THE family of a Derby grandad who went missing from his home for six days have spoken of their relief after he was found.

Police said Leslie Steemson was discovered sitting on a wall in Wirksworth yesterday and was taken to hospital for a check-up.

The 59-year-old had not been seen in person since leaving his home, in Manor Road, on Monday.

He had, however, been spotted on CCTV footage in a shop at Wirksworth on Wednesday at about 2.40pm.

And his family had said they were concerned because they believed he was suffering from depression after being made redundant two years ago.

But, last night, after a spokeswoman for Derbyshire police confirmed he had been found, Mr Steemson's daughter, Jackie Hemstock, said: "We're so relieved.

"We had been going through an awful time and we had gone absolutely everywhere searching for him."

The police spokeswoman said Mr Steemson was seen by paramedics from East Midlands Ambulance Service before being taken to hospital.

Mrs Hemstock, 37, said she had been invited by police to go to Pear Tree police station for more information. She had previously told the Derby Telegraph how her father's life changed when he was made redundant from Best Buy electrical store at Kingsway Retail Park in November 2012.

She had also said Mr Steemson suffered from a heart condition and was diabetic – but has left home without any medication, money or belongings.

And she said her mum Karen had also been left devastated by her husband's disappearance.

But Mrs Hemstock – who has children Nathan, 13, Sydney, 12, and Morgan, nine – said social media had played a big part in the search operation for her father.

DERBY County fans are being asked for ideas for pre-match music ahead of their Championship play-off home-leg encounter with Brighton.

And they are also being invited to bring along Rams scarves to wave during the game next Sunday – in the same way they did at the club's FA Cup tie against Chelsea in January.

It is all part of Derby County's plan to create a party atmosphere during the second leg, after the Rams take on Brighton on their own turf on Thursday night.

And we are behind the club's efforts to get the iPro Stadium full and the noise in the stands louder than ever – with our own Roar on the Rams campaign.

Faye Nixon, marketing manager at Derby County, said: "Steve McClaren wants it to be as normal as possible for the players so the entertainment on the day isn't about the glitz and the glamour.

"It's about Rams fans getting really excited and really vocal, which is why we want them to bring their scarves and raise them high.

"And we want to know what music will get them in the mood as well before the match, so we're asking people to send us requests.

"It's an exciting time to be a fan and we love that. I've always been a fan myself and, remembering last time when the club was promoted, somehow this feels a bit more real and we feel ready for it. Everyone at the club, on and off the pitch, is really up for this week's matches."

Even the iPro Stadium has been dressed up for the special occasion – with 1,600 yellow seats turned black and a fresh coat of black paint on the previously-red walkway around the pitch.

Nigel Wood, safety and operations manager said: "We're all just gearing up now for the event. We'll be having regular safety checks leading up to Sunday and then 48-hour and 24-hour checks beforehand as well."

Derby County fans will fill the whole of the South Stand at the iPro Stadium, with away fans housed in the South East corner for the home semi-final leg.

Derby did this against Nottingham Forest as a trial for next season.

Nigel said: "It worked fantastically well when we played Nottingham Forest and we had really great support from the Football Association and the stewards to do it, as well as good feedback from fans.

"It will be the norm next season because it just creates a really good atmosphere."

And, for fans still looking to get tickets for either the home or away leg, Brandon Furse – head of ticket sales and services – said the club was doing all it could to help.

Before it emerged Brighton were Derby County's play-off opponents, he said they had been liaising and negotiating with all potential rivals to agree pricing and to obtain as many tickets for Rams fans at the away leg as possible.

The Rams have been given 2,580 tickets for Thursday's away leg at the Amex Stadium.

They went on sale yesterday at 10am for Rams on Tour and Away Members only, with season ticket holders able to buy tickets today from 10am – with one allowed per season ticket.

Home members can purchase tickets tomorrow from 10am, with any remaining tickets up for general sale on Wednesday morning.

Away tickets are £30 for adults, £22 for OAP supporters, £15 for Under-18s and £8 for under 10s.

Away leg tickets will only be available to purchase from the North Stand Ticket Office during normal opening hours or by calling 0871 472 1884. There will be no online sales for the away leg.

The home leg will take place at the iPro Stadium on Sunday. Tickets will go on general sale on Tuesday.

Brandon's job will also involve liaising with officials at Wembley Stadium about tickets, if the Rams come through their semi-final.

He said: "We've been doing everything we can to get tickets at the away leg for our fans – short of bribery anyway!

"And we're putting lots of people in place to sell tickets and answer any queries."

