DESPITE millions of sales worldwide, it may come as a surprise to learn that top crime and thriller novelist Peter James still gets a kick out of seeing his books on shop and library shelves.

By popular demand, and in response to many requests, Peter is on his way to Derby next week to share the story of his extremely successful writing career with fans in a 90-minute talk.

His most famous creation in recent years is probably detective Roy Grace and his series of books has now been translated into 35 languages across the world.

His most recent novels – Dead Like You, Dead Man's Grip and Not Dead Yet – went straight into the Sunday Times best-seller lists at No.1 in both hardback and paperback.

"But what really thrilled me and made me fist-pump the air was when Not Dead Yet toppled the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy off the No.1 paperback slot, ending its 25-week domination of the charts," said James wryly.

"But, generally, I do get a good feeling when I see my books in print."

Peter, an established film producer and script writer, was educated at Charterhouse then at film school. He lived in North America for a number of years, working as a screen writer and film producer before returning to England. He has produced numerous films, including The Merchant Of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes.

A television adaptation of Dead Simple from the Roy Grace series is in development, with Peter overseeing all aspects, including the scriptwriting. His tenth Roy Grace novel, Dead Man's Time, will be out in hardback in June ensuring that life remains very hectic for Peter.

He said: "I think it is really important to meet with people, especially when I have had requests to visit a place.

"I have never been to Derby before but I am looking forward to visiting, even though it will be a short visit."

Peter sets his Roy Grace novels in his home town of Brighton and, while some authors use real locations for their work, they also spend time concealing places by renaming them.

He said: "On the whole, I stick to the real places and names and it is possible to follow a map of the crime scenes around Brighton to see where I have set certain events.

"But I am careful to make sure that any house I use for a murder scene is not clearly identified, otherwise it might never sell again. And I usually invent the location of places such as bank vaults."

Unlike some authors and their main characters, Peter confesses to liking Roy Grace and admits there is a lot of himself in the fictional hero.

He said: "Roy can be quite outspoken and has subjects he likes to get on his high horse about. One of them was to do with care in hospitals – a bête noir for me – which I happily attacked.

"But I was invited to a county hospital and shown around and, since then, Roy has been a little less vociferous."

Books have always been a major love for Peter, who wanted to be an author from the age of seven.

"I used to write an essay of two or three pages at school, hand it in and wonder how easy it would be to write a book of 400 pages. I love libraries and I could hide away among books for ever.

"My social life revolves around my work as well and I can often be found researching while having lunch with the chief inspector."

Research is a big part of any book and one of Peter's most recent novels away from the Roy Grace series, and likely to be a feature film soon, is Perfect People.

It centres around genetic engineering and involved research at some of the foremost institutions in the USA, such as the California Institute of Technology, better known as Caltech.

Peter includes reference to Perfect People during his talk because it shows another side to his creativity.

But the good news for Roy Grace fans is he is destined to go on for a long time as Peter shows little sign of wanting to retire or kill him off.

Peter will be at Derby's Central Library on Monday at 7pm. Tickets cost £10 and advance booking is essential.

Bookings can be made at any city library and, for more information, call 01332 641701 or email central.library@ derby.gov.uk.

EVERY year, as Christmas fades and a chilly new year dawns, there is only one thing on Tim Baker's mind – Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide.

Since the age of 17, the 39-year-old Ashbourne born-and-bred Down'ard has been painting one of two balls required for the famous annual football clash, and this year is no exception.

"I'm painting it now by hand; it's on my lap," says Tim, happily taking a phone call mid-task. "I've got a couple of days off work to crack on with it."

Painting the ball is no simple task. "It takes about three weeks of solid work," says Tim, of George Street.

"I am very pleased with it this year. And, as artwork goes, I am very critical.

"I can't tell you what's on it. That will remain secret until it is revealed to the public."

Every ball is unique, featuring an intricate mix of designs and patterns in a vibrant mix of colours.

"Whoever is chosen to 'turn up' the ball briefs me on what they want and I create it using enamel paints. I sometimes help with ideas. It's not the easiest thing to decide what you want to have on the ball," says Tim.

