Business

Chesterfield based accountancy firm name new joint managing partners

Joint managing partners have taken up position at Yorkshire and North Derbyshire’s leading accountancy firm.

Audit partner Lisa Leighton and corporate finance partner Hamish Morrison took the reins at BHP – which has offices in Chesterfield, Sheffield, Cleckheaton, Leeds,  and York – on 1 April 2019.

Both aged 45, Lisa began at BHP as a graduate in 1995 and Hamish joined BHP Corporate Finance as partner in 2012 with 20 years’ experience in the sector. Each will maintain responsibility for their current portfolio of clients.

Outgoing managing partner of 10 years, John Warner, will continue at the firm full-time as senior partner to manage his portfolio of clients.

At the start of his term as managing partner, John set out the firm’s first five-year strategy which, along with the subsequent five-year plan, achieved the aim of transforming BHP into the largest independent firm in Yorkshire.

From two offices and turnover of £8m in 2009, BHP now has five offices, turnover approaching £22m and is ranked number 35 of accounting firms in the UK.

John said: “BHP’s history is built on the ability to continuously adapt and stay at the forefront of the industry. It’s with this ethos that we continue to thrive today and I am fully confident in this next step for our business.

“My two highly qualified colleagues will inject a new wave of dynamism and drive to the firm, building on our strong foundations and leading us confidently into the next decade.”

Lisa and Hamish have been actively involved in the strategic and operational management of the business for several years and the hand-over process started in June 2018.

Providing partner-led advice on corporate finance deals and more general strategic areas, Hamish said: “This is a really exciting time for BHP. We continue to push forward – standing-out in the mid-tier market with significant initiatives to further add value, lead with technology, expand services and support staff and clients to reach their true potential.

“I very much look forward to BHP continuing to exceed client expectations well into the next decade.”

Lisa, who has extensive experience in auditing, business advice and corporate finance services for a wide range of organisations, said: “Like John, I’ve seen BHP grow and flourish over a number of years.

“BHP is all about people – our success comes from getting to know the people behind businesses and that is what I love. We support our clients and colleagues to develop, grow and be the best versions of themselves, and it is this culture that I want to take forward into the future.”

With more than 300 staff, including 31 partners, BHP was recently recognised in The Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For and also for the Community Award at the Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards.

Hamish, Lisa, John at BHP

Posted in Business

Celebrate the best apprentices in Chesterfield

Chesterfield Champion, The Derbyshire Times, along with their sister titles, is honouring the efforts of apprentices, apprentice employers and the wonderful training providers who support them.

With close to a million active apprenticeships across England alone, apprenticeship schemes have fast become a route to future employment for thousands of school leavers.

The Sheffield City Region Apprenticeship Awards, now in their third year, recognise and reward both the apprentices and their employers that are excelling across the Sheffield City Region.

Entries are now open in the following 10 awards categories and will be celebrated at a ceremony to be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, Doncaster, on Thursday, June 27.

Categories include:

  • SME Apprentice Employer of the Year
  • Large Business Apprentice Employer
  • Diversity and Inclusion programme
  • Training Provider/Programme of the Year
  • Mentor of the Year
  • Higher/Degree Apprentice of the Year
  • Intermediate Apprentice of the Year
  • Business & Law Apprentice of the Year
  • Health & Public Service
  • Apprentice of the Year
  •  Engineering/Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year

To enter the awards, simply visit the website www.scrapprenticeshipawards.co.uk where you’ll also find full details of entry criteria and what the judges are looking for.

Guests will enjoy a drinks reception, canapes and deluxe two-course meal, entertainment, as well the awards themselves which promise to have you on your feet as we celebrate the apprenticeship stars of Sheffield City Region. The deadline for entries is Friday, May 3.

There are currently more than 4,000 people currently participating in apprenticeships in Chesterfield.

There are many options available to young people after they leave school or college and choosing which is best is a big decision.

