Michael Duff returns for the Burnley Development squad tonight in his first action for a month.

The Clarets defender has missed the start of the Championship season after injuring his thigh in the pre-season friendly at Carlisle.

But Duff will feature alongside Ben Mee and Luke O’Neill in Tuesday’s behind-closd doors friendly at Chester.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche said: “It’s important that Michael gets a run-out after being out longer than he’d hoped.

“He has come along nicely in training and the next step is to get him some game time, so he will play tonight.

“Luke will also play and it’s another game for Ben, who is, if you like, finishing off his pre-season while Michael builds his up.”

BURNLEY: Liversedge, O’Neill, Mee, Love, Duff, Anderson, Trialist, Hewitt, Gilchrist, Frost, Howieson.

Subs: Errington, Nizic, Coleman, Gallagher, Lowe, Dummigan, Massanka

This Sunday there will again be an annual Rachel Husband Memorial 7-a-side Cup event to raise money for a cause close to all Rachel’s friends hearts – Pendleside Hospice.

Rachel died aged 21-year-old after suffering from a brain tumour in 2009.

Rachel, who lived in Woodville Road, Brierfield, worked at the George and Dragon in Barrowford. She was ill for nine months before her tragic death.

Sian Woodhead, secretary Barrowford Cricket Club, said: “In the past we have raised in excess of £1,000 on the day and we hope to raise more this year. Rachel’s mum Cheryl has set up a JustGiving page for the event and we are advertising on Facebook, Twitter and throughout Barrowford.

“It is a seven-aside cricket tournament, in which every outfield player bowls one over. There is a fancy dress theme this year with one of the teams already prepared with Seven Dwarf masks!

“There will be a raffle and an auction, with cricket themed prizes donated by the hospice on behalf of one of their clients. There will be a BBQ and traditional cricket tea and prizes given throughout the day for best fancy dress, player of the tournament, best bowler, best batting performance and of course the winning team at the end of the day.”

And Sian said: “It is always a fantastic day out for all the family, whether you enjoy cricket or not!”

It is taking place on Sunday at the cricket club’s Bull Holme Oval ground. It will start at noon and all the games will be played that day.

There will be six overs a side and all outfield players must bowl one over.

It is an eight-team knock-out format and it is £20 entry fee for each team, which will boost the Pendleside Hospice after Rachel’s tragic death.

There are, of course, prizes to be won. For more information, you can contact Nick Burton by calling him on 07854 236324 or email him at nick3urton@hotmail.com

Last year’s winner at the event was the REEM Team.

So there will be lots of excitement at the event, and it does support our vital Pendleside Hospice following the sad loss of Rachel four years ago.

Clitheroe UFC favourite Michael Bisping believes he is destined to become the organisation’s world Middleweight champion.

And the 34-year-old is adamant that the backing he’ll have in Manchester when he takes on Mark Munoz at the Phones 4 U Arena on October 26th will help him towards his ultimate quest.

The challenge is familiar territory for Bisping. He’s been a number one contender on three occasions prior to this, starting four years ago with defeat to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 in Las Vegas.

Once formidable belt holder Anderson Silva was in his sights again with further title eliminators against Chael Sonnen in Chicago last January and a suspiciously pumped Vitor Belfort eight months ago in the “Phenom’s” native Brazil.

But it’s a learning process that the “Count” has benefited from, it’s a journey that has strengthened his character, and they are career disappointments that have contributed to an unquenchable thirst to succeed.

“I think I’m destined to be world champion one day,” said Bisping. “I’ve got to number one contender match-ups a couple of times and I’ve lost them. To be honest I think it could’ve been a blessing in disguise because I wasn’t quite ready at the time and I’ve learnt from those mistakes.

“I’ve altered my training and I feel I’m ready now. I’m 34, still in my prime, still working hard, I’m in good shape and condition so I’ve still got a lot of life left in me as a fighter. I’m still incredibly hungry to bring that title back to England.”

He added: “When I fight in England I obviously have the home advantage and the crowd is amazing. For one I’m undefeated in England and every time I fight there I win fight of the night. I’ve always had tremendous support and I thank everyone for that. I’m expecting it to be no different this time.

“When I fight in the States I’m the away guy, fighting an American in America, so I tend to get booed a lot of the time. I’m fine with that because it has to be expected. My opponent might get some cheers, as I do over there, but on the most part he’ll get booed.

