July

A forum which promotes sport in Derbyshire is to sign a charter that will foster racial equality in the county. 

The Derbyshire and Peak Park Sport and Recreation Forum is signing up to the Sporting Equals Racial Equality Charter for Sport on Thursday 31 July. 

The forum is a partnership between Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, eight district and borough councils, the Peak District National Park Authority and voluntary sporting bodies. 

Sporting Equals is a partnership between the Commission for Racial Equality and Sport England and is a national initiative working to promote racial equality in sport in England. The forum is signing the charter to demonstrate its commitment to achieving racial equality in sport in Derbyshire and the Peak Park. 

There is a standard which underpins the charter and this provides a framework for developing good practice. The forum will be aiming to achieve the `preliminary level` of the standard within a year of signing the charter, which will involve developing appropriate complaints and disciplinary procedures and assessing relevant training needs. 

As well as the signing of the charter, Tansley-based Tangere Arts will be doing a performance about racism in sport to highlight the issues involved. 

Councillor Lionel Cannon, chair of the Derbyshire and Peak Park Sport and Recreation Forum, will sign the charter on the day. 

Councillor Cannon said: "It is important that the forum demonstrates its commitment to achieving racial equality in sport in Derbyshire and by signing the charter we are doing just that. 

"We have to acknowledge that inequalities do exist and the charter is a way of organisations coming together to use their influence to develop sport which is free from racial discrimination."

Hundreds of children and adults will be trying different sports and learning new skills during an activity week organised in Derbyshire. 

Derbyshire County Council`s Lea Green Centre at Lea near Matlock is the venue for Summer Gold which starts today (Monday 28 July) and runs until Friday (1 August). 

People of all ages, from four years old to those in their eighties will be taking part in dozens of activities and sports they may not normally get the chance to have a go at. 

About 300 people, all with learning or physical disabilities who live in the county council`s residential homes or attend day centres, will be taking part each day during the week. 

They will be accompanied by dozens of experts and volunteers who will ensure the days run smoothly for everyone taking part. 

One of the experts on hand will be senior instructor Tony Sharpe who is the secretary for the Summer Gold event. 

Tony said: "We are extremely grateful to everyone who has made the event possible. The response we have had has been fantastic." 

Canoeing, rock scrambling, pottery, silk screen printing, archery, trampolining, dance, kite-making and horse riding are just some of the activities on offer. People will also be able to learn circus skills including juggling and unicycle riding and youngsters will also be able to take advantage of the ball parks and paddling pools. 

The Lea Green Centre is one of the county council`s outdoor activity and education centres and this is the 13th year that Summer Gold has been organised. 

People from across the county, including Glossop, Buxton, Chesterfield, Matlock, Derby, Ilkeston, and Newhall will all be going along to try their hands at new experiences. 

Derbyshire County Council deputy leader Councillor John Powell said: "A lot of the activities which have been organised are things that most people wouldn`t normally get the chance to try and I`m sure they`ll all have a wonderful time. 

"This is an excellent scheme with a full programme of activities that should interest everyone. A lot of hard work has gone into making it possible."

Two 4x4 drivers have become the first people in Derbyshire to be prosecuted for flouting a law designed to stop them driving on public bridleways. 

Darren Lee Cook, 36, of Challis Avenue, Chaddesden, and Robert William Labram, 21, of Lloyd Street, Derby, pleaded guilty to driving their vehicles on a public bridleway when they appeared before Chesterfield magistrates today (Friday 25 July). 

They were both fined £100 each and ordered to pay £50 costs for the offence, which happened on the public bridleway, near Overton Hall at Ashover, on 24 March last year. 

The cases are the first to be prosecuted under the Road Traffic Act, as amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, and are believed to be among the first of their kind in the country. 

Councillor Brian Lucas, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for environment and highways, said: "We are pleased that there has been a successful prosecution because it sends out a message of warning to other 4x4 drivers and motor biker riders. 

"The county council supports the rights of motor sport enthusiasts to enjoy driving in areas available for the purpose but we are determined to stamp out the practice of drivers using public bridleways that are designed for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. 

"By driving in such areas they can destroy plants and pose a real risk to the safety of legitimate bridleway users." 

The new law was drawn up by the Government following a case in Derbyshire during the late 1990s which highlighted the problems of achieving a successful prosecution against 4x4 drivers using existing legislation. 

It prohibits motor vehicle users, including trail bikes, from driving on public bridleways.

Ever fancied having a go at willow weaving, pole lathe turning or constructing a bird box? 

If so, the fifth Linacre Woodland Festival on the weekend of 2 and 3 August could be just the thing for you. 

The free festival is jointly organised by Derbyshire County Council`s countryside service, the East Derbyshire Woodland Project and Severn Trent Water. 

The aim is to encourage people to discover more about traditional woodland management practices and crafts. 

Throughout the weekend visitors will be able to watch demonstrations, buy wood-related products and take part in `have a go` taster sessions. 

Children will be able to take part in storytelling, face painting, willow weaving and dreamcatcher weaving. 

Adults and young people can try basket weaving, pyrography, pole lathe turning and constructing bird boxes. 

There will be demonstrations of basket weaving, peg and rake making, hurdle making, chainsaw sculpting, mobile sawmilling, traditional spinning and wood chipping. 

There will also be horse and dray rides, a Shopmobility service from the car park and a variety of stalls run by woodland related and healthy living groups, including Walking for Health and Sure Start. 

Councillor Bob Janes, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for community services, said: "This event always proves very popular with visitors because they get the chance to see woodland experts in action before trying to master the skills themselves. 

"Interest is once again growing in the woodland industry and events like this ensure that traditional skills are not lost." 

The festival, which runs from 11am until 5pm on both days, will take place by Linacre reservoirs at Cutthorpe, which is sign posted off the B6050. Parking is also available at the Peacock Inn All the events are free apart from the face painting, which costs 50p. 

Further information about the festival is available by ringing Stephanie Burkinshaw on 01629 580000, extension 7195, Nabil Abbas on 01246 567049 or the Tapton Lock visitor centre on 01246 551035.

The future of a project which provides horticultural training for people with severe mental illness has been secured by Derbyshire County Council. 

The Green Health Partnership has been based at Shipley Country Park in Heanor since it began in September 1999 and is run in conjunction with the county council`s countryside service. 

The project provides therapy for volunteers, improves their employment prospects and promotes an interest in the environment. There are currently 45 volunteers attending the centre. Plants grown by the volunteers are sold to the public, generating money to cover the costs of the project. 

Derbyshire County Council has now approved a seven-year lease of the gardens at Shipley Country Park to give the project organisers the security they need to apply for grants to help build a craft workshop. 

A new exhibition of pictures by artist Peter Knight opens at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday (26 July). 

Peter`s work expresses his views and memories of the landscapes and sites of Derbyshire using a range of paint and print processes. 

For his Midland View exhibition Peter has taken every opportunity to record and explore his surroundings, from Arbor Low to the car wash on Newbold Road in Buxton. 

The exhibition takes place at the Derbyshire County Council-run Buxton Museum and Art Gallery in Terrace Road until 20 September. 

Anyone wishing to find out more about the artwork can chat to Peter who will be at the museum on Saturday 2 August and Saturday 9 August between 10am and noon. 

Visitors to the gallery can also see the Other Side of the Hill, an exhibition of pictures by Bollington Art Group, which is on show until 30 August. Entry to all exhibitions is free. 

Information about all the exhibitions is available by ringing Ros Westwood or Sue Palmer at the museum and art gallery on 01298 24658 or by emailing mailto:buxton.museum@derbyshire.gov.uk 

Details of how Derbyshire County Council intends to improve its services still further have been published in an easy-to-read guide. 

