Lily Pidgeon, one of nine children and mother of ten, has lived in sheltered accommodation since the death of her husband in 1992.

Ron, who worked at the Rolls Royce Associates Nuclear Department, took early retirement and the couple enjoyed a decade of leisure, epitomised by continental holidays and a memorable ruby wedding anniversary celebration.

Chrissie and Martin Hall live at Cloves Hill, Morley.

We’re settled here now and we shall stay here.

They bought the land on which to build a house somewhere in the country from the proceeds of the sale of 17, Princess Drive, Borrowash; their first marital home.

Barry Wilkinson, born on Thursday, 8^th May 1947 at Derby’s Queen Mary Nursing home, is a Baby Boomer.

The Boomers, born in a ‘baby boom’ between 1944 – 1964 (and whose numbers include the likes of Tony Blair, Sigourney Weaver and Bill and Hillary Clinton) have long been termed the ‘golden’ generation; high earners; beneficiaries of a munificent state – and above all, ‘game changers.’

Joan Millband says I’ve lived in Borrowash all my life but is not planning on being buried there. She is no stranger to cemeteries; a graveyard visit was as integral to her childhood as a trip to the sweet shop and it had some plus points:

Eric Highton was born on 20^th April 1925 at No 2, Elm Street, Borrowash. It is still his home, although the interior has undergone some necessary 20th century refinements to heating and water systems.

Christine Wallwork contacted Unexamined Lives in response to our request (published in The Derby Telegraph) for information about working conditions at the former Barron’s Nurseries.

Barron’s was special to Christine for reasons beyond the usual parameters of job and income because it marked the beginning and in a different way, the conclusion, of her father’s working life.

As the 20^th century advanced; working outside the home assumed increasing importance in a woman’s quest for an acceptable standard of living as well as a key factor in basic economic survival.

Phyllis Wymer worked as a welder in the years following the outbreak of the Second World War to sustain her single-parent family after the desertion of her husband and the premature death of a partner.

Tom Matchett retired as Food Division Deputy Controller of the Plymouth Co-operative Society in June 1989

It was a key role; reporting to the Controller on the operation of over 60 Grocery; Butchery and Greengrocery retail outlets; a Food Distribution Centre; Butchery Warehouse; Small Goods Factory and Dairy Department:

Women born in the first part of the 20^th century envisaged futures for themselves that would have struck a chord with both their 19^th century  grandmothers and 21^st century granddaughters.

Ann Smith was born in 1938 at Derby’s Nightingale Road Maternity Hospital and is unequivocal about her goals and aspirations:

Living in a village is a moveable feast. For some, raising a family away from the sound and fury of the city is only sustainable if the front door is kept firmly closed to all but invited guests.

Others find much to admire in the camaraderie to be encountered in the vibrant communities of fictional villages such as Raveloe, Lark Rise and Cranford.