This year's Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide takes place on February 12 and 13. Two painters work on a ball for each day, the other artist being Simon Hellaby.

"I usually paint for the Wednesday game and this year I am painting a ball for our local butcher Nigel Brown, who has been chosen to turn up the ball," says Tim. "Nigel is also vice-chairman of the Shrovetide organising committee.

"Turning up the ball is the greatest privilege Ashbourne can bestow on anyone. The honour is on a par with being given the freedom of a city.

"The organising committee decide who will turn it up each year and take on board suggestions. This year a local builder, John Tomkinson, will be turning up the ball on the Tuesday. He has played the game and goaled a ball in the past, which is not an easy thing to do."

Tim prefers to paint rather than get stuck into the massive scrummage as Up'ards and Down'ards (your "team" is decided by which side of the Henmore Brook you are born on) battle to goal the ball.

"It's too rough for me," says Tim. "I've never played."

Nevertheless, his dedication to the game will mean his name is woven into the history of an annual event that has made Ashbourne famous the world over.

"My involvement is all down to a former chairman of Royal Shrovetide, Philip Tomlinson. He used to be our milkman and became a friend of the family. He saw me painting and drawing as a lad. He came to me one day and asked if I'd have a go at painting the ball."

The rest, as they say, is history. Some 23 years later Tim is still painting the ball each year, dedicating many hours of his spare time away from his day job at Elliots Interiors of Ashbourne to the important task.

"Shrovetide has fallen very early this year so I haven't got much time," says Tim, who had the honour of painting a ball for Prince Charles in 2003. The royal bravely agreed to be carried through Ashbourne's streets by burly townsfolk before dropping the ball into thousands of waiting hands below.

"It was a great privilege to paint for him," says Tim.

Photos of the pristine ball, with its vibrant shades and intricate patterns, being held aloft by the man chosen (women have never been allowed to turn up a ball) provide an iconic image – but the ball does not stay like that for long. "The most galling thing for me is that, after weeks of work, there is practically nothing left of my artwork," says Tim.

The ball gets bashed, battered, manhandled, dunked under water, scraped and scratched in the spectacular game, which takes place through the streets.

"If the ball is goaled early, say after an hour, there may be a bit of the pattern left but, generally by the end of it, it's just brown and there's nothing left," says Tim.

Consequently, he is often asked to repaint the ball. "Occasionally, I have been asked to repaint a ball by someone who goaled one 20 years ago. If you goal a ball you get to keep it. If it is not goaled, whoever turned up the ball gets to keep it.

This means Tim's artistic talent is swallowed up whole by the Ashbourne game. On top of working full-time, painting and repainting, there's little time to use his skills for anything else.

But, like any Ashburnian worth his salt, he wouldn't have it any other way.

This article appears in full in the February issue of The Derbyshire Magazine, out now priced £3.

A FORMER teacher and her daughter have revisited their former school as part of its 50th birthday celebrations.

Olga Bowen and daughter Philippa had not been back to Ridgeway Infant School, in Littleover, in more than 40 years.

But the pair, both of Chain Lane, Littleover, visited yesterday to share their memories with today's pupils.

Recalling how she got a job there, Mrs Bowen said: "I came to put my daughter's name down to come to the school and the headmistress had a vacancy and asked me if I would take it.

"I said yes, on one condition, that I did not have my daughter in my class."

Mrs Bowen taught five- and six-year-olds from 1968 to 1972 before moving to Dale School, Derby, where she was head of the infant department until she retired.

The 88-year-old said: "Teaching was very different in those days. School was much more formal and strict. We did not have any helpers in the classroom, it was just the teacher."

Her daughter Philippa, 49, started at the school in 1968 and stayed until 1970 before going to Derby High.

Miss Bowen, who works as a business adviser, said: "If I was going to get in trouble there was no way I could get away with it with mum being at the school. I wasn't treated any differently but everybody knew she was my mum.

"I remember when it was summer and the weather was nice we would sit outside and read stories. And we'd have blackboards with chalk in those days.

"I've still got two or three friends from the school that I still keep in touch with."

