SMEs in north east Derbyshire looking to grow are invited to a series of free drop-in support surgeries in the New Year.
Organised by Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, in collaboration with Sheffield City Region Growth Hub, the sessions are designed to help local businesses of all sizes and across all sectors, understand the support on offer from the Growth Hub.
Working alongside a range of private and public sector partners, the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub has access to over 60 streams of business support, from trade and export to skills, innovation, access to finance and specialist support, as well as guide businesses through the services most relevant to them.
Both Mitchells and Sheffield City Region Growth Hub have a long history of helping businesses achieve their goals and realise their potential. To date, Sheffield City Region Growth Hub has worked with more than 4,000 businesses, while Mitchells has assisted businesses access over £6.2m in grants helping create and safeguard over 660 jobs between 2013 and 2017 across the East Midlands.
There are three free to attend sessions being held on Wednesday 31 January, Wednesday 28 February and Wednesday 28 March 2018. All the sessions are being held at Mitchells’ offices on Saltergate in Chesterfield. To book a slot simply email andrewmcdaid@mitchellsaccountants.co.uk quoting a requested time slot.
Multi-disciplined law firm Banner Jones has expanded its Family Law division with the appointment of two Family Law specialists, Kelly Parks and Cathryn Young, bringing 23 years of experience to the team.
Kelly Parks joins the Chesterfield-based Banner Jones team following five years at Stowe Family Law, the UK’s largest specialist Family Law firm. Graduating from Nottingham Law School, Kelly brings with her 15-years of experience in Family Law.
Also joining the multi-service practice’ Mansfield-based Family Law team, Cathryn Young brings 8-years of specific Family Law experience to the team.
The new appointments follow recent international recognition for Banner Jones as part of this year’s Legal 500 – the most comprehensive worldwide coverage on recommended law firms broken down by area of specialism – in which the East Midlands based Family Law and Personal Injury teams ranked for the fifth consecutive year.
Director and Head of Family Law, Toby Netting, said that the appointments will ‘further strengthen’ Banner Jones’ award winning Family Law team, as well as ensure that the firm is well placed to meet growing demand from both private and public law work, such as issues relating to divorce proceedings, prenuptial agreements, cohabitation matters and children-related cases.
He said:-
“Kelly and Cathyrn are both welcome additions to our established family team bringing with them considerable expertise and experience, and further bolstering our ability to meet increased demand.”
Kelly commented:-
“With increasing scope to be involved in regional, national and international cases, I am delighted to be joining the Family Law team at Banner Jones during a period of growth and expansion.”
Cathryn commented:-
“This is a very exciting opportunity to join an award winning, ambitious law firm with a long-established reputation for excellence.”
Workers across Derbyshire are being encouraged to ‘Make Every Minute Count’ in 2018 by taking part in the Derbyshire Workplace Challenge.
A new eight-week challenge is being launched in the New Year, helping encourage people to get active with regular bite-sized chunks of 10 minutes of activity during, before and after the working day.
The activity logging challenge will run from January 8 to March 4, 2018, and new participants can sign up for free now at https://www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/signup
Adding small chunks of activity throughout the day can help, such as switching the lift for the stairs, walking to work, or going for a lunchtime run or walk with colleagues. Getting active together can also help to improve mood, boost concentration, increase communication and team morale, and help sleep.
Rachael Dyer from Active Derbyshire, which runs the Derbyshire Workplace Challenge, said:-
“Winter can be especially hard with dark mornings and dark nights, so getting active at lunch can really help.
“Research has shown that if our peers are active then we are more likely to stick with it, so invite your colleagues to get involved too – a little friendly peer support is a top motivating factor to getting active at work.
“With many of us spending 60% of our waking hours at work there’s no better time or place to start than in the New Year with the Derbyshire Workplace Challenge.”
Points are earnt every time activity is logged at www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/derbyshire, helping to introduce an element of competition as people can see on leaderboards how they are getting on against their colleagues and other businesses both locally and nationally.
A range of prizes will also be on offer throughout the challenge including a FitBit Alta Wristband, a £10 High Street shopping voucher, and £25 Central Health vouchers, which can be used for any treatment at Central Physio, Central FootClinic or Central Osteopaths.
