A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Friday January 4 for Mr Ian Sinton of Watton who died on December 20. He was aged 44 years.

The service was conducted by Mr David Keating.

Ian was born in Beverley Westwood on November 18 1968. He attended Cross Hill School and then the Secondary School in Driffield. He married Jaqueline in August, 1998 and they went on to have two children. He settled into engineering, working for the family business, Harrison Hire and Sales from 1994 to 2011, unfortunately he was enforced to retire due to illness.

Family mourners: Mrs Jaqueline Sarah Sinton (wife), Master Lewis Morgan Sinton (son), Miss Ysobella Jaqueline Sarah Sinton (daughter), Mrs Patricia Ann Sinton (mother), Janet & Paul Nichols (sister & brother in law), Denise & Tony Williams (sister & brother in law), Graham Sinton & Elaine Tate (brother & partner), Mark & Jeanette Sinton (brother & sister in law), Jonathan Hood & Natalie Woolhead (nephew & fiancé), Jennifer Hood & Sebestiano Secci (niece & fiance) also rep Robert Hood, Rebecca Hood & Ben Cooper (niece), Michael Nichols (nephew), Mrs June & Mr Trevor Harrison (mother in law & father in law), Tina & Warwick Ivel (sister in law & husband), Daisy Ivel & Angus Ivel (niece & nephew).

Others present: Nigel Thomas rep Clare Hanley, Richard Ireland, James Grice, Joan & Malcolm Medley, Louise Lowe, Marie Alison, Pete Fisher, Kerry Hara, Mr & Mrs Gordon Hunter, Tom Harrison, John & Mary Fothergill, Judy Ward rep John, Jane Daniels, Gary & Carol Botterill rep H & A Bell Motorcycles, Kerry Stych rep Helen Hoggard, John & Beryl Kinsella, Celia Wheaton, Ben & Douglas Noble,David Sheader, Sue Ward, Christine Shaw,Joy Waite, Vicky Waite, John & Penny Garnham, Trudy & Andrew Berriman, Liz Pexton rep Tony Pexton, Wendy Ashworth (nee Eccles), Mr & Mrs P Foster rep Jackie & Stuart Neish & family, Janet Woodcock, Jon & Ann Foster rep Lynn & Anita, Barbara & Brian Harrison, Keith & Sue Harrison, Darren Harrison, Kirsty Wall, Enid Wilks, Sharon Tomlinson, Christine Whitehouse, Peter Earle, Julie Ringrose, Janet Bates, Jason Storry, Mr & Mrs C & M Bryan rep Beswick School, Wayne Bratley, John Bateman, Tony Dale, Phil Dunn, John & Susan Harrison, Stephanie Leason rep Helen Pooley, Paul Newlove rep Joan Towse & David Lundy & staff, Mrs J Hughes rep Mr G Hughes, Pam Padam, John Hood, Sue Hildreth, Rose Shaw, Megan Cooper, Hannah Thurlow, Valerie Sharpe, Steph Bolton, Annie Corner, Mark Harrison rep Leila Fahey, Nigel & Joseph Hara, Debbie Handley, Mr G Warwick, Mr R Darley, Mark Foster, Cynthia & John Dawson rep the family, Samantha Lowey, Dawn Smith, Jill Barratt rep Beswick & Watton School, Andrew Anderson, Jason Schofield rep Dale Smith, Steph Harrison (Stish) rep Katheryn Harrison & Dan Harrison, Mike Robinson, Steve & Samuel Pickering rep Helen, Bethany & Millie Pickering & Angela & Tony Jones, Stan & Jean Burrell, Ruth Butler rep Geoff Butler & Terry & Marjorie Jackson, Simon & Anne Malster rep Chloe & Libby Malster, Bridget Conroy, Gill Powell, Vicky & Natasha Svenson, Stuart Barker rep Vanessa Barker, Sean & Kerry Booth rep Chuck, Mrs Joan Warkup rep Mr Keith Warkup, Andrew Warkup rep Mr & Mrs R White, Judy & Mick English rep Simon English, Susan Nichols, Kevin Gowlett, Mike Hood rep Sandra Cooper, Angela Goodwin & Craig Kelly, Simon Spence, Elizabeth & Alan Wall, Jeremy Dixon,Mr & Mrs S Cowton, Wendy Simpson rep Jim Sterriker, Mr Ian Mountain rep all the family, Ruth Russell, Richard McCann, Paul & Jane Leason, Beryl Leason rep Derrick Leason, Jane Kneeshaw, Julie Ashton, Stuart & Hester Hood, Nick & Sarah English, Diane Solonyna, Helen McNair, Lynne Smith, Belinda, Matthew & Andrew Watson, Mrs J Harrand, Mr W Malcolmson, Mr & Mrs R Kirk.

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium, Octon on Wednesday January 9 for Mr Robert Gladstone of Northfield Avenue, Driffield who died in The Limes Residential Home in Driffield on December 27. He was aged 88 years.

The service was conducted by the Rev Malcolm Exley and the organist was Mr Steven Westaway.

Bob was born in 1924 in Hull and attended school there. After leaving school he joined his father as a street vendor selling fish, fruit and veg from handcarts and covered all areas of Hull. He also worked as a butcher’s boy and delivery lad. In 1942 he worked at the Royal Station Hotel and over the years met many famous stars of stage and screen, including Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy who gave him a white fiver as a tip, a memory he always recalled. He also met royalty during his time there. He left there in June 1942 to join the Royal Navy, progressing to rank of Torpedo/Depth charge engineer, during this time he saw action in Malta, Cyprus and Gibralter. He was discharged in 1945 due to an accident when he fell overboard during the loading of depth charges. He returned to Hull and returned to the Royal Hotel until 1956. He moved to Driffield that year. His early years in Driffield were spent in the building trade, working at Elvington and other major building sites in the Driffield area. He also worked at the Driffield Aerodrome with his brother Frank alongside the Americans stationed at Driffield. After some years he went to work at the Brandesburton Hospital, again with his brother Frank. He transferred to the East Riding General Hospital to take work as a ward porter and telephonist where he stayed until retirement in 1988 and he left with many happy memories.

He was married to Brenda and they went on to have four children.

He loved to play his accordion and for many years played at the Pegasus Club in Driffield alongside his lifelong friend Mr Robin Frazer. He was part of the family that brought music to Driffield and played in the Black Swan, Red Lion, The Buck and The Tiger.

Bob loved his garden and DIY, he loved music of any kind, he loved his family and the family pets, among his favourite was Shep and the family have many happy memories of him.

