Issue No.

102 Winter 2015

Supporting Derbyshires Health & Care

Voluntary and Community Organisations

Headways Peter Shaw is nominated for

Outstanding Contribution to Charity
We are proud to tell you that a
member of the NDVA Board, Peter
Shaw, is one of only three people from
across the UK to be shortlisted at a
national awards ceremony for The
Stephen McAleese Outstanding
Contribution to Headway Award for
devoting 14 years service to the brain
injury charity, Headway North
Derbyshire.
Peter was introduced to the local charity
three years after his son Neal, sustained a
severe brain injury in a road traffic accident.
Peter and his wife Jean became increasingly
involved with Neal's care as his brain injury
put enormous pressure on his life and
relationships; eventually resulting in him
moving into residential care where he
received ongoing support. Neal was keen to
maintain his independence and Peter worked
closely with rehabilitation centres and care
workers to help his son move into his own
accommodation along with specialist support.

We hope you enjoy reading

Network - please pass it
on to your members

Peter Shaw

Peter also organised routine family weekends

to ensure Neal was supported in having
regular contact with his two - then- very
young children. With his parents support,
Neal began attending and later volunteering
at Headway's branch in Chesterfield,
Twelve years ago Peter became Chair of the
Headway North Derbyshire. In addition to his
committee duties, he has spent countless
hours organising fundraising events, managing
the group, supporting members and
campaigning with local decision makers for
better services.
Sadly, life for the Shaw family took a second
incredibly difficult turn as Jean became
seriously ill and tragically passed away.
continued

Seasons greetings and best wishes for the New Year from all at NDVA

News from NDVA...

Despite his ongoing
personal challenges, Peter's
devotion to Headway North
Derbyshire never wavered.
"I am overwhelmed and
humbled to be nominated for such a
prestigious award," said Peter. "Neal and my
daughter Tracey are both very proud of me
and, while Jean is not here to celebrate the
awards ceremony with us, we know she will
be with us all in spirit. It is particularly
touching to be shortlisted for an award
named after someone who Neal knew before
Stephen sadly passed away as a result of his
brain injury.
None of this would have been possible
without the incredible support my family
received from Headway in the early days of
Neal's recovery. When I first joined the
charity, the then Chair was almost singlehandedly running the branch.
Today, Headway North Derbyshire has
developed to the extent that its management

and support services are provided by a

dedicated team of volunteers, many of whom
have personal experience of brain injury.
We aim to raise public awareness of brain
injury issues, including prevention and safety,
develop Headway services and campaign for
better service provision for brain injury
survivors, their carers and families in North
Derbyshire."
Neil Whiteley, Secretary of Headway North
Derbyshire, said: He is so well respected that
clients now dub him 'Mr Headway' for his
ceaseless commitment to the cause.
The Stephen McAleese Outstanding
Contribution to Headway Award will be
presented by double Olympic gold medallist
and Headway Vice President James Cracknell,
who himself has a brain injury, at a glittering
ceremony in The Dorchester Hotel, London,
on Friday 11th December.
For more info phone:
07940 729 544 or email:
mail@headwaynorthderbyshire.org.uk

NDVAs 24th AGM

The AGM began with Heather Fawbert
(NDVA Chair) saying that the strength of
NDVA can be seen in the well attended
Health & Social Care Voluntary Sector
Forums and the increasing NDVA
membership. Heather went on to thank
members for their continued attendance
and also expressed her thanks to the
NDVA Staff and Board for their all their
efforts and commitment over the last year.
Heather gave an overview of the NDVA
2014/2015 Annual Report highlighting
activities and successes and spoke about
NDVAs commitment to its core role of
supporting, representing and promoting
health and care voluntary and community

organisations. Updates were received from

VSPA, Mental Health Liaison Service &
Dronfield 2gether.
Lastly there was a Workshop where
members were asked to consider the
following three questions:
1. What do you want infrastructure in the
future to look like?
2. What do you want your organisation to
look like in the future?
3. How can NDVA help to achieve this?
The comments from the workshop will be
fed into the Health & Wellbeing Board and
VCS Investment Review Board.

News from NDVA...

VSPA continues to grow, now receiving

almost 5 times the amount of referrals per
month than when it started. A recent
review highlighted that in the first year of
operation, VSPA delivered a positive
outcome for 82% of support requests.
Development work has also resulted in
VSPA being seen as the vehicle to link the
Voluntary Sector into a range of initiatives,
including identifying holistic health issues in
the homes of older people and enabling
people in Erewash with mental health issues
to better access mainstream activities.

Through North Derbyshire

Clinical Commissioning Group
Winter Resilience and Public
Health Social Prescribing Funding,
VSPA has also microcommissioned a number of
services to fill gaps identified
through referrals it has taken. The projects
commissioned last winter were a success
and cost as little as 19 per person
supported. This good value resulted in
further funding being available for this year.

News for January 2016 A Macmillan Project supporting

cancer patients in Bolsover will begin.
Multi-tasking volunteers will be available to
help in the home and with transport, etc.
The Project is being run by Chesterfield
Volunteer Centre but managed and
reported on by NDVAs VSPA.

Positive Mental Health and

Wellbeing for Everyone
The 2015 Director of Public Health Annual
Report uses the 5 Ways to Wellbeing in a public
facing leaflet style report. Positive mental health
and wellbeing contributes to good physical
health and the best quality of life. This report
gives some simple, affordable ways that we can
all use to make a difference to how we feel. It
takes a bit of practice to build them into your
life, but they are fun and these small changes can
make a real difference. It has been produced in
6 versions that people of different ages can
relate to, including an easy-read version.
The reports can be found on the Derbyshire
County Council website:
www.derbyshire.gov.uk/publichealthannualreport

Date for your

Diary...
Next NDVA Health &
Social Care Voluntary
Sector Forum and
Wednesday 27 Janaury
2016, Agricultural
Business Centre,
Bakewell DE45 1AH.
Call 01246 555908
for a booking form.

