Sandish Shoker
BBC News

A teacher taking part in the Three Peaks challenge (without leaving the school grounds) has reached the equivalent of the second summit.

Luke Tantum, from Nottingham, is walking up and down the school staircase 852 times to reach 3,408m (11,181ft) - the combined height of Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike.

He has been climbing stairs in between teaching this week at Glenbrook Primary School.

The assistant head teacher has so far raised more than £1,000 for FareShare East Midlands and hopes to finish by Friday afternoon.

Ethan Connolly-Forster
BBC News

A Leicestershire police officer who owns a 3D printing company is using his machines to make PPE equipment for the NHS.

PC Maciej Sokolowski usually makes battle figures and accessories for wargaming but has now started creating face mask straps for front-line healthcare staff.

Image source, Leicestershire Police

One Wednesday he delivered 350 straps to Leicester Royal Infirmary's emergency department. He has also shipped to doctors and nurses in hospitals in Cambridge, Surrey and London.

Image source, Leicestershire Police

PC Sokolowski, a beat officer in in the Hinckley Road and Braunstone Gate area of Leicester, said: "My usual business has stopped during this time but I have the equipment at home to be able to help my colleagues in other front-line services who are tackling this pandemic head on."

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

A fire which wrecked flats in a converted Derbyshire started accidentally, investigators have said.

Fire crews were called to Springfield Mill, Sandiacre, on Tuesday afternoon and the Grade II listed structure was evacuated.

Part of the roof was destroyed but the fire service said at least three-quarters of the building had been saved.

In a statement, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue said fire investigators had "worked throughout the day yesterday" but "due to the extensive fire damage, are unable to determine the specific cause".

However, they recorded that the fire started accidentally.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

A woman, who was 28 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with Covid-19, said she feels "very lucky" to have survived the virus.

Nadia Ali, from Thorpe Astley, Leicester, said her symptoms started with a runny nose and watery eyes, which she mistook for hay fever.

"Gradually it started to get worse and it developed into breathing problems," she said.

Image source, Nadia Ali

The 35-year-old already had underlying health conditions after having pneumonia five years ago.

She said: "I didn't know how it would affect my baby - I was terrified thinking, 'Is my baby going to be OK?'"

Mrs Ali was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary and was nearly put on a ventilator to help her breathe, but her condition started to improve.

She is now back home and regular checks on the baby are helping her to feel "quite positive" about the pregnancy.

She said: "The way that I was in hospital to the way I am now, I feel very lucky to have survived Covid.

"I didn't think at one point I would but I did and I'm glad I did."

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Farmers in Leicestershire are losing thousands of pounds a week pouring fresh milk down the drain because they can't sell it.

Brothers Ian and Alan Smith have 450 dairy cows on Bumblebee Farm near Sharnford.

They have a contract to supply places like coffee shops and restaurants but not supermarkets.

Alan said while some supermarkets are struggling to keep their shelves stocked, they're "pouring milk down the drain".

He added: "It seems to be so demoralising that we're not able to produce what the public want at this time."

Running the farm costs them more than £1,000 a day.

The pair have taken out loans to keep it going and believe the next eight weeks are going to be critical.

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

A doctor whose flat was badly damaged in a fire at a converted Derbyshire mill has said he is "humbled" by a fund raising money for him.

Tom Crabtree is among dozens forced to flee Springfield Mill in Sandiacre on Tuesday afternoon.

Image source, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue

An appeal has raised more than £4,000 for him but Dr Crabtree has said the money will be shared with others affected.

"In the grand scheme of things, we are no more important than anyone else and we have to get through this together," he said.

One fire crew remained on site overnight to keep an eye on the building while investigations into the cause continue.

PA Media

The deaths of health and social care workers from coronavirus should be investigated by coroners to make sure they did not catch it due to a lack of protective equipment, medics have said.

Consultant surgeon John Robertson, professor of surgery at the University of Nottingham, and colleagues said that failing to provide the best personal protective equipment (PPE) was "playing roulette" with front-line health and social care workers.

Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), they questioned whether there could be confidence health or social care workers did not catch Covid-19 at work without referring their deaths to coroners.

Image source, Getty Images

They said that if the government was "truly confident" health and social care staff were properly protected, an inquest should be "no cause for concern".

