Chesterfield community groups

Landmark figure reached as 10,000 complete lifesaving course

A Chesterfield community organisation is celebrating a significant milestone, after helping to train 10,000 people in life-saving skills.

Seven years ago, CSALS organised a first aid lesson on the pitch at Chesterfield FC’s stadium which saw 1,795 people taking part, setting a Guinness World Record.

In 2018, a free ‘Prepared to Save a Life’ online course was launched at Westminster, in partnership with Virtual College.

Those who take the course, which takes around an hour to complete, are provided with the knowledge to save a life.

To mark the number of people completing the course has passed the 10,000-mark, guests gathered at Chesterfield’s SMH Group Stadium for a celebration event.

Trustees and representative of CSALS were joined by the Mayoress of Chesterfield and a host of other guests including former England footballer Tony Currie and veteran entertainer Bernie Clifton.

Dr Cheryle Berry MBE, chair of CSALS, said: “We were delighted to have reached five figures and it was fitting to mark the occasion at the home of the Spireites, having set the world record there.

“It is wonderful to think that we could fill the stadium with the number of people who have completed the Prepared to Save a Life course.”

Debra Johnson, CSALS’ community facilitator, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who attended the event, together with all the companies who support our activities, including Motan Colortronic and Technique Learning Solutions.”

Mayoress of Chesterfield, Councillor Suzie Perkins, added: “I was delighted to attend the event, where I took the opportunity to find out more about the tremendous work being done by CSALS.

“Learning how to administer first aid is vitally important and I would urge people to do the online course.

“I would like to congratulate everyone involved with the charity for reaching the landmark and wish them every success in the future!”

CSALS  supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

CSALS

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Community group celebrates 10 years of walking at Holmebrook Valley Park

Chesterfield’s Holmebrook Valley Park is celebrating 10 years of hosting a walking group this month.

On 12 January, the volunteer group leaders and other local walkers were joined by Mayor of Chesterfield Councillor Tony Rogers to explore what the park has to offer.

The Holmebrook Valley Park ‘walk with us’ walking group originally launched in 2013, but it was temporarily put on hold in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, then launched again as soon as outdoor meeting restrictions allowed.

Over the years, the group has welcomed many residents and other local people who enjoy walking. A number of the group’s regular members have completed accredited training enabling them to take it in turns to lead the group each week.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt said: “We have a wonderful team of volunteers at Holmebrook Valley Park who share the role of walk leader each week and help each other to keep the group growing and thriving.

“They meet around 10.15am each week by the café at the pavilion in the top cark park off Watermeadow Lane, ready to set off at 10.30am. They generally walk for around an hour before returning to the café for drinks and chat. Anyone is welcome to join in, no special equipment is needed, just sensible shoes and clothing suitable for the weather.

“There are slopes in the park and some rough surfaces under foot but the leaders will explain the route each week so walkers can decide if it is suitable for their own ability. Everyone is welcome, so if you fancy getting outdoors and exploring somewhere new feel free to join the group.”

Park facilities

The park is open to pedestrians all year round and has won the prestigious Green Flag award for the last twelve years.

The northern end of the park is elevated and offers spectacular views over Chesterfield to Hardwick Hall and Bolsover Castle and on towards Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

There is something for everyone to enjoy at the park including children’s play areas, a free outdoor gym, football pitches, cycling, orienteering route, an art sculpture trail, picnic tables and a café.

Join the group

The Holmebrook Valley Park walking group meet every Thursday at 10.30am for a

45–60 minute walk in Chesterfield’s largest park that includes open water, woodlands and hay meadows. Please note the park has hills and some uneven paths.

If you would like to join in, meet by the cafe in park pavilion (top car park) at Holmebrook Valley Park, Watermeadow Lane, Chesterfield, S41 8XP.

You can find out about other park-based walks on the Chesterfield Borough Council website or learn about other group walks in our area and beyond on the Walk Derbyshire website: https://walkderbyshire.org.uk/

For more information, please contact Tina Hensey, Chesterfield Borough Council Community Lifestyles Officer, tina.hensey@chesterfield.gov.uk.

