Destination Chesterfield

Proof will be in the pudding for ‘levelling up’ funds, says Chamber in response to Rishi Sunak’s spending review

Responding to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spending review statement on Wednesday (25 November), Scott Knowles, chief executive of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “The Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast that GDP will contract by 11.3% in 2020, the largest fall in output for more than three centuries, underlines the massive scale of the problem we face as a nation.

“It’s important the Government recognises it’s the private sector that will get us back to growth so it must have a proper plan in place to provide the continued support for businesses to get them through this pandemic.
“The £3bn Restart programme, which will help more than one million people who are unemployed for over a year find new work, is a significant intervention that will help both young and old people enter sustainable employment. It builds on the work of the Work & Health Programme, the Kickstart scheme and Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) scheme – three projects the Chamber is helping to deliver.

“If the 2.2% increase to the National Living Wage is going to come into force in April like the Chancellor has promised, he must be prepared to ensure support is in place for the businesses that will have to bear these increases, many of which are in the sectors hit worst by the pandemic, such as hospitality, leisure and retail – otherwise this may only add to the burden of firms already struggling to survive amid continued shutdowns.
“It was positive to hear the Chancellor commit to the new Shared Prosperity Fund matching the numbers involved with current EU structural funds, which have been essential to parts of the country such as the East Midlands, and we await more detail on what the pilot programmes next year will involve.

“Finally, the £4bn pledged on levelling-up and a new UK infrastructure bank to be set up outside London appear to be positive moves, and it’s good to see various Government departments working together on this rather than in siloes.

“However, it must be noted that there have been so many announcements like this over the years by successive chancellors from different political parties, and it is not always clear which funds are new and which ones are repackaged from previous commitments.

“Ultimately, all these pledges amount to absolutely nothing until we see this money spent on the ground. We already know the East Midlands receives less infrastructure investment per head than anywhere else in the country – £268 per capita in 2018/19, just 56% of the £481 national average – and we still await confirmation of the Eastern Leg of HS2. On this one, the proof of the pudding will very much be in the tasting.”

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Work completed on 10 new apartments in the heart of Chesterfield

A-Rock Construction have completed a new development of 10 luxury apartments located on Saltergate, in the heart of Chesterfield town centre. Moss Court has been designed with the over 50’s in mind. The one and two bedroom apartments are available for rent from December 2020.

Following a selection process, A-Rock Construction commissioned Derbyshire based artist, Dennis O’Connor to create a piece of public art which would be visible from the street and encourage people to reflect on the past use and history of Saltergate.

The road itself is named Saltergate due to its past association as the principal route used by the Cheshire to Chesterfield salt trade; believed to date from at least the 12th Century. Currently, there is nothing to commemorate or recognise this aspect of the town’s history and this design celebrates this historic trade route which gave the name to one of Chesterfield best known roads.

The gate is highly decorative and is constructed from stainless steel. Dennis O’Connor of Sculpture Works researched the history and created a beautiful design to fulfill the brief. The design includes reference to the rich history of Chesterfield as a market town, depicting a market stall on the cobbled marketplace. The Crooked Spire can be seen giving the piece a nod to the site’s more recent history as the home of the former Chesterfield FC Social Club and previous home to the Spireites.

Rockie White, Director of A-Rock Construction Ltd – “This project has been a great experience to be part of. We have enjoyed the process, from understanding more about local history of Saltergate through to manufacture and installation of a piece of art that can be enjoyed by residents and local people alike. We are delighted with the gate and feel it gives Moss Court a unique piece of artwork that finishes off the development perfectly.

Local Estate Agents, Lime Living have also been appointed as letting agents for the new development, which has been named after Chesterfield F.C’s record goal scorer, Ernie Moss.

Lime Living owner, Jamie Wajs said: ‘We are delighted to be appointed as the letting agents for Moss Court and to be associated with a famous local name which is held in high regard by many Spireites. The apartments are finished to an excellent standard throughout, thoughtful in detail & stylish appearance and offer excellent close to town centre living.

The interest shown so far as we start to conduct initial viewings has been very encouraging and the feature gate is receiving many complimentary comments. It is great as a local independent agent to be working with a respected local business in A-Rock Construction.’