“In the UK you can liken the crowd to a football match which is something commentators often pick up on. They’re loud, much more vocal, and I know the UFC guys love coming to England. The atmosphere is amazing and you can’t beat an English crowd.”

Tickets for the show are available from Ticketmaster or from the Phones 4 U Arena.

Today we share this touching and heartfelt video reflecting on the miraculous journey of a Colne stroke victim.

Charlotte Neve (8), of Oak Street, suffered a rare brain haemorrhage and a series of strokes back in 2012.

She was in a coma for two days and, when she came round, was in a locked-in state, unable to speak, move or blink.

But against all the odds, the West Street Primary School pupil has pulled through and is amazing her family each day with her progress. She has just been awarded the Stroke Association’s Children and Young People’s award, and is learning to walk and talk again.

In this footage, given to us by the Stroke Association, Charlotte’s mum Leila looks back on her daughter’s rollercoaster of a year.

She said: “It has been fantastic watching her remember how to be Charlotte.

“She’s never once whinged, never once said ‘why me?’, never once said she can’t.”

For more on Charlotte’s journey, see Leila’s column in Leader Times Newspapers on the first Friday of every month.

When, like me, the good Lord has bestowed the gift of the proud age of three score years and 10, a new and indeed self-edifying, strange phenomenon takes over.

It’s called “things to do before you die”

And on Monday, July 15th, I proudly ticked off number one on my list.

Here in this week’s column, captured by my grandson Nathan, is a superb picture showing a smiling “yours truly”, sitting at the controls of the fastest steam locomotive of all time.

It is the legendary 1938, 126mph record for-all-time holder: Class A4 Pacific, 4-6-2, number 4468 – Mallard.

This was a dream come true for me.

For this iconic streamlined, garter blue engine is the most famous steam locomotive in the world. Indeed, only six of the once 35 A4 class survive and on this wonderful day, Nathan and I saw this and photographed them all at the National Railway Museum in York.

Here, Nathan clicks the camera shutter on number 60007 (Sir Nigel Gresley). Next along is number 60008 (Dwight D. Eisenhower). Now we see number 60009 (Union of South Africa), followed by number 4464 (Bittern), then the star of the show number 4468 (Mallard) and finally number 4489 (Dominion of Canada), complete with its original 1937 brass bell.

It was, for a 70-year-old grandad with his 20-year-old grandson, a red-letter day we’ll never forget.

The highlight was sitting in the actual seat in Mallard and holding the original “dead-man’s handle” that the legendary record-breaking driver Joe Duddington did on his epic run 75 years ago.

The six A4s looked immaculate, four in garter blue and two in brunswick green.

And as Nathan said: “Grandad, all six together is just stunning”.

For me, it was well worth the year’s wait and it was a day of joy!

Next up, number two on my bucket list is to see in Sheffield my football hero of the 1950s on his 80th birthday, the mercurial and famed inside-forward Albert Quixall.

The RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park is the pinnacle of the nursery’s year, and this year we struck gold again for our display of plants for northern gardens.

Just looking around the floral marquee this year there was colour from wall to wall, all the stands were packed full of flowers and the plants looked healthier than ever. This has been the after effect of having what seems to be a summer!

After the good weather you will all notice in your garden how much healthier and happier all your plants look and this gave us a recipe for success when heading to Tatton this year.

We were given a 250 square foot circular stand to fill with plants to fit our brief, “Plants for a Northern Garden”. The plants included Astilbes, which are damp lovers, our well-known Crocosmias, a large range of Achillea (Yarrow) and also what seemed to be the plant of the show, the Monardas (Bergamot).

The display (pictured) was divided by two stepping stone paths which led from a hot sunny border around to a small natural pond surrounded by shade loving plants like Hostas and Heucheras. It took four days to construct and used just over 2,000 plants!

Most of the plants used are out of the batches grown on the nursery, allowing us to sell if all off on the Sunday. However, some plants are larger show plants just used for the shows, like Hostas and the Japanese Maples.

When arriving at the first day of the show we were delighted to find out we had achieved top marks and been awarded the gold medal for our display.The judges said they couldn’t fault it and complimented us on the wide range of plants used and the exceptional quality considering all plants had been grown outside on the nursery.

