About Chesterfield

Chesterfield chosen as home for new bridging finance company

Following his departure from Banner Jones Solicitors in 2020, Chesterfield solicitor Chris Sellars has announced his new venture and it is to be based in the town.

In a bold move Chris has left the world of law to concentrate fully on his new business Bridge Help, a bridging finance company which provides short term loans for commercial property deals.

Established in late 2018 by Chris and business partners Andrew Parker and Sam Wood, the company is successfully filling a gap in the finance marketplace by providing short-term loans for property deals where High Street banks will not.

The company has grown month-on-month prompting Chris to make the decision last year to leave the legal profession after nearly 30 years and focus on developing Bridge Help further.

Bridge Help provides loans from £150,000 to £10 million and has ambitions to lend £100 million per year both direct to individuals and through a broker network.

Already it has provided finance for developments throughout the UK, including Sheffield, Dover, Dundee, York, Hornsea and Norfolk. Bridge Help is fast becoming known as one of the best and most competitive commercial lenders on the market.

Chris commented: “Leaving Banner Jones was an incredibly difficult decision to make but Bridge Help represents an exciting new chapter in both my professional and personal life. For 12 months the business was a side venture however, the level of demand from clients in that time has shown me the true potential of Bridge Help.

“Together with the team I have recruited, I have the opportunity to once again develop a company into a leading name in its field. I am very much looking forward to the challenge.”

The company is based in offices on Hady Hill in Chesterfield and already 12, three of which are field based covering the UK. Plans are already in place for further recruitment in 2020.

He added: “I remain committed to my home town of Chesterfield. The town is an excellent central base for servicing projects we are financing throughout the UK.”

For further information about Bridge Help visit www.bridgehelp.co.uk or follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home

Win a SONY PlayStation at Vicar Lane

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is excited to continue their Win the Window competition in 2020, which gives customers the chance to win a new prize every month. This month, there is a chance to win a SONY PlayStation from CEX to celebrate the New Year in style.

The competition starts on Monday 6th January and runs until Sunday 26th January. The prize is displayed in the winning window, located opposite F. Hinds at Vicar Lane.

This competition follows the first which saw the popular Chesterfield shopping centre giving away a generous £30 F. Hinds gift card, the second which saw one lucky person winning a giant teddy from Holmes Amusements and the third, which saw a customer walking away with a tasty £20 Quoozies voucher. In the run up to Christmas, customers had the opportunity to win a fabulous bundle, filled with goodies from a variety of stores at the centre, worth over £170.

For the chance to win the latest prize, customers should simply visit the Centre’s winning window opposite F. Hinds and follow the simple instructions, or comment on the official competition post on Facebook.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager at Vicar Lane said, “We’re sure our January ‘Win the Window’ competition will be a popular one!’’

Terms and conditions apply.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Preparations in place for progress in Chesterfield during 2020

There is an undercurrent of excitement in Chesterfield. The progress the town made in 2019 means we cannot escape the positivity we feel for 2020.

Forget Brexit and the General Election outcomes, I am proud to say the town has forged ahead with its plans regardless of the political uncertainty of recent years. And it shows.

This year we will see even more projects come out of the ground – Northern Gateway’s new innovation centre, and the office block and family housing being delivered at Chesterfield Waterside being just a few examples.

Chesterfield Borough Council has granted reserved matters approval for the layout, scale, appearance and landscaping of the seven-storey office building at Chesterfield Waterside.

These developments send a clear message to local, national and even international investors and occupiers – Chesterfield is open for business regardless of the political uncertainties.

While many towns and cities chose to bunker down during the last recession, and even in the current climate of political uncertainty, Chesterfield purposefully chose to forge ahead with its plans, looking forward for ways to achieve growth for the town, rather than back.

That positivity is evident in all that has been achieved, and the plans we have for the town going forward in 2020 and beyond.

Did you know that more people are now employed in the businesses at Markham Vale than in its hey day as a colliery?

The brand new 55,000 sq. ft. industrial building at Markham Vale, MV55,  is now available for immediate occupation.

Having successful major regeneration sites like Markham Vale and a council that is open to doing business, means that Chesterfield is now invited to sit at the same table as major cities. I’ve even heard Chesterfield referred to as a small city in investment circles.

We may not be a city, or even want to be one, but what we share with our larger counterparts is a vision to be a centre of success for residents, businesses and investors. There are no small town attitudes where the future of Chesterfield is concerned, there is only room for positivity.