Lime Living Estate Agents supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Chatsworth Chefs Create Hundreds of Ready Meals to Support Families in Need

Chatsworth will be providing more than 1,200 freshly prepared ready meals to a Derbyshire food bank in the run up to Christmas to help support families in crisis.

Every week, 150 of the family favourite recipes created by the Chatsworth chefs are being delivered to the Jigsaw Food Bank. Operated by Church in the Peak, the food bank serves communities across Derbyshire and the Peak District.

More than 4,000 meals have already been provided to those in need since the initiative began earlier this year. Chatsworth initially contacted the food bank looking to donate produce unlikely to be used in its restaurants due to the lockdown. The chefs swung into action after finding out good quality ready meals would make a real difference to the people being referred to the food bank for help.

Since April, chefs in Chatsworth’s Carriage House Café kitchen, who usually prepare meals for visitors, began cooking a range of ready meals for those in need. The meals are then frozen and donated to the food bank in Matlock.

On the menu are family favourites developed by the Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop including cottage pie made with local beef, lasagne, macaroni cheese and mushroom and leek risotto, to name just a few.

Head of catering Chris Bailey-Jones said: “Being able to provide a service that plays to the strengths of our team at such a challenging time has been wonderful. We’ve all felt that by taking a little extra time in our working week we’ve been able to do something that really makes a difference to the local community.”

The meals are delivered weekly to the Jigsaw Food Bank which provides food to individuals and families in the local community who find themselves in a crisis situation.

The ready meals initiative is made possible with funding from Chatsworth alongside personal contributions from a number of individuals at Chatsworth. The Chatsworth Estate is represented on the Devonshire Group community forum. Chaired by Lord Burlington, son of the Duke of Devonshire, this group-wide forum was set up at the start of the Covid pandemic to reach out and support local communities.

Andrew Lavery, Chief Executive of the Chatsworth House Trust and Chief Financial Officer for the Devonshire Group, said: “As part of our commitment to our shared future we have been looking at how we can work with our local communities, and also help in the fight against the coronavirus. Donating to the food bank to help support families in these difficult times is important and we hope to continue this throughout the winter months.”

A large number of charitable organisations are supported by the Devonshire Group through donations of money, items and complimentary tickets, and by offering savings on commercial rates. In 2019, charitable giving across the Devonshire Group amounted to £334,452.

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Get involved in shaping Derbyshire County Council services and budget priorities

Residents from across Chesterfield and Derbyshire are being asked to take part in online focus groups which will help to shape Derbyshire County Council’s services and budget priorities for the year ahead.

The online focus groups are currently being arranged and Derbyshire residents who would like to take part are encouraged to find out more and register their interest.

People signing up will be able to get involved in discussions and give their views on a wide range of issues affecting them and the council, with the results feeding into its wide-ranging annual residents survey, ‘Your Council Your Voice.’

The focus groups will be held via Zoom and are designed to give us a greater understanding of residents’ satisfaction with how the council runs its services and how it sets budget priorities, as well as topics including value for money.

Derbyshire County Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis said: “Due to the challenges we are all facing this year it is more important than ever that we know if Derbyshire residents think we’re getting it right, what changes they’d like to see and whether their priorities have changed from last year.

“While we’re encouraging people to take part in the Your Council Your Voice survey, we’d also like people to get more involved if they can and be able to go into more depth about their views.

“We’re hoping people from all walks of life, all ages and backgrounds will consider taking part in one of the focus groups so we get a really clear picture of what people think, what their priorities are and what they think we should be prioritising for the coming year.”

The online focus groups will run until Tuesday 8 December 2020 and people wanting to take part are being encouraged to register as soon as possible.

Groups will meet at different times of the day to make it easier for people to take part, and each session will take 90 minutes.

Places at each of the focus groups are limited and people who register will have their place confirmed with further details provided along with the date and time of their session.

People with any queries about taking part should email haveyoursay@derbyshire.gov.uk or tel: 01629 533091.

The Your Council Your Voice survey runs until Sunday 13 December 2020.

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National Award for School Games collaboration work in Derbyshire and Notts

Active Derbyshire, Active Notts, and the School Games Organiser Networks in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have won a School Games National Award for collaboration.

The award comes after the organisations pooled resources and expertise to support schools with a new virtual School Games offer during lockdown in the Summer term 2020.