We pride ourselves on growing hardy plants outside and we believe this is the reason for our success at the shows, as other nurseries do grow plants in greenhouses and polytunnels. Our customers always seem pleasantly surprised when they come back and tell us how well the plants are doing that they bought from us the previous year, instead of asking “how can I make this plant look as good as the day I bought it?”. This may be down to the fact the other nurseries they bought it off grew the plant in a polytunnel for all of its life!

A Colne business is set to expand — creating up to five jobs in the next three to four years.

Innova Solutions, which is based at Lower Draught Gates Farm, in Burnley Road, has announced it will be receiving a grant of over £70,000 from the Rural Development Programme for England.

The money will be used to pay 50% of the £146,994 development costs for Innova Solutions’ brand new warehouse facility.

Once complete, the warehouse will house stocks of tapes and adhesives sourced from the UK, Europe and worldwide.

Linda Barrowclough from Innova Solutions, a “Rural Business” finalist in this year’s Red Rose Awards, said: “This funding is a result of taking part in the Growth Accelerator scheme, and with the help of a business coach we established a three year growth plan.

“This brought up the need for further warehouse capacity and enabled us to seriously research possible grant opportunities.

“This funding has come at the right time and is enabling us to develop a purpose-built warehouse on the current site within a four month period.”

In the history books, she is the York princess whose union with the Lancastrian King Henry VII ended the bitter Wars of the Roses, the peacemaker wife who helped found the famous Tudor dynasty…

But how would it feel to be a ‘spoil of war,’ forced into marriage with the man who is your family enemy, your lover’s nemesis and a suspect in the murder of your young princeling brothers in the Tower?

Philippa Gregory is on top form in the fifth book of her gripping Cousins’ War series which follows the fortunes and misfortunes of the influential medieval women who, in one way or another, shaped the course of English history.

The compelling stories of three of these royal wives have enthralled millions of TV viewers in the BBC1 drama The White Queen, based on Gregory’s books, and here she puts flesh on the bones of Elizabeth of York, beautiful eldest daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, and a pawn in the machinations of both the warring houses.

Gregory has attracted some criticism for elaborating her histories with over-hyped dramas involving witchcraft, curses and other dark arts, but such accusations do great disservice to this popular and much-loved author.

Because what she does so powerfully and so imaginatively is to refocus our attention on the forgotten leading female players of our rich history and force us to re-examine their sacrifices, their resilience and their achievements in terms of real-life, flesh-and-blood women creating their own destinies in an age of male domination.

What Gregory delivers with each of her books is the reinvigorated personal history of significant women, a far cry from their more familiar, public and widely disseminated roles as footnotes of history and the product of centuries of tittle tattle and tinkering.

For the young Princess Elizabeth, life is a painful sham. Facing a conflict of loyalties between the red rose and the white, all day she keeps her face ‘smiling like a mask, smiling, smiling’ while her heart lies ‘in an unmarked grave somewhere in Leicester’ with her dead and defeated lover, King Richard III.

Like England itself, she is part of the spoils of war and her duty now is to forge the future of her family, ‘hammer’ herself into marriage with the conqueror Henry Tudor and become ‘the peace which ends the Cousins’ War.’

In the damning words of her indomitable mother Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, the balding and guarded young Henry is ‘ordinary… very, very ordinary’ but, as his wife, she will have a great destiny as Queen of England.

Against all the odds and a violent and inauspicious start to their union, Elizabeth discovers a growing affection for her uncertain and paranoid husband but she must reconcile this love with her innate loyalty to the House of York.

And worse is to come when she is forced to choose between her mother’s rebellion and her Tudor marriage, and between her new husband and a young boy who claims to be her beloved lost brother Prince Richard, the ‘Rose of York’ come home at last to claim the crown…

The harsh reality of Elizabeth’s terrible predicament springs from the pages of Gregory’s compelling and vibrant story. We witness a young woman’s gradual unfolding from reluctant, resentful marriage pawn to astute queen, respected wife, joint founder of a dynasty and keen political observer.

Once again, Gregory enables the personal and political to play out their parts by keeping one eye on the big picture and the other on the thrilling intimacies and small detail which make historical fiction so absorbing, exciting and refreshingly inventive.

(Simon & Schuster, hardback, £20)

I welcome Ken Hind’s comments last week in which he acknowledged overdevelopment was the key issue in the recent Littlemoor by-election result.

However, it’s not just Littlemoor residents who have shown how they feel about this issue with their votes.