Throughout the challenge, there will be a particular emphasis on stepping away from your desk during the lightest and brightest part of the day and tackling the culture of a desk-bound lunch. NHS guidelines state that getting plenty of regular exercise, particularly outdoors and in daylight, can help to improve symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
‘Make Every Minute Count’ will run from January 8 to March 4, 2018, and new participants can sign up for free now at https://www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/signup Participants of previous challenges can also take part without the need to sign up again.
The D2 Energy Efficiency (D2EE) project, a partnership run by the University of Derby, Derby City and Derbyshire County Councils, has been helping small and medium sized businesses in Chesterfield and across Derbyshire to reduce their energy use.
The D2EE project recently awarded £11,000 of funding to Tidyco Ltd helping reduce its carbon emissions by six tonnes per year. The hydraulic and pneumatic components manufacturer applied for the investment to part-fund the costs of installing a new energy efficient LED lighting system at its premises in Derby. The system uses 60 per cent less energy and will save the company £1,740 a year on electricity.
The D2EE project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to provide support and grant funding to help small and medium sized businesses in Derby and Derbyshire to reduce their energy use. In addition to funding, the Low Carbon Business Network, hosted by University of Derby Management School, offers assistance in a wide variety of areas, including green funding, public tendering and carbon footprinting.
Through its Green Accreditation, the network also offers support to SMEs to achieve an accreditation for their product, process or service.
Tidyco applied for funding after it identified an opportunity to make significant cost and energy savings by upgrading the lighting in its premises.
Philip Mason, Production Director at Tidyco, said: “We have worked with the D2 Energy Efficiency team to improve our lighting and save on electrical costs while helping to also reduce our carbon footprint. The whole process from application to the completion of the project was quick and easy.”
The company made an ongoing commitment to becoming a low-carbon business by reducing its energy consumption and carbon emissions. It has already invested in a solar photovoltaic (PV) system to meet its electricity demand from renewable solar energy.
As a result of the funding, the company’s whole site now has LED lights controlled by daylight and movement sensors, and has significantly reduced its carbon emissions.
Councillor Martin Rawson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economy at Derby City Council said:-
“The D2EE project is providing a really valuable service promoting the win-win of reducing businesses’ carbon emissions and saving them money.”
As part of the Low Carbon Business Network, the University recently launched its Green Growth Accelerator Programme, a two-part workshop which aims to help businesses establish how they currently operate within the low carbon economy and identify opportunities to grow their business.
Dr Fred Paterson, Low Carbon Business Network Project Lead at the University of Derby, added:-
“The Low Carbon Business Network has been working with SMEs in the D2N2 region since November 2016. Over the past year, the Network has worked with LED manufacturers, community interest companies, renewable energy installers and energy management companies, and now our Green Growth Accelerator is proving to be particularly popular with businesses.”
For more information on D2EE grant funding click here.
Ten sites totalling more than 22 hectares of land are set to be available for development or sale in Chesterfield over the next 18 months alongside a further eighty-five sites totalling almost 190 hectares of land in the Sheffield City Region.
They include Eyewitness Works, the historic Grade ll listed former cutlery factory in Sheffield; a cemetery lodge in Chesterfield; the Earth Centre in Doncaster; redundant offices; and an industrial estate.
The SCR’s latest Land Development and Disposal Plan (SCR LDDP) covering Quarter 3 (2017/18) updates the list of what is available from the nine local authorities in the region. The 85 sites can all be used for a mix of residential and commercial development or wider investment activity.
This City Region level LDDP, the first of its kind in the country, was created after requests from developers to provide transparency around public sector land opportunities.
Further information on the sites included in the LDDP can be obtained by clicking on the appropriate link (in the Local Authority column) or by making contact with the identified key contact.
The SCR LDDP has been developed by the SCR Joint Assets Board which has a key focus on speeding up the sale of surplus public sector assets to maximise opportunities for housing and economic growth, and to make the most efficient use of the public sector estate.
Over the coming months, the SCR LDDP will be developed in order to include all surplus public sector land across the SCR, including opportunities from across a range of local and national government departments, as well as health partners.
