The Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s work to recognise the role of carers has received national recognition.

The Trust’s Carers Project, led by Rebecca Cowley, has been nominated for a Royal College of Nursing Award in the Commitment to Carers category following the work done to acknowledge and support the role of the carer and ensure they become part of a patient’s care.

The Trust was awarded The Carers Charter in 2017, a promise that the Royal is committed to working together with and supporting the carers of patients receiving treatment and patients who are themselves carers. She has since become the Royal’s Carer Liaison Officer, supported through the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charitable Funds, to continue implementing and embedding the Charter.

Rebecca said:-

“It’s such an honour to be recognised in this way and shows how far this hospital has come in recognising the role of carers and the vital part they play in the treatment of our patients. We now have Carer Champions to help raise awareness on our wards and outpatient suites to educate and help identify carers and fully involve and support carers through the treatment of their patient.

“My new role serves to expand on the work already done and will ensure that the groundwork we did to attain the Charter can be built upon. One of the most frustrating issues for carers is communication and they can feel very vulnerable and confused whilst the person they love is in hospital. Knowing that I am here to support them, whether that is explaining the patient’s pathway, attending meetings or just providing general advice on how to cope with their caring role can empower them to ask questions and become more involved in a patient’s treatment.”

Rebecca has worked in carer support for ten years as well as being a carer herself so has been able to draw from experience. The work she and her colleagues have done has been nominated for the RCNi award and she has already been down to London for an interview, a presentation and to speak with the panel to explain more about what happens at the Royal.

She said:-

“It was daunting but the panel showed a genuine interest in the work we’ve been doing and asked lots of questions. Most of it was based on the work that we’ve done to date but I was able to talk further about some of the plans we have in place, including introducing Carer Champions to our five GP practices so that we can identify carers earlier in the patient’s journey and offer them that support before they come to hospital.

“It’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the other projects that have been nominated to see if there are elements that we can share. It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness of what we’re doing, what others are doing and this sharing of best practice and implementing these wonderful ideas can only be of benefit to the patients and carers.”

Rebecca will be co-ordinating some displays and activities to mark Carers Week, starting on 11^th June. The ceremony itself will take place at Westminster Park Plaza in London on 4^th July.

The Volunteer Centre Chesterfield have been successful in securing close to £40,000 for their Safe & Sound Project.

The Safe & Sound Project, which is based within The Volunteer Centre in Chesterfield provides emergency care to elderly and vulnerable adults. The funding was awarded to the Centre by the “People’s Projects” where the public decide how National Lottery funding should be put to good use in their local area. The centre were in the top three projects in the region voted for by the public.

Dave Radford, Centre Manager of the Volunteer Centre Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire, said:-

“Getting to the final five was a massive achievement so actually making one of the top three that receive the funding is absolutely huge; it is also down to you. We really couldn’t have done this without the help and support of everyone who voted for us. We appreciate we may have been a pain over the last fortnight, bombarding your inboxes with emails reminding you to vote, but ultimately it was worth it.

“Thanks once again to everyone who voted online, shared the link with others so that they might vote, and thanks also to everyone who filled out a card and voted by post.

“In the top three along with ourselves were Hull Kingston Rovers Community Trust and Sheffield City Sanctuary, how many votes separated us or how many we received, well I have no idea, I’m sure those figures will be available at some point.  To be honest though, they are irrelevant – we got the funding, that’s the most important part, but to fight toe to toe with three big city projects and more than equal them, is a testament to the work we put in and the support you gave us.

“Over the last two weeks we have worked incredibly hard to try and give ourselves the best possible chance of winning this money and it has been quite humbling to see that people have not only been eager to help us achieve that, but have also been so generous in their enthusiasm for our cause. It has been wonderful to see the people and organisations of Chesterfield and surrounding areas all pulling together for us, and for that we really are tremendously grateful.

“While this money is for a Volunteer Centre project it is worth remembering that it will be used across the district to help as many people as possible.”

Councillor Stuart Brittain will become Chesterfield’s 378^th mayor in a ceremony at the Town Hall this week.

Councillor Brittain will take office at Chesterfield Borough Council’s annual council meeting which takes place on Wednesday 9 May from 5pm.

A Labour councillor, he has represented Rother ward as a member of Chesterfield Borough Council since he was first elected in 2003. He is currently chair of the council’s planning committee.

