Chesterfield Borough Council is giving new market traders the opportunity to take stalls for only £10 as part of the annual Love Your Local Market week.
The offer is open to people who have not previously been market traders to stand at the general market on Friday 15, Saturday 16, Monday 18, Friday 22 or Saturday 23 May.
For more information or to pre-book a stall, call the council’s markets team on 01246 345999
A tantalising new cookbook has been launched by local entrepreneur and Chesterfield’s four star Casa Hotel owner, Steve Perez.
The mi Casa Cook book, follows hot on the heels of Casa Hotel being voted 5th best hotel in the UK, in Trip Advisors 2015 Travellers Choice Awards. It draws on influences from Steve’s Spanish roots, and his passion for high quality local produce. Mi Casa, offers insights into dishes inspired by his Derbyshire upbringing as well as showcasing the skills of the two AA rosette kitchen team and Head Chef Andrew Wilson.
Featuring over 30 dishes ranging from simple Tapas dishes to ‘Something Special’ Cocina restaurant inspired recipes, Mi Casa has been written to suit the skills of the novice and adventurous home cooks alike with easy to follow recipes.
For Steve Perez, this book marks the latest venture into the food, drink and hospitality industry. Speaking of the book launch, he said: “I’m delighted to have a platform to celebrate my love of food in ‘Mi Casa’. Not only is it a great way to recognise some of the fantastic local food produce available in Chesterfield and surrounding areas, it’s also an opportunity to inspire readers to add a taste of Spain to their dishes too.”
“My late Father Santiago, originally from Barcelona, inspired me throughout my career. I grew up in the Derbyshire countryside with him cooking Spanish dishes in the home. When it came to building Casa Hotel, I wanted something which would reflect my Mediterranean roots and the same is true about the Mi Casa cook book.”
Central to Casa Hotel’s achievements are the quality of the ingredients and produce used in its menus. Walton Lodge Farm, which is part of Steve’s Walton Lodge Estate, provides meat and eggs to Casa Hotel. Mi Casa features a behind the scenes look at the workings of the farm and its unique connection to the hotel. It also introduces other local key Derbyshire suppliers, Highfield House Farm and John Hattersley Wines, as well Yorkshire-based Grey’s Fine Foods, which brings the authentic Spanish tastes and ingredients to Casa.
Throughout the last 40 years Steve has successfully carved a career for himself in the hospitality industry. From Steve’s humble beginnings working in the kitchen of his father’s restaurant, moving from managing pubs to developing the hugely successful international drinks business Global Brands.
‘Mi Casa: Spanish-Inspired Recipes from the Heart of Derbyshire’ is available to purchase directly from Casa Hotel or through Amazon and is priced at £14.95.
Ivan Fomin, Managing Director of the leading supplier of centrifuges to the water and food industries, MSE Hiller, is the newest addition to the Destination Chesterfield board.
Ivan replaces James Brand of United Cast Bar as the board member responsible for manufacturing and engineering in the Borough. James has stepped down from the board due to increasing work commitments however will continue in his role as the chair of the popular Manufacturing Forum.
Ivan and the company have taken an active role in manufacturing initiatives organised by Destination Chesterfield, including last year’s successful Made in Chesterfield Week where schools were invited to tour the firm’s Markham Vale £3million purpose-built premises.
Ivan brings more than 35 years’ experience to his board member role. Delighted to join the board, he said: “Destination Chesterfield is a conduit for joining together the many companies and organisations in Chesterfield’s manufacturing and engineering sector, be they employers, training providers, or young people still at school and looking for direction. It is by joining these groups together successfully that we can help further improve the manufacturing sector in the town.”
He is particularly passionate about apprenticeships within the sector, explaining: “For me manufacturing is the lifeblood of the economy, feeding other sectors such as retail and leisure. It is vitally important that we maintain Chesterfield’s manufacturing tradition and capability, and that will be my broad focus in my role on the Destination Chesterfield Board.
“I have been an employer in Chesterfield for 25 years and I have always made a point of offering apprenticeships. To this day many of my early apprentices are still working with me after two decades.”
MSE Hiller, which has been based in Chesterfield since 2001, supplies and rents centrifuges and environmental engineering products to the water, food and other industries throughout the UK. Currently no other company offers the service and products which they do and, as a result, is very much in demand.
Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Ivan to the board although sad that James Brand has left. We thank him for all he has done and will continue to do as both a Chesterfield Champion and a thriving manufacturing business in the town.
“MSE Hiller is a great example of a local company that is establishing the town as an engineering specialist. Ivan brings much personal experience in the sector as both an employee and an employer and is very clear about how he wants it and Chesterfield to develop. We are all very much looking forward to working with him.”