As well as useful information on the council`s action priorities, its latest Best Value Performance Plan summary provides a brief account of the range of service improvement programmes. 

It makes a useful read for local people who are interested in the checks the authority is making to ensure the effectiveness, value for money and improvement of all its services. 

The publication covers the county council`s: 

• Budget - £700 million on all services in the coming year 
• Council Plan - its new vision and key goals 
• Seven "priority areas for improvement" following the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) by government inspectors 
• Best Value Programme - including reviews about to be completed 
• Improvement and Scrutiny reviews which will take place over the next 12 months 
• Performance management agenda and how the authority is doing compared with other councils. 

In addition, it lists other service-based improvement initiatives such as the £32 million "Putting People First" project, Charter Mark awards and Investors in People. It also highlights some of the council`s recent external awards and accolades for education, library, catering, health and safety and communication services. 

The Best Value summary also provides a useful reference for other key council publications such as the 408-page Best Value Performance Plan, the Council Plan, the CPA self-assessment report and the annual audit letter to the council. 

Commenting on the publication Council Leader John Williams said: "This is a useful publication which explains a wide range of council initiatives. 

"And, despite dealing with some very complex issues, it`s brief but gives a good guide to our internal and external scrutiny systems as well as our plans for service improvements." 

The 2003/04 Best Value Performance Plan and summary are available to view by http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/azserv/corp24.htm (opens in a new window) 

A long-term project to preserve an Ice Age site and regenerate a former coal mining community has been given a cash boost by Derbyshire County Council. 

The authority has approved £10,000 to help the Creswell Heritage Trust continue its work to secure the sustainable management of the Creswell Crags heritage area. 

The trust is currently leading a £14m regeneration project focused on the Crags and the village of Creswell that has the potential to bring major benefits to former coal mining communities in north east Derbyshire and the north Nottinghamshire area. 

Major progress has already been made on achieving its objectives which are to: 

• Divert a section of the B6042 Crags Road from Creswell Crags Gorge to protect the site and create a public bridleway for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. 
• Improve the museum and educational facilities at Creswell Crags to secure the long-term sustainability of the site. 
• Manage, conserve and improve access to natural and cultural heritage sites throughout the Heritage Area. 
• Relocate the sewage works from Creswell Crags. 

Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for community services Councillor Bob Janes said: "Creswell Heritage Trust is a small charitable organisation but the work it does and amount of grant aid it attracts to this part of the county is invaluable. 

"We are delighted to support its efforts to protect what is a site of tremendous historical importance and at the same time regenerate the former coal mining area." 

Creswell Crags hit the national news headlines in June after Palaeolithic art engravings were discovered in caves at the site. It is the most northerly cave art site known in the world. The unique archaeological features at Creswell Crags date back between 10,000 and 50,000 years when Ice Age people visited the site to hunt mammoth, reindeer and other animals. 

Derbyshire County Council and Nottinghamshire County Council set up the Creswell Heritage Trust in 1990 to safeguard the future of the historic area and regenerate the former coal mining community.

Derbyshire County Council`s trading standards officers are planning a series of raids to clamp down the sale of counterfeit goods at car boot sales - and the dodgy traders are being warned that they could face prison. 

The warning follows a raid at a sale at Hillstown at Bolsover at the weekend, which saw three people arrested and 2,000 fake CD`s, computer games and DVDs - including Terminator 3, which has yet to be released at UK cinemas - seized. The genuine items would have a high street value in excess of £20,000. 

The county council has powers to prosecute counterfeit traders under the Trade Marks Act 1994. The maximum penalties are a £5,000 fine and/or six months in prison for magistrates` court cases and an unlimited fine and/or 10 years in prison for crown court cases. 

Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for public protection and transport Councillor Walter Burrows said: "We`re determined to do everything we can to remove counterfeit goods from sale. 

"Investigations into the latest raid are ongoing and we will continue to target other boot sales around the county. 

"The majority of sellers are genuine and car boot sales can be a good place to shop for a bargain. However we need to protect the public from poor quality counterfeit copies and also ensure fair competition for the many reputable traders in the county who market genuine products. 

"Legitimate companies provide good after sales service - however, people have no comeback if the items are counterfeit. They may seem a bargain but they will probably be poor quality and they may even damage computer and operating systems." 

Volunteers are being sought by Derbyshire County Council to help rangers carry out countryside tasks in North East Derbyshire. 

The county council`s countryside service wants to set up a volunteer work party based at Clay Cross countryside centre. 

The group will meet every second Wednesday and undertake practical tasks including grassland and woodland management, installing benches and fencing and planting woodland and hedgerows. 

Volunteers will also get the opportunity to learn traditional countryside management skills, such as hedge laying. 

The work will be carried out at Derbyshire County Council-run countryside sites, including the Five Pits Trail, Pleasley Pit and the Rowthorne Trail. 

Councillor Bob Janes, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for community services, said: "We decided to set up the volunteers` group after getting several enquiries from people interested in getting involved in managing our sites. 

"We are looking for people of all ages, from students through those who are retired, who have a few hours to spare and wish to gain some practical skills in countryside management. "At the same time they can enjoy the benefits of doing gentle exercise and appreciating the wildlife and countryside on their doorstep." 

The group will hold its first meeting at 9.30am on Wednesday 30 July. Anyone interested should meet in the Clay Cross Countryside Centre at 23 Market Street, Clay Cross. They should wear suitable working clothes and strong footwear, as well as bringing a packed lunch and refreshments. 

This will be an induction session that will include a tour of the different countryside sites where work will be carried out. 

Anyone wanting more information about the volunteer work party, or who is interested but cannot attend the first meeting, should ring Eddie Asbery on 01246 866960.

The man who took notes to record the formal Japanese ceasefire in World War Two has donated his original documents to Derbyshire Record Office. 

During the war Eric Walton was confidential clerk, stenographer and note taker for Supreme Allied Commander Lord Mountbatten and then in 1945 transferred to the office of General `Boy` Browning, Mountbatten`s Chief of General Staff. 

It was while serving with General Browning that Eric was asked to take a verbatim report of proceedings at meetings where the Japanese generals were negotiating to arrange a ceasefire leading to their formal surrender. The meetings took place in August 1945 at Rangoon in Burma, which has since changed its name to Myanmar. 

Eric has now donated his original shorthand notebook, a typescript of the minutes from the negotiations and other documents from his work during the war to the Derbyshire County Council-run record office in New Street, Matlock for use by local historians. 

Even though Eric now lives outside Derbyshire he has given the documents to the county`s record office because he has spent most of his life in the Chesterfield area. 

Eric, 83, said: "The meetings to arrange the Japanese ceasefire were major occasions. 

"In some ways it felt like a Hollywood film because the meetings took place at the former governor`s house in Burma, which was a very grand setting. 

"When General Browning asked me to take verbatim notes of the proceedings I didn`t think my shorthand was up to it but he told me to do my best." 

Councillor Bob Janes, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for community services, said: "The Japanese ceasefire and eventual surrender is a key moment in the history of the 20th century and it is a thrill for the Derbyshire Record Office staff to be given historical documents of such significance. 

"Eric is keen for the documents to be kept in a safe place for future generations to use and has also been able to explain the full story behind them to the archivists." 

Eric learnt how to write shorthand at the age of 12 following lessons with his neighbour, a journalist working for the Derbyshire Times. 

With this skill Eric got a job as a clerk at Shipton Hallewell solicitors in Chesterfield until the war broke out. Due to a bicycle accident Eric was declared unfit for military service so joined the RAF as a non-combatant. 

In 1943 he was posted overseas and helped set up Lord Mountbatten`s headquarters as Supreme Allied Commander. Mountbatten was sent to the area to stop the Japanese invading India from Burma. Between then and 1945 Eric took minutes of top secret meetings chaired by Mountbatten about British military operations. 

