This week we have a Christmas Coffee Morning planned for Thursday 17th December, please email Jonathan Simcock for the Zoom link – jonathan@ddcvs.org.uk

At this coffee morning we will be welcoming Anthony Savage, Census Engagement Manager for North Derbyshire from the Office for National Statistics, to talk about the next census. The next census will be mostly online and therefore quite different from previous ones!

We will be also welcoming Paul Morgans, Bakewell Town Councillor and Bakewell Town Mayor who wishes to discuss possibilities for a Carer Support Group in Bakewell. This will be the last DDCVS Coffee morning until after the Christmas holidays. The first one in 2021 being scheduled for Thursday 14th January. So if you are not able to join us we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

If you have joined a Zoom or two of ours before then you will most likely have heard from Jo Briggs from Age UK Derbyshire and Derbyshire’s Strictly No Falling programme. Here is a short video from the team to bring some Christmas cheer! https://youtu.be/GleeTKmhLzM

We have been planning information sessions for the New Year, and there will be a couple of funding talks from staff, to explain the process of applying to both the Five Ways to Well-being small grant scheme and the Better Derbyshire Dales Fund. We will also have a talk from the National Lottery Community Fund. Read more about all events further on in our newsletter.

We have updated our list of grant-schemes and you can download the PDF here.

We continue to work a mixture of remotely and in the office so the answerphone, post-box and email address are checked regularly. Please ring or email in advance if you need to arrange to come in to see us as the picture can change. Contact the team on 01629 812154 or email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk

Back in April 2020, which now seems a lifetime ago, Friends of Hurst Farm hosted a community partners meeting in response to the emerging COVID-19 situation, with the partnership working to create a new project to provide the accessible supply of affordable fresh fruit & vegetables/store cupboard food to all households on the Hurst Farm Estate in Matlock.

The project ‘Food for Friends’ involved the registration of households to enable access to a weekly ‘Fruit & Veg Box’ at a subsided cost of £7. Each box included fresh fruit and vegetable from a local wholesaler along with eggs, bread and an allocation of FareShare surplus supermarket food.

Following a succession of successful funding opportunities, the project ran for a total of 6 months during which time:
178 Hurst Farm households registered and 1803 boxes were collected over the 26 week period

The project provided the community an opportunity to socialise safely via volunteering opportunities and a COVID-19 customer safe environment.

You can read more via this link to the presentation delivered by Louise Champion (DDCVS Community Development Manager – Hurst Farm Estate) at our recent DDCVS AGM.

The Media Trust is delighted to be offering 20 charities free expert digital communications mentoring for 3-6 months from January 2021. This exciting new opportunity is part of the new Digital Skills Programme, supported by Google.org.

Whether your charity needs to build your digital marketing strategy or create engaging social media content, optimise your website, or identify and grow your audience online, one of the Media Trust’s digital mentors will be able to support you through the process from beginning to end.

The Trust is looking for applications from organisations whose work supports young people or adults into training, education or employment; provides support for people and families at risk of / or experiencing poverty caused by unemployment or campaigns for / supports people on low wages and insecure work and contracts.

Also, if your organisation provides information or training on staying safe online to children, schools or parents.

This work could include promoting the safe and responsible use of technology, as well as issues including online gambling, pornography, privacy, data and mental health.

Applications are prioritised from charities who work in areas of the UK that face high levels of unemployment.

Applications close on the 23rd December. For more information on the programme contact Grace, Programme Manager, at gracek@mediatrust.org.

Willing volunteers are sought to help with the work of the Imperial Rooms Good Food Lunch Club, and also with the Out and About Lunch Club in 2021.

Chris Smith is looking at the post Covid-19 period when she hopes to restart the clubs, and needs help with the club’s very important work. Most members of these clubs are retired residents of Matlock who very much look forward to their meals with friends and volunteers at the clubs.

There are various volunteer roles, such as serving food /washing up, helping members to their seats, as well as being a volunteer driver – to collect members of the Out and About Lunch Club on their visits to local cafes and eating places.

If you are interested, in the first instance you should contact Derbyshire Dales CVS by emailing enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk or by telephone 01629 812154.

Follow the link to read more about the clubs https://www.matlockoapclubs.co.uk/do-som ...

Funded by Derbyshire Dales Social Connectedness Fund, the ‘Grow and Gift’ kits – part of the Connecting Communities Project from Connection Space CIC – are great if your mood needs a boost or you just feel like looking after a new plant.

If you would like one delivered to your door please contact Mary or Robyn on 07450 195051 or 07774 309745 or email theconnectionspacecic@gmail.com

Our efficient and high-quality photocopying service is still running!

However, we must ask that you email your copy us with details of the job and we will contact you to arrange a time for collection or we will post it out to you.

At the moment, we are sorry but we cannot do ‘on-the-spot’ jobs. The main door is locked at the Agricultural Business Centre and access to collect anything is by appointment only.

Please email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk or phone 01629 812154 to discuss any printing jobs.

Below is a reminder of what we can do!

  •  High quality black & white or colour copying (A6, A5, A4, A3) for: newsletters; meeting papers; booklet making; flyers; programmes; orders of service; postcards; posters. No job is too small!

  •  We print on high quality, recycled 80gsm paper (with a range of colours available) or up to 250gsm (with notice).

  •  We also offer: Single or two sided; A3 banners up to 1.2 m long – ideal for posters and signage; Folder and centre-stapled booklets; A4 stapling and letter fold; Enlarge & reduce up to 400%; Sort, staple, and lamination.

The Better Derbyshire Dales Fund is in its fifth year of awarding small grants to voluntary and community groups in the Dales.

The fund is a mixture of money from the Derbyshire Dales District Council, the North Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Derbyshire County Council – Public Health.

Over the years it has funded all sort of projects and activities locally including contributing towards activities for members of the Parkinson’s UK Ashbourne branch, DBS checks, training and insurance for Wirksworth Junior Table Tennis Club, new chairs for Starkholmes Village Hall as well as the running costs of several lunch clubs.

The Better Derbyshire Dales Fund has quarterly rounds throughout the year with the next being Thursday 11th February 2021.

Voluntary organisations can apply for up to £5,000 of capital costs and/or £1,000 of revenue costs for their project.

If you would like to find out how to apply to the fund, please join us on Zoom and we will go through the application form, stage by stage, and answer your questions.

If you woud like to book a place please contact Jonathan Simcock or Sarah Paisley at Derbyshire Dales CVS on 01629 812154 or email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk

DDCVS’ Louise Champion will be hosting the next online network for anyone working (in a paid or voluntary capacity) with children and young people in the Derbyshire Dales.

Join us on Zoom to share skills, good practice and information.

Email louise@ddcvs.org.uk for the Zoom link.

This scheme is about increasing the understanding of the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ by people in the Derbyshire Dales who are at a higher risk of developing mental ill health.

The ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ are a recommended set of evidence-based public health messages which are aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of the population.

The ‘Five Ways’ are:

  •  Connect; Be Active; Take Notice; Keep Learning; Give.

The Zoom talk with DDCVS staff will take you through the application form and guidelines for the scheme. And there will be a chance to ask questions.

To book a place please contact DDCVS by email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk or call 01629 812154

Please join us on Zoom for a talk from a member of staff at the National Lottery Community Fund.

We hope this will be a useful session if you are thinking of applying to either Awards for All (smaller grants up to a max of £10,000) or the large grants from the Reaching Communities programme.

Please email enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk if you would like to join us and we will send through the Zoom link.