He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Chief mourners: Brenda Gladstone (wife), David Gladstone (son), Barry & Janet Gladstone, Paul & Elizabeth Gladstone (sons & daughters in law), Amanda Gladstone (daughter) & Mr John Caley, Leanne & Andrew Sansome (granddaughter & husband), Gary & Zoe Gladstone (grandson & wife), Darren Gladstone, Richard Gladstone, Jonathan Gladstone, Benjamin Gladstone, Sam Gladstone (grandsons), Ellie Addinall, Morgan Addinall, Josh Sansome, Alfie Sansome (great grandchildren), Arthur & Ann Gladstone (brother & sister in law), Mrs Dot Sweaton (sister), Ivy & Brian Race (sister & brother in law), Eric & Dawn Gladstone (brother & sister in law), Frank Gladstone & Joy Brown (brother & partner), Mr Nick Gladstone & Dianne Akroyde (nephew), Daniel & Corey Gladstone (great nephews), Alan & Monica Davies (cousin & wife), Phil & Jan Bennett (cousin & Wife),

Others present: Peter Gladstone. Beryl Gladstone (sister in law), Elaine Gladstone, Robert Gladstone & Dawn Shepherdson, Martin Gladstone rep Amanda Gladstone, Jean Gladstone rep Mrs D Foster, Frank Gladstone (nephew), Stephen Briggs rep David Briggs & Emma Hodgson, Kathleen Briggs rep Margaret & Barbara Birkett, Terence Pallant, Julian Noble, Mr M Dale, Mr & Mrs B Rugg rep Karen Atkinson, Andrew Rugg, Julie Bowes rep Michelle, Amy & Connor, David Stork rep Christine Stork, Michael Wright, Tracey Hyde, Kelsie Wright,John Pilmoor, Madge Newman, Leigh Norman rep Mark Gladstone & Shane Gladstone, Catherine Parker rep Carole Kember, Dave Parker rep Andrew, Malcolm & Teresa Parker, Terry & Pauline Barker rep Andrew & Michael Gladstone, Mr H Gibson, Mr A Gibson, Jane Westbrook rep Wendy Palmer, Ian & Jo Proudlock, William Proudlock, James Edmond, Ashley Morris, Lee Walton rep Red Lion, Linda Newton, Philip James, Clare Wray, David James, Rob McNeil rep family, Viv & Jeff West, David Burnett, Gary Burnett, Joanne Burnett,Linda Jackson, Robin & Carol Fraser rep Chris & Tony Ward, Mr A Fraser rep Linda, Gordon & Doreen Evans, Mark Linklater, Mike Fenton, Mr P Jackson rep Mrs A Jackson, Jill Sissons-Hood rep Mr M Hood, Paul Woodmansey, Susan & Rod Greenwood (niece & husband), Malcolm Kennedy, Jim Barron, Phil Barron, Miss M Pearson, Jo & Paul Elstob.

On a weekday evening in September 1974, 46 enthusiastic young men lined up at Mission Bay, a saltwater lagoon near San Diego in California, to test their endurance in a new athletic event.

The Mission Bay triathlon was a world first and it was well after dark when the last of the exhausted triathletes made their way across the finishing line.

In the great spirit of sport and adventure, they had come along after a day at work to swim, cycle and run until their legs felt like they didn’t belong to their bodies any more.

Since that autumn evening nearly 39 years ago, the triathlon has become a prestigious world and Olympic sport with Britain’s own brilliant sibling team, Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, winning gold and bronze respectively in the London 2012 games.

The official distances for each element are now a 1,500m swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run although other triathlon distances do exist and are used in some races.

The arrival of a whole new breed of professional athletes who have trained specifically for the triathlon has seen the sport’s popularity rocket to new heights and triathlon is now one of the UK’s favourite routes to getting fit.

And there could be no better introduction to the benefits of the sport than Haynes’ new and definitive Triathlon Manual, written by ex-Marine Commando PT instructor Sean Lerwill, who reveals that with its three distinct elements, triathlon training offers more variety and less risk injury.

This accessible and fully illustrated guide is aimed at both newcomers who have decided to give triathlon a go and those who have already taken part and are eager to improve their performance.

As well as information and advice on training and the individual events, Lerwill provides invaluable tips on health, injuries, nutrition, motivation, psychology, supplements, conditioning training and specially focused advice for women and children.

Most people approach the sport with experience of one discipline and then master the other two over time. This superbly produced and easy-to-read manual looks at each sport separately before combining all three in preparation for competitions, such as the gruelling Ironman, considered by many to be the ultimate endurance test.

Ironman was the brainchild of U.S. Navy Commander John Collins who finished a lowly 35th in that original Mission Bay race and involves a much-expanded triathlon consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile run, raced in that order and without a break.

With a Foreword by Jack Johnstone, founder of that first triathlon back in 1974, this comprehensive and fascinating manual will inspire readers to follow a unique training routine, gain a real sense of achievement and maybe even take that first step to becoming a top triathlete!

(Haynes Publishing, hardback, £21.99)

A funeral service was held at St Mary’s Church, Kirkburn on Friday, January 11 for Mr Paddy Sanderson of The Limes Residential Home (formerly of Tibthorpe) who died peacefully in The Limes on January 4.

The service was conducted by Ramona Holt and the organist was Mrs Gwynneth Clark.

Paddy was born at Southburn and attended school at Kirkburn. After leaving school he worked at Middleton Hall as a gardener and later joined Southburn Estates working for the Prince-Smith family as a gardener/chauffeur. He then joined his father who was the blacksmith and agricultural engineer, still working at Southburn and stayed there until the Estate was finally sold.

Paddy then worked for his self and severallocal farmers until he retired.

He loved gardening and when his late wife Kathleen was alive they enjoyed holidays in the Lakes and the Dales.

Paddy & Kathleen lived in Tibthorpe all their married life and brought up three children there.

Family Mourners: Rose & David Crawford, David & Svetlana Sanderson, Shirley & Tom Newlove (daughters, son & in-laws), Brendan Newlove, Mandy & Adrian Ludlam, Giles & Jill Sanderson, Lisa & Charlie Hall,, Caroline Sanderson & Ian Everitt, Zoe & Stewart Howe (grandchildren & partners), Millie Newlove, Holly & Lucy Donoghue, Caitlin & Renea Brook (great grandchildren), Barry & Russell Yeadon rep Stephen & Peter Yeadon (nephews), Bernard & Christine Baker, Alan & Gladys Baker rep Mrs Freda Johnson (sister in law), Sandra & Graham Lee (niece & husband), Mrs Lily Sanderson (sister in law unable to attend)..

