Voice Magazines - Huthwaite & Sutton-in-Ashfield Edition - March 2026

FROM THE EDITOR

Hello Readers,

UPCOMING

FOR ADVERTISERS & CONTRIBUTORS: APR ‘26 EDITION - 6TH MARCH 26 | MAY ‘26 EDITION - 8TH APRIL 26

Here we are, all present and correct in the year of the Fire Horse. I can’t help but feel that it should be the year of some amphibious creature based on the amount of water we have had – maybe the Soggy Frog?! You’d need a snorkel to get around the Brierley Forest Park Run, hence it’s cancellations for the past few weeks. But alas, it is not. This is supposed to be associated with impulsivity, bold action and new beginnings. Mr Emily can hardly wait for even more random shenanigans, which can be attributed to the Fire Horse legitimately now!

In other news, we have an answer to ‘who ate all the pies’, turns out it was us!!! To give you some context…. on birthdays, the birthday boy/girl gets to choose a location for lunch and we enjoy a takeaway from the nominated place, paid for by the other HQ peeps. This year, I really fancied a take-out from ‘The Pantry’ at Swanwick. Turns out that we took the remaining 4 pies for the day, with

Michelle opting for something else. Unbeknownst to us, our name was mud, as any poor soul who asked for a pie after 12:30 was met with the fact that unfortunately ‘Voice has taken them all’!!! When Sarah found this out on the grapevine, we all laughed so hard…. who knew that we were the answer to a lifelong (usually football) chant!!

I can’t promise it won’t happen again, but what I would say is, if you really want a pie from The Pantry, make sure you order before 12:30pm because no-one can ever know when we might strike again!!

Anyway, at the time of writing we’ve had a couple of days of the big yellow thing in the sky, woohoo… and the daffodils and snowdrops are pushing upwards, so roll on March 29th for those longer days.

Happy Reading, Emily x

Spring: WHEN THE WORLD TAKES

A DEEP BREATH

There’s something about spring that feels like a collective sigh of relief. After months of dark mornings, soggy pavements and coats that never quite dry, the world begins to gently stretch, yawn, and come back to life. It doesn’t arrive with a fanfare, but in small, hopeful moments that quietly lift the spirits.

It starts with the light. One day you glance at the clock and realise it’s still bright at half past five. The next, you’re opening the curtains to sunshine instead of drizzle. The days don’t just get longer – they feel lighter too, as if winter has finally loosened its grip.

Spring is the season of small pleasures. Snowdrops and daffodils push their way through stubborn soil, reminding us that resilience can be beautiful. Gardens that looked tired and forgotten suddenly hint at colour and promise. Even the hedgerows seem to wake up, dotted with fresh green shoots that weren’t there the week before.

There’s a change in people as well. Walks feel less like a chore and more like a treat. Dogs linger a little longer at the park, and neighbours stop to chat rather than rushing back indoors. Coats are left unzipped, scarves abandoned, and there’s a quiet optimism in the air that’s hard to explain but easy to feel.

Spring also brings a sense of possibility. It’s the time of year when we talk about fresh starts, whether that’s tackling the garden, opening the windows wide for a long-overdue clear-out, or simply spending more time outside. There’s no pressure for grand resolutions – just a gentle nudge to try again, do a little more, or slow down and enjoy what’s around us.

Of course, spring in Britain likes to keep us on our toes. Sunshine one minute, showers the next – but even the rain feels different now. Softer somehow. Kinder. It no longer feels like winter refusing to leave, but spring doing things its own way.

As March unfolds, there’s a comforting sense that better days are ahead. Easter is on the horizon, weekends feel more inviting, and the simple joy of being outdoors returns. Spring reminds us that change doesn’t have to be loud or dramatic to be meaningful – sometimes it just arrives quietly, with a bit more light and a lot more hope.

So, here’s to spring: a season that encourages us to breathe deeply, look forward, and appreciate the little moments that make everyday life feel just that bit brighter.

SOCIETY

INDUSTRY AND ENTERPRISE IN SUTTON: A SNAPSHOT OF LOCAL MANUFACTURING HERITAGE

Sutton — c.1930s–1960s — Throughout the mid-twentieth century, the towns of Sutton developed a strong industrial character shaped by a diverse range of factories and workshops. Hosiery and knitwear production formed the backbone of employment, supported by box manufacturing, engineering works, dyeing and finishing plants, bottlers, and confectionery production. The businesses recorded here reflect a period of expansion and post-war resilience, when local manufacturing played a central role in community life and economic stability, leaving a legacy that remains part of the area’s heritage today.

