Entire village turns out to surprise war veteran Douglas
Map reveals virus hotspots Almost 2,000 infections
NEW maps released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed which areas of the county have been hit hardest by coronavirusrelated deaths.
It is a provisional count of the number of deaths involving coronavirus between March 1 and April 17 in England and Wales, down to postcode areas or wards are most affected.
There has been one death recorded in Ashbourne South, which encompasses the town centre, and two south of the town, covering Doveridge, Brailsford and Bradley.
In Ashbourne North, Dovedale and Carsington the map shows one death and there are none marked in villages such as Hartington and Biggin.
In East Staffordshire, the map shows three deaths in the area encompassing Mayfield, Rocester and Bramshall.
THE TOTAL of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Derbyshire has reached 1,835.
And while this represents an increase of 284 cases there are signs the rate of infection is starting to slow in the county when the number of new daily infections is taken into account.
Last week we reported there were 1,551 cases in Derbyshire and 1,336 the previous week.
But on Monday there was an increase of 36 infections, which represents a reduction in cases compared to a month ago, on April 6, which saw a total of 66 infections reported across Derbyshire.
Meanwhile, in University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, the number of people known to have died after testing positive for coronavirus has risen to 397 – an increase from 281 last week.
The UK now has the highest death toll in Europe from coronavirus after new official figures revealed that more than 32,000 people have died from the virus.
A VILLAGE turned out in force to wish an RAF veteran a happy 100th birthday.
Neighbours and friends of Douglas Wall, of Yeaveley, secretly arranged to emerge from their lockdown and stand at the edge of their drives, which were adorned with flags, messages and bunting, to surprise the Second World War veteran as he passed in his mobility scooter.
He had been told a present was waiting for him at his local pub, the Yeaveley Arms, around a quarter of a mile from his home, but his daughter kept the fact the entire village was waiting to wish him well a secret.
Mr Wall, who served mainly in the Western Desert, Egypt, Malta and Italy and reached the rank of sergeant, said he was overwhelmed by the gesture, as he arrived at the pub following a tour of the village.
After being presented with his birthday present – a raised wooden planter full of flowers – he said: “It’s just been fantastic. It’s very moving indeed. And it shows the spirit of people in this village who have responded to the crisis in such a wonderful manner.
“People here have been wonderful. They’ve sent their mobile phone numbers to all the villagers and if anyone wants help they just have to ring one of those numbers and they’re at the door, they’ve been fantastic. It reminds me of the spirit that we had during the war. Everyone is here to help and to get this crisis over.”
Mr Wall, who is originally from Birmingham, worked in retail after the war, at department stores in and around the city centre.
He and his late wife Marjorie were keen ramblers and, before the coronavirus outbreak, he was able to keep up his love of the outdoors on his mobility scooter. He would make regular trips into Ashbourne and often attended a monthly classic car meet at the Yeaveley Arms.
His family had planned to take him out for a lavish meal to celebrate his 100th birthday, but this had to be cancelled and, when the villagers found out, they put a plan of action together to mark his milestone.
Miranda Morley and Sarah Wolfe joined forces with David Swinscoe and Rob Parker to arrange a socially-distanced birthday he would never forget.
Banners, balloons, bunting and birthday greetings adorned the houses and Mr Wall emerged from his house at 10.30am on Wednesday to be greeted with cheers.
“It’s wonderful, I’m really surprised. I’m really proud of all the people in this village.
“Thank you very much to everyone for standing outside and doing what they have, for coming together as a village. This is something I will never, ever forget.”