Bring us your chess sets plea as pupils queue up for games
How our local residents have been doing their bit for Ukrainian refugees
A DERBY secondary school which is seeing a surge in popularity for the ancient game of chess is appealing for donations of sets.
At Alvaston Moor Academy on Bracken’s Lane, pupils are so keen to play that the school does not have enough chess sets to cater for the demand.
School librarian Amber Fletcher has reported that every break and lunchtime there are pupils queuing up to play chess with each other.
Now Alvaston Moor is asking if anyone would like to donate any chess sets so that more students can have the means to pit their wits against one another.
Amber said: “Chess has become so popular at the school. Students are always asking me for sets.
“It would be nice to have chess sets that are complete. We do have some in school but they have become very well used now, which means some might have different-sized chess pieces or some pieces missing. That obviously causes frustration as it means pupils can’t play properly.”
The school has reported that chess at Alvaston Moor has grown even more popular since students have come back into school after lockdown.
Keen player Leo Bucklow said he preferred the physical game rather than playing on a computer. He said: “To get good at chess, the only way you can is to touch the board and physically play the game. Different people discover different tactics.
“Lots of people at this school are now playing, from our year to year 11s. When we started playing it was just a small group but many more people have begun joining us now.”
Fellow year 8 pupil Connor Massa said: “I like chess for the strategic aspects of it, the fact it gets you thinking. There are millions of different outcomes.”
Many games of chess at the 850pupil academy take place in the school’s library, which has also seen a surge in use. The school has previously reported that in just a few months, three times as many books have been taken out by pupils as they were in a two-year period pre-Covid. The school has invested thousands of pounds into buying more books to whet children’s reading appetites.
School head teacher Michelle Strong said: “I’m delighted that chess has become so popular at Alvaston Moor. I don’t play myself but there’s no doubt that in terms of strategy, thinking and focus, it’s a brilliant game to help sharpen your wits. I couldn’t be prouder that pupils are queuing up to play and that they choose to come to our library to get the chess sets out. It’s testament to our hard-working librarian that students feel so at home in the library – it can be a real haven for them, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.”
Anyone who would like to donate a chess set to Alvaston Moor Academy is asked to contact the school on 01332 576777 or email afletcher@alvastonmoor.co.uk
I don’t play myself, but there’s no doubt it’s a brilliant game to help sharpen your wits. Head teacher Michelle Strong
THE war in Ukraine remains front and centre in our minds and I am delighted that a number of Erewash residents are playing their part to support families who have fled the conflict through the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Since the scheme was launched, my Community Office has played a crucial role in helping residents to apply for the scheme as well as securing emergency visas to allow Ukraine refugees to travel to the UK.
As part of this work, last Saturday it was my privilege to host a coffee morning at Our Lady and St Thomas RC church hall in Ilkeston, where host families and Ukrainian families where able to come together and socialise in an informal setting with the aim of beginning to form a support network which I hope will help them over the coming months. The event was deeply humbling, and I was really encouraged to learn that some of the Ukrainian refugees have already found employment locally.
However I was also struck by the fact that many of the families that attended were incomplete, with a number of husbands and sons still in Ukraine and communicating with their loved ones from the frontline.
Russia’s attacks against the Ukrainian people are becoming increasingly barbaric as President Putin fails to make the gains he had anticipated and hoped for.
I therefore welcome The Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday that the UK is to provide another £1 billion of military support to Ukraine, which will greatly boost their defensive capabilities with sophisticated air defence systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles, innovative new electronic warfare equipment and thousands of pieces of vital kit to protect Ukrainian soldiers and innocent citizens.
The support package we are providing, both at home and abroad, is transforming Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against this premeditated and unprovoked attack on their democracy, and as a country, the UK will continue to stand squarely behind the Ukrainian people to ensure Putin fails in Ukraine.
In other news, as the Member of Parliament for Erewash, I will shortly be submitting the formal Priority Support documentation to be included alongside Erewash Borough Council’s bid to round two of the Levelling Up Fund in respect of Ilkeston.
The Levelling Up Fund allows local authorities such as Erewash to bid for up to £20 million of public funding (or up to £50 million for large transport bids) to spend on a maximum of three capital projects such as the acquisition and refurbishment of derelict shop units and raise the overall quality and attractiveness of the high street.
If the bid is successful, £20 million would represent the largest cash injection into Ilkeston for many decades. The Levelling Up Fund has the potential to deliver transformational change for our town and would bring meaningful, longterm benefits to the whole community.
I will of course continue to do everything in my power to champion Ilkeston’s bid, including to my ministerial colleagues at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and I look forward to the announcement of the successful applicants which will hopefully be made in the autumn.
I was really encouraged to learn that some of the Ukrainian refugees have already found employment locally.