Author: Dom Stevens

New Station Link Opens in Chesterfield

7th September 2016

A week of events kicks off on 14 September, to celebrate the official opening of a new walking and cycling link to Chesterfield station.

School children, adults with disabilities, representatives from Chesterfield College, East Midlands Trains, local employers, Derbyshire County Council members and officers, national charity Sustrans and local walking and cycling groups will all join a ribbon cutting ceremony at the station on Friday 16th September.

The route, built by Derbyshire County Council with a government grant administered by Sustrans, provides an important missing link in the local cycle network. Residents and visitors can now walk or cycle safely off-road to the station all the way from Somersall via Queens Park.

Representatives from Derbyshire County Council and Chesterfield Cycle Campain (CCC) can be found at the railway station on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th September, promoting the route, handing out free Chesterfield Cycle maps and promoting the County Rider adult cycle training initiative.

The launch coincides with Cycle to Work Day, an annual national event which encourages everyone to cycle to work. Other events to celebrate the launch include an official ribbon cutting by Cllr Dean Collins, lead member for transport at Derbyshire County Council, to formally open the route on Friday 16th September and a Chesterfield Cycle in Style ride on Saturday 17th September. The Cycle in Style event, organised by Chesterfield Cycle Campaign, leaves Nonnas on Chatsworth Road at 10.30am for a short ride along the new station link and back through town to finish at the Vintage Tea Rooms. A prize will also be awarded to the best dressed rider

Matt Easter, Regional Director for Sustrans who administered a 1 million government grant to build the route said:-

“This is a fantastic project which will be a great asset to Chesterfield, providing a safe, healthy and pleasant alternative route to the station for residents and visitors and helping to relieve traffic congestion. Sustrans are delighted to have been involved in the project which was catalysed by a local Chesterfield volunteer.”

Chris Allen, Chair of the Chesterfield Cycle Campaign, who have produced 5,000 colour cycle maps to coincide with the opening of the route said:-

“We welcome the opening of the new link and hope it encourages more train commuters to think about walking or cycling to the station. There are many local employers along the route that can take advantage of a fast, free transport alternative that benefits their health.

“Studies have shown that each additional hour spent in a car per day is associated with an increase in the likelihood of obesity. Public health experts have suggested the NHS could save up to 6 billion a year by 2025 through increased levels of spending on cycle provision.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Leisure

Derbyshire’s biggest careers event is heading to Chesterfield

6th September 2016

There is just over a week to go until Chesterfield hosts this year’s Derbyshire Skills Festival − the county’s largest careers event.

Organised by Derbyshire County Council, the festival is aimed at students aged 15 to 19, including those in Year 11 who are considering their options after school.

This year it is being held on Thursday 15 September 2016 at Queen’s Park Sports Centre. The event is free and will run between 3.30pm and 8pm.

More than 60 employers, colleges, training providers and voluntary organisations will be at the event offering the support and guidance needed to help make future career choices − all under one roof. There will also be ‘have-a-go’ activities allowing young people to test their skills and get first-hand experience of forensic science, 3D printing and the use of technology in manufacturing.

Councillor Damien Greenhalgh, Deputy Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said:-

“If you know someone aged 15 to 19 please encourage them to pop along to the Derbyshire Skills Festival.

“It’s Derbyshire’s biggest careers event and is the perfect opportunity for young people to find out about the options available to them when they leave Year 11 and to have a go at a few fun things too. Last year there were more than 11,000 visitors over three fantastic days.

“The festival is a great place for employers, education and training providers and voluntary organisations to show young people thinking about their future what they have to offer.”

There will also be sessions for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) will also be invited.

Posted in About Chesterfield

Chesterfield community invited to nominate ‘super’ hospice heroes

6th September 2016

Ashgate Hospicecare is inviting the Chesterfield community to give their nominations for the hospice’s recently launched staff recognition awards, which highlight staff members’ outstanding contributions to hospice care, services and supporting activities.

The awards will focus on seven award categories, which are based on the goals of Ashgate Hospicecare: care, innovation and influence. The hospice believes special recognition should be given to those who really have gone above and beyond in the work they do.

Matt Corbishley, Director of HR and Workforce Development at Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“I’m incredibly proud to be a part of the Hospice and to be able to launch our new Hospice Heroes Awards. The outstanding care we provide to patients and their families is not down to luck, it’s down to the compassion, commitment, and innovation that our staff display on a daily basis; whether they are directly delivering care, working in one of our many shops, or providing an essential support function.”

