A former director with big retail brands Boots and Asda is bringing her expertise to the family business after joining her husband full-time at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire.

Derby College is appealing for volunteers to help restore the historic gardens at the Broomfield Hall campus. The restoration programme has been launched by Head Gardener Samantha Harvey who is working with Horticulture students at the College to develop the gardens into a visitor attraction. The gardens were created when the original hall was built in 1873 by industrialist Charles Schwind.

Derby College Sports students recently had the chance to learn coaching and football skills from football legend Roy Keane during a visit to St George’s Park – the FA’s national football training centre in Staffordshire.

The visit was organised by Burton-on-Trent based pharmaceutical company Clinigen Group as part of their partnership with the League Managers’ Association (LMA). Clinigen invited the Sports Coaching and Development Diploma students, based at Derby College’s Broomfield Hall site in Morley, to tour St George’s Park.

A Derby College student has been selected for the England Colleges’ netball squad to compete at an elite level of the sport. Cherese Naylor (17) from Codnor is studying Sports Coaching and Development at the College’s Broomfield Hall campus in Morley. She plays Centre and Wing Attack for the Loughborough Lightning team in the national performance league and, as part of the English Colleges’ team will play against other national sides and in the national super league.

Derby College has teamed up with Rolls-Royce Plc to organise an event to raise the profile of career opportunities in Engineering for females.

Allison Pennington grew up in the Derbyshire countryside and after spending some wander years experiencing the world, returned home where she has based herself ever since. She has written stories and poetry for children since her her early teens, which often include glimpses of her own childhood immersed in nature, humour and commentary on the quirkiness of life as seen through a child's eyes. She resides in a Derbyshire village with her husband, two gorgeous teenagers  and an over friendly labrador.

The achievements of students at the Joseph Wright Campus at Derby College have been officially recognised with a celebration evening attended by more than 100 people.

Students who have either graduated from or are continuing their studies for A levels, vocational and Creative Arts programmes based at the Joseph Wright Campus were presented with subject prizes at the annual event.

Derby College is holding its first apprenticeship and jobs recruitment event of the year with a bumper crop of vacancies available for young people looking to start an apprenticeship or job in the New Year.

The College has been appointed by a wide range of businesses and organisations across the East Midlands to recruit apprentices in a wide range of roles.

These include Administration, Agriculture, Business Support, Childcare, Customer Service, E-Commerce, Engineering, Hair and Beauty, Hospitality and Catering, IT Support, Manufacturing, Motor Vehicle and Web Design.

Derby College is looking for community-based projects to involve young people on the Prince’s Trust programme, which is celebrating its 40th year of supporting young people back into education and work.

The College-based team will be running six programmes for young people aged 16 to 24 this year, based in Derby and Ilkeston.

As part of the 12-week programme, young people carry out a community project – raising funds for materials and then carrying out the work.

A Derby College student will represent Great Britain in an international fencing competition in Switzerland this month.

Owen Jordan (17) lives in Watnall near Kimberley and is studying to be a personal trainer at Derby College’s Johnson Building campus in Pride Park.

Owen continues to make a name for himself in the fencing world and is on the British Fencing Talent Pathway with his sights set on competing in the Olympics in 2020 and becoming a professional sportsman.