MEMBERS of the Royal Air Force have come to the aid of Mansfield Town.

The club asked for volunteers to report to the ground this morning, after six inches of snow fell on the pitch and surrounding areas.

And members of the Royal Air Force, along with the youth team and volunteers began to clear snow from the pitch at 9.15am today.

Cpl. Gary Whitworth of RAF Wittering said: "I've supported Mansfield all my life and don't want the weather to stop our chances of promotion.
 
"We've not got much on at the minute (work-wise) so I thought I'd ask a few of our lads to come and help clear the snow following the club's appeal, which they were happy to do."

Meanwhile, Mansfield's match at home to Macclesfield Town has been re-arranged for Tuesday April 9.

The game was postponed on Saturday after more heavy snow had fallen over Mansfield.

PEOPLE jumped from a window to escape a ferocious fire which wrecked a three-storey house.

The blaze tore through the home in Pippin Close, St Ann's, at about 1.50pm yesterday, spreading to all three floors and bringing down the roof.

Neighbours said the four people who fled were lucky to survive as the speed of the flames made the house look "like a tinderbox".

Gill Morris, 69, who lives a few doors away, said she saw smoke and people climbing from a first-floor window as she came home from a trip into town.

She said: "I've never seen such a shocking thing in my life. The flames were coming out of the windows, I've never seen a house go up so fast.

"As I came up the flight of steps at the end of the street they were jumping out of the window.

"It frightened me to death, it went up like a tinderbox. I really feel for them, they've lost everything."

She said she thought a family of four adults lived in the house.

Another neighbour, Tina Burton, 39, said she saw flames shooting from the roof when she looked out of the window after being woken from a nap following a night shift.

She said: "I saw the flames right on top of the house, I'd got home at about 7.15am and everything seemed so quiet and normal.

"I didn't realise it was happening until I got up and looked outside and saw all the fire engines."

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "It went up really quickly.

"I'd just come downstairs to make some food for my young 'un when I saw the flames and just thought 'whoa'.

"The house has been gutted. It didn't take long to get going, there were flames coming out of the roof."

David Stevenson, manager of Central Fire Station, said four fire crews and a hydraulic ladder were involved in putting out the fire.

An ambulance and police were also at the scene.

Mr Stevenson said: "We could see a significant amount of smoke as we arrived.

"Four people were in the property at or about the time of the fire.

"The fire was fully developed and that made it very difficult for the crews when they arrived to get it under control."

He said firefighters found out everyone was out and concentrated on pouring water into the house from above to control the flames.

No-one was thought to be badly hurt, he added, and no-one was evacuated as neighbouring homes were already empty.

The cause of the blaze is being investigated.

MICHAEL Gove's plans for curriculum changes in schools are out to consultation until the middle of next month.

They include recommendations that English lessons should put more emphasis on spelling, punctuation and grammar.

They also say that children should know their times tables up to 12 by the age of nine and start learning about algebra and geometry by the time they leave primary school.

Meanwhile changes are also afoot in history, with children learning more about how Britain has influenced the world.

And children will, for the first time, have to learn a language – ancient or modern – from the age of seven.

It prompted 100 academics, including Nottingham Trent University professor Michael Bassey, to write to The Independent.

The letter said: "This mountain of data will not develop children's ability to think – including problem-solving, critical understanding and creativity.

"A system which is very, very heavily prescribed and which encourages cramming through tests actually reduces fairly sharply the development of thinking.

"The pupils memorise just enough detail to get over the hurdle of the tests.

"Much of it demands too much, too young. This will put pressure on teachers to rely on rote learning without understanding. Inappropriate demands will lead to failure and demoralisation.

"Whatever the intention, the proposed curriculum in England will result in a 'dumbing down' of teaching and learning.

"The mountains of detail for English, maths and science leave little space for other learning. Speaking and listening, drama and modern media have almost disappeared from English."

A CHOIR made up of children and teenagers with learning disabilities wowed crowds who turned up to watch its end of year show.

The Atmosphere Glee Choir performed at the at Highfields Fire Station in Beeston on Friday to a packed crowd.

Around 20 children, some accompanied by their parents, sang a medley of songs covering a range of genres from the swinging 60s to contemporary pop under the watchful eye of professional gospel singer Mellonie Page.

