Derbyshire news in brief

Children at Monyash Primary School are working to put together this year’s May Market in the picturesque Peak District village. It will be the culmination of weeks of hard work by the youngsters, who hope to raise money for better school computer equipment. Organisers expect this year’s event – which will take place throughout the village from 10am on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25 – to be the biggest ever. The event will include cakes, maypole dancing, pony rides, well dressings and a Bake Off-style competiton. Monyash, just four miles west of Bakewell, is one of the most popular villages in the Peak District for visitors and walkers.

• Residents can have their say on what a new sculpture in Wingerworth should look like. Housebuilder Rippon Homes has commissioned artist Sue Gould to design the piece of art for its Kings Meadow development on Deerlands Road. She has already been busy consulting with groups in the area and also invited residents to put their design ideas forward at this weekend’s Wingerworth Festival. Ms Gould said: “I had no set idea when I started the project, preferring to be led by the themes that volunteered themselves when talking to the various groups. I always start with the location, which brings with it a history, which in turn delivers a ready-made community. I want to create a sculpture that is stunningly simple, to carry a striking silhouette from a distance, but holds meaning for the location and the people that live there.”

• The North Derbyshire Chargers rugby league club has launched a fundraising bid to provide a cardiovascular screening programme for players at its sites in Chesterfield and Warsop Vale. The effort comes after the recent death of Keighley Cougars player Danny Jones. North Derbyshire Chargers chairman Ged Connolly-Thompson said: “The ideal would be to offer cardiovascular screening to all players on an annual basis and this project is a great foundation on which to build this programme.” For more information and to donate, visit http://bit.ly/1PpnwTe

• A financial advisor from Eckington swapped his business suit for his running gear last month to take on the London Marathon in aid of a children’s hospice. Richard Hancock, owner of RH Financial Consultants, took part in the gruelling 26.2 mile race raising more than £1,100 for Bluebell Wood, which offers care and support to children with complex medical needs and a shortened life expectancy. The 40-year-old, who finished the challenge in less than four hours, said: “It was a tough but great day – the atmosphere really helped to carry me those last few miles.”

• A Chesterfield security officer has clinched a top award. Chris Fielding was honoured with the Outstanding Act gong at the regional BSIA Security Personnel Awards 2015. Chris, who works at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, received the award for his initiative and professionalism in dealing with an incident involving an aggressive patient. Chris managed to restrain the man, who was threatening to kill.

• A new volunteering project which aims to improve residents’ health and wellbeing is to launch thanks to £30,000 funding from Derbyshire County Council. The authority will be working with Groundwork Creswell which will be managing the Green Tonic Project. Volunteers will be carrying out tasks at countryside sites in Clowne and Bolsover. These will include conservation work such as putting in stiles and gates and managing wildlife habitats.

• Vodafone UK has started to roll out its 4G in Chesterfield and Clay Cross this week. The arrival of Vodafone 4G in Chesterfield and Clay Cross means all customers with compatible devices will be able to connect to the internet more quickly, more reliably and in more places than ever before. Vodafone has now extended its 4G coverage to 527 larger cities, towns and districts as well as thousands of smaller areas.

• Campaigners have met with council chiefs to discuss potholes on Derbyshire’s roads. Dean Corbridge, of Holymoorside, and Mark Morrell, a national campaigner known as Mr Pothole, met with representatives from Derbyshire County Council to discuss the state of the area’s roads. The authority insists it is committed to tackling potholes.

• Chatsworth House is offering brides and grooms an unforgettable wedding experience. A handful of couples will be able to tie the knot in the stately home’s magnificent Painted Hall after it gained a licence. For more information on Chatsworth weddings, visit www.chatsworth.org.

• Little Leprechauns Day Nursery in Chesterfield has won an award for being the most recommended in the East Midlands. It was ranked first out of 848 nurseries in the East Midlands on www.daynurseries.co.uk and received an honour from staff at the website.