Author: Tara Underhill

Proact to Host Funny Photoshoot for Comic Relief

Players and staff at Chesterfield Football Club are inviting visitors to take part in a funny photoshoot for Comic Relief.

Club photographer Tina Jenner will run a pop-up studio at the Hub at Proact Stadium on Monday 9th March from 1.00pm – 6.00pm in return for a donation of at least £2 per image.

There will also be a funny face competition, with the winner receiving a print similar to the poster shown here with their image in the middle, signed by the featured players.

Those taking part will need to complete a photo consent form, which will act as a model release form, which can be downloaded from the Chesterfield FC Community Trust website. Under-18s who attend alone will need to bring a signed form with them.

The Trust’s sport & activity manager, Rachel Booth, said: “As a charity, the Trust is really happy to support such a good, charitable cause.

“We are really looking forward to working with the football club and Tina Jenner Photography to stage such a fun event at The HUB. All of the staff will be joining in and we can’t wait to see our funny photos!”

For more information on the event, please visit http://www.spireitestrust.org.uk/rnd2015/

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Council Tax Frozen for Second Year Running

Council tax paid by residents for services provided by Chesterfield Borough Council has been frozen for another year.

The unanimous vote was taken at the council meeting on Thursday 26 February.

Councillor John Burrows, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Leader, said: “Despite the fact we are, again, facing a huge cut in the funding we receive from the government, we have frozen council tax again to help families in the borough who are doing their best to make ends meet in these difficult economic times.

Councillors also voted to accept the council’s proposed budget for the coming year.

Although Chesterfield Borough Council collects council tax, it only keeps 10 per cent of the money.

For the average band A property, this means the council keeps only £96.59 each year or £1.86 each week of the money collected to fund its services including: refuse collection, street cleaning, sports and park facilities, regeneration, housing, markets, museums, theatres and tourism.

The rest of the money goes to different authorities including Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Constabulary and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Each of these authorities has chosen to increase its portion of council tax by just under two per cent. This means that although the amount residents pay towards services provided by Chesterfield Borough Council will remain the same, the overall amount they pay will increase.

Posted in About Chesterfield

Chinese Tour Buyers Welcomed to Peak District

A group of Chinese tour buyers checked out some of the Peak District and Derbyshire’s top tourism highlights during a whistle-stop tour lead by VisitBritain.

The 20-plus delegation enjoyed a bird’s eye view of breathtaking countryside from cable cars at The Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath as well as an exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of Chatsworth and Haddon Hall.

The flying visit was part of a week-long fact-finding tour of key British destinations, including Yorkshire, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London – and is just one of a number of VisitBritain hosted trips showcasing the country’s finest attractions, accommodation and activities until March 6.

Latest figures from VisitBritain reveal that China is Britain’s 30th most important market for the volume of visits, and 13th for the amount spent by visitors. In 2013, Chinese tourists made 196,000, or 0.6 per cent, of all overseas visits to Britain, and spent £492 million pounds.

“China is one of Britain’s fastest growing visitor markets, so we were delighted that VisitBritain chose to include the Peak District and Derbyshire in – and worked in partnership with us to arrange – one of its escorted itineraries after ExploreGB,” said Jo Dilley, Director of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, the area’s official tourist board.

“More and more Chinese visitors are coming to the Peak District and Derbyshire – including students at surrounding universities in Manchester and Sheffield, who are often visited by friends and relatives – and Chatsworth has already signed up to VisitBritain’s Great China Welcome Charter, as one of the country’s leading Chinese-friendly tourism businesses.

“We hope that this brief visit has given Chinese tour buyers an informative and interesting insight into the wide range of attractions, accommodation and activities that are available in our unique and accessible area – and that they will encourage more Chinese visitors to come and discover more of its many delights in the future.”

Charlie Li, Deputy Manager China for VisitBritain, added: “The Peak District and Derbyshire has everything that Chinese tourists are looking for – including heritage, culture and countryside, plus interesting literature and film links – so this was an ideal opportunity to showcase its assets to our key tour buyers.

“I’m sure they will all be considering how to build the area into their British itineraries to bring more Chinese visitors here as the market develops and grows.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

S40 Local Small Business Club announces Event Programme

Booking is now live for a range of monthly evening seminars designed to help local small businesses to succeed.

