Community open day to raise funds for charity which supported family after Killamarsh murders

Dronfield Life, a charity and community organisation, is set to host an Open Community Day tomorrow (Saturday, May 11).

The family-friendly event, which will take place at the old parish halls at Chruch Street in Dronfield from 10 am to 2 pm, will include BBQ, live music, a variety of stalls, games and a raffle with prizes.

Funds raised through donations will go towards charity’s major project – renovation and transformation of the old parish halls into a community space. The charity plans to renovate the space in three phases into a community space with a total cost of over £1.4 million.

This comes after Dronfield Life recently received £250,000 from the UK Government as part of the leveling-up developments for phase one of building works. However, the charity needs to raise further £300, 000 as a total of £560,000 is needed to cover the cost of the works.

Andy Evers, chair of Dronfield Life, said: “The reason we are called Life is because we want to bring life into the town of Dronfield – and now we have a chance to bring life back into this derelict building at the heart of Dronfield. It is a beautiful listed building – but it is currently in a terrible state.

"We aim to complete phase one of the renovation by March 2025. We will provide free-to-use children's play space, coffee and tea facilities, a conference room and a meeting room much needed in the town.”

Dronfield Life will also host two presentations explaining in detail the plans for the refurbishment of the old town hall on Thursday, May 16 – at 12 noon and at 7 pm.

Andy came up with the idea to set up an organisation to support the local community in 2011 and in 2018 Dronfield Life officially became registered as a charity.

In the last few years, the organisation has been supporting residents of Dronfield and surrounding areas through various initiatives. The charity hosts a free charity community lunch club every week with 40 to 60 people attending.

The charity works closely with children's and adult social services, community psychiatric nurses, and drug and alcohol recovery support. They also support struggling families and individuals through initiatives including funding school uniforms, and distributing Easter and Christmas humpers.

Dronfield Life has also supported the family who lost their daughter during the Killamarsh murders in 2021- offering continuous support through the trial and the inquest.

Andy added: “We did not imagine that the charity would grow as fast – but that’s the beauty of it. When we first set it up, we didn't know what's going to come out of this and we wanted to be open to anything. Listening to our community and hearing what they need is our main priority.”

Recently the charity has set up The Dronfield Business Network in partnership with the Dronfield Eye – in order to support small business owners in town. The scheme involves monthly meetings including presentations by special guests, advice and networking opportunities.

The next business networking event will take place on Thursday, May 16, at 9 am at 21 Church Street.