Chesterfield is the first town in the UK to declare itself an Apprentice Town – demonstrating its commitment to growing the future and careers of young people alongside business and the economy by retaining and developing young talent in the town in order to attract more employers to invest here.

Chesterfield is a town where young people, parents and businesses think ‘Apprenticeship First’.

Find out more about apprenticeships in Chesterfield

An apprentice at A-Rock Construction in Chesterfield.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business

Specsavers Matlock and Chesterfield donate food to combat child hunger

With one in five UK children suffering from food poverty, Specsavers in Matlock and Chesterfield are thanking customers in the local community, after they joined forces to collect food to help those in need.

Generous staff and their families held an in-store food drive, collecting a range of the most needed food items in support of the Chesterfield Foodbank.

Last week, the stores’ staff also volunteered at the foodbank, lending a hand to sort through the food at the warehouse, helping the foodbank cope with the influx of donated food.

“Chesterfield Foodbank is an amazing charity – helping local families when they need it most with their crisis food packages. We are proud to have played our part in helping, and the volunteering session really brought our team together too” said Audiologist Juliet Metterick.

She continues: “It was nice to try something different and also feel that we are giving back to our community. If you have a couple of hours to spare I strongly recommend volunteering like we did.”

Anyone wishing to donate or volunteer should visit chesterfield.foodbank.org.uk for more information.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield

Work has started for latest investor at Markham Vale

Work has started on Sheffield-based Protec International’s new site, which is set to create up to 45 new jobs at Markham Vale.Protec International is the leading supplier of flame retardant temporary protection materials approved by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) to the construction industry.

Stephen Cox, Managing Director of Protec International, said:

“We look forward to moving into our new base at Markham Vale later this year, pushing ahead with our growth plans which will create up to 45 new jobs across both phases. The location couldn’t be better for accessing the national motorway network, and will allow us to continue delivering our range of building protection solutions to our construction industry clients on a next-day basis.”

The firm’s new warehouse and offices will be in addition to a number of bases across the country.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, said:

“It was great to meet Protec and visit where their new base will be at Markham Vale and we’re pleased work is now underway.“The firm will be a fantastic addition to the site and it’s great to hear they’re looking to create up to 45 new jobs for local people too.“Markham’s excellent location off Junction 29A of the M1 will be great for Protec and we’re pleased that the site continues to attract a range of companies that can grow and thrive there.”

The firm’s new 5.39 acre base with opportunity to expand is set to be completed by September and will be designed and built by the county council’s private sector property partner, Henry Boot Developments (HBD) on Markham Vale North.

Andrew Priestley, Development Surveyor at Henry Boot Developments (HBD), said:

“It’s great to see work starting on site – with its combination of high-quality, purpose-built property and an unrivalled location and transport links, we’ve no doubt that Markham Vale will prove the ideal base for Protec as the business grows and continues to expand its team. Working to a 26-week timeline, we look forward to completing the Protec development in September.”

Plots of up to 15 acres are still available at Derbyshire County Council and Henry Boot Developments’ flagship regeneration site and can accommodate flexible design and build unit options up to 300,000 sq ft.

Find out more about Markham Vale

Markham Vale

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Fancy Dress Fun Day brings in the dough for Comic Relief at Specsavers Chesterfield

Staff at Specsavers Chesterfield donned their Pyjamas and Slippers for a day of fundraising in support of Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day 2019.

Along with the Fancy Dress, they truly got into the Red Nose Day spirit with competitions, collections and a bake sale in a bid to raise money for good causes

The amount raised on the day itself went into the store’s Comic Relief pot, which already had hundreds of pounds donated throughout the month from the sale of Red Nose Day glasses. In total, customers and staff raised a huge £1,000 throughout the month!

Vicki Bainbridge, Retail Director at Specsavers Matlock and Chesterfield comments: “Specsavers has long been a champion of Comic Relief, and it’s certainly a very significant part of the year when it comes to our fundraising efforts across both stores. The team can’t wait for it to come round every year!”