Chesterfield is a place to do business. That was the message at the town’s first ever Investment Summit (30 November) which saw more than 200 people gather from throughout the East Midlands and Yorkshire at Casa Hotel to learn about the investment potential of the area.
Speaking at the Summit, Huw Bowen, the Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council revealed that 475 new start-up businesses were set up in 2016, an increase of more than 70% compared to business start-ups in 2012. This, he said, had actively contributed to a 28% increase in the town’s productivity in five years, outperforming South Yorkshire, East Midlands and England.
The increase in start-ups now brings the number of businesses operating in Chesterfield to over 3,000 with more set to come on board as plans for the town’s HS2 stop get underway.
Keynote speaker Richard Brown CBE, HS2 Board Member and a non-executive member of the Department for Transport Board, urged the conference not to believe media reports that HS2 would not happen. “HS2 is happening. Work has already started on Phase 1,” he said. However, he urged the room to “keep up the pressure for HS2” as funding for Phase 2B, which incorporates Chesterfield, has not yet been secured.
Previously on the board of Eurostar, Mr Brown said that there was the opportunity for HS2 to transform Chesterfield’s fortunes in the same way Eurostar had done for the Lille in France. The city, which is in the north of France, was known for its industrial background and underwent some difficult years prior to having a Eurostar station. Now Lille is known throughout France for its handsome city centre and its very active cultural life and is ranked as one of the major metropolitan areas of Europe.
Richard Brown added:-
“HS2 will make the range of job opportunities to people living in Chesterfield hugely wider and likewise for employers. Planning ahead is critical to realise the benefits.” He urged the room to: “Seize the opportunity and use it as a lever to transform the area economically and socially.”
The first HS2 train will arrive in Chesterfield in 2033. Ahead of this, Chesterfield Borough Council has outline plans to improve the approach to the railway station and better connect it to the town centre, creating easy access to shopping, bars and restaurants, as well as improving public transport links locally and to the Peak District. The development would link to the Chesterfield Waterside development and build on the momentum of that project.
“Chesterfield’s green lungs have overtaken the town’s mining heritage which is making it an attractive 21st century investment prospect to investors.”
The free to attend breakfast conference was organised by Destination Chesterfield, Derbyshire Economic Partnership and Marketing Derby – joint partners in the EU funded ‘Invest in D2N2’ project with a focus on promoting Derbyshire both nationally and globally as the place to invest for growth and quality of life.
Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Economic Partnership Board Member, said:-
“The £1 billion of regeneration currently taking place in Chesterfield right now is a great example of public and private sector working together. This has created a Blueprint for partnership working ahead of HS2, which will ensure residents, businesses and visitors fully benefit from the all opportunities that will arise in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas over the next 17 years and beyond.”
John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, added:-
“We were delighted to be a part of this fantastic initiative, which shows the strong collaboration across Derby and Derbyshire. It was great to see the development opportunities coming down the line in Chesterfield and Derbyshire.”
Chesterfield have been shortlisted for a national award to recognise the club that is the most welcoming to away supporters.
The Spireites are up against Southampton, Swansea City, Fulham, Cardiff City and Burton Albion for The Football Supporters’ Federation’s Away Day of the Year award.
A survey asked fans to score their away day based on a number of factors such as access, safety and security, the view, plus their overall experience.
Michael Dunford, Chief Executive of Chesterfield FC, said:-
“We are delighted to be in the running for this award. We are proud of the facilities we offer and we try our best to make it an enjoyable experience for all away supporters who visit the Proact.
“There is a cafe and a children’s play centre in the HUB and away supporters are encouraged to use these facilities. Away supporters receive a friendly welcome when they visit the cafe for a pre-match snack.
“The HUB, which is managed by the Chesterfield FC Community Trust, also features a Changing Places area for people with disabilities. The Proact is one of the few stadiums in the country to boast such a facility.”
A Carlisle United fan recently contacted the club to praise the staff in the ticket office and the matchday stewards for their help. He explained that they went out of their way to ensure that his young daughter, who has a disability, had an enjoyable, stress-free experience.
