We’ve been making the most of the sunshine at the CVS, with a bit of time off in the garden for some or to pastures further a-field, for others. We hope you have been able to make the most of the fine weather.

Back ‘in the office’ – Janet has been working hard to prepare for a semi retirement and on more then one occasion has talked about what she might help with ‘as a volunteer’ for the CVS. This is dangerous talk!

On the subject of volunteering, as you know, we share a number of volunteer vacancies on the DDCVS website on a regular basis. If you are looking to offer your time, or your group is looking for volunteers, we would encourage you to contact Gaynor Atkins at Connex Community Support as she will be able to advertise your vacancy on the ‘DO IT’ website and / or match your interests with a local role.

If you are new to being a Trustee for a voluntary organisation / charity, please take note of the session that we are running on the 6th July on Zoom.

We like to think our Zoom Coffee Mornings are a useful source of information for Derbyshire Dales Volunteers, and we ask that you please spread the word about them! They are every other Thursday on Zoom at 10.30, our next one is on the 2nd July and our speakers are Lynn Stone from Connex Community Support and Tim Larden from Ladbrook Insurance.

We had an excellent round to the Better Derbyshire Dales Fund recently and funded all 9 applicants, albeit with reduced awards for some, due to the constraints of the funds available. Our next round closes on 23rd July – and we look forward to supporting more Dales groups, activities and community buildings. Please contact Sarah or Jonathan for an application pack – email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk or telephone 01629 812154.

If you would like to arrange a face to face meeting with a member of staff at our office base in Bakewell, please make an appointment beforehand, as social distancing measures are in place in the office which means we are limited to how many people can be in at any one time – thank you.

With a delay in the final easing of restrictions, cases of Covid-19 rising and surge testing in some areas of Derbyshire you might have some questions, concerns or just need more information. The Community Voice project continues to share the latest updates from Derbyshire County Council and the Government and is here for you and your community.

  •  Do you need more information about vaccinations?

  •  Not sure what you currently can and can’t do?

  •  Having difficulties seeing your GP?

Join us at the next forum on Friday 25th June at 10.00am – an opportunity to ask questions and share your what is happening in your community.

Email rachel@ddcvs.org.uk for the Zoom Link or telephone 01629 812154

Download the latest Community Voice newsletter.

The Peak District Partnership is set to deliver the latest of its annual Think Tanks on July 1st.

The theme for this year’s online event is ‘community collaboration in driving a social enterprise agenda as a vehicle for shaping the Peak District in the post-pandemic world’ and speakers will include experts who have supported the establishment of many community businesses, as well as those who have gone through the process of setting up their own social enterprises.

The aim is to discuss the opportunities and challenges likely to be faced by those who may want to establish a community business or social enterprise within the Peak District and to provide practical tips and advice.

Anyone who may be interested in setting-up a community business or social enterprise, is therefore encouraged to contact the organiser via peakdistrictpartnership@outlook.com and register to attend this free event.

Trustees are sometimes called Board Members, Committee member or Governors.

A Trustee plays a key role in a voluntary organisation.

You don’t run the day-to-day activities of the charity, but you do shape and support the organisation. Being a Trustee is a great way to give back to an organisation that you care about, helping to ensure it follows its aims and keeps financially sound.

We are hosting an information session about roles and responsibilities of a Trustee, this will be on Zoom and is free.

To book your place please email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk

Or telephone 01629 812154.

This informal Zoom session is for small community groups. We will talk you through running your AGM, either in person, or virtually and provide a checklist of things you need to agree.

To book your slot please email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk

Does your village hall or community building need to some extra support to recover from the lockdown restrictions? Rural Action Derbyshire can offer FREE help to those struggling to re-open safely!

Thanks to funds from Foundation Derbyshire, RAD can give dedicated support to community buildings that have real concerns of the effects that Covid-19 has on their hall.

If you would like support with becoming Covid-secure or if you are worried about the future sustainability of your hall please speak to RAD.

If you are interested in a free onsite consultancy to help you to re-open safely and get your hall back on track, please get in touch vis this online form – https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CHQX8XZ

Along with good policies, and the right kind of legal structure, insurance is a vital part of any well-run voluntary organisation. Every organisation should have insurance that is appropriate for the kind of work it does, the volunteers and staff it employs, and the kind of clients it is working with.

Always seek advice from a reputable broker when obtaining insurance, and also inform your insurance company of changes that might affect the types and levels of insurance that you hold. Don’t make assumptions about insurance: always seek advice.

