Profits from our re-use shop at Bolsover Household Waste Recycling Centre are being pumped back into local communities with the launch of a new scheme offering grants of up to £2,500 for charitable causes.
 The re-use shop, based at the Buttermilk Lane centre, is stocked with items collected at eight of our nine recycling centres, operated by contractors HW Martin.
Sales from the shop raised more than £20,000 in the 12 months from April 2025.
Along with HW Martin we've agreed to donate all of the profits to local community groups and organisations across Derbyshire.
Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA) is administering the £20,000 fund with groups able to apply online for grants of between £500 and £2,500. The grant scheme closes on 23 October 2026. Find out more about the grants, eligibility criteria and how to apply.
📸Councillor Carol Wood, second from right, at Bolsover Household Waste Recycling Centre Re-use Shop with, from left, HW Martin’s contract manager Craig Capper, Kim Gosling from Derbyshire Voluntary Action and Karl Brough, compliance manager at HW Martin.
Do you have children? Have you heard of Best Start in Life Family Hubs? They're a welcoming, free space for families to get the support they need.
You're invited to discover the support, activities and services available through our new Best Start in Life (BSiL) Family Hubs at special open days this month.
The events will take place at Birdholme Family Hub on Friday 16 October 2026 and Cotmanhay Family Hub on Monday 19 October 2026, where families will be able to meet staff, explore the facilities and learn more about the support available for children from pregnancy through to starting school. Both events will run from 1pm to 3pm.
If you're interested in going along you can register in advance.
📸Pictured is mum Elizabeth with one of her sons, during a session at a family hub.
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We're launching a new service in some secondary schools to help young people break free from vaping and smoking.
VIBE is Derbyshire's first dedicated smoking and vaping cessation service for young people. Funded by our public health team and delivered by Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust (DCHS), it's launching as a pilot scheme in 10 secondary schools across the county.
Young people aged 12 to 18 who want to quit can access free, confidential support, including one-to-one coaching, quit plans, behaviour change support and nicotine replacement therapy where appropriate.
While vaping is less harmful than smoking and can help adults quit, it is not risk-free and should not be used by children and young people. Support is open to anyone in the above age group and not exclusive to the pupils of the 10 schools.
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People across Derbyshire who are raising the children of relatives and friends were recognised and celebrated during Kinship Care Week (5 to 11 October 2026).
Kinship carers provide loving, stable homes for children who cannot live with their parents, helping them stay connected to their families and communities.
Watch Councillor Paul Magninnis, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, say thank you to kinship carers in Derbyshire.
We've also launched our kinship offer which has been developed with local kinship families and aims to highlight the support available to carers to ensure they get all the information, guidance and support they need.
We have a dedicated kinship team which offers on-going support, as well as sign-posting families to helpful advice, emotional support, education guidance, peer support opportunities and access to therapeutic services where appropriate.
Learn more about Kinship Care.
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We’ve made a major investment that means more children will be able to attend their local primary schools thanks to the development of new, modern classrooms.
Expansion projects totalling £4.6 million have been completed over the summer at Norbriggs Primary School in Chesterfield and Eureka Primary School in Swadlincote.
Children returned to school to new learning spaces providing extra school places and high-quality facilities designed to help them learn and thrive.
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At Norbriggs, the £2.7 million project has created four new classrooms for key stage 2 pupils, together with new toilets, a group room and additional staff parking.
Meanwhile, a £1.85 million expansion at Eureka Primary School has created three additional classrooms, a group room and new toilet facilities.
📸Expansion projects at Eureka Primary School (top) and Norbriggs.
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If you're involved with a voluntary or community group you could apply for a grant to create or enhance free, warm and welcoming spaces for local residents.
As winter approaches, Derbyshire Voluntary Action has reopened its Warm and Welcoming Spaces Grant Programme for 2026/27.
Funded by us, grants of £1,000 to £5,000 are available to voluntary and community groups across Derbyshire to help run free, friendly spaces where people can meet, socialise and get support.
New this year, the maximum grant has increased to £5,000, helping organisations reach more people during the colder months.
Applications close on 19 October 2026. See full eligibility details and apply
For enquiries and more information email grants@dva.org.uk.
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We have reaffirmed our opposition to Government planning reforms that will reduce the role of elected councillors in planning decisions.
The reforms, to be introduced by the Government as part of wider efforts to speed up housebuilding and infrastructure delivery, include a national scheme of delegation that will require certain planning applications to be determined by planning officers rather than councillors.
The Government says the changes will make the planning system faster and more consistent, while councils across the country, including us, have expressed serious concerns about the impact on local democratic decision-making.
However, we are legally required to implement the changes from 31 October 2026.
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