Following the war Eric worked for British Coal.

Dozens of extra street lights are to be installed by Derbyshire County Council to reduce crime and help local residents feel safer. 

The authority will spend £173,500 on 20 street lighting schemes around the county. Work to install the new lighting will begin once phase one of the scheme has been completed. This involves street lights being installed in 54 further locations at a cost of £239,200.

Councillor Walter Burrows, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for public protection and transport, said: "The recent MORI survey of Derbyshire residents revealed that crime is one of the biggest concerns among local communities. 

"Most of the places where the extra street lights will be installed are in areas with problems of recorded crime. As a result we can make real improvements to the lives of people in these areas." 

The locations for the street lighting have been selected after negotiations with the eight district-based community safety partnerships in Derbyshire, which were set up to focus on local crime reduction targets. They pull together the resources and expertise of local organisations including district councils, Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Police, the probation service and primary care trusts.

Work to resurface the busy A617 Hasland bypass is to be carried out at night by Derbyshire County Council to reduce disruption for motorists. 

The road takes traffic from junction 29 of the M1 into Chesterfield but has become worn out due to the high volume of vehicles using it. 

Derbyshire County Council is going to resurface the road in a £350,000 scheme, which will take place each night between 8pm and 6am from Monday 28 July to Friday 8 August. 

The road will be closed during these times to enable the work to be carried out but will re-open to traffic in time during the daytime when the road is most heavily used. 

Councillor Brian Lucas, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for environment and highways, said: "By carrying out this work at night we hope to avoid causing the major delays that would follow if we did the resurfacing during normal working hours. 

"The section of the bypass between Temple Normanton and Chesterfield was resurfaced last year. By resurfacing the remaining section from just west of the Temple Normanton junction to the M1 we will improve the quality and skid resistance of the bypass road surface. 

"This scheme is just part of a £17.5 million package of road improvements being carried out by Derbyshire County Council this financial year." 

From Monday 28 July to Friday 8 August the A617 westbound will be closed at night between junction 29 of the M1 and Temple Normanton. Traffic will be diverted via the A6175 at Heath and Holmewood and the B6039 at Temple Normanton, before rejoining the A617 at the Temple Normanton slip road. 

Between Monday 4 August and Friday 8 August the A617 westbound will also be closed from Temple Normanton to the Horns Bridge roundabout. While this section is closed traffic will be diverted via the B6425 Hassocky Lane and the A632 at Calow before rejoining the A617 at Horns Bridge roundabout. 

The work will be carried out by Smith Construction, of Newark, on behalf of Derbyshire County Council.

Businesses in Derbyshire are being warned against falling victim to a charity calendar scam being run by unscrupulous con merchants. 

Trading standards officers with Derbyshire County Council issued the alert as the tricksters who sell advertising space in bogus charity calendars and diaries traditionally step up their approaches. 

The rogue publishers will often call small businesses at this time of year asking for the firm to support a children`s charity by buying space in a booklet, magazine or diary to be published in the autumn. 

They claim the publication will be distributed locally with advertising revenue going to local children`s charities. The tricksters can even stoop so low as to claim the cash will help with research into children`s cancer. 

But the only people likely to benefit from the approach are the unscrupulous publishers themselves as they rarely print the calendars and any money charities get is usually a very small proportion of the publisher`s income. 

Sometimes a publication is "mocked up" but these are the only copies produced. And legal threats against businesses that don`t pay up can be made within as little as two weeks. 

Councillor Walter Burrows, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for public protection and transport, is worried that small businesses in Derbyshire may fall for the scam. 

He said: "A lot of people are very generous and would be tempted to support one of these calendars or diaries. 

"But I would warn them to think carefully before taking the plunge. Remember, the best way to give money to charity is to give directly." 

Trading standards has the following advice for anyone approached about advertising in charity calendars or booklets: 

• Ask the company for details and charity number of the charities being supported; 
• Don`t believe all you hear - CHECK with the charities involved that the agreement has been beneficial to them. 
• Don`t commit yourself without knowing what you are expected to pay and what you`ll get; 
• Don`t pay any money until you see the publication distributed. 

Councillor Burrows added: "Responsible traders have raised money for charity and produced publications in this way for many years. But recently less scrupulous traders have found this to be an easy way to make money for themselves. 

"If you are approached by a firm claiming to be selling advertising space for charity and have any doubts they are genuine, contact our helpline on 01629 585858."

Are you taking action in your community? A new free guide has been produced to help organisations and voluntary groups improve the quality of life for residents across Derbyshire. Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Rural Community Council (DRCC) have joined forces to produce the community consultation handbook "Local Voices - Local Action". 

The 80-page brochure provides a starting point for groups to follow the Local Agenda 21 programme, which is a community-led approach to establishing local views and opinions to help develop sustainable societies and improve the quality of life in urban and rural areas. 

Projects already working successfully in Derbyshire include new play areas and community gardens, arts projects, drama groups and drop-in centres for older residents, teenagers and young mums. 

The handbook offers tips and guidance on consultation techniques such as questionnaire design, ideas to develop practical projects, tips on fund-raising, dozens of useful contacts and advice on how to organise and run events. 

County council cabinet member for environment and transport Councillor Brian Lucas said: "This guide will give groups the confidence and freedom to go ahead with a community project without having to rely on direct assistance from the council or other organisations. 

"Before starting a community project it`s vital to find out what residents want and need in order to attract the necessary financial and practical support to provide benefits for everyone. "There are no qualifications needed for local action and this handbook provides a great starting point for anyone interested in getting involved." 

Information about the booklet has been sent to 20,000 community contact points including district, borough, town and parish councils, schools, libraries, colleges, GP surgeries, primary care trusts and tourist information centres. 

There are 1,000 copies of "Local Voices - Local Action" to give away. Call county council environmental policy officer Maggie Bishop on 01629 585144 or e-mail mailto:maggie.bishop@derbyshire.gov.uk or call DRCC rural officer Joe Dugdale on 01629 824797 or e-mail mailto:joed@derbysrcc.org.uk 

A planning application has been submitted seeking permission for a £1.4 million road diversion to protect the environment around the historic Creswell Crags Ice Age site. 

Derbyshire County Council wants to divert a section of the B6042 Crags Road, that currently runs through the Creswell Crags site, to an area around 200 metres north of the existing route. 

The new single carriageway road will be 1km long. It will begin at the junction with the A616 Mansfield Road and finish by rejoining the B6042, just south of the Hennymoor Lane junction. 

The plans are being promoted by Derbyshire County Council in partnership with Creswell Heritage Trust, Lafarge Aggregates, Welbeck Estates, East Midlands Development Agency and the Derbyshire Environmental Trust. 

Creswell Crags hit the national news headlines a few weeks ago after Palaeolithic art engravings were discovered in caves at the site. It is the most northerly cave art site known in the world. 

The unique archaeological features at Creswell Crags date back between 10,000 and 50,000 years when Ice Age people visited the site to hunt mammoth, reindeer and other animals. 

The road diversion will allow access and facilities at the Crags site to be improved and will aid the regeneration of the wider area around the site. 

Councillor Brian Lucas, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for environment and highways, said: "The cost of this road diversion will mainly be paid for using money from the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and a grant from the East Midlands Development Agency. 

"The existing road will be turned into a public bridleway that will give pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders access to Creswell Crags." 

Applications for consent to carry out works affecting a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Site of Special Scientific Interest will be submitted to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and English Nature shortly. If permission is gained work could start on the project in the winter, with the new road open to traffic by mid 2004. 

Copies of the planning application can be seen at County Hall in Matlock, the Bolsover District Council offices, Creswell Crags Visitor Centre or Creswell Library. 

