Author: Dom Stevens

BHP Corporate Finance expands its international network

BHP Corporate Finance, has taken a major step forward in strengthening its international deal making capabilities by joining forces with specialist global mergers & acquisitions advisory group, Translink Corporate Finance. BHP Corporate Finance is the specialist corporate finance division of BHP LLP.

Translink is one of the world’s largest mid-market corporate finance advisory groups, with a team of more than 600 experts across 30 different countries. Translink specialises in advising private and public companies, private equity firms and entrepreneurs on mergers and acquisitions, fundraisings and IPOs.

BHP Corporate Finance Partner, Don Gray, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be joining Translink as a UK member firm of the network. Cross-border transactions have been a core part of our service offering for a number of years but our alliance with Translink significantly extends our international scale and reach. Whether clients are selling or buying, together with our fellow Translink firms we can offer genuinely seamless integrated global corporate finance advice.”

Hamish Morrison, BHP Corporate Finance and Joint Managing Partner of the wider BHP firm, added: “We spent over two years looking at a variety of International Networks. A number of us have had previous experience of “global networks” within the framework of national partnerships and so we understood some of the limitations and challenges from these types of arrangements. We found Translink to be very different to the vast majority of these. Due to the predefined fee sharing arrangements, all member firms are only focused on one thing, the success of the deal for the client.”

Translink Chairman, Tero Nummenpää, said: “We are very pleased to be welcoming BHP Corporate Finance to the Translink family. Their reputation for providing high quality advice on mid-market transactions fits perfectly with our ethos.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Chesterfield to remember the fallen

Chesterfield residents have the opportunity to pause and remember those who have died in battle this month.

The annual service of remembrance on Remembrance Sunday, Sunday 10 November, will take place at 2.30pm at St Mary and All Saints’ Church, the ‘Crooked Spire’.

The service will remember all those killed in the First World War and subsequent conflicts.

Everyone is welcome to attend but residents are advised to be seated by 2pm as the church becomes very full.

The service will be followed by a parade from the church, through Burlington Street, High Street, Glumangate onto Rose Hill allowing those taking part to see the poppy displays in the town centre.

Residents and visitors are welcome to watch the parade which will include Chesterfield’s mayor and mayoress and other local dignitaries.

Members of the public are also welcome to attend the wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial from approximately 3.30pm with the poppy cascade created last year to mark the centenary of the First World War as a backdrop. This features 16,000 poppies donated by people from across the world.

Councillor Sharon Blank, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for governance said: “Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day are two of the most solemn dates in our calendar as we come together to remember the fallen.

“I would like to invite everyone to take part in the events to remember those killed across the borough.”

There will be the usual parish mass at the Crooked Spire church at 10.30am on Sunday 10 November during which a wreath will be laid at the war memorial outside the church at 11am.

Staveley Town Council will hold an event in Staveley at 11am on Sunday 11 November at the war memorial.

Brimington Parish Council will hold a parade and service in Brimington at 3pm.

Residents are also invited to attend a short service at the war memorial, Rose Hill on Monday 11 November from 10.45am. The service will include the national two minute silence at 11am.

The silence will also be held in other council buildings.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Derbyshire County Council set to commit £200,000 for A61 traffic study

Derbyshire County Council is set to commission a £200,000 study to look at congestion issues on the A61 south of Chesterfield.

Congestion has significantly grown in recent years and is likely to continue due to several new large scale housing developments to the south of Chesterfield. In the past 6 months alone, 6 separate large sites have started or continue to be built.

Work started earlier this year on a traffic modelling survey at a cost of £135,000, and now the council are set to commission an options review which will look at what measures can be taken to deal with the level of traffic now on the A61, and to cope with expected increasing volumes.

Council Leader, Councillor Barry Lewis, said: “We’ve had a long-standing ambition to improve congestion on the A61 south of Chesterfield and are keen to see what could be done to improve the situation as soon as possible.”

“There isn’t an easy solution to this but we would expect that the study would look at a range of measures, which taken together would all make a difference to congestion.”

“If we don’t do anything then the situation will only get worse in the coming years.”

It is expected that the study will be commissioned in December 2019, with results due back in the summer of 2020.

Find out more about current developments taking place in the Chesterfield area here.