Others present: David Adamson rep the family & Dora Stannard, Richard Walgate rep Christine Warkup, Sandra Cuthbert rep Joshua Theakston, Susan Hepworth rep the family, Margaret Buckton, Olive Hodgson, Joyce Hudson, Jane Burdass, Maggie Duncan, James Richardson rep Jackson, Robson & License, Janet Megginson rep J K B Megginson & Sons, Mr & Mrs C Rodger, Sandra Hood, Joan & John Gledhill, Sylvia & Michael Jackson, Caley & Donovan Sackur, Lady Nelson, Mike & Liz Phillips rep Angela Jones, Mr & Mrs J Walgate, Mr M Lakes, Mr Mick Malster rep Peter Wadsworth, Mandy Jordan & Leoni Coultass rep The Limes, Geoff & Doreen Walters, Mr & Mrs D Haldenby, Christine Hickson rep Mr & Mrs K P Hickson, Ruth Pearson, Richard & Lynn Knight, Jane Arnold, Keith & Janet Abel rep all family, Hilary & Cecil Rookes rep Colin Mantel, Tom Grange, Mr T Rookes, Jill Morfatt, Lynn Thomas, Adli Mashale, Janet Arnold.

In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man to enter outer space, the Beatles set out on the road to success, a house could be bought for £2,000... and 16-year-old Pam Weaver began her training as a nursery nurse.

She arrived at a government-run children’s residential nursery in Surrey with just one small suitcase, a desire to help others and a burning ambition to get a qualification which would give her letters after her name.

The road ahead involved long working hours, the devastating results of poverty and neglect and plenty of harsh realities, but Weaver also discovered the joys of caring for needy youngsters and the rewards of loyalty, compassion and friendship.

Fans of Call the Midwife will revel in this heart-warming and gritty memoir about life as a nursery nurse and nanny more than 50 years ago.

Weaver takes us through the highs and lows, the triumphs and the tragedies as she moved from caring for deprived and orphaned children to her work as a private nanny at a luxury house near Hyde Park in London.

The daughter of an English woman and a wartime American GI, Weaver was adopted by her natural mother’s best friend and raised in rural Dorset.

After an inauspicious period working on the broken biscuit counter in Woolworths, the young Pam decided she wanted to make something more of her life and successfully applied to train as a nursery nurse.

Her salary was £194 a year, less £101 for her board and lodgings, and when she checked in on that first day she was immediately assigned the ‘Lates’ shift which involved cleaning shoes, drying nappies and settling down children to sleep whilst battling the gnawing ache of homesickness.

She quickly had to get to grips with a demanding routine of early mornings, endless floors to scrub, clothes to clean and children to care for, all carried out under the watchful eye of an overbearing and highly-strung matron.

Life in the nursery was hard and Weaver witnessed the abandonment of children, the struggles of single and widowed parents, families stricken by youngsters born with disabilities and the heartbreak and pain of rejected children.

But despite the rigid routine which could be distressing for both children and staff, everyone did their best to give the children a happy experience. The nursery nurses often took out a child on their days off, bought them extra toys with their own money and always gave a cuddle when it was needed.

In 1965, when her training was complete, Weaver took on a job as a private nanny to a little boy in North London and discovered that for all the wealth and privilege that surrounded him, he displayed some of the same symptoms of deprivation that she had seen in the children’s home.

Bath Times and Nursery Rhymes is a revealing and sympathetic memoir. Written with engaging and uplifting honesty, it transports us to an era of hard graft and dedication whilst providing a fascinating insight into the ethos of childcare in the 1960s.

(Avon, paperback, £6.99)

As apartheid spreads like a stain across South Africa, the voice of one young black girl speaks volumes for a nation in Barbara Mutch’s moving debut novel.

Previously released as Karoo Plainsong, this fully revised and utterly absorbing tale of love, friendship and redemption tackles head on the cruelty and barbarism of racial segregation in the middle decades of the 20th century.

With a captivating blend of eloquence, insight and integrity, South African-born Mutch transports us to a defining and degrading chapter in that country’s history when the colour of a man or woman’s skin marked out their destiny.

Her humble narrator, housemaid’s daughter Ada Mabuse, becomes a powerful symbol for marginalised black women, an example of the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity and a role model for those who face oppression in all corners of the world.

Ada’s abiding friendship with her white Irish-born ‘mistress’ crosses the huge divide, breaks down barriers and sets in motion changes that bring hope for the future...

Cathleen Harrington leaves her home in Ireland in 1919 to travel to South Africa and marry her fiancé Edward, a man she has not seen for five years.

Despite the births of her two children, Phil and Rose, Cathleen feels isolated and estranged at Cradock House in the great semi-desert of Karoo and starts to find solace in her diary and the friendship of her housemaid Miriam’s young daughter Ada.

Born in 1930 in her mother’s kaia under the bony shade of a thorn tree at the back of the big house, Ada feels a part of the fabric of the place.

And Cathleen recognises in her someone she can love and respond to in a way that she cannot with her husband and her own daughter. ‘She made me feel like I was hers,’ says Ada.

Under Cathleen’s tutelage, Ada grows into an accomplished pianist, and a reader who cannot resist turning the pages of Madam’s diary, discovering cryptic messages and secrets that Cathleen has tried to hide. Musical notes, Ada discovers, are like words. ‘They meant one thing when played on their own, and quite another when strung together.’

When Ada is compromised and finds she is expecting a mixed-race child – one who ‘belongs nowhere... who falls in between’ – she flees her home, determined to spare Cathleen the knowledge of her betrayal, and the disgrace that would descend upon the family.

Ostracised and derided within her own township community, Ada is forced to carve out a life for herself, her child and her music.

But Cathleen still believes in Ada, and risks the constraints of apartheid to search for her and persuade her to return with her daughter. Beyond the separation and the segregation, there is hope for a new generation.

The Karoo region’s beautiful but unforgiving landscape, and the music which is the soul of Ada’s friendship with Cathleen, provide a symphony of vivid colour and harmony as the background to this exquisite and heart-rending story which captures time and place with consummate skill and blistering honesty.

(Headline Review, paperback, £7.99)

A new year has brought some fresh and exciting adventures for young readers from the ever inventive book boffins at Macmillan.

Teenagers can catch up with the second part of a scintillating sci-fi series while canine capers, lunchtime madness and journeys to the moon will provide fun and laughter for little ones.

Vortex by Julie Cross

If Julie Cross’s debut novel Tempest created a storm among teen readers, then Vortex, the second instalment of this thrilling time-travel trilogy, is going to put them in a spin!

Using the same captivating mix of romance, action, suspense and mystery, this new sci-fi epic just gets better and better with an irresistible package of superb storytelling, sensational surprises and knockout emotional punches.

Jackson Meyer’s ability to travel backwards through time has landed him a role as agent for Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all time-travel-related threats.