Create Change Chesterfield

Blog by Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield

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

Free swimming lessons to kick start 2020

Free 30-minute swimming lessons are being offered at Queen’s Park Sports Centre and the Healthy Living Centre this weekend to urge more people to learn to swim.

Chesterfield Borough Council is encouraging residents to secure their place at the open swimming sessions being held on Saturday 4 January 2020 between 9am and 11am where they will be able to find out more about the learn to swim programme and this valuable life skill.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We’re encouraging people to head down to Queen’s Park or the Health Living Centre and take advantage of these free sessions on Saturday, regardless of their current swimming ability. Learning to swim is a vital skill that can last a lifetime and is also a great was to keep fit.”

“The new year is a perfect time to try something new and we believe that these taster sessions are a great way to get you started.”

“Chesterfield has some of the worst health statistics in the country across a range of indicators, so by offering people the opportunity to get out there and try something new, we hope to encourage more people to get active in 2020.”

The sessions are available to children from 3 years at Queen’s Park Sports Centre and to children from 12 months at the Healthy Living Centre.

Those wishing to attend the sessions will need to book in advance by calling Queen’s Park Leisure Centre on 01246 345 555 or the Healthy Living Centre on 01246 345 666.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Superior Spas win top industry awards

Chesterfield based, Superior Spas, the UK’s largest importer and distributor of Hot Tubs, celebrated two major awards at the UK Pool & Spa Awards.

The awards acknowledged a company built on professionalism, motivation and customer service. The first award was the much coveted UK Team of the Year, which was followed by the prestigious Supplier of the Year, an award Superior have now been honoured to receive for the third time in the last 4-years.

The awards brings together the very best of the wet leisure industry and honour the outstanding work companies and individuals achieved throughout the year and 2019 was another standout year for Superior Spas.

Both awards showcase a fantastic company achievement within a very competitive UK industry.

Managing Director, Rob Carlin said, ‘I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all my team for the amazing work, dedication and commitment to Superior Spas. Rob continues, ‘2019 has been our best year on record for number of sales and development of the company. Our vision and success would not be possible without the outstanding team and customers we have. Gareth Ward, Sales Director of Superior Spas added, ‘we are immensely proud to win Supplier of the Year and Team of the Year. We couldn’t achieve these accolades without our great team and the support from our amazing partners across the UK’.

With a recorded breaking year coming to an end, 2020 looks set to be another outstanding year in the growth of Superior Spas, with the completion of a state of the art distribution centre and headquarters in Chesterfield.

2020 also sees the company portfolio increase, allowing Superior to offer more quality industry products that will further enhance the growth of the largest distributor network across the UK and advance further into Europe.

Superior Spas is the UK's largest independent distributor of high-quality hot tubs and swim spas

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home

Chesterfield residents urged to recycle their Christmas waste

Residents across Chesterfield are being encouraged to recycle or reuse as much of their Christmas waste as they can following the festive season.

Chesterfield Borough Council declared a Climate Emergency in July last year and following this would like local people to consider their waste, what can be reduced, reused or recycled in 2020.

The majority of households in the borough have a blue bin and black box/caddy insert for recycling. A full list of what can and cannot be recycled in your blue bin can be found below.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant (below), Deputy Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Tackling the effects of climate change is a key priority for the council.”

“Reducing waste by giving more thought to the products we buy and reusing materials as well as reducing food waste are all ways we can individually make a difference.”

“I encourage people to take action to reduce, sort and separate their waste and to recycle as much as they can of the right items. Recycling is a positive way we can all make a difference and change behaviours in our communities.”

“2019 saw environmental issues come to the forefront with many climate related marches taking place across the world. We are committed to making a difference in Chesterfield and encourage members of the community and local businesses wherever possible to reduce waste and protect the environment.”

“A working group has been set up including representatives from the council, community and business to establish how we can work together to make a real difference in our community.”

“The council’s working group are developing a fully costed action plan that will be presented to a meeting of full council by March 2020”.

Please find below a list of what can and cannot be recycled in the borough:

Blue bin recycling

Yes please:

  • all plastic bottles (drinks, toiletries, cleaning products) remove lids and put in loose
  • plastic pots and tubs (yoghurt, margarine, ice cream, clean plant pots etc)
  • plastic food trays and punnets e.g. meat trays, fruit punnets
  • chocolate and biscuit tins (plastic and metal)
  • drinks cans and food tins
  • empty aerosols
  • clean aluminium food trays and foil (scrunched)
  • metal lids from jars and bottles
  • card and corrugated cardboard (flattened)
  • newspapers, magazines and brochures
  • shredded paper
  • catalogues and directories (including yellow pages, direct mail)
  • envelopes (no need to tear out the window)
  • greetings cards and wrapping paper (please remove all tape, ribbons and plastic)

You can recycle your wrapping paper if it passes the scrunch test. Before recycling make sure you remove any sticky tape and decorations such as bows as these cannot be recycled.