Mental Health News

Joint Countywide
Mental Health Forum
Twice a year NDVAs Mental Health
Liaison Service holds a joint forum
meeting with our colleagues from the
south of the County, Derbyshire Mental
Health Forum.
The forum was, as usual, well attended, and
representatives from Hardwick Clinical
Commissioning Group (CCG) and Derbyshire
County Councils (DCC) Commissioning teams
were present.
The joint forum is the voluntary sectors
opportunity to hear from commissioners about
their plans for the future. This time we also
wanted to give some of our members the
chance to show what they had been able to
achieve and illustrate the added value they bring
to the mental health community.
Our Voluntary Sector speakers were: Rob
Hanlon from North Derbyshire Mental Health
Carers Forum, Janette Ashworth from
Derbyshire Autism Services Group, Peter
Dawson from Peak and Dales Advocacy and
Jennie Street from Rhubarb Farm.
All our the speakers were able to show the
excellent services they were delivering to the
people of Derbyshire and the extra funds they
were able to bring in on the back of any core
funding received from commissioners.
Kate Burley, Senior Commissioning Officer
Hardwick CCG, gave a demonstration of Big
White Wall - a free on-line mental health
support service.
Kate then talked about the Erewash Mental
Health Innovation Project, which has four work
streams:
Improving access to the Voluntary Sector
through enhanced co-ordination of services

and befriending support

Outcomes-based reporting
Improved effectiveness of smoking cessation
and health prescribing schemes for people on
the Severe Mental Illness (SMI) register
Links with specialised services
Kate went on to talk about the Mental Health
Service Receiver and Carer Engagement Review.
There is a draft service specification for a hub
and spoke model for engagement and
expressions of interest were invited for
providing the service.
She then told the Forum about the
Day/Community Services Review.
Commissioners are looking for recovery based
services to be provided in an equitable way
across the County with wider access to selfhelp. The CCG has met with current providers
and will be setting up focus groups and
producing questionnaires to gain the views of
service receivers. Kate stressed that this is not
about reducing funding, but using existing
resources in a better way.
Sue Whetton, Commissioning Manager, Mental
Health Derbyshire County Council Adult Care,
also gave an update. Sue told the meeting that
the Joint Vision and Strategic Direction for Adult
Mental Health and its action plan was now live.
The forum had worked on the production of
this strategy.
She had no news on any funding cuts for mental
health groups.
Non-statutory advocacy, which is provided by
several groups, will be reviewed. This is work
that has been delayed for two years and some
of the groups who provide these services said
that they would welcome an end to uncertainty.

Mental Health News

Grapevine Wellbeing Centre still going strong
Grapevine Wellbeing Centres new
manager, Julie Dadson aims to keep
the Centre a welcoming and gently
supportive place to be, that is open to
all individuals who require support
and help with their wellbeing and
mental health considerations.
It is a resource providing a friendly,
confidential, safe and welcoming
environment; guidance and support; plus a

newsletter, drinks loyalty card and free wifi.

The Grapevine Wellbeing Centre is located
at 15, Scarsdale Place, Buxton SK17 6EF and
is open every weekday and Saturday
between 12.30pm - 3.30pm.
Drop in for a drink and to catch up with
Grapevine news, charitable events and High
Peak Self Help Groups.
Contact by phoning 01298 72965
or email: office@grapevinebuxton.org.uk

Support for people affected by Bipolar

The Chesterfield Bipolar Support
Group belongs to the national
network of local groups run by
Bipolar UK and is open to anyone
affected by bipolar in Chesterfield and
surrounding areas. The group offers:
Peer support through group discussion
Social activities
Guidance on managing mood swings
Useful information
Group meetings are friendly, confidential
and informal and are open to all individuals
over the age of 18 affected by bipolar,
including those with a diagnosis, those prediagnosis, family members, friends and
carers.
The meetings are led by a volunteer
facilitator; assisted by a member of the
Facilitator Team and there is a Code of
Conduct so members feel comfortable and
safe in a non judgemental environment.

Usually the meetings consist of an

information share together with a sharing
session where members can share any
current mental health issues with the rest
of the group who provide support based
on their own experiences. There is no
obligation to speak but anyone who wants
to can do so in a supportive and
confidential environment and will be
listened to with respect. Guest speakers
are regularly invited on a variety of topics
connected with mental health.
Meetings are on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday
of the month, 7pm - 9pm at the Saints
Parish Centre, St Marys Gate, Chesterfield
S41 7TD.
Anyone interested in joining the group are
welcome to just turn up.
For more information, contact
chesterfield@bipolarukgroups.org.uk
or call 0845 434 9792

News from...

Another Dementia
Friendly Community

A very exciting and valuable initiative has

been launched with Dronfield 2gether and a
newly formed group - Dronfield Dementia
Friends. Dronfield Dementia Friends is a
group of professionals and individuals who
are committed to making Dronfield a
Dementia Friendly Community. As
Dronfield is predicted to have over 30% of
its 21,000 population aged over 65 by 2032
and as new research states 1 in 3 of us will
get some form of dementia, this is a much
needed community project.
Anyone can become a Dementia Friend by
attending a free one hour information
session that will be put on in various venues
throughout Dronfield over the coming
months. This, however, is a phenomenal task
as there are currently only 3 Alzheimers
Society Dementia Champions who are
trained to deliver these sessions.
If you would like to become a
Dementia Friend or train to become
a Dementia Champion or you want
to join Dronfield Dementia Friends
group, please contact Elsa on
07870 208866 or email
elsa.dronfield@ndva.org.uk

Dronfield 2gether
continues to support
people/activities in
Dronfield including the
inter-generational work between local
schools and care homes. Technology is
being used to take the community to
people who cant or wont leave their
home and it is hoped this idea will be
expanded in the future (details can be seen
in next years Network)
Dementia touches the lives of millions of
people across the country. Dementia
Friends was launched to tackle the stigma
and lack of understanding that means many
people with the condition experience
loneliness and social exclusion. Its all about
learning more about dementia and the small
ways you can help. From getting in touch
with someone you know living with
dementia to wearing your badge with pride,
every action counts.
Alzheimers Society want there to be a four
million Dementia Friends across England and
Wales with the know-how to help people
with dementia feel understood and included
in their community. The work in Dronfield is
a great example of how people can come
together to help build a Dementia Friendly
Community.
Dementia Friends and volunteer Dementia
Friends Champions can sign up through the
Dementia Friends website
www.dementiafriends.org.uk
or for more information email
DementiaFriends@alzheimers.org.uk
or call 0207 2642662

News from...

