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We proudly flew the St George’s Cross flag over County Hall in Matlock on Thursday to mark St George’s Day.
 Our Council Leader Councillor Alan Graves threw himself into the spirit of the day, which is celebrated annually on 23 April.
Councillor Graves spent the day travelling across the county meeting residents from a number of villages and towns and encouraging them to celebrate the patron saint of England.
We were given drone footage at no cost to the council of the St George’s Cross flag being raised high above our headquarters, and luckily we have staff members who have a head for heights to do the honours.
We hope you had a great St George’s Day and marked the occasion in some way.
If you’re looking for somewhere to have lunch, a snack or just a coffee while you’re visiting Chesterfield Library - or shopping in the town – you’ll be pleased to know that a new café has opened its doors to the public.
Nook & Scran by Scrannery will offer freshly prepared food, speciality coffee and locally sourced produce – with its owners promising a welcoming food and drink space for library users, shoppers, library theatre audiences and the wider community.
The café’s opening times will coincide with the library’s opening hours and it will also be licensed to support events held within the library theatre.
📷 Pictured are catering supervisor Bethany Snowball-Middleton and café assistant Anna Palermo.
Have you heard of Derbyshire Time Swap? It's an initiative that encourages local people to help each other by sharing time and talents.
The idea is simple – as a Time Swap member you can earn 'time' by giving help and support to other members in your community. This could be things you enjoy or are good at – e.g. sewing, gardening, DIY, music or baking.
You can then spend that time on getting help from other members. This could be help with something that you find difficult, or maybe someone in your community could teach you a new skill.
If you're in the South Normanton or Clay Cross areas why not pop along to a drop-in session to find out more:
- Monday 27 April 10.30am to 12pm at The Post Mill Centre in South Normanton
- Tuesday 28 April 1pm to 2pm at Tesco Café in Clay Cross.
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Our Derbyshire Makes festival continues this weekend in Heanor, before moving on to Glossop and Bolsover.
Each town is hosting a full day of free activity bringing together artists, makers, performers and communities to celebrate Derbyshire’s rich story of making and innovation.
In Heanor on Saturday 2 May:
- Thingamabob, an ingenious solo street show by Matt Pang
- Make Do, Mend and Reinvent, including the 'Style Your Neighbour' challenge
- mass participation sound-making with the Orchestra of Possibilities
- repair cafe sessions with Crich Repair Cafe and upcycling workshops with local makers
- Future Fibres exploring Derbyshire wool and flax, including screenings of The Nettle Dress
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📸Thingamabob, an ingenious solo street show by Matt Pang. Photo credit: Ashley Bird.
If you're a pensioner you're being warned to be on high alert for scams as the recovery of Winter Fuel Payments begins this month.
Almost two million people are expected to repay their winter 2025 payment due to their annual income being more than £35,000 – for most people it's an automatic process and the payment will be recovered through a change to their tax code.
For those in Self Assessment who file online, the payment should be pre-populated in their 2025 to 2026 tax return, due by 31 January 2027. Customers should check and add it manually if it is not shown. Paper filers will need to add it on their tax return, due by 31 October 2026.
HMRC will never contact you by text or email to ask you to repay your Winter Fuel Payment, or to request bank details.
You can use HMRC's online checking tool at GOV.UK to see whether your payment will be reclaimed and how.
To report a suspicious text claiming to be from HMRC, forward it to 60599. To report a suspicious email, forward it to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. To report a scam phone call, visit GOV.UK. If you have had money stolen, contact your bank immediately and contact Report Fraud.
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If you're a book lover in the Somercotes area you can take advantage of new weekly sessions which have been set up in a village hall while the area’s library is temporarily closed.
Somercotes Library, based on the Somerlea Park Junior School campus on Bank Street, was temporarily closed last November due to building work taking place at the school.
While the new school premises is scheduled to be complete by this December, from next January to June 2027 contractors will be demolishing the existing school building.
As a result it was decided to keep Somercotes Library closed until June 2027 to avoid disruption to visitors and staff.
Library staff have now been able to secure a weekly slot in Somercotes Parish Council’s village hall in Nottingham Road for drop-in library sessions on Thursdays between 2pm and 4pm.
We’re introducing new measures to help improve the visitor experience and control the amount of traffic in and around a popular Peak District beauty spot.
The changes, covering the Castleton and Mam Tor area, will include the county’s first ever red routes. These are designed to promote safer parking, smoother traffic flow and clear access for emergency vehicles, helping everyone enjoy the area more safely and responsibly. It will also help support local communities and protect the Peak District’s much-loved landscapes.
The measures follow many years of conversations with the parish council and local residents, as growing visitor numbers place increasing pressure on roads and parking. We held a public consultation last year, with two thirds of respondents either supporting the proposals or offering constructive suggestions to help shape the final plans.
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