Martin Allen has been named as Chesterfield’s new manager.

Allen, who was latterly at Barnet, will have Adrian Whitbread as his assistant while former Spireites keeper Carl Muggleton takes on the joint role of head of recruitment and goalkeeper coach.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be named manager of Chesterfield,” said Allen. “It’s exciting and it’s going to be fantastic. We’re going to build a new team and make fans happy.”

Allen, 52, has experience of non-league football and guided Barnet to the Conference title in the 2014/15 season. Two years before that, he was manager of Gillingham when they won the League Two title.

Dave Allen, who is the club’s majority shareholder, is delighted to have been able to bring his namesake to the Proact Stadium. He said:-

“Sitting down with Martin was quite refreshing, as he ticks a lot of boxes.

“He’s got the same personality as I have and he calls a spade a shovel. He’s the right man at the right time for this job, make no mistake about it.”

Ashgate Hospicecare has received a £600 funding boost thanks to the efforts of Chesterfield-based training advisor Emma Stanyard and her four-legged friends Finley and Ralph.

The trio braved the unpredictable elements to take part in the charity’s Woofs and Wellies sponsored walk around the scenic Linacre Reservoirs, raising an impressive £300.50 which was then matched by her employer and local construction training provider, Construction Skills People (CSP).

CSP announced Ashgate Hospicecare as its charity of the year back in January when it committed to double any funds raised by employees for the cause which provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to patients across north Derbyshire and the High Peak and Dales.

The latest fundraising efforts will go towards helping to deliver services free of charge to patients with any life limiting illness, and extended support to patients’ families.

Construction Skills People Client Services Director, Stuart Anderson, said: “This is a fantastic amount raised for a very worthwhile cause, and so we’re really proud of Emma for donning her wellies and braving the elements to take on the challenge.

“This latest fundraising initiative takes our total raised for the year to £850 and are looking forward to further bolstering that figure in the coming months.”

Established in 2008, CSP is the leading provider of vocational construction qualifications and training courses across the UK.

To date it has raised a total of £850 for Ashgate by taking part in sponsored walks and bake sales. The next challenge scheduled will see employees participate in the charity’s Sparkle Night Walk which is taking place in July.

Jack Wood, Events Manager at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “As the demand for our services grow so does the need for funding, and so we are thrilled to have been chosen as Construction Skills People’s charity of the year. As a charity the fundraising and support that businesses provide through events such as this is absolutely vital to ensure that we can continue to support the people in our care.

“The partnership will have a huge impact for Ashgate Hospicecare, enabling us to support more families who have a relative with a life threatening or terminal illness.”

To mark the start of Learning at Work Week, the Chesterfield Royal Hospital has launched a new resource to help patients living with Autism.

Six Autism resource boxes have been rolled out across the hospital, containing a number of devices, tools, distractions and information to help patients on our wards and outpatient suites cope with the experience of being in hospital.

Sarah Sewell is the Royal’s Inter-Professional Development Lead, she said:-

“We developed Dementia Reminiscence Packs a number of years ago that featured a number of visual and physical aids to help with communication and memory. These have been very well received so we thought that we could do the same for patients presenting with Autism.

“The boxes have a variety of contents designed to help to reduce some of the sensory symptoms that can be an issue for patients on the Autistic spectrum. For example, some patients may find it difficult to cope with loud noises or a wide range of sounds that can come with a busy ward, so we have some ear defenders. Similarly, others experience discomfort and distress with bright lights so we have dark glasses to reduce its impact.

“There are also physical distractions such as twiddle-mitts to help keep fidgeting hands occupied, and coloured wrist bands and mood fans to help convey how a patient is feeling in the clinical environment. In the patient, carer and relative packs we have patient information, hospital passports and leaflets that will help to improve the patient experience. These packs will be available in all of the clinical areas so please ask a member of staff to provide you with one.

“All of the contents of the boxes and packs have been provided following a successful bid to the Royal’s charitable funds; patients, carers and staff have been involved in developing the resource contents. The aim is to make the experience as comfortable as possible physically, emotionally and mentally whilst creating an environment that will allow them to communicate more effectively. This means that patients and carers or relatives will be more empowered in decisions about them and their care.

The boxes have been made available on our Emergency Department, in the Chesterfield Eye Centre, on Nightingale ward, within midwifery, and there will be a spare set based in the Education Centre Library. The Inter-Professional Development team will be taking the packs around the Trust during Learning at Work Week to explain more about them, what is inside and how they can request one. Further packs can be requested from the library team.

Seb Perez Chesterfield’s sensational 18 year old Porsche Carrera Cup GB race driver stormed with two podium places at the legendry Italian Grand Prix  circuit of Monza last weekend.

The Amigos Team Parker Drivers impressive show of talent also gained him the Carrera Cup “Driver of the Weekend” for his performance in the  Porsche 911 GT3 and became the only driver in the series to win two races in one weekend

It was only two weeks ago that Perez took his maiden ProAm category podium after a tough weekend at Donington Park.

Amigos Team mate George Gamble from Southwell Nottinghamshire was on form too taking fourth spot in race one but finishing on a high by winning a thrilling race  two on Sunday morning.

Perez travelled to Monza with success in his mind and had already tested at the circuit before the start of the season in March taking some fast laps and times.

In both free practice sessions on Friday Perez showed impressive pace that saw him 8th and then 7th fastest out of 21 cars on track. Team mate Gamble taking 3rd and 4th.

Saturday saw the start of a busy weekend for both Amigos drivers with a qualifying session and race followed by a second race on Sunday morning.

Qualifying Saturday morning saw a solid performance from Perez finishing 9th place and 2nd in the ProAm category.

