About Chesterfield

Local shoppers donate specs in aid of charity

18th January 2020

Staff and customers at the Specsavers stores in Matlock and Chesterfield have donated nearly 8,500 pairs of old glasses to the store over the last year to raise money for the Vision Aid Overseas charity.

Vision Aid Overseas is a registered charity which supports those with eye sight problems in developing countries. They operate in Zambia, Ghana, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.

Vicki Bainbridge, Director at Specsavers in Matlock and Chesterfield, said: “We would like to thank all of our customers who helped us last year on this project, but please do keep bringing in your glasses. Every single one will make a difference!”

“In a country where opticians’ services are readily available, it is easy for us to take our vision for granted. In the developing world however, the provision of optical services has a real impact on peoples’ lives.”

“Customers raised thousands of glasses this year – nearly enough to fill Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium! So check your drawers and dig down the back of the sofa, your unwanted specs can certainly go to good use.”

Once donated, all of the pairs of glasses collected are then recycled. The money made from this is used to help provide eye-care in developing countries.

The team at Specsavers is hopeful that donations will continue to be received throughout this year, allowing them to support Vision Aid Overseas’ work further.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home

Proposals for new cycle routes in Derbyshire approved

17th January 2020

Proposals to implement a key cycle network throughout Derbyshire have been approved by Derbyshire County Council cabinet members.

The Derbyshire Cycle Plan launched in early 2016 set out aspirations to create the most connected and integrated county for cycling in the country.

In 2017, the Cabinet agreed to the development of a key cycle network for the county identifying the most important routes for commuting, leisure and tourism which included both established and new routes.

Now a revised network of routes has been approved following a 12-week public consultation period which gave Derbyshire residents the opportunity to have their say on the proposals offering amendments and recommendations.

Please click below links to view the PDF documents (opens in new window).

Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, Simon Spencer, said: “These plans show our ambition to cement Derbyshire as a world class cycling destination for everyone.”

“The council has recently pledged to tackle climate change with our carbon reduction manifesto which includes supporting and promoting the development of low carbon travel and more environmentally friendly modes of transport.”

“Establishing a key cycle network will make a significant contribution to this pledge offering quality routes for low carbon travel which are safe and enjoyable to use for both residents and visitors to the county.”

There are 127 sections of the network that have been prioritised for investment which have been grouped in short, medium and long term categories.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Chesterfield mortgage advisers named as finalist in British Bank Awards 2020

16th January 2020

Chesterfield-based mortgage advisers, Mortgage 1st, are delighted to be named as a finalist in the ‘Best Mortgage Broker’ category in the British Bank Awards 2020.

The British Bank Awards aim to find the best financial products and the most trusted financial brands in the country. These awards are voted for by customers and so far over 21,000 have voted for more than 180 different companies.

Lisa Stones (below), Marketing Director at Mortgage 1stsaid: “To be shortlisted for any award is amazing but when the results are based on customer votes it’s even more special as service excellence is what we pride ourselves on. We are very excited to be in the finals alongside a number of large well-known national mortgage firms – Wish us luck!”

Voting for finalists continues until the 9th of February – to vote for Mortgage 1st click here. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on the 12th of March 2020.

Mortgage 1st were also recently shortlisted as finalists in the Yorkshire Financial Awards in three categories – Mortgage Broker of the year, Customer Service Award and their Managing Director Jon Stones is shortlisted for Director of the Year. Winners will be announced in Leeds on the 27th of February 2020.

Lisa added: “We are delighted to be recognised for our contributions to the financial services industry, both regionally and nationally!”

Click here to find out more about Mortgage 1st.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home

West Studios offers virtual office space in Chesterfield

16th January 2020

Chesterfield’s West Studios, featuring a gallery, studio and meeting & event space, and home to a number of creative businesses, is now offering virtual office space.

The service offers a cost effective way for new and developing businesses in Chesterfield to take their business to the next level, at the same time as joining a supportive and established community of creative businesses.

The Virtual Tenancy offered by West Studios, for just £15 per month, not only gives new businesses the chance to have a registered business address away from their home address, it also gives them access to a whole host of other benefits including:

Access to an established creative community who work in the managed workspaces in the historic building
Use of the Gallery for informal meetings for up to 4 people
20% off Monday – Friday bookings for the Meeting Room and Studio
A postal service
Exclusive tenant communications, offers and invitations
Details about the business will be included on the West Studios website, social media and there are opportunities to be featured in the monthly newsletter

West Studios is situated in the old Boys Grammar School on the Chesterfield College campus. It is designed to be a space to drive creativity and business growth, as well as to promote and showcase local talent.

