About Chesterfield

Redbrik Half makes strides with running club partnership

22nd May 2019

One of the region’s biggest running clubs has teamed up with the 2019 Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.

North Derbyshire Running Club, which every year hosts a monthly 5k series No Walk in The Park as well as the Bolsover 10k, Hardwick 10k, Spire 10 miles and the Grassmoor 10k, which is new for 2019, has joined forces with the 2019 Redbrik Half Marathon and Peak FM Five Mile Run.

The partnership will see the club provide a minimum of three pacers for the event itself, as well as hold an information stand in Queen’s Park at the start/finish line.

The club will also provide support and advice for runners on all levels, from tips on ‘couch to 5km’ challenges to guidance for more experienced runners – with jog clubs, training nights and more.

Sarah Johnson, Secretary and Coach at North Derbyshire Running Club, said: “This is a really great opportunity for us to showcase what North Derbyshire Running Club is all about – we’re thrilled to be involved.

“The Redbrik Chesterfield Half will be one of our Club Challenge events and we’re excited to enter a team into this year’s race. The event is so popular with local people and gives the community an opportunity to get behind a fantastic mass participation event – it’s great for the town of Chesterfield.”

John Timms, event director at Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, said: “We’re delighted that this partnership has come to fruition – it’s great to have joined forces with one of the region’s major running clubs.

“It’s very exciting to have North Derbyshire Running Club on board. The Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon is a great community-focused event, but we wish to appeal to both new runners just starting out on their ‘journey’ and those with more experience who are looking to challenge themselves.”

Destination Chesterfield is also an event partner of the Redbrik Half Marathon.

More information on the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, Peak FM or Blachford Fun Run

For more information on North Derbyshire Running Club visit https://northderbyshirerc.jimdo.com/.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure

AECOM director joins Destination Chesterfield board

22nd May 2019

AECOM’s Director of Water, Ports and Power North, Michael Timmins, has been appointed to the Board of Destination Chesterfield.

In his new voluntary role, Michael brings experience of working, living and being part of a large employer in Chesterfield. As a board member he will be responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the promotion of Chesterfield as a place to live, work, visit and invest.

The global infrastructure and engineering services company has had a presence in Chesterfield for nearly 40 years and employs around 300 people at its office in the town centre. Globally, AECOM employs 87,000 people who, last year generated $20bn of revenue.

Michael, from Ashover, has being based at the company’s Chesterfield office in the town centre for more than 10 years. In his board member role, he hopes to increase the involvement of AECOM and its employees in the local community as well as raise the profile of the company as an employer.

Commenting on his appointment, Michael said: “I am delighted to represent AECOM within Destination Chesterfield. The town has long been a strategic and important location for AECOM. It offers a great central base with good transport links giving us easy access to projects across the UK. The central location of Chesterfield has also helped the company attract staff from surrounding universities and schools.”

The Destination Chesterfield campaign was established in 2010 and is funded through support from local businesses and Chesterfield Borough Council. It boasts a 12-strong board comprised of key figures from Chesterfield’s business community and the Borough Council. The board is led by Peter Swallow, Managing Director of Bolsterstone Plc.

Peter welcomed Michael to the board saying: “I am delighted to have Michael on the board. Being part of a large multi-national corporation, he brings a new perspective to the board, complementing the skills and experiences of my fellow board members.”

Michael’s appointment follows AECOM’s decision earlier this year to join the Chesterfield Champions scheme, a 190-strong network of businesses, charities, volunteer groups and educational establishments that are working together to raise the profile of the town as a place to live, work and invest.

Michael added: “Being a Chesterfield Champion is an opportunity for AECOM to give something back to the town. It’s also an excellent way for our many staff who both live and work in Chesterfield to contribute to their local community.”

Read more about Michael on his board profile here. Further information about Destination Chesterfield can be found here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield

Chesterfield Town Centre Car Boot Approved

21st May 2019

Plans for Chesterfield’s Sunday morning car boot to move to Chesterfield town centre have been approved by Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning committee.

At their meeting yesterday, members of the planning committee agreed to the move of the weekly council-run car boot sale, which is currently held at the Proact Stadium, to Rose Hill car park from July.