Briggs and Greenwood

Meritina North Street, Huthwaite Skirts and Trousers

Sherwood

Walton Hosiery Co Kirkby Folly Road Hosiery

Cadmans The Twitchell Boxes

I & R Morleys Penn Street Hosiery

Simpson Wright & Lowe Huthwaite Road Hosiery

Betts and Broughtons Duke St/ North St Boots and Shoes

Monks Mansfield Road Knitwear Machinery

Tudsburys Mansfield Road Hosiery

Martin Emprex Kirkby Road Hosiery and Nightwear

Blinkhorn Idlewells Hosiery

Illingworth & Co Coxmoor Road Metal Box Manufacturer

Metal Box Station Road Tin Box Factory

Blinkhorn Kirkby Folly Road Hosiery

Wrightwear Kirkby Folly Road Hosiery

Towle and Cursley Lucknow Drive Hosiery

Dobsons Lucknow Drive Silk Throwsters

Ketron Hosiery Ltd Mansfield Road Hosiery

Clark and Orton Reform Street Hosiery

Sherwood Box Co Reform Street Cardboard Box Makers

Scott and Slack Station Road Hosiery

Samuel Eden Station Road Hosiery

B Walton & son Stoney Street Hosiery

Seal & Turner Stoney Street Knitwear

Atkin & Mason Tudor Street Hosiery

Hibbert & Buckland Unwin Road Hosiery Manufacturer

Needham Box Factory The Hillocks Cardboard Boxes

Steel and Busk Coxmoor Road Small Metal Part Manufacturer

Silknit Ltd Coxmoor Road Knitted Fabrics (?)

Haslam & Sons Ltd Cursham Street Beer Bottlers

Sheepbridge Stokes Hamilton Road Engineering (?)

Saxton Bros Hardwick Lane Hosiery

G Walton & Son High Pavement Lace Manufacturer

Faun Foundations Tudor Street Foundation Garments

Mathews & Bircumshaw Mansfield Road Hosiery and knitwear machines

Ashfield Dyeing & Finishing Edwin Street Dyeing

Abacus Oddicroft lane Litterbins, Bus Shelters

Stokes Taylors & Shaw Sutton Junction Structural Steelwork, Boiler Tube, Pipe Bending and Fitting

C.E.Evans Spring Bank Wine Bottling

Sampson Brothers Spring Bank Beer’s, Wine and Spirits

Edwardian Confectionary Barker Street Sweet Factory

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Slimming World Recipe Korean barbecue chicken

Method:

1. Put the gochujang paste, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic and a little seasoning in a wide bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces, toss to coat and set aside to marinate – ideally 1 hour in the fridge, but even 10 minutes is worth it.

2. Heat your oven to 180°C/ fan 160°C/gas 4.

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39 Low Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, NG17 1DH

This simple recipe uses the increasingly popular gochujang to give the meal that distinctive sweet and savoury Korean flavour

3. Line a large baking tray with kitchen foil and arrange the chicken on the tray, spaced apart as much as possible. Scatter with the sesame seeds and roast for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

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4. Transfer the chicken to a plate and serve with rice and lots of Speed vegetables or a crisp, finely chopped salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 level tbsp gochujang paste

• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• ½ level tsp sugar

• 1cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 600g skinless and boneless chicken thighs, visible fat removed, each cut lengthways into 3 pieces

• 2 level tsp sesame seeds

Serves: 4 1½ Swips per serving

Ready in: 35 mins (plus 1hr marinating)

A dogs Day out

This walk starts just outside Strelley Village on the road to All Saints Church. You head out on country lanes across open land, before joining a path alongside a gorgeous, disused section of the Nottinghamshire Canal. From here you pass Cossall Marsh Village before returning along a series of lanes to pass back under the M1 and, one of the highlights of the walk, ‘The Stones of Monks Way’ beside All Saints Church.

6-MILE CIRCULAR WALK FROM STRELLEY VILLAGE

A mid-length walk which should take you and your dog around 2 ½ - 3 hours to complete. The walk is mostly on trails and paths but there are a few short stretches of road so please take care. It has been very wet of late so please wear appropriate footwear and, as always, please follow the countryside code.