The Lancashire County Council election for the Clitheroe seat was a very close-run thing between me and the Tory candidate, the housing issue being the main topic again. If 23 people had voted Independent instead of Conservative, the town would not have a Tory county councillor.

It would be interesting to see the result if there was a by-election in St Mary’s Ward, Clitheroe, which incorporates the site of the Waddow View application, or in Whalley and Barrow.

This is by no means a short-term protest. As increased housing numbers affect more people’s lives, those to blame will continue to suffer.

With the Core Strategy back in Ribble Valley Borough Council’s possession now is a good time to act.

Increasing the number of houses from 4,000 to 5,000 is not a good start. After all, it is not the fault of residents that the first Core Strategy was rejected. Dispensing with the preferred option of 1,040 houses at Standen Estates would also go a long way to appeasing the people.

The failure to submit a viable Core Strategy at the first attempt has cost certain communities very dear.

With a sound housing plan in place we would have been able to fight the Waddow View and Lawsonsteads plans with a near certain chance of success. But, without one, 605 houses seem certain to be dumped where they are neither needed nor wanted.

Some weeks ago Duncan Smith (Clitheroe Advertiser and Times news editor) wrote that most of the blame for this predicament lies with the Government because of the way the National Planning Policy Framework has been constructed in favour of the developer, and this is very true.

However, our own council must take the blame for its inability to produce a Core Strategy that could pass an inspector’s scrutiny. To fail by providing out of date supporting information is little short of shambolic.

Without a Core Strategy developers have free reign, localism disappears and the developer’s charter rules.

When finalising the second Core Strategy would councillors please take more care this time around. Instead of just nodding the Core Strategy through because it does not affect the villages many of them represent, they should digest the content, ask questions and make sure it is the right plan for the Ribble Valley.

We must hope there is no repeat of previous inept decision making or in 2014 we will be talking about a plan containing 6,250 houses – not to mention the wasted money!

It is that time of year that just about everyone in local newspapers really hates. Yes, our Thursday mornings are even more manic than usual and the following day you are able to read all the local GCSE and A Level results.

We only hate them for purely logistical reasons.

But other people hate them because they believe the exams are just too easy and the resulting certificates don’t count for anything.

That is not a theory I can ever agree with.

The first reason I can’t go along with the “not worth the paper they’re printed on” brigade is that I have never actually sat a GCSE or A Level in their current form and my recollection of my own children’s course work is limited, to say the least.

The second reason I will not have the hard work of this year’s students denegrated by others is the current 16, 17 and 18-year-olds can only pass the exams in front of them.

And the third, and probably most important, reason is that, from what I have seen of some of the course content of current schooling, it is much more relevant than some of my own studies which started 40-ish years ago.

Knowing the Schlieffen Plan made the Great War almost inevitable has never done me any good at all, other than blurting it out as a correct answer during a episode of “The Chase”.

Not since the day Virginia Wade won Wimbledon, my final day at high school, have I felt the need to draw an annotated map of Southampton Harbour.

And, from my vicarage upbringing, I probably already knew as much about the Synpotic Gospels as anyone at school was ever going to teach me.

Don’t get me wrong about my own schooling.

I have retained a great deal of knowledge from the likes of Miss Smith, Mr Wilkinson, Mr Chapman, Mr Crewe, Mrs Wightman, Mr Lowe and Mr Pile as I am ever likely to need.

But were the exams I sat in 1977 and 1979 as difficult as those sat 20, 30 or 40 years earlier?

I have no idea. All I know is we did our best and got the results the marking guide of the time said we deserved.

Owing to it being summer recess I was on holiday the other week and ventured to Cornwall for a break with my wife Kathleen so there was no surgery or street stall, but I am out and about and busier than ever now.

I fully support a campaign launched by the Travel Association ABTA and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office urging holidaymakers heading abroad to “pack your policy”. Lots of people will be looking forward to a well-deserved holiday, however, things can go wrong and many countries do not have national schemes to cover the cost of healthcare.

Having travel insurance means getting ill or having an accident won’t saddle you with an enormous bill, so I urge you not to be one of the increasing numbers of people travelling without insurance.

Many people have called for the Government to get behind the campaigns to get Britain fit and active through cycling. We must do all we can to encourage people to be fit and active to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Cycling is a great way to commute and for leisure. Burnley is creating miles of off-road cycle ways such as the Brun Valley Green Way. It is important people are able to cycle safely and I will support this in Westminster after the recess. A little closer to home, however, is Ride with Brad, hosted by Sir Bradley Wiggins, which started in Barnoldswick and included Pendle and the Ribble Valley.