To make a suggestion for pre-match music for the home leg, e-mail slo@dcfc.co.uk

OUR Roar on the Rams banner made its latest stop at the Sale and Davys Primary School, in Barrow-on-Trent.

Pupils at the Twyford Road school were very excited to see our banner and several dressed up in Derby County shirts to mark the occasion.

The banner is part of our campaign to get Rams supporters everywhere doing what they can to get behind Derby County.

We aim to turn the city and the county black and white in the push to get the club back into the top flight.

And we want to see the iPro Stadium full and hear your ideas on how we can bring a cup-final atmosphere to the city for the play-offs.

Send details about why you think you should be pictured with the banner – or tell us what else you are doing to support the Rams – to Caroline Jones at cvjones@ derbytelegraph.co.uk.

Anna Powles could not see a cloud in the sky this weekend as she enjoyed the bank holiday "blues" while walking her springer spaniel, Monty, through bluebells carpeting acres of fields and woodland at Bow Wood, Lea Bridge. But while no rain is expected to hit Derby during the day today, the Met Office is predicting some clouds over the horizon which will lead into showers in the evening. Tomorrow will also be rainy, with some outbreaks of sunshine.

Picture: Rod Kirkpatrick, F Stop Press

A 46-YEAR-OLD man who downloaded indecent images of children and extreme pornography has been jailed for six months.

Alvaro Herrero, of Willson Avenue, Littleover, admitted having more than 300 indecent images, between January 2011 and August last year, which ranged from category one to four – the most explicit level is five. He also pleaded guilty to having 85 extreme pornographic images, which are illegal.

It is important to have enough places in city primary schools for the future, but of equal importance is making sure they are in the right places. Could the city council be creating problems through its rush to find extra space or has it got it right?

THE creation of extra school places in areas where no large-scale housing developments are planned has raised questions about whether Derby City Council has its sums right.

An anticipated 12% shortfall in the number of places for primary-age children in the city by 2017 has prompted the council to create huge long-term expansion plans at 10 city schools.

Several head teachers involved have said they were left wondering where pupils would come from to fill these places at schools in Chaddesden, Breadsall Hilltop, Spondon and Darley Abbey.

Higher birth rates and an increase in immigration are being blamed for the boom in infant-age children – many of whom live in areas such as Normanton and Sinfin.

This has led to suggestions that it will become necessary to bus pupils from the inner city to suburban schools, although Derby City Council has failed to comment on the specific issue.

Jim Pierce, is head teacher at Breadsall Hilltop Primary, where the admission number will increase by 30, effectively giving the school an extra 210 pupils over several years.

He said: "It is hard to see where the children will come from as the most recent house building in the area was for elderly people's bungalows. But we agreed to the increase providing there is funding for teachers and extra accommodation."

Faced with the shortfall of primary school places by the 2016-17 academic year, the council is desperately trying to ensure it can cope.

While supporting the need for extra school places because of the booming Derby population, where they are being created raises more questions than answers.

The council must ask itself if parents will want to go to the schools they make bigger, that the increases will not deprive other schools of pupils and that the council will not have to resort to bussing pupils around the city to schools that have space.

Admission numbers have already been increased at schools in Normanton and Sinfin, where the population is increasing fastest due to a spike in the birth rate and immigration. An extensive building programme has boosted Arboretum Primary School pupil numbers.

But with up to £5.8 million to spend on creating additional space, the council has decided to expand schools in Allenton, Derwent, Chaddesden and Darley Abbey, where the population growth is less and no major new house building is planned or has been given the go-ahead.

Additionally, with several schools soon to have more than 600 pupils, some have expressed concerns that they could become too large to adequately serve the children they already have.

For example, at Cherry Tree Hill Primary, additional classrooms for the extra 25 pupils per year, leading to an extra 175 pupils eventually – 630 in total – could not persuade those consulted it was a good idea.

Head teacher Kathy Mayer said: "In a nutshell, I can't answer where the children will come from. But I am pleased to be getting additional learning spaces.

"We're not sure where the additional children will be coming from because most of the new build is on the other side of Derby. But we have noticed a definite increase in family size, with more families having three, four, or five or more children.

"We are having all the new classes built this year as an economy of scale rather than building programmes over consecutive years.

"This will mean for the first time, during my lengthy time at Cherry Tree, we will have a spare classroom, which can be used for group work, meetings and multi-agency support work."

Ten people wrote to the council to say they did not agree with the idea for the Chaddesden school, and just two were in favour.

But a council spokesman said: "Consideration was given to schools' sizes when expansion proposals were identified. There are no proposals that would take a school over an admission number of 90."

