As a result of the success of Derbyshire County Council’s ‘Let’s Chat’ Derbyshire bench signs campaign an indoor version of the campaign has now been developed by our Mental health and Suicide Prevention Team. The indoor campaign is being rolled out in conjunction with Joined Up Care Derbyshire. Similar to the outdoor version the indoor campaign is aimed at encouraging people to connect and reducing social isolation through having conversations, as well as promoting information about mental health and wellbeing including support available.

The indoor campaign will run from November 2022 into 2023. Free online and physical resources will be available as part of the campaign and once again QR codes and weblinks will be used to signpost to further information. Resources planned include posters, window stickers, signs including for tables and a social media resource tool kit.

Derbyshire County Council Public Health would like to hear from any organisations and venues who are interested in participating in the indoor campaign. This includes from the public sector, community settings and big or small businesses, as well as any other places who would like to potentially take part. There is no finite list of locations but are Derbyshire County Council Public Health keen to encourage any area where there is footfall within Derbyshire.

Location could but are not limited to:

• Workplaces
• Shops
• Café’s
• Leisure centres
• Food Banks
• Waiting rooms
• Offices
• Public facing locations
• Open public spaces

To express your interest please fill complete the hyperlinked form, or for further information please contact luke.oldham@derbyshire.gov.uk

Example of resources which will be available are below:

• ‘A’ card stands which will go on tables, one for encouraging conversations, another offering support
• Window stickers to offer a link to find support
• Posters/ Flyers for putting up but also can be used digitally
• Email banner for people to use

During Feeling Connected Fortnight (Oct 17th-30th) we are launching our new website: www.feelingconnected.org.uk

We hope it will be a useful resource, with details of how we can support anyone wanting to organise events, groups, activities or projects in their neighbourhood.

Share it with someone you know, who may be inspired to bring people together where they live. We can provide training, materials and tools, ‘start-up’ funds and support them as part of the #feelingconnected family.

The Voluntary Sector Awards hosted by The Volunteer Centre Chesterfield and NE Derbyshire take place on 26th October and we’ve been nominated!

‘The Last Photo‘ Exhibition has been nominated for Most Innovative Project, this was a project between Derbyshire Voluntary Action’s Mental Health Liaison Service and The Georgia Bird Foundation along with support from Chesterfield SoBS, The Tomorrow Project, Mentell and Kakou.

Community Chesterfield have been nominated for the Partnership Award, for the partnership project between Derbyshire Voluntary Action and Derby University.

The Voluntary Sector Awards take place on 26th October at 7pm at The Winding Wheel in Chesterfield.

Find out more https://chesterfieldvc.online/the-voluntary-sector-awards-2022/

Derbyshire artist Kate Smith is exhibiting a series of paintings in two venues in Derbyshire; there are six paintings at Ilkeston Community Hospital and an exhibition at The Elephant Rooms in Draycott.  The exhibitions are to mark World Mental Health Day on Monday 10 October.

Kate, an artist, designer, children’s illustrator and workshop leader, has a mental health condition called acute & transient psychotic disorder. She has decided to share her mental health journey through a project supported by Arts Council England by creating a series of watercolours, each one depicting different reflections on how her mental health manifests itself.

She hopes the paintings will raise awareness of, and get people talking about, mental health, not just on World Mental Health Day but every day.

Kate said: “I’ve always enjoyed art and I started to use drawing and painting as a coping tool when I was in hospital. When I was in a dark place, art helped.”

The artwork represents the positive and negative experiences that Kate has with mental health.

Kate has a vivid memory of a shampoo bottle from when she was in hospital, this was one of her first drawings, she drew the shape over and over, it provided her with a focus; it is one of the positive paintings. Butterflies feature in many of Kate’s paintings – they represent the butterflies you get with anxiety, but they also remind Kate of happy memories in Cornwall, watching blue butterflies on flowers.

Kate’s favourite flower is a tulip, a yellow tulip represents strength. The tulips also remind Kate of her Grandma teaching her how to arrange tulips to make sure they do not droop – stand up and stay strong.

The negative drawings represent psychotic clouds and the storm of psychosis, psychosis crosses and intrusive thoughts, and anxiety.

The drawings will be up in the main corridor of Ilkeston Community Hospital throughout October and everyone is welcome to drop in to view the exhibition during the month.

The paintings at The Elephant Rooms will be on display from Monday 10 October to Friday 21 October and can be viewed Monday to Friday between 9.00am – 6.00pm.

CONTACT:

Kate Smith 07950 781948

katesmithstudio@hotmail.com

World Mental Health Day takes place on 10 October every year. The theme of 2022’s World Mental Health Day is ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority‘.

Mental health problems exist in our lives, families, workplaces and communities, impacting everyone. We need to do as much as possible to prevent mental ill-health – as individuals and as a society.
World Mental Health Day is a chance to talk about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you are struggling.

POST: COMMuniTY CHESTERFIELD Business Relations Co-ordinator
BASE: This role is based at St Helena Campus in Chesterfield. However will require flexible working including a willingness to travel, work at University of Derby Campuses and work from home.
TERM: Fixed term until December 31st 2023
(Extension to be considered subject to funding)
SALARY: £25,273.43 FTE + 5% pension contribution
HOURS: 22.5 hours per week – 0.6 FTE

Opportunity for a Business Relations Co-ordinator to join our team to build relationships, promote our work and sell our products. This is an exciting time for our organisation, which is rooted in the voluntary community sector as we are growing and building new audiences.  We are looking for a charismatic sales person who wants a role with purpose and excellent job satisfaction. The role is incredibly varied because of the diversity of the people we work with.  Please Note: We will only consider applications received via our website.

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic individual who will be excited by the challenge, proactive and have a positive attitude. You will enjoy networking, building relationships and making sales, possessing excellent organisational skills and be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. The post holder will work with the existing Community Chesterfield team.

Fixed term contract until December 31st 2023 (22.5 hrs per week), with the possibility of extension subject to funding. We are committed to enabling our employees to work in a hybrid model, with office space available in Chesterfield but the role will include travel across Derbyshire.

Why work for Community Chesterfield?

• ‘Feel good factor’ – Make a difference everyday
• A healthy work/life balance is a company priority – 30-day holiday FTE, plus a day off on your birthday and access to additional unpaid leave of up to 4 weeks a year.
• Flexible working
• Generous employee package including: pension, mileage, sick pay, training and development.

Read our role profile here, person specification here, and find our application form here, equal opportunities form here and guidance notes here.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Jennifer Raschbauer, Project Director. Email address: jenny@dva.org.uk.

Application Deadline: 9:00am Monday 31st October
Interview Date: TBA

For further details contact Natalie on Natalie@dva.org.uk or 07591 904259

The Public Health Covid-19 Community Fund which can provide organisations/community groups that meet the criteria with £2000.

These funds are to allow groups to continue to play a key role in the local response to COVID-19 and to improve the health and wellbeing of Derbyshire residents. The criteria previously was very focused on reducing the spread and impact of covid on communities. However this criteria has changed to meet the living with covid strategy, one of those being “ increase mental health and wellbeing and support individual and community resilience”.

This is the link to the criteria with the application form COVID-19 Community Fund – Derbyshire County Council – and questions please contact asch.health.protection@derbyshire.gov.uk

The new Derbyshire Befriending website has a modern, straightforward style making it easy for people to find out all about befriending, how to find services and what to expect as a volunteer befriender. There are also lots of case studies on there showing the impact of befriending from the point of view of both befriendees and befrienders.

Visit here: https://www.derbyshirebefriending.org.uk/