Supporting the NHS
Holiday cottages for frontline NHS staff
13 May 2020
In order to support the NHS and allow frontline staff to isolate from vulnerable family, we’re making three Chatsworth holiday cottages available to NHS workers free of charge. To do so, we’re partnering with Derbyshire County Council, who will assist with the booking and verification process.
The aim is to help frontline NHS staff who need to isolate from members of their household or be closer to their workplace to accommodate shift patterns. Those eligible can apply to stay in one of the cottages by sending an email from their NHS email address to [email protected] with their name and the organisation they work for. The county council will liaise with the NHS to verify they are an NHS employee.
Treat boxes for NHS keyworkers
30 April 2020
Following a trial run of treat boxes last week for Baslow Healthcare Centre and Newholme Hospital which were really well received, this week our chefs are back and bringing a little cheer to the local NHS network – over 800 NHS keyworkers in the local area! Working closely with Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, these boxes are being distributed by the Community Health Trust in North Derbyshire.
We look forward to continuing this every week to a little Chatsworth sunshine to those working to keep us all safe.
Signs of support
30 April 2020
As a sign of our support and appreciation for all the amazing work NHS and key workers are doing across the country, we have proudly displayed these signs at the Golden Gates and Sandy’s Turn entrances to Chatsworth and also at the Devonshire Arms, Pilsley and Beeley.
We want to reiterate the government’s message and encourage visitors to stay at home and stay safe during lockdown. Lots of families live on the estates and it’s important that we protect them and the wider community at this time.
A big thank you to our sign makers and to Penny (age 4) and Matilda (age 7) who coloured the drawing of Chatsworth.
10% off for the NHS
15 April 2020
To thank the NHS for working through this unprecedented and challenging time, we are offering a 10% discount at the estate farm shop, both in the shop and on our fresh food collection and delivery service.
Lighting the house blue
2 April 2020
We're showing our appreciation to our brilliant key workers by lighting the house up in blue every Thursday evening. This is our way to ‘clap for our carers’. We know you can't come out to see the house at the moment, but we promise to light it up again as soon as travel restrictions are lifted.
Estate farm shop lockdown deliveries
Free collection & delivery service
Updated 6 May
In order to support those in self-isolation and to enable increased social distancing, we created a new no contact fresh food collection and delivery service from the estate farm shop. Our delivery service is available to the extended local area including Buxton, Chesterfield, Dore.
We've recently partnered with Pilsley Village Shop, which means we can now offer non-food needs including soap, batteries, toothpaste, household cleaners and more.
With just under 450 items available, from fresh fruit, veg and butchery boxes to baked goods and delectable treats, we’re helping the local community stock their fridges, freezers and store cupboards.
Supporting local foodbanks
Foodbanks across the country have seen a drop in donations during the coronavirus, at a time when they play an even more important role than normal. For more information, or to make a donation to either of these wonderful causes, please use the links below:
Ready meals
30 April 2020
As of this week our chefs in the Carriage House kitchen, who, until recently, prepared meals for our visitors, are now chefs of a different kind – cooking a range of six ready meals, from lasagne to a veggie bake.
Our experts have prepared over 100 meals this week, with 100 more to come next week. All to be frozen and donated to the Jigsaw Foodbank Matlock to help support our community.
Sharing snacks and drinks
16 April 2020
While much of the estate is closed, including our catering outlets, the catering team have been keen to do their bit, with many assisting with the estate farm shop delivery and collection services.
This week we were thrilled to be able to help even further afield as foodbanks across the country have seen a drop in donations during the coronavirus, at a time when they play an even more important role than normal. We donated over £800 worth of stock, including soft drinks and sweet and savoury snacks.
Easter eggs
2 April 2020
Although the annual Easter egg hunts in the Chatsworth Farmyard did not take place this year, we have been able to help two local charities as a result.
The chocolate eggs for the hunt were delivered at the start of March, before the restrictions around coronavirus were introduced. We have therefore worked with two local foodbanks to ensure that the 240kg of eggs helped brighten the Easter weekend for those in local communities who rely on their support.
Assisting Derbyshire County Council in the fight against the virus
2 April 2020
We have also been able to assist Derbyshire County Council (DCC) in the fight against the coronavirus, who are working in partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MoD). We took a call from the council last week, asking if we had any buildings available that could be set up within 48 hours as a logistics hub, to be run by the MoD. We identified a unit we own near Chesterfield, which we thought might be suitable.
We opened up the building that afternoon to representatives from the MoD and DCC, who agreed to take the building, which we offered free of charge. Legal documents were issued, reviewed and signed by 3pm the following day, and the council’s operations team were in the day after that, going through all the pre-occupation checks. They have been working through the night to put everything in place, and hope to be operational very shortly.
The building will be used for the distribution of PPE, food and other vital equipment in the battle against the coronavirus.
The teams at both Derbyshire County Council and the Devonshire Group pulled everything out the bag to make this happen incredibly efficiently and at very short notice, and it is wonderful to be able to help the frontline staff fighting the virus.
We are working on other initiatives, and will share updates with you over the coming weeks.
A visit to the unit in May 2019
Chatsworth Security patrol
2 April 2020
During the Coronavirus lockdown a security patrol comprising members of the Chatsworth Security team has been put in place to visit the hotels, pubs, unoccupied holiday cottages and our local villages twice nightly between 6.30pm and 6.30am. They will also be on call to attend if any house alarms go off.
Details have been circulated by the parish councils on and around the estate, and the police are also aware of this support for our local communities.