Working together, colleagues produced 11 weekly resources featuring a range of sporting activities themed around daily physical challenges and cultural competitions.

The development of the resources also involved colleagues from National Governing Bodies, and partners within education, health, community groups, sports clubs and associations supported by circulating resources more widely.

Resources were developed further to help local communities include physical activity cards in food parcels for those in deprived areas, assist with the provision of physical activity at the Royal School for the Deaf Derby, and for a Staycation resource to help keep young people physically active over the holidays.

Naomi Bennett-Jones, who leads young people work for Active Derbyshire and Active Notts, said: “It is fantastic to be recognised for what was a truly collaborative approach to keep children and young people active at home and school during lockdown at what was a very challenging time. The trust and relationships between a range of colleagues that have developed through this work have established a new culture and ways of working that will benefit all future work.”

Paul Ryan, Tupton Hall School Games Organiser and Partnership Development Manager for SHAPE Learning Partnership in Derbyshire, said: “I am extremely proud to have been part of this collaboration. It was vital that we came together as a School Games network at a time of real challenge and it was amazing how well we worked across the districts and counties. The unity showed, created a real opportunity to share the vast knowledge and experience we have as a collective and resulted in a meaningful and worthwhile set of resources that provided support for teachers, parents and young people.”

Chris Ballard, School Games Organiser for Rushcliffe School Sport Partnership, said: “The weekly resources enabled schools to be able to simply follow and deliver a variety of tasks and activities with and to their pupils. The consistency of format and challenge ensured that pupils were able to engage whether that be within a school environment or at home.”

 

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Derbyshire Voluntary Action welcomes new recruit to help Chesterfield residents feel more connected

Debbie Fennell has joined Derbyshire Voluntary Action in the newly-created role of ‘Social Connectedness Development Worker.’

Derbyshire Voluntary Action is a membership organisation for North Derbyshire’s health and wellbeing related voluntary and community sector. North Derbyshire spans the districts of High Peak, Derbyshire Dales, Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire and Bolsover.

Through specialist infrastructure services, the organisation actively engages with and support 320+ members, which range from tiny volunteer-led self-help groups through to local and regional charities delivering projects to the benefit of large numbers of Derbyshire residents.

Debbie joins the DVA team to play a key role in the ‘Feeling Connected in North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield’ project – an initiative to improve local approaches to tackling social isolation and reducing the impact of loneliness.

Debbie, who describes herself as a ‘people person,’ has nine years’ experience of working in the voluntary and community sector, most recently as a Project Coordinator at Age Concern Chesterfield and District, where she was responsible for the ‘Active Age’ project.

In her new role, she will work out and about in communities across Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire, supporting residents and communities to create and take up opportunities to be better socially connected.

Debbie says, ‘My role is about building relationships with people who want to make a difference in their street, estate, village, town or workplace – and to be responsive in helping them in whatever way they need. It’s a challenging time to be starting a job like this, but even in lockdown there are many ways we can all keep our spirits up and continue to connect with family, friends and the people who live around us.’

If you have ideas about keeping your community connected this winter, Debbie would love to hear from you. Call her on 07547 342251, email debbie@dva.org.uk or find her on Facebook: FeelingConnectedNEDC.

Derbyshire Voluntary Action supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

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Chesterfield wellbeing centre ready to bounce back from pandemic

Staff at a state-of-the-art wellbeing centre based in Chesterfield say they ‘cannot wait to be back,’ after facing setbacks due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

360 Wellbeing Centre, Chatsworth Road hosts a team of experts on all aspects of mental and physical wellbeing, both medical and complementary. The interior also features décor and artistry created by local artist Sally Anderson.

The centre hosted its grand opening just a month before the first coronavirus lockdown back in March, but had to put a number of big plans on hold as a result of the restrictions.

Managing Director, Samantha Woodcroft explains, it has not been easy: “We had so much planned, including a huge wellbeing event at the Chesterfield Technique Stadium for which we had already sold over 250 tickets. We were one of the first industries to be locked down and the last to reopen.”

However Samantha says she, along with her staff have still been busy behind the scenes further improving the centre and expanding its range of treatments: “It’s extremely frustrating but we’ve used our time wisely, we have developed an exceptional range of wellbeing products and CBD oils, our staff and nurses have been on additional training to add cutting edge treatments to the clinic.”