Download our list of Community Group Insurers

Why not join us at our next Coffee Morning on 2nd July where our speaker will be Tim Larden from Ladbrook Insurance.

Email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk or the Zoom Link.

The Farming Life Centre will be joined by Derbyshire Police Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster for a live question and answer session on rural crime.

Please send your questions, in advance to Rachel Metcalfe at the Farming Life Centre. Send via email: info@thefarminglifecentre.org.uk or call 07969 951101.

For details on how to join the event live visit the what’s on section of  www.thefarminglifecentre.org.uk

Deaf-initely Women is proud to be working in partnership with local charities in response to deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing people being treated unfairly in work or when accessing goods and services.

Derbyshire Law Centre, British Deaf Association, Communication Unlimited and Cloisters’ Chambers have joined forces with Deaf-initely Women to deliver an accessible online workshop to inform deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing people of their rights in work and when accessing goods & services.

Sarah Tupling, Chairperson of Deaf-initely Women, said: “This is timely as the lockdown has been catastrophic for many deaf people unable to access services because they cannot use the phone. Imagine living alone in a world of silence not being able to hear the radio or TV nor see anyone nor access services, it is no wonder that mental health has impacted many deaf people. I like to thank Derbyshire Law Centre and Cloisters Chambers to agreeing to meet us all on Zoom online to tell us how discrimination law works.”

Lisa Haythorne, a Solicitor who specialises in discrimination law, said: “I have seen many deaf people who have been discriminated against but are unaware of their rights in discrimination law. Due to their deafness and the lack of captions/subtitles and sign language interpreting support, they miss out a lot in getting information on their rights. For the past two months we have been working in partnership with three local deaf charities to make this happen.”

Robin Ash, Access and Inclusion Officer from the British Deaf Association has been actively supporting the Deaf Community to challenge and fight for their rights to access services. He has been managing a BSL Helpline for the East Midlands supporting Deaf people to share their experiences when trying to access services such as GPs when they only offer a telephone number as the main method of contact or telephone appointments at the hospitals. Robin has been instrumental in advocating the need for Deaf people to share their experiences and challenge providers who are not providing BSL interpreters. Robin is very much looking forward to facilitating this workshop.

Molly O’Brien, who is deafblind herself, works at Deaf-initely Women said “I am fortunate to be working in an inclusive workplace. Many deaf and deafblind people are excluded from gaining employment and are treated unfairly at work and in society, due to lack of understanding, awareness and support.”

The Zoom online workshop will take place on Thursday 15th July 2021, 2pm – 4pm which is FREE for all deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing and hearing-impaired people. The workshop being jointly delivered and supported by British Deaf Association, Communication Unlimited, Deaf-initely Women, Derbyshire Law Centre, and Cloisters Chambers with support from two British Sign Language interpreters and captioners/subtitling support from two speech to text operators.

To book your place on the workshop, visit: Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/154705062 ...
Contact details can be found on www.deafinitelywomen.org.uk

Rural Action Derbyshire is offering further SAT dates.

RAD’s training aims to increase awareness around the subject and to help remove the stigma which can be a barrier for those who need help and support in a time of crisis. This free training is supported by funding from Derbyshire County Council.

The sessions are both individual online e-learning and a group virtual training session delivered via Zoom. The e-learning consists of three short modules which take approximately 1 hour to complete in total and which MUST be completed prior to attending the half-day group virtual training. This training package enables participants to:
• Examine their own and society’s attitudes to suicide
• Find out about (and challenge) the myths that surround suicide
• Discover possible suicide risk factors and warning signs
• Find out how they might help someone at risk of suicide
• Share learning with other people working and volunteering in Derbyshire

Only available for people in Derbyshire (excluding Derby City) working either in a paid or voluntary capacity with the public (particularly vulnerable groups at greater risk of suicide and self-harm) or acting as community representatives.

Please note that registering your place on Eventbrite does not guarantee a place for you on the course. Registrations will be reviewed to ensure that places are given to delegates who meet the above criteria.

To see availability and request a place please follow the links below for each date and complete the registration process. A link to the e-learning will be sent to you when your place is confirmed.

Wednesday 14th July 2021 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/157027779 ...
Monday 19th July 2021 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/157029059 ...
Wednesday 21st July 2021 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/157026846 ...

Best regards

Claire