The choir was the brainchild of mother-of-two Jill Carter, from Bramcote, who started it in December 2010 at the request of her daughter Jessie, who suffers from autism and obsessive compulsive disorder.

She said: "It started off with us going round friends houses and having a sing-song.

"Then it materialised into something bigger now we have a lot of members, and people really enjoy watching our end-of-year show."

Dawn Pillar of Wollaton, said the choir had been instrumental in developing the confidence of her daughter. Eleanor, 19, who suffers from Coffin–Lowry syndrome and has been a member from the start. "She loves it," said Dawn. "There are times when I can leave her on stage singing and she won't be scared of performing on her own – it's brilliant."

Coffin-Lowry syndrome is a rare inherited disorder characterised by skull abnormalities, short stature and learning disability.

Mrs Carter quit her job to start a company called Pulp Friction – a mobile pedal-powered smoothie bar, which she and her daughter Jessie take to events like music festivals and school fairs.

The company recruits other young adults with learning difficulties to supervise the bike while the customer pedals to make their smoothie.

Pulp Friction Atmosphere Glee Choir meets on Fridays from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Beeston Fire Station in Hassocks Lane. The choir is open to anyone who loves to sing and wants to perform at community events. It is a mixed age and mixed ability choir led by a professional voice coach who helps choristers to learn new songs, improve their singing skills and prepare for public performances. For more information, call 07794 676398

A DOG trainer is desperately searching for a new home for two animals who had to be given up by their elderly owner.

Janet Wesley, who has 40 years' experience with dogs, has temporarily adopted Sam, a three-year-old cross-Labrador, and Prince, a six-year-old German shepherd, after their previous owner started to suffer with dementia.

Prince has recently had expensive surgery to correct a ruptured spleen, but Mrs Wesley, who works with the Old Park Farm School of Dog Training in Bilborough, said both dogs were now healthy and ready for a new home.

She has spoken to the Dogs Trust near Loughborough about taking them in but claims a member of staff there told her they couldn't guarantee they wouldn't be put down.

The charity denies her claims and said it never puts any healthy animals to sleep.

Mrs Wesley, of Farnborough Road, Clifton, said: "It's upset me because there's no aggression in these dogs – they're well behaved and now they've both got a clean bill of health.

"They really do deserve a chance and a home.

"I can't think of a better tribute to their previous owner if we can get them both re-homed"

A spokesman for the Dogs Trust said: "Dogs Trust believes that every dog has the right to life and is opposed to the destruction of any healthy dog.

"The charity cares for 16,000 stray and abandoned dogs every year.

"However in extreme cases where there is poor quality of life, euthanasia should be carried out in a humane manner by or under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon."

If you are interested in taking on one of the dogs call Mrs Wesley on 0115 846 2031.

The Nottingham Post wants to hear all your amazing dog stories.

If you have an interesting dog story to tell, e-mail ben.ireland@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk or join the debate at thisisnottingham.co.uk.

PLANS for trams in Derby have been shelved as the price tag was considered too high. The decision comes as streets in Chilwell, Beeston, Lenton, Wilford, and Clifton have been subject to major disruption as tram works have started in earnest (March 26).

A RARE victory for common sense.

mof_gedling

IF only our lot came to the same conclusion about lines 2 and 3...

dooglepip1

Too expensive? What? Why not introduce a WPL to pay for it? Idiots!

SlickSpoons

WHAT they lack in footballing ability in Derby they more than make up for with common sense on this occasion!

by-thecrossed

INVESTIGATIONS have been launched into the deaths of patients after a report revealed a catalogue of errors by the ambulance service. The report lists 27 instances where failures were made – in 13 of them people died (March 26).

WHY do we only ever hear about the failings and errors of the ambulance service when they are vastly outnumbered by incidents of life saving and success? Just as those who work within hospitals, they do a job with enormous responsibility and are being criticised and vilified for a proportionally miniscule number of errors.

CopperJohn3

IT is in the nature of the ambulance service's job that mistakes will always be made: if they checked and double checked everything the number of times they would have to make sure that all procedures were followed on every occasion, then all their patients would die in the time it took to get them to hospital. Surely, the issue is whether EMAS' rate of 0.009% is out of line with other ambulance services.