She added: “The residents of Derbyshire certainly have a fantastic health facility available to them and we’re back even stronger and ready to offer a service.”

Nutritional Director Kelly Hopley added: “Our success stories with clients have been superb and we really cannot wait to be back. Health & Wellbeing is a passion for our team and it is truly worrying the effect Covid is having in so many ways on the local community. We want to be able to support our community to stay well & healthy.”

“The treatment menu is bursting with therapies such as IV vitamin drips, colon hydrotherapy, expert facial treatments and psychotherapy not forgetting a full range of complementary treatments and ear irrigation. Chesterfield Champions can also benefit from 10% off.”

The clinic has recently added the ‘Hear to listen’ campaign giving clients access to a team of experts who specialise in all things mental health from anxiety and depression to PTSD. For more information on the cente, you can contact the team on 01246 938948 or by email: info@360wellbeingcentre.co.uk

360 Wellbeing Centre supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

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Chesterfield companies and local school children set to support Vulcan XH558’s Operation Safeguard

A new innovative four-way partnership led by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTST) is set to inspire the next generation of engineers in a project that supports the Trust’s latest fundraising drive – Operation Safeguard.

The project will see CBE+, a specialist precision engineering sub-contractor, join forces with The Work-wise Foundation to engage with local schools who will all work together on a number of projects to help the VTST charity.

The Work Wise Foundation is an employer-inspired and led initiative for engineering, manufacturing, technology, set up to support the development of children and young people so they have the knowledge, skills, aptitude and opportunities for employment.

Dr Robert Pleming, CEO of VTST said: “We are thrilled to be announcing this partnership with Chesterfield based CBE+ and The Work-wise Foundation to bring a unique opportunity to young people, schools and colleges in the region.

“Inspiring young people into careers in aerospace and engineering is one of the fundamental principles guiding our charity.”

CBE+ are currently housing an original Fuel Tank (as used in the conversion of Vulcan to a tanker) and two spare original Delta Wing Tips form the stock of parts used to maintain the iconic British engineered Vulcan XH558, delivered by the Trust for preparation, restoration and subsequent display in The Vulcan Experience.

Robert added: “This is partnership working at its best. CBE+ are providing the workshop space, engineering innovation/adaptation and apprentices to help renovate the components in a modern engineering environment.

“The Work-wise Foundation are delivering an education programme with links to the curriculum, employability skills and managing visits and experiences for students and schools to get involved.

“The exhibits resulting from this work will eventually take pride of place at The Vulcan Experience, displaying the names of people who support us by donating to Operation Safeguard – the campaign to build our new home.”

XH558 is based at Doncaster Sheffield Airport and the VTST have planning permission to build a new permanent base for the aircraft. Operation Safeguard is their fundraising campaign to turn these ambitions into reality.

Marie Cooper, CEO of CBE+ said: “We are extremely pleased to be working with the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and The Work-wise Foundation on this project and cannot wait to get young people and apprentices involved in this innovative project.

“Taking delivery of the Fuel Tank and the Wing Tips was a very exciting moment for us and our engineers are keen to get to work on the restoration of these parts.

“Working with and inspiring young people into careers in STEM is so important for us. These are our future employees and we need to capture their attention when they are young so that they can see the potential of working in this sector.”

The Work-wise foundation will be working with schools to launch a competition that will see young people design the display stands to showcase the Fuel Tank and Wing Tips, the winning design will be translated into reality by CBE+.John Barber, CEO of The Work-wise Foundation said: “This is a really exciting partnership and we are proud to be working with both CBE+ and the Vulcan to the Sky Trust to bring this project to life.

“We will be working with primary and secondary schools to give students a first-hand experience of a real engineering renovation project in a modern industrial setting.

“Students will be able to learn about and see the work to restore and bring back to practical use the Fuel Tank and Wing Tips of the iconic Avro Vulcan Bomber XH558. Seeing and hearing from a team of Vulcan Engineers (Volunteers) and current apprentices.

“There will be a number of opportunities for students to learn practical skills and learn about all the jobs involved in working in aviation and engineering and the skills that are needed.”

