Six months after Ashgate Hospicecare launched their #30for30 campaign, the Hospice is excited to announce that they have recruited over 50 new volunteers.

The Hospice relies heavily on volunteers, who make up nearly three quarters of their total workforce.

Matt Corbishley, Director of HR & Support Services, said:-

“Ashgate Hospicecare simply couldn’t run without volunteers. They are absolutely vital. We have volunteers across all areas of the Hospice, including in our shops, at events, serving patients in our Day Hospice and on the ward, supporting our admin teams, out in the community fundraising and speaking about the Hospice and in many more roles.

“We’re so pleased that more and more people are showing an interest in volunteering for the Hospice and we’re grateful for each and every person who kindly donates their time here. As well as our volunteers playing a vital role in the day to day running of the Hospice and in raising the funds needed to keep the Hospice going, we also like our volunteers to develop their skills throughout their time here. We welcome all applications, so if you are interested and have a few hours a week to spare, please get in touch!”

The campaign, which was launched in the 30th year of the Chesterfield based hospice delivering patient care to those with a life-limiting illness across North Derbyshire, aims to encourage people who may not have thought about volunteering with the Hospice before to donate 30 hours of their time in 2018.

Denise Walters, from Tapton in Chesterfield, started volunteering at Ashgate Hospicecare after hearing about the campaign on her local radio station. She said:-

“My mum was in the Hospice before she died and it’s just such a wonderful place. My whole family have done what they can to support the Hospice since then. My sister and I both asked for donations to the Hospice for our 50^th birthdays, my son shaved all his hair off for Ashgate and raised over £800, and my dad joined the Ashgate Lottery. We all wanted to do our bit. I also took part in the Sparkle Night Walk and that led me to want to do more for the Hospice. Volunteering seemed like the next natural step.

“I heard about 30for30, donating 30 hours of your time for Ashgate’s 30^th anniversary, from an advert on the radio. A lady was saying – “Often people say, I don’t know how you can volunteer at the Hospice, but you can do it” – It just made me think that I could do it. I’m just at home most nights, so why not do something really useful with my time?

“This is the first time I’ve volunteered for a charity. I come in and help on the ward once a week in the evening from five until half past six. I serve teas and coffees to the patients and help serve their evening meals. I’m there for an hour and a half but the time goes really quickly!

“I’ve only been volunteering here for about six weeks or so, so I’m still finding my feet, but it’s lovely. They let me loose on the tea trolley on my own for the first time last week, which was a little daunting because you don’t know how the patients will be feeling when you go and see them, but all the other volunteers and the staff are very helpful. Any problems that I have, I just ask the nearest person what to do and they sort me out. If you’re unsure about what to do, there’s always somebody to help.

“I enjoy the interaction with everyone. Just knowing that you’re doing something to keep the Hospice running is really nice. Once I’m more confident with what I’m doing, I’d like to dedicate more time to the Hospice. It’s a really nice atmosphere to be in.

“I’ve done nine hours of volunteering so far, so I’ll definitely finish my 30 hours by the end of the year and I’ll probably continue volunteering once I’ve completed those hours. Once you’re in, you’re in!”

Grateful staff are asking Chesterfield residents to put their knitting needles down after a target to create 25,000 knitted poppies for a poppy cascade was reached.

Chesterfield Borough Council is working with a range of community organisations to run a series of events to mark the 100^th anniversary of the end of World War One in November.

As part of the plans a poppy cascade is to be created at Chesterfield Town Hall, with more than 25,000 knitted or crocheted poppies cascading down the side of the building from the balcony.

In March the council asked residents to knit or crochet poppies to form the cascade.

Councillor Steve Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “This idea really seems to have captured the imagination and interest of Chesterfield residents and we have been overwhelmed with how many people have knitted or crocheted poppies for the cascade.

“When we set off we thought it would take eight months to reach the 25,000 poppy total but we have now got to 28,300 which is an amazing achievement.

“I cannot thank everyone who has made poppies enough. We really appreciate it and I am sure they are going to make a fitting tribute to the memory of those who fought during the war when the cascade is created.

“So now we would ask anyone who has already made poppies to bring them to the collection points but for everyone to stop knitting as we will not need any more once they have been collected in.”

All poppies donated will be used to form cascades for the Town Hall and other public buildings around the town centre, which will be put in place from the week of Armistice Day through to mid-November.