To find out more about the Virtual Tenancy, contact the team on 01246 500799 or hello@weststudios.co.uk. For more information about West Studios, click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Featured, Home

Markham Vale partner rebrands

16th January 2020

Henry Boot Developments Ltd, Derbyshire County Council’s private sector partner at Markham Vale, has a new brand.

The company has overhauled its identity and will now be called HBD. This marks the first time it has done so in its 40-year history, after the firm boosted its pipeline from £1bn to £1.6bn in 2019. Whilst the company have a new brand and logo they still have the same driving ambition to create places with purpose. HBD will still remain an important part of parent company Henry Boot.

Managing Director of HBD, Ed Hutchinson, said: “I’m really excited about where we could get to. We’ve got some major schemes on the books now.”

“We are not distancing ourselves from Henry Boot,” Mr Hutchinson added.

“The rebrand is in order to reposition ourselves and make us look more current. Our people are first class. We will always be modest as a company, but perhaps we are guilty of being too understated.”

Following on from the rebrand, HBD has announced a number of senior promotions across its business which forms part of a wider strategy to deliver ambitious growth targets and continue to attract top talent.

Adam Brady, Vivienne Clements and Hamer Boot all become Executive Directors, focusing on city centre regeneration projects, partnerships and strategic employment sites, and investment & funding respectively. Their new roles will see them working across HBD’s seven offices.

Directors Julian Painter, John Cullen and Adrian Schofield all become Senior Directors, while Anthony Clitheroe and Harry Bunbury have been promoted to Director. Tom Wheldon becomes Director and Head of Yorkshire and North East, Justin Sheldon to Director and Head of Midlands, Dean Thompson to Director and Head of North West, and Matt Belshaw becomes Director and Head of Scotland. Nigel Munro becomes Project Director.

Along with individual promotions, the developer has created a new Executive Board that will comprise Ed Hutchinson, plus Executive Directors Hamer Boot, Adam Brady, Vivienne Clements, and Commercial Finance Manager, Wayne Wearing.

Ed Hutchinson, Managing Director of HBD, said: “We have announced a series of senior promotions across the UK, which is reflective of the talent and expertise within our business. Our new management structure allows us to continue attracting top talent, while maximising expertise throughout the regions as we deliver an ambitious growth strategy.”

Click here to find out more about Markham Vale.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home

UKATA donates £5,000 to Mesothelioma UK

15th January 2020

UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) has become corporate partners with Mesothelioma UK and has raised £5,000 to support people living with asbestos-related cancer.

Statistics from the Health & Safety Executive released in October 2019, reveal that in the UK more than 2500 people die from mesothelioma each year, with a similar number of lung cancer related deaths, linked to past exposures of asbestos.

A cheque was presented to Guy Tewley, Corporate Fundraising Officer for Mesothelioma UK at a ceremony at UKATA’s head office in Chesterfield.

Guy said: “It has been fantastic to have the opportunity to work with UKATA over the past year and the funds they have raised will help us to continue to support patients, families and achieve our goals. We look forward in continuing this great partnership and working together in the future!”

UKATA’s Chief Operating Officer, Craig Evans said “UKATA is a leading not for profit asbestos training association, raising standards in asbestos training throughout the industry. Our members train in excess of 200,000 delegates each year on the dangers of asbestos and how to work safely.”

“The corporate partnership with Mesothelioma UK allowed us to further raise awareness of the risks associated to working with asbestos, at the same time, raising much needed funds to help support patients and families.”

“The money raised by the UKATA team and members is a great achievement and I am very proud of everyone’s efforts to support this great charity.”

The partnership will allow UKATA to support the charity in providing specialist mesothelioma information, support and education, and to improving care and treatment for all UK mesothelioma patients and carers.

Click here to find out more about UKATA

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home

Work to begin on Chesterfield’s new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

14th January 2020

Work is set to begin on the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre on part of the Holywell Cross (Donut) car park.

Chesterfield Borough Council has appointed local contractor Robert Woodhead Ltd to build the new development for businesses, with work to begin in Spring 2020.

This appointment follows an extensive procurement process undertaken by Chesterfield Borough Council in which Robert Woodhead Ltd has proved successful amidst a highly competitive field of design and build contractors. The good response by the construction market to this opportunity indicates there is a high level of interest for schemes in Chesterfield.

The new building will provide 32 high-quality offices in a range of sizes (26 to 120 square metres) over three floors. It offers a shared reception and lobby area, meeting rooms, first floor break out area, bicycle store, shower and changing facilities, air conditioning throughout, lift access, internal bin store, kitchenettes on the first and second floor for use by occupants, individually metered power supplies, access control to all office doors, CCTV coverage to internal communal areas and external area. IT fibre connection into building with maximum speed multi bandwith and Wifi is provided throughout.