The school actually opened in September 1961 but, due to Ofsted inspections and five new teachers starting, the celebrations were delayed, so yesterday pupils and staff wore fancy dress costumes from across the decades.

Organiser Emma Nicholson, a year two teacher and history leader, said pupils would make a time capsule as part of the celebrations.

"The children have made worksheets about themselves to put in the capsule so that in another 50 years the school can open it and see what we did," she said.

The pupils also took part in a fashion show and the teachers performed songs from the 1960s through to the 1990s.

Miss Nicholson performed a "mash-up" of 80s songs from Wham's Jitterbug to Annie Lennox's Sweet Dreams with some of her colleagues.

THE county council is bracing itself for a £7 million claims bill after one of the insurance firms it has used in the past became insolvent.

Municipal Mutual Insurance Ltd ran into financial difficulty in 1992 and ceased accepting new business.

However, it continued to pay claims for clients which originated before that year – in the anticipation of setting up a solvent offshoot of the company.

But a recent court decision which went against MMI meant its long-standing hopes of setting up the off-shoot were finally over.

And it has triggered a scheme which means the council may have to pay back up to 90% of the money it has received from MMI to settle matters – such as asbestos-related claims.

The council's director of finance, Peter Handford, said the authority's repayment to MMI could reach £7.26 million.

It is a major blow to the cash-strapped council, which is already having to cope with huge cuts to its budget.

Councillor John Harrison, cabinet member for finance, said: "Everything seemed to be okay on the surface, until the recent court decision."

The scheme – called a scheme of arrangement – was agreed in 1994 by MMI's creditors, including Derbyshire County Council, as an alternative to liquidation.

The scheme was only to be triggered if MMI's known liabilities exceeded its assets – a point which was reached in November last year.

Asked why the council agreed to the scheme, Mr Handford said: "The county council agreed to the scheme, along with all its other creditors, as the best means of avoiding additional costs from an early liquidation of the company."

He added the council had only been using MMI for some of its insurance cover at the time it stopped offering new policies in 1992.

Control of MMI has now passed to administrator Gareth Hughes, of Ernst and Young LLP. He is reviewing the finances and consulting with creditors on how much they will have to give back.

As of September 2012, the council had received £7.4 million, with a further £677,000 of known claims outstanding and still to be settled. It would also be liable for future claims which have been incurred but are yet to be reported.

Mr Handford said the council has £7 million set aside to cover whatever repayment it ends up having to make to MMI. Any repayments are likely to be carried out over a number of years.

SHE endured gruelling cancer treatment and went under the surgeon's knife to have her breast removed.

But as 32-year-old Michelle Thompson battled her life-threatening illness – a tiny baby was growing inside her.

"I was devastated when I was told I had cancer," says Michelle. "I had to have immediate treatment and it was very upsetting.

"When I then discovered I was 10 weeks' pregnant and I was totally, totally shocked. The first thing I thought was 'oh no I'm going to lose it – I've got cancer'. I needed so much more treatment and I was really scared about what the doctors were going to say."

Michelle, from Chaddesden, had scans, a biopsy and a lumpectomy before she realised she was pregnant.

When the test revealed a positive result, she was five days away from delicate surgery to remove her breast and has sessions of chemotherapy planned at the Royal Derby Hospital.

"I was worried about telling the hospital staff because I thought they might say I'd have to terminate the pregnancy," says Michelle.

"When they said they could work round the baby, I was so relieved. I desperately wanted to have it. I'd been told that my treatment for cancer could bring on an early menopause, so this baby was my last chance of having another."

Michelle went on to have a full mastectomy and six sessions of chemotherapy during her pregnancy. As her baby developed inside her, she fought to survive for her sake of her unborn child.

"This pregnancy meant the world to me and my partner, Lee. We already have a three-year-old daughter called Scarlett, but we'd agreed at the beginning of the year that we'd try and have another one.

"When I got diagnosed with breast cancer our thoughts of having a baby were put on hold. I concentrated on the cancer treatment and I stopped thinking about trying to get pregnant."