The Work-wise Foundation supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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New international scale tourism destination, PEAK, selects Green Biofuels as construction fuel partner

PEAK, a phased development of an all year leisure, education, wellness, and entertainment destination based on 300 acres of reclaimed parkland at the edge of the Peak District National Park and Chesterfield, has selected the UK’s leading provider of HVO fuel, Green Biofuels, as the sole provider of fuel for the construction of the site in order to fulfil its journey to sustainability from the outset.

The multi-million-pound development will include the UK’s first fully-serviced national park gateway linked to a resort and educational campus. With the principles of sustainable tourism at its core, PEAK will offer domestic and international tourists experiences based around nature, culture, heritage, and activity in the Peak District and its environs. Overnight and short stay accommodation will be available in hotel, hostel and lodge formats.

The first development at PEAK, the Summit is underway and will open 2021. In line with Summit Resort and Development’s sustainability agenda, the construction compound, machines and equipment will be fuelled with Green Biofuels’ low emission high performance paraffinic alternative fuel. All vehicles delivering fuel to the site, and all construction vehicles on site will run on Green D+, which is a drop-in diesel alternative, requiring no changes to engines. Green Biofuels is supporting PEAK’s environmental commitment by supplying the site with a 35,000-litre tank to hold the fuel, in order to reduce emissions resulting from fuel deliveries to a site.

Independent tests at the Millbrook specialist vehicle testing facility have shown that compared to standard diesel emissions, Green D+ has up to an 85% reduction in particulates, and up to a 30% reduction in Nitrogen Oxides, thanks to a special additive not found in any other HVO fuel. This means that emissions contributing to climate change are reduced, as well as pollution affecting the local air quality. The emissions savings at the Summit construction site will be monitored and results announced over the duration of construction.

Gateway developer, Milligan, has appointed Cundall as its key advisor on sustainability and transport, working alongside Birchall Properties the landowner and strategic partners the Peak District National Park Authority, Chesterfield Borough Council and the University of Derby.

Alongside its regional attractions PEAK has planning permission for up to 2000 hotel rooms and 250 chalets. The overnight and short stay accommodation will be delivered in phases and in a range of formats from 5-star hilltop hotel with lodges, to village centre hotels with hostel accommodation. The aim is to deliver the quality and scope of accommodation and hospitality more familiar with an international ski resort.

Magnus Hammick, COO of Green Biofuels, said: “Green Biofuels is hugely proud to be on the journey toward sustainability with PEAK right from the start. As one of the UK’s largest privately funded construction projects, this partnership is especially important because it proves how easy it is for large-scale sites to instantly cut their emissions and protect local air quality with small and strategic changes. Ensuring low pollution is especially important at a site like PEAK because of its proximity to the National Park, so we have introduced a super-tank of 35,000 litres to supply the site, thereby reducing emissions from multiple fuel deliveries.

“This is a major commitment to clean air from the private sector, and I sincerely hope to see the Government making green construction practices a rule, so that our other national flagship projects are also built as sustainably as possible.”

The green ambitions of the project have attracted world renowned adventurer and polar pioneer, Robert Swan OBE. Through his ambassadorship of the Summit, Robert seeks to empower and enable people from all walks of life to participate in sustainability through their leisure activities and adventures.

Robert Swan OBE, said: “After everything I have seen and experienced, I have to say I am truly impressed and excited by what Green Biofuels are doing and what they will do for the green footprint of the PEAK construction.

“Now that the journey to sustainability at PEAK has begun, it is essential to take meaningful and strategic steps to ensure every choice is considered and weighed up against its environmental impact. It is for this reason that I am very encouraged to see PEAK select Green Biofuels as its construction fuel partner.”

Mark Hutchings, COO of Summit Resorts & Developments, said: “We as a company and indeed as individuals are passionate about our environment and the world in which we live. We want our legacy to be not only to provide something truly special for the local community and visitors to the area, but to deliver that in a way we can truly say is the most environmentally friendly way we possibly could. We believe that using Green D+ in every aspect of our operation from fuelling the plant and machinery on site to providing the power for our site cabins to run is a huge step towards achieving this.

“We are proud to be part of one of the largest developments in the U.K. at the moment that is adopting such a policy, and we believe that by doing this we will hopefully set a precedent for others to follow.”

