Stammering was ruining Jennifer Thornburn's life, until she sought help. Wendy Roberts reports.

TEARS welled up in everyone's eyes as they listened to Jennifer Thornburn address the congregation at her sister's wedding.

Surrounded by family and friends, the 25-year-old recited a beautiful reading with fluency and grace. For someone who hated talking and cried herself to sleep at night, the occupational therapist even amazed herself.

Now Jennifer's stammer, which struck at the age of five, is where it should be – well and truly under control.

"For years, my stammer stopped me from enjoying life," she says. "It made me cry and I'd do anything not to speak. I hated meeting new people and stopped going out.

"I dreaded reading out loud at school and worried if I had to make a phone call. My stammer got so bad that everything got on top of me. My teenage years were very tough and the more I tried to talk, the harder it was for me to speak. Silence, it seemed, was the only answer."

Three years ago, Jennifer's life changed. She enrolled on a programme to address her stammer and the results have been remarkable. As she talks about her journey, it is hard to envisage Jennifer struggling to speak. She is smiley, chatty and full of words.

It is a far cry from how she used to be and when she demonstrates how bad she was, it is shocking to see how long her stammer would last.

"I'd be trying to get a word out for ages and ages," she says. "If it wasn't so upsetting it would have been hilarious. People used to make fun of me – but not anymore. After the training course, I had to learn what I was taught. You literally start over again and adopt a new way to speak.

"It's not easy and there's lots of thinking and lots of breathing exercises to do but I'm doing all right. I never, ever thought I'd be able to speak as well as I can now. I love my life. It's so different to how it used to be."

Jennifer enrolled on the McGuire Programme – an organisation that teaches people how to control their stammer. It helps them learn how to enjoy talking and strive to become eloquent and articulate speakers.

Jennifer travelled to Dundee for the course and paid £700 for coaches to teach her some life-changing tips.

She says: "I saw a programme on Channel 4 a few years ago and I was really interested. It followed two people on their journeys and I was completely overwhelmed. I watched these people grow and develop and I immediately wanted to sign up on the course.

"Obviously, it doesn't suit everyone and there was no guarantee that it was going to be right for me but I had to try something."

It took Jennifer another year before she found the courage to e-mail one of the co-ordinators. She learned more about it and was invited to attend the next session.

"I was so nervous," says Jennifer, who works at Royal Derby Hospital. "The course started on a Wednesday and finished on Sunday. You paid on Friday, after you've spent two days on the programme. That way, you can identify whether it is going to work for you and whether you think you can learn to control your stammer.

"The first thing they do is take a video of you talking. They get you to say your name and address and then they start asking you a few questions.

"It is all taped so you can see what progress you've made. I was nervous and that made everything worse."

The programme teaches stammerers how to use their breathing when they're struggling to get words out.

The toughest words for a stammerer are their name because it is something they have to say.

"I've met people on the course who have changed their name because they couldn't say it without stammering," says Jennifer.

"For some people, it's the hardest thing in the world to say. I used to find it very difficult too. To help me do it, and usually when I was on the phone, I'd say 'it's Jennifer Thornburn' instead of just 'Jennifer Thornburn'. It felt impossible to get the 'J' out - so I'd say 'It's' first."

Jennifer learned how to fill her diaphragm with air and now uses her breath to literally push out difficult words. It is called costal breathing.

Sometimes, you can hear her take a quick breath when she is talking but she never stammers. There is just one time during the interview when she encounters a "blip" but she immediately stops and repeats the word again.

"Years back, I couldn't say anything without constantly stammering and stuttering," says Jennifer. "My family, especially my sisters, used to laugh and joke. They'd look at their watch and say 'come on Jennifer, get it out – we haven't got all day'.

"Feeling panicky and nervous doesn't help a person with a stammer. It makes everything worse and in the end it makes you go quiet. It's actually easier to stop talking rather than making a fool of yourself trying to speak."

Jennifer never thought she would find a boyfriend and settle down. Marriage, she says, was just a dream. She also never thought she would have children because she did not want to pass on her stammer to them. Reading to them at bedtime, she says, would have been impossible.

She says: "I thought my future would be empty. I'd cry to my mum and I know it upset her. I honestly didn't know how I was going to cope with my stammer.

As soon as Jennifer completed the course, she took her mum out for a meal. She asked if she could order the food at the restaurant. It was a small milestone and a proud moment for her.

"I still have to challenge my speech every day and I have to do breathing exercises every morning when I get up," she says. "I also try and push myself as much as I can.

"If I'm in a shop, I'll deliberately go and ask the shop assistant something – just to see if I can talk well. I know people probably notice that I take big breaths when I'm talking, I'm not shy about it. I'm in control of it now and I always tell people that I have a stammer."

Jennifer has been back several times to the McGuire Programme. She has been on refresher courses, taken some staff training and is now supporting new members. She wants to help people who stammer.

"My stammer started when I was five years old," she says. "I struggled for a long time and when the time was right, I took control and found some help. It was terrifying but I wasn't the only person sitting in the room who felt afraid. Every single person was scared and worried. We all had stammers and we knew we were going to be pushed out of our comfort zone.

"And now I've never been happier. My life is full and I love it. I have a boyfriend and a wonderful job.

"Standing up at my sister's wedding and reciting a reading meant the world to me. I made a lot of people proud – including myself."

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MORE would-be wedding couples have come forward to express their concerns after a hotel where their nuptials are booked to take place has apparently closed down.

The Izaak Walton Hotel, in Dovedale, has not answered phone calls or e-mails since earlier this year and its website has also shut down.

The situation has left couples, who said they have paid thousands of pounds for weddings and receptions, with nowhere to turn, many just weeks before their big day.

Among them are Carl Hattersley and Sarah Robinson, of Sheffield, who had booked the hotel for a wedding in July. They paid a £1,200 deposit.

Mr Hattersley said: "The way we have been treated is disgraceful and we still have our deposit tied up there, which we will be striving to get back."

Dianne Sadler, 51, and her partner Mark Adams, 54, of Tamworth had paid nearly £600 as a deposit for a wedding this October and James Carrier and Lucy Broom, of Macclesfield also said they had booked a reception for their wedding later this year.

They said they have paid the hotel £1,000 but have so far failed to receive any reply from staff.

The Derby Telegraph was also unable to obtain any response from the hotel's owners Thomas and Bridget Day.