In my role as Apprenticeship Ambassador, I continue to do all I can to boost the image of apprenticeships and get apprenticeships the recognition they deserve as a viable alternative to university and a means of further education. I continually highlight the benefits of apprenticeships for businesses and young people and it is great to see so many apprentices in our own town.

Building on work done before Recess, there is the hope to double the number of businesses who offer apprenticeships in the UK from 100,000 to 200,000. Work on this task will resume as Parliament returns. Priorities for the next Parliament continue to be boosting business, creating jobs and helping people with the cost of living. To see the economic recovery we must fix the skills gap and continue forward in a positive way. I am proud of the amazing businesses and products we have in our town. Looking to the latter half of 2013, I am proud of the Government’s cutting of income tax, reducing the deficit by a third and creating more than a million jobs and new apprentices, but there is still much to be done.

After a relaxing holiday week, I was keen to get back to Burnley and back to business. My first Monday morning involved a catch-up and then lots of constituent appointments. As usual, these were all varied in nature and I am always keen to get onto things straight away.

On the Monday afternoon I visited Doric FPD Limited. As a Burnley based manufacturer of cakeboards, cake decorations and specialist food packaging, they are a large employer in our town employing over 170 local people and I was hugely impressed with the company. After buying out long-established Food Packaging & Cakeboards a few years ago, they have doubled their turnover and are very much a growing business and real success story.

I was also delighted to learn of the positive impact of the programme the “Great British Bakeoff” has on their turnover and the baking industry as a whole. The boom it has created is fantastic and I look forward to the programme returning!

On Tuesday I had an important meeting with Mark Brearley, chief executive of the East Lancashire NHS Hospital Trust, to catch up following the Keogh Review in which the Trust was involved. We discussed the steps the Keogh Review had indicated been implemented and Mr Brearley indicated changes have already been made which I was happy to hear. He also acknowledged that when the new Emergency Unit opens in Burnley which I managed to secure, this will take pressure of the Accident and Emergency Unit at Blackburn. We also talked about proposals to bring back a number of services to Burnley which would be great news for our town.

On Wednesday I had a great visit to the Rolls-Royce Bankfield site in Barnoldswick. It was great to be shown round by managers and tour the incredible facilities and machinery. As I walked through the site, I was impressed with everything I saw. Around 1,000 people work for Rolls-Royce in Barnoldswick, producing Wide Chord Fan Blades for aero engines, which have been produced in Barnoldswick since their development in the early 1970s. With my own interest in advanced manufacturing it was an incredible visit and Rolls-Royce at Barnoldswick is certainly a jewel in the crown. In addition to the people they employ directly, Rolls-Royce spent £41m. on goods and services in Pendle last year making a huge contribution to the local aerospace supply chain. This is incredible for the area as a whole.

I then went to Coldwell Activity Centre to see some of the young people participating in the National Citizen Service Program. This is a great program that has been working with Burnley Football Club and the Challenge Network. It was a preview of the presentations I was seeing the next day during a Dragons Den challenge and it was great to meet the kids and enjoy a cake with them.

On Thursday, I was then a Dragon at Burnley College, although I like to think I was a bit friendlier than the ones on television! As one of the four dragons, we listened to five teams pitch their ideas for a community action day which all focused on different issues. I was hugely impressed with the quality of presentations and great ideas the young people had come up with. The two groups I got involved with were a group focusing on volunteering for young people. I thought this was great as it can really help out when seeking employment. I was also impressed by one of the groups who are looking at promoting growth and improvement in Burnley. Instead of it being seen as a place of deprivation, it should be shown as ‘up and coming’ I fully agree as our town is fantastic and both were awarded the £80 they asked for.

I was also fortunate enough to go to St Cuthbert’s Church for the induction of the new vicar. He is an extremely pleasant and understanding young man and it was a pleasure to meet him along with his family.

Every year, as summer arrives, we hear of dreadful stories of people drowning in open waters – dams, reservoirs, and canal locks.

I recently attended a conference aimed at raising awareness of the danger this presents. The conference was part of a campaign run by 2BR and some national newspapers. The intention is to raise funds for an interactive truck that will tour schools and show how dangerous it can be, regardless of how smooth, cool and inviting the water looks.