Talking about the seven new classrooms that are being built at Breadsall Hilltop Primary, head teacher Jim Pierce said he was unsure where the extra pupils would come from to fill them.

He said: "We are pleased to have the extra space and will be able to use it. But there is no obvious boom in population predicted around here."

The city council estimates that the primary population of Derby will increase by 2,778 children over the next five years, with 23,561 pupils in the primary schools by September 2017.

Its current planned expansion at 11 city schools by September will create an extra 228 places in reception classes and ultimately 1,386 additional places throughout the schools.

Springfield Primary School, in Spondon, will not have its buildings completed until January and the formal consultation on expansion by 15 pupils a year, 105 places overall, is being completed.

Head teacher Dave Blackwell said: "We asked where the children would come from when the project was first proposed. The council's projections showed a predicted shortfall of 57 school places in the Spondon area if no school was expanded.

"This is supported by the very rapid increase in pupil numbers at Springfield.

"Our autumn census from 2011 stated 134 pupils on roll, which in less than three years has risen to the current 196, a significant increase.

"We are experiencing daily requests for places, many of which we are having to refuse, because we are full in that particular year group.

"I am expecting our reception class to be oversubscribed this year for the first time in my time at the school and in September we expect to be full in every year group except one.

"While this can partly be attributed to the school's high reputation in the community, there are also many families moving into the area who are needing school places.

"If a school in Spondon doesn't increase its capacity, I'm not sure what the options would be for these families."

At Markeaton Primary School, the admission number is set to rise by 15 to 60, giving a potential 105 pupils over the next few years.

This was also the case for Walter Evans C of E Primary School, in Darley Abbey, where pupil numbers are set to rise by the same amount. But the proposal prompted a substantial amount of opposition from locals concerned about increased traffic and parking problems.

Allenton Community Primary School, which has been identified by the Government as potentially becoming an academy out of city council control because it is in special measures is also to have an increased admission number, from 52 to 75, creating an extra 161 places overall.

Other schools being increased in size are Beaufort Primary School, 15 pupils a year; Derwent Primary School, 15 pupils; Osmaston Primary, 30 pupils and Roe Farm Primary, 15 pupils.

A new primary section is also being built at Bemrose School, making it the first all-through age school, from three to 19, in the county. This will be for 315 pupils.

Campaigners against the development said there were already spare places in nearby schools and the proposal could not be justified, a claim that was refuted earlier in the year by the council.

The Derby leg of the international Rose of Tralee competition has been held at Jurys Inn. Pictured are, (far left) last year's winner, Ilona Flannigan, with this year's finalists, from left, Ella Kirk, Aoine Kelly, Eva Lindsay, Stacey Moore, winner Aoife Broderick, 22, from Belper, Charlotte Gurney and Sarah Bergin. To buy a copy of this image, go to www.derbytelegraph.co.uk and click 'photos'.

Picture: Ian Hodgkinson DEIH20140503D-006_C.JPG

EXAM season is soon upon us, rekindling the sense of dread which used to envelop me at this time every year.

During my own childhood, I was rubbish at revision.

I just couldn't seem to concentrate or be well enough organised to reach for the stars academically.

Thus, I was under-prepared when it came to the end-of-year exams and, consequently, my O-level and A-level grades were rather disappointing.

Neither of my children were A-star students either and living with them at exam time was truly horrible.

Ironically, my son has gone on to be a hard-working maths teacher but was, by his own admission, lazy in his teens and I harangued him to put in more effort, causing nasty arguments.

My daughter struggled badly with some subjects, particularly the sciences, but had a work ethic which outshone both her dad and her brother.

Thus, I was enormously proud when she achieved better A-level results than either of us, despite her always lacking confidence in her own abilities.

The reason that I was so impressed was that she had done her very best and deserved her reward.

But there were no A stars among her results, nor were there ever going to be.

She is one of very many young people who give their all but are not either as naturally gifted academically or in examination technique as others.

For example, she just couldn't grasp maths. We signed her up for Saturday morning lessons and she took in extra homework.

I even remember tears when I insisted that she should do some sums when we were on holiday in France to make sure she didn't lose momentum.

In the end her C in maths was a wonderful achievement and we celebrated it with gusto and even a tear.

For some time, I have worried that the Derby Telegraph's coverage of the summer examinations has concentrated too much on the academic superstars.

Of course, they deserve praise and their stories deserve to be told but so do those of people who have achieved against the odds.

Over the next couple of months, exams will be taken by teenagers from very different backgrounds.

Some may come from broken homes or have suffered recent bereavements. Others may have fought their own battles with illness or other adversity. Many will have no hope of gaining A-star or even A grades. To them, just passing will mean everything.

