First Steps are kicking off their #SupportNotStigma campaign to support this year’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

They will be discussing this year’s theme of ‘Binge Eating Disorder’ alongside a more general discussion of stigma and education surrounding mental health. The aim of their #SupportNotStigma campaign is to start a conversation around the real signs, symptoms and stories of all types of eating disorders, and more importantly call out the stereotypes that are associated with eating disorders.

First Steps are inviting you to ‘Lend a Hand‘ and join them in raising awareness for #SupportNotStigma

• Salary: £24, 973 pa
• Hours: Full time 37 hours
• Location: Based at Chesterfield Football Club, with travel across the wider Chesterfield area as required
• Type of contract: 12 months fixed term, with possible extension subject to funding

Are you looking for an exciting new challenge where you can make a genuine difference to the lives of young people in Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire?

If you are a self-motivated physical activity specialist, whose passion is to support and empower young people, we have just the challenge for you. 

Derbyshire Voluntary Action, in partnership with Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust, has created an exciting new role within its Connect to… social prescribing service.  We are looking for a Specialist Young People’s Physical Activity Link Worker to provide new community-based support for 14-25 year-olds in Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire.

Employed by Derbyshire Voluntary Action and based at the Technique Stadium’s Community Hub, you’ll adopt an holistic, person-centred approach to your caseload, co-designing action plans to improve wellbeing and health, based on ‘what matters’ to young people and their individual strengths and needs – and supporting them to achieve their goals. 

Ideally you will have applied experience and knowledge of working with individuals in a holistic way to increase physical activity, or have worked in a supportive role with young people before, but this position would also be suited to someone with great transferable skills and good local knowledge.

This is a 12-month pilot project to test the success of a social prescribing approach with 14-25 year-olds in Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire. The post is subject to an enhanced level DBS check.

For an informal discussion, please contact Jacqui Willis, Chief Executive on 07956 882412.

Closing date: Monday 8 March, 10.00am

Interviews will be held on Friday 12 March online via Zoom

You can find out more and download the application form here: https://dva.org.uk/job-vacancies/

Free online event Thu 18 March 12-2pm  

Last year, voluntary organisations, community groups and social enterprises (VCSE) across Derby & Derbyshire were surveyed, to capture their experience of the pandemic, its impact on their work and resources, and the support they were likely to need. The findings of that survey can be found in the report HERE – with thanks to all who gave the time to take part.

However, a lot has happened since then. We have experienced a second wave of the virus, another lockdown, the introduction of mass testing and vaccination – bringing hope of a return to some kind of normal in the months to come. To take stock and consider ‘what next’ the sector are invited to participate in an online event on Thursday 18^th March 2021, 12-2pm.

Hosted by 3D and in partnership with Derbyshire County Council who funded the research, this two hour online event is an opportunity for VCSE organisations from across city and county to reflect together, update and consider what challenges and opportunities the future holds.

Come and reflect on your experiences over the last extraordinary year, both positive and negative, and the challenges you anticipate. How do we build on all that we have learned and experienced, and what do we need to survive and thrive?

This event will be an opportunity to have your say – and to hear from others.  Open to voluntary, community, faith and social enterprises anywhere in Derby or Derbyshire, and those from other sectors involved in the community response to Covid. Decision makers and anyone else with an interest in hearing from and supporting the VCSE is also welcome.

To register and secure your free place, click on Beyond Covid Eventbrite Registration

We all have a part to play in keeping ourselves and each other safe and protected from Covid-19 at the moment, and a newly launched initiative makes it easier to do just that.

Derbyshire Voluntary Action is urging local people to step forward as ‘Community Champions.’

We are asking individuals, voluntary and community groups and organisations, businesses – in fact any community spirited person from any walk of life – to come forward to be a Community Champion and to share positive messages about how to stay safe and protected from the virus.”

Community Champions receive the latest information, updates and advice about Covid-19 through Derbyshire Voluntary Action’s regular e-bulletins and social media channels.  They undertake to share the information with other people in their community in whatever ways they want – in conversations, on social media, or in any other way of their choosing. They are also encouraged to keep in touch to let Derbyshire Voluntary Action know what is and isn’t working in their community so there can be a collective approach to responding to the virus in the way that will work best in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire. 

Let us know what is and isn’t working in your community so we can make sure we respond together in the way that will work best in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire.  You can call us on 01246 555908, email response@dva.org.uk or click here to contact us online.  We send feedback and a list of community questions to our partners at Public Health every Monday.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK.

