News & Developments

Tell us about your experience of the last few extraordinary months, and what support you need – and win a £25 supermarket voucher!

Closing date 31 July 2020

>>> www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3D2020 

We want to hear community groups, voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises of all kinds and all sizes, from all parts of Derby City and Derbyshire. 

This includes established organisations (whether or not you have been able to provide services during the lockdown), as well as new informal mutual aid / neighbourhood groups; and faith organisations, parish councils and food banks responding to the crisis.

All completed surveys will be entered into a draw to win 1 of 3 x £25 supermarket vouchers!

We want to find out, capture and share:

• All the good work that you have been doing to make sure that people affected by COVID, especially the most vulnerable, have been supported.
• What you have learned and experienced.
• What the impact has been on your organisation.
• Crucially, we also want to know what support and resources you will need in future, so that we can make sure that you get this.

The survey should take about 20 minutes, and will ask questions about:

• Your organisation (what you do, where you work, who you support and your annual income).
• What you have been doing (if anything) to support people during COVID (including the kinds of support you have provided, the numbers of people you have helped and the number of volunteers who have been involved). 
• The impact of COVID on your organisation, including your income, staff (if any), volunteer numbers, levels of demand, needs and geographical differences.
• Your experience of COVID – what the challenges have been, what you have learned – and what support you will need going forward.

Click here to start the survey www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3D2020 

This survey is being carried out by the 3D (Third Sector Support for Derbyshire) network of local CVS, Volunteer Centres and other local voluntary sector support organisations working in partnership with public sector colleagues.

High Peak CVS are working in collaboration with our partners at The Bureau, New Mills and District Volunteer Centre and Connex Community Support to collate information locally and so we can support you and the local community together.

If you have any questions, or if would rather complete the survey on paper or as a Word document, or if you need someone to help you fill it in please email: 3derbyshire@gmail.com

If you have any particular queries related to the High Peak please contact us at: hello@highpeakcvs.org.uk  

Due to the current situation this Forum will be held online via Zoom.

The agenda includes:

Mental Health and Wellbeing during the pandemic, James Creaghan, Public Health Lead for Mental Health, Derbyshire County Council

State of the Sector (Voluntary and Community updates and feedback), Join us to reflect on the last 3 months impact on local groups and communities, plans to move forward and lessons learnt

Test and Trace, Jane Careless and Abid Mumtaz, Derbyshire County Council will update us on how test and trace is developing in Derbyshire

Question Time Panel, Q & A session with the morning’s speakers and some additional key panel members tbc. If you have a question you would like to ask about any of the agenda items please email these to info@dva.org.uk by Friday 17 July. The Question Time Panel will have sight of any questions submitted prior to the Forum, this is with the aim of making the Forum run efficiently.

If you would like to attend, please register through Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.com/e/derbyshire-voluntary-action-health-social-care-voluntary-sector-forum-tickets-111798678858

Each person attending must be booked on separately via Eventbrite. The name/email used to book must be for the person attending. If you can no longer attend please cancel your place to allow others to book. The Zoom link to access the meeting will be sent to you before the Forum – when you receive this link please do not share it with anyone else.

If you need any further information contact info@dva.org.uk

www.ashbournect.org.uk/contact

Social distancing has become the norm for all of us. Keeping in touch through Zoom, telephone, email, and Snapchat are all good ways to communicate, but what says "Hello", "Welcome" and "Be happy" better than a banner. The Soroptimist dynamic S logo has been created by joint President Jo, and is a part of Buxton's colourful display.

Soroptimists everywhere send best wishes to people who are isolating, shielding and caring.

The changes include making some pavements wider by taking away a small number of parking bays, making some roads one way or closed to give more space for shoppers or offer a safe cycling and walking route, and putting up signs reminding people to keep their distance from others.

Towns that have now had changes made include:

• Ashbourne
• Bakewell
• Belper
• Buxton
• Chesterfield
• New Mills
• Ripley

www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news-events/news-updates/news/we-make-changes-to-town-centres-across-derbyshire.aspx

Residents must book an appointment to visit their library if it is one of those set to reopen, and people are being urged not to turn up without having arranged their appointment first.

www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news-events/news-updates/news/county-libraries-to-roll-out-reopening-with-safety-a-priority.aspx

The service is delivered by Remploy and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions.