Skills for Care film crew visit flag ship

Day Service on behalf of Chinese
Chesterfield Care Group is a registered
charity operating since 1996, which
provides Day Care support for older
people in the Chesterfield area.
They were chosen by Skills for Care to make
a promotional training DVD for the people of
China, who are looking at providing care and
support for older people in their own
country. Jane Parsons Service Manager, said
It was a special day for service users, staff
and volunteers who appreciated the
opportunity to share the fun, good practice
and high quality care standards which are at
the heart of all we do. We pride ourselves on
offering a person centred service tailored to
the hobbies and interests of the people we
support, our focus is on dignity, respect and
choice.
The people of China are looking at the
British model of support in order to work
with their aging population. In late 1970s, the
Chinese government introduced a number of
measures to reduce the country's birth rate
and slow the population growth rate. The
most important measure was a one-child
policy, which decreed that couples in China
could only have one child. As a result of this
there has been a fall in birth-rate and fewer
people of working age to support the
growing number of elderly dependants. By
learning from a flag ship service like
Chesterfield Care Group they will have an
insight into the importance of organised
activity groups for older people. The Chinese

people are
looking at this
model of
support which
enables people
to keep active
in body and
spirit, try out
new activities,
meet other
people and
ultimately
combat loneliness
and prevent health issues.
Jane went on to say, At Chesterfield Care
group we understand the value older people
bring to our community and society and by
working with Derbyshire County Council and
Clinical Commissioning Groups we provide
services which promote independence,
enhance health and well-being and enable
people to stay in their own homes for as long
as possible. This also enables family to have a
break from the caring role.
Services are available Monday to Friday based
at Chesterfield Community Centre Tontine
Road, which has fully accessible personal care
facilities, including a bathing service on
request. They also offer 8 other outreach
services, 2 of which are specialist Dementia
support groups.
For more information call Chesterfield
Care Group on 01246 274812 or email
enquiries@chesterfieldcaregroup.org.uk

News from...
Buxton TN's
gone digital
Buxton Talking Newspaper, staffed by
volunteers, is a free service for the
visually impaired sending an audio
version of the Buxton Advertiser and
other local publications to listeners
throughout the High Peak.
When I first joined the organisation three years
ago, it was as a reader. Since then we have
gone through major changes and expansion,
which have been very engaging and exciting.
When it was my turn on the rota, I would buy
an Advertiser first thing on a Thursday morning,
then going home to read as much of it as
possible out loud, whilst recording it onto a
cassette tape and a CD. In the afternoon these
masters were taken to be copied and sent out
to the listeners. As time went on it became
more and more obvious that things needed to
change. Cassette tapes were becoming
obsolete, so it was more and more difficult to
get hold of good quality ones. We could fit only
an hour of material on to them, 90 minutes onto
a CD. We were steadily losing listeners.
We decided that if we were going to continue
providing this service, we would have to go
digital. A great deal of help and advice was
provided by the National Association of Talking
Newspapers and by local groups such as
Macclesfield TN. The more we found out, the
more the possibilities opened up. Yes, we
would continue with our weekly recording of
the local newspaper, but we could do other
things as well: podcasts, more local publications
and our own monthly magazine.
The first thing we had to do was raise money,
as we would need a whole new set of
equipment. Memory sticks were now going to
be sent out to the listeners, and they would

also be supplied with boom boxes - small

radio/usb port/speaker units - on which to play
them. Then there was the recording and
copying equipment to buy, along with the
pouches used for sending the memory sticks
out to the listeners. So we set about
fundraising, and fortunately, with the help of
NDVA, we reached our target.
There were other issues that needed
addressing for the switch to digital to be a
success. This was going to be a bigger
operation, so we needed more volunteers and
also different premises. A quiet room for
recording was needed and then somewhere
separate for preparing the paper for the
readers and for copying and office work. Also
the listeners needed to be contacted to let
them know what was happening and to show
them how to use their boom boxes.
We have now been digital since May and the
operation has been a success. The number of
listeners has increased from a low of 37 up
into the 60s and rising. Feedback from the
listeners has been very positive. We are still
evolving: we always need more volunteers, not
just to read, but to paper edit (prepare the
paper for the readers), to help with the office
tasks and the digital editing. We have found
our new premises: Chapel Methodist Church
has been very welcoming and is a hive of
activity every Thursday. We are working hard
at setting up the new monthly magazine which
will contain interviews, articles and other
sound recordings of a local nature.
Fran Pickering, Buxton TN Secretary
If you know of someone who would
benefit from this service, or if you think
you would like to volunteer, call
Patricia Kerry on 01298 811021 or email
buxtontalkingnewspaper@gmail.com

News from...
60 years
on Insulin!
The Compassionate Friends - Support
and friendship for bereaved parents and
their families by those similarly
bereaved.
Every parents worst nightmare is to lose a
child. This phrase may be a clich but for
thousands of parents and siblings, the
nightmare becomes a reality.
For over 40 years, The Compassionate Friends
(TCF) charity has been offering support to
families in their time of greatest need from the
only source that really understands other
bereaved families. With mutual support they
guide each other. Whatever the age of the
child you have lost and whatever the cause,
they are there for you and can truly say: I
know how you feel.
The Compassionate Friends offer a telephone
helpline which is available for support and
information 365 days of the year and the line
is always answered by a bereaved parent; a
website and forum; local contacts and support
groups; weekend gatherings and other local
events; a postal library; legal support;
specialist sibling support and lots of
information leaflets and journals.
Why not go along to the Drop-in from
2 - 4pm, first Tuesday of the month at
The Education Centre, Royal Hospital,
Calow, Chesterfield.
Or for more information contact Jan on
07986 595315, email:
mikechessman@btinternet.com or
Helpline: 0345 1 23 23 04
Website: www.tcf.org.uk