“The new Hospice Heroes Awards are a great way of recognising and thanking our staff, and of sharing more widely some of the truly impressive and often humbling work that goes on at the Hospice, in our shops and in the community.

“We would like to invite the public as well as colleagues to share their experiences of exceptional examples of Care, Innovation or Influence shown by our staff, whether by an individual or a team, by taking part in the Hospice Heroes nominations process.”

Anybody who has been affected by the service provided by Ashgate Hospicecare can submit their nominations. Forms, along with ballot boxes to post them in, are available at the hospice and in all of its retail outlets. Alternatively, nominations can be submitted online: ashgatehospicecare.org.uk/hospice heroes

Posted in About Chesterfield

Golden Year for Chatsworth Country Fair

6th September 2016

Baking superstars Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry joined Olympic Medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill to ensure a golden year for the Chatsworth Country Fair in front of tens of thousands of visitors.

As honorary Country Fair President, Jessica Ennis-Hill opened the annual event on Friday alongside the Duke of Devonshire. The Grand Ring delivered an action-packed schedule on all three days, with show-stopping entertainment coming from The Imps Motorcycle Display Team, the hugely popular Household Cavalry Musical Ride; and a parachute display from Jump4Heroes.

The crowds were also be treated to an awe-inspiring aerobatic display by the Red Arrows. The Royal Air Force team famous for their trademark combinations of close formation flying, dynamic loops and rolls, appeared on Friday and Sunday.

Over in the Aga Rangemaster Cookery Theatre, a star-studded line-up of top TV food celebrities shared their top culinary tips, led by Great British Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood on Friday; queen of baking and show favourite Mary Berry on Saturday.

After opening the show Jessica Ennis-Hill travelled around the showground meeting visitors, exhibitors and performers. “I have always loved visiting Chatsworth – it is such a beautiful venue with the most amazing grounds. It is not far from home and when I get a day off I often visit for a walk and relax. Now I have a little boy I enjoy visiting the adventure play area with him and we always pop into the farm shop on the way home for a few bits of local produce.”

The Duke of Devonshire: “We’ve seen some wonderful performances including the Household Cavalry and, of course, the Red Arrows, and we’ve been delighted to have Jessica Ennis-Hill as Country Fair President. They’re all great ambassadors for our country and I’m sure the thousands of visitors who have been here for the past few days have enjoyed seeing them as much as we have.”

Jessica Ennis-Hill joins an illustrious list of fair presidents from BBC gardening favourite Alan Titchmarsh, England cricketer Michael Vaughan and IAAF President Sebastian Coe to Countryfile presenter Adam Henson and the Olympic rower and former Red Sock Matthew Pinsent CBE.

Dates for next year’s Chatsworth Country Fair have been confirmed as 1-3 September 2017.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Gardens & Gourmet poised to boost visitors to Peak and Derbyshire

5th September 2016

Key overseas markets in Europe and the USA are set to be targeted as the Peak District and Derbyshire celebrates news that it is one of several tourist boards to win a share in a £40 million push to promote England to the world.

Tourism bosses at Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire are delighted to be among five leading destinations to successfully bid for £240,000 from a first-year pot of £6.5 million in national tourist board VisitEngland’s Discover England Fund (DEF).

The tourist board will work in close collaboration with colleagues at Visit Kent, Marketing Cheshire, Visit Essex and Visit Herts to develop a Gardens & Gourmet project showcasing each area’s outstanding gardens and first class culinary offer.

The first-year DEF funding will be complemented by a total of £85,000 in in-kind contributions and match funding from the five destination teams.

It will focus on both established markets such as Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands and the USA, as well as potential staying visitors from the UK, as part of VisitEngland’s strategy to ensure that England stays at the cutting edge of the competitive global tourism industry.

The main aim will be to create bookable packages for international tourists that will not only admit them to attractions, but will also feature insider tips, local recommendations and interactive media to give them a compelling and high-quality experience of the English countryside.

As well as playing a prominent role in the national offer, Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire will develop its own cluster of gardens and gourmet experiences, building on existing partnerships to involve leading attractions, places to stay and eat and personal recommendations and fresh perspectives from local ambassadors.

