Tomorrow, Derbyshire will be in the spotlight on BBC TV's Countryfile – and The Derbyshire Magazine's wildlife photography columnist Villager Jim will play a starring role.

THE phone call came like a bolt out of the blue. The producer of popular TV show Countryfile wanted to talk to Derbyshire wildlife photographer Villager Jim.

"It turns out that a friend of the show's presenter Helen Skelton was following me on Facebook and suggested they get in touch with me," explains Jim. It was an OMG moment for the modest 48-year-old, who came off the phone in a stunned state to tell his wife the news.

"The producer asked if they could come up to do a recce. They liked what they saw and came back the next week to film. It was absolutely brilliant. They started filming at 8am and stayed until 7pm – all for five minutes of footage!"

However, Villager Jim, who fiercely protects his anonymity, was suddenly forced to make a major decision about appearing on television.

"They agreed to call me Villager Jim in the programme so I was happy with that, even though some people will see my face now. Everyone knows me as Villager Jim and that's how I want it to stay."

Without wishing to give too much away, Jim lives in Foolow with his wife Jo and children Henrietta, 16, and Oscar, 11.

His photo diary column started in the Derby Telegraph's sister publication The Derbyshire Magazine in January and coincided with his work surging in popularity – much to his delight.

"I can't believe how things have taken off since January," says Jim. "That's when I started my Villager Jim Facebook page. It's got 14,000 followers in six months and just seems to be exploding."

The secret of Villager Jim's success lies in the fact that he does far more than post wildlife shots online. He gives the birds and animals names, paints their personalities and shares stories about their lives and how he connects with them.

"People seem to love the adventures of Villager Jim. They don't want to read a caption saying 'this is a badger', they want to read about 'Barry the badger'. I just seem to have hit a nerve with this. I've created something that people love."

The light-hearted way Jim shares his daily wildlife stories and images has won him legions of fans, and the Countryfile team are the latest in a long list of admirers.

"They came to film at my house for tomorrow's show," says Jim. "The whole programme was based in the Peak District."

Things couldn't have gone better for the BBC film crew as far as Jim was concerned. "I have some great tits in the garden with babies and the birds feed out of my hand. One of the adult birds, Georgie, landed on my hand when they were filming.

"The idea was that I would talk about how to get a good photo to tie in with the launch of Countryfile's photography competition. How great is that?

"They went to Chatsworth, too, and filmed a friend of mine who has a farm at Great Longstone, Linda Wood. Linda hasn't even got a computer but she loves her animals. She made great TV. They filmed Susie, her cow who was heavily pregnant. Susie gave birth after the crew left and Linda decided to name the calf after me. It was a girl so she called it Villager Jemima!"

Jim is still pinching himself. The last six months have been a rollercoaster ride of unimaginable success, all sparked by a hobby he loves.

"I started taking pictures when I moved to Foolow seven years ago," says Jim, whose day job involves running accommodation website www.peakdistrict online.co.uk.

The hobby grew and grew. "Wildlife is utterly my passion."

Jim noticed people liked his pictures – a lot – and it sparked his idea for the Villager Jim brand.

He launched a range of greeting cards featuring his animal photos in January and they have taken off, too.

He says: "I've sold 60,000 cards and have them in 200 outlets in and around the Peak District, including Chatsworth's shop, and around the country.

"I had three copies of a book featuring my photos specially published a while back, sent one to the Duke of Devonshire and got an amazing letter back. I went on to do a photo book about the wildlife at Chatsworth. The Duke has given me access to private areas of the estate to take pictures."

Ultimately, what makes Villager Jim's work so popular is that he seems able to capture the human aspect of the animals or birds that cross his path. His most popular greetings card is one featuring his black Labrador, Dilly, asleep with her head on the side of the sofa after a walk.

"That's the image I'm most proud of. It went viral in the US with more than five million views.

"It is now on a range of tea trays, cups, and table mats and is the best-selling product line for the company manufacturing them."

For Jim, the success of his photos mean he can use his passion for wildlife to build a business – and make the most of Peak District life.

"The place we live is one of the most beautiful parts of the world, never mind the country. You can take the beauty for granted.

"There is tremendous variation in landscape and I love the villages in the area where I live. A particular magnet for wildlife is the magnificent network of dry stone walls all around us. I often take pictures at Longstone Edge, Foolow, Bakewell, Chatsworth, Baslow and, most of all, the country lanes that few people go down."