How big is the problem? In the past three years, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has been called out to 60 water rescues.

The representative of Lancashire Fire and Rescue at the conference told those attending that frequently when the temperatures rise, he and other fire fighters head to places like Barrowford Locks to warn people of the dangers of swimming there.

Nationally, accidental drowning causes more than 400 deaths a year – it is the third highest cause of death in children in the UK.

Each of these deaths present a tragic individual story – it could be your son or daughter, your brother or sister. It could be you.

At the conference I met the founder of the “Doing it for Dylan” campaign.

Dylan was a lively 13-year-old Lancashire lad who drowned swimming in a quarry. It was another unnecessary and tragic death.

Choosing a dangerous place to swim is just one issue. We need to look at prevention measures, education, risk assessments and other areas.

In my mind both swim-safe education and competent swimming skills are important, but it needs everyone to pitch in and reinforce the message.

Friends, parents, and neighbours, as well as teachers and campaigners, need to push the point that swimming in open waters can so easily, quickly, and surprisingly lead to a tragic death of someone close to you.

With the summer flower shows now in full swing, many people will have taken a day out at Southport Flower Show last weekend.

Since 1924, Southport Flower Show has been one of the largest northern flower shows, with Tatton coming first. Southport is still a large show with 80,000 people attending over four days.

Once again the nursery was exhibiting in the floral marquee with a display of hardy northern perennials, along with other nurseries from up and down the country.

It is always hard to miss the showy displays of cut flowers at the summer shows, whether it be dahlias, gladioli or even sweet peas, many new varieties are coming out each year and with a little bit of extra TLC all of these can be grown in your garden.

A tremendous amount of work goes into getting these stands just perfect, with all the flowers facing forward and the colours blending in with one another.

At the flower show you really have two different types of stands, the cut flowers, and then the growing plant displays, much like the nursery’s display.

These consist of actual growing plants which are flowering and sometimes the timing of these displays is much trickier than the cut flower.

A vibrant perennial which always flowers for Southport is the crocosmia, hot colours or red, orange and yellow, and these are complimented with the soft pastel colours of Border Phlox (Phlox paniculata) blues, pinks, purples and whites.

Now is a great time to plant Summer perennials as you can easily imagine where the colour and height of them will fit into your garden as they are fully grown. A little tip though is that when planting perennials, take off the flowers and feed with tomato food. This will make the plant put energy into development rather than a flower, therefore making a bigger plant for next year.

A day out to a flower show is a great eye opener into the world of gardening, you will see plants you never knew existed and also be able to get free help and advice from specialist growers. It’s also a great day out for all the family.

I try to take time off when I can on Mondays and Tuesdays, but the pressure to do odd jobs here and there, catch up on paperwork and even buy food, put a great deal of pressure on a limited time opportunity. This was the case when, in a day peppered with torrential thunderstorms and running errands, time seemed to slip away at an alarming rate so that, by Monday evening, I had achieved only a fraction of my planned chores.

When Tuesday dawned, early cloud had the promise of burning off later on and so I decided to combine a delivery with a delivery. The fact the delivery was up near Thirsk in the flatlands of North Yorkshire, where the Vale of Mowbray meets the Vale of York, made the decision that much easier.

That part of North Yorkshire is an old stomping ground of ours, going back to the time when we lived in Stockton-on-Tees and made that part of the world our own. Our eyes were always drawn to the high ground of the North York Moors, the western escarpment of which rises abruptly above the Vale of Mowbray at Sutton Bank, the view from the top of which is one of the finest in England.

But travelling between Burnley and Stockton-on-Tees, the brick-built red pantiled roofed towns and villages of the lowlands became familiar to us, and Wifey and I feel a strong bond to the area. Nevertheless, it is a vast area, and it is impossible to do everything and so, time after time, you go past a place and think “We must go there sometime” knowing it will probably never happen.

Such was the case on Tuesday when, driving past Ripon to get to Thirsk, we (yet again) saw the signs for Newby Hall and Gardens and, true to form, said “We must go there sometime” before driving on. Despite a dodgy forecast warning of heavy showers, the day just got sunnier and sunnier and so, after successfully making our delivery (to a Burnley lad) at Thirsk, and with lunchtime beckoning we stopped at a pub for lunch.

