Matthew Moore
Nominated by: Ellen Langton
Department: Adult Social Care & Health
Reason for nomination:
Matt was nominated last year by his previous manager for his role as a rising star as a commissioning officer. At the start of the year Matt secured a role as a Service Manager in the commissioning team. Since starting his new role he has picked up a range of challenging agendas and supported a number of procurements which have required him to work against tight timescales to ensure programmes of work can continue at pace. Often, this work is in the partnership environment and Matt has worked with colleagues in the organisation and with those partners to develop and grow relationships and ensure work takes place in a positive environment. I have been impressed with Matt's ability to prioritise work and deliver work to a high quality. Matt has become a manager as well this year and is currently supporting an individual to grow and develop their commissioning skills and via his support they are growing into their new role. Matt has a positive 'can do' approach to work, but equally will ask for guidance and support when it is needed. I have really enjoyed seeing Matt grow into his new role and have every confidence he will continue to make a big difference through his work to the people of Derbyshire by ensuring commissioned services are outcome focused and deliver value for money.
Joe Jameson
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
Joe has been a great introduction to Business Services and his own team, since joining the Council in October 2022. He regularly goes above and beyond to ensure Childrens Services teams are supported on moves, making sure he follows up and attends site when needed to make sure they settle in well to the new offices. His confidence has grown a lot since he started, which has helped him to form some key relationships with colleagues across other Derbyshire County Council teams that we work with regularly. He has improved hugely in his line management skills and communication skills, and I always receive very positive feedback from teams when he has helped them!
Cara White
Nominated by: Jenny-Lee Hardy
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
As an apprentice, Cara has made an outstanding contribution to Business Support, Children's Services whilst also undertaking learning and development of her own and juggling a busy family life with two small children. For the first month of my employment I was unaware that Cara was in fact, an apprentice as she was confident and knowledgeable in her role. As part of her End Point Assessment Cara is developing a survey and project that will take into account the views and opinions of service users and colleagues and this will encourage the improvement of processes and in turn enable our communities to thrive by introducing positive theories and ideas for consideration by the organisation. Cara has taken her learning very seriously and is currently on track for a Distinction, she has most recently passed her Functional Skills in Maths at Level 2 and I am aware that she has put in a lot of additional revision in order to make this happen. She has also recently assisted colleagues by temporarily undertaking a role that was not in her Grade 4 remit and she endeavoured to take it on and adapt. She has made excellent progress with her skills and knowledge. Cara has shown that she is a capable and positive apprentice and has made great strides with her professional development.
Bintu Dibba Manka
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Place
Reason for nomination:
The Traffic & Safety Team have been tasked with working through a backlog of Traffic Regulation Orders, reviewing our processes and standard forms helping to ensure a consistent approach is applied to the consideration and implementation of Traffic Regulation Orders bearing in mind the limited resources available. Bintu has been a great help organising regular meetings, taking minutes and producing a Smartsheet incorporating a number of activities associated with this project. This helps the team monitor progress and helps to produce regular updates. Traffic Regulation Orders and terminology can be complex, particularly when you are new to this type of work. To date Bintu has shown a good understanding of the project.
Ruby Silverman
Nominated by: Wendy Kirkman
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
Ruby started work 5 years ago, as an apprentice in Day Services for Derbyshire County Council on leaving school. On successful completion, she applied for a temporary post in fieldwork to further her experience and the progress she made resulted in her being offered a permanent position. Ruby has since completed her L3 diploma in Health and Social Care and has just commenced her social work apprenticeship with Derbyshire County Council this year.
School was not easy or pleasurable for Ruby, but she hasn't let that get in her way of career progression, finding other coping strategies to aid her learning and development to achieve her life ambition. Ruby's passion for the social work role and sheer determination to overcome any challenges are an absolute credit to her. She has been an ambassador for Derbyshire County Council by showing the true value of apprenticeships. Her dedication to providing person centred care and promoting the rights of service users is highly commendable. Her professional relationship building skills mean she can engage with service users to gain their trust and support them to achieve their individual outcomes in life.
Ruby is a popular and well-loved member of South Team, and we believe her tenacity to overcome personal obstacles to reach the position she is in today makes her the ideal candidate for the Rising Star award and that she should be recognised for all she has done to meet the needs of the service users in Amber Valley and share the vision and values of Derbyshire. To win this award would be the ultimate accolade in terms of acknowledging what a great inspiration she is to others who may have struggled with mainstream education but are prepared to go to any lengths to shape the future generation of social workers.