Despite his heartbreak at losing Holly, the girl he altered history to save, Jackson has thrown himself into the job and proved to be an excellent agent.

However, after accidentally meeting up with Holly again, Jackson is reminded of what he’s lost and he starts to ask questions about himself and his future.

And when Eyewall, an opposing division of the CIA, emerges, Jackson and his fellow agents not only find themselves under attack and on the run, but Jackson begins to discover that the world around him has also changed.

Someone knows about his erased relationship with Holly, putting both their lives at risk all over again. The world hangs in the balance as a lovelorn Jackson must decide between saving the love of his life and the entire world...

Set in a vivid present day and a not-so-distant past, Vortex is a gripping, fast-paced thriller which delivers excitement on every page as well as a tender contemplation of identity, relationships and grief.

Cross creates a compulsive and invigorating narrative full of lively dialogue, distinctive characters and a palpably real alternative world.

A top-class book for teens and young adults.

(Macmillan, hardback, £12.99)

The Smug Pug by Anna Wilson

Welcome back to the mad, mad world of Anna Wilson’s Pooch Parlour, the dog salon where pets get pampered and canine mysteries get solved.

The latest chapter of Wilson’s amazing animal antics in Crumbly-under-Edge follows the same fun formula with crazy adventures, lots of laughs, animals galore and some very strange characters.

Nine-year-old Pippa Peppercorn loves helping out at the village’s pampered pets salon, a cosy joint run by the cuddly Mrs Semolina Ribena Fudge, where customers and their pets stop by for tea and sympathy as well as a trim.

New kid on the block is Smug the pug, a clever, funny dog who is full of surprises and has invented a brilliant machine to help things run smoothly in the busy salon.

PIppa has fallen head over heels for Smug and his owner, Tallulah Foghorn, but Dash the dachshund has his suspicions about this so-called doggy genius. He thinks Smug lives up to his name and that Tallulah is nuttier than one of Mrs Fudge’s fruitcakes...

Clare Elsom provides the lively illustrations for Wilson’s concoction of comic characters, animal magic and dastardly deeds.

Ideal reading for children aged seven and over.

(Macmillan, paperback, £5.99)

Lunchtime by Rebecca Cobb

If mealtimes often turn into a temper tantrum nightmare with your fussy little eaters, try tempting them with this delightful little dish!

A rising star in children’s picture books, Rebecca Cobb has written and illustrated a colourful cautionary tale about a little girl who is so busy having fun that she lets some unexpected visitors eat her lunch... and ends up so hungry that she’ll eat almost anything.

It’s lunchtime for one little girl, but she’s too busy to be hungry. A visiting crocodile, bear and wolf, however, are starving and are more than happy to eat up all her food. It’s just as well for the little girl that children taste revolting!

But by teatime, she’s not going to let anybody share her meal...

Cobb’s quirky, freehand drawings capture the anarchic essence of a story that will appeal both visually and verbally to pre-school children.

A tasty tale of food, friendship and fun that is sure to tickle young tastebuds!

(Macmillan, paperback, £6.99)

Zoe and Beans: Pants on the Moon! by Chloë and Mick Inkpen

Hold onto your pants, Zoe and Beans are back!

The Inkpens, a talented father and daughter duo, deliver another stunningly beautiful picture book in the adorable Zoe and Beans series for tots aged three and over. Chloë and Mick are proving a top team with their unique and exciting picture book partnership.

In their latest out-of-this-world adventure, Zoe is hanging her pants out to dry one windy Thursday when whoosh, a big gust of wind blows her and her pet dog partner Beans up, up, up into space... along with the washing line full of pants!

When they finally land on the moon, there’s a lot of exciting exploring to do. But how on earth are they going to get home again?

Chloë’s imaginative and quirky story is brought to life by her father’s fun-filled pictures featuring an adorable heroine and her crazy canine Beans. Laughter all the way is guaranteed with this madcap pair of pranksters.

(Macmillan, paperback, £5.99)

‘There’s no need ever to feel like a victim; there are no circumstances beyond your control.’

Self-help guru Eric Newborn has an answer for all humanity’s conundrums. Think positively and all will be well, he advises those whose lives are in crisis.

But when Eric’s wife dies from cancer, he finds that grief renders him helpless. There is no easy cure, no platitude to comfort him, no replacement with which to fill the deep trough of his devastating grief.

For the first time in his successful career, the inspirational speaker and bestselling author of several motivational books is lost for words...

The Book of Why, a moving portrait of a man coming to terms with the death of his beloved ‘other half,’ is the remarkable work of New York writer Nicholas Montemarano whose short story collection, If the Sky Falls, won plaudits and prizes in literary circles.

Here he explores how memory, past events and the power of the imagination shape our perception of the world, and how we deal with death, disappointment, happiness, despair and the unpredictable course of our own destinies.

Montemarano dares to peer into the subconscious, to analyse how we process emotions like love, desire and guilt, and to examine the innermost workings of the human soul.

‘This is a self-help book,’ Eric tells us as his story begins. ‘Didn’t think it was, but it is. It’s also a revision, a question, a confession, an apology, a love letter.’

Unable to cope with the death of his wife Cary, the soulmate he felt as if he’d known forever, Eric retreats with his dog to his isolated home at Martha’s Vineyard where he surrounds himself with Cary’s belongings ... her letters, her doodles, a few sweaters, a pair of her socks.

The old exhortations that we all have ‘the power to change our lives,’ that ‘happiness is an inside job’ and that illness is just ‘an extension of negative emotion’ have all been rendered either useless or meaningless.

Five years later, on a wild, snowy, storm-lashed night, a car crashes at the end of Eric’s lane and a woman turns up at his door, covered in blood and seeking help.

Sam Leslie, a professional obituary writer (‘God is my assignment editor’), turns out to be a fan who is trying to track him down, convinced that Eric and his best-selling book, Everyday Miracles, will sort out the tragedies and coincidences that have both destroyed and coloured her life.

As Eric vanquishes demons in his past and faces the world again, he and Sam spin around one another like constellations in a greater universe. Together they set out to search for answers to their questions, and to find some meaning in the events that have knocked them off course.

Perhaps everything doesn’t happen for a reason...

The Book of Why is a powerful love story as well an exploration of the fragility of relationships. Thought-provoking, sombre and yet exquisitely tender, it forces us to confront harsh truths about life... and death.

(Headline Review, paperback, £13.99)

Haybrook is expecting to see more families than ever before choosing to rent in Sheffield in 2013.

The prediction from Haybrook, South Yorkshire’s largest independent estate agent, with over a dozen branches across the region, comes in the wake of a steep rise in the number of families inquiring about rental properties since the turn of the year.