FormerlyW

IF I was a relative of one of the people who had died as a result of a "serious incident", I would not be best pleased with the EMAS spokesman stating that it was just part of a 0.009% statistic. An apology might be nice.

Irvine

SO shutting down ambulance stations in favor of "superhubs" is going to improve the service? Who are you kidding? We need better-staffed ambulance stations, with more vehicles. EMAS call handlers need better training, and more qualified nurses. This whole push towards cuts and centralisation will cost lives

IceCrystal

A BOROUGH council could save more than £30,000 a year by cutting the number of councillors by nearly 20 per cent.

Gedling Borough Council asked the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to look into plans to alter wards in the area.

It had asked for an independent review of electoral arrangements and the plans have now been revealed.

As well as a cut in councillors from 50 to 41, the number of wards will drop from 22 to 17.

Changes include:

Creating a Trent Valley ward, including Stoke Bardolph, Burton Joyce and parts of Gedling.

A new Dumbles ward combining Lambley and Woodborough.

A new Newstead Abbey ward combining Ravenshead and Newstead.

Given that councillors get an annual allowance of £3,685.68, a drop in nine councillors means a saving of £33,171.12.

Terence Ireland, 68, from Lambley, said he supported the plans.

He added: "Reducing the number of councillors is something that should have happened a while ago. We have 50 in Gedling, so many more than other councils around here. I think 40 is just about right."

Chairman of the Commission, Max Caller, said: "We are extremely grateful to the people of Gedling who took the time and effort to send us their views. The Commission considered every piece of evidence it received before finalising these recommendations.

"We believe these recommendations deliver electoral equality for voters as well as reflecting the identities of communities across Gedling."

In response to the views submitted to it during the consultation, the Commission is proposing some minor changes to the draft recommendations it published last year.

For example, the council proposed a change to the southern boundary of Calverton ward so that it runs along Ollerton Road and Lime Lane.

The Commission has accepted the amendment and includes it in its final recommendations.

The commission also proposes a change to its draft recommendation for the boundary between Plains ward and Gedling ward so that any future development on the Gedling Colliery site would be in Plains ward.

A draft order – the legal document which brings into force the recommendations – will be brought to Parliament in the next few months.

The order provides for the new electoral arrangements to come into force at the borough council elections in 2015.

THE report was slender – a shade over 100 pages – but its contents are still felt, half a century on.

When Dr Richard Beeching announced the intention to carve up the nation's railways to save money, it was clear he meant business.

The Government handed him the brief of solving the problem of British Rail losing around £140 million a year.

As half of Britain's railway stations were producing just two per cent of the traffic, Beeching decided the best option would be to prune.

Many local routes were considered unprofitable and the network had to be tidied up from when it was re-nationalised in the 1940s.

In Notts and the surrounding areas, the axe fell hard.

Eighteen stations were listed for closure in Beeching's report, from Awsworth to Trowell, with further closures proposed in Ilkeston and Long Eaton.

And reminders of the lost stations remain, nowhere more so than in the city centre where the clock tower of Victoria Station now guards an entrance to the Victoria Centre.

From here, the Great Central Railway used to haul people down to London Marylebone and, to this day, tunnels still exist under Mansfield Road.

Nottingham used to have two other routes into the capital, one via the Midland line via Trent Junction and another via Melton into St Pancras.

Two of these – the line from Victoria to Marylebone and the line to London via Melton were ditched.

And following the last service to Rugby in 1967, tunnels were blocked in and the shopping centre rose up.

Notts County Council rail officer Jim Bamford says: "Whereas in the past the problem for the trains seemed to be a lack of passengers on certain routes, the problem these days seems to be that too many people want to use the railways and it's a case of making people comfortable.

"That's part of the reason for the developments at Nottingham station at the moment. Train stations need to have facilities for lots more people these days."

Some of the lines that were culled have seen a renaissance, including the Robin Hood Line from Nottingham to Worksop.

The story goes that Mansfield was the largest town in the country without a railway station until the line was reopened in 1998.

Mr Bamford said: "It's been a huge success story and it was just a case of reacting to need. In fact, other people have learnt how to reopen a railway line from the example here."

Elsewhere in the region, the damage Beeching inflicted is being reversed.

Two stations in Ilkeston were closed but a new station may be on the horizon.