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TRIBUTES have been paid to a former musician who has died after suffering a stroke at the age of 57.

Sam Samways, the cousin of Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, was himself part of well-known bands in Derby and supported Bill Haley and The Comets at a show in London.

He was also a keen motorcyclist who built and modified his Triumph bikes and will even make his final journey by motorcycle.

His sister, Lana Hull, said: "He is being taken to Markeaton Crematorium in a Rocket Hearse which is a Triumph bike that has been modified to carry a coffin.

"He loved his bikes and used to make all his own bikes and used to get up to all sorts on them.

"He always wanted to take his bikes down to Santa Pod but never got the chance."

Sam was born in Borrowash and attended Spondon House school.

On leaving, he started working at Joseph Mason the paint manufacturer and ended his career working at Trade Windows as a fitter.

Along with motorcycles, music was always close to Sam's heart after he first picked up a guitar when he was 12.

Lana said: "He was self-taught on guitar and was in a band called Pugma Ho to begin with.

"He left that band and started playing in the Earthquakes and even played with Bill Haley and The Comets at a show down in London.

"His last band, Barabbas, played on the Market Place in Derby. It took them three months to get permission for the gig but it was amazing.

"They rode through Derby on the back of a truck to get to the gig, it was a really big event."

Slowly Sam drifted away from playing in bands but his love for music continued, not only for well-known bands but also those closer to home.

Lana said: "He used to go and see loads of bands, especially at the Assembly Rooms.

"He saw people like Thin Lizzy and Motorhead there and also saw Paige and Plant, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. He even saw Led Zeppelin as well.

"But he also loved local bands and was always at The Victoria Inn and places like the Bell Hotel when that was a venue.

"He liked to support younger bands and we come from a really musical family. My sons play in bands."

Sam, who leaves two daughters, Eleasha and Amber, and two grandchildren, was well known in Derby being a regular in the Seven Stars and the Exeter.

Last year, he suffered from a stroke and in January suffered a second. He died on April 7 aged 57 at Lavender Lodge nursing home.

Lana said: "He was a lovely guy and was always really good fun and loved a laugh.

"His biker mates are giving him a guard of honour to the crematorium where we will have lots of good music to send him off."

Any friends of Sam are welcome to attend the ceremony on Monday at 3.20pm with the bikes meeting at the Seven Stars on King Street at 2.30pm.

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THE grandfather of the six Philpott children killed in a Derby fire has revealed their headstones will be engraved with dedications from their grandparents.

Mairead Philpott's father, Jim Duffy, said the stone carvings would be installed at Nottingham Road cemetery within the next two weeks.

And the 64-year-old said his life since seeing his eldest daughter jailed for 17 years for the manslaughter of her children had been "very, very hard".

Neither he, nor any members of his family, have heard from Mairead since the conviction.

Mr Duffy said hearing in court an accusation that he abused Mairead as a child was "the most hurtful thing he has ever known".

And, despite walking with the aid of a stick following a knee-replacement operation, he is determined to take part in a 100-mile sponsored walk in memory of his grandchildren lost in the fire.

Mr Duffy told the Derby Telegraph he had turned down "countless offers of money" since Mairead, her husband Mick and family friend Paul Mosley were found guilty of six counts of manslaughter earlier this month.

He said it was "important to the credibility of his family" that they had refused all the offers.

He said: "I have had letters and calls from TV companies, magazines and newspapers, all saying if I spoke to them they would make it worth my while financially.

"I know a lot of other people have sold their stories but as far as I am concerned I will not take any money and will talk to who I want to about what I want to.

"It is important to me and to the credibility of my family and I owe that to my grandchildren who died."

Jade Philpott, 10 and her brothers Duwayne, 13, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six and Jayden, five, all died from the effects of smoke inhalation when a fire swept through their Allenton home on May 11 last year.

Their parents, along with Mosley, all denied starting the blaze which the prosecution said was "a plan that went tragically wrong" – aimed at framing Philpott's former live-in mistress Lisa Willis.

But following a seven-week long trial at Nottingham Crown Court, a jury found each of the defendants guilty of six counts of manslaughter.

Philpott was jailed for life and was told it would be 15 years before he was even eligible for parole.

Mairead and Mosley were sentenced to 17 years.

Mr Duffy travelled from his home in Reginald Street, Normanton, to sit in the public gallery for almost every day of the trial.

He said: "Hearing the allegation that I abused my own daughter when she was a child was the most hurtful thing I have ever heard. It never happened, simple as that.

"I have not heard from Mairead yet, none of the family have.

"I know my daughter Bernadette has written to her and I will be doing that as well.

"When all is said and done Mairead is still my daughter but she was part of something that caused the death of those six children and she has to be punished for that.

"They were brilliant kids, happy-go-lucky, they used to joke with me, kicking away my walking stick and jumping on me.

"I have been told that their headstones will be up at the cemetery within seven to 10 days.

"All of them will be inscribed from their grandparents.

"Three will say from Peggy and John Philpott first, and then from Vera and Jim Duffy, and the other three will be the reverse way round. That is what I have been told."

Mick and Mairead will not be named on the headstones.

Mr Duffy moved his family to Derby from Dublin 29 years ago.

Mairead, 33, has siblings Jennifer, 30, Bernadette, 29, and a son Kieron, 35.

All of the Duffy children were educated at St George's Catholic Primary School, in Uplands Avenue, Littleover, and later at St Benedict Catholic school in Duffield Road, Darley Abbey.

Mr Duffy, who worked for 16 years on the night shift in the packing department at Derby-based baker Birds, in Ascot Drive, said his life changed completely following the fire and that the tragedy has had "a huge impact" on him and his family."

He said: "It's been very, very hard, especially hearing all the evidence come out in the court case.

"After hearing everything I want something positive to focus on, which is why I am taking part in the walk."

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AT Beeston Hockey Club, they enjoy being referred to as "the Manchester United of hockey".

The Bees are the club who, this season more than any other, have carried all before them in their growing sport, yet, for all that they are "over the border" in Nottinghamshire, their Derbyshire connection has never been stronger.

Not least, the "Alex Ferguson" of the club, first-team manager Graham Griffiths, is from Ambaston, while the first team player-coach, Martin Jones, is the director of hockey at Repton School.

