Rolling back the years
THIS isn’t where the indoor world of roller skating began in Derby. It actually dates back to the Victorian times, when Derbeians had a wide choice of venues at hand.
Rollerskating itself can be dated back as far as the 1760s when Belgian-born Londoner John Joseph Merlin designed a wheeled version of ice skates and chose to don them at a masquerade party at Carlisle House. For our journey down memory lane this year, we are coming a little closer to date and visiting a more familiar venue.
It’s Roller World in Mansfield Road, Derby, over a rough 20-year period between 2004 and 2016.
ON first listen it’s really hard to know what to make of Varmints, a podcast about animals that’s very deliberately not made by animal experts.
But once you settle into its wacky take on a magazine-style show, it’s a fun, silly and actually very informative listen.
Each episode is themed around a single species of animal and they’ve so far covered more than 200 including leopards, bats (twice), Tasmanian devils, condors and crabs.
Presenters Paul, pictured, and Donna mix up fascinating facts they’ve discovered on the internet with random musings into something like one of strangest pub conversations you’ve ever had.
Their infectious enthusiasm and daft sense of humour, not to mention the songs that introduce each episode, will keep you coming back.
Where to start: Take your pick – there are 224 episodes to choose from so far. I particularly enjoyed No
221, Bats Revisited, starring guest host Kate Shaw and
No 215 about squid.
Where to find it: All usual podcast apps and you can follow them on Twitter @varmintspodcast