Research will be carried out from now until the end of March 2017, with a view to launching the packages next spring, in advance of the new RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2017, which will be staged from June 7 to 11.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director at Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said:-

“This is great news for the area during VisitEngland’s Year of the English Garden, and also as we look forward to the launch of the first-ever RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, which will be the focal point for much of our activity,

“Like the other destinations involved, the Peak District and Derbyshire has an extremely strong gardens and food and drink offer, and this will give us the opportunity to develop strategies to market it more effectively and bring in more staying visitors from both the UK and around the world.

“We’ll also be incorporating one of our unique selling points – the ancient custom of Well Dressing, exclusive to the area – as an added bonus, and look forward to working with a range of partners to capitalise on both our individual and shared assets in an increasingly competitive global industry.”

The project is one of seven unveiled at the start of the three-year DEF campaign by VisitEngland to capitalise on England’s wide ranging assets – everything from golf and long distance walks to seafood and a self-guided activity app.

Competition for cash was fierce. Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive of VisitEngland said:-

“We had an exceptionally high number of submissions, far outweighing the allocated funding available. Following a rigorous applications process we are delighted to work closely with those excellent winners on building world-class bookable tourism products showcasing the best of England to international and domestic visitors.

“The destinations in this successful project feature outstanding gardens and local food and drink offers, which will give visitors a new, high-quality sensory experience of rural England.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development

Limited places for Chesterfield Football Club gala ball

5th September 2016

There are a limited number of places available for Chesterfield’s Gala Ball at Chatsworth House next month, which is part of the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

The black tie event, taking place on Saturday, October 22, will feature a fantastic three-course meal and superb live entertainment.

Guests will be provided with transport to and from Chatsworth House, where there will be a champagne reception before dinner. Entertainment will be provided by Alexandra, an electric violinist, together with a ‘Rat Pack’ trio.

Tickets are priced at £150 for this prestigious, one-off event, with a limit of 150 places.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure

Businesses invited to free business funding workshop

5th September 2016

With pre-referendum uncertainty over and interest rates at an all-time low, businesses in the area in are being encouraged to forge ahead now with their growth and investment plans.

Businesses looking to access finance and grants can get all the information they need at a free half day workshop – Funding for Business, which is being delivered by Sheffield City Region’s Growth Hub.

Only a limited number of places are available at the workshop, which is taking place at Dunston Innovation Centre on Wednsday 14th September from 10am – 1pm.

Organised in association with Destination Chesterfield and Chesterfield Borough Council’s Innovation Support Project, the workshop aims to preparing businesses for the post Brexit world of funding.

The European Regional Development Fund-funded workshop will also provide a one-stop-shop for advice and signposting on funding choices open to business, including lending and grants and guidance for making actual applications.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield said: “The timing of this free workshop couldn’t be better. Many firms held off with their investment and growth plans in the first half of the year due to the uncertainty around Brexit. Now the decision has been made, businesses are forging ahead with their plans and eager to get information on funding streams and grants available to them.”

For more information about the free Funding for Business workshop, or to book one of the remaining places, visit http://www.chesterfield.co.uk/events/free-business-workshop-funding-for-business/

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development

Spireites organise pop-up sensory room

5th September 2016

Chesterfield Football Club will invite a number of fans affected by autism to attend their next home fixture in a pop-up sensory room.

The hospitality box in the Community Stand at the Proact Stadium will be turned into a sensory room for the day when Chesterfield take on Northampton Town on Saturday, September 17.

Multi-sensory equipment, which is extremely therapeutic for people with sensory impairment, will be installed in the hospitality box. The equipment will be provided by Chesterfield-based Rompa, who are world leaders in the design and manufacture of sensory equipment and multi-sensory environments.

The initiative is being organised by the Chesterfield FC Community Trust, in partnership with Accessible Derbyshire – a charity with the aim of improving the lives of disabled people, their families, friends and carers living in or visiting Derbyshire and the Peak District.

John Croot, CEO of the Community Trust, said:-

“We are delighted to be working with Accessible Derbyshire on this project and we are also exploring other ways that we can raise awareness of autism.

“I would like to thank Trevor Marples from TM Accounting, who has agreed to make the hospitality box available.”

Gillian Scotford, one of the founders of Accessible Derbyshire, added:-

“The Proact Stadium boasts some fantastic facilities for people with disabilities – including a Changing Places facility – and we are keen to promote the great work being done by the club in this way.

