Chesterfield charities

Chesterfield Champions to get involved in Ashgate Hospice Sparkle Night Walk

Businesses in the town’s network of Chesterfield Champions are set to join thousands of people to raise funds for Ashgate Hospice this weekend.

The Sparkle Night Walk takes place each summer and sees people walking the 10km course through Chesterfield dressed in pink t-shirts and bunny ears.

The event helps to raise vital funds for the hospice, which provides end-of-life care for patients and support for their families.

Charlotte Butterworth, Events and Partnerships Manager at Ashgate Hospice, said: “We’re so grateful to all of the amazing businesses across North Derbyshire who will be taking part in our Sparkle Night Walk this year.

“The teams signing up and raising sponsorship for us will help fund care for the families who will need us now and in the future.

“We’ve had almost 3,000 people register for the event so far which is just incredible. We can’t wait to see so many of our supporters sparkling together on the big night.

“Let’s come together and do something amazing to raise funds towards vital palliative and end of life care in our region!”

Nick Hogan, Destination Chesterfield Board Member, commented: “It is great to see Chesterfield’s community coming together once again to raise funds for Ashgate Hospice.

“The work carried out by the hospice’s dedicated team to support people and families across our area is so important, therefore it is brilliant to see the community supporting this fantastic event.

“I would like to wish everyone taking part in the Sparkle Night Walk all the best on the night. I’m sure it will be another superb evening for our town.”

Find out more about some of the businesses in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire walking at this year’s event:

Banner Jones Solicitors

Four women stood outside office wearing pink shirts

Banner Jones is once again supporting Ashgate Hospice by participating in this year’s Sparkle Walk.

With a dedicated team of 16 participants, this is the fourth year that the law firm has participated in the event, having raised an impressive £1,500 in 2023, and around £1,000 in 2022.

Banner Jones Marketing Manager, Lynne Pope, said: “We are excited to be taking part in the Ashgate Hospice Sparkle Walk for the fourth year. It’s a charity close to our hearts.

“Having visited the hospice, I saw the quality of service and care provided to those who need it the most. We are proud to be raising money for this vital local service, to help it continue supporting the local community in such an important way.”

Further information about the Banner Jones team’s fundraising efforts can be found here.

NIBE

Group of people holding up signs and wearing pink t shirts

A member of the NIBE team is taking part in the walk, in memory of a colleague and friend who used to work for the company.

Alan Sanders said: “I will walk in memory of my good friend and work colleague Sven Ove, who passed just over a year ago.

Ashgate cared for him and others I know in their time of need, and it’s terrible to think that others in need may not be accommodated due to lack of funding. Please if you knew Svein, consider helping this vital service.”

Find out more on the team’s fundraising page here.

Graysons Solicitors

Sparkle Walk team - Graysons

Laura Cowan, head of Graysons’ private client team, said : “Everyone at Graysons Solicitors is buzzing with excitement as we gear up for the Sparkle Walk to support Ashgate Hospice in Chesterfield once more.

“Our team deeply values the opportunity to contribute to such a vital community cause. Last year’s event left a lasting impression on us all, and we are keen to create even more wonderful memories this year while raising crucial funds for the hospice.”

Donate to the team’s JustGiving page here.

Peak Pharmacy

Sparkle Night Walk 2023 Tom Hodgson Photographyby

Sparkle Night Walk 2023 by Tom Hodgson Photography

A team from Chesterfield’s Peak Pharmacy is set to take on the 10km course this Saturday.

Gillian Watters, P.A to the company’s Directors said: “Here at Peak Pharmacy, we wanted to focus our fundraising efforts on a local charity and chose to support Ashgate Hospice.  Being our local hospice care facility, many of us have personal experience of Ashgate caring for family and friends.

“The Ashgate fundraising team have done an excellent job helping collate our team registration details making it an easy team event for us to arrange.  We are very much looking forward to a fun evening with colleagues whilst raising money for such a worthy cause.”

Sponsor the team on it’s GoFundMe page.