Posted in About Chesterfield

BRM help overseas developers acquire entire share capital in UK property developers

Law firm BRM Solicitors have advised on a significant multi- jurisdictional deal on behalf of an overseas developer to acquire the entire share capital in a UK property development company, enabling construction of new homes in Manchester.

Trevor Bird (Corporate) and Alastair Reid (Real Estate) of BRM Solicitors acting for an overseas based developer facilitated the purchase of 100% of the share capital of Yew Tree Lane Developments Limited, a development company based in Manchester.

Yew Tree Lane Developments Limited owns a residential development site with a value of between £4m and £5m. The investors now intend to build new starter homes within the next 18 months.

Trevor Bird (right) of BRM commented: “This deal has taken over 12 months to  get over the line and in the end involved 8 different firms of lawyers acting for various parties across different jurisdictions but given the size and complexity of the issues involved that is not surprising. We were delighted to be able to finally complete the deal to enable our client to start their project.”

Stuart Laing commented on behalf of the developer: “We are extremely grateful to Trevor and Alastair for their patience, resilience and commerciality in getting this deal done, in what were very often frustrating circumstances. We are delighted that we can now get on site and start the real work of building houses.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Essential Site Skills team member shortlisted for Rising Star Award

Essential Site Skills (ESS) are delighted to announce that their team member Matt Fletcher has been named as a finalist for the Rising Star Award at The Learning Awards 2020.

The Learning Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding individuals in the world of Learning & Development, organised by The Learning and Performance Institute. Receiving one of these awards is the ultimate accolade for anyone working in the industry.

On the back of his exceptional performance in a business support role, Matt was identified 12 months ago as having the drive, enthusiasm and appetite to develop his career as a trainer. His high performance has gone from strength to strength since then, proving to be an invaluable asset to the ESS team within such a short period of time.

Travelling up and down the country, Matt delivers training in some of the most dangerous areas of the construction industry, exemplifying a trainer who goes the extra mile and puts the learner at the forefront of the learning and development experience. His hard work and endeavour have helped him change lives for the better.

Matt said, “It’s a huge honour to even be nominated in the rising star category for the LPI Learning awards, but to be selected as a finalist and have the opportunity to present to the judging panel gives me a great sense of pride.”

Training and Consultancy Director, Darren O’Neill, spoke on behalf of ESS: “Having performed an incredible job as Training & Consultancy Instructor, it’s been a brilliant year for Matt, and he is fully deserving of the recognition he is receiving.”

“The whole team at ESS are incredibly proud of Matt and wish him all the best in the coming awards ceremony.”

Matt’s nomination is just the latest success for ESS. At the The Learning Awards 2019, ESS were finalists in the Learning Provider of the Year category, with Training and Consultancy Manager, Michael Harcourt, winning the Rising Star Silver Award.

The Learning Awards 2020 will take place on 20th February 2020 from London’s Hilton Hotel.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business

Plans to be considered for 250 new homes

A proposal for 250 new homes is due to be considered by North East Derbyshire District Council’s planning committee next week.

Inspire Design and Development, based in Clay Cross, has submitted an application to develop the land east of Williamthorpe Road and south of Tibshelf Road, Holmewood.

The plans indicate a £40 million project comprising of a mixture of high quality semi-detached and detached two story houses, 50 of which would be affordable homes, and investment in local schools, medical practices and faster broadband infrastructure.

As well as a commitment to work with local contractors, the proposals also reserve four hectares of land for the creation of open greenspace, footpaths and landscaping with connections to the Five Pit Trail and surrounding roads and rights of way.

When the plan for the 30-acre site was first submitted to the authority, the applicant was originally seeking the go-ahead for 300 homes.

The site currently consists of two residential properties with adjacent gardens, buildings and land currently used by a commercial plant nursery, as well as three vacant fields next to the Five Pit Trail.

Lee Barnes, Managing Director of Inspire Design Group comments: “There is a clear need for more affordable and sustainable housing in North East Derbyshire, and this development will help meet that need and provide a significant spending boost to the local economy. This proposed development has been meticulously planned by people who know the area and care deeply about the communities involved.”

Landowner, Mr Richards added: “This new development will breathe new life into the area, provide a huge boost to local trades and bring a significant amount of local spending power to the area. Farming is no longer viable at this site, but it could still be used to provide affordable, sustainable housing for families and play a major role in the further regeneration of two former coal mining communities.”