Chloe Thomas-Hunt
Nominated by: Lisa Brewin
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
Chloe joined the RSL team as a G5 admin assistant in 2021 - she held down a full time admin role whilst completing her legal practice course alongside which she passed with flying colours. Chloe excelled whilst in admin working alongside colleagues to implement a new internal process for paying invoices which has been instrumental in reducing the backlog that had been creating difficulties for the department for years. Chloe secured a promotion to Legal Assistant in the Adult Care Legal Dept in July 2022 and has excelled ever since. Nothing is ever too much trouble, her research skills are exceptional and she is very much a team player. The support she provided to the coronial service during a high profile inquest in 2023 was invaluable, with grateful acknowledgement from Counsel to the Inquest. She has grasped every opportunity to develop her knowledge and skills - which placed her in a strong position when she applied for the Trainee Solicitor post in Legal in late 2023. She excelled at interview and is now a trainee solicitor, with an expectation that she will qualify in 2025 at the latest. Chloe deserves recognition, she has very much deserved the promotions she has secured, she is devoted to local authority legal work and goes the extra mile in everything she does.
Ellis Butler
Nominated by: Jane Lakin
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
Ellis Butler is our "Rising Star ". He joined the Access to Information Team within Legal Services in 2020 and very quickly made himself invaluable. He worked diligently and conscientiously in supporting colleagues across the council who may have been involved in data breach incidents. He provided timely help and support to colleagues in ensuring that data was appropriately protected and safeguard. He also supported referrals to the Information Commissioner’s Office and assisted colleagues in ensuring statutory timeframes for reporting were achieved wherever possible. Ellis has used his initiative and worked closely with communication colleagues to ensure that important messages relating to data protection and data security are shared with colleagues in accessible and interesting ways. Ellis produced a “Top 10 Tips for Data Protection” reel which colleagues have enjoyed watching and benefitted from.
Ellis’s long held ambition has been to qualify as a solicitor, having previously obtained a law degree prior to working within Legal Services. Within minutes of the Legal Services Apprenticeship Programme being launched Ellis’s application was received.
Ellis started his two year solicitor apprenticeship in September 2022 and has worked incredibly hard to achieve his goals. It is widely acknowledged within the legal profession that the examinations which the solicitor apprentices have to undertake are extremely challenging and Ellis has managed to pass these exams with great success. Whilst he still has a final batch to complete I have every confidence he will complete these because of his determination, dedication and intellect. As part of his apprenticeship Ellis has been working alongside Trading Standards colleagues to achieve great outcomes in litigation and ensure Derbyshire is a safer place for all.
It is a pleasure to work with Ellis and the whole team look forward to watching his career go from strength to strength.
Adele Mottram
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Children’s Services
Reason for nomination:
Adele has only joined Derbyshire County Council very recently but she has already settled in to her new role & team very well. She has made positive contributions to the team, brought more organisation to the team and already created some very positive relations with other colleagues within the council. She is always happy to help, very organised and punctual. She has already proven herself to be a huge asset to Business Services as a whole, and in particular her team. She is not afraid to take on new tasks and always has a can-do attitude. It really is a pleasure to work with her!
Jeremy Doughty
Nominated by: David Stewart
Department: Place
Reason for nomination:
Jeremy joined the council as a graduate in mid-2023 and was posted to the Programme Delivery Office (PDO) in the Highways Service. The PDO is a new entity in the highways service and was at a critical juncture when Jeremy joined it. It had been developed by an external supplier but due to budgetary constraints, this couldn’t be extended.
I was covering the PDO on a part time basis and relied heavily on Jeremy from the very start of his appointment. The PDO is designed to manage the portfolio of projects in the highways service. It does this through tracking finances and creating programmes. Jeremy has very quickly picked up on this and has shown a significant aptitude for this type of work.
At the time of his appointment, the PDO needed to build relationships with the service. He has shown an ability to understand his colleagues and translate their often-complex needs into an output which supports the strategic decision making in the service.
At its heart, the PDO is designed to support the highways service to spend money appropriately and with transparency. He has been able to master the software we have provided as well as SAP. He has been able to automate cash flow analysis and derive contemporary estimates of actual work completed by the service. Both these significantly improve on existing metrics which the service had and help to enable the best use of resources for the council.
Jeremy has grown rapidly into this role and is now an important part the PDO and the wider highways service. He is rapidly developing a skill set which has the potential to be very valuable to the council to deliver value for money for the communities we serve.
Jacob Rhodes
Nominated by: Sue Rose
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
Jacob has been an absolute star since he joined the MMSS team as an apprentice back in January 2023, nothing is ever too much trouble and he is always on hand to support his colleagues. He has built relationships across the council including Executive Directors, Directors, Assistant Directors, Elected Members and EA/PA/Secretarial colleagues and he is always keen to learn about all the council's functions. Keep up the good work Jacob, you are an asset to Derbyshire County Council and the apprenticeship scheme and good luck for the future.