Ivan Fomin joins the existing members of the Board, which include:
Destination Chesterfield is helping to improve the economic prosperity of the town through a campaign to promote Chesterfield. This approach to promoting the town sees the local business community playing a central role in its success by leading an independent board of Directors for Destination Chesterfield, and businesses pledging their support to become Chesterfield Champions.
MSE Hiller will be taking part in Made in Chesterfield throughout November 2015. Made in Chesterfield is coordinated by Destination Chesterfield and is designed to showcase Chesterfield and North Derbyshire’s thriving manufacturing sector and its associated industries to students, raising awareness of the employment opportunities within it as well as the number of varied and exciting roles.
To find out more about Destination Chesterfield visit www.chesterfield.co.uk. Or if you are interested in becoming involved in Made in Chesterfield, please contact Dom Stevens on 01246 207207 or email dom.stevens@chesterfield.co.uk
Up to 400 new jobs are set to be created at a Chesterfield regeneration site with the opening of a new distribution centre at Markham Vale.
Chester-based firm Great Bear Distribution will move into a purpose-built warehouse and offices − Markham’s biggest development to date bringing the largest number of jobs in a single development.
Established in 1994, Great Bear Distribution operates in 30 locations nationwide providing warehousing and distribution for clients such as Sainsbury’s, BMW, and Unilever.
Glenn Lindfield, CEO of Great Bear Distribution said:
“Bringing our business to Markham Vale is a positive step forward for our company.
“The site is exactly what we’ve been looking for with tailor-made facilities in a prime location just off Junction 29A of the M1 motorway, providing easy access to our customers and other bases across the UK.
“We look forward to becoming part of Markham’s growing network of companies.”
Work to build the 479,285 square feet development is expected to start in autumn this year, and reach completion in spring 2016.
The premises are situated next to Markham Vale’s Environment Centre and will be built by our private sector property partner, Henry Boot Developments on the site off Junction 29A of the M1 motorway.
Peter Storey, head of Markham Vale said:
“Great Bear Distribution will be a real feather in Markham’s cap bringing 400 jobs which is great news for the Derbyshire economy.
“Markham’s fantastic transport links next to the M1 make the perfect choice for a wide range of businesses and we look forward to welcoming even more companies to the site this year and in the future.”
Existing occupiers at Markham Vale include, AW Repair Group, MSE Hiller, Squadron Medical, Industrial Ancillaries, Andrew Page, Holdsworth Foods and Ready Egg Products.
Ben Ward at Henry Boot Developments said:
“We are delighted to secure such a ground-breaking deal with Great Bear Distribution.
“This last year has been exceptional for Markham Vale with six major deals and a huge amount of development activity.
“We have worked very closely with Great Bear Distribution in designing this bespoke facility to meet their exact requirements and many of the features are at the forefront of technology.”
The regeneration site is one of the UK’s biggest Enterprise Zone Developments with the final phase, which is a further 100 acres currently being prepared for development using a £14.2m Government grant awarded through the Sheffield City Region’s Enterprise Zone.
Chesterfield based t-mac Technologies has been acquired for £10m by Utilitywise PLC, a leading independent utility cost management consultancy.
t-mac Technologies is a family-run business which began in 1978. The sale will see current directors Jonathan Wilkinson and Lisa Gingell remain at the helm while owners Alan and Irene Wilkinson retire.
t-mac allows clients to monitor and reduce their energy consumption, making savings and helping them comply with government legislation. It provides real-time energy and environmental metering and monitoring as well as building controls and equipment performance management. The interactive, cloud based central software platform means that users can analyse, manage and operate one or many buildings through a single software interface from anywhere in the world.
The sale, which was advised by BRM Solicitors, enhances t-mac’s existing customer relationships, whilst providing an opportunity for Utilitywise’s current customer base to benefit from t-mac’s cutting edge technology.
Lisa Gingell, co-founder and Director at t-mac Technologies, commented:-
“This is an exciting time for our business. We have truly valued the advice and support we received from the team at BRM who helped make this sale as seamless as possible.
“Working with the Utilitywise group we will continue to build business across UK, Europe and Asia Pacific and develop the t-mac brand of products and software as a service.”
Sarah Rowland, Head of the Company Commercial Team at BRM Solicitors, said:-
“t-mac and its directors are high quality and long-standing clients of BRM and we always enjoy working with them. We have seen t-mac grow from its incorporation and we are very proud to have been able to assist in this important evolution.
“My colleagues and I wish Irene and Alan well in their deserved retirement and Jonathan and Lisa every success in playing a key role in the future development of the t-mac brand and new products. We look forward to seeing the continued growth of the t-mac brand”.
