Chesterfield Champion, Fairplay, has become the first community organisation in Derbyshire to be trained to deliver Special Olympic GB’s Motor Activity Training Programme (MATP). The training will enable charity staff to support members with profound learning disabilities and complex needs to enjoy meaningful physical activity and sport.

Fairplay supports 350 children with a wide range of additional needs and impairments. The charity has a fully accessible centre featuring an activity hall, outdoor play area, meeting rooms, library, sensory room, kitchen and changing places toilet. Set up in 1992, by a group of parents who wanted accessible activities for their children, Fairplay celebrated its 25th year in 2017.

EFDS works with community organisations like Fairplay on a regular basis providing guidance on accessing physical activity and sport opportunities for disabled people. Last year, Fairplay worked with EFDS Engagement Advisor, Catherine Slater to educate their staff on resources and local opportunities available to the children and young people they support.

EFDS supported Fairplay by introducing them to Derbyshire’s Special Olympics network and the national Motor Activity Training Programme (MATP). In January 2018, 12 Fairplay staff took part in a training day so that they can provide MATP activities for their members. Staff will soon begin delivering an 8-12 week training programme with individuals, working on their motor skills and development in four categories: mobility, dexterity, striking and kicking.

Catherine Slater, EFDS Engagement Advisor, said:-

“It has been a very exciting journey working with Fairplay on the importance of disabled children and young people being active, and how they can help them be involved in local opportunities. Fairplay have enthusiastically taken up the opportunity to train their staff team to deliver Special Olympics Motor Activity Training Programme, to ensure that their members with complex needs have the opportunity to be athletes.”

Heather Fawbert, Chief Executive of Fairplay, said:-

“Working with EFDS and taking part in the MATP training has been fantastic for Fairplay. It has given our staff the opportunity to learn about what resources are available to them and to discuss the importance of health and wellbeing for young disabled people.”

Fairplay is proud to be the first community organisation in Derbyshire to complete the training and join both the MATP and Special Olympics Derbyshire networks. The charity is now planning for their Challenge Day in May and supporting some of its members to take part in Special Olympics regional and national events in the future.

The MATP programme provides genuine opportunities for training and competition for people with profound, multiple learning disabilities and complex needs.

On Friday 16^th March, two patients staying in the Inpatient Unit at Ashgate Hospicecare were able to watch a live streamed Seattle music festival from the comfort of their rooms.

This was the third time the Seattle based charity Melodic Caring Project, in partnership with Chesterfield College, have bought a live concert to patients and their families at the Hospice, and the first time the patients at Ashgate Hopsice were able to enjoy a show streamed from America.

Melodic Caring Project are dedicated to filming and streaming music concerts live directly to patients battling a serious illness in hospitals and hospices and, until now, had only ever brought music to children’s hospitals. The first time Melodic Caring Project had ever streamed a concert to adults with a life-limiting illness was in Ashgate Hospicecare in December 2017. The project embraces the medically proven healing properties of music to help alleviate pain, reduce anxiety and aid in the overall wellbeing of the patient.

The charity’s debut in the UK comes as a result of Melodic Caring Project building strong links with Chesterfield College, whose staff and students provide the technical skills and equipment needed to enable the live streaming to take place. Artists who agree to be filmed will also do a personal shout out to the patients watching.

In December last year, vocal group The Overtones performed a fantastic Christmas concert for two of our patients staying in the Inpatient Unit and their families, and on 2^nd March this year, Jake Bugg kindly agreed for his Nottingham performance to be live streamed to two more patients.

Sean, from Killamarsh, is staying on Ashgate Hospicecare’s Inpatient Unit. Sean said:-

“I have prostate cancer and I get very tired so watching the Jake Bugg concert certainly helped with my pain. It helped to perk me up and forget about my illness; I could just sit back and enjoy it.

“I’m a big music fan and have all of my favourite bands downloaded here on my iPad. I have many fond memories of going to music concerts – Status Quo, Madness, all sorts, throughout the years. I really enjoyed Jake Bugg’s concert and so I shall be downloading his songs now! I hope more patients will be able to see live concerts as I’m sure it will help them to feel better.”

Patients and their families who have been involved in the project said that watching a live concert brings a sense of normality back to their lives, at a time when they are simply not well enough to enjoy a night out or when their plans get frequently cancelled due to ill health.

Karen Walker, Ward Manager, said:-

“Thank you Melodic Caring Project, Chesterfield College and all of the artists involved for giving patients with a life-limiting illness the opportunity to enjoy live, personalised music concerts. We sincerely hope that we can continue to bring the joy of live music to our patients on a regular basis.”

The concert aired on Friday was the ‘17th Annual More Music @ The Moore’ presented by the Seattle Theatre Group and celebrated the rich talent of young musicians in Seattle. There were performances covering a diverse range of music styles including rock, hip hop, folk, R&B, singer-songwriter, EDM, Scottish, jazz, and more.

Lord William Burlington has been installed as the new Chancellor of the University of Derby, an ‘ambassadorial’ role held by his father, the 12th Duke of Devonshire, for the last 10 years.

