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Children from a Chesterfield primary school have done their bit for nature by helping to plant 100 trees at our White Hall Outdoor Education Centre.
Twenty-five youngsters from William Rhodes Primary School planted native rowan and downy birch saplings while on a residential course at the centre near Buxton.
The children were taking part in a conservation-themed residential stay at White Hall and during their visit explored Combs Moss to learn about moorland habitats, took part in a rock scramble and did a litter pick.
You can discover more about White Hall here.
The trees planted by the pupils – part of 500 to be added there – brought the total of trees in the centre’s conservation field to 3,000 new trees over the past three years.
This includes 500 as part of our Million Trees Campaign, which aims to see 1,000,000 planted across Derbyshire by 2030.
Find out more about our ambitious Million Trees campaign here.
📸One of the pupils from William Rhodes Primary School gets to work.
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Children from Chesterfield weren't the only young people out planting trees. Pupils at Heage Primary School took the classroom outdoors to plant hundreds of trees on their fields as part of Derbyshire’s Heartwood Community Forest.
Every child carefully planted a tree, from English oak to birch, aspen and wild cherry, to create an extended forest school area, in addition to dozens of fruit trees that have been planted to create a new orchard to provide food for the school and new learning opportunities.
The new trees will also provide new habitats to support a wealth of suburban wildlife from songbirds and small mammals to bees and other pollinators, bringing pupils into daily contact with nature and helping them to learn and appreciate their local environment.
📸 Our cabinet member for net zero and environment Councillor Carol Wood, back row right, joined pupils to plant trees at Heage Primary. Also pictured are woodland creation officer Iaian Stafford and Caroline Clark, sustainability lead at the school.
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A major investment aimed at reducing ‘hidden’ unemployment is coming to Derbyshire, after we secured more than £3.7 million to help residents facing complex barriers to work such as disabilities or chronic illness.
The funding, from the Government’s Connect to Work programme, is part of a wider £14.64 million Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investment – delivered through East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA).
The money will allow us to launch a new Connect to Work programme designed to help residents with disabilities, long‑term health conditions or other challenges move towards meaningful, long-term employment or remain in work.
Young people ready to step into the world of work are being given the chance to apply for a wide range of opportunities through our newly launched Apprenticeship Programme 2026.
From school and college leavers to graduates seeking vocational pathways, the Apprenticeship Programme offers opportunities across the council from highways, catering, finance and business services to social care and health.
All the apprenticeships are nationally recognised and follow a structured training programme combining on-the-job experience with gaining a qualification.
Current apprenticeships are advertised on our jobs website with the new intake due to start this September. There is still time to apply for the positions and people are being encouraged to look into what’s involved now.
Watch a short video made with current apprentices talking about their experiences of the programme.
📸Pictured at County Hall, Matlock are (front) Chair of the Resources Scrutiny Committee Councillor Sarah Reaney and finance assistant apprentice Lily Atkin, (back, left to right) Matt Simms who has completed his Business Administration level 3 apprenticeship, and finance assistant apprentice Will Lathwood.
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We're urging people to ‘count themselves in’ to provide a safe and supportive home for Derbyshire children and young people.
We're part of Foster for East Midlands Councils and we're aiming to dispel common myths that might stop people from considering becoming foster carers.
Anyone can foster with people from all walks of life, from different backgrounds, life experiences and family situations able to provide supportive homes when children need it most.
Myths we're keen to dispel include:
- I'm single so I can't foster
- I'd have to own my own home
- I have a disability which rules me out
- I'm too old
- My sexuality or gender is a barrier.
Foster for East Midlands Councils is a partnership between councils which aims to place children with carers so they can remain in their local community, near family and friends. It also provides training and ongoing support.
A Derbyshire library that was due to relocate as part of a Town Deal programme will not be moving.
In plans put forward as part of the Clay Cross Town Deal, our Clay Cross library had been set to relocate from its existing site in Kenning Park to a new extension of the Derbyshire Adult & Community Education Service (DACES) building off Bailey’s Square in the town centre.
Those plans have now been discontinued due to concerns about funding pressures and the public consultation into the future delivery of DACES, which has only recently closed. The library will remain at Kenning Park, though a future move to a more central location has not been ruled out.
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