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We are involved in all aspects of our local community and offer advice and support, as well as training opportunities and health and well-being benefits | |
Welcome to our website.
You can email us here.
As well as the Community group, we also manage the Community Hub, a garden and a new outdoor gym.
everything is coming together now for a great summer for Holme Hall Unite members
As with everything in life ...... You only get out what you are prepared to put in. JOIN US - or MISS OUT.
We had a pleasant weekend and hope you did too. We were right about expecting rain - and almost got caught out in Saturday's deluge.
The week ahead looks mixed with some rain on Monday and Wednesday- with Thursday looking very wet too. The temperatures are nothing to write home about either - hardly hitting 20c.
Even though we've past the Summer solstice the best of the Summer months still lie ahead.
Holme Hall Unite's Community Hub displayed the new town centre redevelopment plans recently (see item below) which attracted much interest. There was a good attendance again last week despite holidays.
Covid infections are continuing to rise in the UK, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.
The data suggests around 1.7 million people were estimated to have Covid in the week ending 18 June.
This is around one in 35 people - an increase of 23% on the week before.
Experts say two new fast-spreading subvariants of Omicron - called BA.4 and BA.5 - are likely to be driving new infections. So, continue to take sensible precautions and keep yourself - and others - safe.
Chatsworth Road Medical Centre has now re-introduced masks for people attending, after several staff fell ill - and many other places are likely to follow suit. You cannot take any risks with your health - polio was found in Britain recently after being dormant for around 40 years.
AVOID any large gatherings or crowded places. These are largely being blamed for the increases - Jubilee parties for example, were partly to blame for the sudden and unexpected increase in cases. Normally cases decrease during the Summer months (with the good weather) - partly due to high UV levels - so its rather worrying to see large increases at this time of the year.
A new Walking for Health group is being set-up - to run walks from Holme Hall Unite's Community Hub. If you are interested, get in touch, and we'll pass your details onto the organisers / walk leaders. And yet another community litter pick is also being planned. A couple of other new groups are planning to use our Hub as a base for their activities over the next few months - more details very soon.
Is the Ukrainian war situation about to escalate right across Europe? - read more here
NATO will significantly increase the number of forces on high alert to over 300,000 from 40,000 as part of the biggest overhaul of the alliance's defences since the Cold War.
Units deployed across eight eastern and southeastern NATO countries to deter Russia hostilities will rise in size from 1,000-strong battlegroups to brigades, which comprise around 3,000-5,000 troops with more war-fighting equipment in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Our Knit & Natter group have already completed a bag full of kids hats - all ready for distribution in the autumn (just like last year) - following the blankets that they made for refugees earlier this year (from donated surplus / leftover wool).
There are people who are stuck at home - housebound and in some cases bed-ridden - who have derived great pleasure from knitting these squares - and sometimes have never even visited the Hub.
This month's rail outing has been postponed till September due to the threat of further rail strikes and the continued disruption. A further excursion by our Local History group may also have to be put 'on hold' for now too.
Having been one of the main instigators of the surplus food programme we were invited to a strategy meeting to plan the next stage as the cost of living crisis really starts to bite. We work with most of the major supermarket chains - and could do so much more with extra volunteers. We are currently turning down any further food supplies for distribution due to a lack of resources - which is a great shame at this time of need.
The situation is reviewed regularly as extra volunteers become avaialbe (even for short periods).
Households to start receiving support payments on July 14th
Eight million households will start receiving cost-of-living payments from 14 July, the government has said.
Low-income households on benefits will get £326 next month as part of a £21bn support package to help with soaring bills, which was announced last month.
Another £324 will hit their accounts in the autumn, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
With the continued disruption at our airports (likely to last for much of the year) - as Easy Jet cabin crew set to strike, and are British Airways staff to announce a strike soon? - and the rise again of Covid cases on the continent, many people are choosing a staycation again this year.
As we live in the centre of the UK we are ideally situated to reach almost anywhere in the country with our day trips and other excursions.
One thing we are looking at is a possible London trip - with heavily discounted tickets for a number of West End shows. Get in touch if this would be of interest.
People could choose to either take in a show or spend their time doing their own thing. Our visits to stately homes are always popular. How about this one? With lunch on arrival and a picnic in the grounds after we have toured the house and gardens?
PLEASE NOTE - We have already booked and confirmed the visit that we make each year to yet another stately home for later in the year.
Look out for the Month of Community coming along soon too. There will be lots of activities and other events which will help to bring the whole community together. Get in touch for details of how you can be involved, and make your community a stronger and safer place for all. We will be rewarding all our volunteers too.
Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield - Consultation
CBC is investing in our town centre to make sure it thrives for generations to come.
The £10.28m Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield scheme will transform the look, feel and flow of the town centre – creating a contemporary market built on our proud history and heritage.
We want to hear your views on our plans, as part of a public consultation running till 8 July 2022.
Our plans are at the concept stage, sharing your views will help us to shape the detail and design of the next stage.