Handelsbanken

handelsbanken ashgate fundraising team

Over the course of 2024, members of staff at Handelsbanken in Chesterfield will be undertaking a variety of activities to raise funds for Ashgate Hospice to support the incredible work they do.

In March, the team spent the day helping clear the woodland area in the hospice grounds for further redevelopment in the future to benefit the families using the hospice.

Throughout April, Handelsbanken Chesterfield collected new and pre-loved items for distribution to the hospice’s outlets in the local area.

Now, the team will be embarking on the 10km course to raise funds for Ashgate, and has already gone over a fabulous £4,500.

Donate to the team’s fundraising page here.

We Are Spaces

amy revell wearespaces

Chesterfield’s We Are Spaces will also be taking part in the walk. Find out more and donate to the team’s fundraising page at:

https://www.justgiving.com/team/wearespaces

 

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Chesterfield-based addictions charity to offer new services to residents

A Chesterfield charity which has supported local people for almost three decades has expanded its offer.

Derbyshire Alcohol Advice Service (DAAS) has been a primary source of alcohol support in Derbyshire for almost 30 years.  It began life as North Derbyshire Alcohol Advice Service, operating from a single room in Chesterfield with 3 part time counsellors.  It is now a county wide organisation with 30 staff and volunteers providing alcohol, drug and gambling support as well as running projects for our military veteran community.

The organisation has developed so dramatically over the last few years that the name is no longer fully representative of the work that they do.  Therefore, on 12th October 2023 they officially changed the name to Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service (DAAS).

Chair of Trustees John Ydlibi said: “When people hear our previous name, they assume alcohol support is all we offer, however, our scope is now so much more than that”.

DAAS, for the last 8 years been a key provider within Derbyshire Recovery Partnership, the commissioned drug and alcohol support service for adults in the county.  This service provides support for anyone affected by their own or someone else’s drug and/or alcohol use.

The organisation has been proud of its role in helping people get the support they require when they are struggling with their drug and alcohol use, supporting people to achieve a healthier, happier, and more productive future.

More recently, DAAS has begun offering support for those affected by other people’s gambling behaviour.  For every person whose gambling is a problem, there can be between 6 and 10 other people who are negatively affected… friends, children, family, colleagues.

GamCHAT will provide counselling and education to help friends and family to understand better what is happening, how they can best support the person experiencing problematic gambling and while protecting their own health and wellbeing.

To make people aware of the new name change and how the various projects offered by DAAS can support the residents of Derbyshire, the charity is holding several roadshow events across the County.

In North Derbyshire, these are in Shirebrook, Buxton and here in Chesterfield. These drop-in style events will provide the opportunity for employers, statutory and voluntary organisations, and members of the public to talk directly to staff involved and learn how we can support people struggling with drugs, alcohol or gambling as well as members of our veteran community.

John added: “We are proud to have our roots in Chesterfield and how our success here has allowed us to spread our services throughout Derbyshire.”

Roadshows

  • 12th December Shirebrook – Adult Education Centre, NG20 8PE 1.30 – 3.00pm
  • 14th December Buxton – Kents Bank Road, SK17 9HR 10.00 – 11.30am

To learn more, go to daas.uk.com/roadshows.

DAAS supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

DAAS Team Dec 2023

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Junction Arts intern progresses into apprentice role

Chesterfield-based community organisation Junction Arts is continuing it’s growth, by promoting intern Martha Bramwell into a full-time Projects Apprentice role.

Martha is now aiming to become a full-time projects assistant with Junction Arts, following the completion of her apprenticeship.

Originally starting with Junction Arts back in December 2020, Martha was looking to gain hands on experience within community arts to support her Foundation Art Course at Chesterfield College.

However, Hannah Bowdler, Relationship Fundraiser at Junction Arts explained how much of an impact the young intern made since joining the organisation: “Martha has made a huge impact on the charity. During her time with us, she has worked with each of our team members getting a wider understanding of the running of a community arts charity. With each person, she has shared her enthusiasm and energy making Junction Arts a truly positive place to work.

“Her direct impact on the charity includes, redesigning our new office layout in West Studios, after we downsized. It is now a welcoming and practical workspace for us to use as a hub for all our projects and activities.