Building on the successful Be Cancer Safe North Derbyshire campaign, Derbyshire Voluntary Action are now delivering a new project, raising awareness of bowel cancer signs and symptoms and the importance of screening with a focus on areas where screening uptake is traditionally low.

For more information and to help spread the message email becancersafe@dva.org.uk Twitter: @BeCancerSafe_ND

Mentell provides the opportunity for men aged 18+ to talk in a safe and confidential space, free from advice and judgement.

Mentell regularly reviews local demand for men’s mental health support in communities across the UK and redistributes time, energy and resources where possible.

Give your community a voice and complete a 60 second survey which will go a long way to helping men in your local area find a safe and confidential space to talk, free from advice and judgment. 

Start Survey

Please see the poster and leaflet for a new support group / community garden in Chapel en le Frith starting on Zoom on  20^th February 2021. The initial sessions will be held over zoom so new members can introduce themselves and their interests before the group starts in person.

For any further details please contact April Parker at April.parker@rethink.org

Time to Talk Day is taking place on Thursday 4^th February, it’s the day when the nation get talking about mental health. This year’s events might look a little different, but now it is more important than ever to talk about mental health.

A small conversation about mental health has the power to make a big difference.

The time to change website has lots of resources you can use to help start conversations, including posters, bingo cards, social media posts, bunting etc.

There’s lots of misleading information circulating about COVID-19, leading people to wonder what is true and what is not

That’s why we are working in partnership with other health care organisations in the county to launch a new campaign aimed at setting the record straight.

The new campaign ‘COVID-19. Get the Facts’ provides trusted, professionally sourced information about some of the main issues people may have questions about.

This includes the COVID vaccinations, the importance of prevention measures such as wearing a face covering and social distancing, as well as information about a wide range of other COVID-related topics.

Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, Councillor Carol Hart said:

“We’re seeing an alarming rise in fake news and disinformation being circulated around COVID-19 and the new vaccinations.

“Locally people are receiving leaflets through their doors and being bombarded with misleading messaging and other misinformation via social media.

“This could have very real impacts on the take up of the vaccination and its overall efficacy which is why we are doing all we can to ensure that people get the correct information.”

Healthcare professionals from organisations including Derbyshire Community Health Services and Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group will also be providing short, information films about some of the main questions people might have.

Michelle Bateman, chief nurse for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“It is so important that people have the right, accurate information about COVID-19 and how best to protect themselves from the virus.

“This new campaign is a fantastic source of factual and easy to understand knowledge, which will really help Derbyshire residents to keep themselves safe and to be confident in accepting the vaccination when they are offered it.

“The pandemic has already caused too much heartache to people who have lost loved ones.

“We need to do all we can to prevent people putting themselves at risk because of misinformation. I welcome this campaign as a source of information people can trust.”

All the information used in the campaign has been quality checked by our Health Protection team and is drawn from reliable sources including Public Health England, Joined Up Care Derbyshire and the NHS.

Keep an eye out on social media for the new campaign and read up on all COVID-19 facts.

Help Your Community to Stay Safe and Protected from Covid-19

We all have a part to play in keeping ourselves and each other safe and protected from Covid-19 at the moment, and a newly launched initiative makes it easier to do just that.

Derbyshire Voluntary Action is urging local people to step forward as ‘Community Champions.’

Jacqui Willis, Chief Executive of Derbyshire Voluntary Action, says “Looking at the latest information about coronavirus in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire, it’s clear that we would like the number of confirmed cases to be dropping much quicker than it is currently.  We are on a plateau at the moment, which is frustrating and disheartening because we all know that the sooner the numbers come down, the sooner we can look forward to lockdown coming to an end.

We are asking individuals, voluntary and community groups and organisations, businesses – in fact any community spirited person from any walk of life – to come forward to be a Community Champion and to share positive messages about how to stay safe and protected from the virus.”

Community Champions receive the latest information, updates and advice about Covid-19 through Derbyshire Voluntary Action’s regular e-bulletins and social media channels.  They undertake to share the information with other people in their community in whatever ways they want – in conversations, on social media, or in any other way of their choosing. They are also encouraged to keep in touch to let Derbyshire Voluntary Action know what is and isn’t working in their community so there can be a collective approach to responding to the virus in the way that will work best in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire. 

For more information and to sign up as a Community Champion, visit https://dva.org.uk/community-champions/, call 01246 555908 or email info@dva.org.uk.