Inspirational speaker Sharon Bull will be giving free talks during Mental Health Awareness Week. Open to everyone and anyone, the talks will be held in Loundsley Green, Clay Cross, Killamarsh, Grassmoor and Chesterfield.

To find out more and register your place please follow the link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/funny-fantastique-1968649
 

Training and Tea sessions are held Wednesday mornings 9.30am – 10.15am. Lasting for 45 minutes these courses are short, convenient and held online via Zoom. Booking is via Eventbrite and all the sessions can be found here bit.ly/CommunityChesterfieldEventbrite Places are limited. FREE for: – Staff or Volunteers of Community, Voluntary & Third Sector Organisations or Groups in Derbyshire- your place has been fully funded by Community Chesterfield. – Staff and Students of the University of Derby – your place has been fully funded by Community Chesterfield. – Derbyshire Pioneers who are signed up via the Community Chesterfield website- thank you for your support, your place is fully funded as part of your package. *£20 for everyone else (T’s & C’s apply)   16th August, Digital Marketing – There are lots of channels or touchpoints through which you interact with your customers. Today more than ever, digital channels are becoming an increasingly important part of how you interact with customers and deliver value. This training is aimed at those with a beginner/intermediate digital marketing skillset, we will learn which tools are worth adding to your digital marketing mix and how to leverage them better.    This session will be delivered by Chrissie Rowell from the University of Derby- Chrissie joined the Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences in 2017 as an Associate Lecturer in Marketing with a wealth of hands-on, practitioner-based experience. She has an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and a postgraduate degree in Marketing Management. Chrissie began her career in freelance journalism but later moved into agency-based commercial copywriting, first as a contractor and then as a full-time in-house copywriter. After progressing into more varied agency roles that involved account direction and working more closely with clients, she was inspired to set up her own agency servicing SMEs. She now manages a team of designers and digital developers, providing marketing consultancy and creative services to support businesses with offline and online marketing.   23rd August, Leadership – Exploring the idea of developing ‘your inner leader’ – how this could help you to develop and enhance your leadership skills – and/or offer some inspiration to start your leadership journey.   This session will be delivered by Sarah Brocksom from the University of Derby – Sarah is a consultant and personal and executive coach, with over 30 years of experience within a management, project management and training context. She held strategic positions developing training and community engagement programmes, including being the Training and Lifelong Learning manager for Shropshire (1993 – 1997) and Community Engagement project manager for the University of Birmingham (2002 – 2007). Sarah has a track record in developing curriculum-based community and third-sector engagement activities, including introducing the first Service-Learning module into a UK Business school. She was instrumental in the development of the modelling that resulted in the framework for Information, Advice, and Guidance now adopted for the delivery of Careers provision. See Sarah’s LinkedIn page for examples https://uk.linkedin.com/in/cathybonner Sarah began training colleagues in her first role with Solihull MBC and has continued to follow her commitment to personal and professional development. Sarah has worked within the field of adult learning and undergraduate and postgraduate study for over 25 years and started working at the University of Derby as academic lead for the SAIL leadership programme in March 2021. She prides herself upon her high level of commitment to participants learning and development journeys, offering a bridge between the two paradigms of ‘theory’ and ‘practice’ – one of the underpinning philosophies of the SAIL at the University of Derby programme.

If you are passionate about bringing people together…

If you want to tackle loneliness and isolation where you live…

Join us and other volunteer organisers who are taking local action.

• Explore what isolation and loneliness really mean.
• Share ideas on how to create connectedness and belonging.  
• Be part of a growing, supportive network.

Choose one of the following dates and book by email:  james@dva.org.uk

South Chesterfield Connectedness Workshop : Thurs April 27^th 1.30-4pm.

Working Men’s Club, Hampton St. Hasland, S41 0LH

Clay Cross Connectedness Workshop : Wed May 3^rd 10 – 1pm.

The Hub at Gladstone Buildings, Broadleys, Clay Cross, S45 9JN

Find out more here: www.feelingconnected.org.uk/workshops

These are a series of free workshops designed to support Neighbourhood Organisers across

Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire, facilitated by Feeling Connected, a project of Derbyshire Voluntary Action

Community groups and voluntary organisations from across Chesterfield are being invited to apply for grants from a new scheme which is designed to boost grassroots projects that will improve life for local people.

More than £260,000 will be available over the next two years – including a pot of £118,000 which will be allocated during 2023/24 – as part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s new Community Grants Fund.

Local eligible organisations can now apply for support from the fund, which will allocate grants ranging from £500 to £6,000.

The council secured funding for the scheme from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), together with money raised through the Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Portion (CIL).

Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, Councillor Tricia Gilby, said: “We are really pleased to have secured funding that we can share with local organisations to help them make a real difference to our residents. The funding will support the delivery of important projects across the borough – helping to improve life for local people and making sure our communities continue to thrive.

“I urge groups to check if they are eligible and get their application in as soon as possible so that we can start to see this funding make a real difference in our communities.”

The Community Grants Fund aims to support local projects that will help to build resilient, healthy, and safe neighbourhoods, as well as initiatives which will help reduce the borough’s impact on the climate and wider environment by promoting greener choices.

Funding can also be used by community projects to develop volunteering opportunities, help people prepare to get in to work, and to support organisations to expand their reach into different areas of the borough.

The 2023/24 funding will be available in two tranches throughout the year. Applications for the first round of grants is now open – with applications invited by the deadline of Friday 28 April.
Alongside the Community Grants Fund, the council is running a community development project which will provide support to organisations wanting to apply for the grant.