Jim's latest TV success is not his first. Two years ago he won a BBC Springwatch competition thanks to a starlings picture chosen from 50,000 entries. "The BBC has also used one of my images of a bee for the front cover of its nature website."

But it all comes down to this: "I want to grow the following for Villager Jim and to simply hear people say how much they enjoy my images. That, for me, is worth more than money."

Follow Villager Jim's daily adventures at www.facebook. com/villagerjim and see his photos every month in The Derbyshire Magazine. Countryfile is due to be screened on BBC 1 at 7pm on Sunday, July 6, but the time may alter due to Wimbledon.

A WEEKEND of events in Littleover is taking place on Saturday and Sunday to tie in with next month's centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

St Peter's Church and St Peter's C of E Junior School are linking up with Littleover Historical Society and Royal British Legion Littleover to show the impact of the war on the area.

A remembrance trail has been compiled using homes in the village where men who died lived before the war.

The trail covers 12 houses in the village – each will display a poster in the garden or window noting the name and details of the soldier who lived there.

Other events on Saturday included: St Peter's C of E Junior School's summer fair; a flower festival in St Peter's church and a concert on Saturday night at 7pm, featuring music from St Peter's school choir, Derby High School primary choir, the Singing for Pleasure Choir and harpist Laura-Rose Gee.

On Sunday at 10am there will be a service of commemoration in St Peter's Church with the Littleover branch of the Royal British Legion.

During the service, 37 candles will be lit and the names of the fallen men of Littleover will be read out and the candles extinguished one by one.

The Rev Alicia Dring said: "St Peter's congregation planted poppy seeds in spring so that the churchyard will be filled with red poppies for August 4, when the start of the war centenary occurs."

The weekend ends with a barbecue at 12 noon in the church hall.

DERBYSHIRE police are warning the public to be vigilant against computer software fraud.

The constabulary says fraudsters are cold-calling members of the public telling them how there is a problem with their computer or device and are often using the names of well-known companies to commit their crime.

The offenders then direct the individual to a website where they can take control of the computer and download viruses.

The fraudsters are the only ones that have the capability to remove the virus and are then likely to charge a premium rate to do so, a Derbyshire police spokesman said.

Crime prevention advice includes not disclosing personal information to organisations before verifying their credentials and ensuring that computers have up-to-date anti-virus software and fire wall installed.

The police spokesman said: "Banks and financial institutions would never send you an e-mail asking you to click on a link and then confirm your bank details."

Multicoloured rubber bands – also known as loom bands – which can be woven into bracelets are the biggest playground trend and are flying off the shelves of Derby retailers.

HANDBAGS, horses and iPhone decorations are just some of the whacky creations children are making using colourful rubber bands.

Loom bands, as they are known, have taken off in a big way children across Derbyshire are going loopy for them.

Using a special plastic hook called a loom, the bands can be moulded and shaped into an array of friendship bracelets and other quirky designs – even the most exquisite in just a matter of minutes.

And retailers in Derby have said it is "by far the biggest craze" they have ever seen.

Steven Smith, manager at The Entertainer store at Intu Derby, said: "The popularity of the loom bands has been unbelievable.

"I've worked in the toy industry for years and have never known anything like it, it's by far the biggest craze I've seen."

Among those who have become hooked on the craze are sisters Lexi Cardwell, 10, and Maddison Thacker, seven. The pupils at Cotmanhay Infant and Junior Schools, in Ilkeston, spend their playtime making bracelets and rings out of loom bands for their friends.

And when they return home, they follow instructional YouTube videos online to teach themselves how to create even more designs.

Mum Sallianne Thacker, of Bridge Street, in Ilkeston, said: "The trend has gone mental! All the parents at school are buying them for their children. People are making giraffes, horses and lots of other things. It's amazing what people can do.

"The girls have made an ice-cream as well as fishtail plait bracelets and rings, too. They are coming home from school and are saying they want to have a go at all of these new designs. There are glitter bands, scented, metallic – there is so much choice. The girls are very creative so this is something they love."

Lexi says the loom bands are easy to create patterns with.

She said: "I've got lots of different colours and I like making rings and bracelets the most. One day everybody came into school with lots of loom bands. I said 'wow, I'm going to get my mummy to get me some!'"

