she started her employment with a company in Stoke-on-Trent as a sales executive. Kerry's career has taken her to several dealerships and has seen her rise through the ranks from sales executive and relief business manager to sales controller, new car sales manager, used car sales manager and now general sales manager.

Kerry is now proud to return to the brand she knows and loves at Beechwood Mazda, where with more than eight years' Mazda franchise experience, she will help ensure a smooth transition with the introduction of Mazda to the dealership.

Check out the exciting Mazda range at Beechwood Mazda at 8 Siddals Road, Derby (DE1 2QD), and prepare to be mightily impressed with what you find. Call 01332 381900 or click on to www.beechwoodmazda. co.uk to find out more.

Toyota's improved Aygo city car has sharpened up its act in the face of tough competition. Jonathan Crouch gets behind the wheel.

THE urban environment is tough on small city cars, but few are better equipped to deal with it than Toyota's Aygo. Around since 2005, it's been much improved in recent times, with a fresh range of models and the usual sharp running cost efficiency. In short, there's plenty of life in it yet.

First impressions are promising. You sit fairly high in the car, all-round visibility is good and all of the controls are within reach. Pop the key in, fire up the ignition and the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine settles back to a modest background thrum. Toyota reckons this is still the world's lightest production engine, and the whole car weighs in at just 800kg, which means that the 67bhp you have available to you doesn't feel as underwhelming as it looks on paper.

The spec sheet will tell you that this car will reach a top speed of 98mph and get to 60mph from standstill in 14.2 seconds. What it won't tell you is how nippy the car feels off the line, how it can change direction so quickly and how easy it is to park. It genuinely does feel idiot-proof and if you specify it with the optional MultiMode semi-automatic transmission, you won't even have to worry about a clutch pedal.

It's in town that this car excels. The turning circle is just 4.73m, so throwing a sneaky U-turn to bag a parking spot is simplicity itself. It also means you can nudge into the very meanest parking spaces.

This car may have been around since 2005, but it still looks reasonably fresh. As ever, the wheel-at-each corner proportions look just right and the facelifted front end isn't trying too hard either. These and other tweaks – a wider front bumper with integrated foglights at each corner and a big trapezoidal air intake, a more slender upper front grille and a revised bonnet design – makes it look less cutesy than before and a little more grown-up.

There aren't many companies that are as pragmatic as Toyota. It seems to come up with an eminently sensible solution to any challenge and in the Aygo, it has a city car that for years was the best in its class. And today? Well, it may not suit you if you're a city-car buyer always after the latest thing. If, though, you research your buying decision, then this is a little runabout that starts to make all sorts of sense.

It isn't perfect of course; there could be more room, both in the boot and for those on the back seat. But buyers will be more interested in running costs that are still top class in this segment. And it'll be a nice bonus that the Aygo is fun to drive. The 1.0-litre engine still has real character, the interior looks appealingly cheeky and residuals remain right up there with the best.

TRY to justify a reason for buying a Beetle over a Golf on purely rational grounds and you'll find yourself batting on an extremely sticky wicket.

Where the Beetle does score as a used buy is as a cheap and cheerful fun car, shamelessly revelling in the attention while still offering reliable, modern motoring.

It might not attract the crowds or cause the slack-jawed stupefaction it did when it was launched, but a Beetle will still put a smile on many drivers' faces.

An early left-hand drive manual best fits this bill, although residual values will be better with a more conventional (albeit newer) right-hand drive model. Worthy successor or sad pastiche? Dump the historical baggage, forget the Sixties ever existed and the 'new' Beetle suddenly seems worth it for the fun car it is.