About Chesterfield

Defending champion Lisa Brennauer returns to Aviva Women’s Tour

1st June 2016

Defending champion Lisa Brennauer will return to the Aviva Women’s Tour leading the CANYON//SRAM Racing team and donning the number one placard, in the race that starts on Wednesday 15 June and arrives in Chesterfield at the end of stage 3 on Friday 17th June.

Brennauer won a stage and the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey on her way to the overall Aviva Yellow Jersey in last year’s edition of the race.

The multiple World Champion has ridden in both editions of the Aviva Women’s Tour to date, and recently finished on the podium of the Energiewacht Tour in Holland, winning the Points Classification.

Speaking about her return to the Aviva Women’s Tour, Lisa Brennauer said; “I’m looking forward to coming back to the UK for the Aviva Women’s Tour. It’s been thrilling racing in front of big crowds and an amazing atmosphere last year. When I think back of all the fans along the course, at the finish and the award ceremonies I`m still having goose bumps. The Aviva Women’s Tour quickly made her way to one of the biggest events in women`s cycling.”

Joining her in the CANYON/SRAM provisional line-up will be Northamptonshire’s Hannah Barnes, winner of the final stage in 2015 and both the Best British and Best Young Rider jerseys.

Commenting on the race, Hannah Barnes said; “I always love coming back home to race. You get a buzz being on roads you know and having friends and family there watching. I’m particularly excited about the final stage. Starting and finishing so close to home and on roads I know is special.”

Italian National Champion Elena Cecchini will also return, having finished 10th overall in the first edition of the race in 2014, with former Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner Tiffany Cromwell the fourth rider in the squad.

Completing the line up will be multiple Belarussian champion Alena Amialiuski and Italian Barbara Guarischi, who finished second on the stage to Kettering in 2015, and won the Prudential RideLondon and Sparkassen Giro events in 2015.

Commenting on the provisional roster, Aviva Women’s Tour Race Director Mick Bennett said, “We look forward to welcoming Lisa Brennauer and her team back to the Aviva Women’s Tour in 2016 as a part of what is going to be a fantastic line-up for this year’s race.

“With Lisa, Hannah Barnes and the other riders in the squad, the CANYON//SRAM team have a very strong line-up for the Aviva Women’s Tour who we are sure will take the race to the other teams.”

The Aviva Women’s Tour stage 3 finishes in Chesterfield town centre on Friday 17th June. There will also be a host of activities during the day from fun fair rides to a workplace cycle challenge.

Fans can look forward to highlights of each stage of the race on ITV4 each evening, with repeats the following daytime and all programme’s available on demand via the ITV Player.

Images:
Landscape: Lisa Brennauer in the Aviva Yellow Jersey at the 2015 Aviva Women’s Tour (c) The Tour
Portrait: Hannah Barnes winning the final stage of the 2015 Aviva Women’s Tour (c) The Tour

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Seb Perez ready for Oulton Park

31st May 2016

Chesterfield’s young racing driver, Seb Perez is set to travel to Oulton Park this weekend in the next round of the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship.

The 16-year-old will be looking for a bit more luck after his last two outings at Donington Park and Thruxton have ended in a mixture of success and misfortune.

Race one at Donington saw Perez finish 11th, after changing weather conditions including a sleet storm and various position changes. He clocked up his fastest lap on the first and second sectors of the circuit, dropping to second during the third timed section of the track, only to find after the race his fastest lap had been disallowed.

Second race of the weekend saw him line up 11th on the grid, but unfortunately after a good start he retired with a damaged car after being shunted off the track.

After a battle to get the car ready for race three, his team worked wonders and saw him on the last row of the grid. Making up six places he finished in 16th position.

Despite the car sustaining 2 bent valves and brake problems at Donington, Seb’s team ensured it was running well for Thruxton.

The qualifying session saw Seb outrun every other driver on the circuit. Lap 3 was his fastest lap at 1:31.899s with a speed of 92.29mph to take his maiden pole position in the championship by one thousandth of a second.

Race one saw Perez in pole and in charge of the pack of the other 19 cars behind him. Black flagged for jumping the start and a drive through penalty saw him drop to 19th position, however he progressed through the field gaining a best race speed of up to 106.8mph and finishing 18th – still a success but a potential podium place could have been on the cards.

Race two saw Perez start from row 9 on the grid. After a good start on the first lap gaining essential places, disaster struck shortly afterwards and an incident saw Max Bird’s Ginetta retiring along with Perez.