They added: "Ultimately, policy on this issue is inextricable from the uncomfortable moral question: to what level of added occupational risk is our government prepared to expose our healthcare workforce?

"If this administration is truly confident that health and social care workers have been adequately protected, the prospect of a coroner's inquest should be no cause for concern."

Image source, Getty Images

Prof Robertson and colleagues said that doctors have specific responsibilities with regard to the reporting of deaths.

If it is thought that a death could be due to an injury or disease attributable to any employment or through exposure to a toxic substance, they are obliged to inform the coroner, they added.

Prof Robertson and his team also said there were fears about how effective some PPE was in preventing infection from aerosol particles - fine particles or liquid droplets in air.

The team said until it is clear how much transmission is due to aerosol surgical masks should not be considered effective protection if a person breathes or coughs over someone.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said it was working around the clock to ensure PPE, including gowns, is delivered as quickly as possible to those on the front line.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Retail chain Wilko has announced it is donating 37,400 packs of popcorn to families in Nottinghamshire and West Yorkshire.

The firm, which has its head office in Worksop, said it was working with councils and community organisations to make sure the snacks were distributed to "hardworking families" before tonight's Big Night In fundraising telethon on BBC One.

The three-hour special will feature newly-recorded segments from shows including Doctor Who, Little Britain and The Vicar of Dibley plus contributions from Peter Kay and Catherine Tate.

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

A D:Ream song has become an anthem for people in Nottingham city centre applauding care workers every Thursday night.

The band's Things Can Only Get Better is blasted around the city after the weekly Clap for Carers.

City DJ, Chris Hailes, who started it, said: "It's just an absolute anthem.

"Everybody knows it. It lifts spirits. It's a good feel-good song and it's relevant to the moment."

The song was a number one hit in 1994 and was adopted by the Labour Party for the 1997 General Election which Tony Blair won.

"I just couldn't believe what I was hearing," Peter Cunnah, D:Ream's lead singer, told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"You do your thing and record a song for all the clubbers in the early 90s to dance to, and the next thing everyone's hanging out of windows singing during a crisis, and I was in tears."

Liam Barnes
BBC News

Image source, Linda Turner

Thousands of people are finding ways to say thank you to the doctors, nurses and healthcare staff treating patients during the pandemic, and Andy and Linda Turner are no exception, having turned their back garden into one massive tribute.

Using the fallen cherry blossom from a tree in their garden in Mansfield Woodhouse, Mr Turner - who works as a station manager for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service - showed his support for fellow emergency workers in the NHS.

Mrs Turner said the pair "wanted to give a shout out to NHS and all workers during these unprecedented times".

Image source, Linda Turner

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Police say they are concerned for the safety of two teenage girls that have been reported missing.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Amanda Ditrichova, 14, and 15-year-old Vanesa Magyarova are thought to be together.

They were both last seen at about 22:00 on Saturday in Normanton, Derby.

BBC Weather

Early mist will quickly clear to leave a fine and dry day with plenty of sunshine.

Image source, Kwatcher

It will stay dry and mainly clear throughout the night, but with a fresh east to north east wind.

The woman says she has "no clue" how or why it happened but it has caused her sleepless nights and anxiety.

Muslims explain how they will be observing the holy month differently while socially distancing.

Staffordshire Police said he and his partner, spotted by officers in Leek, were heading to the Peak District.

Tom Crabtree, who works at the Royal Derby Hospital, said he feared he had "lost everything".

The blaze caused serious damage to the Grade II listed building which houses 100 flats.

Administrator Karen Stevenson spent more than two weeks on a ventilator with Covid-19.

Karen Stevenson spent 16 days in intensive care at the hospital where she works.

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

A "highly valued and inspirational" NHS counsellor has died after contracting Covid-19.

Ann Shepherd, who was based at Moir Medical Centre in Long Eaton, worked in mental health services across Derbyshire for 26 years.

The 80-year-old, from Leicester, who had underlying health conditions, died in hospital earlier this week.

Ifti Majid, chief executive of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said Ms Shepherd was a "phenomenal character, full of colour and sparkle", who would be "sincerely missed".

Image source, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

"I understand that even after her provisional diagnosis of Covid-19, Ann would call to check if colleagues were OK and if they needed any support," he said.

"Ann was a true professional, who touched the lives of many. She made a tremendous difference to a lot of people’s lives and she was highly respected by patients and colleagues alike."