Completed poppies can be brought to:

• Chesterfield Town Hall in Rose Hill
• Fred’s Haberdashery at the Market Hall.
• The Wool Cabin at the Market Hall
• Crafter’s Companion at Dobbies, Balborough

Ashgate Hospicecare are thrilled to announce that Chesterfield Football Club have chosen them to be their charity partner for the year.

The Hospice, who are celebrating their 30^th anniversary this year, have been supported by the football club through various initiatives including player visits, match collections and as an event venue hosting Chesterfield’s biggest fundraising event – Ashgate Hospicecare’s Sparkle Night Walk.

Barbara-Anne Walker, Chief Executive at Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“We feel privileged to have been chosen by Chesterfield FC as their Charity of the Year. We’re so grateful for all their support so far and can’t wait for more of our patients to meet the players when they come to visit. It means so much to people and brings a smile to even our most poorly patients.

“Having the support of Chesterfield FC will not only help to raise awareness of the Hospice and what we do, but it will also help to raise vital funds to support patients at home and in the Hospice to live as well as they can with a life-limiting illness and to support their families through these difficult times.”

Martin Allen, the newly appointed Chesterfield FC manager, said:-

“It was very sad and difficult losing both my parents when I was quite young and I have spent a lot of time in a hospice as a result of that. The way they were looked after and supported, and the care and love they received from all the staff at that hospice was just incredible.

“What a fantastic thing to be lucky enough this year to work alongside everybody at Ashgate Hospicecare and to help the patients and their families. I can’t wait to visit and meet the patients. It’s going to be a great year for Chesterfield Football Club, and it’s going to be a great year supporting everybody at the Hospice.”

Ashgate Hospicecare provides specialist care to adults with a life-limiting illness in their homes, in community settings across North Derbyshire and within the Hospice itself. Patients and families are at the heart of everything they do. Their vision is to make hospice care available to all who need it, in the environment most appropriate for their individual needs and wishes, playing a key strategic role in the Derbyshire health community and we work closely with local partners to help make this happen.

Chesterfield College’s annual fashion show took place last week featuring work from around 40 students studying across fashion, art and design courses alongside collections from a local fashion retailer, manufacturer and college alumni.

Highlights from the show included a range of men’s and women’s wear outfits inspired by everything from Russian work wear, the sea and Japan to street style.  The dramatic and striking student collections delighted audiences at the matinee and evening shows.

Logan Kettley, age 18, from Coal Aston, who will be studying Menswear at Sheffield Hallam University in September designed, created and modelled a menswear collection for the show. He told us:-

“This collection was inspired by the early stages of Russian communist work wear. It features technical fabrics and taping I have designed and printed including the Cyrillic alphabet. We have been working on the collection throughout the year so it is good to see it on the catwalk today.”

Lauren Browse, age 18 from Troway, also designed a menswear collection and will be joining Logan to study Menswear at Sheffield Hallam University. Her formal collection was designed around the topic of how fashion struggles with masculinity. She uses many different fabrics including a digitally printed lining in monochromatic colours, which she designed and made herself. She said:-

“The final collections really bring together the technical know-how we have built up over the last two years of the course at college. From design to pattern cutting and manufacture alongside the theory; I think you can see it all in what we produce for the show and I know that I have a really good basic knowledge to build on when I move on to university. It really helps you to understand your strengths and what area of the industry you might focus your career.”

Alice Doyle, age 18 from Dronfield, who will move onto studying Fashion at Nottingham Trent University in the autumn, created a collection inspired by a kimono she bought in a charity shop. Her interest in Japan was clear to see in the outfit which mixed influences from the country alongside a bold street wear style combined with her love for a variety of textures and mediums. She told us:-

“Putting this collection together has given me the chance to experiment with different fabrics and styles. I am really pleased with how my scarf, which is knitted from material that I cut in a way to avoid knots, has turned out and I think it works really well with the rest of the outfit. I am really happy that I chose to study fashion here and I really feel like I have found something that I want to develop into a career.”

Local clothing company, Monkee Genes, who produce a range of ethical and sustainable fashion showed a collection of their jeans and casual clothing. Phil Wildbore, owner and designer of the company said:-

“It is my quest to raise awareness about the real cost of fashion and show that you can produce sustainable fashion with style that is built to last. Raising awareness with students at the start of their career in the industry is so important, which is why we were keen to get involved with the show at Chesterfield College.”

Dotique, the winner of the best new store in Chesterfield’s Retail Awards, also showed a collection of their designer women’s wear.