About Chesterfield

Huge jobs growth at Markham Vale

6th June 2019

A record number of 2,236 people are currently employed at Markham Vale, an increase of almost 600 new jobs over the past twelve months. The figures are the result of Derbyshire County Council’s Markham Vale Annual Jobs survey.

The 2,236 employees at Markham Vale is now more than the 2,000 people that were employed at the former colliery site in its 1980’s hey day.

There are over 50 companies based at Markham Vale across a range of industry sectors and of varying sizes, with a number of start-up companies employing two or three people and then there are the large multi-nationals employing two to three hundred.

Markham Vale is a 200-acre industrial and logistics development located at Junction 29A of the M1 in Derbyshire, a joint venture between Henry Boot Developments (HBD) and Derbyshire County Council.

One of the region’s most successful industrial locations, Markham Vale is home to the likes of Great Bear, Gist, Ferdinand Bilstein and Sterigenics.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, said: “We look forward to welcoming even more businesses at the site very soon and for those looking to relocate or expand, we still have opportunities available so please get in touch for more information.”

Find out more about relocating to Markham Vale and investing in Chesterfield.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development

Local hospice thanks their volunteers for providing over £400,000 of support a year

6th June 2019

Local hospice charity and Chesterfield Champion, Ashgate Hospicecare, who cover the North Derbyshire area, will be celebrating the difference volunteers make to their organisation and thanking them for all their time and dedication during this year’s Volunteers’ Week, which runs from 1 – 7 June.

Volunteers make an enormous contribution to Ashgate Hospicecare, not only in terms of the skills and experience they bring, but also in the enormous financial savings through the support they provide. The hospice, which is based in Chesterfield and serves the whole of North Derbyshire, has around 690 active volunteers at any one time, supporting the retail shops, fundraising and clinical staff across the hospice.

Based on volunteers giving an average of six hours a month, and calculated at the National Minimum Wage from April 2019 of £8.21 per hour, their contribution has resulted in over £400,000 of valuable support. In reality, many of the volunteers give much more of their time and would cost more per hour to hire due to the skills and experience they bring to their roles. Ashgate Hospicecare is hugely grateful to all their volunteers for the time they dedicate in their roles, every minute of which helps patients with a life-limiting illness and families to receive vital hospice care when they need it.

Colin Boynton, from Buxton, has volunteered for Ashgate Hospicecare for over a year on the Inpatient Unit. He said, “I get an enormous amount out of volunteering for the hospice. It’s a very special place to me and so when I come here and serve the meals to patients, I feel included and part of the hospice. It’s been hard for me since I lost my husband, Frank, in 2017, but volunteering here keeps me motivated and I feel very well supported by the staff. It feels nice to give something back and bring a smile to the patients’ faces. I’d recommend volunteering to anyone and, no matter whether you want to spend time with patients or help the hospice in another way, you’ll be able to build up your skills and confidence and feel proud to support their fantastic work.”

Joanne Neill, Volunteer Development Manager at Ashgate Hospicecare said, “Ever since we opened over 30 years ago, volunteers have been integral to our operation. We simply couldn’t run the hospice without them. We have volunteers in almost every team: supporting our clinical staff on the ward and in the Day Hospice, helping out in the retail shops, doing administration, bucket collecting, marshalling at events and in many other roles too.

We know that volunteers who dedicate their time to the hospice don’t do it for the praise, but we like to let them know how their support helps more patients and families to receive care, not least because of these enormous savings. Our volunteers are truly special people and part of the Ashgate Hospicecare family, helping us to deliver specialist care when it matters the most, whether directly or indirectly through their roles.”

Posted in About Chesterfield

CBeebies ‘Waffle’ Star Joins Chesterfield Panto

5th June 2019

Chesterfield Theatres have announced that star of CBeebies Waffle the Wonder Dog, Andrea Valls, will join the cast of this year’s traditional family pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, at the Pomegranate Theatre from Friday 6^th December 2019 to Sunday 5^th January 2020.

Instantly recognisable to youngsters (and their parents) as ‘Mum’ Jess, in CBeebies heart-warming family comedy show Waffle the Wonder Dog, Andrea will make her pantomime debut this Christmas as Princess Jess.