Holmebrook-Valley-Walking-Group

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Chesterfield community groups launch ‘Feeling connected fortnight’ to bring people together

A number of Chesterfield groups and organisations are launching activities and initiatives this October, to bring the community together and help people create local connections.

‘Feeling Connected Fortnight’ is almost here and will run from 17th October until 28th October. The community initiative is the brainchild of the ‘Feeling Connected’ team, part of Derbyshire Voluntary Action, based at their welcoming Hub on Lower Pavement in Chesterfield Town Centre.

Project Manager James Starky explained: “We are planning an exciting fortnight of championing local groups and individuals who bring their community together. This will include a ‘thank you’ event on the 19th October at our Hub. We have produced 3000 copies of our fantastic free newspaper called ’Nurturing Neighbourliness’, offering 50 great ideas for people to use in their neighbourhood. We’d love it if people would get in touch to let us know about any events they plan to host or any groups already happening.”

Feeling Connected has played a vital part in the creation and continuation of many valuable community initiatives in recent months.  Here are some great examples of funding proposals which have recently been awarded a grand total of £30,672.30.

  • The Grassland Hasmoor Big Local Senior Citizens Group and Friends of Eastwood Park applied together for funds for their ‘Let’s Chat’ benches and ‘Let’s Chat’ friendship and IT Group.  They have added ‘Let’s Chat’ plaques to two benches in Eastwood Park to encourage people to do just that. The funding has enabled them to begin a new weekly drop in session in Hasland offering people a chance to chat with others and develop internet skills and surf the web. Sessions take place every Friday morning at Hasland Club from 10am-12noon. Contact: chrisnewton62@yahoo.com for more information.
  • Derbyshire LGBT+ are being supported to set up 3 new social groups for LGBT+ over 18s at the LGBT+ Centre on Rutland Road in Chesterfield. The funds will go towards staffing, materials for activities, and promotion. It is expected that these groups will reach out to around 60 people in the community. Visit www.derbyshirelgbt.org.uk to see their calendar of events.
  • Barrow Hill Community Trust applied for funds to restart New Haven Rest Centre, an amazing community facility which sadly closed in 2020. Following a Feeling Connected grant, the Trust is now able to reopen the centre, initially as a community venue. Spokesperson Ann Lucas said “A small group of wonderful volunteers will manage the room on a day-to-day basis and plan to provide a safe, WARM and friendly space this coming winter. Visitors can enjoy refreshments, social activity, information and advice and the company of other people.” For more information contact Ann Lucas by email: annpickard@hotmail.co.uk.
  • East Peak Countryside Associates will be working with members of the community in Chesterfield to support people to be healthy using the outdoors. Outdoor space from Staveley to Stonegravels / Whittington Moor will be utilised. To find out more about this project follow them on Facebook: East Peak Countryside Associates CIC.
  • Compassionate Voices received funding to provide 4 wellbeing and empowerment workshops entitled ‘The Power of You’. It is intended that the workshops will support up to 50 women by offering them twice monthly meetings to stay connected and encourage them to reconnect with others socially. You can find Compassionate Voices at the Feeling Connected Hub, Lower Pavement, Chesterfield on the third Thursday of each month from 6pm-7.30pm or visit acompassionatevoice.co.uk.
  • Chatsworth Wellbeing Centre were recently awarded funding for a monthly peer support recovery group for 20-30 people living with a chronic exhaustive condition. These include Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Post Viral Fatigue (including Long Covid) and Fybromyalgia. The free support group will take place monthly at Lifehouse Church, 90 Chatsworth Road or you can join them via Zoom. To find out more visit their Facebook page: Chatsworth Wellbeing Centre.
  • B:friend is a face-to-face befriending project. Its Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Group have recently received funding to support new work in our area, where volunteer befrienders pledge to visit an isolated older neighbour once a week for an hour. Find more information on their website: letsbfriend.org.uk.

If you would like to find out more about Feeling Connected, contact James Starky, Project Manager on 07743 514934 or message FeelingConnected via Facebook.

Derbyshire Voluntary Action supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Staveley Residents invited to learn about local community groups and services

People living in the Staveley area are being invited to attend an event where they can find out more about community groups and services they can access.