Michelle discovered the lump in her breast during the same February weekend she thinks she must have conceived her daughter.

Totally unaware she was pregnant, she started treatment for cancer. Michelle was told she would need surgery to remove the lump. She was also invited to have her other breast reduced in size. Later, she could have reconstruction surgery.

"I went in on April 18 to have my lumpectomy," says Michelle. "Everyone was so lovely to me. It's strange to think that I had Lacey inside me all the time I was going to and from the hospital. I didn't know. No-one knew."

Michelle stayed in hospital for one night and was relieved to get home to her family. Partner Lee, sister Jo Palmer and other family and friends rallied to help.

Michelle was hoping for some good news when she returned to hospital in April. She had convinced herself that doctors were going to give her positive results, but that was not the case.

"The cancer was a grade three and it had travelled into my lymph nodes. They said I'd need to have my whole breast off and I was so, so shocked," she says.

Still reeling from the shock, Michelle went home to prepare for the next stage of her treatment. Her mastectomy was booked for May 11.

But a few days before her op Michelle lay in bed one night and tried to remember when her last period had been.

Unable to sleep and knowing she had a pregnancy test in her medical kit, she went downstairs to get it.

"Lee was asleep," says Michelle. "It must have been 2am. I knew I wouldn't be able to rest until I'd done the test. When it showed a strong line, I could hardly believe it.

"I raced back upstairs and woke Lee. He almost leapt in the air. I just cried. I was so shocked, and happy, and scared.

"I was terrified that the cancer treatment might have affected the baby and I knew I was going to need chemotherapy and that was strong stuff. How could a baby survive when I was being pumped with horrible drugs?"

Michelle waited for her next hospital appointment to break the news to doctors. She was almost dreading telling them.

"I didn't want them to tell me that the pregnancy had to be terminated," she says. "That was my biggest worry.

"I was sent off for a scan and I was told that I was 10 and a half weeks pregnant. But when I told my nurse she just turned to me and said 'it's fine – we've done it before.'

"I was told that I still needed to have the mastectomy. I was reassured that the baby would be fine."

In the first three months (first trimester) of pregnancy, surgery such as a mastectomy is straightforward and poses no real risk to the baby.

Chemotherapy can be administered to a pregnant woman with cancer in the second trimester – after about 14 weeks. The placenta protects the unborn baby from harmful medication.

Michelle says: "I was so happy that the hospital team was prepared to treat me and keep my baby safe. She was so precious, considering I might not be able to have more children after treatment.

"Being pregnant gave me something else to think about. When I went in for my mastectomy, I knew I had to keep strong."

Michelle was scanned regularly to ensure that the baby was developing properly.

The mum-to-be went shopping for wigs with her friend . She says sister Jo was a tower of strength, and Lee was amazing, too.

"I felt so tired," says Michelle. "I didn't know if it was the chemo or the pregnancy. I tried to rest and spend some time with Scarlett."

Baby Lacey Louise Maskrey was born on November 22 – and she was perfect.

Michelle says: "I was induced a bit early because I was told that the chemotherapy treatment can make the placenta age faster. For that reason, I wasn't allowed to go into natural labour. But when she was born, it was so amazing. She was so small and lovely. We were all so happy and relieved that she was all right."

The final part of Michelle's treatment – a course of radiotherapy, was started a month after Lacey was born. She has just finished it. In February, she finds out if the treatment has been successful and she is clear of cancer.

"There's been so much going on I hardly had time to think about things," says Michelle. "I can't wait to find out if it's gone. It has been a horrible time but my wonderful family and friends have been truly amazing.

"They have supported me so much over these last 10 months. It has not always been easy but they have never failed to be there for me, Lee and the girls.

"It's been a true insight into how lucky I am to have these special people around me through some very difficult times. I have not been alone in this journey and it is thanks to them."

Michelle's sister, Jo, 33 said: "She's been so brave. She has kept strong and everyone has helped her."

DERBY City Council is changing its website after a reader complained that swear words were being published on the page.

The authority apologised after someone spotted a username containing an offensive word appear on the page.