Images credit: The Derbyshire Times

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Leisure

Banner Jones donates £250 to Ashgate Hospice following Half Marathon

Derbyshire-based law firm Banner Jones has donated more than £250 to Ashgate Hospicecare thanks to the fundraising efforts of running trio, Clayton, Lauren and Kareena who swapped their suits for trainers to take part in the year’s Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.

According to the event organisers this was its biggest year to date, with more than 1,000 people taking part.

Chesterfield-based Ashgate Hospicecare is a registered charity which provides palliative care for people with life-limiting illnesses. The organisation provides daytime care as well as running a 21-bed inpatient unit, and relies largely on donations, and the fundraising efforts of those who take part in events such as the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.

Clayton Bissett, Will Writer at Banner Jones said: “I am absolutely delighted to have taken part in the half marathon again this year to raise funds for such an amazing local charity. ”

“Ashgate Hospice provides such valuable services to the local community and is very close to the hearts of those who live and work in and around Chesterfield.”

“I would like to thank everyone who donated, and for those who supported us.”

Main Image Credit: Paul Horton Photography

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Engaging the community on climate change

A working group set up to tackle climate change in Chesterfield met for the first time last week.

Chesterfield Borough Council agreed to set up the group made up of local volunteers after declaring a climate emergency at a meeting of full council meeting in July (right).

Councillor Amanda Serjeant (below), Chesterfield Borough Council’s deputy leader, said: “We were bowled over with the response we received to our request to volunteers to take part in our working group on climate change.”

“There will also be a wider consultative group of people from different backgrounds and experiences that will help inform the actions taken by the council.”

“Individuals included in the working group have interests or experience in this area so this will be very useful in helping us to shape our plans for the future.”

The working group will explore how both the council and borough can work towards becoming carbon neutral.

The working group will develop a fully costed action plan that will be presented to a meeting of full council by March 2020.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Visiting

Derbyshire County Council to cover apprentice training costs for local SMEs

Small and medium-sized businesses across the county could have their apprentice training costs paid for by Derbyshire County Council.

Derbyshire County Council are using some of their apprentice levy to pay for training for apprenticeships in small and medium-sized businesses.

Apprenticeships can be undertaken by new employees, or existing employees in a wide range of business sectors including manufacturing, creative, service, construction, finance and business, care, retail and many more. There are 100s of different types of apprenticeship at a wide variety of different levels.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, said: “This is a great opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses in the county to boost their level of skills, either by taking on a new apprentice, or training existing employees.”

“We will pay for the training needed, and provide expert help to find the right apprenticeship for your business and employees.”

More information is available from Lucie Andrews, Skills Adviser at the D2N2 Growth Hub, via email lucie.andrews@d2n2growthhub.co.uk or by calling 0333 006 9178.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development

Look out for ‘Your Council Your Voice’ survey and have your say

Residents across Derbyshire are being encouraged to have their say on Derbyshire County Council’s services and finances as part of a wide-ranging new survey.

The ‘Your Council Your Voice’ survey gives county residents the chance to share what they think of the services, how satisfied they are with them and how they find out about them.

Launching Your Council Your Voice, Derbyshire County Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis urged residents to take part and have their say by completing the new look survey which is open for 6 weeks.

Residents will have the opportunity to say how satisfied they are with the areas where they live and what they think about Derbyshire as a whole, whether they’re proud of the county and if it is a safe place to live.

As well as asking about a range of services provided, there are questions about the budget and how spending is prioritised. It’s the first time Derbyshire County Council have combined their annual budget consultation with a more wide-ranging questionnaire.

A new question relating to finances asks residents to look at a range of options they could consider in order to save money or raise additional revenue and to rank them in order of preference, with the possibility to make suggestions.

Last year’s budget consultation saw nearly 7,000 people responding via the survey and this number is expected to increase due to the questionnaire being expanded to include other issues.

Councillor Barry Lewis said:“We continue to run an effective, efficient and strong council providing the best value for money, and we are doing this in the face of greater demands on our services and on-going budget pressures.”

“What we need to know is whether Derbyshire residents think we’re getting it right, what changes they’d like to see and whether their priorities have changed from last year.”

“We’ve expanded the survey this year so we can take a closer look at what people think about where they live and what they think the council could do to save money or raise additional revenue.”