Haybrook Lettings, which is based at Campo Chambers, on the corner of Campo Lane and Paradise Square in Sheffield, has seen a three-fold increase in applicant levels as young families in particular struggle to get on to the property ladder.

Sharon Owen, Lettings Manager, said: “The rental market in Sheffield has historically been focused on students and, to a lesser degree, young professionals, who are snapping many of the city centre apartments that come on the market.

“However, this is beginning to change as more and more families, especially the younger ones, struggle to raise the deposits needed to get on the property ladder and opt to rent instead over the short to medium term.”

Haybrook, which last year was named one of the top three lettings agents in the region for market share, is also expecting to see rents rise once again in 2013 as demands for properties continues to outstrip supply, even with a surge of new landlords coming on to the market. Last year average monthly rents rose by close to £50 across Sheffield and South Yorkshire.

“There is still a shortage of suitable rental properties in Sheffield,” added Sharon Owen, “and those properties that do come onto the market, especially homes in the better areas of the city, take only a matter of days before they are let.”

Haybrook prides itself on having its tenants’ best interests at hearts at all times. It is a member of SAFE Agent, a scheme launched by the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS) to help signpost people to those firms that protect landlords’ and tenants’ money through Client Money Protection schemes.

As a member of ARLA (the Association of Residential Lettings Agents), the firm prides itsefl on managing all of the paperwork on behalf of tenants and once they have moved in, making sure that someone is always available at the end of a telephone to resolve any future issues.

Haybrook works just as hard for its landlords, whether they are a homeowner looking to rent out their home, a seller who can’t sell and needs to move or a Buy to Let landlord with an extensive property portfolio.

Its property management team offer peace of mind to landlords that their property is being looked after professionally at all times, in the process ensuring they are maximising the return on their investment.

Call 0114 272 0700 or email lettings@haybrook.com.

Plans have been submitted to Doncaster Borough Council for a new housing development that is aimed to help regenerate the area and have a long-lasting impact on the region.

If approved, the first phase of the £22.6m development will see the construction of 334 homes, which is expected to start in March.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) appointed housing and regeneration specialist Keepmoat as its preferred developer in the first phase, which will see the development of 172 homes at Carr Lodge in Doncaster. A further 132 larger homes and 30 self-build housing plots will also be delivered with support from Strata Homes.

Carr Lodge will be Doncaster’s first low-carbon community consisting of 1,500 mixed tenure homes. All homes will be designed to the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes level 3 and are designed to be ‘Lifetime Homes’.

The scheme will see a new single carriageway spine road developed to link the roundabouts at either end of Woodfield Way, adjacent to the Tesco supermarket in the south and the Holiday Inn in the north in Balby, Doncaster.

Across the wider development of 1,500 homes, a new main street and village square incorporating shops and a community hall will be developed as well as incorporating other community facilities, a children’s nursery, a primary school, youth club, sports pitches, play areas and a park.

Carr Lodge will include a network of green routes designed to encourage walking and cycling and provide connections to local facilities.

Mark Knight, New Build Managing Director for Keepmoat Yorkshire, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as the preferred developer for the first phase of homes at Carr Lodge and we look forward to working in partnership with the HCA, Strata and a social housing provider to deliver affordable new homes.

“As a local company based in Doncaster, it means a lot to be involved in such a significant, flagship project that will have a long lasting impact on the area. The homes that will be developed in the first phase will be of mixed tenure offering a variety of choice to the highest quality design ensuring that the needs of local families are met.”

Becoming a parent, as we all know, is easy – becoming a good parent is much more difficult.

Parenthood is a challenge many of us face with little experience or education in childcare and from toddler tantrums to teenage mood swings, raising children is certainly not child’s play.

There are books galore out there with every kind of advice for frazzled mums and dads but, if you want to read just one, look no further than a tried-and-trusted ‘parenting bible’ that has been transforming family relationships for 30 years.

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, now available in a new edition, is the phenomenal bestseller written by two women with many years of experience in child psychology but, more importantly, once frustrated mothers themselves.

Their approach is simple, effective, easy to follow and is based on methods that refrain from abstract theorising, affirm the dignity and humanity of both parents and children and deal only with the practical issues of parenting.

Using sensitivity, empathy, communication skills and lashings of humour, they teach how to break a pattern of arguments, engage a child’s co-operation, set clear limits without losing goodwill, express emotions without being hurtful and resolve conflicts easily.

It may sound too good to be true but is achieved by rejecting authoritarian and confrontational methods of punishment and instead encouraging your child to be co-operative rather than simply obedient.

You can learn how to avoid turning simple conversations into arguments, how to instruct rather than criticise when correcting your child, choose effective alternatives to punishments and show a child how to make amends for bad behaviour.

This invaluable book, with its very human, down-to-earth approach, really does give you the know-how you need to be more effective with children, enabling parents to improve and enrich relationships with their offspring.

With three million copies sold and enthusiastically praised by parents and professionals around the world, the book provides step-by-step techniques and is illustrated with playful, humorous cartoons showing the skills in action and demonstrating innovative ways to solve common problems.

And to bring this edition bang up to date, there is a thoughtful Afterword on The Next Generation by Adele Faber’s daughter Joanna which gives the time-honoured and tested techniques a fresh, new 21st century perspective.

(Piccadilly, paperback, £12.99)

The term ‘fighting fit’ is set to take on a whole new meaning to Beverley Leisure Complex’s early risers as the exhilarating new exercise class programme incorporates a mixture of Les Mills classic classes and indoor cycling.

Start the week with Les Mills Bodycombat Monday 6.45am – 7.30am. Combining powerful moves from a range of self-defence disciplines, including karate, boxing, Taekwondo and Muay Thai, the system is a non-contact workout that leaves participants feeling ready to conquer the world.

Continue your early riser routine on Tuesday 6.45am – 7.30am with indoor cycling - Leanne will take you on a spinning extravaganza which can burn more than 360 calories.

Half way through the working week Wednesday 6.45am – 7.30am, is Les Mills Body Pump, a original barbell class that strengthens your entire body. This workout challenges all your major muscle groups using exercises like squats, presses, lifts and curls. Great music, awesome instructors and your choice of weights inspire you to get results.

On Friday 6.45am – 7.30am it’s indoor cycling with Bev to finish off the early riser week.

Coby Kemp, senior assistant facility manager, explains the appeal: “Early Riser classes are a fantastic way to exercise! You just have to get into the routine of packing your bag the night before and setting your alarm clock for 6am. Once you have done the class, you feel much better and you can forget about exercising for the rest of the day.”

Kick your New Year off with our Early Riser classes - the best way to set you up for a healthy week!

