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Information for local groups, societies, clubs, parish and town councils

News in this edition: 

Merry Christmas

New financial support for households facing hardship this winter

Free Christmas holiday activities and a healthy meal for disadvantaged school age children in Derbyshire

Best Life Derbyshire

Second outbreak of avian flu confirmed in South Derbyshire

Consultation on care homes

Merry Christmas

This is our last issue of community news for 2021, we do hope you have found our newsletter useful this year. We’d like to wish all community groups, who do so much for our communities across the county, a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. The council leader, Councillor Barry Lewis, has just issued a Christmas message. You can find it on our website here.

New financial support for households facing hardship this winter

Households facing financial hardship can now apply to the Household Support Fund for help towards their food and essential living costs.

Payments will be worth £64 per household plus an extra £20 will be provided for each partner/spouse and any dependent children.

A maximum of two payments will be available from the fund until the end of March next year.

Full details about the fund are available on the Derbyshire County Council website. Find out more about the Household Support Fund.

To apply, individuals can call 01629 533399 to apply for support.

The county council’s Children’s Services colleagues are working closely with frontline staff in schools, nurseries and with voluntary sector partners to identify households facing financial hardship to maximise take up of the payments.

Other professionals will be able to refer claimants using an online form available on our website at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/winterpressures

Additional financial support will also be available including:

• A winter food voucher – provided automatically to eligible households in January/February
• Help with council tax and rent arears, homelessness and temporary housing from local district and borough councils

For any further information read our Household Support Fund information guide.

Free Christmas holiday activities and a healthy meal for disadvantaged school age children in Derbyshire

School age children living in Derbyshire who receive benefit related free school meals will be able to register for free Christmas holiday activities available at community centres and schools across the county.

More than 19,000 free places are on offer at 80 venues, providing activity sessions four days per week as part of the winter holiday activity and food programme (HAF) programme

The activities are for children aged 5-16 and will be available from Thursday 23 December to Friday 7 January, excluding bank holidays and weekends.

The sessions are free for families who claim benefit related free school meals. Places are available on a first come, first served basis, with priority given to children who receive free school meals.

A limited number of holiday activity places are available for other disadvantaged school age young people living in the county including children with special educational needs and children in care.

Children will be provided with a healthy meal at breakfast or lunchtime and a choice of fun, seasonal activities including trips to attend pantomimes, visits to our outdoor activity centres at Go Beyond, Lea Green and Whitehall as well as concerts, sports and craft clubs.

At some venues, food boxes are also available for children who are unable to attend the face-to-face sessions, although stocks are very limited.

In addition, grants of £5,000 have been given to six local CVS organisations to support the delivery of the free activities including Amber Valley, Bassetlaw, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, High Peak and South Derbyshire.

To apply, parents can visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/holidayactivities. The webpage includes an interactive map with a postcode/address search to find nearby school holiday clubs and how to register.

The itsaboutmederbyshire.co.uk website has also been updated with a range of interactive games and fun activities for children and useful information about wellbeing, food nutrition and exercise.

The free school holiday activities are in addition to the financial support available from the Derbyshire Discretionary Fund and the Household Support Fund.

The county council provided a similar programme of activities during the summer holidays earlier this year which was used by 5,000 children at 80 venues across the county.

Best Life Derbyshire

We’re always planning for the future and we need to know what’s important to you so that we can develop services and support to help you live your best life.

To help us find out more social enterprise Sortified are running a survey on our behalf called #BestLifeDerbyshire and we’re encouraging you to take part and tell us more.

The survey is made up of a few simple questions about who you are, which area of Derbyshire you live in, and what would help you to live your best life now and in the future.

We know a lot has changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and as a result what’s important to you may have changed as well. That’s why we’re running the survey now.

As well as the survey, Sortified are talking to as many Derbyshire residents as they can to find out their views and thoughts about what’s important to them. There are also online group sessions and events, quizzes and polls.

It’s a real opportunity for local people to talk to us and know they’re being listened to, and all the information we get back will be considered and used to help us plan for the future.

To take part go to www.sortified.com/bestlifederbyshire The survey closes on Monday 27 December 2021.

You can also contact Sortified by email info@sortified.com or by calling/texting 07415369327.

Second outbreak of avian flu confirmed in South Derbyshire

People keeping birds are being strongly urged to follow strict new rules to stop the spread of bird flu after three outbreaks affecting parts of Derbyshire. Two of the outbreaks have been near Willington, South Derbyshire and a third is near Tutbury, Staffordshire, which also affects areas in the south of the county. Derbyshire County Council’s trading standards officers are appealing to all bird keepers, from people keeping a few hens to large commercial premises, to follow the strict rules put in place by Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) which include keeping all birds housed and following strict biosecurity measures.

Consultation on care homes

A consultation into options for the future of accommodation for older people in some of our residential care homes has been launched.

The council’s Cabinet agreed to ask people’s views after hearing significant maintenance, renovation and refurbishment is needed in seven ageing buildings and that there has been a drop in demand for care home places both locally and nationally with people choosing to receive care at home so they can live independently for longer.

Seven homes are being consulted on and the council is keen to hear as many views as possible. To find out more about the proposals and take part in the consultation visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/care-home-review . The consultation ends on Friday, 4 March 2022.  A series of virtual public meetings will be held online in the New Year. More details to follow.