Hosted by S40 Local Small Business Club and held at StraightCurves on Saltergate, the first event will be lead by Paul Stuart, one of Chesterfield Borough Council’s own business advisers.  Paul has been supporting the development of StraightCurves since 2013.

Karen Rogers, Owner of StraightCurves says:-

“Having gone through some really tough times setting up my own small business over the last two years I want to help those going through the same issues. Sometimes all you need is someone who understands what it is like to listen to you and share a cuppa and that is what our get-togethers are all about. There won’t be any formalities or awkward network selling – just chats and cuppas. Equally it great to be able to jump up and down about your successes and bounce ideas off other people.”

“Paul has been key to the success of my business so far and without him I would not be where I am today. He is a font of knowledge, a great support and always there when I need him. I want more people to be able to access the help that is available to them from the Council and other local business providers too; hopefully our club will enable this to happen.”
Workshops run by the S40 Local Small Business are open to both members and non-members, priced at £10 and £15 respectively.  Further details are available at www.s40smallbusinessclub.co.uk or by calling 01246 807575.
Posted in Business

Chatsworth International Horse Trials to Raise Funds for Air Ambulance

The Air Ambulance for Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland  (DLRAA) has been announced as the official charity for this year’s Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials which takes place from 15-17 May.

The DLRAA, which provides a vital life-saving rapid response helicopter service, relies entirely on donations to keep the service flying. At a cost of £1,700 for each mission, it is hoped the partnership with the Horse Trials will help support the ongoing fundraising and raise awareness of the important work carried out every day.

Just last year, the DLRAA attended 22 equestrian-related missions in Derbyshire alone. In many cases, the crew is the first on the scene providing vital medical care before either flying the patient to hospital or transferring to a location where they can be reached by land ambulance.

DLRAA flew a total of 1032 missions in 2014 which included 442 road traffic collisions, 186 medical emergencies and 195 sports related injuries, 90 of which were equestrian-related.

Sophie Burt, National Partnerships Manager for Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA), said:

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to be involved in such a prestigious event and we would like to thank the Duke and Duchess and all the team for choosing DLRAA to be the Horse Trials Charity for 2015. DLRAA are a charity that receives no government funding, so we rely entirely on donations and fundraising opportunities like this to keep our vital service flying. It costs around £1,700 for each mission, and we fly an average of three a day.”

The charity will have a stand at the event and will be out and about talking to visitors about their work and accepting donations over the three days.

As well as thrilling cross country action featuring the world’s leading riders, the Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials has fun for all the family with entertainment including the British Scurry and Driving Trials; Pony Club Mounted Games and Falconry displays. Dog lovers will be in for a treat with the gun dog displays; have a go dog agility; dog show and Hound parade.

The event has lots for children to enjoy from meeting the Chatsworth Farmyard animals to Punch and Judy shows; face painting; Mini Land Rovers; bouncy castle and giant slide.

Tickets for the Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials start at £10 for adults and £4.50 for children aged five and over. For more information on the Dodson & Horrell International Chatsworth Horse Trials, visit www.chatsworth.org.

Posted in Visiting

Celebrate Chesterfield welcomes Two Headline Sponsors

Limited places remain to toast the success of Chesterfield’s marketing campaign, Destination Chesterfield at the Winding Wheel, on Wednesday 25 March from 07:30am – 11:00am.

The free ‘Celebrate Chesterfield’ event, held in association with headline sponsors Markham Vale and Corrugated Case Company, allows local businesses to be the first to hear the exciting plans in store for the town in 2015. The morning will also reveal Destination Chesterfield’s upcoming marketing activities until December 2016.

The breakfast will also look back on the campaign’s success during the last twelve months and offers the opportunity to question local leaders and politicians on a Question Time panel.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said: “The annual Celebrate event is so important.  All too often we hear about the good news in isolation and it can be overshadowed by the bad which means it can be forgotten in the melee. This will be our third Celebrate Chesterfield event, following the success of last year’s which was standing room only, however the stream of good news delivered by the Destination Chesterfield team left us all uplifted! This year, Celebrate will be no different. We’ve made a point of building on last year’s success and striving to be even better in 2015.”