Lydia Naylor
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Place
Reason for nomination:
I would like to nominate Lydia Naylor.
As a graduate trainee, Lydia joined the Council’s Highways Service as one of a small number of new individuals recruited to help fill critical talent gaps in frontline services.
Whilst I know she has continued to succeed and exceed in her core role, it is actually her role in supporting the Flood Recovery work that I would like to highlight.
As chair of the Derbyshire-wide recovery group, I needed help in co-ordinating the varied efforts and contributions of a vast array of partners, all working to ensure homes and businesses could access the support they needed and deal with the trauma of flooding.
Without know exactly what was required, Lydia stepped into the co-ordination role – which was undertaken on top of her core duties – working directly to myself and outside of usual line management structures.
From the first meeting, I was immediately impressed with Lydia’s energy, enthusiasm and clear commitment to helping those businesses and communities recover from Storm Babet. It was evident she appreciated that the role provided a great opportunity to gain experience, develop wider knowledge and hone her core skills.
With only a minimum amount of direction from myself, she quickly picked up the work, liaised with senior officers in blue light services, other local authorities and organisations without fear or favour, put in place effective systems to keep work on track - and even ended up advising me on key tasks and timescales.
Within the scope of the project (which lasted 4 months), I witnessed a new officer grow and develop in confidence, quickly gain the respect of other colleagues, demonstrate a ‘self starter’ attitude and produce high quality, accurate work in challenging timescales.
For me, Lydia embodies all that modern local government needs and it was an absolute pleasure to work alongside her.
Catie Peach
Nominated by: Lauren Bird
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
I am thrilled to nominate Catie Peach for the Rising Star Award in recognition of her exceptional contributions and dedication to our goals and values. Catie has consistently demonstrated high-quality work, a commitment to our visions and values, and remarkable progress in her professional development.
Over the past year, Catie has made significant strides in several key areas that align perfectly with the criteria for the Rising Star Award. Specifically, I am nominating Catie for her outstanding efforts in automating our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), delivering comprehensive Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions on literature searching, and conducting an innovative and thorough evaluation of a Public Health programme.
Catie has exemplified our organisational values throughout these endeavours. Catie’s consistently demonstrated a collaborative spirit by working closely with colleagues and stakeholders to ensure the success of our projects.
Furthermore, Catie has displayed a keen sense of resourcefulness and financial prudence in her work, making the best possible use of available resources to achieve optimal results. She has actively listened to and engaged with colleagues and local stakeholders, ensuring that her work remains responsive to the needs and priorities of our communities.
The impact of Catie's contributions has been profound. Her efforts have streamlined our JSNA process, enhanced the skills and knowledge of our Public Health team through informative CPD sessions, and provided invaluable insights through rigorous program evaluation. These achievements have significantly contributed to the success and advancement of Derbyshire’s mission.
This remarkable progress and impact has taken place over the course of the past year, demonstrating Catie's rapid growth and potential as a rising star within our organisation. Her exemplary performance, unwavering commitment to our values, and significant contributions make her a deserving recipient of this honour.
Danny Gardner
Nominated by: Peter Bunting
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
Danny Gardner SCP started in Bols North October 2023
Danny has quickly embedded himself within the team with a primary focus on assisting on Duty
Danny has been helping in Safeguarding initial enquiries with strong evidence on safety/ making it personal within his practice. Some of the Safeguarding initial enquiry work has been outstanding in the way he is able to break down complex information into easy to understand detail.
He has demonstrated especially strong skills in gathering / information analysis a key component needed on Duty. Danny has been very helpful in giving feedback on Duty systems within the team to help the models of triage evolve. Danny has evidenced in his triage, strong abilities to identify stakeholders on Duty when responding to management of positive risk taking. Danny has evidenced strong communication skills in assisting families helping to manage expectations. Danny has evidenced that sharing of risk at points of triage helps to ensure the right people are involved at the right time with a benefit to ensuring the dept doesn't overly assess where not needed resulting in a cost benefit also. Danny is a strong team player and contributes to peer group discussions and given is short time in the team but the professional growth he has shown I believe some recognition would be in order.
Hayley Gleeson
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
Hayley was appointed into her role as Public Health Lead (Strategic Intent) in September. Since then, she has rapidly grown into her role and has demonstrated a natural ability to lead. Hayley is currently instrumental in development of both the Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy and the Public Health Department Strategy. She has a natural ability to grasp new complex ideas quickly. She also actively steps up at every opportunity to drive forward work and can identify positive solutions to complex issues. A true rising star within the Public Health team.