For more information about classes please log onto www.beverleyleisurecomplex.co.uk or contact reception on 01482 395231.

For 30 years, millions of adoring fans have been enthralled by Sue Grafton’s iconic, alphabetical Kinsey Millhone mysteries, some completely unaware that the smart-talking private investigator is the author’s own dark alter-ego.

Through the creation of Kinsey, one of America’s most popular female writers has been empowered to tell home truths – ‘sometimes bitter, sometimes amusing’ – and to look at the world with a ‘mean’ eye, exploring the shadowy side of human nature.

But if Kinsey is Grafton’s alter-ego, another, more psychologically complex and troubled character called Kit Blue, devised in the decade after the death of the author’s mother, is unequivocally a heart-searching portrait of the young Sue.

To mark the anniversary of A is for Alibi, the first Kinsey Millhone book, and while we await the W, X, Y and Z thrillers, Grafton has given us Kinsey and Me, an intriguing collection of short stories which reveal the fictional detective’s origins, and the author’s own turbulent childhood with two alcoholic parents.

A book of two halves, split by a fascinating entr’acte in which Grafton briefly examines the detective novel genre from Raymond Chandler to the ‘random, pointless and pervasive’ violence of the modern age, Kinsey and Me is essentially an eloquent and cathartic collection of short stories and autobiographical musings.

These nine Kinsey Millhone tales, all firmly rooted in the 1980s, are each a gem of detection and, coupled with the Kit Blue stories about Grafton’s relationship with her dysfunctional parents, reveal just how much Kinsey is a Freudian distillation of her creator’s past.

Free of parental discipline, the young Sue read everything and roamed everywhere. ‘Every morning, my father downed two jiggers of whiskey and went to the office. My mother, similarly fortified, went to sleep on the couch.’

But the destructive side of such freedom was a glaring parental distance that made her confused, rebellious and anxious, and left an emotional hole in her life. It was a void she filled by marrying at 18 and filling her home with three children.

And so Kinsey Millhone became the person she might have been, a ‘stripped-down’ version of herself, ‘her shadow, her projection,’ a celebration of her own freedom and independence.

Published in the UK for the first time, this powerful, revelatory and emotionally raw collection displays the depth and range of Grafton’s writing and reminds us of her unique talent as a storyteller.

Although lifting the veil on a chaotic and confused period of her life has been painful, Grafton knows that she cannot edit her life as deftly as prose.

‘The past is a package deal,’ she observes, ‘and I don’t believe there’s a way to tell some of the truth without telling most. Wisdom comes at a price, and I have paid dearly for mine.’

(Mantle, hardback, £16.99)

If you like your young adult novels unique, ingeniously devised, exciting, epic in setting and totally unpredictable in plotline, then head for Level 2.

Yes, it’s a book to die for... a trip to limbo, the featureless waiting room in eternity where the dead relive memories of their time on Earth before the final journey into Heaven.

And it’s certainly not a sanctuary of peace and serenity, especially when some double-dealing, scheming angels have hatched a plan to keep you there forever.

Welcome to Lenore Appelhans’ stunning, startling debut novel, the first book of The Memory Chronicles, a thrilling series in which life, love and death collide in the most breathtaking and brilliantly compelling way.

Felicia Ward is dead. She was killed in an accident aged just 17 years and 364 days and now she’s trapped in a pristine, hive-like pod in Level 2 where she endures a relentless and dull nothingness.

She spends her days downloading and replaying memories of her family, her friends and her beloved boyfriend, the God-fearing, good boy Neil whose luminous, pure smile still haunts her.

But there’s one person she has tried very hard to forget – Julian, the boy who broke her heart and ruined her life.

When Julian appears in Level 2, Felicia thinks he is dead too. But he is here to recruit her for the rebellion brewing in this limbo world against the Morati angels who want to suck out human energy to fight their own way into Heaven.

Lured by Julian’s promise that he will reunite her with Neil and that she is the key to the rebels’ success, she breaks out of her pod.

But soon she must make a choice between two worlds, two lives and two loves, and her decision will change everything...

Appelhans’ imagination takes flight with her bad angels in this soaring and seductive account of war in the afterlife.

Along the way she uses heaps of insight and sympathy to tackle big emotional themes like the nature of love and friendship, loyalty, betrayal and the importance of letting go.

She also gives us a rip-roaring adventure story which is packed with surprises, crackles with the tensions of young love and sweeps us away on the fast-beating pulse of an intriguing mystery.

Her characters are people we come to know well, whose back stories draw us into their deadly predicament and make us long to find out what their future holds.

It’s going to be purgatory waiting for the next in the series...

(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)

A charity murder mystery night at Istanbul’s iconic Pera Palas Hotel is turning into a glittering occasion... until one of the actors is found brutally murdered in the room where the great Agatha Christie used to stay.

Just as well then that keeping a low profile among the high-profile guests is legendary Inspector Çetin İkmen, a man who will leave no stone – or bed – unturned to uncover the audacious killer.

Deadline is Lancashire-based Barbara Nadel’s 15th Inspector İkmen mystery, and age has not wearied this talented author and detective team who together stalk the shadowy underbelly of modern day Turkey in search of the darkest crimes.

İkmen is a masterful creation, an anachronistic, chain-smoking, crumpled sleuth whose shining intellect and razor-sharp cynicism have not yet been blunted by Istanbul’s new breed of garish, glossy citizens.

An old-fashioned Turk who puts friends and family first, he is impressed not by wealth or possessions but by the single-minded pursuit of justice.

Here we find İkmen characteristically grumpy as he contemplates an evening of ‘organised fun,’ his pet hate, with the great and good at the Pera Palas.

The luxury hotel is packed with rich donors who expect to be royally entertained in exchange for giving their cash to a fund-raiser for a free drug and alcohol addiction clinic run by the brother of İkmen’s good friend Arto Sarkissian.

Chief among the guests is Lale Aktar, a woman from humble Turkish origins who has become the country’s youngest and most sensational crime writer.

Halfway through the evening, İkmen finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of life imitating art when one of the theatre group actors is found stabbed to death on Lale’s bed in the revered suite where Agatha Christie stayed.

As he launches a murder inquiry and finds himself walking in the footsteps of the great writer, İkmen soon starts to experience fear and hatred which have echoes deep in his own, and his country’s, past.

Nadel’s ongoing love affair with the colourful, exciting, exotic city of Istanbul adds authenticity and atmosphere to her gripping crime thrillers, allowing the busy streets and breath-taking landmarks to become a powerful and engaging backdrop to well-plotted mysteries.

And with intelligent storylines rooted in Turkey’s complex social and political systems, the Inspector İkmen books have evolved into that addictive mix of time, place, crime, quirky characterisation and last but not least, top-class entertainment.