Lord Burlington was installed as the fourth Chancellor at an official ceremony in the Devonshire Dome, at the University’s Buxton Campus on the 15th March.

He said:-

“It is an honour and privilege to become Chancellor of such an ambitious and forward-looking university and I intend to take on the position with an open mind, not with preconceived ideas. I am curious, I want to listen, and I want to learn.

“What I do know is that good education is the right of everybody, at all stages of life. It has the ability to transform lives and is fundamental to a functioning society. These sentiments are very close to my heart and will no doubt shape the way I approach the role.”

Lord Burlington’s career began in photography studying under Jorge Lewinski. He worked for eight years as a portrait photographer before setting up Jasmine Photographic Studios Ltd. However, much of his time is dedicated to the family’s businesses, at Chatsworth in Derbyshire, Bolton Abbey in North Yorkshire, and Lismore Castle in Co. Waterford, Ireland.

Also, he is Chairman of the Devonshire Educational Trust, which is an independent charity that works in partnership with the Chatsworth House Trust, offering diverse and accessible educational opportunities; from learning about matters of historical, artistic and architectural interest, to learning about the countryside and rural landscape.

Last night the Duke of Devonshire, who stepped down from his role of Chancellor at the ceremony, was awarded an Honorary Master of Art to mark his contribution in the world of art as a collector and conservationist of important national and international works. He was presented with the award by Sir Michael Craig-Martin, who studied Fine Art at the Yale University School of Art and who was considered a key figure in the emergence of young British artists in the early 1990s.

During the ceremony the Duke was presented with two bespoke pieces of artwork created for him by artists Lynda Adlington – a first-year University of Derby Fine Art student – and Rosie Young – a third-year student of the University’s Illustration degree, both of whom felt privileged to be have been selected for this commission.

The Duke said:-

“It has been an honour to be Chancellor of the University of Derby for 10 years. As I step down from the post at this wonderful university, I reflect on what has been a tremendous decade; the city of Derby has achieved its mission to grow as an inspirational city and to be a beacon in the UK, and the University has gone from strength to strength and I am confident it will continue to do so.”

The Chancellor is the non-executive titular head of the University who normally presides at meetings of the University Court, ceremonial occasions and at award ceremonies which take place in Buxton, Derby and overseas.

The University of Derby’s first chancellor was Sir Christopher Ball from 1995-2003, followed by Professor Leslie Wagner from 2003-2008, before the Duke of Devonshire was installed.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Derby, said:-

“We have been immensely privileged and proud that the Duke of Devonshire has served as Chancellor for 10 years. During his tenure, the Duke has enabled the University to develop stronger links between the University and Chatsworth but more importantly harnessed the ambition of our staff and students, and encouraged a more global perspective, putting Derby and Derbyshire on the international stage.

“The installation of a new Chancellor is a very significant event in the life of the University, one that allows us to reflect upon current successes and look forward to new challenges and opportunities. We are delighted to welcome Lord Burlington to the University of Derby and look forward to working with him to help realise our collective ambitions of providing educational opportunities capable of transforming lives.”

Derbyshire County Cricket Club has recorded a surplus of £83,050 for the financial year ending December 2017.

Turnover reached record levels having grown by 20% year-on-year. This was driven by a rise in commercial income and a growth in conference and events revenue, following the successful hosting of two major concerts in 2017.

The hosting of the ICC Women’s World Cup also helped increase turnover, with the Club staging eight games during the competition and placing Derby on the world’s sporting stage.

An increase in cash receipts from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) allowed the Club to reduce some of its loan from Derby City Council, maintain its investment on the field and continue to improve facilities at The 3aaa County Ground.

Ian Morgan, Chairman of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, said:-

“I am proud to report a surplus for 2017, which is a seventh successive surplus for the Club.

“The performance was characterised by an impressive growth in our turnover, driven by our growing non-cricket business. This is vital and realistically the only way we can continue to grow our on-field playing budget.

“It’s a testament to our dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working off-field team that, despite the challenges of a packed domestic schedule, a global cricket tournament and two high-profile concerts, we were able to achieve record numbers.

“I would like to extend a big thank you to our Members, supporters and 1870 Business Club partners, and in particular to our Principal Partner 3aaa, for their continued support.

“We are working hard to bring success to Derbyshire and I’m confident that, with our plans on and off-the-field showing progress, we can be optimistic about the future.”

Simon Storey, Chief Executive of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, added:-

“It’s been another challenging, but ultimately successful year for Derbyshire. On-the-field, progress under the guidance of Cricket Advisor Kim Barnett was marked by the Club’s first home quarter-final in the T20 Blast.

“Our commercial and operations teams, meanwhile, worked exceptionally hard in delivering a number of major events and this success helped us to sustain our investment in the playing budget.

“A healthy future on and off-the-field demands continued innovation and, whilst we must always remember we are a cricket club first and foremost, our non-cricket events demonstrated our increasingly important role in the community as a cricket, conference and events, and major events venue.

“Our results for 2017, however, benefited from a number of one-off major events that will not be repeated in 2018. But with our responsible financial management, we are ensuring that we balance the short-term financial challenges with long-term sustainability.”