Jacob Rhodes
Nominated by: Helen Farnen-Jones
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
Jacob always is a great team player, he has worked across all Directorates, including Member Support. Jacob is trusted within the team to work on his own initiative to provide administration support to Senior Leaders. Jacob has supported Assistant Directors, Directors and has assisted with supporting a project for the Managing Director. Jacob has good attention to detail and shares his ideas with the team, he is keen to learn and develop and always willing to help others. Jacob started in January 2023 and will complete his Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship in August 2024.
Jeremy Doughty
Nominated by: David Stewart
Department: Place
Reason for nomination:
Jeremy joined the Council as a graduate in mid-2023 and was posted to the Programme Delivery Office (PDO) in the Highways Service. The PDO is a new entity in the highways service and was at a critical juncture when Jeremy joined it. It had been developed by an external supplier but due to budgetary constraints, this couldn’t be extended.
I was covering the PDO on a part time basis and relied heavily on Jeremy from the very start of his appointment. The PDO is designed to manage the portfolio of projects in the highways service. It does this through tracking finances and creating programmes. Jeremy has very quickly picked up on this and has shown a significant aptitude for this type of work.
At the time of his appointment, the PDO needed to build relationships with the service. He has shown an ability to understand his colleagues and translate their often-complex needs into an output which supports the strategic decision making in the service.
At its heart, the PDO is designed to support the highways service to spend money appropriately and with transparency. He has been able to master the software we have provided as well as SAP. He has been able to automate cash flow analysis and derive contemporary estimates of actual work completed by the service. Both these significantly improve on existing metrics which the service had and help to enable the best use of resources for the council.
Jeremy has grown rapidly into this role and is now an important part the PDO and the wider highways service. He is rapidly developing a skill set which has the potential to be very valuable to the council to deliver value for money for the communities we serve.
Laura Falconer
Nominated by: Katie Woods
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
From the first day that Laura joined the Catering Service in August 2022, she has shown an exemplary work ethic, approached tasks and projects with positivity and a great ‘can do’ attitude. Amongst other responsibilities and duties, Laura has been pivotal in successfully implementing the Service’s new Medical Diet Application Portal. This portal allows parents/carers of Derbyshire to apply for medical diet provision in schools for their child through the Derbyshire County Council’s resident’s portal instead of a lengthy paper application.
Since April 2023 Laura has been working collaboratively with the Channel Shift (Corporate Services & Transformation) and the Children’s Digital & Data Service Teams to create a digital form that meets the requirements of the Catering Service and is also accessible and straightforward for residents to complete.
Laura has worked with both the Operational Team within the Catering Service and School Business Managers to run trials of the portal before it will go ‘live’ in April 2024. Her organisational and communication skills have been central to all stakeholders understanding the process and feeding back to her on any improvements that needed to be made.
Laura is currently in her 2nd year of a Level 6 Food Technical Officer Apprenticeship. Her assignments are always submitted in a timely manner and her grades have all been high. To manage her workload and also maintain the standard of apprenticeship work shows how Laura is showing total commitment to her role and I feel she should be recognised for this.
Lydia Naylor
Nominated by: Paul Traynor
Department: Place
Reason for nomination:
Lydia joined the Authority in September working in Highways, Place Department, as a Graduate on the Future Leaders Programme. Lydia quickly made an impact in her first placement and instantly became an asset to the Highway Strucures team. As a result of this, Lydia was an obvious choice when we were asked if we had any additional resource to assist with the authority’s response to Storm Babet, where she provided much needed support in co-ordinating Derbyshire County Council's multi departmental response. Lydia has worked with internal and external stakeholders and has provided high quality work throughout the project.
With the new skills that Lydia has developed, she has now been tasked with another high-profile business critical project and is, again, demonstrating excellent professionalism and work ethic conducive with the Derbyshire County Council values. Lydia has been flexible in her working pattern and has put extra hours to ensure success of projects and has remained a positive figure throughout helping us to maintain a high functioning team in often difficult high-pressure environments.
I have had excellent feedback about Lydia from all she has worked with and we are all looking forward to working with Lydia in the future - this Rising Star Award nomination is well deserved.
Matt Laud
Nominated by: Phil Wall and Claire Gough
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
Matt joined us in 2022, having previously worked for the Police. His primary work area has been commissioning services for autistic adults and the Building the Right Support Agenda. Matt has worked conscientiously from day one, developing new services, managing key relationships, chairing the Autism Partnership Board and supporting implementation of the Council’s Autism Strategy.
We have been very impressed with the way that Matt just ‘gets on’ with what needs doing, even when things are challenging. Matt’s diplomatic skills enable him to work well with external colleagues or providers who are not always easy negotiate with. His perseverance and obvious integrity has ensured that the Autism services are robust and reflective of what the Autism community want and need.