The captain of the women's team is Belper girl Hollie Webb, while fast-rising teenager Joe Sharp, who has just played his first season with the first team, is from Duffield.

Even that is merely to touch the surface of a club which numbers more than 200 juniors in its ranks from Derbyshire schools alone.

A club who were in the doldrums 30 years ago have just won the English League title and followed it by winning the play-offs, guaranteeing another dip next season into the burgeoning European Hockey League – equivalent of football's Champions League (they were knocked out this year in the quarter-finals).

Beeston play at an extensive, commercially viable centre, Highfields, a site initially bequeathed for leisure use by Jesse Boot (of Boots fame) but much expanded in the last 20 years.

At the centre of an extraordinary level of achievement for what would ordinarily be called a minority sport is Griffiths, known to all around him as Griff.

The director and general manager of Highfields as well as the first-team manager, he lives and breathes hockey and does not blanche at the suggestion that he is something of a benevolent dictator.

Griffiths' father was a Welsh miner who moved to the area for work and he did not have hockey on his mind when he started school.

"I discovered hockey in 1964 when my father sent me to Trent College in Long Eaton," he said.

"I went there thinking I was going to play football and ended up captain of rugby and vice-captain of hockey. I've been involved with it ever since."

Griffiths spent 17 years at West Bridgford Hockey Club before moving to Beeston 27 years ago and starting a quiet revolution.

"I went as first-team captain and then replaced myself and became the first manager of the club. And they've only ever had one!" he said.

"There was a change in hockey around that time. Up to then, the first-team captain did everything.

"He would coach the side, cut the oranges at half-time, paint the balls during the week.

"But, in my late 30s, the legs weren't working but the mind was, so I went down that route and it's worked very well."

Today, Beeston will recruit top class players from all over the world, frequently from Pakistan or Australia but also from Europe.

But it is the development of juniors which sets them ahead of other clubs.

"The real success has been the Colts system," said Griffiths.

"A lot of the kids from the local schools who want to improve come to us because our coaching is better than anyone else's.

"As long as we can keep on top of that, then it will grow and grow, hopefully.

"We've always had hockey players from Derby but we have a lot more these days.

"Public schools are an easy market, yes, but some of the best youngsters we have are not actually in that system."

Griffiths works closely with club chairman Martin Keeling and is justly proud of what has happened to the club.

"When I came in, they were a sleeping giant, very low down in the Midlands structure and going backwards," he said.

"We put the brakes on and, since then, we've been moving forward a couple of inches each year.

"We took the play-off title for the first time in 2011 and had won the cup four times – three of them in succession – and that was the platform we built it on.

"This year, though, is the first time we've won the Premier League, which is what everyone wants to do.

"We had a staggering first half of the season and just about had that in the bag by February.

"We've ticked all the boxes this season and it's been fantastic."

Gazing around the immaculate Highfields, it is easy to forget hockey remains a minority sport – can it ever be more than that? Griffiths thinks maybe.

"Hockey is growing, there's no doubt about that," he added.

"But it's not fashionable. It needs help from the media and the other part is sponsorship – engaging the community to get involved so that we grow with them.

"Clubs have to be a bit more savvy."

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A KEEN athlete will run tomorrow's Derby 10k in memory of his brother-in-law – and as part of his own road back to fitness after a cycle crash.

Ralph Huthmacher, 40, will be raising money for the charity Rethink Mental Illness as he joins thousands of others pounding the streets of Derby.

His brother-in-law Nick Gascoigne died in February, aged 42, due to a combination of mental and drink-related issues.

Mr Huthmacher said: "This loss has hit our family hard but it's inspired me and given me a purpose for my running."

For the father-of-two, it is a first race after his accident, which left him with ligament damage in his shoulder.

"I had a cycling accident in September and went over the handlebars on to the road," he said.

"I tore two ligaments and had to have a major operation to reconstruct them."

The accident came at the end of a year where Mr Huthmacher had made a massive lifestyle change.

He had taken up running and cycling and seen his weight drop from more than 17 stone to 13½.

Last year's Derby 10k was his first running event – and he went on to complete four more before his accident. After that, Mr Huthmacher, a computer programmer, from Rolleston-on-Dove, could not do any sport until January.

He said: "I missed it but didn't have the strength in my shoulder to train."

Tomorrow's 10k is a warm-up for half-marathons he intends to do later this year – also in aid of Rethink.

He said: "I'm running the Great North Run and Birmingham half marathon.

"I was doing these events anyway, as a challenge for me, and then with losing Nick it seemed fitting to raise some money and awareness for a charity that helped him."

Mr Huthmacher's daughter, Sarah, 11, is running the 3k tomorrow for the cause.

He said: "Losing her uncle Nick affected Sarah and she wanted to take part in it with me and raise some money on her own too.

"I'll be joining her for the 3k stroll after I've run the 10k. It'll be a busy morning."

The pair will be cheered on by Ralph's wife, Suzanne, 39, and their other daughter Rachel, eight.

To sponsor them visit www.justgiving.com/ralph-derby10k or www.justgiving. com/SarahHuthmacher.

The 3k self-propelled wheelchair race begins at 9.10am, the 10k at 9.30am, and the 3k walk, jog, run at 11am, all at Pride Park Stadium.

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WHEN people ask Sarah Todd about the last time she was in hospital, she will probably say: "I was there because I needed to look at the toilet."

And if they ask Carol Wheatcroft the same question, she might reply: "I wanted to run my finger along one of the cupboards in the eye clinic."

That is because both women were not patients the last time they visited Royal Derby Hospital – instead, they were inspecting its cleanliness.

They are among several members of the public invited to take part in Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment, also known as Place.

In April this year, these surprise hospital inspections were put forward nationally to replace annual self-assessments.

And now at least 50% of the inspectors are patients or people who use the hospital, with the remaining assessors comprising nurses, matrons or other hospital staff.

Sarah, 27, of Uttoxeter Road, Derby, is studying for a PhD in business and management at Loughborough University. She said: "I think it's essential that patients are involved in assessing the hospital.

"What the hospital does needs to focus on is what the patient needs and wants – if it doesn't, that's when you start to get problems.

"But I like the fact you get people who are involved in the hospital on a daily basis also taking part in the assessments because they can tell you what you need to be looking out for."