(Headline, hardback, £19.99)

A commemorative Preston Guild Special is coming down the line and it would be a shame to miss a nostalgic journey back through time!

In this historic year for the city, local author David Hindle uses an array of fascinating pictures and images from the past to explore the social, cultural and economic background to Preston during the Industrial Revolution, primarily to see if life then lived up to the affectionate claim that they were the ‘good old days.’

At the same time, he takes a look at the foundations of the Victorian music hall industry, a source of entertainment and diversion for the working classes during a period of social unrest and economic strife.

Charles Dickens visited Preston at the beginning of the infamous cotton famine in 1861 and, as always, the great man’s literary eye was focused on ‘the underdog’ and the ‘hard times’ that they had to endure during massive industrial change.

Hindle’s extensive research suggests that the level of squalor, prostitution, pauperism and unwanted pregnancies contributed to poor health and the need for the penniless and mentally ill to be fully institutionalised in the established workhouse or the new asylums such as Whittingham, which was served by its own private railway.

The Whittingham Hospital Railway (WHR), known colloquially as the nurses’ special, was primarily intended for hospital staff working shifts and living in Preston and the surrounding villages of Grimsargh, Longridge, Chipping and Ribchester.

The railway was built between 1887 and 1889 as a mineral line to convey coal and provisions to the new Whittingham Hospital. It linked the hospital with the joint London & North Western and Lancashire & Yorkshire’s Preston to Longridge branch line at Grimsargh.

Passengers soon followed and private stations were built at either end of the almost two-mile long, standard gauge line at Whittingham and Grimsargh.

Hindle’s book is packed with facts and photographs, and provides a superb insight into the social history of Preston linked to that most Victorian anachronism, the Whittingham Hospital Railway.

(Amberley, paperback, £15.99)

In 1593, Lancashire was a hotbed of closet Catholics who would happily see the Protestant Queen Elizabeth toppled from her throne ... and the sleepy market town of Ormskirk, nestling between Preston and Southport, was the centre of a deadly conspiracy.

Master of all things Tudor, Rory Clements is back with his fourth novel featuring John Shakespeare, Elizabethan spy and brother of the famous playwright William, and he uses a real-life northern mystery as the backdrop to a thrilling tale of religion, politics and intrigue.

The plot revolves around the fifth Earl of Derby, Ferdinando Stanley, whose magnificent turreted and palatial home was the now demolished medieval Lathom House in West Lancashire, known in the late 16th century as ‘the Northern Court.’

Here Clements transports us back to the volatile final years of Elizabeth’s reign when Lancashire was notorious for its Catholic sympathies and many of the county’s titled aristocrats hid Jesuit priests within their grand homes.

Ferdinando Stanley, long suspected of being a secret Catholic, was a cousin of the Queen with a very real claim to the throne. He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbour, Richard Hesketh, a rich cloth merchant and an openly avowed Catholic rebel, who believed Stanley should become the figurehead for a Catholic bid to oust Elizabeth.

Into this factual maelstrom of religious and political strife, Clements weaves a brilliant fictional thriller featuring our Tudor detective Shakespeare and a cast of real characters like Sir Robert Cecil, the queen’s hunchback private secretary, the magician and astronomer Dr John Dee and the great man himself, Will Shakespeare.

But what makes Clements’ stories work so extraordinarily well is his attention to detail and his extensive knowledge of the period which add ballast and authenticity to pulsating plots featuring murder, mystery and political skulduggery.

The Elizabethan navy has a secret weapon, a spyglass so powerful that it gives England unassailable superiority at sea. Spain will stop at nothing to steal it and seize the two men who understand its secrets – operative William Ivory, known as the Queen’s Eye, and its inventor, the maverick magician Dr Dee.

With a second Armada threatened, John Shakespeare is sent to Lancashire to escort Dee to safety but his mission is far from straightforward.

Only yards from Lathom House, he witnesses the lynching of the undercover Jesuit priest Father Matthew Lamb and then discovers that the Earl of Derby is dying in agony, apparently poisoned.

Shakespeare must find out who wants Stanley dead and why, and work out if there is any connection between these events and the mysterious and beautiful Lady Eliska Nováková from Prague who is staying at Lathom House.

And while he attempts to untangle a plot that points to treachery at the very highest reaches of government, he learns that his adopted son Andrew Woode, currently studying at Oxford, has been charged with an offence so serious that it carries a death sentence.

As the action moves from Lancashire to a vagabond camp in the heart of England, and from the deck of Admiral Frobisher’s flagship off the Brittany coast to the secret meetings of Elizabeth’s closest associates, Shakespeare faces choosing between family and his duty to Queen and country...

Clements serves up another delicious feast of fact and fiction, adventure and adversity and for Lancashire readers, a rich slice of the county’s dark history.

Undoubtedly the author’s best book so far, Traitor leaves us hungry for more...

(John Murray, paperback, £6.99)

There’s a welcome ray of sunshine to brighten the dark days of winter in a selection of exciting new children’s books from Oxford University Press.

From aged two to teens, there’s a book to tickle young tastebuds, make a great escape to summer fun and transport you to an island of adventure.

Sea of Whispers by Tim Bowler

Whilst many authors of teen novels are busy creating parallel worlds full of hi-tech gadgetry and superhumans, Tim Bowler continues to plough his prize-winning furrow through a mesmerising trail of haunting psychological thrillers.

Grounded in reality but teetering so piquantly and precariously on the borders of the paranormal, Sea of Whispers is his latest enthralling mystery – a seductive tale of loss, despair, determination, bravery and the search for identity.

Fifteen-year-old Hetty lives on Mora, a remote island where the sea is both its lifeblood and its angel of death. The 97 inhabitants find it difficult to live in harmony with the wild ocean on their doorstep, instead co-existing with it under an uneasy truce of fear and guarded respect.

Centuries-old traditions and superstitions fuel a distrust of strangers, none more so than in 100-year-old Per, the oldest man on Mora and the fountain of all folklore.

A storm at sea took the lives of Hetty’s parents when she was just a baby and she has grown up in the care of her grandmother in a tight-knit and insular community where feelings run deep and outsiders are not welcome.

Hetty is a loner, a dreamer, haunted by her loss, the mysterious visions in her polished sea glass and sea whispers which tell her that her future is set to change course.

Shortly after old Per warns that ‘there’s an evil coming to Mora... and it’s already on its way,’ a small boat crashes on the rocks.

Hetty is the first to help with the search for survivors but only one person is washed up on the shore, a frail, strange old woman who is barely alive and whose face has been darkening Hetty’s sea glass.