Feedback on Matt as part of this submission:
Head of Autism and Learning Disabilities, Derby and Derbyshire ICB:
“Matt has brought new skills & energy to the JUCD Care & Accommodation workstream which have been of great benefit to immediate & wider system colleagues.”
VCSE Strategic Engagement Manager:
“I think that Matt’s naturally approachable manner and time taken to listen is a big asset; he seems to be really good at building relationships which is a big plus from me!”
Neurodiversity Self Advocacy:
“Matt has led the development of the Living Well with Autism training work package very effectively. I feel he was purposeful, strategic with focus on impact and demonstrated fast learning and impressive ability to listen and collaborate with VCSE organisations like ourselves. I think the project is very impactful for his contribution.”
To conclude, it is Matt’s innate qualities of quiet strength, decency and intelligence, leavened with humour, which makes him such an asset to Derbyshire County Council.
Sian Haggins
Nominated by: Nicola Chambers and Alex Hood
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
We are nominating Sian for the Rising Star Award as we have been so impressed by her transition from working in a Derbyshire County Council Home for Older People to a Social Care Practitioner. Sian has become a confident and competent practitioner in a new field, as well as excelling in taking on a permanent duty worker role in the team. Sian quickly became a mentor to new-starters, sharing her time and expertise to offer a positive induction. Credit has to be given to Sian when evaluating the success of the duty system and the subsequent no to low waiting list; this is a huge achievement both individually and collectively.
Sian embodies the qualities of an effective practitioner from both the perspective of the organisation and the adults she supports. Sian is assertive, often managing high priority situations comfortably utilising her organisational and delegation skills. Sian is notably calm and collected in her role, even in times of pressure and conflict, which is admirable and an asset to the team. Sian upholds consistent person-centred practice and is a great advocate, especially for those with strong external influences with ulterior motives. Sian has built a professional network that enables her to achieve timely and positive outcomes for those in need. Sian is conscious of Adult Care’s remit and seeks input from the appropriate partner agencies to better manage risk, meet outcomes and access funding. Sian recognises the importance of reablement and strengths-based practice, upholding the council’s vision to promote independence and reduce or delay needs.
Sian’s dedication to her own professional development must be commended; she is currently working towards the necessary requirements to enable her to apply for the Social Work Apprenticeship, a professional progression that will be endorsed by her peers and managers. Sian rises to new learning and training opportunities, recognising that some allocations and topics are out of her comfort zone but will develop her skills, knowledge and experience. It has been a pleasure to observe Sian’s progression and engagement in professional supervision and her overall practice.
Ellis Butler
Nominated by: Paul Peat
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
Ellis initially worked for Children's Services dealing with information governance so his move to work in the Access to Information Team within Legal Services in 2020 could not have been a better fit. It was as if he was always destined to work in Legal Services - he had a Law degree, and when I first met him we talked about his ambitions - which were to become a solicitor.
Such an opportunity presented itself in Legal Service as part of 'growing our own lawyers' because recruitment of qualified legal staff had become almost impossible - and still remains difficult. In 2022 Legal Services launched its apprenticeship solicitor scheme and Ellis was the first to apply.
At the same time as working towards his apprenticeship, he continues his work in information governance, supporting colleagues across the council who may have been involved in data breach incidents and making sure that data is appropriately protected and safeguarded. He supports referrals to the Information Commissioner’s Office and assists colleagues in ensuring statutory timeframes for reporting are achieved. He is a brilliant communicator and his work can be seen on the recording “Top 10 Tips for Data Protection” which colleagues have enjoyed watching and have benefitted from.
Ellis always goes that extra mile and does additional work such as prosecutions work with the Trading Standards team. He is always the first to volunteer to do work which supports colleagues in Legal Services and across the whole council.
Working as an apprentice solicitor is particularly challenging and Ellis continues to rise to the challenge, juggling full time work, attending college - usually at weekends, and preparing for what are acknowledged to be some of the toughest exams.
Ellis represents all that is good in Local Government - high quality work, a positive impact and commitment to the council's vison and values. He is a shining example of what can be achieved by the great progress he is making in his personal development and learning.
Although I do not work directly with Ellis, I am proud to be his work-place mentor, supporting him with his ambitions and seeing what amazing progress he is making in his career.
Ellis Butler
Nominated by: Steve Allen
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
Ellis has provided Trading Standards with legal advice across a wide range of complex criminal investigations. These have presented real challenges, and Ellis has risen to meet those with a calm and common-sense approach. He has built excellent working relationships with barristers, external solicitors, managers and front-line staff.
He has worked incredibly hard to ensure cases stay on track through the court process, making himself available when away from work if needed. Our recent court results are testament to his efforts as well as those within our service. Criminal court processes
This has been across a period where he has undertaken intensive legal studies, which makes his efforts even more significant.
