Derbyshire Spirit can be found in every street, village and town and this week we’re shining the spotlight on Shared Lives carers Carol and Jim who have been caring for more than 25 years.

Shared Lives offers over-18s who need support with day-to-day living, the chance to move into a family home for a long-term arrangement, short break or day support.

Carol said: “There are so many ways it's enhanced our lives. I would say to anyone thinking of going into Shared Lives: Do it!”

Find out more about becoming a Shared Lives carer.

Do you know an individual or organisation which goes above and beyond to help others? Let us know by emailing derbyshire.spirit@derbyshire.gov.uk 

Sixty steel statues, which form part of the Walking Together Memorial at our Markham Vale Business Park, were damaged over the weekend on 11 and 12 May.

Each of the life-size figures represents an individual miner who died in one of three disasters at the former colliery which once stood on the site.

Individual bronze tags bearing the name of the miner, his age, occupation and the year of the disaster were removed from each of the figures and stolen, along with plaques detailing how the statues were funded.

We’re working with the police and reviewing CCTV footage to try to identify who is responsible for the damage and we would urge anyone with any information that might help to contact the police.

The police can be contacted by calling 101, on the Derbyshire Police website or on social media via Facebook or X (Twitter) and quote the crime reference number 24000279846.

We’re holding drop-in sessions from 3pm to 7pm in Belper (Mon 20 May) and Ilkeston (Thurs 23 May) to get your views on improvements that could be made to make ‘active travel’ an easier option in your towns. Active travel includes walking, cycling or using a scooter, mobility scooter or wheelchair.

• Monday 20 May 2024 at Strutts Centre, Derby Road, Belper DE56 1UU
• Thursday 23 May 2024 at Ilkeston Arena Church, 1 Rutland Street, Ilkeston DE7 8DG

You can also comment on draft ‘Active Travel Masterplans’ drawn-up for each of the towns. These suggest measures to make active travel safer, more convenient and more appealing to a wider range of people.

If you can’t make it then you can fill in an online survey instead and further comments about Glossop via the online survey are still very welcome.

Are you looking for a new catering venture?

You might be interested in opportunities available to provide refreshments at one of our countryside sites.

They picked up a national award for their work with us to increase recycling rates and roll out innovative projects such as the new reuse shop at Bolsover, selling low cost bagged soil improver made from green waste collected in Derbyshire, donating the soil improver to local charities, and compliments about the service from residents.

The company runs eight of our recycling centres across the county. 

Pictured are HW Martin staff with the award.

Bluetonic, a charity based in the East Midlands, has partnered with Spring Lakes Outdoor Water Park in Long Eaton to offer free Swim Safe sessions for children aged 7–14 years.

The free sessions will take place every day between Saturday 25^th May – Sunday 2^nd June and helps children understand:

1. What to do if you fall into cold water unexpectedly
2. What to do to raise the alarm
3. Where to swim safely, as in lifeguarded areas
4. Local dangers related to weirs, canal locks and rivers
5. Coastal dangers related to currents, tides and changing conditions.