But death and disaster come with her and it is clear to many that the old woman is a bad omen and the bringer of evil prophesied by old Per.

As the islanders grow hostile, Hetty knows that she must take matters into her own hands. The solution is wild, dangerous and frightening and as she heads out to sea, a storm is breaking and the whispers that she’s heard before are louder than ever.

Can she save the old woman and will she ever be able to silence the voices?

Sea of Whispers is a slow-burning, atmospheric story from the winner of the Carnegie Medal. Bowler handles grown-up themes with insight and sensitivity whilst delivering an intriguing, wildly romantic and compelling mystery.

Top-class reading for youngsters aged 11 and over.

(OUP, hardback, £12.99)

The Flip-Flop Club: Midnight Messages by Ellen Richardson

Friendships are the ties that bind youngsters together and the relationship between three young girls is at the warm heart of Ellen Richardson’s fun and funny adventure series.

The captivating Flip-Flop Club books combine mystery, comedy, friendship and lashings of summer sunshine in lively stories that are ideal for girls aged nine and over.

Elly, Tash, and Sierra are the best friends... ever. At a sleepover in Tash’s tree house, the girls are going through all the inventions of Tash’s granddad (who was better known as Old Man Blake), trying to figure out what they are and what they are meant to do.

When Tash pulls out a ghost detector, the three of them can’t resist trying it out. At first, nothing happens but then it starts bleeping madly, and when Elly looks out of the window and sees lights coming from the graveyard, the girls know something’s up.

There are rumours that nearby Sunday Island is haunted by the ghost of Old Man Blake, so perhaps he’s trying to tell them something about his inventions.

Sierra is convinced that ghosts don’t exist, so why is she scared of them? And if ghosts don’t exist, then who was it in the graveyard? Can the girls face their fears and solve the mystery?

Richardson’s imaginative stories positively buzz with action, dialogue, mystery and adventure... who could ask for anything more?

(OUP, paperback, £5.99)

Chickens Can’t See in the Dark by Kristyna Litten

If your pre-schoolers can’t see the point of carrots, then maybe you should introduce them to Little Pippa. She’s a chicken, but no ordinary chicken. And she’s on quest... to find out why chickens can’t see in the dark.

Kristyna Litten’s charming and colourful picture book, with its adorable illustrations and quirky story, is guaranteed to get feathers flying in the nursery.

The fun starts when Mr Benedict tells his class on Sunnyside Farm that chickens can’t see in the dark. Stubborn Pippa sets out to discover the secrets of night vision and after a fact-finding mission to the library and the farm shop, she takes a wheelbarrow of carrots to Mother Hen’s Pantry where she cooks up the most delicious carroty banquet ever seen.

She invites her feathered friends to share the feast and despite being sceptical about what difference eating so many carrots will make, everything is so tasty that they soon eat every last mouthful.

And on that starry, moonlit evening, Pippa has the last laugh when the chickens discover the delights of seeing in the dark!

Litten’s quirky tale about a feisty, free-ranging chicken will make your toddlers giggle as well as encouraging them to think for themselves, follow their dreams and perhaps even learn to love carrots just a little!

(OUP, paperback, £6.99)

OPEN viewing is offered at prestigious Dore development The Oaks on Saturday, 11am-4pm, where one final property remains for sale.

Fernleigh Mount, in Totley Brook Road, is on the market at £925,000. It offers spacious family living over three floors including six bedrooms, five bathrooms and a lounge/cinema room.

It is fitted with the most up-to-date technology including audio system, digital radio, security system and under-floor heating and is covered by a 10-year building warranty.

The front door opens into a reception hall leading to other ground floor rooms.

A formal lounge or cinema room incorporates a 50in plasma screen, DVD and speaker system.

Glass sliding doors lead to an open plan kitchen, dining area and family lounge.

The kitchen area is fitted with contemporary high-gloss units with granite worktops. Integrated appliances include a fridge, freezer, dishwasher, wine cooler, a range of conventional, steam and microwave ovens, plate warmers and a five-zone induction hob.

The dining area has porcelain-tiled floor and sliding doors to the back garden. The lounge also has folding doors to the garden; focal point is a stone feature fireplace.

There is a study, a utility room and a cloakroom with wc.

Stairs rise to a galleried landing leading to a master bedroom suite including a Jacuzzi air bath and rain head shower.

There are two more bedrooms, one of them with en-suite bathroom and Juliet balcony, a fourth bedroom or study and a family bathroom with luxury white suite by Roca.

More stairs rise to a second floor where there are two further bedrooms, both en suite.

Outside is a block-paved front garden screened by stone walls, wrought iron railings and laurel hedging. This leads to a generous garage with electric doors.

The back garden is fully enclosed, comprising stone-flagged terraces, shaped lawn with timber sleepers, seating areas, awater feature, planted borders and ornamental trees.

Details: Blenheim Park Estates, Sheffield (0114) 358 2020

Luxury development

Six bedrooms

Hi-tech audio system

Cinema room

Landscaped gardens

This substantial detached new-build home has four double bedrooms and three bathrooms and enjoys stunning views over Wharncliffe Woods.

The stamp duty will be paid on 24A Wharncliffe Avenue, Wharncliffe Side, Sheffield, S35 0DY by the builders.

The new build will stand on a similar sized plot next door to the existing show home, pictured, which is available to view.

The buyer will have input into the layout and specification of this new build.

The ground floor of the house will include a hallway, an L-shaped dining kitchen/family room with feature French doors leading to a decked area with superb views, a utility room and a downstairs WC.

The lounge will be 12’ x 16’ 9” with a feature fire surround, French doors and balconette. There will also be a dining room/study.

Upstairs will be four good-sized double bedrooms, bedrooms one and two benefiting from a Jack and Jill en suite.

The master bedroom, measuring 17’ x 12’ 3”, will include the dressing room and en suite shower room.

There will also be a family bathroom with builder’s allowance.

The property will have gas-fired central heating and UPVC double glazing throughout.

Outside, the property will benefit from an electric gated driveway shared by the show home and the new build, opening out to a driveway with parking for several cars .

There will also be a large integral garage.and gardens to to the front, side and rear.

The house will stand in a popular location with easy access to countryside and motorways. There is an excellent catchment area for schools and regular public transport.

The vendors say that viewing the show home is necessary to fully appreciate the potential of this new-build family home.

There is the option to have the property built as a three-bedroom home, allowing the purchaser involvement in the layout and design.

The price for a three-bed home will be offers around around £195,950; offers around £239,950 for four bedrooms.

For viewing, contact Saxton Mee at 82 Middlewood Road, S6 4HA. Tel 0114 2316055 or email Hillsborough@saxtonmee.co.uk