“I have followed Carlisle for over 40 years and the matchday experience must rank as amongst the best I have experienced at an ‘away’ ground,” he wrote. “I can’t speak highly enough of everyone we encountered.
“Your staff helped make the whole experience, which could have been quite stressful considering my daughter’s circumstances, very positive and left all of us with an excellent impression of Chesterfield FC. They were a credit to themselves and to the club.”
The club will be represented at the FSF Awards event next Monday night, which is being held at The Pavilion at The Tower of London.
Almost 7,000 learners have already benefited from learning new skills through the flagship Skills Bank programme.
And now businesses across Sheffield City Region (SCR) are being encouraged to get any outstanding applications submitted before the deadline of Friday 8th December 2017, before Skills Bank transitions into its second phase in 2018.
Laura Bennett, board member at the SCR Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said:-
“The first phase of Skills Bank has been extremely successful, with more than 430 deals already approved with SCR businesses, and 6,939 learners being supported to enhance their skills.
“Now we’re putting out a final call for any businesses who want to benefit from our current Skills Bank programme to get their full applications in no later than next week, before the existing programme closes to all applications and we move into phase two.
“This ‘let’s get it done’ work-ethic in the Sheffield City Region harnesses drive and ambition. With everyone pulling together, and a significant sense of community, we are achieving transformational change and building a thriving, super-connected and successful economy.
“This is helping to attract, retain and develop skills in the region which are so important for the SCR’s sustainable growth.”
As the contract for the first phase of the scheme comes to an end on 31st March 2018, a closing date of 8th December has been set for new applications, so that approved learning can be delivered and recorded before the end of March next year. Visit the website to sign up or find out more http://sheffieldcityregionskillsbank.co.uk/
Next year (subject to funding), the Skills Bank will transition into its second phase maintaining its core ethos of providing access to funding to support training to promote growth. Further information will be made available on the Sheffield City Region website, with the opportunity for businesses to register their interest.
Businesses wanting to find out about other support available within the Sheffield City Region or to register their interest in keeping up to date with developments on the next phase of Skills Bank should call our dedicated Growth Hub on 03330 00 00 39 or email growthhub@sheffieldcityregion.org.uk
Alternatively, businesses can contact their local college or training provider for other sources of skills specific support.
Barrow Hill Roundhouse is getting ready for a very busy – and star studded – week in May 2018 as tickets go on sale for the hugely popular Rail Ale beer and music festival and it is announced that Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra are set to return to the unique venue for one night only.
Rail Ale 2018 will take place on Thursday 17th, Friday 18th and Saturday 19th May 2018. Advance tickets have now gone on sale priced at £5.00 for Thursday and £7.00 for Friday and Saturday. A booking fee applies. Entry includes a commemorative glass and programme. Tickets will also go on sale locally on 1st March 2018 and ticket outlets will be announced in due course.
Three days of fantastic entertainment are lined up: the judging of the coveted Beer of the Festival will take place on 17th May along with opportunities to ‘Meet the Brewer’ and on 18th and 19th May between 12noon and 5pm the popular Rail Ale train will be running for visitors.
To quench the thirst there will be over 350 real ales from around the country including many brewed locally in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, a great range of ciders and craft beers and the return of the incredibly popular Prosecco bar.
For music lovers there will be fantastic live music in the marquee and on the main stage from jazz and brass through acoustic, funk and soul to rock and roll.
The Food Court will be on hand to provide visitors with a tasty range of food to suit every appetite from pork pies to pancakes and hog roast to pizza; not forgetting the chocolate, the cheese and even coffee!
Entry to the Festival also includes entry to the museum and the new exhibitions and interactive displays provided courtesy of the Heritage Lottery Fund project that was completed in September 2017. The dedicated free bus service will also be running from Chesterfield railway station into the Festival on all three days. For more information on the event, please visit www.railalefestival.com.
A week after Rail Ale, Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will make a hugely anticipated return visit to the unique Roundhouse venue on 26th May 2018 for one night only. The Roundhouse will once again rock to the sound of Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra featuring Gilson Lavis, guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall and a special guest star – to be announced later. On his last visit in September 2014 the concert was a sell-out.
Pupils from schools throughout North Derbyshire have taken their first steps to a potential career in engineering at Brimington-based NLT Training Services.