The Great Chesterfield Get2Gether is a free event being held at the Speedwell Rooms in Staveley on Wednesday 28 September from 3pm to 6pm. It follows on from similar events held in the Winding Wheel and Loundsley Green earlier this year.

At the event there will be more than 40 stalls showcasing the excellent groups and services in Staveley, allowing residents to find out about what is on in the local area, join new groups and make new friends.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “One of our key priorities as a council is to improve the quality of life for local people. Our last event helped showcase the fantastic range of community groups and services that are available to our residents It’s great that we are able to bring this event to Staveley and make sure everyone can learn more about local opportunities.

“I hope lots of people will come along because you’ll be able meet new people and find out important information about the activities and services available in our community.”

For more information on these events, or if you run a local group and would like a stall at the Great Chesterfield Get 2gether – Staveley, please contact Wendy Blunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s health and wellbeing officer on 01246  959657 or email  wendy.blunt@chesterfield.gov.uk.

The Great Chesterfield Get 2gether is organised through the Chesterfield Health and Wellbeing partnership.

 

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Residents encouraged to get involved in Derbyshire Community Orchard project

Just as the Queen’s Green Canopy is asking people to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’ and pin their tree to the UK map, Derbyshire Community Orchard Network are asking people to pin their fruit trees and orchards to the map of Derbyshire.

The group began mapping fruit trees and orchards last year and are on the lookout for more. Simon Redding, a group member said “We haven’t found it difficult to do the actual technical mapping but we are struggling to know where fruit trees are located.

“Many groups have come forward to tell us about their plantations, such as orchards in Tideswell, Buxton, Ashover, Hayfield, New Mills, Overseal and Belper but we know there are more out there and would love people to get in touch.”

Derbyshire Community Orchard Network was set up in July last year with the aim of connecting people interested in starting or sustaining a community orchard, so that skills can be shared and knowledge maintained. The group meets about once every two months and has members who own or manage orchards, others who volunteer to help occasionally or people just interested in wildlife, the environment and sustainable food production.

Group organiser Anne Thoday said “We discovered there was an appetite for people to get together and talk about all things fruit tree related. Our meetings are well attended and we have already had speakers from Transition, Abundance Chesterfield, the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT), and many people who manage orchards.

“Community orchards are a great space for old and young to mix and play a part in sustainable food production.

“We know how important trees can be in helping to prevent climate change, they remove carbon dioxide from the air and store it in their wood, roots and leaves. It’s a further bonus to plant fruit trees which can also provide food.”

Derbyshire County Councillor Barry Lewis initiated the convening of a group to bring interested parties together. He owns Amber Valley Vineyards in Wessington where he has planted many traditional apple varieties in a cider orchard such as Newton Wonder, Beeley Pippin and New Bess Pool. He manages the wildflower meadow around the orchards to maximise biodiversity, and has seen a considerable increase in species over the years. The group have had a talk from Kieron Huston from DWT on growing wildflower meadows and have also recently visited Amber Valley to see the meadow at Wessington.

Barry said: “When we first planted the vines and trees the surrounding field was fairly poor quality meadow grassland with low species diversity. Over the years we have managed to introduce, by green-haying from another wildlife site we look after, many new locally native species and we now have lots of red fescue, ox eye daisy, vetch, yellow rattle, cowslips, blue bells and each year we are seeing increasing diversity of plants.”

The group is putting this call out for more people to come forward and tell them where they are and what’s happening in their area with fruit trees. Anyone interested in planting an orchard or getting involved with orchards are also welcome to attend the meetings. The next evening will have a talk from Kevin Thomas at ‘One Planet Matters’ who has been working on encouraging community orchards across the country, and is already helping to plan plantings in Renishaw, Unstone and Eckington. Many community groups and schools have made use of free trees from the Queen’s Green Canopy partner the Woodland Trust, and it would be great for younger people interested in tree growing to get in touch, as planting is only the first step in creating a productive orchard.

The group can be contacted by mailing Anne on climateactionned@gmail.com and found on Facebook at Derbyshire Community Orchard Network.

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Love Chesterfield Community Market Launches

People are being invited to show their appreciation for local community and voluntary organisations which provided a lifeline during the pandemic, with the launch of a new Love Chesterfield Community Market event being held this summer.