Any comments or queries can be made by writing to the environmental services department, Derbyshire County Council, County Hall, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3AG, by ringing Call Derbyshire on 08456 058 058 or emailing call.centre@derbyshire.gov.uk 

Young people from eleven Derbyshire schools will be spending part of their school holidays taking part in summer learning activities. 

Derbyshire County Council successfully bid for Lottery funding to run the activities, which range from arts and environmental projects to problem solving challenges. 

Activities are targeted at children aged seven to 16 and focus on life and learning skills, encouraging them to work independently and increase their confidence. 

In addition to general learning activities, five of the schools have joined forces with the education charity University of the First Age (UFA) to stage special challenges. The UFA was established to promote `brain based` learning and activities centre around posing a challenge, problem or mystery which the young people solve using memory techniques, team working, organisational and thinking skills. This could range from inventing a gadget to building a shelter or making a rocket car. 

Schools taking part this summer are: 

General learning activities: 

• Eckington School, 21 to 25 July - sport, environment and arts. 
• Glebe Junior at South Normanton, 26 to 29 August - sport, environment and arts. 
• Hope Valley College, 21 to 25 July - sport, cookery, science and technology. 
• Ironville and Codnor Park Primary, 21 to 25 July - arts. 
• Newbold Community School, 21 to 25 July - sport, environment, arts, literacy through nature. 
• Parkside Community School, Chesterfield, 21 to 25 July - sport, environment & arts. 

University of the First Age schemes: 

• Aldercar Community Language College, 21 to 24 July - technology, science & performing arts. 
• Kirk Hallam Community Technology College, 21 to 25 July - murder mystery challenge. 
• Kirk Hallam Community Technology College, 4 to 8 August - creative arts. 
• Mill Hill School, Ripley, 18 to 22 August - dungeons and dragons challenge. 
• Mill Hill School, Ripley, 21 to 25 July - problem solving. 
• Meadows Community School, Chesterfield, 28 July to 8 August - Mission Impossible spy school. 
• Springwell Community School, Staveley, 21 July to 1 August - space challenge, sport, environment and arts. 

This is the second year of the three-year Lottery-funded scheme. Last year Derbyshire received just over £100,000 from the New Opportunities Fund - the National Lottery`s fund for health, education and environmental projects - to fund the three-year programme. 

This summer the 11 schools have shared around £35,000 to stage their activities. 

Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for education Councillor Alan Charles said: "This scheme builds the skills and confidence of the young people, at the same time as providing them with fun and interesting activities. 

"Quite a few of the young people are at an important stage of their education - the transfer from primary to secondary school or to further education - and the activities will help to increase their confidence and ensure a smooth transition."

Dozens of catering staff are celebrating after clinching prestigious prizes in Derbyshire County Council`s first secondary school catering awards scheme. 

The quality awards recognise the success and excellence of the school meals` service provided to secondary schools by catering teams across the county. There was also a prize for the best delivery person. 

Awards were given out in nine categories with one overall winner named as Caterer of the Year - Hasland Hall Community School in Chesterfield. 

Derbyshire County Council`s catering service already recognises excellence among primary school catering teams but this is the first year it has run a scheme for secondary schools. Currently the service has contracts with 28 secondaries as well as all the county`s 360 primary schools. 

Nominations for the awards came from a panel made up of the catering service`s management team, except for the customer care category in which headteachers were asked to make nominations. All schools were visited as part of the nomination process. 

At a ceremony at County Hall, Matlock, the county council`s cabinet member for education, Councillor Alan Charles, gave out the 42 awards. Many more staff were also honoured for having 100 per cent attendance rates. 

The life of a 17th century village tailor, school teacher, poet and social commentator is to be recalled during a talk and display at Derbyshire Record Office. 

Leonard Wheatcroft lived from 1626 to 1706 and wrote hundreds of poems, including one describing all the houses he could see looking across the Derwent Valley. 

He lived for most of his life in Ashover, where he was parish clerk for 36 years and at different times was also the village tailor and teacher. During his life Leonard published an autobiography and a story about how he met his wife, Elizabeth Hawley of Winster. 

The free talk will be given by county archivist Margaret O`Sullivan. Anyone interested in attending the event can just turn up at 12.30pm on Wednesday 3 September to the county council-run record office in New Street, Matlock. The event is part of the celebrations for Archive Awareness Month. 

Further information is available from Derbyshire Record Office by emailing mailto:record.office@derbyshire.gov.uk or ringing 01629 580000, extension 35201. 

Thieves are putting lives at risk by stealing road signs installed to warn drivers of sharp and dangerous bends across Derbyshire. 

Hundreds of black and white chevron signs have been stolen from most main routes including sites where people have died in accidents. 

And dozens of strips of metal from the large green and white route direction signs have also been removed from roads all over the county over the last three weeks. 

Derbyshire County Council is now working with police to catch the culprits who it is believed are stealing the aluminium signs for their scrap metal value. 

County council cabinet member for environment and highways Councillor Brian Lucas said: "I`m appalled by these mindless thefts which are putting lives at risk and creating a bill running into thousands of pounds. The value of these signs as scrap metal is negligible but their removal has potentially fatal consequences. 

"Our highway care teams are out every day replacing the stolen signs with new plastic ones but as the pattern of thefts suggests this is an organised operation we would appreciate help from anyone who spots anything suspicious." 

Genuine county council workers carry identification cards and will be able to provide a contact number for their manager and depot. 

Anyone with information can contact the county council`s Call Derbyshire call centre on 08 456 058 058, Derbyshire police headquarters on 01773 570100 or their local police station.

Railway buffs can find out the history of trains from the 19th century to the 1960s at a workshop run by Derbyshire Record Office. 

On Tuesday 29 July archivists will show how historical documents can be used to find out more about the development of the rail industry over the years. 

The session, at the county council-run record office in New Street, Matlock, will look at large scale route maps, photographs, letters, official reports and documents including those about railway lines that were proposed but never built. 

The event costs £10 per person and needs to be booked in advance. The price includes light refreshments and an information pack which participants can take home. 

Further details and a booking form are available by emailing mailto:record.office@derbyshire.gov.uk or by ringing 01629 580000, extension 35202. 

Families can enjoy a summer of unlimited bus travel thanks to a new offer from Derbyshire County Council. 

Throughout the school holidays the authority is offering a reduced price Derbyshire Wayfarer Ticket which provides a day`s travel for the whole family. 

Up to two adults and three children can make as many bus journeys as they like in Derbyshire for just £7.50. Normally the ticket would cost £12. 

The offer, which runs from 20 July to 31 August, has been timed to coincide with the school holidays and also applies to train journeys. 

Councillor Walter Burrows, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for public protection and transport, said: "The Wayfarer ticket offers families a cheap way of travelling about the county and will help reduce the number of cars on the road. 

"As the offer runs throughout the school holidays families can use the tickets to go shopping, to leisure facilities or to visit tourist attractions like Gullivers` Kingdom, Bolsover Castle or the American Adventure." 

The Wayfarer ticket also allows some travel in neighbouring counties and can be used to obtain a further reduction on admission prices at venues including: 

• Arkwright`s Cromford Mill
• Chatsworth House 
• Bolsover Castle 
• Haddon Hall 
• Hardwick Old Hall 
• Crich Tramway Village 
• Buxton Country Park 

Gulliver`s Kingdom and the Heights of Abraham Tickets can be bought in advance from tourist information centres, bus company travel offices, some libraries and Derbyshire County Council`s public transport unit. They can also be bought on the day from most bus drivers and some railway stations. 

More information about the Derbyshire Wayfarer offer is available by ringing Call Derbyshire on 08456 058 058 between 8am and 8pm on weekdays or 9.30am and 4pm on Saturdays.

A £325,000 scheme to extend a 250-year-old school was given the official seal of approval by Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for education. 