He is a real asset to his department, and the Council as a whole. We are extremely grateful to have had his support over the past 12-18 months.
Bethan Golding
Nominated by: Dan Riley
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
Nomination for Bethan Golding, Outdoor Activity Apprentice, Rising Star Award. White Hall Centre.
Since starting as an outdoor activity apprentice in 2023, Bethan has quickly become and indispensable member of the team at White Hall Centre.
Specifically, Bethan's expertise in autism, neurodiversity and mental health has really helped the centre to become more understanding and able to adapt its approach to meet individual needs.
Through running training and through her interactions with staff, Bethan has significantly raised awareness of neurodiversity and mental health and has helped staff to both recognise and deal with a large range of issues that young people visiting our centre present with. In addition to the change of approach in our staff, this has been evidenced by (often unsolicited) feedback from users.
Additionally, Bethan has taken on a significant role in our social media and has updated and streamlined our processes. This has resulted in significant time savings and a more consistent approach to posting content on our social media platforms. This contribution to the running of our centre was totally unexpected as it is above and beyond the job description of an outdoor activity apprentice and reflects Bethan's total commitment to her role and use of her skills in any way she can to support the centre.
Finally, Bethan stands out for being supportive of all her colleagues, especially the other apprentices at the centre. She is someone that they would naturally go to for support when they are struggling.
We feel lucky that Bethan chose to do her apprenticeship with us and we hope that she will continue to work with us once her apprenticeship comes to an end.
Charlie Aldred
Nominated by: John Hampton
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination:
We are nominating Charlie Aldred for the Rising Star award.
Charlie Aldred joined the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team as our Health and Safety Apprentice in November 2022 and is lauded by the team as our rising star with the added benefit of bringing some youthfulness to a not as youthful team!
Charlie has and continues to demonstrate a very healthy attitude to his development with Derbyshire County Council initially supporting team members with the services the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team provide to all departments and employees of the authority, and then also showing the natural aptitude and high-quality work enabling health, safety and wellbeing team members to have the confidence to request Charlie to take ownership of increasing areas of project work as his development progresses.
Charlie is already a fundamental team member to the successful application of Authorities Control of Substances Hazardous to Health management arrangements and is taking increasing lead roles with workplace inspections, personal protective equipment selection and the risk of physical agents such as noise and vibration.
Charlie’s healthy attitude to learning and development is also evident through his studies with our apprenticeship provider where Charlie is frequently commended on his positive work ethic which is evidenced by the fact that he is nearing the gateway to his end point assessment after a relatively short space of time and very comfortably within the expected apprenticeship timeframe.
As a team we have no doubt that Charlie will continue to enhance and provide a positive commitment to the health, safety and wellbeing service of Derbyshire County Council and upon attainment of the Level 3 health and safety qualification the health, safety and wellbeing team will increasingly have the good fortune to rely on Charlie’s reliable approach to his role within this team.
Daisy Armstrong
Nominated by: Annette Appleton and Ruth Shaw
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
We are delighted to nominate Daisy Armstrong for the Rising Star Award. Daisy has been with DCC for less than 2 years and has excelled in her role as Business Services Assistant in the Strategic Intent Team in Public Health.
Daisy continually shows commitment to all her work and, in the last year, has undertaken further training to gain knowledge and skills in Public Health along with developing her personal effectiveness.
Daisy has been instrumental in improving processes within the team for administering meetings, always looking at the bigger picture to find more efficient ways for the team and the public health department. Through her work, Daisy fully meets the values of working with colleagues and partners to tackle complex problems. Daisy always listens to the opinions of others and considers these when making suggestions for improvements in processes.
Daisy is always willing and keen to take on additional work to improve her skills and knowledge, taking on a leading role in coordinating internal communications (such as the newsletter and Connect) to ensure that colleagues in public health are kept up-to-date with the latest news and developments. Daisy has also taken on assisting team members with preparation of the data for performance governance reporting. Within her role, Daisy also supports the development and maintenance of Power Bi dashboards and creates and maintains Power Automate processes which have had positive impacts on the efficiency of the team. Daisy always goes above and beyond in all that she does.
Daisy is keen to further her career within public health and I have no doubt that she will continue to be a great asset to the department and reach her full potential
Ella Vogel
Nominated by: Robin Heath
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
I am thrilled to nominate Ella Vogel for the Rising Star Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to our organization. Ella embodies the qualities of a true rising star—hardworking, dedicated, enthusiastic, and determined.
Ella's commitment to her work is unparalleled. She consistently goes above and beyond, putting the needs of clients and colleagues before her own. Her tireless efforts have had a profound impact on our organisation, particularly in her work with developing SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) policies and materials.