The engineering training provider hosted groups of Year 10 and 11 students at its workshops recently as part of the annual Made in Chesterfield festival organised by Destination Chesterfield.
As part of a packed schools programme, Year 10 and 11 students from Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School spent time at NLT Training Services in Brimington getting hands-on designing and producing metal poppies, using the cutting and welding tools.
The month-long celebration of engineering and manufacturing is held each year and is designed to showcase the sector to young people, making them aware of the employment and training possibilities and inspiring the next generation of engineers.
Attending the event, Liam Anstey-Ainsworth, a Year 10 student at Dronfield Henry Fanshawe, explained:-
“I already knew I wanted to go into a trade when I leave school. I prefer being hands-on to being in a classroom. I enjoyed being at NLT and, making. It’s opened my eyes to what’s available when I leave school, especially apprenticeships and the different trades that are available.”
Ronan Moorhouse, a Year 11 student added:-
“I’ve already applied to do travel and tourism at college, but NLT was really fun. It was practical and different to anything I’d done before. Metalwork was new to me, and it was great to create something we could take away. It was good to learn more about Apprenticeships too, I know now I’d definitely look at a degree level apprenticeship if they’re available in the right sector.”
Reece Jepson, a Year 10 pupil, said:-
“I was already interested in engineering before coming to NLT, so it was really cool to do plasma cutting and welding. The actual production of something is really rewarding. I think the most interesting thing about engineering is that you’re always learning new things, staying on top of technology. I knew a bit about apprenticeships before coming here but didn’t know we had an engineering apprenticeship specialist in Chesterfield, so that’s perfect for me.”
Praising the event, Mrs Jane Tattersall – a teacher at Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School who accompanied the students commented:-
“We’ve seen the pupils’ confidence grow in just one day. They got to see working materials, and take part in some fun, interesting practical work. This shows them career opportunities that most of them hadn’t considered before. We’ve talked about Apprenticeships too, which I think is very important.”
Around 20 businesses, training providers and visitor attractions within the sector have come together to offer a packed programme of events to nearly 350 Year 6 to 13 school children during Made in Chesterfield.
Organised by Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, the month-long festival in November is designed to show young people and their teachers the modern face of manufacturing and engineering and the many careers and job roles on offer within the sector locally.
Sponsored by University of Derby and MSE Hiller, more manufacturing and engineering businesses, training providers and visitor attractions are involved in this year’s Made in Chesterfield than ever before. As well as NLT, modern-day gift maker Urban Flamingo, Paul Mossman Pottery, Brampton Brewery, Penny Hydraulics, Techman Engineering and MSE Hiller were amongst more than 20 businesses and training providers that have provided tours, talks and competitions during Made in Chesterfield to nearly 350 Year 6 to 13 school children.
Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager commented:-
“Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager commented: “Made in Chesterfield is playing a key role in sparking young people’s interest with the sector and ultimately helping local business secure contracts in the future.
“Hands-on opportunities such as taster days at NLT give students the chance to see the many and varied job roles there are within engineering and manufacturing and how important they are to the future success of our town.”.
Chesterfield Museum is hosting an event for members of the borough’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities to come forward with their stories and pictures ahead of a new exhibition.
The museum, owned and operated by Chesterfield Borough Council, is working with the charity Derbyshire LGBT+ to mount the exhibition supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund early next year.
People can come along to the museum on Saturday 9 December from 10am to 1pm to discuss their experiences and bring along any pictures or items to help chart the social history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
Councillor Steve Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said:-
“Chesterfield Museum charts the social history of Chesterfield and we’re pleased to be working with LGBT+ Derbyshire on this new exhibition to tell the stories of LGBT communities in the area – many of which have been untold.”
Greg Pickup, from LGBT+ Derbyshire, added:-
“Anybody from the LGBT community in or around Chesterfield who has a story to tell or has items or photos which relate to the history of our community is encouraged to come forward.
“We’re also keen for anyone to come along who would like to volunteer or help with the project.”
Anyone who cannot make the event can contact the museum by email: museum@chesterfield.gov.uk or call 01246 345727.
Chesterfield Museum is open each Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.
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