Derbyshire news in brief

Big-hearted staff from a Chesterfield accountancy firm are preparing for a 170-mile charity cycle ride in memory of a colleague.
Staff at Shorts are taking part in an epic charity bike ride.Staff at Shorts are taking part in an epic charity bike ride.
Staff at Shorts are taking part in an epic charity bike ride.

The workers from Shorts, in Ashgate Road, will take part in the Way of the Roses challenge in May. The team is raising funds for Lymphoma Research after their long-serving colleague Brian Sewell died of the cancer over Christmas.

They hope to complete the challenge, which starts in Morecambe and finishes in Bridlington, in three days, covering between 40 and 65 miles each day.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/shorts-accountants1

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Alternatively, text the code BINE75 with your donation amount to 70070.

• Budding lawyers from Chesterfield College have taken part in a courtroom showdown. The students battled it out to go through to the final of the 2015 interschool mock trial competition held by Sheffield Hallam University in partnership with the Sheffield Law Society. The annual contest sees teams of A level students from schools and colleges across the region compete for the chance to win work experience placements with solicitors as well as taking home a trophy. The teams are given roles of prosecution and defence and prepare their cases to present before a jury. The students from Chesterfield College won their case and are now anxiously waiting to find out who they will face in the final due to be held at Sheffield Combined Courts in June.

• Staff at Essential Recruitment in Chesterfield have donated more than 400 Easter eggs and goodies to put smiles on the faces of poorly children. The treats were given to youngsters on the Nightingale ward at Chesterfield Royal Hospital just before Easter. Curt Walker, of Essential Recruitment, said: “We asked numerous companies in and around the Chesterfield area to be involved and have been overwhelmed by the response.”

• Walkers are being invited to explore parts of Haddon Hall not normally open to the public. A two-hour guided walk will take place at the estate from 10.30am on Monday, April 20. A Haddon Hall spokesman said: “Enjoy the Longhorn cattle and various rare breeds of sheep and spot a multitude of wildlife as you wander through the organic parkland.” The walk is free of charge. Book a place by calling 01629 81091.

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• Volunteers held a community litter pick in Chesterfield at the weekend. Seven volunteers from the Friends of the Inkerman group gave up a couple of hours on Saturday to go around the Ashgate park with litter picking tools provided by Chesterfield Borough Council. Nine bin bags full of rubbish were collected as well as a wheelbarrow full of glass and plastic bottles. For more information about the group, visit www.friendsoftheinkerman.org

Derbyshire County Council is encouraging families to check whether they qualify for free school meals. The council has made it easier for parents to apply for free school meals for their children.

A form is available on the council’s website via www.derbyshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals. A council spokesman said: “There’s no need to worry about other children knowing whether a child gets free school meals. Only the school and catering staff will know.”

• Public transport in rural areas of Bolsover and the Derbyshire Dales is set to be improved with the help of Government cash. Derbyshire County Council will use the £164,900 to fund a study to better understand the transport provided by a range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations in the two areas to see how they can be delivered more efficiently.

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• There is still time for residents to nominate their favourite shop or store in Chesterfield. Nominations for the town’s popular Retail Awards, which are organised by Destination Chesterfield and sponsored by Learning Unlimited, close at midnight on Monday. Shoppers can find out more information about the awards and nominate at www.chesterfield.co.uk/retailawards

• Past residents of Barbers Row in Barlborough are being invited to attend an annual reunion. Barlborough Heritage Centre will be holding the event at the Dusty Miller, on Sheffield Road, Barlborough, between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, April 18. It promises to be a chance to meet up with old friends and relatives and meet new ones.

• Service users at Chesterfield’s Freedom Centre – a day service for adults with learning disabilities – were all smiles after receiving a giant Easter egg from a town firm. The tasty treat was donated to the Pond Street centre by by Jamie and Emily Flaxman, of Carltons Hair Studio, on Glumangate.