Sat outside in the sun, dining alfresco, and slowly sliding into “relaxed mode”, the idea of a 10-mile tramp across the moors became increasingly less appealing. Actually, I fancied a siesta but, rather than waste our day, we elected to have a more relaxed day and instead of miles of toil in the sun, decided that at long last Newby Hall warranted a visit.

I had long been aware of the herbaceous borders at Newby and under the summer sun they were at their best. Delphiniums, Monkshood, Salvia, Veronicas and Achilleas were all looking gorgeous and beautifully maintained. The stars, however, were the Heleniums (pictured). Each large daisy-like flower has a prominent central disc borne on an erect stem and colours in yellows, orange and red.

What added to their undoubted charm were the vast numbers of bees, in a whole range of varieties, including some black and yellow bumble bees I’d never seen before. For those less comfortable with these creatures, there was no need for concern as there was no hint of malice, every bee displaying a similar relaxed air of contentment as I had over lunch.

Under the hot sun, presumably these bees had gorged themselves on nectar, possibly become slightly drunk on fermented nectar, and were carrying out their work at a very relaxed, sleepy pace. Even when I stroked their backs they barely seemed to care. Happy days in the sun.

The hall itself is well worth a visit, too, being beautifully kept and furnished throughout, and the guided tour was worth going on. But the combination of sun, lunch and heavy air pressure was draining me and slowly my legs were turning to lead. I was growing tired.

Returning to the car, parked under the cool shade of a huge beech tree, Monty was dozing contentedly, but I was feeling guilty. The walk I had ‘promised him’ in my mind had not been forthcoming and I really couldn’t be bothered. Perhaps later.

We drove back towards Pateley Bridge the sun still shining then I remembered the path along the riverside from Glasshouses to Pateley Bridge. Easy going, good surfaces and, above all, loads of swimming for Monty.

It was a contented bunch that arrived back home. We had enjoyed a superb day, seen not a trace of rain, eaten well and even given the dog a decent walk (and swim), all in a lovely part of the world. Not only that, next time we drive through Ripon, instead of “We must go there sometime”, it will be “Do you remember when..?” and of course we will. A superb day out.

Here’s the latest from our delve into the video archives ...

Do you remember Burnley Carnival of 2007? It was certainly a fun-packed, noisy affair, complete with cheerleaders.

Do you recognise yourself in one of the groups from Brunshaw or Burnley Wood who took to the streets to join in the parade?

Watch out for more video memories coming soon.

A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape following an attack over the weekend.

The incident, which involved a 35-year-old woman, happened sometime between 9-40pm and 10-15pm at the rear of Exchange Street and Blascomy Way on Saturday.

The woman was on her way back from a night out in Colne when she encountered a lone man smoking a cigarette.

The man may have been disturbed during the attack when someone has been heard speaking further up the backstreet. Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Detective Inspector Jim Elston said: “This appears to be an opportunist attack on a vulnerable lone woman returning home from a night out.

“This is a vicious crime which has had a significant impact on the victim who is being supported by specially trained officers”.

“I would appeal to anybody that saw a man acting suspiciously in the area around the time of the offence or anyone that thinks they may have witnessed this incident to contact police as a matter of urgency.”

Officers are inspecting CCTV footage and carrying out house to house enquires. Anyone with any information is urged to contact 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

This week we reveal Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s most “unusual call-outs” across Pendle and Burnley over the past three years.

Our firefighters not only tackle blazes and save lives, but also assist East Lancashire residents with their more unexpected dilemmas.

Since 2010 in Pendle, “Special Service Calls” ranged from a woman trapped in a pantry, to a man trapped between a building and a wall. There have also been 53 instances where residents have needed to get a ring removed from their finger.

And in Burnley, fire crews have been called out to deal with an array of more unconventional rescues, including a child with a potty stuck around his neck, a woman with her fingers trapped in an ironing board and a child trapped in a muddy field.

Responding to the data, Lancashire Fire and Rescue’s John Taylor, said: “Conducting rescues in all sorts of situations in addition to saving people from fires is an intrinsic part of a firefighter’s job and from time to time some of the circumstances can be unusual, for sure.”

“The details we’ve provided are a snapshot of the ones we’d consider a bit out of the norm and of course we’d prefer it if people didn’t have to experience the trauma of those incidents in the first place, possibly avoided by taking more care, but when such jobs arise we’re there for them.”

Since details of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s “unusual call-outs” have emerged, Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson and Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle have offered their advice on how certain situations can be avoided.