Carol, 68, of Weirfield Road, Darley Abbey, who said she wanted to inspect the hospital in the interests of elderly people or those with dementia, said: "I've not spent very much time in hospital myself, more as a visitor to relatives.

"But none of us know when we'll end up in hospital and, if we can make the experience better – both for ourselves and for other people – then the assessment is a job well done."

The inspections took place over one day and saw four teams – each with two experts and two members of the public – visiting and assessing different parts of the hospital.

The idea is for the members of the public to choose which departments, wards or clinics they visit, meaning staff do not know if or when they will be inspected.

And the assessment day itself is also kept under wraps, so employees do not know when it is going to happen.

The inspection aims to look at four different aspects of care at the hospital – cleanliness; the building and facilities; food and hydration and privacy and dignity.

Paul Brooks, head of facilities management for Derby's hospitals, who was also one of the assessors, said: "This was a real opportunity for the patients to use their eyes, ears and experience to look at the service and make changes and improvements if they feel it is needed."

The results of the assessment will be published this summer.

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CAR hunters flocked to Derby's first city centre motor show, in the Market Place yesterday.

The Motorpoint Motor Show, hosted by car supermarket Motorpoint in partnership with the Derby Telegraph, featured more than 30 new and nearly new cars.

Motorpoint, based in Chartwell Drive, is one of the country's leading car supermarkets and has been selling vehicles for 15 years.

After the success of this first event, another is now planned in the Market Place in August.

Motorpoint has six outlets – in Derby, Burnley, Chingford, Glasgow, Newport and Peterborough – employing 400 people.

The motor show gave people the opportunity to see their cars up close and get a financial quote by speaking to a member of the sales team in person.

Satvir Atwal, sales manager at the Derby branch, said: "The event was a big success for us.

"It helped people searching for cars because it was so convenient.

"It was great for people just browsing to come along and have a test drive.

"We're now really looking forward to repeating this in August. It should be another great day."

Motorpoint estimates that last year it saved customers £171 million on the list price of its vehicles.

Doug and Carol James came across the motor show by accident.

The Derby couple are in the process of looking for a new car and were encouraged by the show.

Mr James, 66, said: "We got off our bus and started having a walk around when we saw the event and thought we should go and look for some ideas.

"We like to have a good look first before buying a car and the motor show was a good opportunity to do that. We've seen a couple of cars we like and we'll keep looking."

Mrs James, 68, said: "I liked the event because there was a good variety of cars on display, with some good prices."

Visitors to the event were also given a chance to show off their driving skills in a Formula One simulator – with prizes for those with the fastest lap times.

They included tickets to see Bruno Mars, Jessie J and the We Will Rock You show at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield.

Touseef Hussain, of Derby, was one of the people who had a go.

He said: "It's quite hard work trying to do it. I think I did quite well, though."

Chantel Ward, owner of Stealth Racer, which brought along the simulator, said: "It was good to see so many people come down and show an interest in the event."

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ICE-CREAM sellers Pauline and Carmelo Mastroianni love to see the smiles on children's faces when serving up their treats – so when they saw a chance to help needy kids they jumped at it.

The couple, have been selling ice creams at The Spot in St Peter's Street, in Derby, for twelve years and have been in the business for over four decades.

Every year they raise cash for charity by encouraging customers to donate to a collection box in their van

Last year the money they raised went to Children in Need but this year they will be handing the proceeds to the Derby Telegraph's Give Us A Break campaign for The Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre.

The appeal aims to raise £30,000 to buy a minibus which will transport needy youngsters to the Skegness holiday home.

Pauline said: "We have three children of our own and seven grandchildren.

"We're very pleased to help out in any way we can – we love to see children's faces when they buy ice-creams so it will be nice to think we are helping these kids have a lovely seaside break.

"We will be encouraging customers to hand over loose change to the appeal."

The couple, who live in Littleover, have cut out and laminated the Derby Telegraph article featuring the appeal in their van window to highlight the campaign.

Seeing the story touched a chord for Pauline, whose sister, Frances, had heart problems when she was a child.

Pauline said: "It brought back childhood memories about how life can be difficult for young people sometimes.

"Thankfully, she's now absolutely fine but the appeal just reminded me about what some children are going through and how much this minibus would help them.

"I am sure they have so much fun at the seaside."

The Derbyshire Children's Holiday centre has been providing breaks for thousands of disadvantaged youngsters from across the county for more than a century.

For some children it will be the first time they have been to the seaside.

But the current minibus the charity uses to ferry children from Derby to Skegness has almost reached the end of the road. It needs £30,000 for a new one, which has come as a blow as it already faces a battle to find the £17,000 a month to keep the centre going

Charity chairman Bill Tomlinson said: "Without a minibus it would be financially impossible to get the children to Skegness and keep providing holidays."

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ALMOST all of the staff who worked at the Co-op's Derby department store have been made redundant as a result of its closure.

Yesterday, the store, on the corner of Exchange Street and East Street, had its last day of trading after more than 70 years.

When Midlands Co-operative Society first announced it was shutting the store in January it said it hoped that some of the 64 staff who worked there could be found roles elsewhere in the business.

But following a 90-day consultation with workers, the Co-op has revealed that 58 staff have been made redundant.

In a statement, the Co-op said: "The society has completed a full consultation with store colleagues and trade unions following the announcement of the fashion and home stores' proposed closure in January. Unfortunately, the closure will result in 58 redundancies."

Derby is one of nine stores that the Co-op is closing due to "substantial losses" incurred by its home and fashion department stores over the past decade. Among the others are stores in Ilkeston and Chesterfield, which are both scheduled to close on Friday, July 26.

Yesterday, Derby shoppers lamented the passing of the Derby store, which has been patronised by generations of people since the 1930s.

Linda Taylor, 62, of Littleover, said: "I think it's a great shame that the Co-op is closing its doors. It's been on the high street for so long and it a part of Derby life.

"It will leave a big gap, literally, in the street in Derby's shopping area."

Mavis Archer, of Mickleover, said: "I remember going into the store with my mum when I was a little girl. Department stores are so important with everything being under one roof.

"It will take a big store to come in and take over the building as there's so many floors. I hope it isn't empty for long."

Darren Rhodes, 38, who lives in the city, said: "I went in for the last day to see what the sale prices were like and they were not spectacular. That said, there wasn't much stock left."

Laura Smith, 45, of Chester Green, said: "The store has been part of Derby for so many years but shopping patterns have changed and people don't visit department stores as much these days. Things move on."