The council's homepage displays tweets from the authority's Twitter page.

One of these was a reply to a user with an offensive word in their name which, along with the message, was displayed on the page.

Reader Joel Swain wrote to the council to complain after logging on to pay a parking fine.

He said: "I am offended and disgusted to find this. Both my children and myself viewed this. The council seems very good at issuing tickets for me having been five minutes late but seemingly can't manage the language on its own web page."

The incident comes days after the Derby Telegraph reported that a disgruntled council employee left an e-mail telling people to "**** off" after deciding to quit in protest at her workload.

It is understood thousands of people received the e-mail, at the council and elsewhere.

The council website displays the three most recent tweets from its @DerbyCC Twitter account, including replies to customer questions. The offensive user name was published during a Twitter conversation about snow and gritting.

A council spokeswoman said: "In light of the recent incident, we have decided that replies to tweets in the future will not be visible on our website and we are pursuing a tool for our homepage that will enable us to do this.

"We have apologised to the member of public concerned and we removed the tweet from our home page as soon as it was brought to our attention."

DERBYSHIRE'S police commissioner is asking for a rise in council tax which he says will protect 20 frontline officers.

The 1.96% rise in the police share of council tax would bring in an extra £1 million – enough to save the jobs of 20 officers of different ranks.

The proposed increase would mean an additional £3.21 per year for a band D householder, bringing the total bill for policing to £166.95 compared to the current £163.74.

Mr Charles said: "I sincerely regret being in a position where I have to increase the amount of council tax residents must pay for policing just to maintain the status quo in service and continue keeping them safe.

"Our current financial situation is a direct result of the Government's cut in funding for Derbyshire which amounts to some 20% of our total grant over the past few years, as well as the ongoing unfairness which sees Derbyshire receiving only a fraction of its entitlement because of the funding formula being applied.

"This means that other forces receive more funds than they are due, while we receive less."

Alan Charles wants the money to maintain resources and police officer posts which he says are crucial to protecting the public.

His first annual budget and the planned increase in precept will now be considered by members of the Police and Crime Panel next week before being finalised.

The panel, made up of councillors from each district in Derbyshire and two independent members, oversees the commissioner's work.

The provisional budget for policing in 2013-14 has been set at £170.6 million, which Mr Charles says incorporates a £2 million shortfall in Government funding.

He said: "Derbyshire continues to suffer financially as a result of the reductions to the grant that should be received under the current funding formula.

"The reduction in grant to Derbyshire amounts to £2.1 million in 2013-14, which is the equivalent to £7.25 for every band D property."

In all, police funding in the county has lost out on some £30 million in the past seven years, despite already being one of the lowest spending forces in the country.

Previously, Derbyshire has benefited from £1.6 million from the Government in return for freezing council tax, but Mr Charles says this cash can no longer sustain the current service levels and he has had to make "tough decisions to protect the public's future policing needs".

He said: "If the precept is not increased it would be impossible to keep the current level of police manpower in the future and this could compromise the level of protection Derbyshire police offers its communities."

PRELIMINARY results from Government-ordered emergency inspections of city schools are "encouraging", according to council leader Paul Bayliss.

He told up to 300 business leaders at a meeting of Marketing Derby that the council had so far received reports from 10 of the 11 schools inspected.

Of those, four were better than during previous inspections and the other six "were no worse" than before.

The inspections, which have taken place during the past nine days, were brought forward by the Government after criticism of academic standards in the city by Education Secretary Michael Gove.

A team of inspectors arrived in the city on January 17 after the Office for Standards in Education said it believed Derby children were "being denied the standard of education they deserve".

As well as scrutinising schools, the Ofsted inspectors asked head teachers what they thought about the city council's effectiveness and support.

Derby was the first place to be targeted following remarks made nationally by Mr Gove in October when he identified the city as place of low performance, particularly in the primary sector.

This was followed a few weeks later by Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw criticising Derby for its number of failing schools.

Mr Wilshaw told a recent conference in Sheffield: "It cannot be right that in local authorities with the same demographics, the same sort of population and the same levels of deprivation, parents have such widely varying opportunities of finding a good school.