START: Lay-by on Main Street between Strelley Village and All Saints Church, Nottingham. Near NG8 6PE

1. Beginning on the corner by the lay-by. Walk past a metal barrier along a signposted bridleway.

2. Follow the main path as it bends around to the left and past a lane on the right. After some distance ignore a footpath straight ahead and instead follow the main bridleway around to the right to continue ahead with trees on your right and open views to your left.

3. Continue for quite some distance, crossing straight over a crossroads of paths/lanes to keep ahead with a hedge on your left and open views on your right. Then, after some distance, pass through a small metal gate and immediately onto a crossroads of paths/lanes.

4. Turn right here, along a lane signposted for ‘Cossall’. Continue with a hedge on your right. Prior to reaching a motorway follow the lane around to the right then left to pass through a tunnel.

5. Follow the lane around to the left, then after a short distance follow the lane around to the right. The lane narrows to a path with trees on your right and open views to your left. Continue for some distance passing a marker post on your right-hand side and along a footpath lined by trees.

6. Continue ahead for some distance as the path kinks left then right, then continue until eventually the path widens to a lane and you reach a large metal gate directly in front of you. Pass through a gap beside the gate and onto a road. Cross the road diagonally to pick up a footpath next to a large wooden gate and alongside a canal.

Walk alongside the canal path until eventually it bends sharp right to cross over a wooden footbridge. Turn right after the bridge and continue with the canal on your right. Ignore a wooden footbridge on your right and cross over another footbridge directly in front of you.

Continue with the canal on your right until passing through a metal width restrictor next to a large metal gate. Cross over a lane to pass through a gap next to a large metal gate. Keep ahead ignoring any paths to the left or right until reaching a metal chicane. Pass through the chicane and follow the path downhill. Pass by some industrial buildings on your left and continue ahead to cross over a road bridge, through a metal width restrictor and along the footpath going uphill. At the top of the hill continue with the canal on your right.

Upon reaching a wooden footbridge on your right, cross the bridge and ignore a path on your left to continue straight ahead with a canal on your right. Shortly the canal on your right ends and is replaced by a fence on your right and trees on your left.

12. Cross the road and turn left. Immediately after passing No. 50 on your right, just prior to a bus stop, turn right to continue along a signposted ‘Bridleway’.

13. Continue along the bridleway for quite some distance and just prior to reaching a road, turn right along a lane and signposted bridleway to ‘Strelley’. Continue along the lane for a short distance and as the path splits turn sharp left to continue along the lane with a hedge on both sides.

14. Continue for some distance, then after passing a lane to your left, which leads to a farm, take a lane on your right, away from the farm, to continue with open fields on both sides.

15. Continue ahead for some distance, pass by a marked footpath on your right and through a gap next to a large metal gate. Immediately after, ignore a lane to your right and continue gently downhill. At the bottom of the hill pass by a large double metal gate on your left and a large wooden gate on your right. The lane narrows to a footpath and continues uphill with a fence on your right and trees on your left.

16. After some distance pass through a gap adjacent to a small metal gate. The footpath widens to a lane. walk the lane climbing gently uphill until crossing over a motorway bridge and then until reaching a road.

17. At the road turn right and keep ahead along the road, past Strelley Church and along ‘The Stones of Monk’s Way’. Continue along the road for some distance to return to the start.

Continue along the path, passing a marker post and a footpath on your left then follow the path to the right. Eventually you will pass by buildings on both sides of the path before you bear to the left and onto a road (Awsworth Lane in Cossall Marsh Village).

This walk is for illustrative purposes only. Voice Magazines Ltd takes no responsibility for anyone who chooses to follow this route and encourages all walkers to obey all byelaws and signs and to respect the area they are walking in, ensuring they pick up all dog mess and obey the countryside code at all times.

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HERITAGE OF

THE EAGLE LECTERN OF NEWSTEAD ABBEY.

Living less than 5 miles from Newstead Abbey, over time I visited the Abbey with family and friends.

Access to the rear gardens can be made via a small tunnel built under a walled section. The view as you come out of the tunnel is of a sunken pool named the Eagle Pond. Whatever it was called in its early days, changed when a find was made by the 5th Lord Byron, of An Eagle Lectern (now in Southwell Minster).

How did it get to Southwell?

In Kirkby in Ashfield an Interesting Township, Bill Clay-Dove researched some letters and diaries by the Rector Dr Richard Kaye. Being a very learned man, Dr Kaye is covered in some detail in this book, but we are just looking at one letter. The 5th Lord Byron was selling off items from the Abbey and sold some Good Strong Beer for my Parish, along with ‘his Brass Eagle’ for Southwell. Dr Kaye was the Rector at St Wilfrieds, the Parish Church at Kirkby, for 41 years from 1765.