The initial consideration payable is £10m, £6.25m in cash and 1,782,319 new ordinary shares in Utilitywise. Up to a further GBP £12 million will become payable once earn out accounts have been finalised, in cash (70%) and new Utilitywise shares. The initial cash consideration is being funded by a new £25 million revolving credit facility with Royal Bank of Scotland plc.
Utilitywise CEO, Geoff Thompson commented:
“The market for BeMS is growing and modern cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, such as t-mac, provide significant cost advantages over traditional solutions which require intensive capital investment and offer long term ROIs.
“We know that our customers are increasingly looking for rapid impact, cost-effective services that provide them with more control over their electricity, gas and water usage, to help drive their business efficiency agenda as well as mitigate against future price volatility. This acquisition continues to expand our broad range of services that address the breadth of our customers’ energy needs.
“The acquisition of t-mac Technologies will play a major role in helping us to deliver significant added-value services and develop closer, more profitable relationships with existing customers, as well as supporting our new customer acquisition strategy”.
Queen’s Park in Chesterfield is one of ten outgrounds to visit this year according to the Independent.
The picturesque setting at the ground and the enchanting old-school pavilion makes it a must visit destination for Cricket fans this summer.
The Chesterfield Festival of cricket which returns this summer, will feature three Derbyshire matches, to mark a tenth successive year for the festival.
Queen’s Park will play host to the visit of Northampton Steelbacks in the NatWest T20 Blast on Sunday 5 July, before Glamorgan arrive the following day for the start of the LV= County Championship fixture.
The festival concludes the following Sunday, with Derbyshire meeting Yorkshire Vikings the NatWest T20 Blast, in a clash that is expected to draw in a huge crowd.
The ground will also host international cricket in the summer with England U19’s taking on Australia U19’s
Read more about the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket
Read More about England U19’s V Australia U19’s
Franke Sissons Ltd, who have been manufacturing for over 230 years, has headed a hard-hitting parliamentary discussion to outline the lack of surveillance for genuine CE Marking, required by UK Law, on products fitted in commercial buildings.
Franke Sissons Ltd employs the majority of its staff from the Derbyshire area and says it could expand its business and create even more employment opportunities if mandatory proof of CE Marking at tender stage was instigated.
The Company, based at Carrwood Rd, Chesterfield has solicited the support of local MP Toby Perkins and the industry body that supports manufacturing in the bathroom industry, The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA), to host a hard hitting briefing session for MP’s in Westminster.
Aiming to highlight the obvious shortfalls of legislation that currently goes completely unchecked, the briefing detailed to MPs how contractors are regularly substituting unlawful and inferior products in the final fit, through either lack of knowledge in the law or in ignorance for the cheapest option.
Franke’s Managing Director, Andy Dukelow explains, “This is a problem right across the building industry not just in our sector. Without a CE Mark on products for bathrooms and washrooms, consumers may endure scalding injuries, product failure under load and ultimately products will fail completely, there is no back up and absolutely no guarantee. Those manufacturers and suppliers who have made the investment to comply, with what is actually a law not just a guideline, will continue to be undercut by non-conforming companies putting UK jobs at risk. I am personally deeply frustrated by the slow pace of understanding at Government level, this is a UK Law, and one of the few that could offer UK business a tangible level of support and actually add longevity to cash savings to the British tax payer.”
The Chesterfield and Derbyshire Marathon has been awarded an official road race licence from UK Athletics (UKA).
The race, one of biggest mass participation events in Chesterfield, was granted the important affiliation after officials carried out full checks to the route.
The licence is awarded to all events which observe strict guidelines from UKA, including correct route measurement and full risk assessment of the course and headquarters, as well as providing adequate medical facilities.
In return, race organisers benefit from listings on the UKA’s event website amongst others and access to Run Britain’s online race entry system, as well as public liability insurance for the event.
The licence also means that runners who are affiliated to a club can now take their time from the event and add it to their official results from the racing calendar.
The Chesterfield and Derbyshire Marathon, sponsored by local company The PK Group, is operated by the Chesterfield-based Kids ‘n’ Cancer charity, one of the country’s leading organisations in supporting families and patients to access proton therapy treatment, which is not currently available in the UK.
Mike Hyman, Kids n Cancer co-founder, said: “Being granted the official UK Athletics licence is fantastic news for us. This affiliation will really allow us to enhance the reputation of the Chesterfield and Derbyshire Marathon and build on the huge success of the 2014 race.
“The feedback from some runners last year was that they were disappointed their race times could not be part of their official results from the racing season, but the licence has changed this.
“Our aim with the Chesterfield and Derbyshire Marathon was to help put the town on the map and attract people from all over the world. Our official road race status will only help in ensuring we can make the event one of the best in the country.”
Registration is now open for this year’s race, which will take place on Sunday 20th September.