“Project wise, Martha has been a vital deputy during projects including the Chesterfield Lantern Parade. Supporting a project coordinator to run a busy and complicated celebration event whilst learning what’s needed to make a large scale project successful.”

Hannah added that she was delighted to see the continued growth of the charity: “It’s a very exciting time for the charity, whilst in our 45th year Martha has enabled Junctions Arts to take the next steps to increase our capacity. Through her supportive role within the charity and with this soon to increase, the types of projects and number of communities we can work with and support has really increased in the years leading out of the pandemic.”

Martha expressed her delight at being taken on in a permanent capacity: “I am absolutely ecstatic to be offered a permanent role with Junction Arts. I can honestly say receiving the Job offer from our Managing Director, Paul, was one of the happiest moments in my life. As I feel I have worked really hard and this area is something I am really passionate about and I’m so excited for my future with Junction arts.

“Every day I’m surrounded by a supportive team who have individually worked with me trying to give me the best experience possible over the last 15 months.

“I love having roles in events and being with local communities. In December, I played a part in creating Chesterfield’s first lantern parade. I had an overwhelming sense of pride seeing all the lanterns made by school children and members of the community walk together from Queen’s Park into the town centre and will treasure this memory forever. After a difficult couple of years, I’ve never seen so many smiling faces in one place. At 19 years old, I feel so grateful that my days are filled with creativity, exciting projects and great people.

“I love the community we have here in Chesterfield and I think that’s what makes chesterfield such a great place to live, work and enjoy! I am very excited to see Chesterfield in the future and how it will develop into a town with creativity in every corner and street.”

Hannah added that the charity is now looking to further support young talent in the region by taking on a new intern: “Within the next month, we will start the process for advertising for a 1 year Internship from July 2022. It is currently an unpaid role of up to 15 hours a week, depending on the applicates availability. Applicants are to be 18yrs +.

“The Intern is positioned at the centre of the charity, with opportunities to work with all the team, support on projects and events, access to training and involved in the planning of projects. This is an entry level role into the creative/community arts/charity sector.

“We are actively looking for funding to make this a 2 day paid for position, as an investment into young people and new careers within the area.

“As a busy charity, we are always looking for volunteers on our events and projects to help them run smoothly and have a positive impact on those to attend. More details of volunteering with Junction Arts can be found here: https://junctionarts.org/volunteer/”

Junction Arts supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Junction Arts at the Tapton Lock Festival

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Love Chesterfield Community Market Launches

People are being invited to show their appreciation for local community and voluntary organisations which provided a lifeline during the pandemic, with the launch of a new Love Chesterfield Community Market event being held this summer.

The family-friendly day will give local charities, community and voluntary organisations a chance to promote their work and raise much-needed funds following the challenges of the last 18 months.

It is being organised by Chesterfield Borough Council as part of the new-look summer events programme, and will be a chance for local people to come together and say thank you for the vital support which these grassroots organisations provide to the borough’s residents.

Local groups are now being invited to book their free place at the market, which will be held in Chesterfield town centre on Tuesday 10 August.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy, said: “Over the last year the community and voluntary sector has been a lifeline for our community and this is our chance to thank them and to help support their fundraising efforts to ensure they can continue the incredible work that they do.”

There will be a variety of stalls, street food, walkabout entertainment and small funfair rides. A competition for the best dressed stall will also run on the day.

Regular market traders will also be able to book a place on the Market for just £10 per stall with all money raised going to the Mayor’s Appeal, which is raising funds for The Volunteer Centre – Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield Samaritans this year.

Local charity, voluntary and community organisations are being invited to take a free stall on the market to promote the work that they do and fundraise. Stalls will need to be prebooked in advance via www.chesterfield.gov.uk/markettrading.

The Love Chesterfield campaign is being run by the council and Destination Chesterfield to encourage people to discover or rediscover the great shopping and leisure experiences that the town centre and high streets have to offer, as restrictions continue to ease. People can find out more at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/love-chesterfield

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