He is also a Derbyshire County councillor, representing the communities of Brimington, New Brimington, Brimington Common, Hollingwood and Tapton since 2013.

Born in Dronfield, he spent most of his working life in the south east as a transport manager for Royal Mail before returning to Chesterfield in the late 1990s.

Councillor Brittain is married to Anne and they have two children and four grandchildren. Mrs Brittain will serve as mayoress for the coming year.

On becoming mayor, Councillor Stuart Brittain said: “I am very honoured to become the mayor of Chesterfield.

“Our town is a great place to live and work. I look forward to playing my part to help make it an even better one in our mayoral year.”

During their year in office, the mayor and mayoress will support two charities: Ashgate Hospicecare and Citizens’ Advice Chesterfield.

Councillor and Mrs Brittain replace Liberal Democrat councillor Maureen Davenport and Mrs Liz Archer who served as mayor and mayoress in the civic year 2017/18.

Ashgate Hospicecare are thrilled to have received over one thousand pounds from the Derbyshire County Council Public Health ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing Small Grants Scheme’.

This grant, which will enable the Hospice to buy the equipment needed to begin their new Oral History Project, will give patients with a life-limiting illness the opportunity to produce audio recordings of their life story.

Arlene Honeyman, Head of Supportive Care at Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“For the families of patients who are in a time of grieving, listening to the recording of a loved one who is no longer with us can be a real source of comfort. All of the staff and volunteers involved are really looking forward to being part of such a special project and we hope that these memories of treasured lives can be passed on through the generations with the voice of the loved one secured.”

Sarah Kerry, Day Hospice sister at Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“We’re looking forward to having the opportunity to honour patients and their families by offering such a valuable and quality input into recording their precious life story. Not only is the process of telling one’s life story often very therapeutic for patients who know they have limited time, it also empowers them to leave a truly unique gift to the people they love.”

Over the past few months, Ashgate Hospicecare have been working closely with the University of Sheffield, who have been researching and providing oral history services in palliative care for over ten years, to develop this new service for patients and their families.

Once staff and volunteers at the Hospice have completed their training, patients will have the opportunity to tell their life story, in their own time and in their own voice, and to have the recordings saved onto a CD or memory stick as a unique and lasting gift for their loved ones to keep. The patients will also have the option to archive their recording at the University of Sheffield, where it will become a lasting social and historical resource.

One participant said:-

“I never knew I would be able to leave a lovely and unique legacy to my two children when I pass away… I can’t put into words what this has truly meant to me, and hopefully my family.”

The grant that was awarded to the hospice comes also with special thanks to the team at Derbyshire Voluntary Action who supported the hospice in gaining this funding. Ashgate Hospicecare hope to ensure that the Oral History Project is a sustainable project that will continue and grow for years to come.

Whittam Cox Architects are the region’s only practice to have been selected, as one of twelve architectural teams from almost 70 entries, to take part in a high-profile retail design competition.

The Crown Estate/ Architects Journal ‘Future Retail Destinations’ Competition was open to all UK-based architects and asked entrants to design an innovative and successful out-of-town shopping destination for the year 2030 and beyond.

The ultimate winning practice will be appointed to design a retail park in a prominent out-of-town location, served by major roads and offer a mix of retail, leisure and food and beverage outlets.

The Crown Estate – which previously partnered with the AJ on the Future Office contest in 2016 – has a £2.5 billion regional retail and leisure portfolio across the UK.

Leading the design submission, Board Director Andy Dabbs commented:-

“Retail design is in our DNA; we have been working continuously for a diverse range of retail-focussed clients for decades now. We are delighted to have been selected for the next stage of this high-profile competition.

“Our intention is to demonstrate the strength and depth of our design and thought leadership in the ever evolving world of consumer and experience led retail”.

At present Whittam Cox Architects are working on a range of schemes, including Middlewood Locks in Salford Quays, Royal Wharf, a new riverside development in London’s Royal Docks and a range of local schemes including new student developments in Sheffield, residential works at Kelham Island, retail works at the former Norton College site in south Sheffield and Chesterfield’s town masterplan.

The last 44 years has seen the practice relocate its head office to Chesterfield and establish regional hubs in Leeds and London as well as now receiving recognition as one of the UK’s Top 40 architectural practices who strive to deliver outstanding professional services to the nation’s property and construction sector.