Christmas cards are paper based and can be recycled, along with their envelopes. Remember that any extras such as glitter cannot be recycled and need to be removed.

No thanks:

  • plastic bags e.g. black sacks, carrier bags, bread wrappers, cereal bags
  • plastic film e.g. bubble wrap, magazine wrapping, lids from food trays
  • crisp and biscuit packets/sweet wrappers
  • polystyrene e.g. packaging, takeaway food trays
  • hard plastics e.g. buckets, toys
  • metal items e.g. pans, baking trays
  • textiles e.g. clothes, bedding
  • food waste
  • food / drink cartons and Tetra Pak® e.g. fruit juice cartons
  • foil pouches e.g. pet food, coffee
  • Pringle tubes
  • wallpaper
  • nappies and general waste

In the inner caddy/box – 

Yes please:

All glass bottles and jars (rinsed out please)

No thanks:

  • pyrex and drinking glasses
  • window glass
  • light bulbs
  • microwave plates.

Please don’t mix glass with your other recycling materials. This could lead to a whole lorry of recycling being spoilt.

Find out more: https://www.chesterfield.gov.uk/living-here/christmas-and-new-year-20192020/recycling-your-rubbish-after-christmas

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home

Try something new this January

Have you decided on your New Year’s resolution?

Choosing one, which you will be able to keep for longer than a few weeks, can be really challenging.   But committing to try a few new experiences is something everyone can achieve, as well as having a lot of fun.

We’ve selected five ideas from Chesterfield businesses.  Why not give them a go with your family, friends or colleagues?

Ceramics at Chesterfield College

1.  Learn a new skill 

If you enjoy getting creative, you may be inspired by Chesterfield College’s £15 taster courses in silversmithing or ceramics?  These are a great way to try out a new hobby and if you enjoy the taster you can sign up for a six week course to perfect your skills.

Find out more about the Ceramics taster.
Find out more about the Silversmithing taster.

Or why not try your hand at gin making?  Love Brewing on Chatsworth Road runs gin experiences every Friday and Saturday evening to get you started with your own bespoke flavours, including a 200ml bottle of your creation to take home (per pair).

Find out more about the Make Your Own Gin Experience.

 

2. Experience new local events

You may be feeling blue now the festivities are over, but now is a great time to plan your diary for 2020.  There are plenty of exciting new events to look forward to as well as the return of many popular favourites.

Extreme Bike Battle
Chesterfield Autojumble Market
Make Your Own Gin Experience
Brampton Brewery Tour and Beer Tasting
Sporting Dinner: An Evening with Paul Merson and Phil Thompson at Casa Hotel

Click here to find more local events updated throughout the year.

 

Chesterfield derbyshire World Mental Health Day 2019

3. Support local businesses 

How often do you shop locally?  Are there small changes you could make to help boost the local economy?

S40 Local Magazine is supporting #FiverFest from 15th to 29th February and is spreading the message that if every adult in Chesterfield spends £5 per week in local independent shops rather than online or in supermarkets, we will boost our local economy by £20.4M per year.

Click here for details of many local businesses from solicitors to shops.

 

Avant Homes - Day to Make a Difference at Fairplay

4. Become a volunteer

Have you thought about becoming a volunteer?  It’s a great way to meet new people, learn new skills and give something back to the local community.  These are just a few of the many valuable opportunities locally:-

If you’re a local employer, could you donate your time to support young people in Chesterfield with mock interviews or work experience?  Click here for more information online.

If you’d like to support the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity, you could become a volunteer fundraiser.  Some of the past fundraising activities have helped cancer and dementia patients with art therapy and activities, refurbished medical rooms and enabled the hospital to purchase new rehabilitation equipment.  For more information click here.

At Citizens Advice Chesterfield there are a variety of roles to choose from: including adviser, telephone adviser, receptionist, trustee, campaigner, ambassador and fundraiser. Full training is given and you’d be part of a friendly group of volunteers.  Click here for more information online or contact Linda Moore, Chair of the trustee board and a key fundraiser.

Perfect for people who love where they live, Chesterfield Visitor Centre and Museum are always looking for new volunteers.  Click here to find out more.

Find more local charities here.