High Peak Diabetic Self Help

Group had a special celebration
recently when their former Chairman
Bob Weston was awarded the
Lawrence medal, as he has been on
insulin for over 60 years. What an
achievement! Another recent
achievement was that secretary Sue
Barber won a special award at the
Chesterfield and North Derbyshire
Volunteer Awards evening, at the
Pomegranate Theatre.
The group recently helped a local
hospital - they liaised on behalf of a
mother with a three year old girl who
has an insulin pump. Sadly, none of the
staff at the hospital she attends knew
anything about these pumps so the
group put her in touch with an expert
doctor, who has a pump himself.
High Peak Diabetic Self Help Group
are always looking forward to meeting
new people who may feel too shy to
ask for help... please do go along. The
group have speakers, but more
importantly, speak to each other to
give mutual support and practical
advice, especially to newly diagnosed
people and meet in Buxton's
Buckingham Hotel each third Monday
of the month at 7.00pm.
For more information contact
Sue Barber on 01298 871644 or
email sooby@rocketmail.com

Spotlight on...
Someone for you
- Spodas new project
When someone you care about
uses drugs, this often can bring
stress, anxiety, isolation and
social stigma - Spoda are there
to help.
Some 16 years ago, a group of mums in
Chesterfield discovered they all had a
common problem - their children were
addicted to 'hard' drugs. Sadly these Mums
discovered there was very little appropriate
help around other than the national and
distant organisations who were trying their
best but could not offer the direct support
they desperately needed. As the illegal use of
Heroin was a growing problem and having
devastating effects on families all over the
country, they became determined to organise
their own support group for people in the
local area.

Spoda Staff

10

Through doing this they discovered many

other people in the area battling with a loved
ones drug use, from children to partners,
many of whom were struggling alone with the
complex and difficult issues that addiction can
bring.
Spodas reputation quickly spread around the
County resulting in a contract being awarded
by the Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT)
in 1999 to deliver their support services to
families in the local area.
Over the years Spoda has developed a
national reputation for excellence, is now a
registered Charity and has 11 workers
delivering various types of specific support
throughout the whole of Derbyshire.
Spodas new Grandparent and Kin-Carer
Worker will be providing support to those
families throughout Derbyshire who have
recently become carers of Grandchildren.
The main aims of Someone for you includes
liaising with other multi-agency services to
ensure the right social support is reaching
these families and providing emotional and
psychological support around personal issues
that often arise for them.
These carers save the state billions, often
making huge personal sacrifices to carry out
these caring duties. Research shows that
children brought up by relatives do
significantly better academically and have
fewer emotional and behavioural problems

News from...
than those reared in the care system,
despite suffering similar adversities.
Providing this type of support for these
families is vital to the long-term wellbeing of
these children.
Chesterfield FC Community Trust have
recently collaborated with Spoda helping
them to promote their new project set-up
to help support those in recovery from
drug and alcohol use. The aim of the
project, called A Spire Right and running
from the Proact Stadium in Chesterfield, is
to use both physical activity and education
to help maintain healthy recovery in the
community.
Clients will be encouraged to attend three
mornings a week where topics such as
healthy eating, smoking cessation and budget
setting will be covered followed by a
physical activity. Football, Boxing, Martial
arts, Gym and Swimming will be available
with clients accessing two weeks of each
sport over a ten week period.
Last, but by no means least, the team at
Spoda headed by Dot Inger project manager
said: We were blown away by the surprise
of winning the Organisation of The Year
award (income over 100,000 category) at
this years Voluntary Sector Awards and
would like to thank everyone who has
supported us on the journey so far. Spoda
are using this win as motivation to ensure
our survival in the future, as time and time
again its proven that recovery is more
achievable if the family and loved ones seek
relevant support and are on board too.
For more information Tel: 01246
210176; Support Line: 0845 600 3320
www.spoda.org.uk
Facebook.com/spodaderbyshire
Twitter @spodaderbyshire

Artability in the North

Derbyshire Dales
- a journey through time!
Artability is a voluntary group whose
purpose is to promote the quality of life
for people with a disability or illness the
opportunity to learn or relearn.
The group gives people with an illness or
disability and those who are socially isolated, the
opportunity to express themselves, to re-gain
confidence and their self-belief of I can do!
Art Tutors provide the information and skills to
members to enable them to draw/colour mixing
as well as drawing and design.
Initially established in Calver, then Tideswell and
Matlock, financial support came through various
sources including: Baslow GP Surgery, DCC
Adult Care, Derbyshire Dales District Council,
Darley Dale Town Council, Ernest Bailey Trust,
North Derbyshire Voluntary Action (now
NDVA) and Age UK Derby/Derbyshire. The
most recent community group to open was
Bakewell Artability in Jan 2008.
Over the years, Artability members have
become frailer and gone into Residential or
Nursing Care. Some have continued to attend
their Community Artability but some had to
stop because of the cost of transport and/or
inability to be cared for in the group. So they
started a service in a residential/nursing home
where members had gone to live. The first was
in 2012 at the Presentation Sisters Care Centre
in Matlock and the second in 2013 at The Old
Vicarage, Bakewell. It is the responsibility of
each Centre to provide the staff and art
materials, with an average set up cost per
person of 20.
For further details contact:
01629 732585 or email:
davidandbrenda.brown@btopenworld.com