Andrea has enjoyed great success with BAFTA-nominated Waffle the Wonder Dog which first hit TV screens in Spring 2018. The critically acclaimed show, now in its third series, is broadcast in 30 countries worldwide and has been viewed by over 24 million people on BBC IPlayer alone. The programme which features the talking wonder dog Waffle, voiced by the aptly named Rufus Hound, and which focuses on the newly blended Brooklyn-Bell family was an instant favourite with viewers and critics alike, praised for its sensitive and humorous handling of the everyday issues that affect young children, helping viewers to understand and cope with confusing emotions.

Away from ‘Waffle’ Andrea, who trained at East 15 Acting School, has starred in Jack & Dean of All Trades alongside Jessica Hynes, Valentine’s Night for Sky Arts and is currently writing and developing a digital sketch series.

Pantomime producer Paul Holman said: “With her natural warmth, charm and energy not to mention a fantastic singing voice, Andrea is the perfect choice for our vivacious Princess Jess and if she can handle a talking dog I’m sure our Giant will be no match for her!”

Andrea joins the previously announced star of pop supergroup Steps, Lee Latchford-Evans, who takes the title role of Jack in this year’s spectacular production. Filled to the brim with toe-tapping pop songs, high energy dance routines, laugh-out-loud comedy and breathtaking special effects along with all the well-loved pantomime traditions and plenty of chances to join in the fun, Jack and the Beanstalk has something for all the family this Christmas.

Jack and the Beanstalk runs at Pomegranate Theatre from Friday 6^th December 2019 to Sunday 5^th January 2020. Tickets are on sale now and can be booked online at www.chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk or via the Box Office on 01246 345 222.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Christmas, Leisure, Visiting

The town centre comes to life at this time of year

5th June 2019

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield‘s latest blogs looks forward to the great events happening this Summer in Chesterfield.

We’re half way through the year and the weather is warming up, which can only mean one thing – the events season is upon us and Chesterfield is certainly getting into the swing of it !!

The town centre fully comes to life at this time of year, with events drawing in visitors who are keen to experience something a little different. This is where being a market town gives us one of many advantages as Chesterfield the ready-made outside space in the market to host festivals and events.

I am delighted to see that event organisers are making the most of this space. In May we welcomed Chesterfield Street Food and Grooves Festival for a second year running and the brand new Vegan Knights Festival and of course the ever popular Artisan Market.

Events like these play a big role in encouraging footfall into the town centre, giving visitors the opportunity to see for themselves our great retail and food and drink offering. Often, people can run down the town, claiming in one breath that it is full of empty shops yet, in the same sentence, admit to never shopping in Chesterfield.

The town is most definitely not full of empty shops. In fact, Chesterfield is renowned nationally for having fewer vacant shops than the majority of towns and cities.

We owe our vibrant town centre in part to the plethora of independent businesses who are located there; long established retailers as well as new shops, stores and market stalls opening regularly.

The wealth of independent retailers has never been more apparent that in the shortlist for year’s Chesterfield Retail Awards. We had a record year for nominations with more than half of the 30 finalists being shortlisted for the first time in the awards. The strong shortlist not only mirrors the year-on-year success of these popular awards but also the town’s high-quality and varied retail scene.

It’s very encouraging to see so many people taking the time to nominate their favourites in both the Chesterfield Retail Awards. We have seen a similar picture in nominations for the Food and Drink businesses. Having such a varied shortlist only adds to the excitement of the awards and makes for a very special awards evening.

If you can’t make the Retail or Food or Drink Awards, don’t worry; there’s a whole plethora of things happening in and around Chesterfield this year which showcase the town’s vibrant retail and food and drink scene.

These events are not only an opportunity to have a great time, but also a way to shop local and invest in the economy. We can all play our part in helping make Chesterfield the place to live, work and invest.

Destination Chesterfield has an up-to-date list of events on its website at www.chesterfield.co.uk. You won’t be disappointed!