Runners can now sign up online to take part in the event, which will include a full marathon, half marathon, fun run and a team relay race, where four competitors take a share of the full Marathon course.
The event will once again be in support of children’s charity Kids ‘n’ Cancer, along with other local charities and good causes.
This year, both the full and half marathon – as well as the fun run – will start and finish at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield.
Early bird prices for entry are available until midnight on 31 May 2015 and are £35 for the full marathon, £30 for the half marathon, £100 for the team relay and £5 for the fun run. As last year, any individuals raising £250 or teams raising £500 for Kids ‘n’ Cancer can enter for free. Runners will also have the option to have their ‘chipped’ race bib posted to them before race day.
To sign-up for the Chesterfield and Derbyshire Marathon or to become a volunteer visit www.chesterfieldmarathon.org.uk.
A partnership has been agreed between the Chesterfield FC development centre and the Gordon Hill International Football Academy, based in Florida.
As part of the agreement, up to nine youngsters from the USA will spend time in the UK with the Chesterfield FC development centre.
Chesterfield’s head of youth recruitment, Liam Sutcliffe, believes the link-up is a major step forward for the club. He said: “Joining forces with the Gordon Hill International Football Academy will provide us with the opportunity to tap into a source of emerging young talent in the United States, which is a very exciting prospect.”
Gordon Hill, who starred for the likes of Manchester United, QPR and Derby County, points out that the partnership will present many aspiring young footballers with the chance of a lifetime. “They have a desire to play and I help them develop,” said Hill.
“I know Chesterfield chief executive Chris Turner very well from our time with Manchester United and Chris said to me that with Liam Sutcliffe, who runs the development centre, these kids will get a good chance.
“It’s only a matter of time before the players start making their way over here so I bring them over so clubs like Chesterfield can have a look at them, take them into the development squad and hopefully take them into the youth squad and then push them into their reserves and first team.”
Hill, who won six full England caps during his time at Old Trafford, recently brought some of his players over to this country and they took in a visit to the Proact Stadium. He said: “After looking at the training ground and the stadium, the lads were saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t think it was this serious’!”
Spireites chief executive Chris Turner said: “The link-up provides a great opportunity for Gordon’s players and for us as a club. Forging links with players and business partners can only be a positive step forward for all concerned and we are delighted to have established the relationship.”
The candidates for the Parliamentary and local elections in Chesterfield have now been announced.
The following candidates are confirmed as standing in the Chesterfield constituency in the general election on Thursday 7 May:
Most people in the Chesterfield borough will vote to elect the MP for Chesterfield. However, voters in the Barrow Hill and New Whittington ward and the Lowgates and Woodthorpe ward fall within the North East Derbyshire constituency, so they will vote to elect the MP for that area.
Polls are open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 7 May.
Votes for the Chesterfield constituency will be counted at the Queen’s Park Sports Centre, Boythorpe Road, Chesterfield after the polls close at 10pm on Thursday 7 May. The result is anticipated between 2am and 3am.
Elections to Chesterfield Borough Council will be held on Thursday 7 May.
All 48 seats on the council across 19 wards are up for election.
Listed below are the candidates standing in each ward.
Barrow Hill and New Whittington ward – three seats
Brimington North ward – two seats
Brimington South ward – three seats
Brockwell ward – three seats
Dunston ward – three seats
Hasland ward – three seats
Hollingwood and Inkersall ward – three seats
Holmebrook ward – two seats
Linacre ward – two seats
Loundsley Green ward – two seats
Lowgates and Woodthorpe ward – two seats
Middlecroft and Poolsbrook ward – two seats
Moor ward – two seats
Old Whittington ward – two seats
Rother ward – three seats
St Helen’s ward – two seats
St Leonard’s ward – three seats
Walton ward – three seats
West ward – three seats
Polls are open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 7 May.
Votes for the Chesterfield Borough Council elections will be counted at the Queen’s Park Sports Centre, Boythorpe Road, Chesterfield, from 11am on Friday 8 May. The first results are expected around noon, with the final results expected by 2pm.
Sixteen current councillors have decided not to stand for re-election. These are:
Key:
Key:
Con = Conservative Party
Green = Green Party
Lab = Labour Party
LD = Liberal Democrats
Peace = Peace Party
TUSC = Trade Union and Socialist Coalition
UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party.
Work to develop a Chesterfield regeneration site at Markham Vale is gathering pace.
Derbyshire County Council have been filming the progress of two of their latest developments, inspirepac and Gould Alloys.
The first development is a 50,000 square feet building for Chesterfield-based metal distributors Gould Alloys which is due to be completed in April.
And work to build a 100,250 square feet printing factory and office building for Derbyshire-based company inspirepac is due to be completed in May.
Read more about developments in Chesterfield
