News from producers around Derbyshire

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Let’s get the Bad News out of the way first...

Not surprisingly, you can’t run a festival with six people from two households standing 2 metres apart. We‘ve assessed all the risks and there’s no way we could run (or afford) a safe festival in its usual form – not even if government rules were relaxed (or our name was Dominic Cummings). Sadly, this year’s Stainsby Festival, in the form you’ve grown to love it, won’t be happening (not even in Durham).

We’ll see you back on the festival field again in 2021.

Enterprise has gone digital in Derbyshire – The Prince's Trust is now recruiting for a free 2 day DIGITAL business programme within the city and county.

This programme is open to anyone aged 18-30, not in education, employment or training, and looking to learn new skills in self-employment.

Programme:     22 & 23 June 2020 9.30am-4.30pm
Location:           Log in from smart phone, tablet device or computer.

If you or someone you know might benefit from this FREE course, please contact  0800 842 842, or the local team on 07919 221 443.

Derbyshire chemical company Lubrizol UK has praised the organisers of two online mental health projects after they won an online Dragons’ Den-style charity pitch event that was sponsored by the firm.

The company, based in Hazelwood, has congratulated Gaby Goodchild and Helen Woodford, who walked away with £700 and £300 respectively for their new ventures after taking part in the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Soup online event last week.

Family-owned funeral directors, Wathall’s, have brought forward its year-long community support programme in light of the pandemic to ensure local charities have the support they need now.

A Wathall’s Wish was originally launched in January and planned to support a different charity every month with money, volunteering or donations of goods and services.

The company earmarked charities operating in and around the communities in which it has branches – Derby’s St Peters Quarter, Alvaston, Ashbourne, Burton-on-Trent and Borrowash.

Derby’s Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) have further stepped up support for local businesses by offering Business Covid-19 Recovery Starter packs to help them re-open safely.

Businesses who pay a BID levy can apply for the pack which includes social distancing floor graphics and tape, washable face coverings, hand sanitiser, and a series of posters and window vinyls advising on COVID-19 prevention measures.

Civic leaders in Derby have described the announcement of job losses at Bondholder Rolls-Royce as heart-breaking for the workers, the company and the city and have pledged to do all it can to stand with those affected.

Derby City Council is asking thousands of Derby businesses how the Coronavirus pandemic is impacting their operations and what help they need to recover.

The study will help the city shape its plans to kick-start the local economy post-lockdown and tailor the support it can offer to companies.

Despite the disruption to its 2020 plans caused by COVID-19, the team at the Derby Book Festival has created a series of online events to bring some of its programme to you at home.

A series of 'DBF at Home' author interviews, posted daily on the Festival website from 29th May to 6th June at 10am, gives a flavour of the breadth of the programme and to keep the joy of books and reading alive in the absence of the Festival.

There is an urgent need to pro-actively curate the city centre experience.