Posted in About Chesterfield, Blog, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer

New forum unites Chesterfield’s food and drink sector

5th June 2019

Skills, recruitment and marketing were top of the agenda for the brand-new Chesterfield Food and Drink Forum, which has been launched by Destination Chesterfield.

The new forum builds on the continued success of the annual Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards and is designed to further raise the profile of the town’s thriving food and drink sector.

Open to Chesterfield Champions, the group will meet twice a year and has been established to encourage a closer working relationship between businesses operating within the sector.

It aims to support business growth by providing access to training and development and signposting to local business advisers. It is also hoped the group will spark new marketing ideas to further boost the sector and encourage the whole town to get involved.

Hospitality and tourism is the UK’s fourth-largest industry, supporting 4.49 million jobs and generating one tenth of the country’s economic wealth. Chesterfield is no exception. The thriving sector is growing year-on-year with recent developments including the arrival of Deliveroo in Chesterfield in May, the creation of new food and drink units in the former Co-Op building on Elder Way and the redevelopment of the outdoor space at Vicar Lane.

The inaugural event was held at The Crafty Dog on Chatsworth Road and was attended by representatives from The Crafty Dog, Casa Hotel, Brampton Brewery, Stephenson’s Tea and Coffee House, R P Davidson Cheese Factor and Salute. It was chaired by Laura Ashby and Richard Alsop from Edge Events, the company behind the Chesterfield Food Festival and Street Food and Grooves Festival and included information for local producers from the Food and Drink Forum Ltd.

Richard Alsop explained: “As Laura and I work with businesses across the food and drink sector providing an event platform for them to deliver their products, as chairs of the forum, we are not only able to be objective, but also understand what matters to the individuals and businesses operating within the sector.

“The first forum went really well and feedback from the attendees was excellent. It has provided us with a great platform to build on. Now, it’s about increasing numbers, connecting people and ensuring we add value to all those who get involved.”

Future plans for the forums include guest speakers from local cookery schools, marketing support including websites and social media and attendance from Chesterfield Borough Council.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “Chesterfield’s food and drink scene is thriving as evidenced by the annual Food and Drink Awards which has grown year on year since its launch in 2013. Launching the forum was the next step in bringing together the many individuals and businesses that operate in the sector. The forum will enable them to work together to make the most of opportunities and also collectively find solutions for industry issues such as skills shortages. As the inaugural forum evidenced, together Chesterfield’s food and drink sector is definitely stronger.”

The next Chesterfield Food and Drink Forum will be held at The Tickled Trout on Wednesday 6 November.

If you are a business operating with Chesterfield’s food and drink sector and would like to attend the next meeting, please contact Tara Underhill on 01246 207207 or email tara.underhill@chesterfield.co.uk.

To find out more about becoming a Chesterfield Champion visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/champions.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Leisure

Former Post Office sold for residential development

4th June 2019

FHP is pleased to announce the sale of the first and second floors of the old Post Office, Chesterfield to Balmoral Investment & Development Limited.

Following the refurbishment and letting of the ground floor to Loungers by PDR Construction, the upper floors were marketed with the benefit of a planning consent to convert the upper parts into 10 high quality apartments.

Phil Daniels at FHP commented “There is still an appetite for small scale town centre living and this property’s excellent location on the historic Market Square appealed to the purchaser for their rental model. We are currently advising a number of clients on former office properties suitable for residential development, with this market continuing to remain buoyant”.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager said: “There are already a number of residential developments already underway in the town centre and the Old Post Office will further add to this. Town centre living is a key component to creating a modern town centre which has a thriving daytime and evening economy – which are both important to the town’s fortunes.”

Work will commence shortly on site for a scheme aimed at the rentals market.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Markham miners memorial unveiling marks halfway point

4th June 2019

Eight new life-size steel figures have been unveiled as part of a memorial to miners who lost their lives at Markham Colliery marking the halfway point in the project.

There are now 53 figures as part of the award-winning ‘Walking Together’ memorial – led by us – which will eventually feature 106 figures stretching between the village of Duckmanton in Chesterfield and the former pithead.

Each figure is part of a walking trail which symbolises a miner’s journey to the pit and back home again and represents the 106 men who lost their lives in three accidents at the site.

