community news 2023 01 23

Apply for a Derbyshire Grant
Are you part of a community group, club, local charity or non-profit organisation in Derbyshire?

If you are, your group could benefit from a Derbyshire Grant, just like Chinley community shop pictured above. As a result, the shop bought special refill scales and food dispensers, as well as heating, flooring and an access ramp.

The deadline for this round of medium Derbyshire Grants (£1,000 to £20,000) is the end of this month.

Applications must meet one or more of our five priorities:

*people to feel safe and included in their local community
*promote positive behaviours for young people and residents
*be green and sustainable
*increase civic participation and deliver community identified priorities
*be physically active and make positive lifestyle choices.

Small grants of up to £1,000 as well as larger ones of between £20,000 and £50,000 are up for grabs. There are even exceptional grants of more than £50,000.

To find out more please visit the Derbyshire County Council website.

Get ready for Time to Talk Day
Time to Talk Day on Tuesday 2 February is a great excuse to check in with friends and see how they're doing.

The idea behind the day is that it gives us all a chance to open up about how we're feeling.

To get ideas and advice on how to start a conversation about mental health and emotional wellbeing, visit our Time To Talk page.

To find out more please visit the Mind website.

Fifth bird flu outbreak
Do you keep chickens or other birds? Make sure you register your birds and brush up on how to stop the spread of bird flu.

An outbreak of avian flu has been confirmed in a backyard flock near Bakewell in the Derbyshire Dales.

The case is the fifth outbreak to be confirmed in the county since April 2022.

Our trading standards officers are working closely with emergency planning and highways colleagues, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to control the outbreak.

Our highways officers will be putting road signs in place to warn people.

To find out more please visit the Derbyshire County Council website.

Covid-19 Community Fund
The response the to COVID-19 pandemic has seen many organisations across Derbyshire working to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable residents are met.

The COVID-19 Community Fund aims to support voluntary and community sector organisations by providing much needed funding.

Applications are reviewed by the panel on a regular basis. The fund will close on 31 March 2023, but we would recommend that organisations submit their application as soon as possible.

To find out more please visit the Derbyshire County Council website.

Go-ahead for Ashbourne transformation

Along with our partners, we've been successful in gaining £15m from the Government to improve Ashbourne town centre.

The project will transform a number of public spaces including Market Place, Victoria Square, Millennium Square and Shrovetide Walk. The money will also pay to turn the Methodist Church into a multi-purpose community building. The hub will provide a wide range of event and meeting spaces, a performance venue and flexible work areas with high quality digital provision.

And new traffic management plans will transform the pedestrian experience in Ashbourne by widening pavements and providing new and improved crossings.

Derbyshire County Council's Deputy Leader, Councillor Simon Spencer, said: "I am delighted that we have been successful in gaining this money through the Levelling up fund.

"Everyone involved worked hard to submit a very strong bid, and by involving organisations from across the town this has proved to be successful. I look forward to the plans now becoming reality, which will make some really important changes to Ashbourne town centre and be welcomed by local people and our visitors alike."

Partners in the project include Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council, AshCom and Ashbourne Methodist Church.

To find out more please visit the Derbyshire Dales District Council website.

People at heart of new Adult Care Strategy
We want to ensure everyone can lead their best life in Derbyshire which is why we're putting people at the heart of our adult social care services.

We're transforming the way we work to ensure we focus on people's strengths and abilities based on choices that are important to them.

Our new Best Lives Strategy also aims to remove inequality while ensuring we continue to deliver our statutory services.

The strategy has been developed after speaking to people about how they want to live and we'll continue to work with charities, community and voluntary sector organisations to find the best way of supporting people who need our services.

To find out more please visit the Derbyshire County Council website.

Find out more information about Derbyshire by visiting www.derbyshire.gov.uk, Derbyshire County Council