“It’s really important to us that as many people give their views as possible so we get a very clear picture of what people across the county are thinking and what their priorities are.”

Take part in the Your Council Your Voice Survey

The survey runs until Sunday 1 December 2019. People taking part have the chance to win £100 of shopping vouchers in a prize draw. Papers copies are available on request by email haveyoursay@derbyshire.gov.uk.

No decisions about the budget have yet been made and the Cabinet will consider the survey responses relating to the budget, along with budget proposals, at a meeting in January 2020.

Derbyshire residents will be given the chance to have their say about individual proposals which may affect them after decisions have been made about the overall budget.

Responses relating to non-budget issues in the survey will be used to help shape and improve services in the year ahead.

Story of Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield

Records broken as Redbrik Half enjoys successful third outing

The 2019 Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon has been hailed a success by organisers, event partners and participants after enjoying a record-breaking third outing.

More than 1,500 people registered for the event’s three elements – the 13.1-mile Half Marathon, Peak FM Five Mile Run and Blachford UK Fun Run – with new course records also set by both the female and male Redbrik Half winners.

Richard Start, from Wingerworth in Chesterfield and of North Derbyshire Running Club, was the first to cross the Redbrik Half finish line with a record time of 1:11:52, with Leeds’ Susan Lewis, of Roundhay Runners, the first female to finish in a time of 1:24:29 – also a new record for the current Redbrik Half course.

The Redbrik Half’s oldest participant was 79-year-old Dave Onion, from Nottingham, with Daniel Lowe, from Ashgate in Chesterfield, the youngest at 17.

The first male and female to cross the line of the Peak FM Five Mile Run were Rob Shoreson, from Whitwell, in 29:59, and Clowne’s Louise Cocking in 33:11 – with Louise also setting a new female Peak FM Five Mile run record.

Logan Fairey was the winner of the 1KM Blachford Fun Run, which took place within the boundaries of Queen’s Park in tandem with the main event.

Around 15 organisations also took part in the first Pronto Paints Wellbeing Challenge, a team entry into the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon’s events.

The event also helped raise thousands for good causes across the region, with £40,000 pledged in 2019 for charities including the main charity partner, Ashgate Hospicecare, and North Anston-based Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

The event was also hailed a huge success online – with people taking to social media to heap praise on the Redbrik Half.

Facebook user Phill Young said: “Be proud of yourself Chesterfield – fantastic event today. Brilliant stewards, brilliant support, brilliant sponsors. Well done.”

Shannon Robyn commented: “Finally got to complete this today with my partner David. An amazingly well-supported race with plenty of water stations. All the marshals were fab. Great event!”

Following the 2019 event, John Timms, Event Director at Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with what was a record sign-up total for the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon – and I’d also like to congratulate Richard and Susan on breaking both the male and female course records.”

“It is truly amazing to see how many people turned out to support the event, both in Queen’s Park at the start/finish line and out on route.”

“We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to making the event a success once more – including event partners and sponsors, and of course all those who took part.”

“A special mention must go to all the volunteers who helped out on race day – who gave up their Sunday morning to help keep everything running smoothly, to assist runners and to help the general public. Without them, this event simply would not be possible, so a big thank you to everyone who helped out.”

“I also want to thank anyone who was affected by the road disruptions across Chesterfield for their understanding throughout the day.”

“Most importantly, however, the money raised by this event will go a long way to helping good causes like Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, which do so much fantastic work in the local community.”

Mark Ross, Managing Director of headline sponsor Redbrik and who took part in the Peak FM Five Mile Run, said: “The 2019 Redbrik Chesterfield Half was without doubt the best Redbrik Half yet.”

“We are very proud to have been involved in the event’s success again this year – supporting the local community and giving back to the people who have helped make our business such a success since our establishment in 2013 is part of our ethos.”

“It was fantastic to see so many people turn out for great causes, which at the end of the day is what this event is all about.”

“We love this town and we want to see it thrive. Events such as the Redbrik Half Marathon help to do that, with huge numbers of people coming to Chesterfield from all parts of the country to support, contribute or take part. We can’t wait until 2020 already!”

For more information on the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, visit www.redbrikchesterfieldhalf.com.

Side photo credit: Charles Whitton Photography
Main photo credit: Paul Horton Photography
Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting