MEMORIES of his own childhood as a schoolboy footballer were evoked for former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton when he visited Derby this weekend.

He was paying a flying visit to meet fledgling footballers from Allestree Juniors FC as part of the 2014 FA and McDonald's Community Awards.

Allestree Juniors has won the Derbyshire FA Charter Standard Development Club Award for the past two years and nominations have now opened for this season.

The visit was arranged by McDonald's franchisee Tim Dobbs as part of the link-up between the football club and company.

Mr Shilton, who played for Derby County from 1987 to 1992, said he was delighted to be able to spend some time coaching and speaking with the youngsters.

He said: "Working with players at grass roots level is so important and the earliest days are a time in my life I remember with fondest memories.

"I remember being the same age as these players and picking up my kit on a Friday night, carrying out the goalposts on a Saturday and getting the kit washed ready for the next time.

"I was lucky to join one of the biggest boys' clubs in the country at Blaby, in Leicester, and then being spotted by Leicester City at the young age of 10 and playing at schoolboy international level. Clubs like this one are so important for helping children to enjoy football at all levels and to give parents help and advice.

"Only a few children go on to become full-time players and it is important that parents don't try to live their lives through their children and push them. They should be allowed to enjoy their sport."

Mr Shilton spent time having his photograph taken with some parents who stayed to watch, as well as the players, and also spent time coaching the youngsters in goalkeeping techniques.

Parent Sharon Magas, of Allestree, whose son Dan attends the football club and plays in the under-sevens' team, thought it was "great" that Mr Shilton had paid a visit.

She said: "Although they may not know him from his playing days, he is known by his reputation, especially among parents.

"It was interesting to see more dads here today than usual.

"The club is great for the kids and Dan is really enjoying playing with them."

Club secretary Claire Brandon has the task of ensuring that all the teams have regular fixtures and places to practice.

She said: "We met with Peter Shilton on the artificial pitch at the University of Derby but, in reality, our teams train in many different places, such as Mackworth and Woodlands School, in Allestree.

"It's a boost for the club to be hosting a famous player and adds to the prestige we have had from winning the Derbyshire FA award for the past two years."

One former Derby man had an unexpected bonus on a week-long trip he was making from New York, where he now lives.

Trevor Whittingham, a die-hard Derby County fan, heard that Mr Shilton was in the city from his nephew, a member of Allestree Juniors.

Mr Whittingham said: "It was amazing that, during my trip, I should get to meet my all-time favourite England goalkeeper.

"He was very pleasant and seemed genuinely interested to hear that I happened to be back in Derby visiting my mother. I can't believe it. I really enjoy football and listen to the Rams on the internet every time they play."

Teenage Belper director James Postlethwaite has just returned from Hollywood where he mixed with film executives in the hope of cutting a deal to film a pilot show in America.

AS A kid I dreamt of going to Hollywood, thinking maybe I'd be 30 or 40 when it would come true. But I had no idea I would be only 18 when I would be mixing in the film industry.

As a television director, I'm always on the lookout for inspiring creatives and unusual and awe-inspiring locations. But most of all, the thing I love to discover the most is culture, something America is full of.

On the first day we landed, I took a walk down Hollywood Boulevard and I can't even put into words how it felt. It's a truly incredible place, one that certainly can't be summed up in any way, shape or form.

One minute you're treading on the stars of the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Denzel Washington and Nicolas Cage and before you can take another five steps you're being asked for 75 cents for a cup of coffee.

Something struck me as cruel about the nature of Hollywood. It's the place that's so broadly known for making dreams and being the land of the famous but at the same time it's a rather heartless place if you have very little.

I took on some fantastic filming projects, including a Spanish dub film called Oculto (Hidden), a time-lapse in Beverly Hills and a fantastic film-noir style film called 'Forgotten', starring Darren Stanton.

I was also part of a larger UK group pitching a reality series idea to one of the biggest reality production companies in the US.

I thought I knew what feeling nervous felt like – turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. Walking into that production company meeting and sitting down with executives who have the power to change your life was spectacular.

I went into the meeting thinking "Stay calm, you've rehearsed this a hundred times in front of the bathroom mirror".

My work colleague Darren Stanton and I had sat down the evening before, having a coffee at about 11pm on Sunset Boulevard – an experience in itself. We discussed the best possible outcome from the meeting.

We said that if we could at least gain interest or meet a few contacts that we could utilise in the future, then it would have certainly have been a trip well spent.

In the end, I don't think I could have been any more pleased with the results that we achieved.

A US executive producer, famous for working on the likes of The X Factor USA and Storage Hunters, and two other famous executives said "Hell yeah, I love it" after hearing our ideas.

Since then we've been in deep discussion with US producers and an independent production company with the view of shooting a pilot in 2014. It's hugely uplifting to be told that an idea you've shaped from nothing is now in a position to be invested in.

Towards the end of the first week I got a fantastic chance to have a tour and network with people at all the major studios including Warner Bros, Universal, Sony Pictures and Paramount, while taking time out to enjoy some great studio experiences on shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live!

In the second week, I took a drive out to the Mojave Desert, going up through Lancaster, Rosamond and into Mojave.

It was such a beautiful drive and I got a great chance to visit and check out the Mojave Air and Space Port, a beautiful and vast aircraft boneyard that's been used in countless films and television series. It was most famous for being used in Robbie Williams' music video to his 2009 hit "Bodies".

It's the little things that make you smile – paying $20 for six gallons of gas and waiting ten minutes for it to fill up while it's pumped from the desert. Talking to a local who's been a resident of Mojave for 65 years and describes it as a relationship with sand, wind and silence. And standing on the sandy hillsides and seeing no signs of life for miles.

That's when you think to yourself what a special place you've made it to and how lucky you are to be here.

America certainly ticked all the boxes.

It's pretty awesome to say at the age of 18 you've worked and directed films in Hollywood, shot on location in the Mojave Desert and been on practically every single major motion picture set from films spanning over 50 years.

I stood on the sets of internationally renowned films and TV series such as Friends, War of the Worlds, The Wizard of Oz, Batman, Bruce Almighty and Dirty Harry.

And that's when I knew I couldn't do any other career in the world and how grateful I was that someone led me to being here.

Spending five weeks directing and filming on location in Los Angeles was the most amazing experience.

I've come back with a wealth of opportunities, contacts and memories that I will retain forever.

Now it's back into the scripting stage to work on my next 2014 job, a feature called Cerebrum focusing on the memory process and its retentions – never a dull moment.

A RETIRED boxer donned his gloves for one last fight in the name of his deaf daughter.

Adam Walters, of Oregon Way, Chaddesden, raised more than £1,000 for the National Deaf Children's Society in the fight. His seven-month-old daughter, Caitlyn, was born profoundly deaf.

Adam, 32, a self-employed joiner, also managed to retain his EBF Midlands cruiserweight title in the fight against Shane Sloman.

His partner and Caitlyn's mum, Melissa McGrath, was there to watch Adam on the night and collect donations from a generous crowd.

She said: "We are both able to hear, so it was a real shock when we found out Caitlyn was deaf.

"When she was born, she failed twice on the newborn hearing test. Then, three weeks later, they confirmed she was deaf. I was just waiting for someone to tell me they were only joking!"

But Melissa said she and Adam have adjusted quickly to their daughter's condition. She said: "Adam and I sign to her and she's already learned the sign for daddy.

"It took us about a week of crying but then we just got on with it. We don't even see her as deaf now.

"Everything does take a lot longer with Caitlyn. You need to have eye-to-eye contact with her before you sign and other people in the family have to understand that too."

Melissa said Adam hung up his boxing gloves after Caitlyn's birth. She said: "It just used to take up so much of his time."

Melissa said she and Adam chose to support the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) as the organisation had provided them with much advice and help since they found out about their daughter's condition.

She said: "NDCS are so amazing. Everything they do is for deaf children. The information and support they give you is unbelievable."

At the fight, the owner of Vintage Me Interiors in Nottingham offered to donate 10% of her profit for March and April to the charity.

Melissa, 34, said: "The generosity of people on the night had me in tears. People just pulled together at the fight to help us. People were just so kind, the whole night was all about Caitlyn."