(Photo shows local builder, Avant Homes supporting local charity, Fairplay).

 

Sister's Soda Franklin & Sons

5. Taste local produce

You can add some colour to the dark January days with this new sparkling water from Chesterfield’s Franklin & Sons.  Bursting with real, zesty fruit, the new range of Sister’s Soda is available in three unique combinations.  The Sister’s Soda range has three unique flavours including Guava & Lime, Pomegranate & Hibiscus and Pineapple & Cardamom and is available in pubs and bars across Chesterfield as well as supermarkets.  Click here for more information online.

Or have you tried the delicious gluten free Coffee and Walnut cake from Liza Bakes?  A finalist at the national British Baker Awards in the gluten free category, the popular treat has a rich coffee flavour and nutty texture and you would never guess it’s gluten free!  Available in a selection of cafes across Chesterfield or or click here to see more online.

For more information about local producers click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Blog, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Destination Chesterfield

Chesterfield training programme equips people for a career in construction

Ten local people who want to carve a career in construction were celebrating recently after successfully graduating from a training programme at Chesterfield College. The programme gave them the qualifications and experience they need to secure a job in the industry.

The Pathways4Life programme, designed by national maintenance and refurbishment contractor company Fortem in 2005, was delivered in Chesterfield earlier this month in partnership with Chesterfield College, Job Centre Plus and Chesterfield Borough Council.  The programme was driven by Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning condition designed to ensure local residents and businesses can benefit from new investment and development in the town.

The 4 week programme, which gave many unemployed people the chance to retrain, was a mix of classroom lessons and work experience on local building sites. Participants graduated from the programme with an Asbestos Awareness Certificate, a CSCS card and valuable experience of working in a range of roles on building sites. Chesterfield College also helped the people on the programme to pass Level 1 qualifications in Employability and Health and Safety in a Construction environment.

Christian Smallwood, a participant on the course, said;

“It’s been really beneficial to be part of this. The skills and qualifications it has given us on top of the experiences we have had are fantastic. I’ve tried to get into the construction industry before but this time I feel like I have come away with people management skills too. I have learnt so much that I can take away into my next career.”

Andy Green, Regional Operations Director from Fortem explained why it was important for the organisation to develop and run training programmes like this.

“Our organisation has a genuine passion for leaving a legacy in the communities in which we work. Most of our work is on public sector projects and in social housing, so a lot of the people we engage with are in similar circumstances to the people who have come through the course today.  Pathways4Life offers people a way into employment and that is why it is so important to us. We’ve equipped the people graduating from the programme with essential skills needed for a career in construction, and there could be opportunities for them on our sites in the future.”

Councillor Terry Gilby, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth from Chesterfield Borough Council said;

“As a council we are keen to support local people into local jobs and good careers through apprenticeships and training. When we receive a planning application for a large project it is fantastic to be able to work with developers, education partners and the Job Centre to give local residents the opportunity to get the skills they need.  I am sure the people who have graduated from this programme will go on to good careers because of their experiences here.”

To find out more about courses available to help you get the qualifications you need to start a new career the Workskills team at Chesterfield College on 01246 500701.

Christian Smallwood, Graduate of the Construction training programme

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business

Acquisition sees expansion for Aztec Oils

Leading industrial lubrication specialist Aztec Oils has completed the acquisition of the lubricant, pre-packaged fuel and contract packing business of Multispec Limited (formally “Caldo Oils”), for an undisclosed sum.

North Derbyshire based Aztec Oils manufactures and distributes high performance lubricants to a wide range of industrial sectors and is fully committed to building long term relationships with its ever growing number of world-wide customers.

The terms of the acquisition will see Aztec procure Caldo’s manufacturing facilities in St Helens (Merseyside) along with distribution operations in Newton Abbot (Devon) and Rhuddlan (North Wales).

John Longstaff and John Warner from BHP Corporate Finance acted as lead advisors to Aztec Oils with tax advice being provided by Mark Cooper and Katherine Taylor.  Andrew Fielder and Katie Ash from Banner Jones provided legal advice.  Funding for the transaction was delivered by Matthew Chenery from Barclays Bank.

Mark Lord, Managing Director of Aztec commented “This venture really excites us.  It gives us a great opportunity to develop our retail packaged range, offering both Aztec’s branded products, whilst at the same time growing our private label offering”.

John Longstaff, director at BHP Corporate Finance, commented, “we are delighted to have advised Aztec on this strategic transaction.  Caldo is a perfect fit and I am confident that Mark and the team at Aztec will maximise the benefit of the opportunities afforded to the enlarged group.”.