Rainbow Loom – the first brand of loom bands to be created – was invented in 2011 by mechanical engineering graduate Cheong Choon Ng of Novi, of Michigan. He created a plastic toy loom used to weave colourful rubber bands into bracelets and charms. Now the trend has exploded in the UK, with many retailers seeing stock fly off the shelves as soon as it comes in.

Toy Planet, in Intu Derby, is among shops selling the products. Graham Hancock, who works at the store, said: "Novi wanted to create something for his children and decided to use rubber bands. He showed it to his family and they loved it.

"Last summer, it really kicked off in America. From a family setting then to mass production, people couldn't get enough."

Graham says Midco Toy Planet, which has stores in Derby and Burton, was the first company in the UK to bring in the rubber bands.

He said: "I guess it is a bit of a claim to fame! At first it did not really take off. At the beginning of this year, we started to get a steady increase.

"This year, a UK version, called Loom Twister, was released – which is cheaper. Loom Twister is more ideal for children who are going on a plane, it's more for travelling really. We have over 50 different bags."

Toy Planet sells Rainbow Loom bags of bracelets for £3.99 and a starter pack for £14.99. It also sells a Loom Twister starter pack for £3.99 and refill bags for £1. A Loom Twister box, including 2,000 loom bands, was available for £12.99, a box of 10,000 bands for £14.99.

Graham said: "Children are using different colours to make different patterns. They are making much more complicated bands, ones that are thicker or wider, using a lot more bands.

"It's not just bracelets that children are making; they are making everything from handbags, little people and accessories."

"The key is practice, practice, practice. They are teaching themselves from videos online as well as showing each other in the playground.

"The initial target age range was between eight and 12 years but the bands are being worn and made by both boys and girls of all ages and even adults. It's amazing how big the age range is now.

"Girls like to make jewellery and accessories but the range appeals to boys too, as there are camouflage-coloured bands."

He said: "The appeal is that there are so many different colours and there is no limit on what you can make.

"Some trends come and go because there is only one way to play with them – kids get into it, they understand it then get bored – but with loom bands children are constantly finding new ways to make new things. To make a simple bracelet you need about 20 bands but if you want to make something more complicated then you need about 100."

Leisa Bramwell, assistant store manager, at The Works, in Intu Derby, which is also selling the toy, said: "The loom bands are selling out as quickly as we get them in! Adults as well as children are buying them so they're appealing to people of all ages. I think it's the simplicity of them which has made them so popular and the versatility to create so many different items.

"People have been getting really creative, making items like phone cases, headbands, key-rings – the list is endless!"

Steven Smith, store manager, The Entertainer said the bands "really capture children's imagination, allowing them to unleash their creativity."

He said: "The bands are aimed at ages five plus but teenagers and adults are also buying them – we have members of staff here wearing the bands.

"We have an upload feature on our website and have had some great creations – from animals to i-phone cases.

"I don't see the craze dying down anytime soon and expect it will continue throughout the school holidays."

WHO runs the UK?

Full marks to David Cameron for his efforts to defeat Mr Juncker's election as president of the EU Commission, hoping to retrieve greater national control over what should be national decisions.

Zero points to Ed Mili-band and Nigel Farage for trying to make political capital out of the PM's failure. There are times when all parties should pull together for the welfare of the country rather than try to score cheap political points.

Mike Bowman

Sunny Grove

Chaddesden

A GROUP of Derbyshire MPs have written to Skills Minister Matthew Hancock in an effort to persuade the Government to choose Derby as the location for the National College of High Speed Rail.

A delegation travelled to Coventry to pitch for the college, which will train thousands of apprentices, before a panel of Government officials.

They presented their case to a group headed by Terry Morgan, chairman of Crossrail and the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering, and officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd.

Derby faces competition from three other shortlisted locations – Manchester, Birmingham and Doncaster – for the college, which will create 2,000 apprenticeships during the lifetime of the HS2 line.

A decision is expected before the parliamentary summer recess on July 22.

In the meantime, Derbyshire MPs Pauline Latham, Heather Wheeler, Jessica Lee, Nigel Mills and Andrew Bingham have written to Mr Hancock in support of Derby's bid.

Mrs Latham, MP for Mid Derbyshire, said: "Derby is the natural choice for the academy. We have a long history of excellence in engineering and if Derby were to be chosen, the academy's students would have a fantastic support system and world-class training."