The Ilkeston North station, part of the Great North Railway Derbyshire Extension between Burton-on-Trent and Nottingham Midland, closed in 1964. The line travelled over Bennerley Viaduct – which still stands today – through Awsworth and Kimberley before heading into the city centre.

The other station in the town – Ilkeston Junction and Cossall – dates from 1847 and was part of the Midland Railway on the Erewash Valley Line. But it closed in January 1967.

A third station – Ilkeston Town – was closed in 1950 and on its site now stands the Tesco supermarket in Chalons Way.

However, Ilkeston can still hear the rumble of trains going onward to Langley Mill, Liverpool or Leeds.

Now it may soon be getting a station of its own.

After 46 years, plans for a new Ilkeston stop have moved closer after Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said it was one of three most likely to be built using the Government's New Stations Fund.

A final announcement is expected to be made by the Secretary of State in May.

Derbyshire County Council bid into the £20 million fund for the £4.574 million project earlier this month.

If the bid is successful, a new station could be running in Ilkeston by 2015 following a campaign which has lasted nearly two decades.

The axe may have fallen 50 years ago, but with a potential new station in Ilkeston and the development of the High Speed 2 rail line through Toton Sidings, it looks like the growth of railways is finally back on the cards.

A NOTTINGHAM architect has travelled to South Africa to help build a nursery school.

Samantha Worrall, of CPMG, will help complete the University of Nottingham's Project Limpopo to build the school in Calais in the country. She set off on Sunday to spend two weeks helping a team of second-year architecture students and staff from the university complete the nursery that will provide places for 150 two to six-year-olds from across the Limpopo province.

The team will be extending the original building that was completed in 2011 with the addition of a kitchen and dining facility and more classrooms. Along with staff from the university, Samantha will be acting as a tutor, guiding and assisting students with the construction and providing support.

Before her trip, Samantha said: "I'm really excited to be heading out to Africa and it's great that CPMG are able to support my involvement in this very worthwhile project. As an ex-student of Nottingham University it's a great opportunity for me to be able to use my skills and knowledge to help finish the nursery which will bring huge benefits to the whole community."

TIM Baillie said one of the weirdest things about becoming an Olympic champion was being paraded to the adoring public.

The C2 specialist, who won gold with Etienne Stott in London, ended up taking part in THREE parades.

He was on a float with the rest of Team GB as the public brought London to a standstill after the Games last summer.

And then he enjoyed one in Glasgow and another in his home town of Aberdeen.

"We had the parade in London, one in Glasgow then one in Aberdeen," said Baillie. "I was also guest speaker at the Aberdeen University Sports Ball which was surreal.

"In London it was almost like an out-of-body experience and it was so brilliant but so strange. There were so many people, I have never seen anything like it.

"Then it was Glasgow, which was awesome but you don't know what to do. You wave, smile, wave some more. It was the best summer of my life.

"But it is strange because they are all turning out to see you, to thank you for the best sporting summer of their life but for me, without the crowds, sport and the Olympics would not be what it is. So really the 'thank you' should be for the fans for making it so special for us."

PLANS for 130 new homes in Beeston have been given the go-ahead.

A mixture of detached, semi-detached, terrace and apartment properties can now be built on the site of former allotments in Hassocks Lane, Beeston.

The outline application was put in by the Beeston Consolidated Charity and Broxtowe Borough Council – who both own sections of the land.

Now the application has been accepted, it is thought the site will be sold to housing developers.

Chairman Bryan Spencer, from the Beeston Consolidated Charity, which helps people in poverty in the town, said: "We are hoping to get the land up for sale in the next couple of months.

"This project has been ongoing for a number of years now. The money raised from the sale will be put back into the charity to help as many people as possible.

"This is the first time that we have sought planning permission for it so we are very happy it has been accepted."

The L-shaped site covers an area of 7.9 acres (3.2 hectares) and is next to homes in Herald Close and the new Highfields Fire Station.

The Padge Road commercial area is to the south-east of the site, the Royal Mail sorting office to the north east and the University of Nottingham sports field to the north. If the homes are built, a new access point on the service road that serves the fire station, in Hassocks Lane, will be included.

The Beeston Consolidated Charity first decided that they would sell the site in 2005 when Broxtowe Borough Council announced that they would stop leasing the land for allotments.