FOLLOWING the long running battle over the closed circuit cycle track (CCCT) on part of The Sanctuary, the long-term leisure strategy of the city council to improve the health and fitness of the residents of Derby by providing top-class sporting facilities may have become overlooked.

The plans to establish two central sports hubs along with improved neighbourhood sports centres were instigated by the last Conservative administration and continued by the current Labour-led council.

The Multi Sports Arena, incorporating a velodrome, at Pride Park will (hopefully) be complemented by an Olympic-sized pool complex at Riverlights in the city centre.

As politicians, both at local and national level, are often criticised for being too short-sighted, it is good that Derby should soon benefit from two world-class sporting facilities that I confidently predict will produce many local Olympians over the coming years.

Moving on to the issue of the CCCT itself, some people have queried why you need an outdoor track if you have a brand new velodrome next door.

Riding a fixed-gear bike round the steeply banked track is not for the faint-hearted and the main use of the velodrome is geared towards competitive use by experienced cyclists.

However the CCCT will be used by a wide spectrum of riders, from schoolchildren taking part in the excellent training provided by Cycle Derby, to inexperienced adults building up their confidence, inline skaters and disabled athletes who can all benefit from the quiet traffic-free environment not currently available.

The design of the track includes an earth bank to screen it from the rest of the reserve so the disturbance will be kept to a minimum.

It would also need to be surrounded by fencing to prevent people or animals straying across it whilst in use, making it unsuitable for alternative sites, such as Alvaston Park.

I respect the views of the opponents to the siting of the track in the LNR and applaud Derbyshire Wildlife Trust for their passion and organisation but profoundly believe the advantages outweigh the loss of habitat at The Sanctuary.

However, the green wedge along the banks of the River Derwent still includes large areas of undeveloped brownfield sites, such as Chaddesden Sidings, that could be developed with the co-operation of the landowners in a way that is sympathetic to the needs of the local wildlife.

I hope the DWT, even if they lose the battle over the CCCT, win the war over the future of the Derwent corridor for the benefit of the local wildlife.

One consequence of the amount of publicity given to this particular topic may be a greater awareness of the issues involved and I hope that more people will visit their local wildlife sites and get involved in conservation issues in the future.

The new Derby hospitals' medical director, Nigel Sturrock, has taken over the position from Alison Fowlie, who retired after 42 years in the NHS. He spoke about his hopes for the city's hospitals over the coming years.

PATIENTS at the Royal Derby Hospital could be forgiven for thinking Nigel Sturrock was a new doctor on the wards rather than a top boss of the trust.

Twice a week, the new medical director of Derby's hospitals plans to roll up his sleeves, work on the wards and treat patients.

He has already tried being on-call at the hospital's medical assessment unit, where patients are cared for before being moved on to specialist wards.

"I want to hear for myself what the issues are in the hospital and who better to hear it from than the patients themselves." said Dr Sturrock. "We already have the chief nurse and senior nurses at the Royal Derby Hospital going back to the wards and doing shifts for the same reason. It's a good idea.

"It also gives me the advantage of seeing what is going on in the wards for myself and for staff to see me, get to know me and be able to access me. I'm looking forward to getting in the thick of it."

Dr Sturrock joined the city's hospitals trust – which runs the Royal Derby and London Road Community hospitals – from Nottingham in January. He will take over the role of medical director this month. He replaces Alison Fowlie, who retired in February from the position she had held for five years and after 42 years in the NHS.

Dr Sturrock said: "Alison will be a tough act to follow but the good thing about being here before she retired was that she was able to show me around and teach me everything I need to know about the role.

"And while I was in this privileged position, I was also able to spend time three or four times a week in the medical assessment unit in January and do some of the clinical work I mentioned.

"So it's been a fantastic start and the whole hospital is incredibly friendly. It's unusual for the new medical director not to be someone already from the hospital but everyone has been really welcoming."

Dr Sturrock, 49, who trained as a consultant physician, qualified as a doctor from Dundee University in 1988, after obtaining a degree in medical sciences in 1985.

He was appointed consultant physician at Nottingham City Hospitals NHS Trust in 1997 and became a clinical director there in 2001.

