Asian Association of Chesterfield celebrates its 40th Birthday

The association has come a long way since it started off as a small social forum for Indian doctors, at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, who had relocated here. Now, it’s a thriving community organisation, funded by The National Lottery, with a of team employees, promoting and supporting Asian culture, education, health and welfare across Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire.

The Asian Centre, based in Hasland, remains the focal point for their many events and activities; along with extensive signposting and support services too. Everyone is welcome to join, regardless of cultural background, religion or ethnicity.

One of their biggest successes to date, has been the creation of Saffron Kitchen in 2020, starting out as a midday meal delivery service for elderly, vulnerable people - and their carers. The Association received funding from the National Lottery ‘Reaching Communities’ fund, and Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ fund, to kick-start their plan of providing much needed meals for the community.

The COVID pandemic, and subsequent lockdown, generated high demand for meal delivery services. The Asian Association, in collaboration with Rural Action Derbyshire, became part of the ‘Feeding Derbyshire’ campaign. With the demand for nutritional cooked meals increasing, week by week, it was extremely successful in helping many vulnerable members of the community to receive delicious meals.

They still receive referrals from Rural Action, Derbyshire County Council and other welfare organisations to provide free meals.

The kitchen has proved to be so popular, that it now offers a host of cooking related activities, including teaching people how to cook traditional, tasty Indian food. The classes are always a sell-out, with all the income raised being ploughed back into the Association. It also offers an extensive catering service.

Another highlight has been its involvement with Derbyshire’s Black and Minority Ethnic Forum (BME Forum). Set up in 2006 by Links CVS and Derbyshire County Council, the forum aimed to develop a sustainable structure for consulting and engaging with all BME communities across Derbyshire.

The forum was responsible for setting up the UK’s first culturally sensitive BME ‘sitting service’. A resource aimed towards vulnerable adults, within the BME community, who were experiencing chronic illnesses or suffering from some form of disability. The service offers valuable, and much needed respite, to their carers.

The Asian Association, and other BME group members, handpick ‘sitters’ and provide them with ongoing training and support; enabling them to offer appropriate respite care.

The service has been hailed as trailblazing and there are now plans to roll out the service across the whole of the UK based entirely on the Chesterfield model. It’s an incredible achievement, and a testament to all the hard work that has gone into making the BME Forum so successful.

As part of its birthday celebrations, the Asian Association of Chesterfield will be running an exhibition in Chesterfield later this year. The exhibition will explore the history and experiences of the Asian community in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire. Furthermore it will highlight the challenges they faced and how they overcame them; as well as celebrating the many achievements and contributions to the Chesterfield community as a whole.

Mrs Sushri Wells, Secretary and Trustee at the Asian Association, has been working on the exhibition;- “We are delighted to be holding this event, especially in our 40th anniversary year. The Association is involved with so many fantastic community projects in Chesterfield, from community meals, working with the Neo-natal department at Chesterfield Royal, mental health projects within BME communities, the list is endless. I can’t wait to see it all on the exhibition timeline, and to share all our history with the community at large.”

For more information (including the cookery classes and celebratory dates) visit – www.asianassociationchesterfield.org

For more information on the BME sitting service, see www.linkscvs.org.uk