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Alisha is white, around 5ft 3in tall, of slim build with long, straight, dyed black hair. Although she is 13, she appears older and may be mistaken for someone in their late teens.

Chief Superintendent Peter Lewis, who is in charge of policing in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales, said: “We are working hard to make sure that Alisha is found safe and well. “It has now been almost two weeks since she was last seen and we are keen for her to make contact with us, or with her family, to let us know that she is alright. Alisha needs to know she is not in any kind of trouble, we are only concerned for her safety.”

Chief Supt Lewis said that police had received several reported sightings of Alisha but anyone who believes they have seen the youngster should call officers.

He added: “We are keeping an open mind as to where Alisha may have gone. She may have walked to Buxton or travelled on to other parts of the country so our inquiry is not merely focused on the High Peak area.”

Police can be contacted on the national non-emergency phone number 101. A Photo of Alisha is available here

Derbyshire Carers Breaks: Events List

Derbyshire Carers have a range of free activities running up to Christmas. Please view the website to see the activities available.

Derbyshire Carers Breaks events and are available to carers who live in Derbyshire County; care for more than 14 hours per week or alternatively, the caring role has a significant impact on their health and wellbeing; and are registered as a carer with a Derbyshire County NHS GP surgery.

If you would like further information about the Derbyshire Carers Breaks Scheme please contact Kye Bell on 01773 743355 or e–mail michaela@derbyshirecarers.co.uk. Alternatively visit www.derbyshirecarers.co.uk

Chapel residents can meet with police

Chapel Police surgeries

Police in Chapel-en-le-Frith are giving residents the chance to speak about concerns at their next surgeries to be held at:

Morrison's, Chapel-en-le-Frith: Friday 25th November, between 5pm and 6pm.

Surgeries are held on an informal basis, and there is no need to book an appointment. For more information or to contact your local Safer Neighbourhood policing team please call 101, the new non-emergency number for Derbyshire police, or visit the website: www.derbyshire.police.uk

This event has been organised by Derbyshire Local Involvement Network with support from Peaks and Dales Advocacy. For more information please call Amy King on 01246 558924 or email amyking@derbyshirelink.org.uk

Spirita Launch Houseproud Loan Scheme

High Peak Borough Council and Spirita’s Home Improvement Agency have teamed up with the Home Improvement Trust to bring all vulnerable and older home owners safe and effective loans to fund works to their own homes.

Unlike any other equity based loan product it enables home owners over the age 55 to use the equity in their property to raise funding to repair and improve their property’s structure.

Important facts include:

Loans are available for homeowners over 55 or disabled.

Houseproud offers no re-possession.

Houseproud offers no negative equity.

Houseproud enables you to borrow as little as £5,000.

Houseproud offers independent financial advice to help you find the best option for funding your works.

Houseproud funding release for repairs will be managed by Houseproud and not affect your benefits.

For more information please contact our office on 0845 850 8013 and we will arrange for a Project Worker to arrange a visit with you.

More information about the Houseproud Scheme can be found at www.houseproud.org.uk

Derbyshire Carers Voice

Carers support services in Derbyshire are really eager to hear from Carers who use their services and would like to know directly how they can improve these services and what Carers living in Derbyshire really need.

Carers Voice is a new project that will give Carers the opportunity to speak out about the things that affect them and share their experiences. Carers will also have an input to the discussions of future services and the development of existing ones. Carers will also have the chance to ask questions that will be put to the network group.

In January 2012 we will start holding area meetings where Carers can get together and discuss issues that will be on the agenda at the next Carers Network Meeting. We may also have questions from other organisations that are planning Carers services. These meeting will continue every three months and every quarter a representative from each group will attend the Carers Network Meeting to feedback information from the Carers Voice meetings.

Becoming a Carers Voice member will be exciting and rewarding. Members will be representing Carers from their area and will be making a real difference to the lives of Carers in Derbyshire. By becoming a Member Carers will be agreeing to come along to the meetings in their area and to follow the Associations Policies and Procedures including the Confidentiality Policy. Details of these will be covered at the Induction Meeting in January.

Together Carers will be really influential in supporting and developing Carers Services in Derbyshire.