This happened in 2008 and since then the land has been unused.

Broxtowe Borough Council's environment director Mike Taylor said: "The council owns just two acres of this site and it is our intention to jointly sell the land, subject to cabinet approval, in order to make best use of this land asset.

"The money raised will be used to support the council's capital works programme."

Details regarding appearance, landscaping, layout and scale will be announced once the land has been sold.

THE benefit of a new station in Ilkeston will be felt well into Notts, it has been claimed.

Politicians and business leaders have welcomed a Department for Transport announcement that Ilkeston station is one of three most likely to be built with support from the Government's New Station Fund.

If the bid is successful and planning permission is granted, the station could be up and running before the end of 2014. The site (pictured) is off Coronation Road, on the existing Erewash Valley railway line, near the site of the former Ilkeston Junction station, with links to Millership Way.

Derbyshire County Council's cabinet member for highways, Councillor Simon Spencer, said: "Ilkeston is the largest town in the UK without a train station – despite having a passenger railway running through it.

"A train station would help reduce congestion on local roads – particularly to Nottingham – improve access to jobs, training and education for Ilkeston residents and attract more people to the town to access its facilities."

Councillor Chris Corbett, Erewash Borough Council leader, said: added "It is not just that local people will be able to get to Nottingham in 15 minutes to commute to work, but that residents of Nottingham will be able to come to find jobs in Ilkeston.

"This will be a real boost for the economy of Ilkeston and surrounding areas."

A TEENAGER jailed for life for a murder in which a blameless youth was hunted down and kicked to death in an alleyway could be free in four years.

Benjamin O'Neill, now 25, was among a gang of three which chased and battered to death innocent passer-by James Camamile, cornering him in an alleyway "from which there was no means of escape".

O'Neill, of Clifton, was detained for life at Nottingham Crown Court in March 2006 after the jury found him guilty.

Yesterday, Mrs Justice Swift, who reviewed the case at London's High Court, confirmed a 12-year minimum term, meaning O'Neill will be eligible for parole in the summer of 2017.

James was described by the trial judge as a "well-liked young man who loved life" whose death took a "devastating" toll on his family. Convicted of murder alongside O'Neill were his brother Matthew O'Neill, now 27, and Marcuz Parkin, 23.

Mrs Justice Swift said James died after the three killers misinterpreted his behaviour as "hostile in some way" when they came across him in the street after midnight.

The sentencing judge found that Matthew O'Neill "led the chase" but that Benjamin O'Neill was also "in the forefront". And he ruled that, although Benjamin O'Neill may not have kicked James in the head, he played a "full part in the offence".

James's mobile phone was stolen by O'Neill's brother after the murder and "taunting" messages sent to one of his friends, said Mrs Justice Swift.

O'Neill was involved with local gangs at the time, said the judge, and had a "feared" reputation in the area.

There was no initial evidence of remorse on his part or of any efforts to rehabilitate himself.

However, Mrs Justice Swift noted a dramatic turnaround in O'Neill's conduct in custody in more recent times, including embracing education and taking an Open University course in a bid to put his past behind him.

His recent record in jail indicated "significantly-increased maturity since the commission of the offence".

The judge said she had taken into account moving letters sent by James's mother and close family – as well as several friends – who all "spoke eloquently of their feelings of profound loss".

It was clear his death had had a "devastating impact".

The judge said O'Neill's progress behind bars was "encouraging and greatly to his credit" – but insufficient to justify a reduction in his minimum jail term.

His good progress would, however, help him when his case comes up for consideration by the Parole Board, she added.

O'Neill will become eligible to apply for parole in the summer of 2017.

He will thereafter be freed if the Parole Board is convinced he poses no serious danger to the public.

However, after release, he will remain on perpetual licence in the community, subject to prison recall if he puts a foot wrong again.

A TALENTED clarinettist is celebrating gaining a place at the Royal College of Music.

Nottingham High School student Jake Hinson, 18, will take up his place in London in September where he will begin a four-year undergraduate course.

He said: "I'm really happy to get this place. Absolutely loads of work has gone into this. It's been an accumulation of efforts over the past ten years."

Jake first picked up the clarinet aged eight and reached Grade Eight standard by the age of 11.