11

News from...
Your health and social care services are
changing significantly over the next 5 years
The Government is currently planning
how to redesign health and social care
services in your area and throughout
England. The aim of these changes is to
make services ready to meet the needs
of the 21st Century. The National
Health Service (NHS) and Social Care
were designed in 1948 when England
was a very different place; there were
fewer people and our needs have
changed drastically.
Why are services changing? People living
longer is cause for celebration especially as
many remain highly active members of
society. However, because we are living
longer services have to deal with the
increasing management of chronic or ongoing
conditions, for example, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart
disease and dementia. As people age they
are also more likely to be living with multiple
health conditions.
There are now significant financial constraints
for both health and social care, which mean
that services cannot continue to be provided
in the same way. More money needs to be
put into preventing ill health and helping
people early on, before they get seriously ill,
as this is when services cost the most.
How are services going to change?
Fortunately there is now national agreement
on what a better future should look like and
the Five Year Forward View, published by NHS
England in October 2014, sets out a clear

direction. Some of what is needed can be

brought about by the NHS itself. Other
actions need new partnerships, for example,
with local communities, local councils and
employers.
Change is needed but exactly where and how
is up for discussion Healthwatch
Derbyshire is asking people to Speak Out.
Power comes from a collective voice.
Therefore, the more people can Speak Out
about how they want to be cared for, the
more Healthwatch can Speak Up and ensure
services meet your needs. Please take time to
be part of the discussion.

Rate a Service
You can also now leave feedback about
your experience of using a health or care
service by going to
http://www.healthwatchderbyshire.co.
uk/rate-a-service/.

Somebody does listen to what

children & young people say!
Healthwatch Derbyshires Your Shout
Survey, looking at children and young
peoples experiences of health and social
care services can also be completed
online at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HW
Dyourshout or call Tammy on
01773 880786 to request a hard copy.

For more information call Healthwatch on 01773 880786,

email: serviceredesign@healthwatchderbyshire.co.uk or visit
www.healthwatchderbyshire.co.uk
To complete the online questionnaire go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/service-redesign

12

News from...
Advertise your Group in the Market Hall - FREE!
Age Concern Chesterfield and District are
pleased to announce that they have secured
the temporary Free use of a room on the
ground floor of Chesterfield Market Hall as
a Voluntary Community Hub. The room
allocated is to let by the Chesterfield
Borough Council but is being used on the
strict understanding that if let to a paying
business, Age Concern will clear the room.
The Council have stated that if this venture
proves beneficial to the Voluntary Sector
and the public, they will examine the
possibility of making other similar space
available.
This is a unique opportunity for
Chesterfield charities and community
sector groups to showcase their work and

to demonstrate and promote the services

that they give.
The room is a suitable size to allow 2 or 3
charities or community associations to use
the space on a rota basis each day. It is a
condition that the premises are not to be
used for commercial reasons, i.e. sales or
active fund raising. However , this does
not prevent each of the attending users
from having a collection box on display.
If you are based in Chesterfield or
provide services to the people of
Chesterfield contact John Siddall or
Michael Mason for further details on
01246 27333 or email:
siddall@ageconcernchesterfield.org.uk

British Red Cross (BRC)

First Aid Education
The Everyday first aid learning
package is easy to do, easy to learn
and easy to remember. Sessions,
which are a maximum of two hours
long, are tailored to the specific
needs and learning style of the group.
Everyone in your group will be given a free
a bespoke pack of first aid learning cards
reinforcing what they have learned that day
and a qualities of a helper card which
includes a handy section on where you
can get help. Also included in the pack is a
certificate of first aid learning which
celebrates their new skills.
BRC want to reach adults who are most
likely to be around when a medical or first
aid emergency happens. Recent

beneficiaries of their training have included

voluntary groups supporting: older people
plus their family and friends, substance
users, homeless people, carers of people
with disabilities or clinical conditions and
many more.
There is no cost to the participants for
these sessions, although donations from
the organising group are appreciated. For
organisations with a large number of
beneficiaries, they can also support you to
deliver this training yourself.
For more information, or to arrange
a session please call Deborah
Webster on: 01629 593335 or email:
DWebster@redcross.org.uk
Twitter: @DeborahSWebster

13

News from...
Isolation can be as much a killer as
smoking 15+ cigarettes a day!
Deaf and Hearing Support, Derbyshire
Deaf Team and other Hearing
organisations are popping up all over
Derbyshire with their new Deaf
Community Cafes.

Clay Cross on Thursday 3rd December

10am-12noon, Potters Place in Chesterfield
on Friday 4th December 10am12noon and
at The Anglers Rest in Bamford on Friday
11th December 10.30am12.30pm.

The caf idea began at a meeting between

Deaf and Hearing Support, NHS Audiology
and the Senior Practitioner for DCC Deaf
Team to discuss the issues around isolation
having a hearing loss creates. They also
discussed the wider implications of isolation
- research shows that isolation can be as
much a killer as smoking 15+ cigarettes a
day - and so the idea of the cafes was born.
At the cafes there will be members of Deaf
& Hearing Support and the Derbyshire Deaf
team to meet and greet hearing impaired
people. The main purpose is to offer a place
for hearing impaired people to meet each
other for a chat and to get details that they
may have missed which can often be health
prevention information that is vital to
peoples health and wellbeing.
In December the cafes will be at the Smithy
Brook View, Market Street,

Are you unknowingly

breaking the law?

Another part of Deaf & Hearing Supports

role is to assist all public places to be
accessible to Deaf and Hearing Impaired
people. Part of the Equality Law states that all
services should provide adjustments for
people with disabilities. Many organisations
are unaware that if you do not have a loop
system or the loop system is not working, you
could be breaking the law. Ann Sullivan,
Manager of Deaf and Hearing Support, says
We are prepared to go anywhere in
Derbyshire to help you meet the law as we
did very recently at the Proact Stadium in
Chesterfield where they are now much more
accessible for people who wear hearing aids
and can use loop systems. The Proact has
portable loop systems and some of the staff
have taken the time to work with us to learn
about these products to ensure they
understand how to use hearing loops and
communicating with hearing impaired people.
If you require further information or
someone to test your loop system,
please phone them on 01246 555934
or email
info@deafandhearingsupport.co.uk
To contact DCC Deaf Team, phone
01629 533319 or email
Deaf and Hearing Support at Foolow Court Extra Care Facility, derbyshiredeafteam@derbsyhire.gov.uk
Chesterfield. Photo courtesy of Derbyshire Times.