Elaine Dean, chairman of the northern region of Co-operative, said: "It was a very sad day, closing the doors on a store that's been there for so many years and been the place so many thousands of people have worked at over so many years.

"The way that people shop has changed with the introduction of online shopping, where people don't have to leave their front room.

"It's a sad day for all the people who are going to lose their jobs and for all the people who have worked there in the past."

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A SERIAL drink-driver has been banned from the roads for a third time after a member of the public tipped off the police.

An anonymous caller dialled 999 to tell police they had overheard Stephen Smith say he planned to drive back to his Derby home from the Windmill pub, in Mansfield Road, where he had been drinking on April 7.

Officers spotted Smith's vehicle shortly after 9.30pm in Cardigan Street, Chaddesden, around a mile away from the pub, Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court was told.

The court was told Smith had stopped to buy a kebab and was seen by officers walking towards the takeaway cafe.

Peter Bettany, prosecuting, said: "He was unsteady on his feet, looked at the police, turned around and went back to his van and got into the driver's seat."

The officers gave Smith a roadside breath test – they had to warn him twice that he would be arrested if he "failed to blow properly" into the breathalyser.

Mr Bettany said: "He was putting his tongue over the vent and was making no serious effort to blow."

He did eventually give a positive sample but did not provide one after he was taken to the police station, Mr Bettany told the court.

Smith, 45, of Danebridge Crescent, Oakwood, admitted failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis.

The court was told that he had two similar convictions and had been given a three-year driving ban in June 2003. He was handed a three-year ban.

Smith was also ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid community work and attend a six-month course to tackle alcohol problems. He must also pay £85 prosecution costs and a £60 government surcharge.

David Cusack, in mitigation for Smith, said: "He pleaded guilty straight away, there was no nonsense before the court. In the last six months, Mr Smith had gone to live with his sister. Reading between the lines, there has been a big change in his life.

"His alcohol consumption increased in the last few months after a relationship broke down.

"On the night of the incident, he was obviously heavily intoxicated.

"His reason why he did not co-operate with the police at the roadside to provide a sample was that he was not in a position to assist himself.

"He was not deliberately trying to be obstructive with the police."

Mr Cusack said Smith had a job and was a "well regarded member of the team at work".

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THE grandfather of the six Philpott children killed in a Derby fire has revealed their headstones will be engraved with dedications from their grandparents.

Mairead Philpott's father, Jim Duffy, said the stone carvings would be installed at Nottingham Road cemetery within the next two weeks.

And the 64-year-old said his life since seeing his eldest daughter jailed for 17 years for the manslaughter of her children had been "very, very hard".

Neither he, nor any members of his family, have heard from Mairead since the conviction.

Mr Duffy said hearing in court an accusation that he abused Mairead as a child was "the most hurtful thing he has ever known".

And, despite walking with the aid of a stick following a knee-replacement operation, he is determined to take part in a 100-mile sponsored walk in memory of his grandchildren lost in the fire.

Mr Duffy told the Derby Telegraph he had turned down "countless offers of money" since Mairead, her husband Mick and family friend Paul Mosley were found guilty of six counts of manslaughter earlier this month.

He said it was "important to the credibility of his family" that they had refused all the offers.

He said: "I have had letters and calls from TV companies, magazines and newspapers, all saying if I spoke to them they would make it worth my while financially.

"I know a lot of other people have sold their stories but as far as I am concerned I will not take any money and will talk to who I want to about what I want to.

"It is important to me and to the credibility of my family and I owe that to my grandchildren who died."

Jade Philpott, 10 and her brothers Duwayne, 13, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six and Jayden, five, all died from the effects of smoke inhalation when a fire swept through their Allenton home on May 11 last year.

Their parents, along with Mosley, all denied starting the blaze which the prosecution said was "a plan that went tragically wrong" – aimed at framing Philpott's former live-in mistress Lisa Willis.

But following a seven-week long trial at Nottingham Crown Court, a jury found each of the defendants guilty of six counts of manslaughter.

Philpott was jailed for life and was told it would be 15 years before he was even eligible for parole.

Mairead and Mosley were sentenced to 17 years.

Mr Duffy travelled from his home in Reginald Street, Normanton, to sit in the public gallery for almost every day of the trial.

He said: "Hearing the allegation that I abused my own daughter when she was a child was the most hurtful thing I have ever heard. It never happened, simple as that.

"I have not heard from Mairead yet, none of the family have.

"I know my daughter Bernadette has written to her and I will be doing that as well.

"When all is said and done Mairead is still my daughter but she was part of something that caused the death of those six children and she has to be punished for that.

"They were brilliant kids, happy-go-lucky, they used to joke with me, kicking away my walking stick and jumping on me.

"I have been told that their headstones will be up at the cemetery within seven to 10 days.

"All of them will be inscribed from their grandparents.

"Three will say from Peggy and John Philpott first, and then from Vera and Jim Duffy, and the other three will be the reverse way round. That is what I have been told."

Mick and Mairead will not be named on the headstones.

Mr Duffy moved his family to Derby from Dublin 29 years ago.

Mairead, 33, has siblings Jennifer, 30, Bernadette, 29, and a son Kieron, 35.

All of the Duffy children were educated at St George's Catholic Primary School, in Uplands Avenue, Littleover, and later at St Benedict Catholic school in Duffield Road, Darley Abbey.

Mr Duffy, who worked for 16 years on the night shift in the packing department at Derby-based baker Birds, in Ascot Drive, said his life changed completely following the fire and that the tragedy has had "a huge impact" on him and his family."

He said: "It's been very, very hard, especially hearing all the evidence come out in the court case.

"After hearing everything I want something positive to focus on, which is why I am taking part in the walk."

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A TEENAGE burglar handed himself in to the police after being talked into it by his mum.

A court was told how Jake Mills confessed to the crime to his mother and she then drove him to the police station.

The 19-year-old admitted taking a £100 computer monitor after walking into a house in the early hours of January 25.

He and another offender were scared out of the house by the homeowner and stashed the monitor in nearby bushes.

Edna Leonard, prosecuting at Derby Crown Court, said jobless Mills later admitted being part of the offence to his mum.

The Derby Telegraph spoke to both Mills and his mother but they did not want to comment on the story.

