In her latest column, Councillor Nadine Peatfield shares what's she's most looking forward to this festive season, as well as support for those struggling with the cost of living.
As the temperature starts to drop and Christmas lights begin appearing all around us, it’s hard not to get into the festive spirit. Along with our partners, we have a host of fantastic festive activities planned in Derby over the Christmas period, as well as a range of support for those for whom Christmas is a challenging and worrying time.
Every year Festive Derby draws thousands of people into the city centre, and it has been a joy to work with our partners across the city to create such a brilliant variety of fun festivities for 2024. This year’s Festive Derby officially kicks off on Saturday 30 November with the annual Christmas Light Switch-On and magical new Light Trail, as well as the return of the much-loved Cathedral Quarter Ice Rink and Nordic Bar which will turn the Market Place into a winter wonderland.
I’ve been gearing up for Christmas for a few weeks now and am really looking forward to performing with my choir over the festive period.
I’m also particularly excited about the new Festive Derby Light Trail, which will guide you through the city centre from The Spot to Cathedral Square to see several beautiful light installations. This is a fantastic way for residents and visitors to explore parts of our city centre that they might not visit very often and get a sense of all that we here in Derby have to offer. And of course, our ever-popular panto is back! Oh yes it is…
Launching on Friday 6 December and running right up until New Year’s Eve, this year’s panto – Cinderella – will be magical! There are plenty of tickets still available but make sure you get booked in soon. Several performances will be audio described, have BSL interpretations and captions, meaning that all our residents have the chance to get into the festive spirit.
As always, a huge thank you to all our partners and sponsors. Your support not only makes Festive Derby possible but also helps us to showcase the richness and diversity of our city. You can find the full list of festive events on the Festive Derby website.
Despite all the upcoming festivities, I’m very aware that this time of year brings a lot of challenges - especially for those who are struggling because of the cost of living.
As well as launching a new funding package through the Household Support Fund, which provides households most in need with free school meals, energy and food vouchers and Warm Welcome Hubs, our teams are working hard to support pensioners this winter.
With over £9 million in unclaimed Pension Credit across the city, we have proactively reached out to eligible pensioners, encouraging them to apply. More than 2,000 low-income households in Derby are home to pensioners who have missed out on Pension Credit and therefore aren’t eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment. To support these households specifically, we will be issuing them with a £100 direct payment in February 2025.
Following the success of our pension advice event last month, several more events have taken place and continue to be planned across the city. The events offer residents a one-stop-shop of benefit advice, support services, and the opportunity to check their pension credit eligibility before the deadline of Thursday 21 December. The full list of events is available on our website.
To support families this winter, the Winter Coat Appeal has returned and will soon be open for collections. As well as children’s winter items, we’ll also be appealing for donations of adult coats, scarves, hats and gloves. These can be dropped off at the Stockbrook Street, Derwent or Osmaston Allenton Family Hubs. We’re also pleased to be supporting Derby City Mission’s Christmas gift appeal to ensure that no child goes without this Christmas and allow parents to be involved in choosing gifts for their children.
These are just a few examples of the brilliant work that our teams and partners are doing to support those in need this Christmas. We’ve also worked hard to ensure that our impressive Festive Derby programme includes free and low-cost events to allow everyone who celebrates to embrace the magic of Christmas.
If you or someone you know is struggling financially, I’d really encourage you to have a look at our website to find out what support is available to you or visit one of our 40+ Warm Welcome Hubs. You’ll receive a warm welcome, as well as a hot meal and help accessing other cost of living support. I’ll be joining the team at my local Warm Welcome Hub to serve a Christmas dinner to 80 of our local residents and can’t wait, it’s always such a special time and a fantastic opportunity to catch up with people in my community. Further details about Warm Welcome Hubs are available here.