“It was great to see just how creative the costume efforts were and they must have been a hit with customers given how generous they were with donations!”

chesterfield specsavers

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Amazon to create 200 new permanent jobs with the opening of a new fulfilment centre in Chesterfield

Amazon today announced plans to open a new fulfilment centre in Chesterfield and begin recruitment for more than 200 new permanent jobs.   Amazon’s new investment will help meet customer demand, expand selection and enable SMEs selling on Amazon Marketplace to scale their businesses.

“We are delighted to open a new Amazon building in Chesterfield and begin recruitment for more than 200 new permanent roles with competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one,” said Stefano Perego, Amazon’s VP of UK Customer Fulfilment. “We are very much looking forward to welcoming a new team, who will play a crucial role in delivering a first rate level of service for our customers.”

Amazon fulfilment centre employees receive competitive pay and comprehensive benefits from day one. Pay starts at £10.50 in the London area and £9.50 for the rest of the UK for all full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal employees working in the company’s fulfilment centres. Employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package, including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, subsidized meals and an employee discount, which combined are worth more than £700 annually, as well as a company pension plan.

Amazon Chesterfield

Amazon also offers employees an innovative programme called Career Choice that provides funding for adult education, offering to pre-pay 95% of tuition and associated fees for nationally recognised courses, up to £8,000 over four years.

Bolsover District Council’s Chief Executive Dan Swaine said, “This is great news and welcome boost for the area. This new warehouse will create 200 permanent jobs in the area, meaning significant opportunities for local people and to attract a company like Amazon is good news for the local economy and the future of the District.”

Amazon has started recruiting for a range of new roles for the fulfillment centre, which will be located in Barlborough, including operations managers, engineers, HR and IT specialists.  Recruitment for the Amazon team in Chesterfield who will pick, pack and ship customer orders will begin later this year. People interested in applying for jobs at Amazon should visit www.myamazonjob.com/fulfillment-centers/chesterfield

Chesterfield and North Derbyshire is centrally located and continues to attract high profile fulfillment and distributions operations to the area.  To find out more about investing in the area visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/invest

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development

Relocation to Chesterfield to accelerate growth plans for local business

An award-winning Derbyshire business has made the move to larger premises in Chesterfield, bringing employment opportunities to the local area.

Oasis Studio, a creative design agency, has moved from Eckington into Chesterfield, bringing the potential for new creative roles.

The studio specialises in architecture and visualisation services and recently reached the 15-year milestone.

Paul Deakin, Director of Oasis Studio, says: “2019 marks 15 years in business for us and we’ve got big plans for growth.”

“Chesterfield is a great base for us; there’s so many exciting projects going on and a fantastic community of local businesses, which we’re glad to be joining.”

Ahead of the move, Oasis Studio has become a Chesterfield Champion; a group of businesses involved with the Destination Chesterfield scheme, networking to promote the area as a desirable place to live, do business, invest and visit.

Paul adds: “We exhibited at Destination Chesterfield’s Celebrate Chesterfield event earlier this month, meeting other businesses in the area and listening to the plans for development in the coming months and years.

“Chesterfield is known for its history, but it’s also a thriving place to do business and we’re very excited to be joining the area.”

Oasis Studio is now based at Unit 4, Chatsworth Technology Park, Dunston Road, Chesterfield. For more information visit oasisstudio.uk.

Chesterfied business Oasis studio

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

Chesterfield financial planner to host free masterclasses for women in business

A Chesterfield-based financial planner is hosting free masterclasses for female business owners.

Suzanne Jeakins, Financial Planner at Banner Jones Wealth Management, is running a series of women in business masterclasses to help owner-managers of small to medium sized enterprises manage their finances. The first masterclass on Wednesday 8 May will demystify pensions and cover how to create a financial plan.