Ms Leonard said: "This defendant's mother took him to the police station. He confessed and told the police. He said he was only involved to look big."

Recorder David Mason heard how the second person allegedly involved in the burglary was "an experienced offender" but that he had not been charged.

The court was told that the victim was woken by the intruders who walked into the house in Borrowash at 6.40am on the day of the burglary.

Ms Leonard said when the victim heard movements, she shouted at whoever was in the house to "get out" and two people ran out of the back door.

Martin Hurst, in mitigation, said the other suspect involved, who had a "traditional tearaway's record", denied taking part.

Mr Hurst said: "He was cheeky enough to tell the victim 'I would not have done it because I have only just come out from my last burglary'."

Mr Mason replied: "Your client was stupidly, irrationally hanging on the coat tails."

He imposed a one-year probation order on Mills, 19, of Woodland Avenue, Borrowash, who pleaded guilty to the offence.

He must attend a six-month course to tackle an alcohol problem and pay a £60 Government surcharge.

The recorder heard Mills had used drugs and told him: "Keep off the booze, the MCAT and anything else.

"You committed a very serious offence by entering someone's house and taking something from there.

"But you have never been in trouble before and are obviously a decent lad."

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DERBY Playhouse celebrated its 21st anniversary in 1969.

By June that year, the theatre company had produced an astonishing 517 different plays of which 21 had been world premieres. In addition, there had been 48 repeats, giving a total of 5,488 performances, which had been seen by audiences of approximately one and a half million people.

The company had also provided employment for 352 actors – in the early years of weekly rep they could clock up to 48 shows in a year.

These production figures sound incredible when compared with the standard season in the new theatre after 1975.

In weekly rep, rehearsals would begin with a read-through on Tuesday morning followed by "blocking" act one. Blocking involves the director establishing the positions and movements of the actors on the stage.

On Wednesday, they would block act two and rehearse act one; on Thursdays they would block act three in the morning and rehearse acts one and two in the afternoon; on Fridays and Saturdays there would be a complete run-through.

While doing this during the day, the cast would spend their evenings performing the play rehearsed the previous week – twice a night.

Finally, on Monday, there would be a full dress rehearsal directly before the new first night and then the cycle would repeat itself for the following week.

It is little wonder that in the 1960-61 season, when Ian Cooper took over as theatre director, the company experimented with fortnightly rep. Equally unsurprisingly, the production values shot up – and so did the audience numbers.

Word of mouth has always been a theatre's strongest marketing tool – provided the quality is there.

But the theatre could not stage any show it wished. On October 22, 1959, producer and director Leslie Twelvetrees reported that the Lord Chamberlain's Office had forbidden the Playhouse to perform Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which had just won the Pulitzer Prize.

This bizarre ruling required quick replanning of the autumn season.

The official "licensing" (and hence censoring) of plays was a real problem. Even in 1967, the Arts Council had to warn all theatres they could not escape legislation by operating as a "club".

The English Stage Company had been convicted for trying this. So, to avoid complicity, the Arts Council forbade theatres from using any part of any of its grant to put on an "unlicensed" play.

The Lord Chamberlain's role in censoring the stage was abolished in 1968, so Tennessee Williams' "forbidden fruit" was finally offered to the Playhouse audience during the 21st anniversary season, with the opening night on October 13, 1969.

There was a little nervousness because abolishing the Theatre Licensing Act made directors personally liable if they staged plays judged to "offend against public decency".

In the previous month, the Playhouse had also made good another of its earlier omissions. John Osborne's Look Back In Anger opened for a fortnight's run on September 16, though, to be fair, it had been run for a week starting April 28, 1958, just over two years after the fire had scattered most of the company of actors, including Pamela Lane.

The 1969 programme owned up to the omission: "We are forced to admit that, when the unknown John Osborne, an actor in the Playhouse company, offered us first refusal on his play Look Back In Anger, we duly refused it. Its eventual presentation at the Royal Court became the greatest landmark in the modern British theatre.

"It is surely fitting in our anniversary year that we 'Look Back' and reassess a play written in Derby and since performed and talked about throughout the world."

Decades later, there would be only eight professional productions a year running for three to four weeks (seven weeks at Christmas).

In later times, each show had its own distinct cast and rehearsals would run for at least three weeks, with the last reserved for "techs and dresses".

The technical rehearsals were precisely scheduled and organised affairs on the main stage, involving the stage crew and the lighting and sound technicians in the weeks between productions.

These later audiences rose to more than 100,000 a year, around a third up on the average of the earlier period, even though there were far fewer different shows.

The financial figures for the first 21 years also look very different from those in later years. The total box office and footfall income (from programmes, ice creams and drinks) for the entire 21 years was around £420,000, and the total grants received amounted to only £93,245.

Over three quarters of these grants came from the Arts Council of Great Britain. In 1968-69, the Playhouse's total income grew to £50,601 but, by 2005-6, it had risen to a massive £3,123,419 – exceeding £3 million for the second year in a row.

Allowing for inflation, this was still nearly a six-fold increase in income in real terms. But this was needed to balance the inexorably increasing real costs of production.

There had been significant changes in personnel over the period. Leslie Twelvetrees, the second director of production, had served from 1949 to 1960, before going to work in TV and radio (including The Archers). He had built the reputation of the theatre from next to nothing.

In 1964, he took over running the Phoenix Theatre, in Leicester. Another stalwart of those early years was the appositely-named set designer, Inigo Monk, who laid the foundations for the enduring high reputation of the theatre workshops. He went on to design for ATV on Emergency Ward 10 and the Morecambe and Wise Show.

Twelvetrees' role at the Playhouse was taken over by Ian Cooper, who had originally joined as an actor along with Michael Hall and Mary Lainé in 1953. As theatre director, Cooper freed the theatre from the demands of weekly rep and showed there was a mass audience for musical theatre in Derby.

Then Peter Jackson took over from him in 1966, with the new title of resident producer. He created an impact with a number of spectacular productions – such as the Wakefield Cycle of Mystery Plays – and introduced nationally established stars, including Cardew Robinson, Bernard Bresslaw, Eva Bartok, Lana Morris and Marius Goring. This boosted the box office.

Sometimes the Playhouse caught stars before they were famous – most notably when the young Susannah York played Cinderella in the 1959-60 Christmas pantomime.