Andrew Fielder, director at Banner Jones, commented, “this acquisition will enable Aztec to further expand its offering to existing customers, as well as reach into new markets, with new products and an increasingly impressive geographic footprint.

“We are pleased to have been able to support Aztec with its legal requirements throughout the transaction, and wish the company every luck for the future of the business as it continues to grow.”

Matthew Chenery at Barclays went on to say, “It’s great to see Aztec Oils going from strength to strength, demonstrating a real thirst for expansion and growth.  We’re thrilled to be supporting this latest exciting acquisition which sets them up well to exploit future market opportunities”.

Aztec Oils Acquisition

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Heathcotes achieves Outstanding rating at two services

Chesterfield-based care provider, Heathcotes Group, is ending 2019 on a high following CQC Outstanding ratings for two of its specialist residential services in Bridlington and Sutton, South London.

Previously rated Good, Heathcotes Larkrise in Sutton supports adults with learning disabilities and autism. The CQC report praised Registered Manager, Ridwan Ameerbeg, and his staff team for person-centred care which truly focused on people as individuals, supporting them to live life to the full and working with them to learn new skills, increase their independence and become more confident in everyday life. It said the environment was unique and creatively supported people’s individual needs and preferences. CQC inspectors added that “without exception, people were treated with compassion, respect and dignity by staff who built meaningful relationships with them.”

Ridwan, who joined Heathcotes as a Support Worker in 2010 and progressed to Registered Manager in 2016, commented on the achievement:

“I’m passionate about supporting learning disability clients and I want to deliver standards that pass the ‘family test’ – the quality of care you would want for yourself or your own loved ones. It’s wonderful to see Heathcotes Larkrise pass that test with flying colours. To have so many people – the inspectors, clients and relatives – saying so many nice things about myself and my team was incredible.”

“Heathcotes Larkrise has taken a lot of inspiration from the organisation’s guidance and the Groups’s core values as a person-centred care provider. Above all, my Support Workers are the face of Heathcotes Larkrise and, without their commitment to delivering quality care, we would not have achieved an Outstanding rating.”

Previously rated Good, Heathcotes Bridlington supports adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome who may have dual diagnoses and associated complex needs.  The CQC rated the service as Outstanding in the Effective, Caring and Well-Led categories, highlighting the role of Registered Manager, Becki Yardley, in embedding a solid structure of governance and a strong commitment to provide person-centred, high quality care which achieved excellent outcomes for people.

The CQC report praised staff for being passionate about providing a good quality service and extremely skilled in effective communication to ensure people felt supported and relaxed, which impacted on people’s behaviours and ability to build relationships with family and friends. It said they actively supported clients to increase their levels of independence and were creative and innovative at looking for ways to meet individual needs in line with best practice.

Becki, who joined Heathcotes in 2004 and became Registered Manager at Bridlington in 2015, was also delighted with the achievement:

“Everyone at the service is thrilled at the achievement and it’s a testament to the dedication, passion and skill of the staff here – their hard work made this happen. I’ve also learned a lot from senior management – they really back you and support your ideas in finding creative ways to improve the quality of care.”

Brendan Kelly, Group Managing Director at Heathcotes, said:

“Many, many congratulations to my colleagues at Heathcotes Larkrise and Heathcotes Bridlington on achieving an Outstanding rating. Their service exemplifies the standard of care that Heathcotes Group seeks to promote and support at every opportunity. It’s an amazing achievement – less than three per cent of care homes in the UK have an Outstanding rating, so really well done to Ridwan, Becki and their brilliant teams. They should be very proud of themselves. I know I’m very proud of them.”

Heathcotes Ofsted

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home

Council to share plans at community assembly

Chesterfield residents are invited to attend a special community assembly meeting to find out more about the council’s activities for 2020 and plans for the future, including how the council uses the portion of Council Tax it receives from residents to pay for vital services.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday 7 January from 6.30pm at the Town Hall, Rose Hill.

Chesterfield Borough Council’s leader, Councillor Tricia Gilby and chief executive, Huw Bowen, will give a presentation about the key issues and financial pressures facing the borough before hosting a discussion about the 10 per cent of Council Tax bills which is used to pay for more than 50 services provided by Chesterfield Borough Council.

The rest of Council Tax bills pay for services by Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Police and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue.

Residents in Brimington and Staveley also pay for parish and town council services.

Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions of the leader and chief executive as well as Councillor Amanda Serjeant, the council’s deputy leader and Helen Fox, chief finance officer.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home

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