There are a limited number of places available in the sensory room, which are free of charge and include a buffet.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Plans approved for another new building at Markham Vale

5th September 2016

Derbyshire County Council and Henry Boot Developments Ltd are pleased to announce that they have successfully secured Planning Approval for another new development on Markham Vale to be located on part of Plot 13 Markham Vale North.

The project team is aiming to secure all outstanding approvals and subject to securing an occupier, construction of the building is expected to start later this year.

At 480,000 sq.ft. in area, the building will be slightly larger than the Great Bear building on plot 1 which is currently the largest development on site.

Posted in Business, Development

Works to begin at Chesterfield Waterside

2nd September 2016

Work is set to begin on the next phase of the £320million Chesterfield Waterside Scheme.

Chesterfield–based earthworks and landscaping contractor NT Killingley Ltd has been appointed to undertake the site enabling works for phase one of the Basin Square character area, which incorporates the former Trebor site. The works are expected to take around three months.

Killingley is due to commence works on Monday 5 September. The enabling works will prepare the site for construction of a hotel, retail units, apartments, a multi-storey car park and offices next year.

As part of the project Killingley will use their cutting egde modelling capabilities and GPS controlled excavators and bulldozers to rework the site levels. They will create an acoustic noise bund along the A61 on the former Arnold Laver site in preparation for the homes which will be built there to form The Park neighbourhood at Chesterfield Waterside. The current temporary 250 space car park will be relocated to the north end of the site, with access from Brimington Road,

Peter Swallow, Managing Director of Bolsterstone Plc, which is leading the project, said: “I am delighted that the development is making progress. This is a significant step forward for Chesterfield Waterside which will allow us to move into the construction phase next year. Once preparation works are complete and the infrastructure is in place, it will facilitate delivery of development on both Basin Square and The Park, enabling us to progress with the second phase of detailed planning applications for the buildings themselves shortly afterwards.”

Matt Killingley, Managing Director of NT Killingley Ltd, said: “It is a great pleasure to work locally on such a prestigious scheme. The majority of our staff are Chesterfield folk and we are very excited to allow them the opportunity to show the community what they can do. I am sure we will all be very proud of the end result.”

Following the award of a £2.7million Sheffield City Region Infrastructure Fund (SCRIF) grant earlier this year, the enabling works for the development’s £75million Basin Square scheme were able to be brought forward by the developers, Bolsterstone Plc.

A planning application has also been submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council by Bolsterstone for illustrative proposals, indicating the height and massing for the buildings to be constructed in Basin Square.

The exciting mixed-use first phase of Basin Square is of a scale and quality not previously seen before in Chesterfield and will elevate the town’s profile. Once complete, Basin Square is expected to be home to approximately 300 jobs.

Chesterfield Waterside is recognised as being one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects, and is being developed by Chesterfield-based Bolsterstone Plc working in conjunction with Arnold Laver Group and Chesterfield Borough Council.

Additional progress with the Chesterfield Waterside scheme includes the recent granting of planning permission to replace the road bridge over the river Rother on the former Laver timber yard site which will serve The Park residential development, and the submission of a planning application for the works required to re-open a stretch of the Chesterfield canal.

The first phase of residential housing at Chesterfield Waterside, comprising 19 new homes on part of the former Arnold Laver DIY site on Brimington Road, was completed in 2015 on behalf of Great Places Housing Association, and the properties are now fully occupied.

Posted in Business, Development

Manufacturing confidence returns

1st September 2016

Manufacturing confidence rebounded in August from a 41-month low in July.

The month-on-month Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, which jointly publish the data, figure saw the joint-highest rise in the 25-year history of the report, climbing from 48.3 to 53.3, where 50 is the mean.

It is thought that the lower value of Sterling against leading global currencies contributed to the renewed confidence as it made exported British-made goods cheaper and led to a raft of new orders.

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber, said: “July’s figure was quite obviously just a reaction to the EU Referendum result and we said at the time that it shouldn’t be regarded in isolation.

“The August rise is higher than might have been expected but, again, we would urge a degree of caution as this is a volatile table and we would expect to see it settle closer to its long term average of 51.5 in coming months.

“Manufacturing and engineering will be vital to the success of the UK post-Brexit and, as the spine of the sector in the UK, these figures are particularly pertinent to the East Midlands.”

Posted in Business