Councillor Alan Charles opened the first phase of a major redevelopment scheme at Risley Lower Grammar CE (Controlled) Primary with the help of pupils. 

Risley is believed to be the oldest school building still in use in England. 

Previously teaching was divided between temporary buildings and the original school building - known as the English school - which dates back to at least the mid 1700s. 

The new development will be connected to the original Grade II* Listed Building and provides the school with a new classroom and library as well as indoor toilets to replace the outdoor facilities. 

The extension has taken several years to develop due to the unique and historic nature of the building which retains many of its original features. Plans were drawn up with help from English Heritage, the school and the Risley Educational Foundation. 

Risley has some of the oldest and best-preserved school buildings in England which are owned and maintained by the Risley Educational Foundation. 

At the official opening on July 2, Councillor Alan Charles, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for education, said: "I am very pleased to have been invited to open the new extension which will provide excellent facilities for the children. 

"Given the historic nature of the building, the scheme has taken longer and cost far more than usual but I hope it has been worth the wait. 

"Replacing the outdoor toilets - the last outdoor toilets in Derbyshire and possibly the last in the country - was an important part of the scheme and I am glad we have been able to create a project that was acceptable to everybody. 

"Staff, pupils and parents have been incredibly patient and I would like to thank them all for bearing with us." 

Headteacher Ian Bell added: "We are delighted by the scheme which means we have now moved into the 21st Century."

Trading standards officers from Derbyshire County Council have reissued a warning to local traders, importers, retailers and consumers about jelly sweets that could pose a choking risk. 

Mini cup jelly sweets containing konjac gum gelling agent were banned across Europe in 2002 following the deaths from choking of 18 children worldwide. The konjac substance means the sweets do not dissolve properly and can get stuck in a child`s throat. 

The Food Standards Agency issued a national alert about them last year after they were banned, but the agency remains very concerned because the product has recently been found again in the UK and has issued a high alert this week. 

The sweets - labelled Jellyace Buko Pandan and Jellyace Lychee Flavor - have turned up in a number of shops in the country, including Shropshire and Leeds. Officers from Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council trading standards say parents should be aware of the potential risk they pose and children should not buy or eat them. 

The only known distributor has stopped distributing the sweets but it is believed some could still be in circulation. 

The Jelly products are found in a dome-shaped plastic cup, similar to a coffee creamer container, with a peel-off foil lid. The sweets are sold in 192g packs containing 12 sweets. 

Not all Jellyace Buko Padan sweets contain konjac, others are made with locust bean gum, an alternative gelling agent, so consumers are advised to read the label. 

It is not known whether any of the products are for sale in Derbyshire but trading standards officers have advised that any members of the public or traders who find any of these sweets should put them somewhere safe and contact Derbyshire County Council trading standards immediately on 01629 585858. 

County council and city council trading standards officers are on the lookout for the sweets during their regular visits to traders and are liasing with district and borough council environmental health officers. 

Councillor Walter Burrows, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for public protection and transport, said: "We aren`t aware that any of the sweets have turned up for sale in Derbyshire but it is better to be safe than sorry and so we are urging traders and wholesalers to check their stocks and remove any they find from sale."

New adult education courses will be getting underway throughout Derbyshire in the autumn - and brochures detailing what`s on offer are being delivered to homes throughout the county. 

The courses are organised by Derbyshire County Council`s adult community education service and anyone aged 19 or over can take part. No matter where they live there is bound to be something of interest - from learning a new language to improving IT skills, studying for a qualification or even having a go at Salsa dancing. 

Budding adult learners can discuss their options in more detail by taking advantage of a free one-to-one chat with an education adviser. 

Would-be students simply phone the county council`s call centre Call Derbyshire to arrange a meeting at their local adult education centre. 

Alternatively, people can visit the adult community education service`s website which includes a course search facility. 

Derbyshire County council cabinet member for community services Councillor Bob Janes said: "There are more learning opportunities than ever and it couldn`t be simpler to take part - look out for your brochure, log-on to the website or get in touch to organise a one-to-one session. 

"We offer the largest choice of education and training opportunities for adults in the county, with more than 2,500 courses and activities in hundreds of venues countywide, including adult community education centres, schools, village halls and community centres. 

"What`s more, over 60 per cent of students get free or discounted tuition." 

How to find out more: 

Keep a lookout for the adult community education brochures, which are being delivered to Derbyshire households over the next few weeks - if their brochure hasn`t arrived by the end of August people should get in touch with Call Derbyshire on the number below. 

Log-on to the adult community education website to search for courses on-line - visit http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/adulteducation (opens in a new window) 

To arrange a session with an advisor get in touch with Call Derbyshire between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday on 08 456 058 058.

More than 80 cyclists will use pedal power to ride 350 miles along a new route that includes a section developed by Derbyshire County Council and cycling charity Sustrans. 

The Derbyshire section of the new Pennine Cycleway covers 50 miles. It starts at Derby and goes through Etwall, Ashbourne, Buxton, Whaley Bridge, New Mills, Glossop and Hadfield. The route then continues north of Derbyshire to Berwick. 

The Pennine Cycleway forms part of the National Cycle Network, being developed by Sustrans in partnership with local authorities. It provides cyclists with their own version of the popular Pennine Way walking route. 

To mark the opening of the route more than 80 cyclists from around Britain will join Sustrans founder John Grimshaw on an inaugural ride covering the full 280 miles of the cycleway. The group intends to set out on 10 July and complete their journey by 17 July, travelling around 35 miles a day. 

Derbyshire County Council will host an evening reception for all the cyclists on Thursday 10 July at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery. 

The group will be welcomed by Derbyshire County Council chair Councillor Charles Cutting, Councillor Brian Lucas, cabinet member for environment and highways, and Councillor Bob Janes, cabinet member for community services. 

Councillor Lucas said: "Eighty per cent of the Derbyshire section of the Pennine Cycleway uses quiet roads, with the remainder on off-road routes like the Tissington Trail and the Trans Pennine Trail. 

"Cyclists of all abilities can use the route and it has the added benefits of letting them see the beautiful Derbyshire countryside and improving their health at the same time." 

Four resurfacing schemes are to be carried out by Derbyshire County Council in a £250,000 package of measures to improve the quality of Ilkeston`s roads. 

The work will take place between August and October and once finished will improve the condition of road surfaces and the skid resistance they offer. 

The biggest scheme, which costs £121,000, will take place on the A6096 at Little Hallam Hill and Lower Stanton Road. 

Work will start on 18 August and last about a week. Temporary road closures will be necessary while the work is carried out but signed diversion routes will be in operation. 

In addition to the road resurfacing work some minor improvements will also be made to the bend at the junction of the A6096 and Little Hallam Lane. 

A scheme to carry out resurfacing and reconstruction work to the A609 Derby Road between Straws Bridge and Kniveton Park is also planned. 

The work is expected to cost £53,000 and will take about five days to complete. Although no start date has been set yet the work will be timed to avoid the A6096 scheme. 

Resurfacing work is also planned on four stretches of the A609 Nottingham Road at the junctions of Field Road, Cavendish Road, Robert Street and Thurman Street. Two high friction road surfaces will be laid on the approach to the pelican crossings at the junctions of Park Drive and St John`s Road to improve road safety. 

Temporary traffic lights will control traffic while the £36,000 scheme is carried out in late September. The final £40,000 scheme will see the road resurfaced and reconstructed on the A6007 Heanor Road over four days in mid October. The work will take place between Manor Road and Peveril Drive, with temporary lights controlling traffic. 

Councillor Brian Lucas, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for environment and highways, said: "These four schemes will be a major investment to improve the roads for drivers in Ilkeston. 

"While they will bring several weeks of disruption to the roads in the Ilkeston area this will be far outweighed by the long-term benefits of the new, safer surfaces. 

