Wild Roots Creative CIC are running a programme with the support of the police and crime commissioner’s fund. ‘Create and Connect’ involves the delivery of a craft pack to people’s homes each fortnight for 10 weeks along with information and support. It is aimed at isolated or vulnerable individuals or anyone who may benefit from a bit of creative therapy in their lives. If you or someone you know would like to sign up please complete the sign up form.
The programme is open to people living predominantly in the Chesterfield area but can also reach people elsewhere in NE Derbyshire.
An exciting Community Interest Company seeks knowledgeable directors to drive this significant project forwards. The community of Monkey Park in Chesterfield is changing and growing; you could take an active part in shaping its future.
Monkey Park directors will have the exciting opportunity to push these projects forwards and see Monkey Park thrive and flourish. You will join a team who are tackling the challenge of loneliness, isolation and deprivation living side to side with more affluent people.
This is a unique opportunity to use your skills and learn new ones to have a massive impact on the successful future of Monkey Park CIC. The current Board of directors is now looking for four new directors with the following skillsets.
Secretary: A director who is knowledgeable about planning and scheduling regular meetings, including keeping track of policies and policy reviews. Someone who can develop an efficient and on-going Calendar of meetings and agendas. Social Impact director: A director who is dedicated to measuring the impact of Monkey Park activities, using a mixture of case histories, statistics and communication strategies. Community Fundraiser: A director who can raise money in partnership with the local community eg sponsorship, crowd funding, etc. The money raised could then be used to implement what the local community want. Community engagement/development: A director who is dedicated to community engagement and involvement, community organising, empowering community co-design and enabling grassroots leadership programmes.
All directors will be provided with full training and support for their roles.
Arts Derbyshire is delighted to launch the second round of their Matinée Outreach dementia friendly arts project. The project invites those living with dementia and their carers in Derbyshire to take part in a creative adventure over telephone and post with a fabulous team of professional artists. There’s the chance to explore some creative writing, or crafts or visual arts all from the safety and comfort of your own home, and at your own speed.
The first round of projects started in October 2020 in an attempt to defeat some of the social and cultural isolation that we’ve all been living with. The project was really helpful to those who had not been able to join in any online activities during lockdowns, but now Arts Derbyshire would like to extend it to anyone living with dementia who may be anxious about getting out in the community but would like to be involved in a creative activity.
If you know anyone who would be interested then please get in touch with the project coordinator, Frances Watt on 07449 732322 or email admin@matineederbyshire.org.uk.
Dementia Action Week runs from 17 to 23 May. Nationally the Alzheimer’s Society are working to highlight gaps and problems with the care system that have been further impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.
In Derbyshire there are a range of events and activities taking place to mark the week. Find out HERE.
Mental Health Awareness week is taking place from Monday the 10th– 16th May 2021 and the theme this year is nature. The evidence is clear that access to nature is crucial for our mental health and millions of people have re-discovered that during lockdowns this year. However, this is not the same for all of us. The Mental Health Foundation are hosting the global event and want us to explore what the barriers are and ensure everyone is able to share in the natural world and experience the mental health benefits.
The week is an opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, with focus on providing help and advice. The week will be an opportunity to open our eyes to the power of nature.
Click on the links below to find out more about some of the activities on offer this Mental Health Awareness Week.
An innovative week-long event to showcase the diversity of careers and pathways into health and social care has been launched in Chesterfield.
‘Careers that Care’ week, a series of virtual events organised in partnership with Derbyshire Voluntary Action’s (DVA) Community Chesterfield project, the University of Derby and Joined Up Careers Derbyshire, will take place from 21 to 25 June.
The event, which is funded by the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Collaborative Outreach Programme (DANCOP), will feature opportunities for attendees to watch videos from people playing crucial roles in the region’s health and social care sectors, allowing them to find out more about what they do in the role day to day and where the career could take you. These will include disability support worker, radiography and podiatry.