After a month’s break with plenty of testing and some tweaks to the car he hopes that this will be a turning point in the season for him. Last season Seb finished 15th in both races at Oulton Park and hopes to improve on that this year.

He said: “I am really looking forward to Oulton Park this weekend, I enjoy racing on it and there will be a lot of local support there for me.

“The last two rounds at Donington and Thruxton hadn’t gone entirely to plan, but that’s racing for you; it’s always a learning curve and my team, JHR Developments has worked well on the car during the last 2 rounds to sort out the problems. We had a good test session at Croft just over a week ago and the car is performing great.”

Perez has still a long way to go to the end of the season at the beginning of October. Seb’s performance and all the action is broadcast live on the Sundays on ITV 4.

Editorial by Paul Horton. Landscape image: Jakob Ebrey Photography, Portrait image: Paul Horton Photography.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

£80k boost to help young people get active

31st May 2016

Young people across Derbyshire will have the chance to try a range of sports and activities thanks to an £80,000 boost which has been awarded to sports clubs and providers.

A total of 76 projects have been awarded a share of the funding which will see new sessions run in a huge variety of sports and activities, with everything from aerobics, boxercise, tennis, cricket and netball, to climbing, American football, dance and martial arts on offer.

The funding has come from Sport England’s Lottery-funded London 2012 legacy project Sportivate, which in Derbyshire is co-ordinated locally by Derbyshire Sport.

The programme aims to give more young people aged 11 to 25 the chance to discover a sport that they love, offering those who do not currently take part in sport and physical activity between six and eight weeks of free or subsidised coaching.

Once the course has finished, those involved will also be supported to continue playing sport.

Projects will take place across the county, including in Amber Valley, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derby, the Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, High Peak, North East Derbyshire and South Derbyshire.

Funding will be used to pay for new equipment, coaching, facility hire and training.

Lewis Adams, Sport Development Officer with responsibility for Sportivate at Derbyshire Sport, said: “Since its launch six years ago more than 10,000 young people across Derbyshire have taken part in sporting activities funded through Sportivate.

“This latest round of funding will allow lots more new and exciting activities to be kick-started and continue to help sports clubs and organisations to recruit new participants and get more young people active.”

To find out what Sportivate sessions are available in your area please contact Lewis Adams, Sport Development Officer at Derbyshire Sport by emailing lewis.adams@derbyshire.gov.uk.

The application process for a further round of Sportivate funding is due to open in August. Applications will be particularly welcomed from projects with a specific focus on inactive young people, women and girls, disabled young people, those aged between 19 and 25, and young people who are not currently in education, employment or training.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure

Working Towards an Active Derbyshire

27th May 2016

Derbyshire Sport has made tackling inactivity the number one priority in its new draft strategy for 2016 to 2021, Towards an Active Derbyshire.

The ambition is to engage 50,000 more people in physical activity and sport over the next five years as a response to a decline across the county in those getting regularly active.

The strategy acts as a call to action for partners and communities across Derbyshire to help address big inequalities in participation from one area to another.

It also sets out women, young people and those from lower socio economic groups as clear priorities.

“There is a need to work differently, understanding the attitudes, fears and barriers that stop people becoming more active and engaged in sport,” said Hayley, Lever, Director of Derbyshire Sport.

“We want organisations and people across Derbyshire to support and encourage less active people on a journey to happier and healthier lives.”

“There is a growing recognition nationally, that, for many people, activity and sport simply isn’t on their radar. Even for those who are engaged, many factors get in the way and people need information, support, encouragement and help to motivate and nudge them to change their lifestyles.”

The draft strategy, open for public consultation until June 20, calls for a commitment to change at every level and across sectors, including health, transport, business and planning, as well as sport and recreation.

It supports Sport England’s new strategy released last week – Towards an Active Nation 2016-2021 – which outlines that future investment will target seven key areas: tackling inactivity, children and young people, taking sport and activity to the mass market, supporting sport’s core markets, local delivery and creating welcoming sports facilities.

As part of its fresh approach, Derbyshire Sport has also adopted a new constitution and board, which features openly-recruited skills-based members.

New board chair Kathryn Mitchell added: “I’m delighted to join the new Derbyshire Sport board as Chair at this time of exciting change in the landscape of activity and sport.

“We welcome the opportunity to support the Sport England vision, working with our partners locally to create positive and sustainable changes for those living, working and visiting Derbyshire.”

