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.
Please see the poster and leaflet for a new support group / community garden in Chapel en le Frith starting on Zoom on 20th 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 4th 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.
Bosses at Hulleys of Baslow say they have introduced the initiative to help make the process of getting vaccinated as straightforward as possible. The firm’s ‘community-minded’ new scheme has been welcomed by residents who have hailed it as a ‘fantastic’ idea.
From Monday, January 25, Hulleys will be offering free bus travel to and from coronavirus vaccination appointments at Newholme Hospital, Bakewell, and Sharley Park Leisure Centre, Clay Cross. The initiative will last throughout the vaccination programme and will be available to all residents, regardless of age.
A spokesperson for the company said: “When you get your appointment letter, go online and obtain your two appointment dates – instructions will be on the letter. Write these dates on the letter. When you travel to your appointments simply show your letter to your driver.”
Services to the two vaccination sites include the 63, 170, 172, 173, 178 and 257. These buses serve places including Matlock, North Wingfield, Tupton, Wingerworth and a host of villages in the Peak District and Hope Valley.
For more information and timetables, visit the Hulleys of Baslow website
Read the full story on the Derbyshire Times website
Derbyshire Voluntary Action are recruiting a Project Support Officer and Marketing and Communications Officer for our COMMuniTY CHESTERFIELD project.
Do you want the opportunity to work for a successful, dynamic and innovative organisation that champions the work and changing needs of the health related Voluntary and Community Sector in Derbyshire?
Derbyshire Voluntary Action is an independent charity, which strategically represents and champions the work of the health and care voluntary and community sector. We provide vital support to a diverse range of local charities and community groups through our work and also connect people and resources to projects and ideas.
Project Support Officer
We are seeking an exceptional person to join the project team for COMMuniTY CHESTERFIELD, an innovative partnership project between Derbyshire Voluntary Action and University of Derby. As Project Support Officer, you’ll be a key member of the team involved in all aspects of our work – helping to ensure the smooth running of events and meetings, leading on monitoring and recording, and being the first point of contact for the project. We have taken many aspects of the project online as a result of the pandemic, so we’re looking for someone who is confident and creative with platforms such as Zoom. If you have a keen eye for detail and excellent organisational skills, and are someone who thrives on being an active member of an enthusiastic and innovative team, then this is the role for you!
Salary: £22,401 FTE
Hours: 30 hours per week, 1 Year contract with possibility to extend subject to funding
Pension: 5% pension contribution
Responsible to: Community Chesterfield Project Manager
Closing date for applications: 15 February at midday
Interview date: Provisional dates of either 17/18 or 24/25 February
For an application pack please email info@dva.org.uk or visit https://dva.org.uk/job-vacancies/
Marketing and Communications Officer
We are seeking an exceptional person to join the project team for COMMuniTY CHESTERFIELD, an innovative partnership project between Derbyshire Voluntary Action and the University of Derby. We are looking for a creative and collaborative individual to help the team to increase the project’s reach within our varied target audiences, to ensure that we are delivering the maximum benefit to those who need it. Excellent written skills and an eye for design will be essential, but we’ll also be looking for a strategic thinker who will be keen to explore new ways to engage and inspire our current and future supporters.
Salary: £24,799 FTE
Hours: 22.5 hours per week, 1 Year Contract with possibility to extend subject to funding
Pension: 5% pension contribution
Responsible to: Community Chesterfield Project Manager
Closing date for applications: 15 February at midday
Interview date: Provisional dates of either 17/18 or 24/25 February
For an application pack please email info@dva.org.uk or visit https://dva.org.uk/job-vacancies/
Did you know that you can get all the latest updates about Covid-19 direct to your inbox?
Derbyshire County Council produces regular district and borough e-newsletters. You can sign up for them online here.
“And breathe” – check out this thoughtful blog about wellbeing for us all in the Voluntary Sector by our own Charlotte Repton, Project Manager, Community Chesterfield
At Community Chesterfield, we support organisations with a focus on Health and Social Care. Working in caring roles can impact on mental health at the best of times, and whilst we are still living through the COVID-19 pandemic, strain on those delivering Health and Social Care services remains high – which includes staff and volunteers in the third sector, as well as frontline healthcare professionals. That’s why we’ve organised a number of learning opportunities, freely available to voluntary and community sector organisations, focused on wellbeing.
The first date for your diary is Training & Tea – Looking after the well-being of your remote workers on 27 January at 9am. Training sessions in this series are only 45 minutes long, so don’t take too much time out of your day but are always filled with practical tips and techniques – and the content will also be relevant to teams that are still operating in person. We’ve all had to adjust to a lot over the last year, and being part of these sessions is also a good way to share your experience and learn from your peers.
We’re really excited to be working with William Van Gordon, associate professor in contemplative psychology at University of Derby, to deliver An Introduction to Mindfulness at 11am on Wednesday 10 March. The course will be broken into three sections, a short presentation about mindfulness, followed by some mindfulness practice then ending with questions and answers about how you can work mindfulness into your work or your own daily life. We’re hoping to run more sessions following on from this, but this will be an essential introduction into the topic.
Looking forward to April, we’ll be running a series led by Sarah Markham, founder of Calm in a Box, all about “finding a calmer, happier and healthier life for work/life brilliance”. The four short sessions will follow Sarah’s CALM model:
C – Connect with me through supportive conversations
L – Let me have time for rest and recovery
M – Motivate and inspire me to take care of others
Like our Training and Tea sessions, these sessions will be only 45 minutes long. We recognise that it can feel difficult to take time out of your day when you’re feeling stretched – but investing time in your own wellbeing and of those around you will pays off in the long run… We all need simple strategies at the moment to ensure we don’t burn out and that we can keep on doing the work that we love to the best of our abilities under tough conditions.
We hope these sessions will be interesting and useful for you as professionals, leaders, colleagues and most of all as individuals.
Finally, if anyone is reading this at a point when you feel like you need immediate and urgent help, there are some links to Mental Health Support Services on Derbyshire Voluntary Action’s website.