• Specialist advisers provide:
• Tailored work-focused mental health support for nine months
• Suitable coping strategies
• A support plan to keep them in, or return to work
• Ideas for workplace adjustments to help them fulfill their role
• Practical advice to support those with a mental health condition.

If you or your colleagues would like support, call us now on 0300 456 8114 or email a2wmhss@remploy.co.uk

www.remploy.co.uk/employers/mental-health-and-wellbeing/workplace-mental-health-support-service-employers

During these COVID19-affected times, there will be no closing date for applications.  They aim to get back to you with a decision within two weeks of receipt of your form. 

The maximum amount you can apply for is £1,000, but grants awarded are likely to be in the region of £500-£600.  Applications will be paused or closed if necessary.

Groups can only receive funds from this scheme once in any 12 month period – therefore if you have previously received a Derbyshire Voluntary Action Small Grant you have to wait a year before applying again.  

dva.org.uk/small-grants

Numbers using foodbanks have increased hugely and presenting reasons have changed.  People awaiting furlough payments from struggling employers, self-employed people and families awaiting school meal vouchers are among those now needing emergency food aid. The three foodbanks are gearing up to cope with more demand as people start to lose jobs when the furlough scheme is withdrawn.

Generosity across the High Peak from individuals, businesses and organisations given as food and money has kept the foodbanks open and able to support those in need. Volunteers from other organisations like Buxton Street by Street and Chapel en le Frith Covid 19 Mutual Aid have been helping to distribute much needed food parcels.

To use a foodbank in the High Peak, people generally need a referral. These are available from any kind of support, health or social worker, Citizens Advice etc. One self-referral is allowed but after that recipients of food parcels usually must be working with a service that will help resolve the underlying cause of emergency food need.

The three foodbanks referral numbers are:

High Peak Foodbank  @Zink  (Buxton, Chapel, Hope Valley, Hartington, Bakewell): 07811 684299

Helping Hands Foodbank (New Mills, Whaley Bridge, Furness Vale, Hayfield, Chinley and Buxworth): 07425 177999

Glossopdale Foodbank (Glossop, Hadfield, Gamesley, Tintwistle): refer to children’s centres in Glossop or Hadfield or The Pantry in Gamesley. 

As things are getting back to normal, foodbanks are ready to offer support to people so they no longer need emergency food. 

High Peak Foodbank is part of Zink. 

Advice @Zink will help people sort out problems related to benefits, housing, finance, furloughing etc; contact: julie@zink.org.uk.  

Employability @Zink can help people get work, training, education or go self-employed; contact: jane@zink.org.uk. 

Glossopdale foodbank’s Citizen’s Advice worker is on hand to help, contact: ghazala.darr@ddcab.org.uk   

At the very beginning of the pandemic, High Peak CVS put together a database of services and organisations that could offer support to those that needed it the most. This has been an essential tool for individuals and professionals to refer into and has been shared amongst the local community and our partners. As guidance changes and society slowly but surely tries to return to some form of normality, we recognise the importance of still being available for support for those that need it. Whether it’s continuing support that has developed during lockdown or new issues that arise during this recovery process, we wanted to ensure that if anyone needs support they know where to look.

So, our database is still available and can be accessed here: highpeakcvs.org.uk/directory.asp 

We will be working hard on continuing to update this with changes in services and new support that becomes available over the coming weeks and months. If your group or organisation is offering help to those during this period please do let us know and we can get you added to this directory. If your services have changed please do notify us. Most importantly, if you need some help or advice please do make use of the resources available or if you can’t find what you’re looking for get in touch and we can help.  

In addition to this, we have adapted our social media accounts to offer a new ‘Community Recovery’ group and thread to publicise the support that is out there across the district. Our original community response campaign was hugely successful and helped engage more people into the incredible work going on in the High Peak. Please do join these groups and share any information that you feel can help.

These can be accessed here:

Facebook - www.facebook.com/groups/2878019722241277/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter – twitter.com/HPCVS/status/1274990820874244100

Once again, thank you to every individual, volunteer, group and organisation that has worked so hard to help us all through this pandemic. There are still going to be many challenges ahead but by working together we can all ensure that those that need support can get it. 

Take Care - James Bromley, Chief Executive at High Peak CVS