The draft strategy, Towards an Active Derbyshire, can be viewed and downloaded by visiting the Derbyshire Sport website and searching for Derbyshire Physical Activity and Sport Strategy 2016-2021.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure

Green + Benz scoop coveted Chesterfield Retailer of the Year title

26th May 2016

Four retailers retain titles in 2016 awards

Only six months after opening its new flagship store, Green + Benz has scooped the coveted title of Retailer of the Year, Sponsored by East Midlands Chamber at the 2016 Chesterfield Retail Awards.

Green + Benz was among 14 Chesterfield retailers to scoop one of 18 prestigious awards, which are organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with The Chesterfield College Group.

The awards which returned for the third year running were the biggest yet and saw four retailers – Adorn Jewellers, R P Davidson Cheese Factor, Libby’s and Debenhams, retain their 2015 titles.

As well as Retailer of the Year, Green + Benz also took the title of Best New Store following the relocation of its Chesterfield store on Glumangate to 120sqm of premium retail space on South Street in December last year.

The increased space means Green + Benz can accommodate an open shop floor, a private viewing room and a workshop for bespoke commissions. Inside, the store boasts luxurious leather and velvet upholstery, glittering chandeliers and individual branded display bays which are framed by polished chrome edge details and numerous mirrors, which all adds to the overall sense of glamour of the store. Figures for Green + Benz showed a 68% overall growth in prior year sales results in December 2015 following the opening of the new store.

Manager of the Chesterfield store, Abi Noakes was presented with both awards at the sell-out award ceremony, which was held at the town’s Winding Wheel venue and hosted by Peak FM breakfast show presenters Cat and Stu.

Abi said: “We’re so overwhelmed and very proud and happy to receive the awards. It means so much that the awards have come from Chesterfield and everybody in Chesterfield. We really try and strive to make our clients ultra-happy and give them the best service that we can.”

Peter Swallow, Chairman of Destination Chesterfield said: “Once again the retail awards were a huge success and highlighted how strong Chesterfield’s retail scene is. The town has an excellent mix of independent and high street retailers as well as an historic market and a key reason why so many people, locally and nationally, visit each year. It’s a winning mix that consistently sees Chesterfield buck the trend for shop vacancy rates, contributing significantly to our growing economy.”

Discover all the winners of the 2016 Chesterfield Retail Awards

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

Sheffield City Region secures funding for sustainable transport

25th May 2016

Sheffield City Region has been successful in its bid to the Department for Transport to continue with a programme of activity to make travelling to work better for businesses and employees.

The Local Sustainable Transport Fund is aligned to the Sheffield City Region Growth Plan, which aims to create 70,000 and jobs and create 6,000 new businesses over the next decade. The fund covers a range of projects which aim to realise the economic potential of sustainable travel, make cycling easier and safer, and support businesses to increase productivity and efficiency. Projects including loans for electric bikes, cycle training and a programme to make HGVs, buses, coaches and vans more fuel efficient.

Councillor Julie Dore, Transport lead for the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, said: “The news that Sheffield City Region has secured £2.5m of revenue funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund is very welcome. It will help us sustain a number of successful, locally developed schemes that encourage sustainable travel, and will provide a platform for more substantial bids later in the year.”

Martin McKervey, Sheffield City Region LEP Board member, said: “This investment by Government in sustainable transport in Sheffield City Region is excellent news. As a LEP we are committed to bringing together the public and private sectors to make it even easier to do business in the City Region. Connectivity is key to this and this additional funding will enable us to continue on our journey to build a better connected economy which supports businesses to grow and creates job opportunities for residents.”

The funding for Sheffield City Region Combined Authority is part of £20.6m that is being given out nationally for 23 sustainable travel initiatives across England that boost local economies by supporting people’s ambitions – offering cheap, clean and healthy travel options to access jobs and education opportunities.

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said: “Green transport cuts congestion and improves air quality. It also offers the cheapest and healthiest way for people to access jobs and education.

“Sheffield’s green travel scheme will make a real difference for residents and help provide better air quality for everyone. Our £21m funding across England shows we are committed to improving lives through investment in sustainable transport.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Spireites announce second summer signing

25th May 2016

Chesterfield have made their second summer signing, clinching the signature of midfielder Jon Nolan.

The 24-year-old was a free agent after coming to the end of his contract at Grimsby Town.

Nolan, who started his career with Stockport County before spells at Lincoln City and Wrexham, played a key role in Grimsby’s return to the Football League via the play-offs. The Mariners also enjoyed another trip to Wembley in last weekend’s FA Trophy final.

Nolan joins striker Kristian Dennis in signing for the Spireites since the end of the season.

