News & Developments

Whether you are struggling to find the right health and care information, or you have an experience of care that services need to take action on, Healthwatch Derbyshire want to hear from you. 

Help with the latest local advice and information

NHS and Social Care services have had to change the way they are working in response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.  Joined Up Care Derbyshire (JUCD) is collating the latest local health service information in one place throughout the pandemic: joinedupcarederbyshire.co.uk/public-info-covid-19

Many people will not have family or friends to help them access information from the internet, thus needing alternative support to help find the right information. Call the Healthwatch Derbyshire team if you cannot access information from the Joined up Care Derbyshire website or you cannot locate the local health or social care information you need on the website - Tel: 01773 880786  Monday – Friday 10.00am  – 3.30pm.

www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/start-crowdfunding#criteria

During the COVID-19 outbreak, have you had to shift your focus? Have you had to adapt the way you run your charity? Is it challenging to correctly equip your staff/volunteers to work remotely? These are challenging times for many small charities.

That’s why for this quarter only Aviva, have broadened their ‘Aviva Community Fund’ criteria to include applications for covering the core running costs of causes looking to adapt or continue their vital services throughout COVID-19, so they can help their beneficiaries and communities during this time of need.

Each charity can apply for funding of up to a maximum of £50,000.
Applications are now open until 5 May 2020.

What’s the process?

Click the link here to view Aviva’s process  which explains each step of the Aviva Community Fund. This includes key dates and deadlines for submitting your project, when your project will be reviewed, and of course, when you could, if successful, receive your funding.

Aviva Community Fund is powered by Crowdfunder, so your application will have its own Crowdfunding page. It’s important to be realistic with how much funding you apply for. This is because crowdfunding is an "all or nothing” process, which means you need to raise 100% of your target to receive your money, otherwise your supporters will be refunded, and your project will not receive any funding.

To be eligible, your organisation must:

• be a UK registered charity, a registered community interest company or a registered community benefit society
• be based in the UK
• have existed for at least 12 months at the time of submission
• have an annual income of no more than £1,000,000 (averaged over three years)
• have a bank account in its own name
• be a living wage employee (if the organisation employs people)
• have an active board of trustees or directors

Before submitting an idea take a careful look through the complete eligibility checklist here.

You have until 23:59 on 5 May 2020 to submit your funding application.

Derbyshire County Council contacted us in February to let us know it proposed changes to the way it funds CVS’ and similar voluntary sector support organisations across the County.

The proposals include an overall cut of 12% to the overall budget, a redistribution of remaining funds so that each district gets an equal grant, and more clarity and consistency about what the grants will achieve.

In the High Peak the changes to the funding allocation will mean a cut of around 44% to take effect from October 2020.

Infrastructure funding in the High Peak is distributed between ourselves and our colleagues at New Mills Volunteer Centre, Connex and The Bureau in Glossop. The potential impact of these cuts is huge for us all.

Before we could share the proposals, and invite you to respond to the county consultation, the COVID-19 epidemic hit us all. We, like all of you, have focussed all our efforts on responding to this - making sure that vulnerable people get support from local voluntary groups and services they know and trust. The response has been incredible and highlights the importance of the voluntary sector across our community.

We wrote to Derbyshire County Council a month ago asking them to extend the consultation deadline until the crisis had passed so that you (and we) would have time to think about the impact it would have and submit a considered response.

Their reply, received today, was that the consultation would end as planned on Thursday 30th April and that they would consider responses received by that date.

We know you are all under huge pressure personally, professionally and, for many of you, as an essential volunteer – which is why we asked for the consultation to be extended. But the deadline is now 3 days away and we need you to respond if you possibly can, on behalf of your voluntary group, or as a local agency we work with, or just as concerned individual residents.

You can respond to the consultation online at: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/vcssupport2020 

Our position

We welcome the longer-term funding commitment. We also understand the principle of each district being funded fairly to provide consistent services, with clearly defined outcomes, across the county. 