He added: "We don't have any freshers events or anything like that. We attend orchestral auditions in the first couple of weeks instead. We get straight into the work."

Jake's father, Nigel, said: "There were only around four places available at the Royal College, so I am pleased for him. In fact, I am proud of both my son and daughter as they are both talented musicians.

"I tried my best to encourage him earlier and he started playing when he was eight.

"I think he liked the appreciation of the audience when they clapped after a performance."

Mr Hinson added: "He has great potential. Jake's progress was pretty dramatic from the offset.

"The highlight so far is probably visiting New York for a series of concerts."

Jake echoed this, and hopes to revisit New York during his studies.

He said: "In years two or three you can go abroad to study. I would love to go back to New York because I enjoyed being there and I think they enjoyed my performances."

NOTTS County ace Andre Boucaud still refuses to give up on the play-offs in League One.

The Magpies are seven points outside the top six with only six games left.

But midfielder Boucaud insists: "We're going to keep going for it!"

It might not be mathematically impossible for Notts to overturn the big points gap in the run-in, but it's going to take a storming end to the season for them to surge up the table.

They also still have to play four of the top-seven teams, starting with Brentford at Griffin Park on Good Friday and Yeovil Town at Meadow Lane on Easter Monday.

"They are two big games and if we want to get promotion we have got to go and win them," said Boucaud. "Draws are not good enough for us at this stage of the season."

The Magpies then travel to the south coast to face third-placed Bournemouth and also play league leaders Doncaster Rovers in their last away game of the season.

With home games against Colchester and Coventry City as well, Boucaud says everyone will fight until the very end.

"You can see the lads are putting their necks on the line," he said. "Everyone is in it for the right cause and we're trying to get into the play-offs, that's our aim."

The next few games will not only decide the Magpies' season, but also the fate of manager Chris Kiwomya, who was put in charge at Meadow Lane until the end of the campaign last month.

Boucaud thinks he has got a good chance of landing the top job on a long-term deal.

"Since he come in we haven't lost that many games," he added. "We've picked up a lot of draws, but we haven't lost a lot, so who's to say he can't get the job. He's come in and we're playing good football, we're fighting as everyone can see, so he's got a good chance."

A FATHER-of-two claims lives could be at risk on a new housing estate because parked cars are preventing ambulances and fire engines from getting in.

A paramedic had to get out of his ambulance and run down the street to get to Dr Rajinder Bhaker's house when his two-year-old son stopped breathing.

The boy survived the ordeal, in June last year, but Dr Bhaker, 30, said he is worried that next time the outcome could be different.

He lives in Oakland Way – part of a housing development which shares an entrance road with Bilborough College.

He said that during the day the estate is virtually cut off from the main road because students from the college park cars by the entrance. He said it is even worse at drop-off and pick-up times.

Dr Bhaker, who has lived in Oakland Way with his wife and two children for five years, said: "Something has got to change because at the moment lives are at risk.

"The ambulance was unable to access the estate and this delayed treatment which jeopardised my son's life. Luckily he was OK. But I don't know how many people in need of medical help live on this estate who could be at risk."

Dr Bhaker has contacted Notts County Council to ask for something to be done, but he says the process is slow and frustrating.

He added: "I seem to be getting nowhere."

Another resident of the estate, who wished to remain anonymous, said bins have not been emptied before because the dustbin lorry couldn't get access to the estate. The 42-year-old, of College Way said: "I am angry and annoyed at the fact that had it not been a refuse truck but a fire engine or ambulance attending an emergency they would not have been able to get access at all."

Dave Walker, district highways manager for Broxtowe and Gedling, said that the county council had twice undertaken surveys to ask householders if they wanted a residents' parking scheme, but each time the answer was no.

"However, we are planning to install single yellow lines in the affected areas which will restrict parking between the hours of 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday," he said. "This involves a legal process which can take several months to complete."

He added that the process would be started next month.

A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service said: "In an emergency situation, delays can put lives at risk. For that reason, we urge all motorists to park considerately."

Bilborough College principal Chris Bradford said: "I sympathise with the frustration regarding the parking issue.

"We try to dissuade our students from bringing cars to college and remind those who do to park in a way which does not endanger anyone's safety or inconvenience local residents.

"I will be holding a meeting with students and I'm hoping this will improve matters after the Easter break."