Community News 2024 08 12

Stepping stones repairs
If you've ever been to Dovedale you'll probably have seen, or crossed, the famous stepping stones. Unfortunately they were damaged by Storm Babet last year, but now river levels are low enough for us to repair them.

During the storm, debris washed down the river toppling several of the stepping stones. We'll repair the missing stones and then set them in the river bed.

The stepping stones are a public right of way, on land cared for by the National Trust, and we're responsible for making sure you can use them safely.

Because the site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), we had to ask for permission from Natural England, and this has now been granted.

Work will start today (Monday 12 August), and should be completed by Friday 23 August. A bridge further downstream means that it's still possible for you to visit Dovedale while the work is taking place.

Image courtesy of Visit Peak District and Derbyshire.

Buses proving popular
New passenger figures show that the big changes we've made to Derbyshire bus services are proving popular with passengers.

More than 30 services have been improved under our £47 million Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). One service, the Buxton Buzz, has seen a 59% increase in passengers using it so far.

Some of the bus services have had extended routes to additional places, while others have extended running times in the morning and evening, or have more buses running per hour than before.

So, if you haven't been on a bus in a while, give it a go and see the changes for yourself.

Staveley Waterside under way
Work is under way to transform Staveley canal basin with shops and food and drink outlets, so that when you want to take advantage of the walking, cycling and boating opportunities there, you can make a real day out of it.

Staveley Waterside is part of the Staveley Town Deal, a £25m Government-funded regeneration programme for the area. It'll create a new canal-side destination for both commerce and visitors supporting 11 business units for office, retail and workshop use alongside opportunities for food and drink.

The canal basin will be greatly enhanced by the new development and, hopefully, will encourage more visitors to make recreational use of the canal for walking, cycling and boating.

Contractors started work on phase one of the project at the end of July. This initial phase is scheduled for completion by the end of April 2025.

The project is being managed by us and funded by a partnership between us and the Staveley Town Deal, which is overseen by Chesterfield Borough Council. The Town Deal is providing £3.2m of the £4.5m cost of the project with the balance being met by us.

This Staveley Waterside project forms part of the wider Markham Vale programme of works, our flagship 85-hectare business park based on the site of the old Markham Colliery, being delivered jointly with HBD.

Vape recycling
Did you know you can recycle vapes at our household waste recycling centres?

Every week, vapers in the UK throw away a million single use vapes in household and public waste bins. That works out at two per second.

It's bad for the environment and it's a waste of the precious metals they contain like steel, aluminium, copper and lithium, the supplies of which are limited.

And for refillable vapes, there's the plug, battery and cable which goes to waste too.

The good news is that vapes can now be recycled thanks to advances in technology and collected at each of our household waste recycling centres ready to be carefully broken down to recover the materials.

As well as being better for the environment, it's safer to dispose of used vapes at recycling centres as they can become a fire hazard when thrown in the bin at home. This is because the lithium batteries they contain can ignite if accidentally crushed when being transported in waste vehicles.

As a result, specialist recycling bins have been introduced at all the recycling centres to encourage the safe and efficient recycling of vapes.

Support for carers
Do you provide unpaid care to a family member or friend who couldn't cope without your help? If so, you could be a carer and entitled to a range of support services or a carer's assessment.

Our Derbyshire All Age Carers Support Service (DAACSS) – which is delivered by Derbyshire Carers Association (DCA) on our behalf – includes:

carer's assessments
information about the condition or illness of the person you care for and signposting to support services
services to help you to have a break from your caring role
information about carer support groups
advice about how to get a balance between caring and your health & wellbeing
information and help to access any training courses available to you (for example, moving and handling)
help to make a plan in case of an emergency or crisis
information on how your GP can support you
advice on how to access services such as housing, employment support and education and more.

A carer's assessment can be carried out at your home, the home of the person you support or a local community venue. If there's more than one carer providing care in your household, you're both entitled to an assessment.

To find out more or request a carer's assessment, contact DAACSS by emailing info@derbyshirecarers.co.uk, call the team on 01773 833 833 or fill in their contact form.

Have your say on grants
Our consultation on the future of two types of grant funding to voluntary and community groups across Derbyshire ends on 20 August.

We'd like to hear your views on plans to end adult social care discretionary grant funding, and corporate services and transformation discretionary grant funding in March 2025.

Childcare for little ones
Do you have pre-school children and would like to go back to work?

More working parents of children aged up to four across Derbyshire are now eligible for funded childcare − and for the first time from this September the scheme will also include babies from nine months old.

You may not be aware of the Government funding expansion, so check if you are now eligible.

The application deadline for parents to secure funding for the September term is Saturday 31 August 2024.

Vaccinations for children
Do you have a child in school years 8 to 11 who has missed out on a vaccination?

Free vaccination clinics are running across Derbyshire throughout August.

These include the 3 in 1 teenage booster MenACWY for meningitis and sepsis, HPV, and the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.

So if your child missed out, due to illness or holiday for example, this is a chance to get them protected against serious and potentially deadly diseases.

Vaccinations also stop diseases spreading to people who can't have vaccines, such as babies too young to be vaccinated and those who are too ill to be vaccinated.

The clinics are appointment only. For more information or to book an appointment please call IntraHealth on 0333 358 3397 and select option 5