The audience was 10,394 and the show made a profit of £138. Another was Gareth Thomas who appeared at Sacheverel Street three times in 1967 and again in 1969, a decade before he became the eponymous hero of the legendary BBC series, Blake's 7. After more than 40 years, he reappeared in Derby this April as Brother Cadfael in The Virgin in the Ice.

Though they were visiting stars rather than members of the regular repertory company, both Susannah York and Marius Goring remained in close touch with the Playhouse. They became trustees of its New Theatre Fund at the height of their fame, thanks to the friendships they formed, especially with Tony and Bunty Willard-Burrows.

Once the company was in Sacheverel Street, the theatre needed a proper manager to handle the business side of the operation. Moyadell Johnston served from the opening in 1952, through the fire and the reopening to 1958.

The Derby Little Theatre Club Ltd formally renamed itself Derby Playhouse Ltd on October 1, 1959, when Peter Cheeseman took over, establishing new business methods and developing projects to involve young people.

He was succeeded by Clive Perry in 1961, who also made a mark by directing some excellent plays. He went on to launch the Phoenix Theatre in Leicester in 1963 and then became artistic director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh.

He was succeeded in turn by John Williams, who became general manager in 1962, subsequently serving as managing director through the opening of the new theatre in the Eagle Centre until 1978. He then handed over to David Edwards, who served in the equivalent role for the longest period of all, contributing to the city's cultural life at all levels.

After the initial uncertainty in which Arthur Elliott had to take over part way through the first year, there was also remarkable stability among the chairmen of the company. As already recounted, Joseph Selby became chairman in the second year and successfully moved the company from its first home in Beckett Street to Sacheverel Street.

He handed over to Gordon Moult shortly before the official opening in 1952, thereafter serving as president until his death in 1965. Ken Phillips, another long serving officer of the board, died in 1966. He had been one of the cast in the first performance at Beckett Street and became the first vice-chairman at Sacheverel Street, subsequently serving as secretary until his death.

At the time of the 21st anniversary celebrations, there was only one member of the council of management who went back to the original founding committee – that was Betty Smith, though Ken Kirkman had also served since the early 1950s.

"Mrs Howard Smith" as she was always referred to (in accordance with the custom of those times) had become increasingly involved with the Derby Shakespeare Society (through which she and her husband had met in the 1920s), but she was made an honorary life member of the Playhouse, and subsequently served on the Playhouse's New Theatre Trust right through to 1992.

Another founding committee member, the Rev Reg Dean, who died earlier this year at the age of 110, moved away up county in the 1960s and founded Theatre Wirksworth, but Francis Mann, who had got the original group together, came back to Derby to join in the celebrations with his wife.

Sadly, Gordon Moult, who had guided the company through the recovery and rebuilding after the fire and had initiated planning for a new theatre, suddenly died the year before the anniversary.

His vice-chairman, Major DVW (Bill) Malin, assumed command. His wife, Margaret, took over as secretary and Tony Willard-Burrows became vice-chairman.

Major Malin had been on the board since the early days at Sacheverel Street and to him fell the task of seeing the company through its next transition. Sadly, after a triumphant success, he died in the year after the new theatre had opened and Tony Willard-Burrows became chairman for the rest of the decade.

By this time, Willard-Burrows had married the glamorous, vivacious and gregarious Bunty Welch-Brown, who had already been playing the leading role in organising outings and annual dinners and balls for the members since before the fire at Sacheverel Street.

The 1969 anniversary programme concluded with Major Malin forcefully setting out the case for building a new theatre. There was the inescapable imperative imposed by the Derby Corporation's accelerated slum clearance programme, as Haddon Richardson had originally warned when the Derby Little Theatre first took a 21-year lease in 1952.

Every time the Playhouse had obtained planning permission for an improvement, the approval came with caveats and time limits. Initially, permissions lasted only to December 13, 1966, but they were progressively extended on a year-by-year basis.

The leases granted by the Richardson family were similarly extended, while the company created a new home for itself.

Major Malin made his pitch under the headline "Never too late", lining up 12 photographs which showed how Derby was in danger of being left behind. New theatres had already been completed in Coventry (1955), Leicester (1963), Nottingham (1963), Worcester (1965), Guildford (1965), Bolton (1967), Gillingham (1967), Exeter (1967), Chester (1968) and Leatherhead (1969).

New theatres in Colchester and Bromley were under construction and an unprecedented number of others were already on the drawing board, taking advantage of the Arts Council's scheme for "Housing the Arts".

Not being ahead of the game at this point had long-term disadvantages, not only in terms of escalating building costs but also in establishing national perceptions.

However, the company had not been sitting idly by and waiting for someone else to take action. Gordon Moult attempted to initiate discussions with Derby Corporation in 1966 but the impending boundary changes led to a complete freeze on new projects. He was told the corporation might be able to assist with finding a site and make a capital grant but the initiative would have to rest with the Playhouse itself.

Professor Powers continues his history of Derby Little Theatre and the Playhouse next week.

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WHEN Ruth Discua was growing up she was told that she had a talent for singing, which set her on a path to pursue a career in music.

The 24-year-old, who comes from Chaddesden, was raised in a single parent family. And with lots of people around her who were unemployed, she was unsure whether she could turn her skill into a business.

Despite being diagnosed with dyslexia, Ruth won a scholarship to a music academy. But after finishing her studies she struggled to find work. Ruth said: "I was applying for lots of different types of jobs month after month but with no joy. I ended up having to sign on and it felt scary being unemployed. I came to the conclusion that if I couldn't find a job, I would have to create my own."

Ruth heard about The Prince's Trust and its Enterprise programme, which helps unemployed young people set up in business.

Determined to try to make a go of it herself, she signed up.

The Prince's Trust gave Ruth a grant and a business mentor.

She now runs Derby Vocal Academy, where she currently teaches her students how to sing or play the piano.

She said: "Having support from the Prince's Trust was amazing. Without my business mentor I don't know what I'd do. Now, I get to work every day doing what I love and make a living for myself at the same time It's brilliant."

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THINKING out of the box comes naturally for Nick Allen, 63, of Stenson Fields.

Nick is part of a group of modellers – called Beyond the Box – who deliberately add their own flair to boxed model kits.

Nick said: "I enjoy what I do as it's a challenge. Sometimes, I find what's in the kit is not correct so I add my own detail and make them more accurate. I research stuff online and figure out my own way to construct models."