Suzanne has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry. She said: “There are lots of great businesses in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire led by women who know their sector well but may lack confidence in financial matters which can hold them back.”

“If you are a business owner or manager and would like to enhance your financial knowledge, are nearing retirement or are starting to look at selling your business, it’s an opportunity to get free advice.”

The masterclasses will all be held at Maison MesAmis in Chesterfield:

  • Wednesday 8 May – ‘Creating your financial plan and pensions uncovered’ Find out more
  • Wednesday 5 June – ‘Investments and life assurance’ Find out more
  • Wednesday 3 July – ‘Putting it in a plan’ Find out more

Banner Jones Wealth Management is a joint venture between Banner Jones Solicitors which has its headquarters in Chesterfield, and Future Life Wealth Management which is based in Renishaw. The company provides wealth management advice, financial planning and legal advice for businesses, individuals, trustees and inheritors of wealth.

To book a masterclass, call 01246 540546 or email dawnmann@bannerjones.co.uk.

finance pensions free masterclass business women

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield

Support available for SMEs to upskill staff and recruit for the future

Nottingham Trent University is working with a consortium of local colleges and universities to deliver the ESF High Level Skills programme, where local companies can receive dedicated support, advice and funding to upskill current employees and access a wealth of graduate talent that is available across D2N2 (Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire).

This ground-breaking programme is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). The consortium includes Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham College, Vision West Nottinghamshire College, Derby College, University of Derby and Nottingham City Council.

This is the first time universities and colleges in the region have worked together on such a large scale to develop employer-led learning and training in collaboration with local SMEs.

Through the programme, eligible SMEs will have access to the following projects:

Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs

‘Priority Skills for D2N2 SMEs’ will provide bespoke, employer-led training, career coaching and advice to upskill and support people working in local SMEs. It offers higher and degree apprenticeships as well as high-quality short courses, focused on giving employees the high-level technical and vocational skills relevant to today’s industries.

It will focus on unlocking talent in the region by making the local workforce more diverse and inclusive by supporting staff that may face barriers to accessing high level skills and pathways, including:

  • women
  • people aged 50+
  • people with disabilities
  • people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities
  • those who have missed out on traditional educational opportunities

GRADS for D2N2

The ‘Graduate Retention And Delivering skills for SMEs (GRADS) for D2N2’ project provides small and medium-sized businesses working in priority sectors a complete package of free and subsidised support to help them benefit from graduate talent in the region.

Eligible SMEs can access a wide range of support to plug skills gaps, achieve more and grow your business;

  • Skills and talent needs assessment – After enrolling onto the project you can request a free, full review of your business’ current organisational set-up. This can identify your future needs and goals and explore how graduate and high-level skills could boost your business productivity.
  • Skills and talent action plans – Businesses will be assisted in developing an action plan to implement the findings of the skills and talent needs assessment.
  • Talent grants and graduate placements – Talent grants can be used to support work experience and placements that are meaningful for both SMEs and graduates.
  • Higher and degree apprenticeships advice – Grow your own apprentice by making them a key part of your organisation’s development. Work with the Apprenticeships team to understand how a higher or degree apprenticeship could be used to upskill existing employees and attract new talent.
  • Putting SME voices at the heart of course design – Through co-design, Nottingham Trent University aims to put SME needs, insight and experience at the core of the courses they’re delivering.

In addition to Nottingham Trent University’s offer described above, SMEs can access a range of support including:

The ESF High Level Skills programme is due to run until 2020. If you are interested in finding out more about the programme, please click here.

driving business success

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

The Rose and Crown Brampton doubles up

The Rose and Crown Brampton has been awarded Chesterfield CAMRA Branch Cider Pub of the Year (CPOTY) 2019. They were also awarded Chesterfield CAMRA Pub of the year back in 2018 thus giving them a fantastic double achievement.

The Rose and Crown Brampton is no stranger to such awards having also been Summer and Spring ‘Pub of the Season’ on a number of occasions.

