Chesterfield College has partnered with Derbyshire Times to find Derbyshire’s Young Artist of the Year for 2018.

They launched a competition last week and are asking budding young artists aged 9 to 18 (in school year 4 to year 13) to create a piece of artwork across a range of categories on the theme of ‘What’s most important to me’.

Entries will be exhibited as part of the annual Chesterfield College Arts Festival, taking place in June. The winners will be announced at a special event on 7 June when the Young Artists exhibition will be opened officially. The talented youngsters will be amongst the first people to see their work on display before the exhibition is opened to the public.

Prizes of creative materials will be awarded to the winners and an opportunity for the older age categories to work with one of the resident artists in West Studios giving them an insight into developing their passion for art into a business.

Hannah Bowdler from Chesterfield College’s West Studios, urged all young artists to create a piece of artwork across any of the three categories of photography, visual art and 3D art before the closing date of 1 June. She said:-

“We are really excited to see what young people will create this year. It will be wonderful to exhibit photographs, paintings, illustrations, collages and sculptures from school pupils’ across the county here at West Studios.

“The competition is a fantastic opportunity for young artists to showcase their creative skills and to experience what it feels like to have their artwork displayed as part of a wider exhibition which celebrates the creative achievements of up and coming artists.”

To find out more about the competition categories and how to enter visit www.chesterfield.ac.uk/artsfestival

Ashgate Hospicecare is thrilled to announce that they have added their name to a charter aimed at protecting employees who become terminally ill.

The Chesterfield based hospice is the latest employer to sign up to the Dying to Work Voluntary Charter, following in the footsteps of employers such as Rolls Royce, Royal Mail and the Co-op.

The Charter is part of the TUC’s wider Dying to Work campaign which is seeking to provide greater security for terminally ill workers, ensuring that they are not dismissed due to their condition.

Lee Barron, Regional Secretary of TUC Midlands, said:-

“Your job should be the least of your worries when you get a terminal diagnosis.

“I’m delighted that Ashgate Hospicecare have shown real leadership in this area, working with unions to guarantee fair treatment for terminally-ill workers.

“More than 600,000 workers are now covered by the Dying to Work charter across the country, and we expect more employers to commit in the coming months.”

Dying to Work was taken forward by the TUC following the case of Jacci Woodcook, an area sales manager from Derbyshire who was forced out of her job three years ago after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.

The TUC is asking employers to sign up to its voluntary charter to stop cases like Jacci’s happening in the future.

By signing the Dying To Work charter, employers are agreeing that they will give due consideration to terminally ill employees and protect their jobs. The campaign is so important to those who are living with a terminal illness and it is essential they have meaning to their lives rather than be defined by the disease which is killing them.

Matt Corbishley, Director of HR and Support Services at Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“I am delighted that we have signed up to the Dying to Work charter. As a provider of hospice care, we are all too aware of the impact a terminal diagnosis has on people’s lives. I am committed to ensuring that we demonstrate the same support, compassion and dignity to our staff, as we do the patients and families we care for.

“Signing the charter is a simple but important step for employers to take in preventing additional emotional and financial stress due to worries over job security. I would strongly urge all employers, particularly our corporate supporters, to join us.”

Sarah Parnacott, Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“We know that 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer and 1 in 10 under the age of 50 will be diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully many people will be cured.

“However, for those who are not cured and are facing living with a terminal diagnosis that may extend to months or sometimes years, being able to continue safe and reasonable work is vital. It can maintain dignity, be therapeutic, a distraction from their illness and ensure individuals feel valued and offered financial security with access to benefits such as death in service payments.

“I am thrilled that as a hospice we will be signing this charter. I hope that many of our corporate partners will also commit their businesses to signing.”

A public consultation is being held to get the views of residents about Chesterfield’s open spaces, ranging from parks to canal towpaths.

Chesterfield Borough Council is asking what people think of the area’s open spaces now so it can plan to ensure there is a good mix of different open space sites across the borough that meet the current and future needs of local residents.

The consultation begins on Monday 16 April and closes at 5pm on Friday 1 June. Further details, including the consultation survey, can be found at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/openspaces

A separate version of the survey has also been produced to get the views of young people.

The survey is looking at most types of open spaces apart from sports pitches and facilities. This includes:

• Local parks or gardens
• Country parks
• Nature reserves, commons or woodlands
• Play areas for young children
• Play areas for teenage children
• Grassed areas
• Allotments and community schemes
• Public space areas within cemeteries and churchyards
• Civic spaces and war memorial gardens
• Cycle paths, footpaths and bridleways

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said:-

“We know open spaces are some of the most important facilities for residents because they are spaces to meet, exercise and have fun.

“Some are run by us but others are managed by our partners, like Derbyshire County Council, town and parish councils and voluntary sector organisations.

“This consultation is important because to plan for the future we first need to know who is using open spaces now, how often they are used, what people think about them, how far they travel to use them and what activities they are being used for.

“We then want to get the views of local people about what would improve those open spaces in the future and to find out whether we have the right type and quality near enough to where people live for them to be used regularly in the future.”