Race one saw Perez line up on fifth row of the grid just behind Gamble and was full of excitement from the lights going out, an opening corner shunt involving a number of cars saw the safety car deployed to assist in cars that littered the track.

Once racing commenced again Perez would enjoy a trouble-free run and stormed into first place ProAm driver during the opening half of the race and would stay there for the remainder, crossing the line fifth overall out of the 17 remaining cars, right behind Gamble but more importantly taking the class win, his second of the season.

A reverse grid race on Sunday morning saw the dynamic Amigos duo second and third on the grid, putting Perez on the first row.

In his usual style, Perez worked hard to ensure he stayed up-front of the ProAm contenders spending several laps playing cat and mouse and fighting for position with the Pro drivers. Keeping his cool he crossed the line fifth, taking the category victory in the process.

Team mate Gamble winning the race overhaul, a fantastic weekends racing was had by Perez and Gamble and Amigos Team Parker Racing.

Reflecting on the weekend after race two Perez said

I`m really over the moon with that one, it’s been a fantastic weekend from start to finish and that’s the perfect way to round it off”.

“I’m pleased with the way I drove in that race, keeping a gap to Tio (Ellinas – Pro driver) was nice. The race was action packed from lights to flag and I pushed quite hard in there and I held my own for quite a few laps but the aim was the class win and that’s what I got. It’s been great to come to a circuit like Monza and win. It’s really special for me”.

Perez leaves Monza in second place ProAm and second place Rookie. Amigos Team Parker Racing is second in the Team Championship standings and also won the best team award in Italy.

The next round of the season will see Perez travel back on home soil again at Oulton Park on 9th / 10th June where all the action will be on live ITV4.

Photgraphy Porsche Carrera Cup GB

Editorial Paul Horton  

The Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s work to recognise the role of carers has received national recognition.

The Trust’s Carers Project, led by Rebecca Cowley, has been nominated for a Royal College of Nursing Award in the Commitment to Carers category following the work done to acknowledge and support the role of the carer and ensure they become part of a patient’s care.

The Trust was awarded The Carers Charter in 2017, a promise that the Royal is committed to working together with and supporting the carers of patients receiving treatment and patients who are themselves carers. She has since become the Royal’s Carer Liaison Officer, supported through the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charitable Funds, to continue implementing and embedding the Charter.

Rebecca said:-

“It’s such an honour to be recognised in this way and shows how far this hospital has come in recognising the role of carers and the vital part they play in the treatment of our patients. We now have Carer Champions to help raise awareness on our wards and outpatient suites to educate and help identify carers and fully involve and support carers through the treatment of their patient.

“My new role serves to expand on the work already done and will ensure that the groundwork we did to attain the Charter can be built upon. One of the most frustrating issues for carers is communication and they can feel very vulnerable and confused whilst the person they love is in hospital. Knowing that I am here to support them, whether that is explaining the patient’s pathway, attending meetings or just providing general advice on how to cope with their caring role can empower them to ask questions and become more involved in a patient’s treatment.”

Rebecca has worked in carer support for ten years as well as being a carer herself so has been able to draw from experience. The work she and her colleagues have done has been nominated for the RCNi award and she has already been down to London for an interview, a presentation and to speak with the panel to explain more about what happens at the Royal.

She said:-

“It was daunting but the panel showed a genuine interest in the work we’ve been doing and asked lots of questions. Most of it was based on the work that we’ve done to date but I was able to talk further about some of the plans we have in place, including introducing Carer Champions to our five GP practices so that we can identify carers earlier in the patient’s journey and offer them that support before they come to hospital.

“It’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the other projects that have been nominated to see if there are elements that we can share. It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness of what we’re doing, what others are doing and this sharing of best practice and implementing these wonderful ideas can only be of benefit to the patients and carers.”

Rebecca will be co-ordinating some displays and activities to mark Carers Week, starting on 11^th June. The ceremony itself will take place at Westminster Park Plaza in London on 4^th July.

The Volunteer Centre Chesterfield have been successful in securing close to £40,000 for their Safe & Sound Project.

The Safe & Sound Project, which is based within The Volunteer Centre in Chesterfield provides emergency care to elderly and vulnerable adults. The funding was awarded to the Centre by the “People’s Projects” where the public decide how National Lottery funding should be put to good use in their local area. The centre were in the top three projects in the region voted for by the public.

Dave Radford, Centre Manager of the Volunteer Centre Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire, said:-

“Getting to the final five was a massive achievement so actually making one of the top three that receive the funding is absolutely huge; it is also down to you. We really couldn’t have done this without the help and support of everyone who voted for us. We appreciate we may have been a pain over the last fortnight, bombarding your inboxes with emails reminding you to vote, but ultimately it was worth it.

“Thanks once again to everyone who voted online, shared the link with others so that they might vote, and thanks also to everyone who filled out a card and voted by post.

“In the top three along with ourselves were Hull Kingston Rovers Community Trust and Sheffield City Sanctuary, how many votes separated us or how many we received, well I have no idea, I’m sure those figures will be available at some point.  To be honest though, they are irrelevant – we got the funding, that’s the most important part, but to fight toe to toe with three big city projects and more than equal them, is a testament to the work we put in and the support you gave us.

“Over the last two weeks we have worked incredibly hard to try and give ourselves the best possible chance of winning this money and it has been quite humbling to see that people have not only been eager to help us achieve that, but have also been so generous in their enthusiasm for our cause. It has been wonderful to see the people and organisations of Chesterfield and surrounding areas all pulling together for us, and for that we really are tremendously grateful.

“While this money is for a Volunteer Centre project it is worth remembering that it will be used across the district to help as many people as possible.”