In 2006, the city's two hospitals merged to form Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and, from 2007, Nigel was appointed clinical director for acute medicine at the new trust.

Dr Sturrock said: "What attracted me to come to Derby was that, in many ways, it is a cracking hospital.

"Of course it's not without its problems and, like a lot of hospitals, it faces challenges with its finances and making sure it delivers quality performance.

"But, at the same, it actually provides some services which are not only good, but a beacon for all that is good in the NHS."

Dr Sturrock said one example of this was the way Derby's hospitals helped patients suffering with diabetes.

In July last year, the trust won a national healthcare award for its system of getting diabetic patients to see specialist doctors, nurses, dieticians and other support teams all under one roof.

He said: "The system also means the trust and the city's GPs work together.

"So patients can get a lot of the help they need from the GP and don't have to keep coming into hospital.

"Or, if they do, we arrange it so they can see everyone they need in one go, without repeat hospital visits.

"To see something like this expand, and to see this kind of idea used across other hospitals, would be great.

"I think the issue going forward is that the traditional hospital model is not necessarily the way forward and, like our diabetes services, we need to be thinking at how we can integrate services.

"This means, if you have one patient with a number of conditions, looking at whether they need to come into hospital to see the lung disease specialist, the diabetes specialist and so on, or if someone can come out to you in the community."

But Dr Sturrock said this needed to be done against what he described as "the financially toughest times" he had seen in his career.

He said: "There has been a shift change in the NHS and, in the last year, an important drive to put patients and quality first.

"But at the same, this is against being aware of finances, targets and so on and this means the ideas we need to have to move forward need to cost that little bit less.

"It's a challenge across the whole of the NHS but that's why those ideas which will make things better and easier for patients are so important."

THE youngest children at Derby's Muslim free school have moved into new classrooms after the Government agreed changes must be made.

The primary pupils at Al-Madinah School have swapped an office block in Friar Gate, with no safe outdoor space, for several large airy rooms and a playground area at Midland House, in Nelson Street.

The move comes after a damning inspection report called for the closure of the secondary section of the school and a decision that the primary accommodation in Norman House, Friar Gate, was not suitable.

Since last September, the children have been unable to play outside because of health and safety concerns. This led to many parents of the 180 children complaining that their youngsters were staying indoors all day and watching DVDs at lunch and break times to keep them amused.

Additionally, the classroom areas were large open spaces, often preventing children in different classes from being able to hear the teacher because of noise from other pupils in different age groups.

As early as last December, it was being suggested that the primary children should move to the school's secondary site at Midland House.

Plans were put in place to make the move with proposals to create a new play area and fit out a suite of classrooms and a dining area adjacent to each other and separate from the secondary section.

The result is a series of light, airy spaces, which even after only a few days looked as if they had been the children's classrooms for far longer.

The walls are adorned with children's artwork and brightly-coloured posters.

The move has been engineered by Barry Day, chief executive of education charity Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust.

The trust stepped in at the request of the Government after Al-Madinah School hit the headlines last year.

Its poor standard of education – across both the primary and secondary age ranges – resulted in it being placed in special measures following a damning report from Ofsted.

The Government intervened, ordered a financial inquiry and, it is believed, considered shutting the school.

But the request from Schools Minister Lord Nash to Mr Day led him to get involved. He declined to adopt the school into his trust's family of schools but has been giving time to creating an action plan for Al-Madinah School.

He also become chairman of the school's new trust board when it was set up on February 1.

As a result, Lord Nash announced he would be closing the secondary section of the school at the end of the summer term, giving the primary section a chance to carry on.

The news has had a mixed reception among parents of pupils at the school, who are still campaigning to keep the secondary section open.

But another new trust board member, Arshed Ahmed, secretary of the school's parents and friends association, said his son was delighted with the new primary section.

He said: "My son told me, 'Dad, you've done a good job'. Although it is not just me who has been involved, I am delighted with the new accommodation for the children.

"There's loads of natural light and a real feel-good factor. It's important that we get this just right because we want the children to be happy and to want to come to school."

Safeena Higgins is acting head of Al-Madinah School, and Suzanne Sutherland has been re-appointed as head of the primary section – a role she held when the school was first opened in September 2012 but later left.