The event will also include talks from various local business people.  Corrugated Case Company will discuss how it secured RGF funding to develop the business, a tenant from Markham Vale will talk about their expansion and the University of Derby will present its much anticipated plans for the St Helena’s site in the town centre.

Destination Chesterfield was established in 2010 during which time it has engaged the business community as Chesterfield Champions in actively supporting the marketing of the town and driving investment and bringing it to the attention of national investors.

Ben Ward of Henry Boot Developments said, “Markham vale has grown successfully to become one of Chesterfield’s prime employment sites over the last twelve months which is great news for the local economy.  During the next twelve months we are hopeful to be able to announce some further significant new investment projects for the site and region.

“We are delighted to sponsor this event and continue our support to promote Chesterfield, often overshadowed by its larger neighbours. There is a wealth of good news in the area which needs to be celebrated. This includes the decision by both Inspirespac and Gould alloys to retain their roots in Chesterfield and invest to significantly grow their businesses at Markham.”

Tony Hession, Director of Corrugated Case Company said: “As a Chesterfield based company with customers and staff based here, we’re thrilled to be involved with the Celebrate Chesterfield event. It is vital that we promote all that is good about our town; its’ centrally located geographic position, it’s historic (and present day) creative manufacturing and engineering prowess and of course its location on the edge of the magnificent Peak District and all that has to offer! We look forward to meeting friends both old and new at the Destination Chesterfield event.”

Celebrate Chesterfield is free to attend however spaces are limited and places should be confirmed online.  More than 200 delegates have already registered and so businesses are being encouraged to book now to avoid disappointment at www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate.

Posted in Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield

Franke Sissons Sponsors Bike Racing Team

RSR Racing, based in Hasland in Chesterfield has received another round of sponsorship from local manufacturer, Franke Sissons.

Rodger Turner, team principal and chief engineer explains “Franke’s support has been invaluable – and being supported by a local company is always a bit special too. Our Franke 125cc Bike won the championship last year so I hope we can build on the relationship.”

RSR Racing is a specialist road racing motorcycle team that enters races from the East Midland Racing championships. The team actively supports and encourages young riders to take up the sport and develop their skills both in the UK and Spain.

Managing Director, Andrew Dukelow from Franke Sissons says. “RSR Racing has enjoyed some notable success in the EMRA series and we are proud to be encouraging young people to get involved in the sport via our association. I wish the team all the best for the 2015 season which starts in March.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Locals Encouraged to Have Their Say at Community Assembly meetings

Residents are invited to share their views at the latest round of Chesterfield Borough Council’s Community Assembly meetings.

Held four times each year, the meetings allow people to receive information and ask questions about projects led by the council and other partners that will affect them and their families.

On the agenda at the March meetings include: updates from the council’s scrutiny committee and Chesterfield College as well as a presentation from Derbyshire County Council’s public health team.

Derbyshire’s police and crime commissioner, Alan Charles, will attend the North, South and West Community Assembly meetings to give a presentation on Derbyshire’s police and crime plan.

The East Community Assembly meeting will feature a presentation on crime reduction by Derbyshire Constabulary.

Residents at the South, West and East meetings will also have the opportunity to vote on which good causes in their area can receive funding of up to £200 as part of the council’s minor grants scheme.

Councillor Sharon Blank, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Executive Member for Customers and Communities said: “I’d encourage anyone with an interest in their local area to come along to our Community Assembly meetings.

“This is their opportunity to find out what is happening in their area and to ask questions of the council and other partners.”

The meetings will take place at the following dates:

  • Chesterfield North: Wednesday 4 March, St Hugh’s Church, Littlemoor
  • Chesterfield South: Thursday 5 March, Town Hall, Rose Hill
  • Chesterfield West: Tuesday 10 March, Town Hall, Rose Hill
  • Chesterfield East: Wednesday 11 March, Staveley Miners’ Welfare, Market Street, Staveley

Each meeting will begin at 6.30pm and finish at 8.30pm and there will be a local councillors’ surgery after each meeting.

Healthwatch Derbyshire will also attend the North and East Community Assembly meetings from 6pm to ask residents about their experiences of health and social care in the county.

Chesterfield Town Hall spring

Posted in About Chesterfield

Solar Farms Proposed for Derbyshire

Plans are being put forward for a series of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) sites – better known as solar farms – to be built on currently-unused land owned by Derbyshire County Council. This includes former colliery or underused agricultural land unsuitable for growing crops.