Other stories of its earlier life had been mentioned in various books, as I was

re-reading Ghosts and Legends of Nottinghamshire, I thought it may have been along these lines.

The 5th Lord Byron had his water sources on the Estate changed around for his pleasure and folly. An area of water noted as a pond at the time was searched and a Brass Lectern was found. When Henry the VIII broke up the Monasteries it was suspected the Eagle was tossed into the pond to hide it and some documents hidden inside, being found when 200 years had passed. We now differ on the story; did it go to an Antique Dealer who destroyed the documents (said to have been very interesting) later to be brought by Dr Kaye?

There have been other tales of lost treasure at the Abbey and failed searches, but in 1966 a hoard of treasure, jewels and coins, were found nearby at Fishpool and is now at the British Museum, the latest date on coins was 1464.

Dr Kaye served the Church and had many interests, if you are looking for an interesting Kirkby historical figure, …….

All Around the Shire

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET

We didn’t have a telly in our house until the mid-sixties, but when we did, it was a big event. The set was rented from Wigfalls in Derby and every month mum had to go and pay the rental. It was always breaking down and no amount of banging the top or moving the aerial would improve the picture.

We had to turn a dial to find the channels. ITV had started as a rival to the BBC in 1955 (with adverts) and when BBC2 came along in 1964, there were three to choose from.

You needed a more expensive licence to have a colour TV from 1968 (£10 as opposed to £5 for a black and white license). My grandad was brilliant at telling the different colours on snooker balls on his black and white TV.

The test card was an image shown when no programmes were being transmitted. It featured a long-haired girl

playing noughts and crosses with a clown accompanied by music.

Does anyone remember standing to attention for “The Queen” and the National anthem at the end of the evening when the programmes had finished? And the little white dot disappearing in the middle of your screen when you switched it off?

There are so many memories about early TVs. A world away from what we have now.

Janet and Paul Barrass are All Around the Shire.

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UTOPIA AVENUE BY DAVID MITCHELL

Utopia Avenue is the name of a fictional street in London. It’s also the name of a 1960-70’s rock band and of this month’s book.

David Mitchell’s novel is probably marmite. You may love it or wonder why you’d bother.. It’s maybe for you if you lived through, or are fascinated by, the 60’s summer of love hippie era. Or you love rock music. Or you enjoy books about how prosaic lives can become monumental and how human beings cope with the best and worst of experiences.

It has to be said, the book is brilliantly more-ish. This David Mitchell is not the comedian; he’s a novelist renowned for mind-blowing stories which cross centuries and worlds and lots of people love his stuff.

Utopia Avenue brings people like David Bowie, John Lennon and Leonard Cohen into the story as cameos. It dives deep into life on the road, has a strong male and female cast and some pretty dark thoughts about mental health. It’s also very funny at times and you can almost smell and taste the excitement of making brilliant music.

It’s also 570 pages long and like the period itself is a tale of drugs and sex and youthful idealism colliding with grim reality. It’s about the spirit of an age.

You’ll know if it sounds like “your bag” as the hippies would have said…

Pitcherwits® are crossword puzzles where some of the clues are in pictures.

Sound easy? It’s not called “Pit-your-wits” for nothing! The mixture of cryptic and picture clues, combined with Professor Rebus’ unique sense of humour, will keep you entertained for hours.