If you are a Carer and would like more information on becoming a Carers Voice Member please call Helen Weston on 01629 812132 or email helen.weston@derbyshirecarers.co.uk

Home Heat Helpline

The Home Heat Helpline is a free, not for profit phone helpline set up and funded by Britain's leading energy suppliers - British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, npower, Scottish Power, and SSE - to help customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills and keep warm. Launched by the Energy Retail Association in October 2005, it is staffed by a team of expert advisors based in Glasgow, who are on hand to give quick, clear information on the grants, benefits and payment schemes that callers may be entitled to.

For help or to find out more call the Home Heat Helpline Team can be called on 0800 33 66 99

Vacancy: Arts & Learning Coordinator

Required for Spring 2012 – Arts and Learning Co-ordinator for Spring Bank Arts, New Mills.

The Trust that is developing an exciting community arts centre in the former St James Church premises on Spring Bank, New Mills, wishes to appoint a co-ordinator for its arts activities and learning programme, to commence in Spring 2012.

The post will be part time for 18 hours per week for a three year period and is funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund. Payment will be at £8.50 per hour for a 52 week year, with holiday entitlement.

Applicants will need to demonstrate experience and knowledge of arts development and knowledge of heritage interpretation.

Details are obtainable from The Chairman: Philip Kendall, The Grange, Spring Bank, New Mills, High Peak, SK22 4BH. Or by email

The closing date for applications is 16th December 2011. The St James the Less Preservation Trust is committed to a policy of Equal Opportunities in its role as an employer.

Vacancy: Community Development Worker

28 hrs per wk, £24,646 pro rata (£19,716). Based in Bolsover, Derbyshire

CVP is looking for someone who is experienced and confident working with, and building partnerships between, people and organisations at all levels in the community.

Your role is to target and work with those most excluded/marginalised residents and groups – identifying local needs and issues, identifying initiatives and activities that improve communities and the lives of local residents and bringing together a range of partners to develop and implement community action plans

You should have:

A successful track record in hands-on community development work.

Well-developed communication, advocacy and influencing skills

Skills of understanding the needs of local residents and small groups and giving them a voice.

Experience of recruiting, supporting and developing volunteers

A successful track-record of income generation

For further information/application pack (NO CVs) visit www.bolsovercvp.org.uk or email cvpadmin@bolsovercvp.org.uk

Closing date for applications is 2.00pm Friday 2nd December 2011

Vacancy: Home Start High Peak Senior Co-ordinator

Senior Co-ordinator NJC Scale 29-33. Salary from £24,646 (37 hours) plus pension + car-user allowance.

Assisted by a co-ordinator and office administrator and overseen by a board of trustees the successful candidate will lead the recruitment, training and supervision of staff and home-visiting volunteers; manage partnerships, contracts and fundraising, and be responsible for compliance with parent body Home-Start UK.

An understanding of the needs of families and children, excellent organisation, communication and people skills and an ability to take the initiative whilst working to tight budgets and exacting quality standards are essential. Experience of working with volunteers would be advantageous, as would a relevant qualification or previous experience is a related field.

Home-Start High Peak in Derbyshire has provided vital support to families with pre-school children for almost a decade. Helping people to cope with situations as diverse as social isolation, bereavement, multiple births, illness or disability, our small team is about to embark on an exciting phase in its development. With ambitious new targets and lottery funding in place, we now need to recruit an individual to take day-to-day responsibility for managing the scheme.

Deadline for applications: Friday 16th December 2011. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview in early January. Any offer of employment will be conditional upon the take up of satisfactory references and an enhanced CRB check.

For further details or an application pack, please contact us: Address: 26 Spring Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6DE. T: 01298 727777 E: home-starthighpeak@hotmail.co.uk Home-Start High Peak is committed to Equal Opportunities.

Vacancy: Grants Officer

Derbyshire Community Foundation is seeking a Grants Officer. £19,000 - £24,000 pro rata (dependent on experience). 22.5 hours per week

Derbyshire Community Foundation is a charity, building an endowment fund to benefit Derbyshire people. Income from our fund is distributed in grants to community groups working to improve the quality of life in our county. In 2010/11 we awarded £935,000 to 453 groups.

The grants officer will deliver several grants programmes, including promotion, supporting applicants, assessment of applications and presentation of applications to decision-making panels.

Closing Date: Friday 2nd December. Interviews: Monday 12th December

Derbyshire Community Foundation is an equal opportunities employer.