The last car boot sale at the Proact Stadium is due to be held on Sunday 14 July with the first one anticipated to take place at Rose Hill car park, behind the Town Hall from Sunday 21 July.

The car park will close each Sunday morning for the car boot sale to take place from 8am to 1pm with access for traders from 7am.

Plans have been put in place for traders arriving early to wait on Rose Hill to prevent disruption for residents on nearby streets.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy said: “It’s exciting to see the car boot sale move to the town centre.

“We have kept existing traders informed of the plans and we look forward to welcoming traders old and new as well as new customers to the car boot sale at Rose Hill car park from July.”

Chesterfield borough residents can use their free parking pass to park for free in nearby surface car parks including: Albion Road and Holywell Cross (Donut) car parks.

Additional free parking for residents is available at: Derbyshire Times, Devonshire Street, Durrant Road, Hollis Lane (excluding on-street bays), Queens Park (North and South), Spa Lane, Station Road, St Mary’s Gate and Theatre Lane car parks.

Any new traders looking to stand at the car boot sale at Rose Hill car park should contact the council’s markets team by calling (01246) 345999 or email markets@chesterfield.gov.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

MP visits Royal Chesterfield NHS Trust to see how technology is helping to improve patient safety

21st May 2019

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins has visited Royal Chesterfield Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to understand more about the key role technology is playing in driving patient safety standards. The Trust has, in recent years, harnessed and invested in cutting-edge technology to manage medication administration. The automated systems reduce the risk of medication errors and free-up healthcare professionals to spend more time on face-to-face patient care.

At the MP visit, Martin Shepherd, Head of Medicines Management at Chesterfield Hospital NHS Foundation Trust demonstrated the benefit of the Trust’s decision to invest in a series of Omnicell systems which automate the administration of medication. This new approach allows Trusts to track everything back to the patient from the moment the medication is prescribed to when it is administered – ensuring patient safety.

Toby Perkins MP commented: “It is great to hear the benefits that this service has brought to patient safety and the extent to which it allows more time and space for nurses to dedicate to care. It is a substantial investment that Chesterfield Royal Hospital have made and was ahead of its time when the first machine was installed. I am pleased to learn that there are plans for these to be rolled out right across the hospital over the coming years. The rising costs and demand of medicines are key financial pressures on the NHS and anything that reduces costs, wastage and erroneous dispensary, as this system does, is to be welcomed. The pharmacy department has won awards previously and whilst it may be a less high profile department than some it is crucial to the overall success of the hospital.”

Posted in About Chesterfield

Pinewood Property Estates wins awards at The ESTAS

21st May 2019

Chesterfield based estate agency, Pinewood Property Estates picked up 4 Golds and 1 Bronze at the prestigious ESTAS Customer Service Awards 2019.

Pinewood Property Estates won Gold for Best Estate Agent in the East Midlands, Best Letting Agents in the East Midland voted by Landlords, Best Letting Agents in the East Midlands voted for by Tenants, Best Agent in the UK with 2-5 Branches and Bronze for Best Letting Agent Office in the UK

Stacey Davies-Bowler owner and founder of Pinewood Property Estates said “We are absolutely thrilled to have won four Golds and then the Bronze in the Grand Prix Final at this year’s ESTAS, the result is incredible. It means so much to us as we know it’s our customers who have judged our performance. We take our levels of customer service very seriously because we know clients have a choice. We have always been very proud of the personal service and this proves we are delivering what we promise. There is nothing clever about Estate Agency, Pinewood just do the ordinary things exceptionally well”

The awards, celebrating their 16^th year determine the best estate and letting agents in the UK based purely on feedback from customers who are asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their agent, over 45,000 surveys were completed by customers via the ESTAS feedback platform.

Phil Spencer, who has hosted the ESTAS every year since their inception in 2003 said “The ESTAS encapsulates what your typical agent is trying to do, which is to provide honest, transparent service for their clients. These awards are special because shortlisted and winning firms are selected purely on the service they deliver. Real feedback from real customers experiencing real service, I don’t think there can be a greater honor in the industry than to receive an award based on that mantra.”

Estate and letting agents were recognised in counties and regions around the UK. National Grand Prix Awards were also announced for the Best Single Agent Office in sales and lettings.