Businesses moving in to the new facility will benefit from its central location, being in easy access to the town centre, Chesterfield train station, local buses and there being car parking nearby, and will benefit from having access to business support.

The development is estimated to take 12 months to build, so will be open for business in early 2021. Those interested in occupying one of the spaces should use the contact details below to discuss options available.

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic development, said: “The new centre will allow those based there to have access to in-house support services to encourage and nurture start-up and early stage businesses in a wide variety of industry sectors.

“The contractor appointed is based in the East Midlands, and as with all our contractors we will work with them in the support of the local labour clause promoting the use of a local supply chain and the employment of local people.

“The council declared a climate emergency in Chesterfield last year so being environmentally friendly in our forthcoming building projects is essential.

“This building has been deliberately designed to reduce its demand for energy and related carbon emissions. Through this design we are looking to achieve a 39.11% reduction in carbon omissions and 41.28% reduction in annual energy consumption when compared with a standard building.

“The combination of building fabric design and efficient building energy management systems will help us to achieve these targets. To demonstrate the sustainability credentials of this building we aim to achieve a BREEAM – New Construction Rating of Excellent.

“The location of the building in the town centre also ensures it benefits from proximity to a range of public transport services. The building will provide shower and changing facilities for those occupants who cycle or travel to work on foot. A building travel plan will also help promote more environmentally sustainable forms of transport to those using the building.

“The new centre will be the third managed workspace in the council’s portfolio, and we are seeking to build on the success of our well let Tapton and Dunston Innovation Centres.”

Leo Woodhead, Business Development Director at Woodhead Group, said: “Woodhead Group is delighted to be taking part in this exciting opportunity collaborating with Chesterfield Borough Council.”

“Our partnership will allow Woodhead Group to grow and develop our business within the local community.”

The centre will be developed on the same area that the archaeological dig took place last year, with hoarding going up around the site over the next few weeks. It has benefited from grant funding support from the Sheffield City Region Investment Fund.

To find out more about your business being based in the Enterprise Centre call either Claire Cunningham or Hannah Ramsdale on 01246 345255 or email hannah.ramsdale@chesterfield.gov.uk or claire.cunningham@chesterfield.gov.uk .

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting

Two new additions for Markham Vale

14th January 2020

Following the completion of new deals at Wilson Business Park on Harper Way, two new companies have recently moved to Markham Vale.

QCR Recycling Equipment have moved in to Unit 5 along with their sister company Mypower Ltd. QCR supply balers and compactors which help businesses reduce waste costs, increase recycling rates and lower their carbon footprint.

After 20 years of waste equipment across the UK, QCR has vast experience with a huge range of waste materials and how to reduce costs. Their customers are so varied, spanning pubs and Michelin starred restaurants to the biggest retailers and manufacturers in the UK.

Sister company, Mypower, are award-winning designers and installers of commercial solar PV systems that help businesses of all sizes reduce their impact on climate change, whilst reducing their electricity costs.

This follows the recent announcement that Catering Projects, based in Waterloo Court, have acquired a second unit across the road in Wilson Business Park, as well as hiring four new staff members, including an Administration Assistant apprentice from Chesterfield College.

Discussions are progressing with three further businesses that are considering Markham Vale as the place for their future business needs.

Click here to find out more about locating your business in Markham Vale.

Click here to learn more about finding commercial property in Chesterfield.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home

Dawson Radford Solicitors expands team

13th January 2020

Dawson Radford Solicitors are delighted to announce that Amad Akhtar has joined the business as a trainee solicitor.

After successfully completing a 6 month internship facilitated by the Sheffield RISE programme, Amad successfully secured the position and now begins life as a trainee solicitor.

On accepting the position Amad said “Securing this position with Dawson Radford Solicitors is my proudest accomplishment to date and I look forward to challenges ahead. I am very happy to progress my career with Dawson Radford and excited play a role in the firms growth and expansion.”

Director Jo Dawson commented “As a small firm it is sometimes difficult to find the right people to join our team. From early on in his time with us, Amad quickly integrated himself as an invaluable team member, taking on increasingly complex work. As someone with no commercial experience, this was great to see, and I am excited to see how he develops with us as a trainee. This is an important decision for the future-proofing of the firm and I am pleased we are doing this by ‘growing our own’ solicitors of the future”.

