Derby Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) has re-launched its popular loyalty scheme with additional features making it easier for those who work and visit the area to benefit from special offers at local businesses.

Under the previous BID programme, there were more than 3,700 cardholders who were entitled to benefits such as discounts, special promotions and exclusive offers from businesses in the Cathedral Quarter including shops, cafès and restaurants, salons, entertainment venues and professional services.

Family-owned funeral directors G Wathall & Son recently held an open day at its head office in Macklin Street, Derby, to show the public how times have changed in how people in Derby have said farewell to their loved ones over the past 160 years.

The company, which is the city’s longest established independent funeral directors, celebrates its 160^th anniversary this year and has been collecting photographs, documents and memories from its archives, previous and current long-serving staff and from local families.

A Derby College IT student involved in the organisation’s innovative Employer Academy programme has secured an apprenticeship with the company that provided him and others with valuable work experience as part of their study programme.

Brandon Bariana (19) joined the RDS Global Technology Academy earlier this year – spending 15 weeks learning about the different career opportunities available in the IT Industry.

 All eight students on the Academy were invited to apply for apprenticeships at the end of their study programme and Brandon was successful.

Family firm Luke Evans Bakery in Derbyshire has tasted a slice of success after its granary loaf was awarded the title of Best Wholegrain Loaf in Britain at one of the UK’s biggest food and drink exhibitions.

It was the first time that the Riddings-based bakery had entered an award in living memory.

The 400g Country Grain granary loaf took top slot at the awards, staged at the Farm Shop & Deli Show at Birmingham’s NEC – part of a large exhibition of trade shows aimed at the food and drink sector.

The Small Producer Quality Food Awards in partnership with Co-op, are now in their third year and designed to help small producers get in front of the people that matter. Are you a business with less than 10 staff? Are your annual sales no greater than £2 million?

More than 100 Derbyshire loos have been reviewed through a new TripAdvisor-style app.

Brand new app Cleen, allows hygiene-conscious users to review washrooms and toilet facilities in venues and businesses and so far, Derbyshire has seen reviews in a number of venues including leisure centres, restaurants and bars.

The app which is free to download has seen positive feedback with just over 60% of the reviews with comments ranging from;

“Lovely clean toilets nice hand wash and hand cream” to “very clean facilities, in an old brick building but kept beautifully.”

The co-owner of one of Derbyshire’s most popular farm shops has been appointed to the board of directors of FARMA, the trade association supporting farm retail.

Kay Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop near Duffield with husband Steve, was voted into the position at the association’s annual conference held at The Forest Pines Hotel and Golf Resort in North Lincolnshire.

Kay hopes that her appointment will give a stronger voice to small and medium-sized farm shops across the country.

City Arts and the Insitute of Mental Health are looking for submission of artwork inspired by mental illness, or created by artists living with mental health issues. For our 2018 open summer exhibition we are asking artist to respond to the theme “Traumascapes and Landscapes of the Interior”.

An alliance of cultural organisations from across England launches a new national body to develop and promote the role of arts and culture in supporting the country’s health and wellbeing (launch 13 March 2018).  

'HOMAGE' - Stephen Snoddy and
Sculptural Work - Richard Perry
The Old Lock Up Gallery