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.

Children's Craft Day

Arts@S18 look forward to welcoming you to the Children's Craft Day at the Civic Hall, 10am until 2pm on Wednesday 17th February. Children will be able to try out a variety of crafts from modelling clay to knitting! Bacon sandwiches and refreshments will be on sale. Just £2 per child (there may be a small additional charge for some activities to cover materials)

Derby’s Cathedral Quarter has re-launched its popular tours of the area as part of the CQ Saturdays programme of events following the completion of refurbishment work at Derby Cathedral. The CQ Saturdays Towers, Tunnels and Tales tour was postponed during last year’s £670,000 refurbishment programme at the Cathedral. It will be re-launched next month with the first tour held on Saturday February 6 and then the first Saturday of the month throughout the year.

Derby’s Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District has welcomed research declaring Derby as the UK’s business start-up capital.
Business leaders in the area, which is the city centre’s central business district, say that the research findings further strengthen its work to attract new businesses into the area.

Local businesses are being urged to look at commercial opportunities that Derbyshire county council are offering.

There are a large number of sites across the county including large country parks, picnic sites, canals and woodlands where businesses could trade. Activities could include catering, shops and retail, events, weddings, festivals, paintballing or other leisure activities.

Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, Councillor Dean Collins, explained:

Pentrich & South Wingfield Revolution Group are seeking a few more local artists for a project we are currently trying to complete (profession or amateur)

Derby College has launched a new website to coincide with the launch of its 2016 full- time courses prospectus to help young people focus on their career aspirations.

The new-look website www.derby-college.ac.uk incorporates an innovative Career Coach programme – enabling users to input which job they have their sights set on and the qualifications they will need to achieve those dreams.

International cricketer Niall O'Brien has visited Derby College’s Broomfield Hall Campus to run a special coaching session for members of the Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy at the College

Niall plays for Ireland and Leicestershire and recently returned from playing in cricket’s Inter Continental Cup in Zimbabwe.

He said: “I am very impressed with the set up at Derby College.  I did not have these opportunities as a youngster in Ireland but cricket is now the fastest growing sport there and I thoroughly enjoy coaching to bring out the potential in individual players.

Derbyshire farm shop Croots has come up with a novel way to display its Christmas trees – a hanging forest in one of the farm’s barns.

The set-up means that customers can walk amongst the firs, as they hang from the ceiling of the barn, and see exactly how the tree will look when it finds its place in the home.

“Everyone has their own idea of what makes the perfect tree for their home,” said Steve Croot, who runs the farm shop off Wirksworth Road, Duffield, with wife Kay.