Nick provided some top tips for modelling:

Patience and preparation are key.

Don't use the glue in the kit as plastic weld is only around £3 a bottle and works much better.

Always wash all the parts that come in the kit before constructing it as they will stick together more easily.

Make sure your flooring is not the same kind of grey as raw parts – as you will never spot the pieces you drop on the floor!

If you would like to get involved with the model-making group, visit their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=applications #!/groups/beyondthebox.sig/

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TWO major athletics events may have to be cancelled because of delays in creating a new track.

Derby Athletics Club expects to have its new set-up at Moorways, in Allenton, ready by May 27 – but that will be too late for the county championship competition on May 25 and 26.

More than 300 athletes might miss out on the event because bad weather has made the £360,000 construction work difficult.

Keith Bullock, club chairman, said: "The weather has created a lot of problems. The builders can't lay the new surfaces until it's above 8°C and there can't be any wind.

"The county championships bring together people from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, so it's a shame this might happen because we wanted to put on a show against our rivals."

A final meeting will take place on May 7 to review the progress of the track and to make a final decision.

The British League Championship also looks under threat on June 8.

Mr Bullock said: "Both of these events are very important to us.

"The British League Championship is the athletics version of football's Championship, so it's a very high standard.

"It's really good to be able to host these high-profile events, which makes it more frustrating because of the situation we're in."

Bailey's Construction, of Belper, has been working overtime to get the project finished.

Quantitative surveyor Paul Howard said: "It was always going to be difficult to get it finished because of the weather.

"With the amount of wind we've had, it's made the spray finish and top covering of the track a nightmare.

"We had three weeks of snow in January and that really held us back."

Jake James, 21, a 100 and 200-metre runner for the club, was set to take part in the county championship.

He said: "It's a real shame because I couldn't wait to get going. It's such a big weekend."

Councillor Martin Repton, cabinet member for leisure and culture at Derby City Council, said: "The council enjoys an excellent relationship with the club and, together with it and the construction team, we are doing everything in our power to ensure the track is ready.

"The unprecedented weather we encountered during March has put back the programme and we are now dependent on good weather to complete the last phase, which is the laying of the synthetic track."

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A DOCTOR who suffers from a rare form of blood cancer has written to his MP after a national health watchdog said it would not recommend treatment for his condition on the NHS.

For five months, Dr Colin Clayton has been on the £43,000-a-year drug ruxolitinib to help ease the symptoms of his life-threatening blood cancer myelofibrosis.

Health experts say the condition – which is estimated to affect less than one in every 100,000 people living in the UK – has a poor prognosis and limited treatment options.

People over the age of 60 are most at risk of developing it and it can result in various symptoms, including bone marrow scarring, an enlarged spleen, fatigue and anaemia.

Dr Clayton, 52, of Swanwick – a GP at Leabrooks Medical Centre, in Greenhill Lane – said, before taking the drug, he was considering early retirement because he was so unwell.

He was never able to get it on the NHS himself but, once he had taken the drug – which will be supplied to him by manufacturer Novartis free of charge until it no longer benefits him – he said it gave him a new lease of life.

In March this year, he told the Derby Telegraph how he thought it was wrong the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE, had recommended the NHS should not be legally obliged to fund the drug.

The watchdog said this was because, while it was "clinically effective", it could not be "considered a cost-effective use of NHS resources".

NICE has now published final draft guidance which says it still does not recommend it.

Those consulted in its appraisal process now have 15 days to appeal against it. In his letter to Amber Valley MP Nigel Mills, Dr Clayton said: "Most cancers usually have several effective treatments, myelofibrosis only has this one, which has now been denied to everyone who needs it now and in the future."

He added: "If a drug can only be used in (a small amount) of people, it is inevitable it will be expensive but this amounts to discrimination against a minority group. Surely Government should not endorse this."

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BELPER Town are level on points with second-placed Coalville Town after this hard-fought win at Leek Town.

The Staffordshire side gave the Nailers a tough test but two well-taken goals in the first half and some excellent saves by Aaron Chapman helped Belper extend their unbeaten run to 23 games.

Manager Peter Duffield stuck with the same team that won at Romulus seven days earlier and the Nailers kicked off at a sunny Harrison Park knowing that victory could put them into second place depending on Coalville's result at Rainworth.

The Blues had former Belper player Anthony Danylyk in their starting line while the former Derby County and Sheffield United striker Lee Morris was on the bench for the hosts.

Leek showed themselves to be worthy opponents straight from the off, with Sam Hall firing the ball over the bar in the sixth minute.

However, Jon Froggatt nearly created Belper's first goal a minute later when he ran past the keeper and squared the ball to Simon Harrison, who fired his shot over.

Steve Brannan was a constant thorn in Belper's side until he was sent off in the 78th minute. He made space for a shot in the eighth minute that Aaron Chapman touched around the post with a full-length save.

Nailers' talisman Froggatt put Belper in front in the 29th minutes after collecting a headed pass from Simon Harrison and then calmly cutting inside and despatching his shot into the bottom corner of the net for an excellent goal.

Brannan startled the Nailers with a fine effort that went just wide and reminded them that Leek were a force to be reckoned with, then Chapman pulled off a magnificent save to deny Matt Bell's curling free kick.

However, Belper scored a second goal on the stroke of half-time when Greg Wright nodded Simon Harrison's free kick over the top of the stretching Ben Chapman.

Leek made every effort to get back on level terms after the break.

The Blues introduced the experienced Morris at half-time and he immediately made an impact by flicking the ball on for Dan Shelley to reduce the arrears.

Brannan spoiled an otherwise excellent display by being red carded when he was adjudged to have dived following a Shaun Roulston tackle.

Yet the Blues continued to press forward despite having only 10 men but could not find a leveller.

LEEK TOWN: Chapman, Smith, Bell (Mellor, 88), Thomas, Bradbury, Hall , Brannan, Shelley, Grice (Morris, 45), Kinsey, Danylyk. Other sub: Connor.

BELPER TOWN: Chapman, Roulston, Wright, Cotton, White, Adams, Harrison (Adam, 16), Warne, Froggatt, Tuton (Ward, 74), Graves. Other subs: Thomas, Rushbury, Ratcliffe.

REFEREE: J Hull (Stockport).

ATTENDANCE: 261.

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