"We will be seeking to determine whether councils are really fulfilling their statutory duties to promote high standards. Where we find evidence that the local authority is not demonstrating effective leadership, then we shall inspect it."

The inspection reports of each school will be published 15 working days after the Ofsted teams' visits.

Each school has already had verbal feedback on its inspection and reports based on these are being received by the city council.

Ofsted will scrutinise the results and decide whether or not Derby City Council itself should be inspected under a new process being developed between now and April.

Whether the results from the city schools will be good enough to hold off a council inspection remains to be seen but a letter about the inspections should be sent to the local authority by the end of February.

The inspected schools were picked as a cross-section from the city and were not identified as "failing" in their last inspections.

A city council spokeswoman said that no-one would be able to comment officially on any early results from the Ofsted inspections but would be prepared to do so once the reports were published.

A spokeswoman for Ofsted confirmed that the first of its reports were not due to be published until the beginning of February.

NIGEL Clough believes Derby County's young midfielder Jeff Hendrick has the potential to make a big impact on the senior international stage.

Hendrick received his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland full squad this week ahead of the friendly against Poland in Dublin next month.

Clough says the call-up is thoroughly deserved, given Hendrick's form.

"I think his performances have been so impressive in the last couple of months," added Clough.

"When you look at some of the midfielders – and no disrespect to who is in the Republic of Ireland squad – Jeff has got the potential to be as good as any of them."

Fortunes have changed for Hendrick, who struggled to find his form earlier this season.

He was left out for the home games against Birmingham City and Cardiff but he has responded in a positive manner.

He is set to make an 11th consecutive start against Blackburn Rovers in today's FA Cup fourth round tie at Pride Park (3pm) and is playing as well as ever.

He has been linked with Premier League clubs Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion in the past. His current form could lead to more speculation.

Hendrick, who turns 21 on Thursday, has represented his country at all levels from under-15 to under-21.

He has also been in the goals for Derby. His tally of five this season includes three in his last four games.

"My target for the season was to hit double figures," he said.

"I'm halfway there now, so if I can kick on in the second half of the season I might get there.

"It's nice to get on the scoresheet and hopefully I can keep that going.

"At the start of the season I struggled with my form but the last two months have been really good for me.

"I just had to dig deep, keep working hard in training until things turned for me and thankfully the season has turned for me."

TWO men who carried out five armed robberies have been jailed for a total of 15 years.

Dominic Wright, 23 and Lee Watson, 26, used knives, a crow bar and a hammer as they carried out a series of raids in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire last summer.

They were eventually caught after a police chase involving a stolen car.

Watson and Wright were each found guilty of five counts of robbery following an eight-day trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

Two of the robberies took place in Derbyshire – in Langley Mill and Heanor – and three happened in Nottinghamshire.

Watson, of Nottingham, was also found guilty of taking the car.

Det Sgt Steve Wragg, who led the investigation, said: "Watson and Wright used an array of tools, from a hammer to a knife, to intimidate shopkeepers.

"These weapons could have caused life-threatening injuries if they had chosen to use them in that way. Some of the staff have as yet been unable to return to work because of the trauma they faced. They absolutely did not deserve to be put in this danger."

After targeting Alldays in Langley Mill on Tuesday, June 26, Watson and Wright began a series of robberies in Nottinghamshire. They struck in Derbyshire again on Saturday, July 9, at a Texaco petrol station in Heanor.

After a pursuit by police, the pair drove along tram lines and abandoned the car on tracks at Basford, Nottingham. They were arrested after a short chase on foot.

As part of the investigation police spent considerable time matching items of clothing worn during the robberies to those owned by Wright and Watson.

Det Con Chris Marriot, of Derbyshire police, said: "This case has highlighted the importance of working with other forces to maximise results.

"Through working in conjunction with Nottinghamshire police, we have been able to share information and resources in order to bring these men to justice."

Wright was jailed for seven years. Watson was jailed for eight years, with an extra two-month sentence to run consecutively, after being held in contempt of court for spitting from the dock.