"Great effort will be made to reduce congestion as much as possible and to co-ordinate the schemes so that they do not overlap with each other." 

Motorists will be given advance warning of all four schemes before work begins.

Staff at more than 40 Derbyshire primary schools are celebrating after scooping awards for providing the county`s schoolchildren with a top class school meals service. 

Catering teams from throughout the county were assessed for Derbyshire County Council`s third annual Primary Catering Quality Awards which reward good quality food, customer service and hygiene. 

This year almost twice the number qualified for an award compared to 2002 which reflects a major improvement in quality across the board, says the county`s catering team. 

Twenty-two primary schools won the bronze award, 11 achieved the silver award and nine gained the gold award. 

And after a further visit from county catering manager Jane Gardner, one school was chosen as the overall winner - Immaculate Conception Catholic Primary in Spinkhill, nr Chesterfield. 

Staff received the scheme`s only platinum award which was among the awards handed over at a presentation ceremony at County Hall, Matlock, attended by Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for education, Councillor Alan Charles. 

The annual catering awards were established three years ago to raise and maintain the highest standards of hygiene and customer service in school meals and to ensure nutritional requirements are met. 

Schools are judged on the quality and range of food, health and safety, kitchen cleanliness, value and customer service. 

Councillor Alan Charles, the authority`s cabinet member for education, said: "Derbyshire County Council`s catering service is highly regarded by the county`s primary schools. Last year the funding for school catering was given directly to schools and all 360 primaries in the county chose to buy the service from us. 

"We are committed to providing tasty, healthy and nutritious food to Derbyshire children and we aim to give schools the best possible service. 

"I would like to congratulate all the award winners for their dedication and hard work in ensuring our school meals service is of the highest standard." 

GOLD AWARDS 

Bakewell Junior 

Gamesley Primary 

Belper St John Primary 

Parkside Junior, Ashbourne 

Curbar Primary, Hope Valley 

Simmondley Primary, Glossop 

Duke of Norfolk Primary, Glossop 

Spinkhill Immaculate Conception Catholic Primary 

Field House Infant, Ilkeston 

SILVER AWARDS 

Aldercar Infant, Langley Mill 

Springfield Junior, Swadlincote 

All Saints CE Primary, Youlgreave 

St Charles RC Primary, Glossop 

Deer Park Primary, Wingerworth 

St Edwards RC Primary, Swadlincote 

Earl Sterndale Primary 

Stenson Fields Primary 

English Martyrs Catholic Primary, Long Eaton 

Swanwick Primary 

Gamesley Early Learning Centre 

BRONZE AWARDS 

Brackenfield Special School, Long Eaton 

Holy Trinity CE Primary, Matlock Bath 

Brailsford CE Primary 

Kniveton CE Primary 

Brooklands Junior, Long Eaton 

Longmoor Primary, Long Eaton 

Castle View Primary, Matlock 

Marlpool Junior, Heanor 

Chapel en le Frith Primary 

Marston Montgomery Primary, Ashbourne 

Dronfield Infant 

New Mills Primary 

Fairfield Endowed CE Junior, nr Buxton 

Pilsley CE Primary 

Fitzherbert CE Primary, Fenny Bentley 

Sawley Junior 

Grassmoor Primary 

St Margaret`s RC Primary, Glossop 

Harrington Junior, Long Eaton 

Taxal and Fernilee CE Primary, Whaley Bridge 

Hayfield Primary 

The Meadows, Duffield

Heavy rain has delayed a major road resurfacing scheme on the A57 Snake Pass being carried out by Derbyshire County Council. 

The road was due to be closed until Sunday 6 July between the junction of Hurst Road, Glossop and the A6013 at Ashopton Viaduct. 

But work on the £220,000 scheme had to stop for two days at the start of the week because of non-stop heavy rain, making it impossible to lay a new road surface. 

Road workers from the county council`s in-house direct labour organisation team have been working extra hours to try and catch up but still might not be finished by Sunday as planned. 

As a result the road closure order is being extended by three days until Wednesday 9 July in case they need extra time. 

Councillor Brian Lucas, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for environment and highways, said: "Our road workers will be working all day on Saturday (5 July) to get the work completed as soon as possible. 

"We have extended the road closure order until Wednesday (9 July) in case we experience more bad weather but we are hoping to complete the resurfacing before then. There is still a chance it could be finished by Sunday. 

"As soon as work is completed we will re-open the road to traffic because we know how busy a route this is. 

"We would ask motorists to be patient but I am sure they will appreciate that there is nothing we can do about work having to stop due to bad weather." 

While the A57 Snake Pass is closed drivers are asked to find alternative routes such as the A628 or A635. Motorists on the M60 and M67 will be warned about the closure using the electronic warning boards. 

During July Derbyshire County Council is spending more than £1.1 million on improving the condition of the county`s roads and pavements.

Almost 70 per cent of child car seats were found to be incorrectly fitted during the first week of Derbyshire County Council`s free safety check campaign. 

For the second year running the authority`s highway safety team and trading standards officers are carrying out checks in car parks and shopping centres across the county in partnership with Derby City Council. 

They are being joined by an expert from baby equipment shop Stork Talk to check if seats are the right design for the car, suitable for the age of the child and fitted securely. During the first week 167 seats were checked at Tesco in Chesterfield, Safeway in Buxton, Sainsbury`s in Swadlincote and Asda stores in Spondon and Sinfin. Staff found just 52 seats were correctly fitted, 107 were incorrectly fitted but could be put right and eight were totally unsafe. 

County council cabinet member for public protection and transport Councillor Walter Burrows said: "An unrestrained child can be killed by being thrown forward at speeds as low as five mph - just above walking pace - so if these problems had not been spotted these children would have been at risk of serious or fatal injury in an accident. 

"We believe this campaign is vitally important to show parents how sparing a couple of minutes for a simple safety check could save their child`s life." 

Government figures show that 18 children aged up to four were killed in car accidents in 2001, 167 were seriously injured and 2,824 were slightly injured. 

Safety check sessions still to come are (9.30am to 4.30pm unless otherwise stated) at: 

• Asda, Nottingham Road, Long Eaton - Friday 18 July 
• Sainsbury`s, Station Road, Ashbourne - Friday 25 July 
• Somerfield car park off Field Lane, Belper - Friday 1 August 
• Town End car park, Bolsover - Friday 15 August 
• Dronfield Civic Centre - Friday 22 August: 9.30am to 12.30pm 
• Market Street car park Clay Cross - Friday 22 August: 1.30pm to 4.30pm 

Detailed information about choosing and fitting child car seats - including a free pocket guide to download - is available from the Government by visiting http://www.think.dft.gov.uk (opens in a new window) 

Young people throughout Derbyshire will have a greater say in the services and issues that matter to them, after the county council set up a new unit to involve them directly in the work of the authority. 

Derbyshire County Council is one of the first local authorities in the UK to establish a unit dedicated to consulting young people about important issues such as public transport, changes to the school curriculum and providing more local youth facilities and activities. 

The new team - the Engaging Young People Unit - is officially launched on 16 July and it will work closely with a wide cross section of young people from throughout the county. 

It will set up consultation mechanisms and will act as a communication channel between the county council`s various departments and young people, ensuring that their views are fed directly into the decision making process. 

The unit has already put plans in place to open up more channels of communication between the county council and young people. 

These include: 

• Working closely with the Derbyshire Youth Forum. 
• Setting up consultation panels. These would comprise a cross section of young people, including groups who often get left out of consultation such as young people looked after, children from traveller families and those excluded from school. 
• Encouraging more schools to set up school councils. 

As well as having their say about county council issues and services, the Engaging Young People team will also look at ways to feed young people`s views into other local organisations and the government. 

