News from producers around Derbyshire

There will be a real family feel to the monthly CQ Saturdays Handcrafted at the Cathedral Quarter on Saturday June 20 with a host of workshops and children’s activities alongside a wide range of artisan stalls.

The fayre and workshops will be held in the Market Place and under the Guildhall Arches between 10am and 4pm - bringing together the best of local and handmade products including artwork, food, carpentry, textile and jewellery created by artisans from across the Midlands.

Derbyshire-based Croots Farm Shop has won a place in the final of the Great British Food Farm Produce Awards 2015.

The Duffield farm shop’s Bakewell tart was named as one of ten short-listed products in the sweet bake category of the awards, run by Great British Food Magazine.

Owner Steve Croot said: “We are thrilled that our Bakewell tart has been selected as a finalist in the Great British Food Farm Produce Awards.

Two Derby College apprentices are playing a key role in creating the landmark set of giant stumps that will symbolise Derbyshire County Cricket Club’s bid for Derby to be a host city for the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

Mark Mitchell and Jake Underwood are both apprentices at Briggs of Burton, the long-established engineering company in Burton-on-Trent who are manufacturing the six metre high giant stumps, bails and ball planned for the Pentagon Island.

The company is working on behalf of Derbyshire County Cricket Club as part of its partnership with the club.

More than 120 former apprentices attended the first ever Derbyshire apprenticeship graduation event at the Roundhouse in Derby on Thursday.

The event was part of a national programme of Apprenticeship graduation ceremonies held to celebrate the achievement of Higher and Advanced apprentices and to raise the profile of Apprenticeships as on an equal footing with a university degree.

The Fringe 2015 programme was launched at Buxton's Green Man Gallery on Friday June 5 with performers and friends enjoying an informal party featuring comic sketches from Fringe committee members. Fringe chair Keith Savage thanked all Fringe supporters including sponsor The University of Derby. He looked forward to July when nearly 600 performances would enliven the town, saying: "The Fringe reaches out and embraces people making all sorts of artistic endeavour available to all".

Derby businessman Dean Jackson, the founder of triathlon wetsuit specialists HUUB Design in Sinfin, is taking on three Michelin Star chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay at this year’s inaugural Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire.

A ‘friendly’ bet between the two will play out on Sunday June 14 when they will tackle the gruelling triathlon course in a bid to cross the line first.

The loser will pay £1,000 into the Gordon Ramsay Foundation which supports UK health charities.

A mature learner at Derby College is the first to have secured financial and mentoring support for her new business thanks to an innovative programme to promote students’ entrepreneurial plans, partnered with Flint Bishop Solicitors.

Kayleigh Whyte (25) from Littleover went before a Dragon’s Den-style panel to present her business plan to develop an online floral design business called Enchanted Eden.

Two of Déda’s Youth Performance Companies have won coveted places in a top level national dance festival in Plymouth next month.

The Derbyshire groups are among the final selection of four groups who will perform at U.Dance 2015, which will be held in Plymouth in July (22-25).

Bounceback and Derbyshire Youth Dance Company (DYDC) are Déda’s auditioned youth performance groups for young dancers who are looking towards future careers in dance.

The Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) has again teamed up with outdoor performance specialists Déda Producing for CQ Saturdays Street Circus which is held on the second Saturday of every month in the run up to Derby Festé in September.

Finnish Circus Artist Tiina Tuomisto will be the headline act for this month’s free CQ Saturdays Street Circus which will be at the Waterfall Stage in the Market Place on Saturday June 13 between 11am and 3pm

Toilets are something most of take for granted: a mundane necessity of everyday life - but just imagine how difficult life would be if there was no loo to go to when we left our homes.