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East Midlands can be at forefront of UK’s “green industrial revolution”, says Chamber

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of a £4bn green plan to tackle climate change and create jobs in the low-carbon economy, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) chief executive Scott Knowles said: “On the face of it, today’s announcement is just the type of bold vision the UK needs in order to seriously rebuild our economy with a greener tint.

“It signals that these are the sectors where businesses need to invest in the future, while it should remove some of the financial barriers that have so far prevented many firms from switching to the low-carbon economy – although questions remain about whether the £4bn funding from Government is anywhere near sufficient to truly stimulate a green revolution.

“This news comes hot on the heels of the Chamber’s Sustainable East Midlands campaign, which was launched last week to highlight the benefits in embracing the sustainability agenda to the region’s businesses, while acting as a new hub for signposting companies to the support available to them.

“We’re excited to hear more about this from Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, the Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, at our East Midlands Energy Summit tomorrow (Thursday 19 November), an event that will place sustainability at the top of the agenda for the region’s post-Covid economy.

“We believe the Government’s UK Net Zero 2050 vision plays into our region’s strengths as the East Midlands has all the pieces of the sustainability jigsaw – the high energy users in manufacturing, energy producers in our coalfield heritage and new hi-tech businesses coming out of our world-leading universities – putting us in a position to be at the forefront of delivering a low-carbon economy.

“In research conducted with the University of Derby that preceded the campaign, we found that engagement with this subject is quickly rising in the East Midlands but there remains a yawning gap in awareness.

“The percentage of businesses deriving turnover from low-carbon and pro-environmental goods and services has nearly doubled between 2015 and 2020 – growing from 16% to 31% – and just over a third (35%) of businesses said they were integrating clean growth into their business plan.

“On the flip side, four in 10 businesses told us they didn’t feel well-informed about support for clean growth.

“This suggests the Government still has a lot to do in order to encourage more businesses to switch to the low-carbon economy by pushing on-the-ground activity to engage and support more firms – and making sure the financial incentives involved will make a tangible difference to their bottom line.

“Only then will it be realistic to achieve the targets set by the UK Net Zero policy and bring the exciting vision for a green industrial revolution to fruition.”

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Derbyshire County Councillors rally behind Ashgate Hospicecare with £33,500 grant

Ashgate Hospicecare, which provides specialist palliative and end of life care to adults and their families across North Derbyshire, has been awarded £33,500 in grant funding as the charity seeks to plug the £2.4 million financial deficit caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Following an application to Derbyshire County Council’s Membership Community Leadership Scheme, which allocates a budget to each of their 64 county councillors to be used to support projects in their Division, the charity will receive £33,500.

The substantial grant will contribute towards the running costs of their 21 bed Inpatient Unit, which provides complex care to those living with a life-limiting illness. In addition to enhanced infection control costs and general overheads, the grant will also be used to help fund a special Christmas Day dinner with all the trimmings for patients.

Barbara-Anne Walker, Chief Executive at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support offered to us by the members of the Community Leadership Scheme. This donation will help us to continue delivering our care over the coming winter months and allow our patients and their families to make the most of the time they have together.

“Grants such as this one will help to make a difference and are gratefully received by us all at Ashgate. The grant is even more significant as we find ourselves amid a second nationwide lockdown.

“We are anxiously awaiting the decision from NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) about whether they will commit to the long-term funding we urgently need to support our existing services.”

The grant was supported by seven County Councillors who chose to allocate part of their budgets to the hospice. This included Ron Mihaly (£1000) Jean Innes (£1500) Stuart Brittain (£2000) Dave Allen (£1000) Mick Wall (£4600) and Helen Elliott (£10000) and Sharon Blank (£13400).

Councillor Mick Wall, deputy leader of Derbyshire County Council’s Labour opposition, said: “When I saw the news about the financial impact that the COVID pandemic was having on Ashgate Hospice, I quickly contacted the charity to see how we, as local Councillors, could help most quickly and effectively. We just had to help because we know how much Ashgate Hospice does to support and care for people in all of our local communities.”

Following the financial crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, Ashgate Hospicecare have launched an urgent Winter Crisis Appeal, encouraging their local community to help them care for patients through their most difficult winter yet.

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