Cash to help boost city's struggling communities

Derby is set to receive a significant share of a £3m regional fund aimed at improving life in some of the city's most deprived areas.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward has allocated £850,000 of her Community Development Fund to the areas of Normanton and Arboretum.

The rest of the wider fund will be distributed across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Ward said the money allocated to Derby would not solve all challenges but would offer "hope for the future".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the two council wards were identified as facing high levels of deprivation.

Nearly £300,000 has been awarded to Sporting Communities for its Normanton Together project, which will deliver language classes, life‑skills training and initiatives to boost community cohesion.

A similar sum has been granted to the 176 Project Nile Scouts to refurbish a dilapidated scout hut, increasing capacity and enabling a new Beavers group to be set up.

Community Action Derby will also receive more than £250,000 for Arboretum Matters, which aims to train dozens of community leaders and support hundreds of volunteer hours.

Residents and community figures have previously described worsening hardship across both areas.

Arboretum councillor Cecile Wright said many families were "struggling to meet basic needs such as food and fuel".

Ward said the investment was about "putting power and resources directly into local hands".

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.