Ella's dedication to improving the experiences of young people with SEND is truly commendable. Through her efforts, countless individuals have had the opportunity to participate in life-changing outdoor education experiences at White Hall. Her passion for inclusivity and accessibility has made a significant difference in the lives of those she serves.
Furthermore, Ella's compassionate leadership has been an inspiration to us all. She leads by example, always willing to lend a helping hand and support her colleagues in any way she can. Her positive attitude and collaborative spirit have created a supportive work environment where everyone feels valued and empowered.
Ella Vogel is a shining example of a rising star in our organisation. Her hard work, dedication, and compassion make her incredibly deserving of the Rising Star Award. I wholeheartedly endorse her nomination and am confident that she will continue to excel and inspire others in the years to come.
Hannah Maddocks
Nominated by: Dan Riley
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
Hannah is a catering apprentice at White Hall Centre and we are nominating her for the Rising Star Award.
Despite her additional needs (Hannah has Downs Syndrome) Hannah has been inspiration to everyone at the centre since she started in September.
Hannah arrives at work each day full of enthusiasm for the role. She is a highly motivated learner and has taken on additional functional skills work.
She has developed fantastic relationships with her work colleagues, both her team and in other teams and consistently shows a high level of care and consideration for their wellbeing.
She has put in a large amount of hours of her own time to ensure that she has stayed on top of her work.
She encountered a number of technical difficulties with her learning platform but has always remained optimistic and has cheerfully worked through these with her colleagues.
She has a passion for catering and big dreams for starting her own catering business in the future.
Hannah is an unstoppable force of nature and we are grateful to have her as an apprentice at White Hall.
Melissa Scanlon
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Place
Reason for nomination:
Melissa joined the finance team last year and her progress since that date has been outstanding. She is very quick to learn and is always looking for ways to improve her skills and knowledge base. She will always ask if she needs advice but is also able to use her own initiative to ensure that deadlines are met. Melissa asked if she could be supported to undertake her AAT qualification and is working extremely hard to ensure that she achieves this, which will be a fantastic starting point for what could be a very successful career in accountancy. Her attitude to work is fantastic and hope that this nomination helps her to have more confidence in herself and her potential.
Natalie Pepperell
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination:
Natalie Pepperell is a newly qualified social worker, completing her ASYE.
Natalie has put in a lot of effort to get to know the team and has hit the ground running.
Natalie has quickly built up links with care agencies and care homes and other organisations helping on larger projects such as supporting several individuals during a care home closure, seeking person-centred, cost effective support in a timely manner.
Her work with this project gave the individuals and their families reassurance and calm during a stressful situation.
Whilst undertaking her ASYE Natalie has shown support for fellow ASYE colleagues helping to run and lead a peer support group. Natalie has also helped to arrange shadowing opportunities for ASYE colleagues and for new starts on the team.
Although Natalie has only been with us for a short time she has become a valued, hard working part of the team.
It has been a joy to see her grow in confidence and continue to strive to hold on to her social work values throughout the changes we have also seen.
Sarah Cooper
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
We would like to nominate Sarah Cooper for the Rising Star Award, Sarah is a valued member of the team, who is passionate for ensuring children receive a school meal.
Sarah joined the Catering Service in 2006, starting her employment working as a Relief Catering Assistant and developing into the Catering Supervisor role. However, in October 2022, to progress her career Sarah applied for the learning and development apprenticeship, which resulted in a significant reduction in her salary and a return to learning.
To assist with her development, Sarah has undertaken further courses in additional to those required for the apprenticeship to improve her knowledge and skills, these include ICT, mathematics qualifications and she has applied to complete a recognised teaching qualification.
Sarah appreciates the restrictions and concerns the individuals within the units may have, due to her experience of running a catering unit and managing staff. Therefore, she can provide practical advice and is very conscious of the legislation relating to food standards, food safety and the cost and time restraints of the service, which are always her priority.
Sarah has immersed herself within the training department and the catering management team, as well as gaining evidence-based work for her apprenticeship. Sarah will always support the wider service with any issues that arise. For example, due to the current financial restrictions she has researched cost effective training platforms, she supports new catering supervisors and shares her knowledge whilst providing invaluable advice to the team on campaigns and new initiatives.
Sarah has proved herself to be a valuable member of the catering team, shows dedication daily and goes above and beyond the role of the apprentice, whilst supporting the values and vision of Derbyshire Catering Service.
