There was a packed itinerary for our Five Ways to Well-being participants in Bakewell at the end of November!

We learned about the five steps you can take to help improve your mental health and well-being, these are connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give.

We also shared information about the Derbyshire County Council Public Health’s small grants scheme for groups looking to do something that engages people in one or more of the five ways. This programme is county-wide and many of the grant schemes are administered by the local CVS.

In the Dales we decided to host an event to explain the idea behind the five ways, to bring agencies together as well as to encourage people to take a look at the grant scheme and see if it was something they might apply to.

The half-day went really well with representatives from the Volunteer Passport Scheme and Time-Swap – both County Council projects; Connex Community Support; Derbyshire Federation for Mental Health; Peak District National Park Authority Mindful Walks; Matlock Tai Chi, Freedom Leisure; Derbyshire Dales District Council Sports Development; Live Life Better Derbyshire and Derbyshire Eco Centre.

It was a bit of a rainy day (!) but several people braved the short walks organised by Peak Park and most stayed until the end for raffle of well-being related prizes!

Our next round for the Five Ways to Well-being small grants scheme closes on 31st March 2020. Application form and guidelines available to download here.

Are you struggling with the many roles and responsibility’s midlife can bring?

This free course is aimed at individuals aged  between 35 – 55 years who would like to gain skills and tools to both deepen their awareness around the impact that midlife is having on their lives and begin to use them within their everyday life.

Covering topics that impact on our midlife years such as stress and  relationships. Providing resources and techniques for finding the right balance and mindfully mastering life. The course aims to provide skills and information needed to help reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and low mood to enable you to feel more confident and pro-active within this stage of your life.

Dates & Times:

Wednesday’s at 1.00 – 3.00, January 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th, February 5th and 12th

Venue : The Derbyshire Federation for Mental Health Wellbeing Hub, Unit 7 Lime Tree Business Park, Matlock. DE4 3EJ

Spaces are limited.

For more information/to book a place – please contact Emma on 01629 733915.

Rural Action Derbyshire would like to encourage more halls in Derbyshire to host an OPEN DAY on Saturday 25th January, as part of Village Halls Week’s ‘National Open Day’. This is to celebrate the invaluable role that village halls play in rural communities across the country, but to also celebrate 100 years of the first village halls advisory service.

BBC ‘Inside Out’ series for the Midlands region is planning to film village halls during Village Halls Week 2020, so there is even a chance your Open Day might be featured on the programme!

Village Halls Week is a national celebration of village halls, their volunteers and the services that they offer their communities; the week runs from Monday 20th January to Sunday 26th January 2020.

Register your interest with Rural Action Derbyshire’s Village Halls Advisor, Helena Stubbs.

Contact details: – email h.stubbs@ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk or phone 01629 592973.

There will be National Lottery Community Fund workshop at Community Action Derby in the New Year.

The Awards for All programme offer grants of between £300 and £10,000 for work that helps improve local communities. The session is for groups that are planning to apply or are in the process of submitting a proposal. It will help you to: –

  •  Understand more about the programme and what you need to cover

  •  Understand what to include in the three main questions

  •  Know what groups need to have in place to be able to apply

  •  Help you to register the on-line application form

To book a place, please contact Liz Gumbley on 01332 227738 or email liz.gumbley@communityactionderby.org.uk

Citizens Advice Derbyshire Districts is offering free energy awareness training for frontline workers to help them give guidance on: –

• Accessing assistance such as the Warm Home Discount and Priority Service Register
• Accessing energy efficiency schemes and practical energy efficiency advice
• Switching and getting the best deal

These sessions can be fitted in around you, whether delivered in workers meetings or incorporated into existing training offers. The feedback DDCAB has received locally is consistently excellent, with 91% of frontline workers rating the content of sessions last year as either good or very good.

The Big Energy Saving Network is a project, made up of local community groups and charities across the United Kingdom, which aims to provide advice on energy saving in the home, switching energy suppliers, different energy tariffs and available support to help vulnerable households stay warm and lower energy bills. Last year, BESN helped over 19,000 consumers and trained 7,000 frontline workers across the country and our support remains crucial in 2019/20.

If you would like to know more about the project please contact Russell Bosanko on 07730 089670 or email russell.bosanko@ddcab.org.uk

Following the recent flooding in parts of Derbyshire and Derby City, Foundation Derbyshire is making financial grants to households, community groups and charities that were affected.

The Foundation’s Derbyshire Flood Relief Fund began making emergency grants of £200 to eligible households on 16th November. It has now launched Phase Two, which will award larger grants to assist people whose homes or premises were damaged by flooding, community and voluntary groups, and charities.

For more information on who is eligible for support and what they can apply for, please visit Foundation Derbyshire Flood Appeal

The Flood Relief Fund was established by donations made in response to the Derbyshire Flood Relief Appeal, following the sudden and unexpected flooding and rain water run-off that hit communities in the Derwent Valley, the City of Derby and other dales in the north of the County in November 2019.

The new Heritage Centre in Wirksworth is offering its flexible Studio space at special rates for local community organisations. The Centre offers offer mornings, afternoons and most evenings.
For more details and information about how to book, please get in touch at info@wirksworthheritagecentre.org, 01629 707000 or enquire at the front desk.