The information gained from the consultation will help develop the borough’s next Local Plan. This guides future development needs and is also used when assessing planning applications.

Councillor Terry Gilby, cabinet member for economic growth, said:-

“The Government asks all local planning authorities to carry out studies which identify the right level of accessible, open spaces to meet the needs of local communities, residents and visitors.

“I would encourage all residents in the Chesterfield borough to take part to ensure that we have the most accurate information to base future plans on.”

Paper copies of the survey will be available in Chesterfield Borough Council’s Customer Service Centre in New Square, at the Queen’s Park Sports Centre, the Healthy Living Centre in Staveley and Chesterfield Library.

A local community group in Chesterfield is calling for the public to vote to help them secure £40,000 of National Lottery funding as part of this year’s People’s Projects.

The Safe & Sound Project, which is based within The Volunteer Centre in Chesterfield and which provides emergency care to elderly and vulnerable adults, is one of five groups in The Calendar South ITV region in the running for a share of up to £150,000 of funding.

Now in its 13th year, the Big Lottery Fund, ITV and The National Lottery are teaming up to give the public a chance to decide how National Lottery funding should be put to good use in their local area.

Designed to celebrate some of the incredible projects the Big Lottery Fund has supported over the past year, 95 community-based schemes are now shortlisted across the UK. In each region, the three with the most public votes will receive grants of up to £50,000. This will help them to continue their work to improve local people’s lives. The entire amount up for grabs across the UK is a life-changing £3 million.

On Thursday April 19th on ITV, The Volunteer Centre in Chesterfield will showcase its Safe & Sound project, on ITV Calendar South regional news at 6pm. To be in with a chance of winning, The Volunteer Centre is calling on viewers to support its bid. Voting opens at 9am on Monday 16 April here.

If successful, The Volunteer Centre will use the grant to expand the current project by recruiting more volunteers giving them greater capacity to tackle as wider range of tasks as possible.

Dave Radford, Manager of The Volunteer Centre, said:-

“This is an exciting opportunity to raise awareness and support for our work and, with your help, to secure further much-needed funding. We urge local people to get behind us. If successful, our project will make a real difference to our local community by allowing us to recruit and support more volunteers and offer much needed support to those in most need.”

Joe Ferns, UK Funding Director of the Big Lottery Fund, said:-

“As the largest funder of community activity in the UK, we are proud to support grassroots groups that are using the vision, determination and drive of local people to strengthen communities. The People’s Projects showcases the best of these and is a chance for you to have your say on how National Lottery funding can benefit your local community.”

Since 2005, around £39 million has been awarded through the Big Lottery Fund, National Lottery and ITV/STV partnership to 865 Good Causes across the UK.

Voting closes at midday on Monday 30 April 2018. People can vote once per region and will need an email address to vote.

Late last month, Ashgate Hospicecare officially opened their new car park thanks to the support of Derbyshire Contracting Services Ltd.

The car park, which has created an additional 22 spaces, will now enable patients and their families to have accessible parking day or night. A turning circle has also been added which will decrease congestion and ensure patients who need hospice care receive it quicker.

Matt Corbishley, Director of HR and Support Services at Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“As the number of people needing hospice care has increased, the ability to park has become more difficult. It is important that patients who need our care receive it straight away and that our patient’s visitors can continue to visit their loved ones at any time, day or night.

“Without the support of Derbyshire Contracting Services the extension simply would not have been possible, thank you to Mark and his team for their wonderful support.”

Lucy Piekarski, from Chesterfield in North Derbyshire, highlights how important the hospice was to her and her family after her dad, Tony Piekarski received care on Ashgate Hospicecare’s Inpatient Unit. She said:-

“Our family were able to rebuild many of the bonds that were strained over the years by the stresses of care-giving.

“When he came into the Inpatient Unit, we were able to spend valuable time together as a family. I was able to be a daughter again and my dad was able to be a dad.”

Mark Gregory, Director at Derbyshire Contracting Services, added:-

“We are really proud to have supported Ashgate Hospicecare in making a difference to local people, it has been a pleasure.”

A work of art to commemorate Chesterfield servicepersons killed in World War One has been unveiled at the Crooked Spire.

Chesterfield Parish Church has partnered with the Chesterfield branch of the Royal British Legion to commemorate the 1,574 soldiers who fell in the 1914 -18 conflict.

To mark the centenary of the end of the war, local volunteers from across the community have knitted an individual poppy for each serviceperson from the town who gave their life. The 1,574 poppies have now been pieced together to create a magnificent handcrafted installation, hanging in the medieval church.

The cascade of flowers was formally blessed and opened by Revd Patrick Coleman, vicar of Chesterfield, on Saturday with Councillor Maureen Davenport, mayor of Chesterfield, in attendance.

Revd Patrick Coleman, speaking at the opening ceremony said:-

“This display is a important remembrance of the ultimate sacrifice made by over 1,500 people from this town- around one in seventy of the local population at the time.

“It also gives us today the opportunity to pledge to redouble our resolve to pray and work for peace, so that this disastrous loss of life isn’t repeated.

“I thank all the volunteers – aged from 18 months to over 90 – for creating this poignant piece of art.”