Mrs Wheeler, MP for South Derbyshire, said: "We have a proven track record of providing skills and opportunities for our youngsters and this college would build on our heritage to ensure our young people have exceptional training opportunities on their doorstep."

THE following motorists were charged with driving without insurance.

AMANDA White, 37, of Park Road, Heage, was fined £700, with £70 victim surcharge and told to pay £85 costs for an offence on March 12. Her licence was endorsed with eight penalty points.

CLAIRE Diana Walker, 33, of Wimbledon Road, Derby, was fined £600, with £60 victim surcharge and told to pay £85 costs for an offence on December 18. Her licence was endorsed with six penalty points.

RUSSELL George Davis, 49, of Highfield Road, Swadlincote, was fined £600, with £60 victim surcharge and told to pay £85 costs, for an offence on March 13. His licence was endorsed with six penalty points.

MARVELL Sworder, 19, of Osmaston Park Road, Derby, was fined £110, with a £20 victim surcharge and told to pay £35 costs for an offence on April 16. His licence was endorsed with six points.

PATRICIA Cassidy, 28, of Sinfin Lane, Derby, was fined £110, with £20 victim surcharge and told to pay £35 costs, for an offence on February 3. She was disqualified from driving for six months.

GLENN Hendy, 57, of Sevenlands Drive, Boulton Moor, was given a community order, with £60 victim surcharge and £85 costs, for drink driving on May 26. He was disqualified from driving for 28 months.

PHILIP Briddon, 48, of Knowl Avenue, Belper, was fined £340 and told to pay £100 compensation, £34 victim surcharge and £300 costs for assault on January 18.

A GROUP of teenagers opened a window when visiting a young woman's home so they could go back and burgle the house when she was out.

One of the burglars, Josh Brassington, whose footprint was found at the Oakwood house, has now been sentenced to eight months in a young offenders' institution.

A 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a community order in the youth court. There was not enough evidence to charge anyone else, Derby Crown Court heard.

Brassington, of Mapleton Avenue, Chaddesden, admitted burglary on November 21.

Sentencing the 18-year-old, Judge Jonathan Gosling said: "This is a mean offence. You had been to this young lady's house earlier that night – she didn't really want you there – and you and your friends planned to go back when you had the opportunity as you knew she was going out."

Jonathan Dunne, prosecuting, said Brassington and some other youths had arrived at the 19-year-old's home earlier that evening, which she had not felt very comfortable with but did not know what do about it.

"The young men then leave and she closes the door and front windows and leaves with a friend," said Mr Dunne.

"They drive away and they can see that some of the boys who visited are still outside. When she comes back the first thing she sees is the 16-year-old running away, so they follow him to try to catch him but cannot and go back to the house."

The court heard that the young woman found the front window had been smashed. Inside the house a wooden television stand had been broken. Two mobile phones had been stolen.

On November 27, Brassington was arrested for an offence of handling stolen goods and at that stage denied any involvement in the burglary.

Mr Dunne said when the footprint evidence was put to him, Brassington accepted that he was one of the group that went in the house.

Mr Dunne said: "He said when they were there the first time, they opened the window so they could get back in when she left."

The court heard that Brassington had been sentenced to four months in a young offenders institution last month for common assault and two offences of stealing alcohol. His latest eight-month sentence will start on August 17, when he is due to be released from the other sentence.

WHEN you arrive at your holiday destination after 13 hours of flying across the Atlantic Ocean, you're surely entitled to a relaxing first day in the sunshine?

A chance to slip off the T-shirt, slap on some lotion and soak up the sun while getting over the jet lag is the least you'd expect.

That's certainly what I was hoping for after flying to Memphis with my wife and sister-in-law to visit their brother and his wife.

But, alarmingly, things didn't quite go to plan.

We were sitting in the 90 degree heat, sunglasses on and book in hand, when the first shot rang out.

Then came the scream of "Oh my God, call the cops".

Then came the second and third gunshots before we, rather wisely, decided to come inside the house and tell Claire's brother to call the police.

Moments later the quiet suburb of Germantown, on the edge of Memphis, was awash with cop cars.

The street was cordoned off and neighbours gathered on their driveways to gossip about what had happened.

"I only moved into the neighbourhood a couple of weeks ago after living for 10 years in London, " one woman said. "A cop has told me some woman at that house over there was shooting at another woman, but that's all I know.