Mr Stephenson said: “Local firefighters do a fantastic job and these unusual incidents highlight the huge variety of different problems they deal with. Whilst some of these incidents were clearly serious, I would remind people to always remember where they leave the keys to their handcuffs.”

And Mr Birtwistle added: “I am amazed, I can’t believe some of the reasons for the call-outs. How do people get stuck in handcuffs? Odd.

“About the rings, fingers grow, rings don’t shrink, and I understand any good jeweller will take them off without it costing the taxpayer a penny.”

Having been sent to deal with 1,300 incidents involving people being trapped or stuck, often in everyday household items, since 2010, the London Fire Brigade have also stressed the importance of only using 999 in an emergency. The Brigade said that each incident costs taxpayers at least £290, meaning the incidents have cost at least £377,000.

Third officer Dave Brown, said: “Some of the incidents our firefighters are called out to could be prevented with a little common sense. I don’t know whether it’s the Fifty Shades effect, but the number of incidents involving items like handcuffs seems to have gone up. I’m sure most people will be Fifty Shades of red by the time our crews arrive to free them.

“I’d like to remind everyone that 999 is an emergency number and should only be used as such. When firefighters are out attending to some of these avoidable incidents, someone else could be in real need of emergency assistance. If there’s a genuine emergency, fire crews will of course attend and will be on the scene to help within minutes.”

Burnley have suffered a blow on the eve of their trip to Brighton after Ross Wallace was ruled out until Christmas with a knee problem.

The Scottish international winger has had a scan, and underwent an operation yesterday which will see him sidelined for “three to four months” according to boss Sean Dyche.

Wallace had started all four games so far this season, having signed a new two-year deal, and Dyche said: “It’s unfortunate for Ross, he came out of pre-season flying, but he had a niggle with his knee last season and we felt we were on top of it.

“It’s just got too sore to continue though, so it was time something was done about it.

“He’s going to have to have an operation, and the specialist will know more when he gets in there, but we’ve had a scan and there’s some details on that that need tidying up.

“It’s certainly going to be weeks, and it could be months, not too many months, but certainly a period of three to four.

“We’re looking at that as something that takes care of itself after he’s had surgery.

“It’s one of the challenges of what we do, the body takes a lot of hammer playing football and sometimes it’s a wear and tear issue, which is what this is.”

Dyche has been in the market for a striker after the sale of Charlie Austin, and now is a wideman short - although Keith Treacy and Scott Arfield, who came on for Wallace and Junior Stanislas to influence the game positively in the 2-0 win over Yeovil on Saturday, could fill the void.

It is an opportunity for someone else, and Dyche admitted: “That’s what football is about, you get a chance and you take it.

“There are other players here looking to go into Ross’ position and deliver performances for us. It is a squad game now, as we mention on several occasions, and it’s important players are fuelled up with that energy to affect a game and have a knowledge of what is going on in the game.

“We’ve made it clear to the subs how important we feel they are, the part they can play at any given time.

“It’s important they’re ready and focused, and they certainly showed that last week against Yeovil.”

Burnley go into the start of a big week, with three games before the close of the transfer window and the international break.

The Clarets travel to Brighton tomorrow, before hosting Lancashire rivals Preston North End in the second round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.

They then go to Derby County a week tomorrow, before the summer transfer deadline at 11 p.m. a week on Monday.

After going four games unbeaten so far, Dyche would like to try and get to the international break unscathed and to add to his squad: “The break gives everyone that respite , and the window then comes to a close and we can see how that’s settling down, hopefully with us having additions.

“If not, the loan window then opens, but it’s an ongoing process.

“But first things first, we have to go to Brighton.”

Dyche has been searching for a striker to replace Charlie Austin, while the injury to Ross Wallace means he may dip into the market for another wide player as well.

He said: “I think we, as ever, are trying to add people to the squad, and that hasn’t changed.

“We want to build a depth to the squad when finances allow.

“We are doing our business as privately as we can, behind the scenes, and we feel that’s appropriate.

“We’re not powerful enough to give information out because the people who do speak openly about transfers are usually the ones who have lots of money.

“We have to shop accordingly. We have eyes on the market, but it takes everything to fall into place.”

Meanwhile, Michael Duff made his first appearance for a month for the Development squad in Tuesday’s friendly at Chester after injuring his groin in pre-season.