This Rose and Crown is one of three local pubs owned by Brampton Brewery. The Tramway Tavern is situated on Chatsworth Road, a mere 30 yards from the brewery, and in February the Glassworks was opened, situated on Sheffield Road directly across from the Proact Stadium.

On being presented with the award by CAMRA cider champion Yvonne Nolan, The Rose and Crown landlord Mat Randall said “We are delighted to be voted Chesterfield Cider Pub of the Year for 2019. We are extremely proud of our constantly changing wide range of ciders and perries and are always happy to find new ones to add to our list and encourage more people to try real Cider and Perry”.

Yvonne said “Cider is a natural product with great variety and is increasing in popularity. Regularly offering over 15 ciders and perries The Rose and Crown is a fantastic example of promoting cider in pubs. It is a worthy winner of Cider Pub of the Year and now goes forward to the regional round of the competition.”

Rose and crown brampton camra award 2019

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

IT lessons goes galactic for students from The Bolsover School

School IT lessons were brought to life by the world’s leading independent end-to-end IT services company for a group of students from The Bolsover School recently.

Eight Year 9 students from the school visited DXC Technology as part of the Made in Chesterfield campaign. The visit to the Chesterfield-based company was designed to show the students how they could apply their IT skills to real-life work.

As part of the visit, students learned about IT security, teamwork and coding in a real-life working environment. They even got to send a message to the International Space Station (ISS) through Mission Zero. With the support of DXC Technology, the students wrote a simple programme to display a message to the astronauts onboard, proving a big hit with the students.

Debbie Crossley, Career Information, Advice and Guidance Officer at The Bolsover School commented on the visit: “We were very fortunate in being able to take several of our Year 9 students to visit DXC Technology as part of the Made in Chesterfield campaign. The students were amazed by the type of work carried out by DXC and were fascinated by what they learnt.

“The visit offered so many learning outcomes for us around careers, apprenticeships, technology and much more. DXC Technology made us feel very welcome and the students were so pleased they went on the trip – we’ll definitely be planning another visit to this employer.”

Made in Chesterfield is aligned with the National Curriculum in order to help students and teachers access the unique leaning experiences that Made in Chesterfield will deliver throughout the year.

The campaign, which is co-ordinated by Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Education Business Partnership and sponsored by University of Derby, is designed to bring together businesses, schools and training providers to showcase the sector to future school leavers.

Since Made in Chesterfield was established, more than 2,500 young people from schools have spent time in the area’s manufacturing and engineering businesses. The visits to businesses operating within the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector are being organised by Derbyshire Education Business Partnership.

DXC Technology is one of a number of companies from Chesterfield’s STEM sector which are opening their doors to students from across the borough in an effort to raise awareness of job opportunities.
Nicola Mills, Global Account Delivery Executive at DXC Technology explained why she thought the visits are so important: “Being a STEM Ambassador is a truly rewarding role; it creates the opportunity to work with young people like the ones from The Bolsover School at our recent Made in Chesterfield event. Events like this enable them to explore the wider world of technology that is outside of their normal day to day reach and hopefully inspires them to consider careers that they hadn’t previously.”

“As a technology company, it is vital for us to support the development of talent, the world is evolving and we are moving to a truly digital age. We can’t meet these demands without the foundations of a digital workforce; our graduate and apprentice programmes help make that achievable. We are all looking forward to a follow-up with The Bolsover School and to see the results of their Hour of Code being played on the International Space Station in May.”

Alongside the educational activity, there is also a programme of business events including a manufacturing conference, manufacturing and engineering forum, business masterclasses and networking events taking place throughout the year as part of Made in Chesterfield.

In addition to Destination Chesterfield, Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, University of Derby, Made in Chesterfield is also supported by, MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar Ltd, NatWest and Placing Futures.

To find out more about Made in Chesterfield or to arrange a school visit, please visit here.

DXC Visit- The Bolsover School

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Manufacturing