Passport Training

For volunteers who work with children or young people.

Volunteers must be aged 16 years +

This is a free five session course. The second High Peak course will take place on five consecutive Wednesday evenings, starting February 22nd, 6.30 p.m. – 9.30.p.m in the Adult Community Education Centre in Fairfield, Buxton and involves:

5 X evening training sessions

Safeguarding

Health & Safety

First Aid Introduction

Involving and Consulting Children & Young People

Equal Opportunities

Participants who complete the course will receive a certificate and identity badge as an accredited volunteer recognised by Derbyshire Children’s Trust.

We will need to ensure that volunteers are CRB checked at enhanced level and will have to a supply CRB registration number. If you are someone who is considering volunteering, and are not yet CRB checked, the identity badge will not be issued until you have received your CRB and started volunteering

Places are limited to a maximum of 20 per course. If interested please contact David Shaddick at the Buxton Volunteer Centre, 16 Eagle Parade, Buxton SK17 6EQ. Tel 01298 23970. E-mail david@buxtonvc.org.uk Or to find out more about this course go to the County Council website

Attracting and Recruiting Volunteers

Methodist Church, Buxton - Thursday 8th December 2011 10.00am – 1.00 pm.

This free session aims to help you:

Identify the purpose and key elements of an effective volunteer policy

Identify the key components of a volunteer task / role description

Recognise what attracts volunteers to volunteering opportunities

Tailor publicity to attract volunteers

Choose appropriate methods of screening volunteers

To book your place please call David on 01298 23970 or email david@buxtonvc.org.uk

Social Media for Community Sports Clubs Workshop

High Peak Borough Council has teamed up with Sports Club consultants and Coach Education providers ForeFourSix to deliver a unique coach education workshop in Buxton on the 5th December.

Aimed at community sports clubs the two-hour workshop delivered by experienced sports development officers covers an introduction to what social media is and how it can benefit your club. As Facebook and Twitter become a common part of everyday life more clubs are considering how the use of these social media sites can benefit them. This workshop provides an overview of exactly what social media is, how it can be used to support your club, and what the benefits are.

The workshop will take place at Buxton Community School on December 5th starting at 6.30pm running for two hours until 8.30pm. The workshop costs £25 per club and each club can send two members.

For more information on the workshop please contact FourFourSix. Tel: 07825 417558 or Email: info@forefoursix.co.uk

Financial inclusion in Derbyshire Future needs: 2012 onwards

Day Conferences Friday 20 January and Thursday 26 January 2012

The Financial Inclusion Derbyshire Partnership has been working over the last couple of years to address issues of financial exclusion in the county including: access to affordable credit, banking and savings; debt and income maximisation advice; financial capability/education.

The conferences will partly celebrate what has been achieved to date but will mainly provide an opportunity to identify key financial exclusion needs/ issues in the Derbyshire, for 2012 onwards, and plan future priorities. This will lead to a new financial inclusion strategy.

To request a booking form please contact f.rostron@ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk or call 01629 821929 for more information

Stockport Council & Partners Free Training

Free Child Protection Basic Awareness Level 1 Training

30th Nov 2011 - 6pm till 9pm

The Heaton’s Centre, Thornfield Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport, SK4 3LD

This training is funded by CWDC via the Stockport Children’s Workforce Development Strategy and is certified by the Stockport Local Safeguarding Children’s Board. It will provide an introduction to the recognition of child abuse and what you need to do.

This course is open to anyone who works with children and young people in the Private, Community, Voluntary, Independent & Faith sector who require basic training in safeguarding children.

Free Disability Awareness Training

12th December 2011 - 9.30am -12.30pm

Fred Perry House, Edward Street, Stockport

Delivered by Stockport Council and Parents in Partnership. The aim of the course is to:

Gain basic skills and knowledge that is required by the children and young people’s workforce about disability

To acknowledge differences in children and young people- unique child (EYFS) and provide better access to your service

To look at the importance of working in partnerships with children, parents and other agencies with regard to disability

This is a multi-agency course for all staff that works with children and young people in the Statutory, Private, Voluntary, Faith and Independent Sectors across the range of services including Social Work, Social Care, Education, Health, YOT, Youth Services etc

To book on either of these courses please contact Staff Development on 0161 218 1770 or email staffdev@stockport.gov.uk requesting a nomintation form.

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