Initial investigations have identified the following sites for potential development:

  • agricultural land at Swathwick Lane, Swathwick, Wingerworth
  • Westthorpe Hills, former Westthorpe Colliery
  • land at Pye Bridge, Alfreton
  • former Swanwick Colliery reclamation land
  • agricultural land at Mansfield Road, Temple Normanton
  • former Williamthorpe Colliery

It is expected that an energy supplier would pay Derbyshire County Council for each unit of electricity produced by the panels, with extra payments being made if the electricity is then exported to the National Grid.

The project, which is being put forward in partnership with the Association for Public Sector Excellence (APSE) − an organisation that supports local authorities to deliver energy schemes − is in its early stages.

Further feasibility studies would still need to be carried out. If any of the sites get the go-ahead they could be up and running by March 2016.

But before any of the locations can be considered further, local residents are to be asked their views.

Next week (Tuesday 3 March), Cabinet will be asked to approve plans to consult on the initiative. If agreed, details of the consultation will be announced shortly.

Councillor John Owen, Deputy Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, said:

“These sites are not currently being put to their best use and turning them into solar panel farms could offer great potential to generate income for the council and so help protect services.

“Generally, these proposed sites are already screened off, in out of the way areas and in most cases are not overlooked. And largely they tend not to be of much environmental interest. In some cases they could provide a good opportunity to improve the local conservation.”

Councillor Owen added:

“We have made a public commitment in our Climate Change Charter to invest in renewable energy technologies to help reduce our negative impact on climate change and provide local, green sources of energy.”

Posted in About Chesterfield

Manufacturing Businesses Invited to Forum

Booking is now open for the next Chesterfield Manufacturing and Engineering Forum taking place at Casa Hotel on Thursday 5 March from 12.00pm – 2.00pm.

The free event, organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with NatWest and United Cast Bar Ltd, will welcome Richard Hall from the University of Derby as guest speaker.

Richard is Director of the university’s new Institute for Innovation (IISE), Director of Research, Innovation and Impact (RII).  He is also Professor of Engineering Design & Simulation, a chartered engineer and a fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Richard will talk about the opportunities available for manufacturing businesses in Derbyshire to work with Derby University following its announcement to open a campus in the town this year. He will also explain how firms can access the university’s Regional Growth Funded grant scheme.

Launched to give the manufacturing and engineering sector a voice in Chesterfield, the forum has made a big impression since it began in 2012. It also ran during the first Made in Chesterfield Week last November which was designed to raise awareness of careers in the sector among local young people. The event was such a success that Made in Chesterfield will return for a fortnight later this year.

James Brand, Managing Director of United Cast Bar and Chair of the forum said: “Engineering and manufacturing is thriving in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire, however it is not often talked about. The forum is a great opportunity for firms in these industries from across the area to get together and share our success and access the information and advice to grow and prosper further.”

There will be a two course lunch as well as a chance to discuss business with colleagues in the sector.

Spaces at the forum are limited so people are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.

To ensure you are able to attend, book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chesterfield-manufacturing-forum-tickets-15707541680 or for more information visit www.chesterfield.co.uk.

Posted in Business

Spring Exhibition Opens at StraightCurves

StraightCurves‘ Spring Exhibition is now open to the public. The Hallway Gallery features original pieces and framed prints by local artists and craftspeople including Liz & Kate Pope, Abi Burlingham, Wildgoose Designs, English Tilly and Dianna Lee amongst others. As well as traditional artwork, it also showcases pieces created in clay, crochet, wood, felted wool and vintage fabrics.

Looking forward to welcoming locals and visitors to see the Spring Exhibition, Owner Karen Rogers said:-

“It’s great to have so much local artwork on show here at StraightCurves and we hope everyone will pop in for a browse and a brew.

“The gallery is also a perfect companion to the range of workshops and courses we offer here – many of which are taught by the artists whose work is on display. We have a range of great gift items available too, including textiles, jewellery, craft kits and a wide range of cards – again from a range of local craftspeople.”

StraightCurves and the Hallway Gallery are open 10am – 4pm Monday-Friday, and are located at 104 Saltergate in Chesterfield.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Visiting