Derby Evening Telegraph

; the Main Event

STEPHEN Merchant may have won a handful of Baftas for The Office, a prestigious comedy award for his acting in Extras and even a fabled Emmy, but when it comes to women, he's hopeless. It's not a dig but a confession from the cult comedian himself - and something that has provided enough heartache, misery and embarrassment for him to turn his romantic endeavours into a sell- out stand-up tour.

Best of the Rest

Poetry and Wit From Tv and Radio Star

THE man described as the "Shirley Bassey of performance poetry" can be seen in Derby on Wednesday. Enjoy a blend of literary expertise and stand-up comedy in the company of Ian McMillan, the host of weekly Radio 3 show The Verb.

Qt Quality Time

Nhs Managers Gave Up Salary Rise Following Staff Pay Freeze

TOP NHS managers in Derbyshire chose not to take pay rises after their staff were affected by a pay freeze. Pay has been frozen for all NHS staff, except medical, dental, top directors, and those earning under Pounds 21,000.

Solar Panels Set to Power More Homes

SOLAR panels could appear on the roofs of many more council homes across Derbyshire. Yesterday, South Derbyshire District Council published its plans to spend Pounds 1 million installing the panels to lower energy costs for tenants and raise cash through selling on the energy. It estimated tenants could save more then Pounds 100 a year through having the solar panels on their roofs.

Head Chef Harun Miah Turns [...]

Group's Award for Helping Fight Crime

A RESIDENTS' group has won an award for its work in reducing crime. Osmaston group Oscar was presented with Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch's Central Network Shields Award after being nominated by PCSO Dan Barthorpe.

Husband 'Tucks In' Wife of 50 Years Every Night

MICHAEL Avery visits his wife Dorothy every day, in the nursing home where she has lived since suffering a stroke, and tucks her in each night. The 74-year-old spends hours at her side, he is there when she falls asleep and he always turns on the radio to keep her company.

Royal Wedding Is Blamed for Delays in Hospital Scans

Sports Grounds to Be Improved with Two Pounds 50,000 Grants

TWO sport groups in the Derbyshire Dales have each been awarded Pounds 50,000 to improve their grounds. The money has been provided by Sport England's Protecting Playing Fields Olympic legacy fund. Wirksworth and Middleton Cricket Club will use the money to carry out ground extension and other improvements to benefit players. Brassington Recreation Ground Charitable Association will use its grant to create a new full-size football pitch. Six playing fields across the East Midlands each receiv...

No Vat to Pay On Popular Seats

SPANISH car maker SEAT has revived its hugely popular Pay No VAT campaign as it seeks to continue its most successful year to date and attract even more new car buyers to the brand. The new offer covers two of the Barcelona-based car company's most popular models - the stylish Ibiza five-door 1.4 SE Copa supermini, seen left, and the sporty Leon 1.6 TDI S Copa family hatchback.

Easy No-Vat Solutions

Union Rep's Heartache Over Workers Facing Axe

A UNION rep at Derby trainmaker Bombardier has spoken of his heartache at dealing with the final stages of the redundancy consultation process at the firm. Darren Barber is one of a number of union reps at the Litchurch Lane plant who are trying to minimise the number of redundancies at the company, which is laying off 1,400 people after missing out on the Thameslink rail deal.

Hopes of Winning Pounds 200m Contract to Help Save Factory

BOMBARDIER has said it will submit its bid for a multimillion- pound contract which could help towards saving its Derby factory early next month. Last month, train operator Southern Railways announced it was looking to order 130 Electrostar carriages to help meet passenger demand.

School Cycle Shed Needs Permission

A Week On Run for Sudbury Prisoner

A 26-YEAR-OLD has now been on the run from Sudbury Prison for a week. Marc John Williams went missing from the open prison last Friday. He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court in October 2010 to three years in prison for drug offences.

Silk Mill Fires Up Popular Attractions for the Day

DERBY'S Silk Mill Museum, which closed for two years in 2010 to save Pounds 400,000, is temporarily opening its doors and running two popular exhibits tomorrow. The venue, off Full Street, is firing up its Grasshopper beam engine and running its model railway as part of events being held to mark Derbyshire Discovery Day, which is part of Derwent Valley Mills' nine-day World Heritage Site Discovery Days Festival.

Pounds 4.7m Bridge Cash Bid Is Resubmitted

A FINAL bid for Government cash to replace a vital city bridge will be submitted today. Derby City Council put its initial application for Pounds 4.7 million towards the Pounds 7.4 million cost of replacing London Road bridge to the Department for Transport in September. The department has reviewed the bid and has sought clarification on certain aspects.

Westfield's Pounds 20k to Help Police's Work

MEMBERS of Derbyshire Police Authority have approved a Pounds 20,000 grant from Westfield Derby to upgrade and expand automatic number plate recognition cameras within the city. Chief Inspector Tracey Harrison secured the agreement for the cash, granted to the authority to "enhance the policing in the city".