The videos will be available to watch on YouTube prior to the event and those attending the event are invited to post questions for the expert via the comments section under each video. These questions will then be answered during live Q&A sessions throughout the week, equipping delegates with knowledge about what it is like to work in that field.
The week will culminate in a live panel discussion, with special guests from the University of Derby, Derbyshire Voluntary Action, Joined Up Care Derbyshire and Chesterfield Borough Council.
Toby Perkins MP, Labour MP for Chesterfield and Shadow Minister for Further Education and Skills, will introduce the panel. Attendees will be able to watch Question Time-style discussion via a live stream.
The panel will be looking at the big picture of health in the local area, the barriers and strengths within the sector and their thoughts on what individuals can do to support through both community action and careers in health and social care.
Charlotte Repton, project manager at Community Chesterfield, which links the skills, knowledge and experience of Chesterfield’s voluntary and community sector, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with Joined Up Careers on this event, which will promote the variety of roles available across the NHS and public sector and highlight why people should choose these sectors as a career path.
“Our role at Community Chesterfield is to bring the University and community together to create a resourceful, experienced and knowledgeable health and social care sector in the area, as well as creating learning and personal development opportunities for students. This event should help to do just that.”
Careers that Care is open to anyone from Chesterfield and surrounding areas with an interest in health and social care, but will be of particular interest to young people at the point of making a decision about their career or to individuals who might be considering a career change.
It will also benefit parents or teachers who are supporting a young person to make decisions about their career and current students who wish to find out about the range of careers their studies could lead them to.
Derbyshire residents who are deaf or have hearing loss can find out more about what support is available at a series of roadshows during Deaf Awareness Week 2021.
The stalls are COVID secure and will have experienced staff who can sign, as well as a qualified interpreter on hand, to help answer questions.Find out more about Deaf Awareness Week. including a link to a free, six-week BSL programme for volunteers and voluntary sector staff across the county.
Derbyshire Voluntary Action are delighted to share our latest Network Newsletter Home Edition. We hope you find it packed full of inspiring and useful information!
You can view our Network Home Edition – Issue 4 HERE
If you have an article you would like featured in the next issue please email rachel@dva.org.uk
A new transport service has been launched to provide people from Chesterfield with free, safe travel to Sheffield hospitals for cancer treatment.
The service has been launched by regional charity Weston Park Cancer Charity and will operate twice daily from Monday to Friday, between The University of Derby’s St Helena Campus in Chesterfield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.
The Weston Park Cancer Charity Transport Service could save hundreds of pounds in travel costs each week for people in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas who are living with cancer.
Around 20 per cent of patients at Weston Park Cancer Centre – one of the four hospitals to which the transport service will provide free travel – are from Chesterfield, the equivalent of more than 3,000 patients at any one time and more than 1,300 each year.
The service will follow strict safety measures to keep volunteer drivers and passengers safe at all times. Drivers will all be tested for Covid-19 twice weekly, with buses cleaned thoroughly before every journey.
The launch of the new Transport Service follows Weston Park Cancer Charity’s takeover of Chesterfield cancer charity, Nenna Kind, in 2020. It marks a ’major step forward’ for Weston Park Cancer Charity in its ‘commitment to care in every sense’ for cancer patients and their families in Chesterfield.
Alison Gibson, community development worker at Community Chesterfield who helped facilitate the scheme, said: “At Community Chesterfield we pride ourselves on connecting the region’s voluntary, community and charitable sectors both with the University of Derby and with one another, opening up opportunities for them to work together to create positive impact in the area.
“After a discussion with one of Weston Park Cancer Charity’s volunteers about the benefits that a transport service of this nature would bring, we are absolutely delighted to help facilitate this vital scheme from our offices at the St Helena Campus. It will without doubt be a huge help to residents of Chesterfield who need to travel to Weston Park to undergo cancer treatment and will hopefully go some way to making their lives during an incredibly challenging time that bit easier.”