14

News from...
Information for disabled
people and their supporters
Three years ago, four people got
together to form Disability Assist as,
having relevant experience in a
professional capacity and being
disabled themselves, they found it
wasnt always easy to get information
that was useful to them. So Disability
Assist was formed. A couple more
volunteers are now involved and via
Facebook they are reaching people
further afield than they ever thought
possible.

Volunteer Cath at the Information Desk in Chesterfield

Royal Hospital

Disability Assist provides free information

to disabled people and their supporters.
They offer information on: accessible

holidays,
mobility aids,
grants,
counselling,
direct payments,
accessible transport (community and
private hire) or anything disability related!
Julie Smitham, a trustee of Disability Assist,
gave NDVA three recent examples of how
theyve helped people We assisted a
lady to claim her credit card protection
payment back as it was mis-sold; we
obtained 400 funding from the Bruce
Wake Charitable Trust for one of our
High Peak members to put towards a
wheelchair. This has enabled her to
participate in the Derby Community Sign
Choir, promote sign language and access
to songs for Deaf people and to assist
the Peak Park and Yorkshire Water to
improve access to Damflask Reservoir.
Although the service is for Derbyshire
people, we discovered we reach
disabled people from all over the globe,
thanks to Facebook - We've put an
African gentleman in touch with an
organisation who is now assisting him
to get a prosthetic leg!
She added Disability Assist would like
to take this opportunity to thank
everyone at NDVA for their continued
support.
For more information call:
07922 771863 or visit
www.facebook.com/disabilityassist
Twitter: @DisAssist

15

News from...
Dicky Tickers support Cancer Centre appeal
A local group of people whove been
affected by heart conditions have
raised 2000 for the Macmillan
Chesterfield Appeal, which is aiming
to raise 2.5 million towards the cost
of a new Cancer Centre at
Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Dicky Tickers members - John Wardle, Dorothy Edwards

Phillip Round, Mary Wardle and John Platt, and Robert
Turner (Macmillan).

The Clay Cross based cardiac rehabilitation

support group has taken part in a variety of
fundraising activities, including a sponsored
static bike ride that saw some of its 160
members cycle the equivalent distance of
Clay Cross to Paris!
John Wardle, 84, a Dicky Tickers founder
and also a governor at Chesterfield Royal
Hospital, said: Our membership numbers
are constantly growing, thats one reason
why we always end up raising and beating
our fundraising targets each year. The best
part of the Paris event was that we only
needed to cover the distance it would take
to get to Paris but we went an extra 650

16

miles for charity! With several of Dicky

Tickers members, including John, having
battled both heart problems and cancer,
the group know just how much a new
state-of-the-art Cancer centre would
benefit people in the local area.
John said: I have had problems with
melanoma and my daughter is battling a
cancer too. I am aware of how much of a
difference this new centre will make, it will
mean less travelling for treatment, less
stress and more time to do the things that
really matter. Cancer, like heart problems,
will affect one in every three of us in our
lifetime.
Dicky Tickers meet three times a week, at
Sharley Park Leisure Centre, to undertake
a variety of light exercise sessions. The
group gives support to help those with
heart problems and their carers during
their rehabilitation.
If you would like to know more about
Dicky Tickers call John on
01246 590573
At the last
NDVA Forum
& AGM, John
Wardle asked
member groups
"to help raise funds for the Macmillan
Chesterfield Royal Cancer Centre Appeal,
Please help."

News from...
Everybody Hurts - Organisation of the Year!
Everybody Hurts is going from strength
to strength helping with support and
confidence building for anyone affected
by child-parent abuse. They won
Organisation of the Year (income up to
25,000) at the prestigious Voluntary Sector
Awards on 14th October held at the
Pomegranate Theatre in Chesterfield.
They meet once a month on a Wednesday
morning at Staveley Fire Station, Crompton
Road, Speedwell Industrial Estate, Staveley
S43 3PG. All services are free of charge and
a new Bolsover group will be starting on
Monday 7th December in Bolsover Library.

Pictured from left-right: Dave Radford, sponsor from

Octantis, Sarah Swift and committee & group members:
Jean Walker, Kim, Sue Berwick, Rachel

For more information contact Sarah Swift, the founder of the group on:
Tel 07582 175435 or E-mail: everybodyhurts-derbyshire@hotmail.com

First Tastes Fourth Chair Based Exercise CD

Two Dales based
Charity, First Taste, is
delighted to announce the generous
support of Bakewell Rotary Club to
assist the funding of their fourth Chair
Based Exercise CD Yet More Music
to Move.
This CD is the latest of the chair based
exercise CDs produced by the Charity in
recent years in response to requests from
those working in care settings. It is being
produced specifically to encourage gentle
and appropriate chair based exercise &
reminiscence for older people with
dementia living in care / nursing homes or
attending day care centres. It will feature

well known tunes & songs with voice overs

of the exercises led by physiotherapist,
Angela Hill. The production work on this
new resource, led by First Taste senior interactive music tutor Tom Pilkington, has
started and will continue over the winter &
coming spring.
First Tastes Patron, Baroness Estelle Morris,
will lead the Launch of Yet More Music to
Move at a special event at the Whitworth
Centre, Darley Dale next year.
Anyone interested in the stimulative care of
older people is invited to go along.
For more information contact Iris
Wagstaffe, First Taste on: 01629 733849