Click here to find out more about Dawson Radford Solicitors

Click here to find out more about local business support services

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

£1.3m Revamp of Chesterfield’s The HQ office building

13th January 2020

Asset and property company FI Real Estate Management (FIREM) is undertaking a significant refurbishment programme at Chesterfield’s The HQ office building, formerly known as Rowland Hill House.

FIREM’s refurbishment works – totalling an investment of more than £1.3m – comprise an extensive refurbishment of the office accommodation to include a Grade A specification of raised floors and air conditioning.

Keen to enhance the offering for employees choosing a greener commute, FIREM has also installed new showers and cycle facilities, to cater to those who cycle to work. The HQ workers will also enjoy a brand-new entrance and reception area with communal meeting rooms.

Formerly home to the Royal Mail, The HQ comprises an imposing four storey office building totalling 44,000 sq. ft. The floor plates total 11,000 sq ft and are the largest available within the town and wider region. With a pre-let already agreed for the 3rd floor, the building can now accommodate requirements ranging from 5,000 – 33,000 sq ft.

A spokesperson for FI Real Estate Management commented: “We are delighted with the works that are progressing at the newly revamped The HQ. This investment demonstrates our continued commitment to the building and the interest being generated attests to the strength of the location and the quality of accommodation we have been able to offer.”

Peter Whiteley of Commercial Letting Agents Knight Frank added: “We are delighted that works have commenced at The HQ. This is a superb opportunity for office based businesses to secure flexible, efficient and modern space, finished to the highest standards in an accessible location, close to Chesterfield town centre. The HQ can deliver a variety of suite options on new leases and we have already received strong interest in the available accommodation.”

The offices also benefit from 150 on site car spaces as well as cycle storage. HQ is located within a 10 minute walk of Chesterfield Town Centre on Boythorpe Road, just off the A61/A617 roundabout, and is within a forty minute drive of Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham. Chesterfield railway station is located on the Midland Main Line, providing services across the UK.

Click here to find out about locating your business in The HQ

Click here to find available commercial properties in the Chesterfield area

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home

Young people to have their say about how they influence county council decisions

13th January 2020

Children and young people are set to be asked for their views on the best way for Derbyshire County Council to involve and consult with them on decisions that they make.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet is to consider a proposal at its meeting on Thursday 16 January 2020 to carry out a consultation about changing the Derbyshire Youth Council (DYC) for more representative arrangements to increase the number of young people taking part in local democracy.

The DYC was set up in 2002 and has 36 members aged 11 to 19 voted into office by children and young people through the ‘Big Vote’ process every two years.

As well as hosting the DYC we also support a variety of other opportunities to encourage youth democracy including Locality Youth Forums, the Children in Care Council, School Councils, the Care Leavers’ Council and countywide locality youth forums.

An independent review of these groups carried out in 2018 identified that they were all valued by young people, but that a significant proportion of available staff time and resources was devoted to the DYC which in comparison only benefited a relatively small number of young people.

The Cabinet will consider a recommendation to carry out ‘The Big Consultation’ on a proposal for the DYC to be disbanded and replaced with a strategic network developed around the current School Council and other structures.

If Cabinet agrees to approve the consultation it would run for 12 weeks from Friday 24 January 2020 to Friday 17 April 2020 and gather views from:

children and young people
schools
voluntary organisations
youth service providers
councillors
children’s services managers and staff

Councillor Alex Dale, Cabinet Member for Young People, said: “We are committed to involving young people in our decision-making processes for a variety of reasons including the opportunities for them to learn about democracy and to help us plan services and make the best use of our resources by listening to what they have to say.”

“Young people have told us that the DYC is a great way to discuss relevant issues and make a difference, but they also raised concerns that it was not always representative and only allowed for a small number of young people to be involved and benefit from the experience.”

“That’s why we’re asking Cabinet to consider approving a consultation around a proposal which would focus resources on supporting opportunities young people think would enable and encourage more of them to get involved in local democracy and influence our decision-making process.”

Representatives from the DYC and some schools took part in an initial consultation to help shape the consultation options. The feedback was that it was ‘great to be part of the DYC’ but it was only available for a few young people and funding should be used to enable more young people to be involved in council decisions and that existing groups could be developed using technology to improve communication and connections between them.

And the issues young people were most interested in included:

the council’s long-term plans and how it is meeting its environmental responsibilities
how budgets are spent
the quality of schools and services
equality and diversity

Current DYC members were due to end their two-year term in office in March 2020 but that would be extended for a further year while proposals for possible future arrangements were considered.

Derbyshire county council are committed to involving young people in local democracy and decision-making and this is supported by legislation including the Children Act 1989, the Education Act 2002 and the Health and Social Care Act 2001.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Visiting