The family-friendly day will give local charities, community and voluntary organisations a chance to promote their work and raise much-needed funds following the challenges of the last 18 months.

It is being organised by Chesterfield Borough Council as part of the new-look summer events programme, and will be a chance for local people to come together and say thank you for the vital support which these grassroots organisations provide to the borough’s residents.

Local groups are now being invited to book their free place at the market, which will be held in Chesterfield town centre on Tuesday 10 August.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy, said: “Over the last year the community and voluntary sector has been a lifeline for our community and this is our chance to thank them and to help support their fundraising efforts to ensure they can continue the incredible work that they do.”

There will be a variety of stalls, street food, walkabout entertainment and small funfair rides. A competition for the best dressed stall will also run on the day.

Regular market traders will also be able to book a place on the Market for just £10 per stall with all money raised going to the Mayor’s Appeal, which is raising funds for The Volunteer Centre – Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield Samaritans this year.

Local charity, voluntary and community organisations are being invited to take a free stall on the market to promote the work that they do and fundraise. Stalls will need to be prebooked in advance via www.chesterfield.gov.uk/markettrading.

The Love Chesterfield campaign is being run by the council and Destination Chesterfield to encourage people to discover or rediscover the great shopping and leisure experiences that the town centre and high streets have to offer, as restrictions continue to ease. People can find out more at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/love-chesterfield

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Vital funding confirmed for community groups in Chesterfield

Community groups in Chesterfield are set to benefit from more than £30,000 of funding that has been provided through the Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhoods Fund.

The Chesterfield Borough Council funding is being provided to a wide range of community groups for a variety of different projects, all of which have important benefits to local communities and support the objectives outlined in the Council Plan.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “This funding ensures that much needed projects for our community can be supported and delivered for the benefit our residents. This funding is a result of new developments in the borough and demonstrates how we can leverage new developments to ensure they can help meet the needs of our residents in as many ways as possible.

“In the last few months, we have provided well over £100,000 to community groups through this fund. We have further application deadlines coming up, and I would encourage all eligible community groups that are in need of funding in Chesterfield to apply through this scheme.”

This latest round of funding has been provided to six different projects including money for the Cosy Hub to purchase laptops and provide support to residents when creating CVs and for children to complete their homework on. It has also provided funds for the Friends of Hasland Community Hub to improve facilities in the Working Men’s Club to allow several groups to meet at the same time.

The Friends of Stand Road Park has received funding to help provide further improvements to the park and ensure it has excellent facilities for local residents.

Graham King, Chair of Friends of Stand Road Park, said: “The group is delighted to have been awarded the CIL funding for our project. Our community consultation, for which we undertook an extensive opinions survey, has shown that the community’s next priority for improving the park is to install a network of paths with benches at appropriate intervals. The CIL award will allow us to put in eight park benches. We shall site them at locations to suit the route of the future paths. We aim to put in the paths later once we have raised the required funding”.

Another group that received funding are Derbyshire LGBT+ which works to support Chesterfield’s LGBT+ community. The money will help ensure they can continue to provide their services to local residents.

Ian Robson, Chief Executive Officer of Derbyshire LGBT+, said: “Derbyshire LGBT+ is very grateful to Chesterfield Borough Council for supporting us with a grant from the Community Infrastructure Levy fund. This money will allow us to continue operating our Chesterfield community centre, supporting Chesterfield’s LGBT+ communities of all ages in dealing with issues of general health, mental health, sexual health, loneliness and isolation. Our centre provides many support groups and drop-in sessions each week.”

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge that councils can place on new developments in their area through the planning process. It is used primarily to fund infrastructure around the new developments, it can include but is not limited to roads, schools, parks and flood defences. Chesterfield is the only borough in Derbyshire currently using the levy to fund infrastructure and projects.

Funding for community groups comes from the Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund. Of the total funding 15% is provided to the neighbourhoods fund. In Brimington and Staveley this money is given directly to the respective town and parish councils to allocate, and Chesterfield Borough Council is responsible for this funding in the rest of the borough.

Find out more about how to apply for the next round of funding on the council’s website: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/cil-funding

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