17

News from...
Winter Is Coming...
Its hard to believe its almost Winter
again, but as Game of Thrones keeps
telling us, it is coming. Long dark cold
nights, bad weather... its the time of
year we need to look out for our
vulnerable neighbours, relatives and
friends.
Helens Trust provides support to anyone
with any terminal illness, anywhere in
North Derbyshire; providing services which
complement existing support such as a
statutory package of care, hospice services
and those of other charities.
A short spell of night sitting and a few
hours each week for the carers of their
beneficiaries can be a real lifeline, especially
through the long winter period. If you
know someone who you think might
benefit from some extra support this
Winter, please get in touch with Helens
Trust.
Heres an example - a 93 year old lady was
referred to Helens Trust for support with

end of life care. Her daughter was trying

to manage her mothers care alone.
Helens Trust provided 4 nights in total over
a 2 week period, but liaised numerous
times with the statutory team, the patients
District Nurse, other charities and with the
ladys daughter. Aside from the physical and
emotional respite these sits provided, the
extensive communications gave the
daughter a picture of what was happening
with her mothers care.
The lady died at home, in her daughters
arms and Helens Trust received a card
from the daughter which read: I will never
forget the support of Helens Trust as my
mother died. Your phone calls gave me
strength and the help was so immediate. It
felt like a life-line. Thank you from my
heart.
Please give them a call today with any
question at all on 01629 812759 or
email info@helenstrust.org.uk or visit:
www.helenstrust.org.uk.

Students supporting their

community!
Silver Surfers will be running again this year at Dronfield
Henry Fanshawe School, Tuesday lunchtimes from 12:30 to
13:20. Students will teach Silver Surfers how to search the
web, send emails, add an attachment, download information
etc. Its Free of charge to anyone age 55+.
For further details please contact Marc Howell,
Director of Sixth Form on 01246 412372 ext 146 or
email: mhowell@dronfield.derbyshire.sch.uk

18

News from...
Do you suffer from Fibromyalgia or
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Maybe you care for someone affected
by either illness. High Peak
Fibromyalgia ME/CFS Support Group
invite you to go along and have a
cuppa and a chat and socialise with
others who emphathise with your
predicament. As well as being in good
company for a few hours a month
they occasionally have interesting
demonstrations and speakers.
They meet on each 2nd Thursday of the
month from 1-3pm at Glossop Cricket &
Bowling Club.
Theyre always open to new ideas and the
latest was from Sheila Webster, the Chair,
who now runs a thriving craft group on

three Thursday afternoons each month.

This is proving to be both popular and
therapeutic people are learning new craft
skills and others are regaining confidence to
use skills they thought they wouldnt use
again as a result of their illness.
Sufferers sometimes find that, no matter
how much family and friends love and care,
its difficult for them to understand their
predicament as another sufferer would and
this can lead to feelings of isolation.
If this is you, or this sounds like someone
you know, get in touch.
For further details or a chat about the
group please ring the helpline on
0844 887 2363.

Autism Awareness training

Autism Services Group (DASG) has
been busy delivering Introduction to
Autism training to a wide range of
professional groups across
Derbyshire.
Janette Ashworth, the new manager says,
as awareness of autism has grown, so
more and more organisations are looking
at their policies and practices, wanting to
do something to make them more autism
friendly. Were able to help them with that
by providing both basic awareness and

bespoke tailored training to suit the

organisations needs.
Janette has delivered training recently to
staff at the Ashgate Medical Centre in
Chesterfield, the YMCA campus in Derby,
volunteers at Homestart in Swadlincote
and, most recently, to front line staff at
Futures Homescape in Ripley.
You can call Janette on 01773 741221
or email her on
Janette.dasg@autismsupport.co.uk
if youd like to talk training!

19

News from...
Voluntary Sector Awards Night
- bigger & better
each year
Over 300 people attended the
evening to celebrate the
achievements of the Voluntary
Sector. The night began with a
sparkling performance from
students of Chesterfield College
which included dances and some
great singers; proving that
Chesterfield really does have talent!
Volunteer Centre Manager Dave Radford
said, This event is designed to recognise and
reward the tremendous work done by
volunteers and voluntary organisations and
once again we have had some wonderful
winners. It is wonderful to be a part of
something that recognises the Voluntary
Sector as a whole, and it is important we take
time out to pat ourselves on the back a little.
More nominations than ever were received
for this years awards, and with more people
attending it would appear this event is going
to get bigger and better every year.

Dave Radford

Some of the very deserving winners at the

Voluntary Sector Awards Night were:
Organisation of the Year (Income up
to 25,000 - Everybody Hurts
Organisation of the Year (Income
between 25,000 and 100,000) Hope Springs Recovery Centre
Organisation of the Year (Income
over 100,000) - SPODA
Young Volunteer of the Year - Jemma
Glossop, Derbyshire Asbestos Support
Team
Special Award for long service - Staff
member Winner Dr Sarah Parnacott,
Ashgate Hospicecare
The Award for Most Innovative
Project - Equipped2Succeed, Loundsley
Green Community Trust
Volunteer Team of the Year Award Hope Springs Recovery Centre Volunteers
Its never too early to send your nominations
for 2016!

20

News from...
Derbyshire Safe Places for all with
learning disability
The Safe Place Scheme is part of
Derbyshire County Councils Hate
Crime / Keeping Safe project. It's
supported by Derbyshire Learning
Disability Partnership Board,
MacIntyre and Derbyshire police

they can take the card to a safe place to

ask for help.

How will a safe place help me? -

Keep Safe cards -

If you have a learning disability and feel

scared when out and about, places taking
part in the safe place scheme will provide
you with a temporary place of safety. The
staff at a safe place will support you and
contact either the emergency services such
as the police or ambulance or the contact
number on your keep safe card - whichever
is most appropriate.
Elsa MacPherson,
Development Worker
for NDVAs Dronfield
2gether Project, has
been working to establish more safe places
in Dronfield with organisations such as
housing offices, leisure centres, shops and
local supermarkets. She says If you
represent an organisation that is interested
in becoming a safe place or if you know
anyone who would like to carry a Safe
Place Card, please get in touch. By working
on this project we hope to help everyone
with a learning disability to stay safe and
become more confident about going out in
Dronfield.