The unit will also work closely with Connexions, the national organisation that provides information, advice and guidance for those aged 13 to 19 about issues such as education, jobs and training. 

Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for community services Councillor Bob Janes said: "This is an important development as it will ensure that more young people have a very real and genuine opportunity to have their say and make their views heard. 

"It can be easy to be cynical about local authorities paying lip service to consultation - however, this is not the case in Derbyshire and we are committed to increasing the involvement of young people in local democracy and the work of the county council." 

Funding to set up the unit has been provided by the county council and Connexions. 

Its creation follows the results of a Mori survey commissioned by the county council. This highlighted the priority that Derbyshire residents place on providing positive activities for young people and on listening to their opinions and concerns. 

This local concern is reflected in the county council`s own service priorities - in addition to establishing the Engaging Young People unit, an extra £600,000 will be ploughed into the authority`s youth service over the coming 12 months. 

A group of travellers illegally camped on a Derbyshire County Council-run site has caused a countryside event to be cancelled. 

Derbyshire County Council`s countryside service has taken the decision to pull the plug on its Night Watch event on Saturday 5 July after 16 traveller families broke into Shipley Country Park, off Slack Lane, Heanor and set up an illegal camp. 

The families first arrived on the site at 4pm on Wednesday 18 June and have refused to leave despite the threat of legal action by Derbyshire County Council. 

The Night Watch event was due to involve members of local bird watching, bat, moth and astronomy groups going on a night walk around the country park. It has had to be cancelled because staff cannot guarantee the safety of members of the public or their vehicles at night. 

Since the arrival of the travellers there has been a big rise in reported incidents at the country park including: 

• Fences and posts being removed to allow the travellers to enter the site 
• Leylandi bush cuttings being tipped over the site 
• Plantations being used as toilets 
• A cleaner at the visitor centre being bit by a dog 
• Increase in incidents of theft and damage in the shop 
• Stones being thrown at windows and shutters on windows being slammed shut 
• Staff in the Ramblers` coffee shop, and other staff building a children`s playground, having stones thrown at them 
• Children catapulting stones at fishermen on Osborne`s Pond 
• Children as young as 12 riding around on quad bikes destroying the grounds 

Councillor Bob Janes, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for community services, said: "It will cost the county council thousands of pounds to clear up the mess and damage caused, which is money that would have been spent on improving services for local people. 

"It is a real shame that we have had to cancel the Night Watch event but public safety must be our number one priority. 

"Extra security measures were put in at Shipley Country Park after similar incidents in the past two years but the travellers have found another way on to the site and ultimately it is impossible to maintain public access while totally protecting the park." 

Derbyshire County Council today presented the travellers with a notice telling them about a hearing at Derby County Court on Monday 7 July to obtain an order requiring them to move on or face eviction by bailiffs and the police.

Eleven organisations are to receive grants totalling more than £222,000 from a Derbyshire County Council-run fund to help finance environmental schemes. 

All the organisations receiving money from the Derbyshire Aggregates Levy Grants Scheme (DALGS) are from areas that have suffered due to the impact of aggregates quarrying. 

The DALGS fund was set up by the Government last year to use some of the money raised by a new tax on quarried aggregates and crushed rock. 

The projects receiving funding are: 

• Slinter Mining Company - £17,220 to rebuild dry stone walls next to Cromford Hill footpath and improve Toothbrush Woodland at Tearsall Quarry, Bonsall Moor 
• Shardlow Village Hall Management Committee - £5,887 to refurbish the kitchen in the village hall 
• Hayfield Skate Park Group - £19,000 to provide equipment on the new skate park 
• Andrew Gyte - £2,181 to rebuild dry stone walls at the junction of the A6 and A623 at Dove Holes 
• Stanton in the Peak Parish Council - £7,020 to complete the replacement of boundary walls around the village green 
• Derbyshire Wildlife Trust - £44,575 to enhance biodiversity and improve access to seven nature reserves in former quarries and lead mines throughout the county 
• Hartington Upper Quarter Parish Council - £43,000 to replace play equipment at Sterndale Moor play area 
• Jeremy Spillane - £6,432 to rebuild dry stone walls on land off Cowlow Lane, Green Fairfield, Tunstead, near Buxton 
• Peak District National Park Authority - £18,075 for a boundary wall restoration scheme in Wormhill and Stoney Middleton and a project to safeguard access to Furness Quarry at Stoney Middleton and secure its future as a Peak District climbing site 
• Wirksworth Community Woodland Association - £12,203 for improvements to Stoney Wood, which is at a former quarry site 
• Buxton Community School Parent Teacher Association - £46,500 to provide floodlighting for a synthetic sports pitch 

Councillor Geoff Carlile, Derbyshire County Council`s cabinet member for regeneration, said: "The Government set up the fund to support sustainable local community and environmental projects in areas that have suffered due to the historic and on-going effects of aggregates mining. 

"All of the projects chosen will provide local people with better facilities and improve the environment in which they live." 

The Derbyshire Environmental Trust administers the scheme on behalf of the county council. All the awards will be presented in a ceremony at Tarmac`s Tunstead House offices in Buxton on Tuesday 8 July. 

The latest awards come on top of £278,000 worth of grants given to ten organisations in January. 

An exhibition that forms part of the 25th Buxton Festival celebrations opens at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday 5 July. 

Buxton Festival 25 looks back at the history of the festival and will show some of the forgotten treasures. The festival involves opera, arts and literature events. 

Exhibits include a ticket from the gala reopening of the Opera House in 1979, the crystal bowl awarded to the festival by the Manchester Evening News in 1984, programme books, posters and a large number of photographs showing festival performances from across the years. 

The Buxton Festival 25 exhibition will be on display until 27 July. Saturday will also see the opening of another exhibition at the Derbyshire County Council-run museum and art gallery in Terrace Road, Buxton. 

It features paintings by the Bollington Art Group and reflects their views of the High Peak area as seen from `The Other Side of the Hill`. 

Bollington, in Cheshire, is a popular destination for walkers, canal boaters, arts and historians who visit it to enjoy the landscape and see its industrial past. 

Members of the art group will visit the museum on Saturday 12 July and Tuesday 5 August between 2pm and 4pm to talk about their work. 

Their exhibition will run until 30 August. 

Visitors to the gallery can also see the Derbyshire Open Exhibition, which is on show until 19 July. 

Entry to all exhibitions at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery is free as part of Derbyshire County Council`s commitment to increase public access to the arts. 

Further information about any of the exhibitions is available by ringing Ros Westwood or Sue Palmer on 01298 24658 or emailing buxton.museum@derbyshire.gov.uk 

A new era for education in the High Peak begins in September, with the opening of an enhanced resource unit for children with special educational needs at Chapel-en-le-Frith High School. 

The purpose-built facility - which will provide state-of-the-art educational facilities - replaces Buxton`s John Duncan Special School, which closes on 31 August. 

To celebrate more than 50 years of special needs education at John Duncan, a closing day ceremony takes place at the school on Friday 11 July, starting at noon. 

Former pupils and teachers from throughout the area will attend and existing students will provide musical entertainment. 

All John Duncan pupils - youngsters aged between 11 and 16 with moderate and severe learning disabilities - will transfer to the facility, which is part of Chapel-en-le-Frith High School (see `Note to News Editors`). 

Concerned about the suitability of the John Duncan buildings, the county council launched a consultation process about the proposed closure three years ago. 

The Victorian buildings were never intended to house a special school. There are difficulties with disabled access, there are no sports facilities and there are problems with technology provision. 

These problems have been swept away with the new enhanced resource unit. It is built on a single level and is fully accessible for disabled people. 

Rooms are bigger, there are specialised changing and toilet facilities and a sensory room will provide for pupils who would benefit from sensory stimulation. 