Across

5 Item of worth, like a TV, say? (5)

7 Spider crab, biting some religious leader (5)

11 Tree to sing about when very wet! (3)

12 Way back when, it could be a swerve (3)

16 Frequently derived from decimal (5)

17 Glue? It’s said to have walked! (5) Down

2 Way beyond any useful training (5)

3 French composer was a golden boy? (5)

10 Some ammunition for little tertiary education (3)

14 Cooker, donated by veteran gentleman (5)

15 Buying up pyjamas, partly for the fish (5)

Down

Haigh

From

Stay

Protect

Secure

THE NUTHATCH’S CALLS RING OUT ACROSS THE PEAK

Once recognised, the Nuthatch’s calls and song are distinctive. Indeed, this is one of the nosiest and distinctive woodland species, giving loud, high-pitched cries of ‘chwit-chwit-chwit’ and ‘kee-kee-kee’. These ring out across the Peak District from late winter into spring. Historically they had folk names like ‘Nut Hacker’, from the bird’s habit of breaking open nuts forced into crevices in tree-bark which they then hammer with their sharply-pointed beaks. Other, older country names included ‘Mud Dabbler’ or ‘Mud Stopper’, from the way they plaster mud around the entrance-hole of a chosen nest-site to close it to the correct size. Their favoured nesting sites include former woodpecker nest-holes, under loose bark, and in rot-holes. However, they also use nest-boxes and even if entrance holes provided are the right size, the Nuthatch will still plaster on mud just to be sure! From autumn onwards these very pretty but quite small birds are busy establishing, advertising, and defending territories. This activity extends into spring but reduces once the actual breeding season kicks in, when they become relatively silent.

Decades ago, these birds were much more restricted in their distribution and occurrence, and I recall in the 1970s heading to Chatsworth in the hope of hearing and seeing them. Indeed, the great parkland trees of places like Haddon Hall and Chatworth House, but also, Lyme Park, and sites like Elvaston, are all good places for them. However, they have now spread to the region’s many ancient woods and can be expected wherever there are suitably large, mature trees, preferably of Oak or Beech. Since about the 1970s and early 1980s, they have increased as breeding populations by around 300% and are now regularly seen and heard in woods, parks, and gardens across the Peak. Indeed, large gardens with Oak trees are prime habitat for these birds, and clearly the increased provision of bird-feeders and bird-tables is a key factor. In preparation for periods of food-shortage, they carry away excess food (e.g., peanuts and sunflower seeds) to be hidden or cached for future feeding. Despite their small stature, Nuthatches are bold and aggressive and capable of seeing off other, larger birds at the feeders. As demonstrated by their songs and calls given from the high branches of great trees, they are highly territorial for much of the year. Indeed, food storage within the territory makes its defence particularly important.

The Nuthatch was formerly restricted to south-eastern England but spread northwards during the twentieth

century, reaching Scotland to breed for the first time in 1989. Almost all Nuthatches are very sedentary, rarely moving far from where they hatched, often travelling is less than one kilometre. Consequently, they are still absent from Ireland, and from studies where birds are caught by netting and carefully recorded and ‘ringed’, no British-ringed Nuthatches have ever been recovered abroad. Similarly, no Continental-ringed birds have been found in England. Populations vary from yearto-year, which probably reflects food availability during the winter. Of course, this is why garden feeders are so significant, so keep up the good work as the Nut Hacker depends on your efforts!

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer, broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues is contactable on ianonthewildside@ukeconet.org. Follow his website www.ukeconet.org, blog www.ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com/ & Twitter @IanThewildside Bluesky @ianthewildside.bsky.social

With a bit of luck we’ll be able to get properly started in the garden this month, although some tasks can be achieved without relying on decent outdoor growing weather.

It’s a good time to make use of last year’s left over compost – both whatever you have left in compost bags and the remains from last year’s containers. It’s reckoned to be a good idea to replace the top third of any compost in containers. This will be depleted of nutrients and so no good for growing this year’s plants but can be used as a mulch for shrubs and also to aerate heavy or very wet soil. If you dig it into borders it won’t add nourishment but it will make it easier to grow different plants – i.e. where some existing soil types such as clay may not be compatible with certain kinds of plants. You can also spread it over the surface of soil – about 3 inches deep - to suppress weeds and it will help keep in the moisture later in the year.

If you’re looking for things to grow there are hundreds of packets of seeds to go at if you’ve a warm greenhouse or window shelf. But one group of plants you can quite happily put out in the garden now is herbs such as sage and rosemary and thyme. Thyme is particularly versatile and comes in several flavour varieties.

Lift and divide your snowdrops and aconites before they fade for more flowers next year. Small clumps will expand into bigger clumps over a year. Replant at the same depth in the soil.

It’s rose feeding time – there are any number of brands on the market – although roses are hungry feeders so it’s as well to buy specialised high potassium feed rather than all-purpose plant fertiliser. Tomato feed also works well.

Early bees, from spring solitary bees to queen bees from hives are likely to be on the wing now. If you’ve got wallflowers, forget-me-nots bluebells and primroses, or you’re thinking about buying them for the spring garden, the bees will be happy as these are great for pollen. Going forward it’s worth including some open single flower plants in your summer garden – cosmos, single flower dahlias, hardy geraniums – they’re easy for the bees to collect pollen from. Plants such as rosemary and foxgloves are also good, for example, for those bees that probe into flowers for their pollen.