On 21 January 1937 an underground explosion claimed the lives of nine men and in 1938, 79 miners lost their lives and 40 were seriously injured in a second explosion.

Eighteen miners died and 11 others suffered serious injury in the third disaster at the colliery when the mechanical brake on a lift carrying them to the coalface failed on 30 July, 1973.

The former colliery site has now been reclaimed by us and Henry Boot Developments and is home to the Markham Vale regeneration scheme which is working to create 4,100 jobs for local people.

Derbyshire County Council, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration Councillor Tony King said: “It was a special and emotional day remembering the brave men that lost their lives in the three disasters at Markham Colliery.

“We are delighted that we have now commemorated 53 out of the 106 men with a life-size figure and have reached the halfway point in this important project.

“If you’d like to take part and support the project by sponsoring a figure please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.”

Each figure carries a tag with the name of one of the miners, along with their age and job role.

These most recent additions have been dedicated to:

Colin Gee-Pemberton, 30, Belt-hand
George Davison, 51, Contractor
Harry Taylor, 32, Belt Erector
James Allen, 25, Contractor
John Henry Bradford, 46, Ripper
Lawrence Jacklin, 28, Contractor
Leonard Keller, 26, Belt Turner
Stanley Lodge, 40, Belt erector

Relatives of the miners commemorated at the unveiling also attended the event to pay tribute.

The latest figures have been sponsored by:

Sutton-cum-Duckmanton Parish Council
Rex Procter and Partners and RPP Management Ltd
DLA Piper UK LLP
Burkitt and Foulkes families
Ian Whibberley
NT Killingley Ltd
Derbyshire County Council and through public donations

The Walking Together memorial has been designed by Cheshire-based artist Stephen Broadbent.

The memorial won the award for best volunteer project and the Markham Vale Heritage Group was also highly commended recognising the involvement of young people in heritage with its Story Mine project at this year’s Derbyshire Heritage Awards.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development

Discover the top 50 most profitable SMEs in North Derbyshire

4th June 2019

BHP Accountants recently released their Top 50 survey of the most profitable SMEs in North Derbyshire. The report published in conjunction with the Derbyshire Times showcases many of the region’s most successful businesses, that all contribute hugely to the local economy.

Download the Top 50 SMEs in North Derbyshire

Dominic Staniforth, Partner at BHP Accountants said “Confidence in the region has been further bolstered by several-large scale leisure and retail redevelopments which are creating opportunities for employment and supporting the visitor economy. Of particular note are the Elder Way development, Peak Resort and Chesterfield Waterside, as a £320m scheme, is one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK.”

“This year’s Top 50 makes for optimistic reading. SME’s aren’t being put off by uncertainty and they’re not content to sit tight. They’re maintaining momentum – continuing to push forward and remaining positive about the future.”

Find out more about support to grow your business in Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Historic Pub Tour launched in Chesterfield

4th June 2019

A new attraction launches in Chesterfield at the end of June. The Chesterfield Great Historic Pub Tour features 8 of the town centre public houses and the town’s historic sites along the way.

Taking place every Saturday from 12:00 noon, at the Pig And Pump on St Mary’s Gate, (formerly the White Swan), this walking tour takes 4 hours.

Launching on the 29th of June and running until the end of August, the tour costs just £5 per person, which can be paid in cash to the tour guide on the day as booking is not required.

“I am hoping to attract visitors from far and wide”, said the Tour’s Creator, Shaun Stevenson. “There is a great deal of interesting history behind many of the pubs in Chesterfield, and I want this Tour to be both enlightening and fun”.

A guidebook, which contains much of the historical information, directions and also an observational quiz, is currently being put together, with the help of local historian, Janet Murphy. The guidebook will be available to purchase from the Tourist Information Centre, and at each of the venues from August.

Shaun is hoping to attract local people interested in the history of Chesterfield through the summer and is also marketing the tour to coach companies.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Discovery of items from the 14th century prompts further archaeological work on the Donut

3rd June 2019

Archaeological works will re-commence today on part of Holywell Cross (Donut) car park in Chesterfield following finds made earlier in the year.