In addition, the pupils will benefit from Chapel-en-le-Frith High School`s excellent science, technology, ICT and sport facilities. 

The county council is committed to teaching children with special educational needs in mainstream schools wherever possible, so that they can integrate and broaden their educational and social experiences. 

With this in mind, children attending the unit will have the benefit of the specialist facilities but also the flexibility to take part in some mainstream lessons, should this be appropriate to their individual learning situation. 

Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for education Councillor Alan Charles said: "The new enhanced resource unit will provide a superb teaching and learning environment for pupils and staff." 

Councillor Charles added: "John Duncan has provided a wonderful standard of education in accommodation that was never suited to a special school. I firmly believe that the excellent qualities of the school will be transferred to the new setting, providing the children with every opportunity to achieve their potential." 

John Duncan Special School Acting Headteacher Peter Gilbert - who will head the new unit - said: "The pupils have visited the new buildings and are really looking forward to the new school year. "The children will have all of the benefits of specialist teaching accommodation, along with the excellent mainstream facilities at the High School. 

"Even though we are all looking forward to the future there is bound to be a twinge of sadness when we leave the current buildings. However, we will be welcoming back a lot of old friends to the closure ceremony, so this will provide a fitting tribute to the past 52 years of education at the school." 

Work on an ambitious project to reorganise Dronfield School to create a single site, state-of-the art facility begins next week - and the school is taking extra precautions to make sure that a family of Great Crested Newts is protected. 

The £6m scheme - which has been developed by Derbyshire County Council, the school and Miller Construction - will provide a host of new, hi-tech facilities for pupils and for the local community. 

Until now the school has been concentrated on two sites a mile apart, the lower Gosforth site off Carr Lane and the upper Fanshawe site off Green Lane. The lower site is in such a poor state that it would cost £1.5m over the next few years, just to maintain it in its existing condition. 

As well as the high cost of maintenance, the split site causes additional problems - resources are duplicated and teacher time is wasted travelling between the sites. 

These problems would be resolved by consolidating the school on the upper site. 

During the planning stage a family of Great Crested Newts was discovered on the school site. 

Although their habitat will not be disturbed by the construction, the school wants to ensure that the protected creatures do not wander into harms way. 

The school called in English Nature and acting on their advice a newt-proof fence has been erected around the habitat. 

Deputy head Mike Gibbons will be on dawn newt patrol over the coming week to make sure that none of the creatures have escaped through the fence. 

Once the works have been completed the fence will be removed. 

It is hoped that the single site school will open in September 2004. The additional buildings will accommodate the following state-of-the-art facilities: 

Five science labs and prep-room 

Six modern languages rooms and nine maths rooms, all fully equipped with IT facilities 

Two music rooms and four art rooms 

Drama production hall, which would be available for the community when not used by the school 

Six new tennis/netball courts, full size all weather astroturf pitch and playing fields 

New dining and kitchen facilities. In addition, existing technology facilities will be expanded at the school, which was awarded specialist technology status last year. 

Just over half of the funding for the scheme has been awarded to the county council by the Government. The authority is contributing a further £1.5m with the remaining funds raised by selling the redundant lower school buildings. 

However, any future development of the lower site would be limited to the `footprint` of the current buildings and would not encroach on the existing green space, which would be retained for education or community use. 

Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for education Councillor Alan Charles said: "I`m delighted that the works are about to get underway. Reorganising the school onto a single site will have a tremendous impact and help transform the educational facilities for staff and pupils. 

"The school has an excellent reputation and was awarded specialist status last year. This project will provide the community with the buildings that they deserve and that will benefit local children for many years to come." 

Dronfield School deputy headteacher Mike Gibbons said: "This excellent development will provide a superb, state-of the-art school on a single site, and all of the facilities would be either brand new or re-vamped. 

"We were surprised when we discovered newts on the site and we want to make sure that their habitat is preserved. I have been trained in the care and identification of newts and I will be keeping an eye on them throughout the construction works."

Feel like getting fit but don`t fancy the gym? Free information packs about how you can walk your way to health are now available from every GP surgery around Chesterfield. 

Chesterfield Walk This Way project enlisted the help of 40 participants to call into the surgeries on their way to Derbyshire County Council`s Travelfest event organised last month to promote the environmental and health benefits of leaving the car at home. 

They wore their new Walk This Way T-shirts to deliver the information packs to 16 surgeries to encourage patients to talk to their GP about walking as a way of reducing medication, as a preventative measure for some conditions and to build "well-being". 

The packs are designed for groups or individuals and also contain information about the benefits of health walks, setting up or joining a walking group and advice about how to get involved as a volunteer. 

Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for community services Councillor Bob Janes said: "Walk This Way can help people take responsibility for their own well-being and we hope placing supplies of the information packs in surgeries will help them make the connection between walking and a healthy lifestyle." 

Chesterfield Walk This Way project was set up a year ago to promote the health benefits of walking and highlight the range of different walking routes in the borough. 

It is funded by a partnership including Derbyshire County Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, the Countryside Agency, the Three Valleys Project, SRB, the Ramblers` Association, Rethink and Staveley Neighbourhood Management. 

There are now five community-led walking groups which are always keen to welcome new members. People can obtain one of the new information packs by calling at their local doctors` surgery or calling the Walk This Way team on 01246 280978.

Derbyshire County Council today welcomed a Government announcement that two more Derbyshire secondaries are to become specialist schools - bringing the total number across the county to 16. 

Three schools in Derbyshire were also named Leading Edge schools, showing they are held up as centres of excellence and will share their educational expertise with other schools in the county. 

The Government announced today that Buxton Community School has been designated a specialist for sport and Shirebrook School a specialist for science. 

It also named Frederick Gent School in South Normanton, Kirk Hallam Community Technology College and Ecclesbourne School, Duffield, as Leading Edge schools. 

Schools that are designated as specialists develop into centres of excellence in their chosen area - which could be engineering, languages, science, technology, sports & arts, mathematics & computing or business and enterprise. They receive additional funding from the Government: a one-off capital grant of £100,000 and £123 annually per pupil, initially over four years. 

Pupils benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, with a wider range of courses to develop their skills and build their experience. Also, the schools continue to provide a full, broad and balanced curriculum. 

Today`s announcement is not only good news for students at Buxton and Shirebrook - educational provision throughout Derbyshire will also benefit. 

This is because the specialist centres share their knowledge and experience with schools throughout the county, and also forge links with their local community. Leading Edge schools are also required to share their expertise. 

To date 14 other Derbyshire schools have achieved specialist status (see `Note to News Editors`). In addition, over half of the remaining secondaries have expressed an interest or are actively pursuing specialist status. 

Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for education Councillor Alan Charles said: "I would like to extend my congratulations to the schools. More than one in three Derbyshire secondaries now have specialist status. 

"It is good news not just for those schools but for the whole of the county, because specialists and Leading Edge schools will play an increasingly important role in the development of education in Derbyshire. "A key priority for the county council is to develop learning communities - groups of schools that work together to share their knowledge and experience. 

"Specialist and Leading Edge schools will play a leading role in these partnerships. Their expertise will not only benefit their own pupils, they will work with others to raise educational standards in schools throughout their area. It brings schools closer together so that all pupils benefit from a diverse range of centres of excellence." 

In addition to the two specialist schools created today, 14 other Derbyshire secondaries have already been awarded specialist status. They are: 

Technology: Dronfield School, Ecclesbourne School, John Port at Etwall, Swanwick Hall, Kirk Hallam Community Technology College, Hope Valley College and Belper School. 

Language: St Mary`s Roman Catholic High School at Chesterfield and Aldercar Community Language College at Heanor. 

Engineering: Eckington School. 

Science: Heanor Gate School, Long Eaton School. 

Sports: Anthony Gell at Wirksworth, Brookfield Community at Chesterfield.