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This week we’re shining the light on hard-working volunteer Liz Smith who supports her local community in Swadlincote.
 Liz is just one of many local residents who do amazing work across Derbyshire, helping communities thrive and grow by giving up their time and sharing their skills to help others.
She's been volunteering at the Hill Street Baptist Church clothes bank for several years, sorting clothes, stacking shelves and making sure the church’s upstairs room is well stocked with pristine shoes and outfits, ready for visitors.
Liz benefited from our Volunteer Passport training – a free course we offer across the county to help upskill volunteers, or would-be volunteers.
Featuring units in equality, safeguarding, health and safety and first aid, the 10-hour course takes place at venues across the county and online.
As it’s accredited, anyone who completes the training will receive a certificate – or ‘passport’ – which can help build on previous volunteering as well as potentially help find future volunteering, work or education opportunities.
Do you know an individual or organisation that goes above and beyond to help others? Let us know by emailing derbyshire.spirit@derbyshire.gov.uk
🖱️ Find out more about our free Volunteer Passport training course
📧Email cs.dacesvolunteerpassport@derbyshire.gov.uk
📞 Call 01629 531 241.
When young people leave education, it's important that they know where to get support to find work or training to help them realise their dreams. Corey did just that...
After leaving full-time education Corey, right, was looking for help to get on the career ladder, so he went along to Erewash YES (Youth Employment Support) in Ilkeston.
Here Corey got careers advice and took courses on maths and digital skills, furthering his ambition of working in the music and events industry. He was then offered work with the Ruffins Group event management company.
His first ever paid shift was as part of the video team at a Take That concert in Norwich.
Both hubs offer one-to-one appointments with advisers to explore career and training options. Local youngsters can go along in person. Those from further afield in Derbyshire can go online for help.
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Thousands of illegal cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco and vapes with a retail value totalling more than £255,000 have been seized in two trading standards operations in the past fortnight in Derbyshire.
 In one operation our trading standards seized more than 363,000 cigarettes (18,150 packets) and 20kg (400 packs) of hand-rolling tobacco from a premises in South Derbyshire.
The seizure, one of the biggest for the team in recent years, equates to an illegal market value of £115,000, which is the money organised criminals who sell illegal tobacco could have made, and a high street value of approximately £250,000.
This closely followed an operation which saw the trading standards team, working with Derbyshire Police, seize more than 1,000 illegal cigarettes, 1.25kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco and more than 280 vapes from a premises in Erewash, with an approximate value of around £6,000.
Investigations are ongoing following both the operations, which could lead to subsequent prosecutions.
📞 Anyone with information about the sale of illegal tobacco or illegal vapes should call the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
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If you’re interested in running a catering business at one of our busy country parks, there’s still time to register your bid.
We have an opportunity for a mobile catering business to pitch-up at Elvaston Castle Country Park and space for an ice-cream vendor at Shipley Country Park, between Heanor and Ilkeston.
🖱️ Find out more about the mobile catering opportunity at Elvaston Castle Country Park.
🖱️Find out more about availability for an ice cream vendor at Shipley Country Park.
Anyone interested in either of these two ventures can submit offers up to midday on Monday (24 June).
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Domestic abuse is unacceptable at any time.
However, during major sporting events like Euro 2024, research shows that, nationally, violent domestic abuse increases by 38% when England loses football matches. Rates are also 26% higher nationally when the team wins or draws.
Support is available from the Derbyshire Domestic Abuse Helpline, where domestic abuse advisors can chat to you discreetly and provide you with emotional and practical support.
The helpline is open from 8am-10pm, Monday to Friday.
📞 Call 08000 198 668
📲 Text 07534 617 252
💬 Live Chat www.theelmfoundation.org.uk
The freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is open 365 days a year – call 0808 2000 247.
For those who are in immediate danger, please do not hesitate to call 999.
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 Calling all Bolsover and South Derbyshire parents and carers.
If you have a child aged five to 12, they could be eligible for FREE local activities with our Child's Choice programme.
📞 Find out more on 0800 085 2299 (option 2)
🖱️Visit the website.
It's your final chance to have a say on travel in Belper, Glossop and Ilkeston.
Our survey to get people's views about active travel – which includes walking, cycling or using a scooter, mobility scooter or wheelchair – closes on Monday 24 June.
We’re asking people how they get around in these three towns and what improvements do they think should be made to make walking, cycling and other forms of active travel an easier option?
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Four of our schools in Amber Valley did their bit to reduce air pollution and raise awareness about road safety and safe parking around their premises to coincide with Clean Air Day yesterday (Thursday 20 June).
After consulting with local residents the schools applied to have roads outside the schools closed during dropping off and picking up times. The aim was to discourage parents and carers from driving along the road right up to the school gates. This helps improve air quality in the area by reducing carbon emissions generated by vehicles and improve road safety by cutting congestion and reducing parking levels outside the schools.
Volunteer marshalls were on hand to help with the road closures. Schools urged all who can to walk, cycle or scoot – and for those who still needed to drive they negotiated with local car park owners for parents to ‘park and stride’ from there.
We backed the trial at Riddings Infant and Nursery School, Riddings Juniors, St John's (CofE) Primary in Belper and William Gilbert Endowed (CofE) Primary School and Nursery in Duffield, and have set up a cross-party working group to look at parking and road safety issues across our schools and try to find innovative ways to address these.
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Pride Month takes place every year in June and is designed to recognise the influence of the LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness of the issues the community faces.
As a demonstration of support, we'll be flying the Progress Pride flag at County Hall in Matlock on Friday 28 June, which coincides with International Pride Day.
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