And, of course, there will be some young people who will not take any exams at all. Instead, they will have built up coursework for their qualifications.

This doesn't mean that they are dunces or that life is any easier for them than it was for students years ago.

It simply means that they are likely to be more adept at vocational work than sitting in a classroom.

Students nowadays are little different to those years ago but, interestingly, the pressure on them is far greater than it was on us.

Nowadays, more and more teenagers opt for university, whereas only 7% did in my youth.

But those who do not make it are not failures. They just need to find a different path and if they try their best to do so, nobody should decry them.

To all, I say good luck.

MICHAEL Kirk, 20, of Potters Way, Ilkeston, was given a community order, with £60 victim surcharge, and told to pay £85 costs, for possessing cannabis on May 3 and offering to supply cannabis between April 30 and May 2.

ANDREW Case, 50, of Moss Street, Derby, was given a six-month conditional discharge, with £15 victim surcharge, for begging on March 17. No order for costs was made.

SORREL Vanessa Plant, 22, of Grasmere Road, Long Eaton, was jailed for 12 weeks for stealing CDs from Sainsburys on March 18.

LEE Dunmore, 38, of Hardington Place, Cotmanhay, was given a community order, with £60 victim surcharge, and told to pay £85 costs, for stealing razors from Boots on January 16 and again on February 3.

JACK Lewis Summerfield, 23, of Beauvale Drive, Ilkeston, was fined £37, with £20 victim surcharge, and told to pay £85 costs, for assault on February 1.

THOMAS Jonathan McMahon, 24, of Derby Road, Ripley, was given a community order, with £60 victim surcharge, and told to pay £85 costs, for stealing perfume and aftershave from Boots on December 19.

JAMES Arthur Bonfield, 34, of Blackstone Close, Somercotes, was fined £600, with £60 victim surcharge, and told to pay £85 costs, for failing to give information about a driver alleged to have been guilty of an offence on a date after October 24. His licence was endorsed with six penalty points.

COLIN Bostock, 38, of Rodney Way, Ilkeston, was fined £200, with £20 victim surcharge, and told to pay £85 costs, for driving other than in accordance with a licence on September 25. His licence was endorsed with three penalty points.

AARON Hamilton, 34, of Ashby Street, Allenton, was fined £200, with £20 victim surcharge, and told to pay £85 costs, for driving without wearing a seatbelt on September 20.

A SOLDIER who was awarded the Victoria Cross will finally be given a permanent memorial, 150 years after his death.

Ticknall-born John Smith served as a sergeant in the Bengal Sappers and Miners and was awarded the country's highest honour for gallantry during the Indian Mutiny.

On September 14, 1857, as British troops tried to penetrate the Kashmir Gate in Delhi to engage mutineers, he advanced well beyond safe limits to lay and ignite the charge which blew the gates to pieces. He was the only soldier to survive the attack.

Now Ticknall Parish Council has decided it is time to honour the village's most courageous son by unveiling a plaque. The idea came from villager Jane Clayton after she discovered his story.

She said: "I couldn't believe that there was no memorial for Sgt Smith. It has taken a year to get to this point but we are finally giving the man the respect he deserves."

Sgt Smith, the son of a shoemaker, was born in Ticknall in 1814 and went to India after joining the Bengal Sappers and Miners. He married an English widow, Mary Anne, in India and had four daughters, although he never returned to England he sent money to his father and sister in Ticknall.

He died in India in 1864 and was buried with full military honours in the Artillery Cemetery. His Victoria Cross was sold at Sotherby's in 1989 and is now in private hands. There is no surviving photograph of Sgt Smith

The plaque will be unveiled on the wall of the village hall, in Ingleby Lane, during a on Sunday, May 18, at 2pm.

It will be attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire William Tucker, Lt Colonel Jay Coulson (Retd), who was the last British officer of the Bengal Sappers and Miners to leave India in 1948 following independence, and Sgt Smith's great, great, great niece, Alison Wood, who lives in Uttoxeter.

The plaque has been crafted from Welsh slate by sculptor Graeme Mitcheson, who produces plaques for the National Memorial Arboretum.

Celia Bunston, parish council clerk, said: "It will include a picture of the Victoria Cross and Sgt Smith's name. It is fantastic that we will finally have a memorial for him as he probably is Ticknall's most famous son."

People are welcome to attend the service. There will also be a small exhibition about Sgt Smith, in the village hall, from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, May 17.

THE Victoria Cross is cast from the bronze casabel from two cannons captured during the Crimean War.