Simon Brown Founder of The ESTAS said “At The ESTAS we’re proud to say we believe in old fashioned values like customer service. We know how hard it is to deliver it and that’s why we put the spotlight on property firms who are committed to providing excellent service. The ESTAS review and awards platform brand helps agents generate consumer trust.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

‘Careers Hub’ announced for North Derbyshire

21st May 2019

A national initiative to improve careers and educational support for young people, including in some of the UK’s most disadvantaged areas, will establish a ‘Careers Hub’ in North Derbyshire.

This will cover 21 schools in north-east Derbyshire (including ones in Chesterfield and Bolsover), following a successful bid by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and partners.

Around £80,000 in support will enable D2N2’s Careers Hub (led by the Shirebrook Academy) to bring together schools and colleges together with employers, universities, training providers and career professionals to improve job opportunities for young people, focusing on best practice. Support and funding, a ‘Hub Lead’ to coordinate activity and build networks, a central fund for employer engagement activities, and training for a ‘Careers Leader’ in each school are set to be available from September 2019.

This is one of 18 Hubs have been announced (and two existing ones expanded), backed by a further £2.5million in national investment, delivered via the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC). The CEC, established in 2015, is a nationally funded body which helps link schools and colleges with employers, to increase employer engagement for young people. It works closely with England’s 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships, including the D2N2 LEP.

The Careers Hubs are based on a pilot scheme by the Gatsby Foundation (which is behind the Gatsby Benchmarks, an internationally recognised ‘checklist’ of what schools and colleges need to do to provide the best careers advice) and the North-East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), run from 2015 to 2017.

Claudia Harris, Chief Executive of the Government-backed Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “Careers education is improving across the country. The accelerated progress we’re seeing in the first wave of Careers Hubs shows that this model is working and delivering for young people, with schools and colleges in this first wave of Careers Hubs already outperforming the national average across all aspects of careers education.

“We are delighted that the Government’s investment is supporting us to roll out this model to a quarter of schools and colleges in the country, helping more young people get the vital support and opportunities they need.”

Carolyn Fairbairn, Director General of the CBI, said: “Employers understand just how important their role is in preparing the next generation for the world of work and their enthusiasm for supporting schools has never been greater. Connecting business and young people is a proven way of improving life chances.”

She added: “Firms can sometimes struggle to engage with the schools and colleges that need their support. It’s therefore hugely encouraging to see more Careers Hubs on the way. There is no doubt they will play a pivotal role in helping employers get more involved.”

Funding for the Careers Hubs initiative is being delivered via the CEC, with funding from the Department for Education.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Manufacturing

Exhibition of Chatsworth treasures in New York could boost U.S. visitors to Peak District and Derbyshire

20th May 2019

The Peak District and Derbyshire could look forward to a rise in visits from the US as a prestigious exhibition of art and objects from Chatsworth launches at Sotheby’s in New York.

Free of charge and open to the public from 28 June – 18 September 2019, Treasures from Chatsworth: The Exhibition, offers a rare chance to view the legendary Devonshire Collection in the US.

As well as offering a showcase to some of the Derbyshire stately home’s most famous treasures, it is hoped the exhibition will inspire more US tourists to book a trip to the Peak District and Derbyshire – discovering the area’s vibrant cultural scene in the process.

Treasures from Chatsworth will feature over 40 masterworks including fine art, decorative objects, furniture, jewellery, clothing and archival materials from the Devonshire Collection – widely celebrated as one of the most significant art collections in Europe. All objects have been accumulated over 500 years by the Cavendish family, and held at Chatsworth near Bakewell.

Research from VisitBritain shows that the UK’s culture and heritage is a huge draw for overseas visitors – with more than £8 billion spent annually by international tourists who visit castles/historic houses in the UK (based on 2016 figures).

Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, the area’s official tourist board, says the exhibition will help to raise awareness of the area’s rich cultural heritage, which ranges from stately homes such as Chatsworth, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, to a vibrant arts scene and sites of worldwide historical importance, such as the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

The US is the UK’s most valuable inbound visitor market for tourism spend, with US visitors spending a record £3.6 billion across the UK in 2017, up 9% on the previous year. Visits from the US grew 13% to 3.9 million in the same period.

The US also ranked the UK second out of 50 nations for its overall brand in the 2018 Anholt Nation Brands Index, up one place on 2017 and equalling its highest ranking ever.