However, we are concerned about the impact of the new proposed funding allocation as this will mean cuts to the support we can provide to you, as local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in the High Peak, at a time when we all face so many challenges and are so busy making a difference to those who need us most. We are asking you to respond to the consultation and tell Derbyshire County Council what the impact of this will be.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us directly. We want to continue to support you now and in the future. Now, more than ever, we are all part of a national family of local charities and community groups working together to support communities during this time of crisis.

James Bromley - CEO High Peak CVS 

They have assessors ready to take your call who will be able to arrange a call back from a Legal Advisor or Solicitor, if required.

All face-to-face appointments are temporarily suspended, however, telephone appointments are available and these will be arranged by assessors.

Available to take calls Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 4.30pm on 01246 550674, Freephone 0800 707 6990; SMS/Text: 07781482826, Text Box: 018001 01246 550674. Alternatively you can email: dlc@derbyshirelawcentre.org.uk

derbyshirelawcentre.org.uk

This programme will be open to anyone aged 18-30, Not in education, employment or training and looking to learn new skills in self-employment.

If you have someone that might benefit from this FREE course, phone 0800 842 842, or the local team on 07919 221 443.

Learn all about self-employment AND how to set up and run your own business. Includes marketing, invoicing, taxation, finances, skills for business and funding. Join  on 18th and 19th May 2020 9.30am-4.30pm.

www.princes-trust.org.uk

A nighttime walk organised to raise vital funds for hospice care in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales is set to get the whole community glowing when it returns next year. 

Blythe House Hospicecare’s Glow Twilight Walk was due to take place on Saturday 18 July 2020, but following recent Government measures, and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty, this year’s walk is being postponed. 

The hospice has worked with event partners and the venue over the last few weeks, and is delighted to announce a new date for the 10k event on Saturday 15 May 2021. 

If you have already registered for this year’s Glow Twilight Walk, your place will be transferred automatically to the new date in May 2021. If you cannot make the new date, you would like a refund, or if you have any queries email: events@blythehouse.co.uk.  

Blythe House Hospicecare healthcare assistants continue to support palliative and end of life patients in the local community during the ongoing COVID-19 situation. If you would like to make a donation to support hospice services throughout this time, visit:  www.blythehousehospice.org.uk/donate

Each year every councillor has £3,860 which they can donate to groups in their area which aim to improve the lives of local people. At a meeting on Thursday 23 April DCC Cabinet agreed a proposal to double this amount of money, giving each councillor £7,720 for this financial year.

www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news-events/news-updates/news/extra-cash-for-councillors-to-donate-to-local-community-groups.aspx

The grants awarded are to provide funds for supplies and equipment, publicity materials, or other critical items that are required to enable groups to deliver their COVID-19 emergency response.  You must be able to describe how any emergency grant will maintain or enhance your service.  Money should not be used for business as usual activities – unless these support vulnerable people.

The application is really simple and should not take any longer than 5 minutes to complete.  There is no cap on the amount an organisation can apply for.

For further information and a link to the application form  mediacentre.eastmidlandsairport.com/east-midlands-airport-launches-covid-19-relief-fund/

If you would like to talk to one of the East Midlands Team email Harry Winter Harry.Winter@eastmidlandsairport.com

Download:
Guide to Informal Community Groups Responding to COVID-19 Coronavirus

Each group will need to create their own ways of working tailored to suit the needs in their area and for their community.

Be aware this is a stressful time, misunderstandings and raised tempers might happen. Although everyone’s motives within your group are genuine, it is important that you take steps to protect the vulnerable and volunteers from the virus and also from false allegations, stress, overload and even abuse. 

For further detailed advice see our Covid-19 / Coronavirus resources on our website:
highpeakcvs.org.uk/coronavirus

If you need more information and guidance contact the staff at High Peak CVS on 01663 735350 or hello@highpeakcvs.org.uk we will be happy to help.  Please note that the office is closed but staff are all working from home and picking up voicemail messages and emails.

COVID 19 has united the world in many ways. Isolation is a great problem for elderly people worldwide, and Soroptimists have been busy phoning and messaging vulnerable people. Some groups have been busy sewing protective face masks, others have provided much needed protection of a very different kind. Domestic abuse has risen greatly during the lockdown, and Buxton Soroptimists continue to support a local safe house and work with Crossroads. 

sigbi.org/buxton-and-district/