Queen Victoria was actively involved in its inception in 1856 and it was stated that the medal should only be awarded for "most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy."

Each medal bears the crown of Saint Edward surmounted by a lion with the inscription "For valour". The medal is suspended from a bar decorated with laurel leaves through which a red ribbon passes.

On the reverse of this bar the recipient's name is engraved, as well as his rank, regiment and unit. On the reverse of the medal itself, the date of the recipient's act of bravery is engraved at the centre.

To date 1,356 Victoria Crosses have been awarded.

Sgt Smith's citation reads: "For conspicuous gallantry, in conjunction with Lieutenants Home and Salkeld, in the performance of the desperate duty of blowing in the Cashmere Gate of the fortress of Delhi in broad daylight, under heavy and destructive fire of musketry, on the morning of the 14th September 1857, preparatory to the assault."

(General order of Major-General Archdale Wilson, Bart. KCB, dated headquarters, Delhi City, September 21, 1857)

A SHOPPER who punched a security guard in the face while being evicted from a Derby supermarket is among the latest batch of images released on Derbyshire police's website.

A guard was assaulted in Sainsbury's Farm Street store while a shopper was being forced out, police say.

Other incidents featuring on the website include a man police want to talk to in connection with a sexual assault on a woman in Amy Street, Derby, a pair who walked into a school in Heanor and stole two bags, and a host of shoplifting from across the county.

Pictures of people being sought in connection with the incidents appear on the police's Caught on Camera section of their website as detectives appeal for information from members of the public.

The section of the site is maintained by charity Crimestoppers, which allows callers to pass on information anonymously and often hands out rewards to those whose information leads to a conviction.

A spokesman for Derbyshire police said: "This section of the website gives the public an opportunity to give the police vital information which helps to detect crime.

"We get information on about 50% of the images we publish, although that doesn't always lead to an arrest and conviction.

"We've even had cases where people have seen images of themselves and come to the police station as a result. The page is popular and we get an average of 7,500 hits each month. Residents can also customise their homepage to their local area and get the latest images from crime in that area."

The CCTV images, in most cases, are supplied to the police from the stores that have been targeted and from council-maintained cameras across Derbyshire.

The page currently shows images of two men who are wanted in connection with an incident when an offender used a concrete block to smash a patio door at a house in Station Road, Mickleover, before getting inside to steal items. Another image shows a man police wish to speak to in connection with an incident in Sitwell Street, Derby, when a flat was broken into and a briefcase was stolen from inside. Both incidents took place in February.

A more recent appeal shows a man in a woolly who police want to speak to in connection with a sexual assault on a woman in Amy Street, Derby, on March 26.

The incident took place at 7.45am. A 46-year-old woman was approached by a man who asked her for directions before walking alongside her, touching her inappropriately and running off towards Franchise Street.

Two other images show black and white stills of two men being sought in connection with the theft of two bags belonging to students on a beauty course at Heanor Gate Science College.

Anyone who recognises the people in the images is urged to call the police on 101.

MONDAY'S front-page story about the so-called bedroom tax and its effect on disabled people has caused outcry among readers.

We revealed that more than 170 homes lived in by disabled people in Derby were affected, despite those properties being adapted to meet their needs.

Our story also revealed that, if tenants did want to move out, there were only nine modified properties available to them in the city.

Readers of the Derby Telegraph took to our Facebook page to speak of their anger.

Liza Grice said: "I completely agree with the "bedroom tax", for people who are long-term unemployed through choice.

"People with disabilities need their houses and, as a society we have a responsibility to help them."

John Simpson added: "This tax is as flawed as the infamous Window Tax introduced in the 17th century.

"It hurts the most vulnerable people in our society who are caught in a trap where they cannot comply with the law because there is not enough one-bedroomed housing stock for them to move into.

"Why shouldn't they have one extra bedroom? It's not as if they're living in mansions."

RAMS fans will be able to turn the iPro Stadium black and white and fill it full of noise – thanks to our thundersticks.

Readers who purchase a copy of the Derby Telegraph at the Asda store, in Spondon, tomorrow will also receive a pair of these noisy inflatables.

Some street vendors will also be giving away the thundersticks with every copy of the paper. We have created them for our readers as part of our Roar on the Rams campaign.

Derby Telegraph editor Neil White said: "The aim of our campaign was to turn Derby black and white and for Rams fans to have a great time doing it. And we've already seen in these pages how our readers are doing a great job of getting behind Derby County – so we want to keep doing everything we can to help them.

"The thundersticks are a part of that and we are sure they will add to an already-excited atmosphere."