POLICE were today called to another collision at Derby's most notorious accident blackspot, Manor Road.

Officers arrived following reports of the two-car smash, near the Argosy pub, at about 9.30am. 

A spokesman for Derbyshire police said one of the vehicles was stationary at the time of the incident and both had spun across the road as a result of the impact.

He said no-one was injured.

Earlier this month, the Derby Telegraph reported how new road safety measures had failed to prevent accidents along Manor Road – with 31 crashes reported over the past nine months.

The news came after Derby City Council spent tens of thousands of pounds making a number of alterations to the road layout in an attempt to make it safer.

But accidents continued – and neighbours said the changes had actually made the stretch more dangerous.

The incidents added to the 70-odd crashes which residents claim took place along the road between 2005 and 2011.

RECORD numbers of the city's Muslim community turned out for a parade to celebrate the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's birth.

More than 2,000 Muslim men marched through Normanton for the celebration, which has been likened to Christmas Day in the Christian calendar.

At the head of yesterday's procession, which started at the Darbar-e-Ali Ghamkol Sharifmosque in Dairyhouse Road, was organiser, Dr Allah Detta.

Dr Detta, 52, is the son of the late Muhammad Bashir, who ran the first parade in 1981.

He said: "It was the 32nd annual procession in the city to celebrate the Prophet Muhammad's birthday.

"The actual anniversary, which is set according to the lunar calendar, was on Thursday and so this was the first opportunity to hold a celebration event."

The procession made its colourful way, with people wearing green and white, along Malcolm Street, Rose Hill Street, Normanton Road, Lower Dale Road, Almond Street, Walbrook Road and St Thomas Road, before ending at the Jamia Mosque in Rose Hill Street 90 minutes later.

Crowds of people took to the streets along the parade route, which included cars decorated with tinsel, flags and balloons. It passed houses decorated with lights, giving the area a festive feel.

Once at the mosque, everyone went inside for prayers, food, holy chanting and to hear guest speakers.

Dr Detta said: "Beforehand we were pretty sure we would have more people in the parade than before and, although it has to be confirmed, I am sure we had a record turnout.

"Last year, snow threatened to affect the parade but we were lucky that this year's snow cleared and the sun came out."

Women did not join in the parade but spent the day meeting in small groups at each other's houses and cooking special foods, such as sweetmeats.

THE boss of the organisation behind some of Derby's biggest events, such as the Darley Park Concert, has vowed to "protect its programme whenever possible" against budget cuts.

Derby Live, the city council's entertainment arm, is set to have to cut its spending by 10% by the 2014-15 financial year – a total of about £90,000.

This will count towards savings of £62 million the authority says it must make in the next three years in the face of cuts to its grants from the Government.

But Peter Ireson, Derby Live's director, said some cash had already been found towards the target and that the aim was to keep the same programme.

He said: "We want to continue with all the events that we do as they are an important part of the city's economy and making Derby a great place to live."

Asked whether charging might be introduced for Derby Live's free events, such as the annual Darley Park Concert and Markeaton Park fireworks, Mr Ireson said it was "a possibility".

He said: "We will review the free events. Charges are made by other local authorities, so it is a possibility we will look at.

"But we would also look at the possibility of voluntary donations.

"Charging for the fireworks would be more plausible than charging for Darley Park. It would be difficult to charge for that because of the nature of the setting."

Mr Ireson said prices for Derby Live's shows, such as the Christmas pantomime, were reviewed on an annual basis anyway.

He said a more "mixed economy" might be used for some events in the same way as last year's Festé, where many shows were free but some, such as tickets for performance artist Luc Amoros, were paid for.

Mr Ireson said this had proved successful as the show had sold out.

More than £20,000 towards the savings target has already been found.

This was through the introduction of Derby Live's online box office.

Mr Ireson said the technology, which allows people to select which seats they want, had allowed one employee to take voluntary redundancy.

He said another idea being looked at was whether city council staff could build the stage for the Darley Park Concert instead of outsourcing the work.

A final decision on the council's budget for the next two years, which includes the Derby Live savings, will be made at a council meeting on Wednesday.