Tourism’s value to the Peak District and Derbyshire economy was worth £2.15 billion in 2017, supporting 28,630 full-time jobs with 40.45 million visitors travelling to the area in the same period.*

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “Promoting the Peak District and Derbyshire on a global scale is at the heart of our work, so it is fantastic news that items from Chatsworth’s prestigious Devonshire Collection will be exhibited in New York this summer.

“Boosting visitor numbers and increasing visitor spend is paramount in ensuring that the local economy can reap the benefits of tourism, and the Treasures from Chatsworth exhibition will serve as a great international showcase for the area’s rich cultural heritage.

“Chatsworth is one of the UK’s leading stately homes and we hope the exhibition will inspire more US visitors to add Chatsworth, and the wider Peak District and Derbyshire area, to their must-visit list.’

Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture and Tourism, Councillor Barry Lewis, said: “Promoting Derbyshire as a global cultural and tourist destination is one of our top priorities and Chatsworth is one of the jewels in Derbyshire’s crown, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to our county each year.

“So we’re thrilled to hear some of the estate’s treasures will be showcased in New York and hope it will whet the appetite of American tourists who will be encouraged to visit Derbyshire and see all our beautiful county has to offer for themselves.”

Gavin Landry, VisitBritain Director of the Americas, said: “It is great to have this exhibition come to the US and shine a spotlight on the cultural draw of the Peak District and Derbyshire, inspiring Americans to travel to Britain.

“Our research shows that many US visitors are motivated to travel to Britain due to our history and heritage and this exhibition is sure to get more Americans to experience the delights of Chatsworth and the surrounding area and extend their stay.”

Images: Chatsworth House Trust

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

Chesterfield business offering debt-free degrees to school leavers

20th May 2019

Three Year 13 school leavers are being given the chance to gain a debt-free university degree by Chesterfield-based Blachford UK.

The company, which is part of the global Blachford Group, is looking to recruit its senior managers and board directors of the future through its graduate apprenticeship programme. As well as a providing a fully funded degree, the successful applicants will also be paid a salary throughout their apprenticeship.

Based in Holmewood, the UK arm of the company is a leading European manufacturer of acoustic and thermal insulation components.

As part of the company’s succession planning programme, it wants to attract school leavers who have recently completed their A Levels and who have a passion for maths and chemistry and who want to follow careers in design engineering, chemistry and process engineering.

Interested students should have a strong track record in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects.

Successful applicants will embark on a degree apprenticeship with Blachford UK.

To raise awareness of the degree apprenticeship opportunities, the company is holding a recruitment open day for people interested in applying for the positions. The open day will take place at the company’s premises on Thursday 27 June from 11.00am – 2.00pm.

The day will involve a tour of the company – both the factory floor and behind the scenes, where you will get to meet employees, ask questions and see for themselves the variety of permanent job roles available and routes for progression within Blachford. There will also be some activities on the day for students to display their problem solving, communication and maths skills.

Jason Lippitt, Managing Director of Blachford UK explained: “Manufacturing is an exciting industry and Blachford is no exception. I am a chemist myself and have had an amazing career with Blachford. I have travelled the world and been part of teams that have created ground-breaking products. I now want to give that opportunity to three young people.”

Launched by the government in 2015 and studied over the course of one to six years, degree apprenticeships are designed to propel students into the world of work and fill high-level skills gaps by tailoring learning to specific business needs.

A degree apprenticeship combines full-time paid work and part-time university study to offer candidates the opportunity to gain a full Bachelors or Masters degree while undertaking practical, on-the-job training. Degree apprenticeships are created by partnerships between employers and universities or colleges.

He added: “Apprenticeships are very important to the future of Blachford as they give us the opportunity to mould and develop individuals to the business helping it progress and grow. We invest in all our apprentices, so it’s important to us that they enjoy long careers with us. My hope is that the young people who join us as degree apprentices will ultimately lead and shape the direction of the company.”

Blachford UK have also agreed to take part in the Made in Chesterfield project which looks to promote opportunities in STEM careers across North Derbyshire. The Initiative is coordinated by Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Education Business Partnership.

