Latest news with #Wirksworth
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Adult education centres to shut across Derbyshire
Several adult education centres are set to close this summer across Derbyshire, with uncertainty over whether courses offered within them will centres such as the Eco Centre in Wirksworth, and centres in Alfreton, Ashbourne, Matlock, Shirebrook, Long Eaton and the Toolbox in Glossop will cease to offer adult education courses at the end of July, Derbyshire County Council Reform UK-run authority said it was part of a review into adult education services and was "based on changing priorities of the funding bodies that pay for our community adult education service".The authority said it was looking into whether courses could be run in alternative venues, or "if we run them at all in the future". No final decisions have been council receives funding for the centres predominantly from central government and the East Midlands Mayoral Combined this year the government cut the adult skills budget by about 6%.The council has sought to move a number of services away from bricks and mortar bases in recent years incorporating more home-based models in areas like social care, or deploying more use of digital technology. 'Extremely disappointing' Alan Squires is a member of a weekly pottery group at the Eco Centre in Wirksworth, which has been given a six-week notice to pack up its clay and glazes, potter's wheels, kilns and other kit and said: "It's very sudden - it's not the end of the next financial year, it's next month and we're out on our ear."There's a lot of people that rely upon the centre for mental wellbeing."People will be lost. It performs a crucial role in all sorts of aspects and other centres do things like teaching basic English and maths and essential skills for life."People need to be made aware of what's now being cut way beyond the bone in terms of functions of the county council."Derbyshire's Conservative group leader Alex Dale said the decision was "extremely disappointing" and pointed the finger at funding cuts from central said: "We will be pushing to ensure, at the very least, that alternative venues can be found for as many courses as possible in those communities affected."Adult education plays a vitally important role and it's essential that it remains accessible to all."The BBC has contacted the Department for Education and the East Midlands Mayor's office for comment.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Rugby fan aims to tackle the 'man up' culture
What does a man struggling with his mental health look like?With his imposing build, tattoos across both arms and passion for martial arts and rugby, Alex Harrison might not seem the most obvious candidate to Alex has been through dark times in his life and at his lowest, reached out to a charity that focuses on male-dominated spaces to promote conversations around mental health and remove the toxic stigma of the "man up" the Tough Enough to Care charity's chief development officer, he is urging men to talk about their mental health, telling the BBC: "I was [told to man up] and I kind of did it because that's how life was." Alex, originally from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, left school with no qualifications but started working in heavy industry in quarrying and mineral did well and became works director at one company but while his career thrived, he was secretly battling poor mental health along the way. "You just bottle it up and I had some unhealthy coping mechanisms," he told the struggle continued until his late 30s and early 40s - and when his coping mechanisms did not work anymore, he said he attempted to take my own life. "There was all sorts of strange things happening - lots of noise and dark thoughts and you just put it down to being tired, overworking or family pressures, finances, there's always an excuse," he said."It never once occurred to me this was a mental health illness... there's always something going on you can throw in the mix to try and deviate from what's actually going on... I lived like this for a very long time... no-one ever spoke about it."I was [told to man up] and I kind of did it because that's how life was. "But it does mask what's going on because you do put a front on it and you hide it... even now I'll still get people that I've known for a long time that didn't know what I was going through." The father-of-three said he joined the charity during an intensely dark period in his life, not long after the organisation was set up by RAF veteran Stu Bratt. Mr Bratt started the charity after two of his friends took their own lives in the space of four days of each other."He soon realised they were anything but weak and selfish and he looked into it and realised that it's us, that we hid this behind the man up culture and used the stigma as an excuse not to share how we were talking about," Alex said."I saw his message and I reached out, Stu supported me through my journey."He decided to give back to the charity and volunteered for more than three years before being invited to go full-time with organisation aims to promote positive conversations around mental health, focusing on male-dominated spaces. Asked what advice he'd give to anyone going through a tough time, Alex said: "Talking is my go-to, talk to a friend, a family member, even your employer."They do care, they will look after you but be honest with yourself and do what you can achieve. "It's an illness that you're living with, it's not a weakness... if you need time to recover from a physical injury, you need time for your mind to cover." If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, support is available via the BBC Action Line.