Mrs Higgins said: "Everyone has settled in really well, both staff and teachers.

"Parents who have called in are also very impressed and pleased that we are continuing with our Islamic ethos.

"As well as taking the form of Islamic studies and pupils learning Arabic as a modern foreign language, it also affects manners and behaviour and a 'take care' attitude.

"As well as the classrooms, we have a large hall and, in the long term, will have a games area outdoors."

Mr Day is delighted with how the move has gone from one site to another.

He said: "The staff have been so supportive during the move, which we have been able to make without any problems and in record time.

"It is important that old inappropriate buildings are not used as schools."

Mr Day is pleased that parents have shown faith with the school and not taken their primary-age children out, although many secondary pupils have started to leave.

He said: "We had two extra pupils join us during the February half term and I expect to be over-subscribed for September and for more than 60 children to want to come.

"In the meantime, we have to make sure that the next monitoring report by Ofsted, due before Easter, shows improvement is taking place."

Two more members are due to join the trust board in the near future, bringing the total to six.

One will be a professional person and the other from Derby City Council.

Mr Day added: "We have managed to eradicate the need for supply teachers, which the school was surviving on at one time, and we are looking forward to moving forward at a steady pace.

"Mr Nash has indicated that, if we get the primary school right, then a secondary school could return in a few years' time.

"It's up to us to drive on and ensure the school is outstanding as soon as possible."

Lynne Brighouse previews An Evening of Burlesque at the Assembly Rooms on March 21.

IT would appear that Bettsie Bonbon, who stars in An Evening of Burlesque, is definitely "not just a pretty face".

Bettsie emerged from studying law at university with a very good degree and became an underwriter at Lloyds of London.

However, just a few years ago, she decided to concentrate on a career involving figures of a very different nature, becoming a full-time burlesque performer, and has never looked back.

Now also a teacher at the London Academy of Burlesque, Bettsie says: "There are so many misconceptions regarding what a burlesque show is all about. It's very tongue in cheek and I think more people are realising that now. Burlesque is the Italian word for parody.''

The show sparkles with couture costumes recalling the golden eras of burlesque and delivers sultry vocals, breathtaking choreography, mischief, magic, frivolity and fun.

Now entering its fourth fabulous year of touring, this colourful extravaganza features the cream of the West End of London's thriving burlesque scene.

Bettsie says the show is committed to bringing every facet of the age-old art to the stage. This includes the production doffing its hat to the variety-infused Victorian origins of British burlesque.

She says: "Burlesque and variety, the two go hand in hand so expect the glamour and the girls in the show to be interspersed by outrageous speciality acts."

An Evening of Burlesque also keeps another surprise up its couture-crafted sleeve. Interestingly, women regularly outnumber men in auditoriums on An Evening of Burlesque's sell-out nationwide tour.

Bettsie says: "It's no surprise An Evening of Burlesque is such a hit with the ladies. It's a riot of feather boas, sparkly rhinestones, lace, organza, corsets, heels, capes and tassels."

Bettsie's contribution includes scenes entitled 50 Shades of Gold, Isis Queen, Baseball Pin-ups and Moulin Rouge.

She says: "Throughout the show, costumes are spectacularly, outrageously glamorous but it's all done with a nod and a wink."

Bettsie says that audiences buy into the fantasy. "We ensure that no one loses sight that underneath it all we're just normal girls playing a part. An Evening of Burlesque is a show where women hold the power."

It's an assertion that sounds all very right on you may think? However, Bettsie suggests that a quick scan of the auditorium on any An Evening of Burlesque performance reveals the truth. "It's not only the cast that get glammed up for the night," says Bettsie. "Burlesque-goers regularly dress for the occasion.

"It's all very liberating. Looking and feeling glamorous, there's no law against it."

And with Bettsie's academic background, she should know.

SEE THE SHOW

WHAT: An Evening Of Burlesque

WHERE: Assembly Rooms Derby

WHEN: Friday, March 21

ADMISSIONS: £22.50. Show open to over-18s only

TICKETS: Call 01332 255800 or visit www.derbylive.co.uk