To attend the Blachford UK Degree Apprentice Recruitment Open Day, please register your interest on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blachford-uk-degree-apprentice-recruitment-open-day-tickets-61787937384 or by emailing Joanne Kisgory at Joanne.Kisgory@blachforduk.com.

Find out more about apprenticeship opportunities in Chesterfield

Find out how your business or school can take part in Made in Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Manufacturing

Groundbreaking digital initiative celebrated and extended

20th May 2019

Business and council leaders have hailed the impact of a pioneering programme which has enabled 1,300 businesses across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to embrace digital technology.

The Digital Growth Programme gives local SMEs access to fully-funded workshops, financial support and free one-to-one advice to help them introduce new digital technology to their organisations.

More than £6.8m of funding was invested into the programme by the European Regional Development Fund, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), and Derby City, Derbyshire County, Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire County and Rushcliffe Borough councils.

It has provided 1,300 businesses with more than 31,000 hours of free digital support, as well as distributing grant funding of more than £1.88m to 310 eligible businesses, which has helped to unlock an additional £2.7m of private sector investment from the SMEs which received support.

It has also delivered 340 action-planning workshops and 48 awareness-raising seminars about a host of digital subjects, including cloud computing and cyber resilience, ecommerce, email marketing, CRM, Search Engine Optimisation, social media and website planning and development.

Recently, more than 300 local businesses attended a major conference, at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel, to get the latest insights and advice from keynote speakers and local digital experts, as well as celebrate the successes of the programme.

It was also announced at the conference that the digital support provided by the programme will continue for the next three years and will be delivered by the D2N2 Growth Hub.

Chris Pook, D2N2 Growth Hub Manager, said: “Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire SMEs have forged a really strong reputation for digital innovation and it’s crucial that they continue to be supported so they can enhance their capabilities to help the local economy to grow.

“The Digital Growth Programme has provided fantastic support to local firms overt the past three years and we are delighted to be able to continue this in the years ahead, via the D2N2 Growth Hub.

“I’d urge all businesses who need digital advice and support, or are looking at ways to get a new project off the ground, to get in touch with one of our advisers.”

Diane Beresford, Deputy Chief Executive of the Chamber, added: “The Digital Growth Programme to date has been a huge success and we have been delighted with the response from the business community.

“More than 1,300 local businesses have engaged with the programme, which is great, and it was fantastic to see so many of them at the Digital Conference as we celebrated the achievements of the programme so far.”

One of the Derbyshire businesses to benefit from funding support from the programme was HSG, a specialist provider of washroom hygiene and water conservation solutions.

The programme provided £22,000 of funding toward the development of a bespoke app and dashboard, called Cleen, which gives venues better control over their washroom management.

Customers can download the app, leave a rating for the overall cleanliness of a washroom, and report any issues such as no toilet rolls, poor cleanliness or broken equipment. These are reported directly to the venue’s service provider, who can address them immediately.

Sonia Harvey, Brand Manager, said: “The Cleen app and dashboard give business owners the opportunity to monitor the performance of their washrooms to enhance their overall experience, by acting on instant feedback.

“The product is tailor-made for sports venues, restaurants and NHS Trusts and since launch, we have opened up a host of avenues for this fast-growing area of the business.”

Businesses can find out more about the programme and the unique support it provides at www.d2n2-digital.co.uk or calling 0330 053 8639.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Inspiration Rover Project Encouraging Children Into The World of STEM

16th May 2019

Twelve young people from Derbyshire recently enjoyed a day at Leicester’s award-winning National Space Centre, celebrating their achievements as part of educational outreach project Inspiration Rover.

The project, which was led by mature student Henry Bennett from the University of Derby with support from fellow undergraduates, academics and alumni, saw the young people involved help develop a scale model of the Mars Science Laboratory Rover using a design from NASA Jet Propulsion Labs.

It was designed to help the participants build their confidence and engage them with practical engineering work. All the young people involved are currently supported by Derbyshire County Council’s Childrens Services and many of them have had challenges in, or even had to leave, mainstream education, making this engagement even more valuable.

The project was funded by the Institute of Engineering and Technology, and supported by the National Space Academy, IET TV, UK Space Agency, Catena Space Engineering and Derbyshire County Council.

Derbyshire County Council Children’s Services invited young people to apply to take part and selected 12 participants aged 11-14. They were each partnered with an engineering student, working one-on-one together across six weeks. Working intensively alongside engineers and University students, they learnt transferable engineering and employability skills, as well as building their confidence and working as a team.