Further details, including the full eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/community-grants-fund

If you would like to request support, there’s just a short application form that should take about ten minutes to complete. This could be one of the easiest ways to get the support that you and your organisation or group need, so do get in touch with Martine Roebuck, Peer and Volunteer Coordinator for the Derbyshire Recovery and Peer Support Service by emailing her at martine.roebuck@rethink.org, if you need laptops, mobile phones, organisational support or other equipment to allow your scheme to continue to target digital exclusion in the community.
 
You can find out more about Rethink Mental Illness here.

Please book your place by clicking on the following link: Book now

This will be a face-to-face meeting hosted jointly by the Derbyshire Mental Health Forum and Derbyshire Voluntary Action’s Mental Health Liaison Service.

There will be presentations from across the Derbyshire mental health sector as well as plenty of time to network with your peers and colleagues. We are just putting the finishing touches to the agenda and will send this out nearer the time.

Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA) are pleased to announce that we will be working in partnership with Erewash Voluntary Action (EVA), High Peak CVS and our Place Alliance colleagues to provide Living Well Collaboratives across Derbyshire.

Stella Scott, Chief Executive of EVA, and lead partner in the bid said, “I am delighted that we will be leading on this project working alongside Derbyshire Voluntary Action and our partners in High Peak, Derbyshire Dales and Glossop”.

The Collaboratives will be inclusive forums for people to come together to support the transformation of mental health services in Derbyshire. They are a unique and exciting opportunity to develop a shared understanding of the needs of people using our current mental health system. These face to face and virtual meetings, supported by local coordinators, will enable an opportunity to listen to local voices and develop a better offer that’s responsive to an individual’s needs.

Natasha, who’s early experiences of being born to a mother in prison and growing up surrounded by drugs and crime shaping her life said, “I want to feel that services are shaped around my needs, not the other way around.”

Derbyshire has a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform community mental health – both how the system works, and the outcomes achieved for people like Natasha.

The partners in each area will ensure that people with lived experience, voluntary sector and mental health professionals come together to improve access to care and support by creating new community based front doors to mental health for all adults and older adults in need of multidisciplinary support at a local level.

Jacqui Willis, Chief Executive of DVA said, “We are very excited to bring together people with lived experience, carers, voluntary and community sector, mental health services, frontline health and care professionals, and system leaders to be change makers across the two collaboratives for Chesterfield, NE Derbyshire & Bolsover.”

“Our collaboratives will:
o Be committed to significantly improving outcomes for people in our local communities.
o Listen to the people with lived experience.
o Believe in the value of collaboration; sharing knowledge and insights and working together to achieve real system change.
o Have a strong desire to develop innovative ways of working to improve mental health support for people and help them flourish.”

For more information on the Living Well Collaboratives email: rachel@dva.org.uk or jacqui@dva.org.uk

The Living Well collaboratives bring investment in three new coordinator roles across Derbyshire.
Derbyshire Voluntary Action will employ a coordinator, who will join our Mental Health Liaison Service, to support the Chesterfield, and North East Derbyshire & Bolsover collaboratives.

To apply for the Collaborative Coordinator post, please email info@dva.org.uk or visit www.dva.org.uk

   

Our Compassionate Voices women’s only ‘Speak Out’ event is just a few weeks away, and we are delighted to share our updated flyer. This now includes names of all the exhibitors attending and times of talks and taster sessions. Please could you share with friends, work colleagues and service users!

* Also on the day we have ‘The Compassionate Voices Café’, which alongside tea/coffee & cake, conversation will be encouraged by two of our fabulous volunteers!

* Write something positive about YOU on our ‘Power of YOU’ tree! Intrigued? Come along and find out more!

* A raffle on the day to support the work that Compassionate Voices CIC do in the Derbyshire area.

Main prizes are:

1 Night Stay for 2 including Breakfast at the award-winning boutique hotel, Peak Edge Hotel – donated by Peak Edge Hotel

A luxurious hamper donated by  Verdant Soapery

A wellbeing hamper donated by members of Compassionate Voices.

This is a FREE event funded by ‘Derbyshire County Council’. If you would like to attend please follow link below for further information and register your place. Look forward to seeing you there!  

https://www.acompassionatevoice.co.uk/events/compassionate-voices-speak-out-at-loundsley-green/

Adapted Cycling

On the first Friday of the month until October we have a free session in the Queen’s Park (based next to the cricket pavilion) between 1.00pm and 3.00pm. Anyone with a mental or physical disability and their carers can come along and use our fleet of three and four wheel cycles. We have a trike that can carry a wheelchair and two seater with independent pedalling plus lots of others.

Free bike repairs

We provide free bike repairs in three locations:

First Wednesday of the month 4.00pm until 6.00pm at Langer Field pavilion (Langer Field is off Langer Lane near Derby Road junction).

First Saturday of the month until October in Queen’s Park car park 9.30am until 1.00pm.

Second Sunday of the month at the Hollingwood Hub May to September 10.30am until 2.30pm.

At all these sessions just turn up, no booking needed.

We usually have some refurbished bikes available at the Langer Field workshop. All we ask for is a small donation. Details of bikes available will be posted on our Facebook page a few days beforehand.

Cycling Without Age

We have two electrically assisted Triobikes which we take to care homes to take out residents and carers for a short trip. We are just about to start again after the winter break.

Cycle rides

Our Community Cycle Club runs two ’10 minutes to 10 miles’ programmes each year. These are weekly rides over six weeks building up skills and distance. Also a series of guided cycle rides, usually in conjunction with Chesterfield Cycle Campaign.

We have a few volunteers that help with adapted cycling and Cycling Without Age but always happy to welcome new volunteers!

Visit https://www.inclusivepedals.org.uk/ to find out more.