The works will take place for at least four weeks.

In recent excavations at the car park, which is owned and operated by Chesterfield Borough Council, archaeologists from ArcHeritage, dug four trial trenches.

In these trenches, they uncovered well preserved archaeological remains of the buildings which occupied the site from the late 18^th century onwards.

Earlier deposits were also found in three of the four trenches with pottery dating from as early as the 14^th century recovered.

There is potential of a deeper layer of remains being present that could represent even earlier occupation and activity on the site.

The limited size of the trial trenches prevented a more detailed investigation taking place at the time.

The new dig will help to characterise these earlier deposits and ensure the site is fully assessed and documented before work begins on the construction of Chesterfield Borough Council’s new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre.

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth said: “These investigations are required to satisfy a planning condition as part of the approval for the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre.

“They also represent a unique opportunity to find out more about the history of this important town centre site”.

The works will cover the entire footprint of the proposed building. The excavation area and spoil storage area will be fenced and secured.

The rest of the car park will remain open with vehicle entry and exit points continuing to operate as normal.

Glyn Davies, ArcHeritage, Regional Manager said “Archeritage is pleased to be teaming up with Chesterfield Borough Council once again on this site.

“The proposed works will greatly improve understanding of the history of this site located along Saltergate, which itself was the principal route used by the Cheshire to Chesterfield salt trade from at least the 12^th Century.

“We will be employing a team of five archaeologists over four weeks on the site. The aim will be to submit our findings soon after completing these works”.

Councillor Gilby added: “Every effort will be made to minimise disruption to town centre users, although the remainder of the car park will continue to operate, drivers failing to find a space can be accommodated in the council’s other surface car parks in the town centre.”

A list of car parks is available on the council website: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/parking.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Chesterfield Royal Hospital announces new Chief Executive

3rd June 2019

With 4000 staff at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, it’s North Derbyshire’s largest employer – and serves more than 400,000 people living in our local communities and beyond.

Recently awarded GOOD ratings by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – for the hospital and both of its Royal Primary Care Practices, the Trust is well-respected for its performance against national standards, including emergency department waits, timescales for cancer treatments and waiting times for routine operations. It is also recognised for its approach to staff-led improvement and engagement, which resulted in a 71% return rate in the 2018 national staff survey – second highest in the country for an acute hospital.

The Trust has been on a considerable improvement journey over the last three years and from September 2 2019 will have a new Chief Executive to take it one step closer to realising its ambition of achieving an outstanding rating.

The role has been offered to Angie Smithson, currently a Deputy Chief Executive/Chief Operating Officer (COO) who has been based in Liverpool since 2014.

She has more than 30 years of NHS experience, starting her career in nursing and midwifery in 1986, before moving into a range of leadership positions.

Since 2017, she has combined her COO role with the responsibilities of Integration Director, leading a complex and challenging merger to combine Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust with the Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Commenting on her appointment Angie says: “I am so pleased to be offered the Chief Executive leadership role at Chesterfield Royal. I’m excited at the prospect of taking on the scale of this opportunity and really look forward to working with everyone. I am passionate about ensuring the delivery of exceptional care for patients and I have also been part of engaging and leading staff through challenging changes that have helped to ensure sustainable services, at the same time as realising enhanced patient experience and a host of other improvements. ”

The Trust’s Chair, Dr Helen Phillips comments: “It’s a thrilling time for a new Chief Executive to join us and I am certain that Angie will direct the Trust in our continued ambition to achieve ‘outstanding’ both for the care we give to all our patients and for the workplace we provide to all our staff. I believe that Angie’s track-record of realising large scale change in health services is an asset. As Chief Executive, her leadership will be crucial to build on our Leading the Chesterfield Way approach, where our values and principles around staff engagement and staff-led improvement have already started to make a difference.

The new Chief Executive ‘s appointment will need to be ratified by the Trust’s Council of Governors in June 2019 – and Angie’s expected start date is the beginning of September. She will replace Simon Morritt, who joined the Trust in 2017 and will be moving on to the Chief Executive role at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business