Phase one of the project was carried out over six weeks and involved the young people in all areas. In weeks one and two, they came to the University’s Institution of Engineering and Technology to understand how to use computer-aided design software, along with the software required to 3D print components for the Mars Rover.

Weeks three and four involved an introduction to the basics and principles of electronics, which included the young people creating their own circuit boards. In the two final weeks of phase one, they worked with the University team to assemble the parts into the scale model.

To mark the participant’s hard work, a celebration day was hosted at the National Space Centre with support from the National Space Academy to thank and reward them for taking part. The young people (and engineers) had the day to explore the site and see the wonders of space.

The young people met Dr Suzie Imber, Co-Investigator on the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer instrument on board the BepiColombo spacecraft currently heading to Mercury, and winner of the BBC programme ‘Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes’. After her presentation, the young people saw the completed Mars Rover replica for the first time.

“The project aimed to depict the whole journey into engineering, and to show that although a challenging subject, it can also be fun – which worked! After phase one, around half of the children wanted to be engineers,” said Henry Bennett, student lead of the project.

“It has been possible to do this project with support from the IET, which gave us the funding, the University of Derby, which gave us facilities and space in which to work, Derbyshire County Council for identifying and engaging the teaching staff and young people and the National Space Centre, which kindly hosted the celebration day.”

Yvonne Wright, Space Ambassador from Derbyshire County Council, said: “The next phase of the project will involve the young people attending Robot Day on 6 July and then delivering STEM activities to their local primary schools using the Inspiration Mars Rover to inspire a younger audience.

“They will use this opportunity to complete their Derbyshire Voluntary Passport and on completion, participants will receive a Level 1 NCFE Investors in Quality certificate, and an identification badge.”

Dr Kierann Shah, General Manager of the National Space Academy added: “I was really impressed by this project. It can be a real challenge for young people to see a pathway for themselves if they don’t fit the traditional route through school, so helping them to build their confidence and develop their skills is key. Engineering is a great context in which to do this.

“We were really pleased to be able to host the celebration event at the National Space Centre and to invite the young people to participate in one of our space science masterclasses, which they seemed to enjoy very much!”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Manufacturing

Events aimed at ambitious writers and keen readers

16th May 2019

Arts Derbyshire has been awarded £14,950 from Arts Council England to run a project for writers and readers.

The project, called Writing Ambitions: Commissioning, is a partnership between Festivity, Writing East Midlands, Junction Arts and Derbyshire County Council.

It will commission five writers to work with a Derbyshire-based arts festival during 2020 to produce and perform pieces of writing in the local community.

All of the festivals selected are members of Festivity, which is the arts festival forum for Derbyshire, and a part of Arts Derbyshire. It includes:
•Tapton Lock Festival in Chesterfield
•Melbourne Festival
•Erewash Festival of Light
•New Mills Festival
•Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Discovery Days Festival

Each writer will also have the opportunity to collaborate with a local Derbyshire library.

A networking and information day will launch the project this autumn.

The writers will be supported with workshops and mentoring by well-established and award-winning writers and poets Cathy Grindrod, Jo Bell, Matt Black and River Wolton.

Workshop places are open to all writers and will offer support to those interested in working to commission, in other words, being paid to complete a special piece of work.

The commissioned writers will also collaborate on a piece of work providing advice to writers hoping to be commissioned in the future.

Councillor Barry Lewis, Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture and Tourism, said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for experienced or budding writers to take their writing further. Not only will the project foster local talent but it will boost local events and communities as well.”

The project will also deliver the LoveLit series of literature events and writing workshops for readers and writers held in Derbyshire libraries.

On Tuesday 18 June 2019 at Chesterfield library social historian and broadcaster Hallie Rubenhold will talk about her new book ‘The Five’ which looks at the lives of the women murdered by Jack the Ripper.

Writing workshops with Mike Gayle, Professor Joe Moran and Joanna Courtney are among the other events being held.

And the first Derbyshire Noir Book Festival on Saturday 17 August 2019, celebrating crime and psychological thrillers, will feature panels, talks and a chance to network for crime readers and writers at Chesterfield library.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Summer, Visiting