Everyone with a learning

disability in Derbyshire is
advised to carry a keep safe card. The card
will have their name on it and the contact
details of the person they would want to
be told if they need help, for example, a
family member or friend.
If a person with a learning disability is out
and about and find that they need help,

To contact Elsa tel: 07870 208866

or email elsa.dronfield@ndva.orguk
or see
https://www.facebook.com/dronfield2
gether?fref=ts
Or contact DCC Safe Place Scheme
on tel 01629 532469 or email
ruth.dickinson@derbyshire.gov.uk

The scheme aims to stop the bullying and

abuse of people with learning disabilities
across Derbyshire and help them feel safe
and confident when out in the community.
In a town or community there are public
places where people with learning
disabilities can go if they feel scared,
threatened or are in trouble while out and
about.
At the moment all Derbyshire libraries are
safe places. Most library staff have had safe
place training which explains about the
scheme, covers communication skills and
gives tips on how to provide practical
support and help to people with learning
disabilities.
Stickers are placed in
windows of safe places
to help people identify
them.

21

News from...
World Stroke Day at
Chesterfield Royal Hospital
To mark World
Stroke Day on
29th October
and to raise
awareness of
stroke, the
Stroke Association hosted a Know
Your Blood Pressure event at
Chesterfield Royal Hospital in
partnership with the stroke unit.
The event was a real success and 55 blood
pressures were taken over the course of
the day, with 13 people advised to followup with their GP. Lots more people picked
up prevention leaflets and spoke to staff
and volunteers about reducing their risk of
stroke.

Mindfulness sessions for

stroke survivors and carers
The Stroke Association have been running
some mindfulness sessions for stroke
survivors and carers in Chesterfield. The
sessions are being delivered by local notfor-profit social enterprise, Heartmind, with
the last session planned for December.
Mindfulness helps people to pay attention
to the present moment without
judgement. Feedback has been positive so
far, with attendees reporting that they
were learning to relax more, and one
stroke survivor said that it has been
tremendous. If there is enough interest,
there might be the potential to run some
more sessions in the New Year.

For more information, please contact Sophie Dawson on 01246 864024

or email sophie.dawson@stroke.org.uk

Funding for self-help in the

Hardwick CCG Area
NDVA still has funds available for mental
health self-help groups in the Hardwick
Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area.
Funding is available for new and existing
groups. New groups can apply for up to
150 and existing groups can apply for up
to 500. Funding is for running costs e.g.
transport costs, room hire, insurance,
volunteering expenses publicity etc.

22

There is no time limit on this funding,

however there is a finite amount of funds.
For more information and an application
form please contact Roger at NDVA.
For organisations outside the Hardwick
CCG area the NDVA Small Grants and
Start-up Grants are available.

Funding
USER INVOLVEMENT
FUND
The Fund is designed to cover out of
pocket expenses of service users,
carers and voluntary group
representatives who have been
invited to participate in a variety of
planning groups and consultation
exercises relating to health issues in
Derbyshire; where funding is not
available from the meeting
organiser. For example:
Travel expenses
Personal assistance costs
Taxi fares or community transport
charges for people for whom public
transport is not accessible or cost
effective
Room hire for meetings
Photocopying costs, telephone costs for
user/carer reps to carry out work on
behalf of the planning group
Funding to support user group/forum
as a way of increasing user involvement.
The group must have direct
representation on the relevant planning
group if one exists.
Additional Funding may also be available to
support service user involvement in
planning, e.g. conferences, workshops,
consultation exercises, surveys and
questionnaires.
Please contact NDVA for further
information.

NDVA Small
Grants Scheme!
The Scheme, designed to offer
funding to support the running
costs of small health related
voluntary groups, now includes
support to mental health
groups, thanks to additional
funding from Hardwick CCG.
There are four application rounds
each year: February, May, August and
December. The next closing dates are
4th December 2015 and 26th
February 2016.
NDVA will continue to prioritise
voluntary groups that have limited
sources of alternative funding. The
maximum grant available is 1,000.
Support to new groups: please
note that NDVAs Start-up Grant is
now 200. Its to support new or
potential groups (or individuals
trying to start a group), at any point
in the year.
For more information on the
Small Grants Scheme or
Start-up Grant call NDVA on
01246 555908 or email:
info@ndva.org.uk

Although we print 1200 copies,

we cant provide one for
everybody. If you found this
interesting, please pass it on
to someone else!
23

NETWORK is available in

large print on request.

It is also available on the NDVA website.

NETWORK
NETWORK

NETWORK
Next NDVA Health &
Social Care Voluntary
Sector Forum and AGM
27 January 2016, 9.30am - 1pm
Agricultural Business Centre,
Bakewell DE45 1AH

Why not use Network to publicise

and promote the work of your group or
organisation? There is no charge.
The contributors deadline for the
Spring issue is 22 January 2016
Contact NDVA on 01246 555908
or email sue@ndva.org.uk

Have we got your correct

contact details?
If you have recently changed your contact details
i.e. your postal address, email or telephone number
please let us know a.s.a.p.
We want to make sure that you are getting all the
information that we send out.

In the interest of
saving trees, perhaps you
could let us now if you
prefer to receive your
Network electronically OR
if you no longer wish to
receive it in any format,
please let us know.

NDVA, Offices 2a-2c The Market Hall, Chesterfield, S40 1AR

Telephone: 01246 555908
Email: info@ndva.org.uk

Website: www.ndva.org.uk
@ndva_info
Registered Charity number 1134329. A Company Limited by Guarantee - Registered in England No. 6956527

NDVA Staff
Jacqui Willis
Sue Thickett
Roger Kerry
Bryony White
Pete Newby
Lisa Winter,
David Gadsby-Dean
Elsa MacPherson

Chief Executive
Administrator
Mental Health Liaison Worker
Mental Health Admin Assistant
VSPA Manager
VSPA Liaison Worker
VSPA Liaison Worker
Dronfield 2gether Development Worker

Designed by North East Derbyshire District Council 7139

NDVA Directors
Heather Fawbert (Chair)
Roland Brown
(Vice Chair)
Julie Dixon
Gill Geddes
Angela Parnell
Rona Rawson

Narinder Sharma
Peter Shaw
John Siddall
Ann Sullivan
Lynn Tory
John Wardle