Around 40,000 Nottinghamshire households struggling to make ends meet are set to get extra support this summer and winter.

The fourth round of the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF) is worth £11.2 million to cover a full year (March 2023 to March 2024) and will once again be administered by Nottinghamshire County Council in partnership with borough and district councils.

Looking after our mental health and wellbeing is something that more of us are thinking about these days. We are all taking stock and looking at how we can achieve a healthy balance in our daily lives.

For a long time, there was a focus on what we all needed to do to keep physically healthy – regular exercise, getting enough sleep, eating good food, making healthy choices. We now appreciate that our mental wellbeing is just as important. In fact, poor mental health can lead to poor physical health, so it’s imperative that we look after both.

Talented trainees who join Nottinghamshire County Council’s successful Graduate Development Programme will be guaranteed a job on successfully completing their apprenticeship.

The county council launched the scheme in 2018 to identify, develop and retain suitable people as part of a wider approach to talent management within the organisation.

It offers a wide range of learning and development opportunities including specialist project management training; experience of adult and children social care; public health experience and access to mentors at senior management level.

A caring Nottinghamshire couple who spent almost a decade as directors at Mansfield Town Football Club have a shone a light on life as foster carers.

Tina and Paul Broughton became support foster carers with Nottinghamshire County Council last summer, just a few months after stepping down from their roles at the Stags.

Holme Pierrepont County Park and the National Water Sports Centre will now be accessible by bus seven days a week over the summer thanks to a trial part funded by the county council.

Nottingham City Transport’s number 11C service currently only serves the country park on Sundays but the Monday to Saturday trial will see one bus an hour running during off-peak times.

A community organisation which provides support to Ukrainian refugees has received £27,000 from outgoing Nottinghamshire County Council chairman, Councillor Roger Jackson.

He raised the money for his chosen community cause, the Nottingham Ukrainian Cultural Centre, through a variety of fundraising events during his year in office – including a Sunday lunch at Newark Showground which raised more than £8,000.