Chris Parsons of Hallam Garden Design picked up the award for best ‘Healing or Learning Gardens’ at this year’s Society of Garden Designers awards for her design and implementation of Ashgate Hospicecare’s gardens.

The award ceremony, which took place at The Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, London, hosted a number of prestigious gardeners who were recognised for their knowledge and contribution to the landscape and garden design profession.

Chris Parsons said:-

“I am in utter shock of being the winner in the category ‘Healing or Learning Gardens’ for our gardens at Ashgate Hospicecare. There were a lot of high profile designers in our category who I respect greatly, so to be chosen over them really was amazing. It’s our version of winning Olympic gold. For a real garden there really is no higher accolade than this one.”

Lucy Nickson, Chief Executive of Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“A huge congratulations to Chris Parsons for winning the award for best ‘Healing Gardens’. The design and layout of the hospice’s gardens are simply beautiful and bring so much joy to patients and their families, staff and volunteers.

“The project to redesign and improve the gardens started a number of years ago but it is only now that we are seeing the full benefits as the garden starts to fully mature. We hope the gardens will get more beautiful year on year and are just so pleased that we have this wonderful space for patients, families, staff, volunteers and all visitors to enjoy.”

Crafter’s Companion Chesterfield will be raising money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) this Valentine’s Day with a full programme of events for its customers.

The store, at Dobbies Chesterfield Garden Centre and Shopping Village, will be putting on a whole host of activity in the run up to Valentine’s, culminating in the launch of its kids’ craft classes on Tuesday 14th February, which will give participants the chance to make cards for £2.

On Friday 10th February, the store will host an alternative Valentine’s card class workshop, using Leonie’s mixed media dies and stamps. The class will cost £15 with £5 being donated to the BHF.

There will also be a number of Valentine’s make and takes on the 11th and 12th February to raise additional funds of the charity, along with a special Coffee and Craft morning later in the month on Monday 27th February.

Sarah Elliott, Assistant Store Manager at Crafter’s Companion Chesterfield, said:-

“There’s loads going on at the Chesterfield store over the Valentine’s weekend.

“It’s great to be able to raise money for such a great cause and put on some fun events for our customers too.

“Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and these workshops and make and takes are the perfect way to give someone special something unique and different this year. We hope everyone will come and join in the fun.”

Chesterfield FC visited the Hartington Unit with one goal in mind: time to talk about mental health.

“Will my mental health conditions stop me from playing football?” was the question on one patient’s lips as Chesterfield Football Club players and staff visited the Hartington Unit at Chesterfield Royal Hospital on Thursday to play their part in Time to Talk Day – a national movement to get the country talking about mental health for 24 hours.

Player/coach and chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Ritchie Humphreys was joined by teenage striker Ricky German and winger Derek Daly for a guided tour around the gym and recreational activities hub of the unit, run by Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The visit was organised by the Chesterfield FC Community Trust, who have done a lot of work to develop opportunities for people experiencing poor mental health.

In the spirit of Time to Talk Day, the players spent time chatting with patients and staff about life as a professional footballer on and off the pitch and the importance of speaking openly about our emotional wellbeing. Humphreys, German and Daly were also on hand to sign autographs and pose for photographs.

Over a game of pool and table tennis with the players, one patient concerned about how his mental health might affect his future asked:-

“From a young age I’ve always loved football and have dreamt of playing for a professional club one day. Will my mental health conditions stop me from playing football?”

To his delight, the players reassured him that the impacts of poor mental health are well-recognised in English football today, so much so that there is a wealth of emotional ’round-the-clock’ support and counselling available to past and present players through the PFA.

The annual anti-stigma campaign’s goal is to raise awareness that anyone can be affected by poor mental health and that by being open to mental health can break down any stigma surrounding it. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year and footballers are now immune to this.

Clare Farnsworth, Recreation Co-ordinator for Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and organiser of the visit, said:-

“It’s been absolutely fantastic to have the players here. Patients have said to me they can’t believe they’ve just had a game of pool with a footballer. There were smiles all around.”

Commenting on the visit, Humphreys, who also acts as ambassador for mental health at Chesterfield FC, said:-

“For us to raise the awareness around our local community is important to us. It was great for us to see the tremendous facilities on offer, as well as meet some of the patients and interact with them.”

Time to Talk Day has previously attracted backing from many top footballers and household names such as Clarke Carlisle, Kelly Smith, Freddie Flintoff and Stephen Fry – and most recently by Prince Harry, who reportedly regrets not opening up sooner about the death of his mother Princess Diana.

Walking football, which was the brain-child of the Chesterfield FC Community Trust, will feature on ITV’s Tonight show this week.

The Ex-Spires walking football team will be shown on Thursday in The Truth About Exercise: Tonight.

Presenter Fiona Foster attended an Ex-Spires session at The Akademy in Dronfield and spoke to some of the players. Among them was 78-year-old Eric Bagshaw, who took up walking football six years ago after being diagnosed with diabetes.

Eric talked on camera about the marked improvement in his health since he has been playing walking football. He said:-

“I could feel myself getting stronger each week, and I just kept working at it, just loved it,” he said.

Taking up the story of when he faced a medical examination, Eric adds:-

“Doctor came down and he says, ‘Now then Eric, what you been doing this last six months’?

“So I said, ‘I’ve joined an exercise club, football’. He says, ‘Brilliant, because what that’s done for you is fantastic. Your diabetes has gone, your blood pressure’s normal, your kidneys, your liver, your heart’s perfect. You’ve got the body of a 40-year-old man’. Those were his exact words.”

John Croot, Chief of the Community Trust, came up with the idea of walking football after the Trust received funding from the Football Foundation for a project called ‘Extra Time’. He explained:-

“It was around 2010/2011 when I went to a presentation before we put the bid in and one of the things said was to look for unusual activities which would be ideal for older people.

“The requirement was for something which would have low injury risk, cardio vascular benefits and help develop friendship groups. Coming back I was going through what had been talked about and I thought, ‘Why don’t we play football, but walk it’?

“I’m proud that walking football started here in Chesterfield and it’s great to see that it’s really taken off. As a measure of the interest in it world-wide, I’ve been interviewed about walking football by TV crews from Japan, Holland, Germany and France.”

The Truth About Exercise: Tonight is on Thursday, February 9, from 7.30pm to 8pm.