You can view the proposals at an exhibition being held at the Visitor Information Centre which you can access Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm.
The proposals are also available at Holme Hall Unite's Community Hub - get in touch to view them at a time that is convenient.
We’re focusing on the key areas of Rykneld Square, Spire Walk, Corporation Street, Burlington Street, Market Square and New Square.
The work will be carried out in phases – starting later this year and due for completion in 2025.
we've had very good days out in both Manchester and Leicester
Think you know the Peak District? - you have never seen it at its best until you have travelled by rail - passing through some deserted valleys and majestic peaks unincumbered by roads, traffic and buildings. With various 'stopping off points' along the route its easy to get to the heart of the area withough getting bogged-down in the traffic.
The recent visit to Leicester - where we visited the car park grave site where King Richard III's body was found (as well as the burial site in the cathedral) - has reignited interest in our local history group, and further visits to historical sites will follow over the coming Summer months.
Rail outings are a bonus that came along at the right time.
Our excursion to Leicester proved to be a great success. Its a very cosmopolitan multi-cultural city and has everything - from the National Space Centre to the burial site of King Richard III, plus a medieval ancient quarter, one of the largest markets in the country and the fabulous Haymarket shopping centre. Click here to get a view of 2000 years of history - with something for absolutely everyone to enjoy.
This was the first of several rail special offers for our members - travel in comfort and style, enjoying a coffee or reading the paper, as we are whisked to our destination. And ALL for just a FIVER !
As we have always said - Join In - or Miss Out.Get in touch if you want to know more - but better still come along to one of our group sessions and try things out yourself.
There is no doubt that this must be the warmest and friendliest group around - with all ages present - all supporting and looking out for each other. Many of our group also suffer from isolation, so there is always a warm welcome. Its all FREE for our members too. You won't find that anywhere else.
"Thank you for today, we had a lovely time. Full of laughter and companionship"
If the local community want to keep the garden they have to "get on board" and help us to maintain it. Holme Hall Unite provided the garden - for the benefit of the local community - five years ago, but at that time we had little else on. We have been running the Hub for the last four years and we are also involved with several other organisations too - so, as you can see, there is very little spare time.
The garden deteriorated during the lockdowns and Covid - we were still winning RHS Awards up to and including 2020 (two in that year). With a new housing development about to start we would have thought people would value some green space, so its up to them to make the most of it. Get in touch for more details. There are only so many hours in a day. There are some real benefits to getting involved. You can read more about our garden project by clicking here.
We are currently "over seeing" two other garden projects in Chesterfield, and are involved with the re-vamp of an existing garden (in the town centre) too.
We will spend some time in the next couple of weeks planting-up tubs and hanging baskets to help another group to complete their garden. All of these projects will be ready for the Summer season.
The Free Computer Tablets promotion was back with us again for the third year running. This helps to keep our community connected, and also helps relieve the loneliness and isolation that the pandemic had brought. Good to see some new faces coming along too.
While others talk endlessly about what they will do (if pigs ever fly!) Holme Hall Unite got on with it and delivered yet again.
And as always, everything was provided FREE OF CHARGE.
Its quite clear that Holme Hall Unite offers its members SO MUCH - far more than any other group. You should join in before its too late, as the capacity (at our Hub) can only accomodate a certain number of people. Our Lunch Club is a little more flexible as we use outside venues, so capacity is not so much of an issue. There are special interest groups as well as more general meet-ups, and as soon as the Spring arrives our day trips will be launched again for this year. Don't be isolated and on your own - when there is such a lot that you can take part in and enjoy.
No matter what obstacles may be thrown at us during the coming months we are determined to ensure that all of our members have a very good time
Our Next Door message board (which we pioneered five years ago) now reaches over 5000 people locally with more than 1275 on our estate alone - and is now used by 27% of all local households to keep in touch.
Being able to keep in contact with their family, friends and neighbours is vital for the isolated and vulnerable.
Our Community group was established in 2015, and within 10 weeks of constitution the group had planted 16,000 daffodils all around the estate.
Our garden was added in 2017 before our Community Hub opened in the Spring of 2018. In that same year our Chair was named as the Estate Champion.
We have won many Awards - including three consecutive RHS Awards for our garden.
In the following year we were selected as the runners-up in the Organisation Of The Year category at the Voluntary Sector Awards too.
We even managed to keep the Hub open for most of the recent lockdown with surplus food deliveries and prescription collections etc - unlike many groups which closed (some of which may never re-open. We've also run a full schedule of day trips for our members during the year too.
Everywhere else will either cost you more - or offers you much less - than we do.
Don't hesitate to get in contact if you need any further information, simply click here.
If you have been a careful saver - with the Credit Union for example - then the impact of recent changes (energy price hikes / food price increases etc) won't be as severe. If you do need help - please refer to the Health and Well-being booklet which has been distributed widely - or collect a copy from the Hub.
"Wonderful to see what the Hub does. Gave my mum and I another perspective of how amazing people are"
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