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

Thrills galore at Chatsworth Country Fair

25th May 2016

Split second timing, breathtaking fire jumps and pyramids on wheels are just some of the stunning tricks crowds can expect at the Chatsworth Country Fair this September as the world-famous Imps Motorcycle Display Team returns for the first time in a decade.

The youngest member of the team is just five years old and will take part in a spectacular show of revving engines, billowing fire jumps and multiple motorcycle routines to bring visitors an unmissable display of discipline and skill.

The Imps Motorcycle Display Team forms part of the action-packed schedule of family friendly entertainment at the hugely popular annual event.

The Grand Ring will also be the site for thrilling landings from the Jump4Heroes human flight team, made up of serving and former members of the military. Continuing with the aerial attractions, visitors to the fair will once again be treated to an awe-inspiring aerobatic display by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force team famous for their trademark combinations of close formation flying, dynamic loops and rolls appearing on Friday and Sunday.

The popular Household Cavalry Musical Ride will be back performing cavalry drill movements set to music showcasing the courage, skill, precision and discipline required by the riders. As part of the display, Stablemen, or “Rough Riders” lie on the ground with their horses, a skill which can take up to four months of training to teach and is a throwback to when horses went into battle and would need to take cover.

Birds and animals once again feature prominently over the three days. Always popular is CJ’s Birds of Prey, a unique father and daughter act lead by Charlotte Hill who has trained in the art of falconry in various countries across the world. The duo’s bubbling enthusiasm and skill has led to them becoming one of the most popular Birds of Prey display teams in the UK.

The Chatsworth Country Fair takes place from 2 to 4 September 2016 and discounts are available for tickets purchased in advance online. For more information click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Chesterfield gets new-look half marathon

24th May 2016

One of Chesterfield and North Derbyshire’s most prominent running events has been launched with a new look route – which promises to be flatter and faster than previous years.

Organisers of the Chesterfield Half Marathon believe that the runner-friendly route will attract more participants and elite runners from around the world.

The route changes come alongside a suspension of the full marathon for 2016, to enable organisers to focus on creating a much-improved route for the 2017 event.

Runners can now register to take part in the 2016 event, which takes place on Sunday 2 October. It will also include a fun run and a relay race, where four competitors take a share of the course over a distance of either 5km or two people over 10km each.

The charity race, which is sponsored by Chesterfield-based Drainage 2000, will once again be entirely in support of a number of local and national charities and community organisations.

Starting and finishing in Chesterfield’s Queen’s Park, the route has retained popular stretches through areas like Hasland whilst also incorporating Chatsworth Road and more of the town centre. As well as being a faster and more attractive route for runners of all abilities, the new route will allow more residents to get out onto the streets and support the runners. The route is all road-based, so fully wheelchair accessible.

As in previous years, there will also be an all-day ‘Party in the Park’ in Queen’s Park, with food, drink and entertainment for all the family. Along the route organisers are also aiming to create festival zones in areas such as Hasland and Chatsworth Road, where the Chatsworth Road festival will be taking place on the same weekend.

Mike Hyman, from the event organisers, said: “It has always been our intention for the Chesterfield Half Marathon to be a world class event that will attract runners and visitors to our town from across the UK and beyond. So that, as well as the thousands of pounds the event can generate for many charities, the Chesterfield Half Marathon also benefits the local economy, from the influx of visitors to our town who will spend their money in our shops, restaurants, bars and hotels.

“The route we have designed for this year definitely achieves our ambition. We have been working closely with the local authorities and other agencies for many months, as well as listening to runners’ and residents’ feedback to try and design an equally attractive full marathon route, but there is still more work to do to achieve the optimum route.

“In relation to the full marathon, it is a very difficult task to agree a route that is attractive enough to runners to make it commercially viable, while at the same time limits disruption to residents and satisfies all the agencies concerned, including the emergency services and Highways England. Therefore in 2016 we have decided not to hold the full marathon and instead focus on building the half marathon and the 4 X 5K team relay event.”

Drainage 2000 returns as headline sponsor for the second year. The company, which was launched in 2000, maintains drainage systems all across the UK and employs 20 people locally from its office in Old Whittington.

Entry is £30 for the half marathon, £25 per person for the 2 X 10K team relay, £15 per person for the 4 x 5K team relay and £5 for the fun run. Runners will also have the option to have their ‘chipped’ race number posted to them before race day.