"I never saw anything like this while I was in England."

As the crime reporter at the Derby Telegraph, it felt quite good to get the scoop over the local press.

The local TV news finally sent a crew out around three hours after the siege (which is what the incident became) had started.

The local newspaper, called The Commercial Appeal, didn't even bother sending a reporter or photographer as far as I could see.

There were certainly no pictures alongside their amazingly small piece the following day.

We scoured online news to see if they could shed any light on what was happening just a few yards from where we were standing, but there was little.

A loudspeaker then started to fizz into life and the voice of the local police sergeant rang out.

"Susan," he said. "We know you are in there. Show us a sign that you are ok.

"We know no-one has been hurt so far but we need you to come out and let us know you are OK."

Another three hours of negotiations failed to yield a result and finally, six hours after the first gunshots were heard, armed police fired tear gas into the house.

A few minutes later the TV beamed pictures of a rather overweight middle-aged woman, bizarrely dressed in just her underwear, being led from the house in handcuffs.

Memphis police, the following day, charged Susan with attempted murder.

It seems she had hit a female friend with her revolver – an act referred to in the States as 'pistol whipping' – before firing shots at her as she tried to flee.

The motive, according to the cops, was an argument over a dog.

Some rum old things might happen in and around Derby during domestic disputes.

But you rarely see something like this in Mickleover.

THE Derby Telegraph will next week be offering a number of prizes and money-saving deals.

We will be holding a week-long competition to win a new Kindle Fire HD, starting on Monday.

Whether you are a hopeless romantic or a fantastical fanatic, this piece of tech could make your relaxing time in the sun that bit more enjoyable.

The Kindle allows the user to store thousands of good reads on to one tablet, so it could really help give you that bit of extra room in your suitcase.

To be in it to win it, pick up a copy of the paper next week and text us.

Also on offer is the chance to get £120 off of a relaxing spa day at Alton Towers – saving two people half of the fee.

This is ideal for those of you who prefer taking time to chill rather than thrill.

The spa is part of the Alton Towers Resort and gives people an opportunity to have some down time after plunging down water slides, whizzing round roller coasters and waiting in long queues.

This will run on Monday and Tuesday.

We also have an offer that can save you £1 on taxi fares when used on a journey costing at least £5. Coupons will be available as part of our Telegraph Tuesday.

On top of all of these fantastic deals, there is also one for all of our film buff readers.

The release of the hotly anticipated Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is rapidly approaching and on Thursday and Friday we will be running an online competition for 25 pairs of tickets to showings at Showcase Cinema's new XPLUS screen, at Intu Derby.

XPLUS features a giant wall to wall, floor to ceiling screen with the brightest picture and crystal clear definition.

Promotions coordinator James Boam said: "There's going to be some lucky winners next week because the prizes available are all great.

"I'll be jealous of anyone enjoying that spa day at Alton Towers this summer."

If you want to be in with a chance of winning any of these great prizes, be sure to pick up your copy of the Telegraph on the day.

WRITER Sophia Bennett, who has published five books, has visited pupils at Derby High School in Littleover.

She asked pupils to write a 500-word story on their chosen subject during workshops throughout the day. She then judged the competition and the winner was Sarah Briggs, 12, with her piece, entitled Stories.

Library manager Sue Bussey said the students learned a lot from Sophia. She said: "The support and advice from a real author really helped them."

SO the landlord of the John Thompson Inn agrees with charging 50 pence for a glass of water, "Landlord defends right to charge customer 50p for glass of tap water" (June 30). You could understand if it was bottled water, but for tap water this is poor management and bad publicity.

Mike Hotter

Belper Road

West Hallam

THE evening of Sunday, June 22, was a beautiful evening, with a warm, gentle breeze, a time to enjoy such a rare treat.

It was totally ruined by the smoke engulfing the area from bonfires, lit, one assumes, by people who need to use a brown bin to dispose of garden waste, but who are not prepared to pay £40 for the privilege.

For the record I have two such bins, thus paying £60.

Maybe these selfish burners regard, not unreasonably, that council tax should include rubbish disposal. It seems a lot may agree.

Sadly, the disgusting lowlife parasites in Normanton and Arboretum seem to have their rubbish cleared for free. I wonder how many pay council tax?

Rod Clulow

Blagreaves Lane

Littleover