'Living pillars' to be installed on Derby city centre lamp-posts
Carmel Swan, the authority's cabinet member for sustainability, said: "Living pillars will be a brilliant addition to the work we've been doing over the past few months to bring more life into our city centre."We're serious about our commitment to creating a greener, healthier city that supports our residents, and the installation of these pillars is another step towards achieving this."A number of bee-friendly bus stops and "pocket parks" were introduced across the city in 2024. The pillars have been designed by Scotscape, an urban landscaping company that focuses on improving biodiversity in cities, and are funded by Bauer Media Outdoor's Community Innovation Fund. According to the council, the pillars will also help to guide people to "key destinations and attractions" in Derby.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Oracy already exists in schools. Just look inside the drama studio
Why is it that, in all of the recent discussion of oral literacy (Letters, 30 July; Editorial, 27 July; Simon Jenkins, 24 July), there appears to be no mention of the one subject that already exists that has speaking and listening at its very heart: drama? Of course, discussion, debates, rehearsed readings – all of the things that advocates of oral literacy cite – are vital. And all are embedded within the drama curriculum. Debates don't have to be formal; watch a group of children negotiate how to form and shape a piece of drama, and you see vivid debate in action. Rehearsed readings? Surely rehearsed performance is better. So why this apparent dismissal? Perhaps it is distrust of the creative imagination that drama has as its very basis. Or the focus that the subject also has on movement as another vital tool of communication? Or is it a distaste for the apparent unruliness of the drama studio, where children do not sit in rows (other teachers dread covering for drama, in case they are required to oversee such chaos)? Of course, the debating chamber has its place. But what is for most children their most common oral experience, and frequently their most abiding memory? Performing in the school play, whether that be the infant nativity play or Shakespeare or some other challenging text. By all means, encourage oracy in the classroom. But don't forget the drama studio or the school WaltersLittle Ickford, Buckinghamshire I would go further back than school to develop oracy in children. How sad to see so many parents pushing their children in buggies, or even carrying them in slings, but glued to their phones instead of engaging with them. Even from birth, it is so important to interact with the young HamiltonBuxton, Derbyshire Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Summer Reading Challenge 2025: Are you taking part?
Do you enjoy reading for fun? Like a challenge? Well, charity The Reading Agency has launched its big Summer Reading year the charity launches a big summer challenge, where children set a goal to read as many books as they'd like over the holidays, to encourage children to feel more confident, and discover a love for by the charity has shown that in the UK, one in four children cannot read well by the age of part of the challenge last year, more than 13 million books were read and issued through libraries, and 70% of children who took part said they now feel more confident reading. How can people get involved? The Summer Reading Challenge is aimed at children aged four to 11-years-old, and kids can take part online, or by visiting a local the library, children can sign-up for free, set a reading goal for how many books they'd like to read, choose some books, and earn rewards like stickers or a medal for completing a reading libraries are also hosting special events as part of the Summer Reading you can't get to your local library, kids can join in online, by signing-up on the official website, setting a goal and get tips for accessing books for free at home. As you read you'll unlock digital rewards, including a printable certificate for completing your goals. Kids can also leave book reviews for other children to help them find a book they might you taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge?What books do you love to read? Let us know in the comments below!
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Orkney farmer plans trailer abattoir to end lengthy trips
An Orkney farmer is part-funding her own abattoir so her rare breed Boreray sheep no longer have to be taken on a seven-hour trip to the mainland for islands have been without a slaughter house since 2018 but Jane Cooper says she hopes to have her Tiny Trailer Abattoir - the first of its kind in the UK - by next will fit on two trailers - one for the humane slaughter of the sheep and the second to store and chill up to 20 carcasses. The trailer system can be operated by one slaughterman. It will be able to move between farms around the islands, but each place it operates will have to comply with all regulations and be licensed separately as if it was a fixed island abattoirs are now able to use local vets to fulfil the role of official veterinarian supervising the process. Rural abattoirs across the UK are shutting down at an alarming rate. According to industry reports, more than a third have closed in the past two decades due to high running costs, retaining skilled staff and increased regulation. Ms Cooper said the ability to slaughter sheep on her own farm would greatly improve animal welfare standards."At the moment, I have to transport the animals on a ferry and then drive them to Dingwall," she said."It's a seven-hour trip. I'd rather walk them a few steps from the field and into a trailer."She added that her system would produce almost no waste."We will be able to use many more byproducts than just the skins and horns that we collect from the abattoir in Dingwall," she is funding up to half the £150,000 herself, with the rest coming from another expects the trailers will be on her farm by springtime next year. Ms Cooper has been farming her distinctive sheep on the Orkney mainland since animals are descendants of native sheep from Boreray island in St 2017, they were registered as a distinctive breed in their own flocks are now established in Orkney which work together through the Orkney Boreray Co-op Tiny Trailer Abattoir will be owned, operated and hired out by the Co-op on a not-for-profit basis. Ms Cooper said the design was a new concept in the UK but she was confident it would be a success."The butchers we already supply are confident their customers will be more than happy to pay an extra premium for our mutton once the sheep are slaughtered on our farm," she said."We are transitioning our farm business here at Burnside from mostly breeding to bringing in and finishing Orkney Boreray sheep bred and reared by other members of the Co-op."