To register as for the Half Marathon, team relay, fun run or as a volunteer visit www.chesterfieldmarathon.org.uk/registrations. To find out more about sponsorship opportunities, festival zone packs or getting involved in other ways contact Andrea on 01246 269023 or andrea@chesterfieldmarathon.co.uk.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Chesterfield entrepreneurs urged to kick start their business ideas

24th May 2016

Budding entrepreneurs from Chesterfield looking to be the next Sir Alan Sugar or Dragon’s Den multi-millionaire are being urged to take advantage of help to kick-start their business ideas.

A free support service, called Launchpad, has been established by Sheffield City Region’s Growth Hub as part of the package of support being offered to Chesterfield businesses through membership of the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority.

The free help is aimed at encouraging more budding entrepreneurs to set up and run successful new businesses. The aim is to create hundreds of new businesses across the Sheffield City Region, of which Chesterfield is a part, over the next three years.

Available help includes:

Guidance and advice from start-up business advisers
Workshops and seminars on issues facing new start-up businesses
One-to-one coaching and mentoring services from successful business leaders and entrepreneurs

Councillor John Burrows, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and cabinet member for regeneration, said: “One of the reasons why we are seeking full membership of the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority is that it can deliver projects like this straight away to the benefit of Chesterfield’s new businesses and entrepreneurs.

“Chesterfield has a lower number of entrepreneurs setting up new businesses than the national average and we are keen to do everything possible to change that as successful businesses bring more jobs to the town, with the knock-on benefits that come from that for the families of the people employed.

“One of the hardest things as an entrepreneur is taking that initial gem of an idea and turning it in to something that makes a viable and successful business.

“Many great ideas have fallen by the wayside because the entrepreneurs behind them didn’t have the support and knowledge of how to sell their product or service.

“I would urge anyone thinking about setting up a business, or in the early days of doing so, to get in touch with the Launchpad programme and get the free support on offer.”

More information is available by ringing 03330 00 00 39, emailing growthhub@sheffieldcityregion.org.uk or visiting www.scrgrowthhub.co.uk/services/start-up/

The £4 million programme is being delivered through the Sheffield City Region (SCR) Growth Hub, launched by the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership last month, and involves a consortium of local authorities, and the Princes Trust.

The initiative is backed financially by the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority and has attracted £2,359,613 investment from the European Regional Development Fund.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Celebrity host of 2016 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards confirmed

24th May 2016

Professional cake designer to the stars, Mich Turner MBE, has been confirmed as the celebrity host of this year’s Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards.

Founder and director of London-based Little Venice Cake Company, Mich has created cakes for Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Gordon Ramsay, David Beckham and Pierce Brosnan. Her bespoke cakes start from £2500.

As well as her high profile cakes that have been featured in films, Mich has also presented and judged Britain’s Best Bakery, one of the top five performing daytime TV shows on ITV, as well as her own Mich Turner’s Couture Cakes for Sky. In addition to her TV credits, Mich also has five international best-selling books to her name.

Delighted to be hosting the 2016 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards Mich Turner said: “I am a firm believer in using quality ingredients whether you’re creating indulgent cakes or a memorable meal. A cake, like any food or drink, should be a feast for the eyes and a memory for the palate.

“Chesterfield has a thriving food and drink sector we all have our own personal favourites. It will be wonderful to see so many businesses and individuals within the sector recognised at the awards.”

Mich will be announcing the winners of 13 awards at a glittering award ceremony which will, once again, be held in Chesterfield College’s Heart Space building. The popular awards return for the fourth year running and are organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with Chesterfield College.

The winners of the Chesterfield Food and Drink awards are decided following a public nomination. People can nominate cafes, bars, restaurants, pubs and food producers online across 10 categories in the awards until midnight on Monday 13 June at www.chesterfield.co.uk/foodanddrinkawards

The 10 categories in which you can nominate in the 2016 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards include:

Restaurant of the Year – sponsored by Chesterfield Borough Council
Café/Tea Room of the Year – sponsored by Kier
Gastro Pub of the Year – sponsored by arvato
Pub / Bar of the Year – sponsored by Custom Solar
Best Newcomer – sponsored by BHP Accountants
Best Customer Service – sponsored by East Midlands Chamber
Best Out of Town (within 10 miles of Chesterfield) – presented by Chesterfield College
Chesterfield Food Producer – sponsored by Casa Hotel
International Restaurant of the Year – sponsored by MSE Hiller
Family Friendly Award – sponsored by Jumble Design

Other supporters of the awards include the Derbyshire Times, Peak FM, Holdsworth Foods, Banner Jones, the Crooked Spire Church, Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, Central Technology Ltd, ra Information Systems, Black Eyed Susan and Reflections.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Visiting