George Smedley Castle
Nominated by: Kimberley O’Brien
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
George started his role as Residential Children's Worker (RCW) in October 2023. He has proven to be a valued member of our team at Solomon House. George has built a strong relationship with a young person in our care, striving for the best outcomes and maintaining his commitment despite challenges along the way. He has been recognised as an exceptional carer by the young person's mother which is evidence of the positive impact he is having. George has been pushed out of his comfort zone as a new RCW, for example visiting a prison for family time, but he always willing to look for opportunities to improve the lives of our young people. George's attitude to the role is commendable, he is able to be a positive, mature role model to the young person, engaging in activities with them whilst maintaining professional boundaries and consistency. George helps the young person to feel safe and secure and because of this he has built a trusting relationship. The progress of the young person is proof of the work George and the team at Solomon House are doing.
Despite being new to the role George hasn't been afraid to challenge the attitudes of others in the best interests of the young person, he contributes to team meetings and training courses confidently. George has stepped forward to support in situations where conflict has arisen and is able to maintain a calm demeanour in challenging situations.
Quote from young person's mother "I see how you deal with him and it’s so positive and I want you to know as his mum that you are appreciated and your work you do with O is amazing thank you George"
Chelsey Rayworth
Nominated by: Climate Change Team
Department: Place
Reason for nomination:
Chelsey joined the Climate Change Team in November 2022 with a day’s climate change training with senior leaders and representatives from other local councils. Chelsey had previously worked in the hospitality and health and beauty sectors, so becoming the council’s first Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Practitioner Apprentice was a complete career change. Moving from hospitality to sustainability has developed Chelsey’s skills of listening, engaging and responding to diverse stakeholder groups around the climate agenda.
Chelsey has grown in confidence and responsibility, contributing to and then leading key work, including:
* Hosting a ‘graffiti wall’ to gather comments and ideas at the council’s 2023 Clean Air Day event and recent high-profile Local Nature Recovery Strategy launch (with over 100 external stakeholders)
* Developing engaging display materials to represent the council at events with young people and town and parish councillors
* Delivering interactive activities and presenting information at in-person and online climate change training for employees
* Producing inspiring visual resources for the Energy Champions programme and working with a network of employees to help reduce energy consumption and costs
* Creating recycling signs at County Hall to promote increased recycling
* Updating the council's single use plastics (SUP) action plan and creating internal guidance and communications to eliminate where possible the use of SUPs.
Chelsey is aspirational about what she can bring to the team, ready to try new things, push herself out of her comfort zone and contribute fully. We haven’t needed to make allowances because she is new to local government or to many of the topics she is working on. She produces high quality work and adapts and improves her outputs based on feedback and active listening. Chelsey adds a different perspective as she thinks in a visual and inclusive way. Without Chelsey’s contribution our activities would have a lesser impact.
Hannah Barnsley
Nominated by: Dan Riley
Department: Childrens Services
Reason for nomination:
Nomination for Rising Star Award, Hannah Barnsley, Outdoor Activity Apprentice, White Hall Centre.
Hannah first came to our attention when she started volunteering for us in January 2023. She quickly showed herself to be a really useful addition to our staff team with a particular expertise in Bushcraft. Hannah's volunteering led her to apply for apprentice position which she started in April 2023.
Since starting her apprenticeship with us Hannah has shown that she is an exceptionally quick learner and has gained a number of qualifications in first aid, paddle sport and mountain biking.
What sets her apart is the high quality relationships that she quickly builds with young people. This is best evidenced that she is often requested to work with individuals and groups when they come back to the centre.
Hannah has significantly improved her confidence and is now happy to work with challenging groups such as our alternative provision.
Hannah has addressed a concern about the sustainability of one our evening activities by devising and trialling a completely new activity called "Haggis Bandits". This is an exceptional contribution that is above and beyond the role of an apprentice. Hannah produced a session plan, risk assessment and operating procedure for the activity and trained up the other staff to deliver it.
Hannah has shown that she is keen to use her skills in whatever way she can to support the centre. In particular Hannah has used her artistic skills to update existing displays and create new ones. She has created a display to support students with learning difficulties to remind them what they need to wear for activity session and a display which educates young people about the flora and fauna to be found around the centre. She went as far as to create a fictional "White Hall Haggis" which she has included in the display.
Finally, Hannah has shown a significant interest in the mental health of both staff and the young people who come to our centre and is currently planning to deliver a staff training on how to support individuals experiencing panic attacks.
For someone who is only 19 years old, this is an outstanding contribution and we hope that Hannah continues her employment with us once she has finished her apprenticeship.
Fern Arnold
Nominated by: Anthony Rodrigues
Department: Place
Reason for nomination:
I believe my individual chosen should be nominated because they have shown great enthusiasm and attitude, much more so than anyone I’ve seen across most platforms within my role.
The most impressive part of why I am nominating them is because this person is at of an age where it is a fairly intimidating environment but also they are involved in an environment where not many particular people such as herself would be involved in. She’s a great asset and motivation for other young women around the country to show that they can contribute to the role.