Employees across Chesterfield and Derbyshire are being encouraged to log sport and exercise online and compete for prizes in an eight week challenge designed to motivate people to stay fit and healthy in 2015.

Open to everyone, the competition has already attracted nearly 400 participants from over 30 different organisations across Derbyshire.

The ‘My Team 2015’ electronic leaderboards went live atwww.workplacechallenge.org.uk/derbyshire on Monday January 5, as workers returned following the festive break, but there’s still time to sign up, back date your activity and continue to battle it out for the top slot.

This year individuals have access to the Workplace Challenge’s online activity logger as well as the new iPhone app, making it even easier to record and monitor their achievements alongside those of friends, colleagues and other workplaces.

A team and social approach to exercise is something Derbyshire Sport will be strongly encouraging throughout 2015 using both social media and events to inspire workers to join up with colleagues to get active.

Andrea Stone, Sport Development Manager from Derbyshire Sport, said:
“With everyone returning to work with great intentions for the year ahead, January is the perfect time to come together with colleagues and introduce some healthy habits into your working week.

“However, our ambitions for ‘My Team 2015’ in Derbyshire go far beyond simply supporting New Year’s resolutions; it’s about introducing lasting healthy habits into the working week.

“The support and social banter of exercising with colleagues is a great way to not only make getting active more enjoyable, but also to push yourself to remain committed to your healthy goals.”

For more information and to register to take part in ‘My Team 2015’ for free, log on to www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/.

Source:Derbyshire Sport

Cathelco is supplying corrosion protection systems for the second stage of the Filanovsky project in the Caspian Sea, where Lukoil is extracting oil and gas in Russia.

The impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems have been designed to operate in the extreme conditions of the Filanovsky field, where sea ice is often experienced for more than 150 days of the year.

One of the systems will protect the foundations of an ice-resistant stationary platform No 2 (IRP-2) which will be used to drill 15 directional wells with horizontal borehole completions, comprising nine production wells and six injectors.

The other ICCP system is being supplied for a second accommodation unit No. 2 (LQP-2) which will house 55 people and include a helicopter pad.

The new orders follow the successful installation of ICCP systems on three of the original Filanovsky platforms when Cathelco supplied equipment for a riser platform (RB1), an accommodation unit (PGM-1) and an ice resistant fixed platform (IRFP-1).

“We are delighted to have been awarded further contracts for the Filanovsky project on the strength of our past performance and the ability to design equipment which will operate in the harsh environmental conditions of the Caspian Sea”, said Aneel Mumtaz, a senior corrosion engineer at Cathelco.

The main factors in the design of the system are that the anodes have to be ice resistant, capable of being changed by a diver and easily integrated with the structural arrangement of the platform.

“The ICCP systems have the capability to meet the corrosion protection requirements of the structure for 35 years,” Mr Mumtaz explained.

To achieve the necessary wear resistance, the current-emitting faces of the anodes are made from mixed metal oxide (MMO) and have a thickness three or four times greater than conventional anodes.

Another important consideration is the low salinity of the Caspian Sea, which creates a higher seawater resistivity. This requires a higher driving voltage for the anodes in order to achieve the required level of corrosion protection.

When the ICCP system is in operation, the reference electrodes measure the electrical potential at the hull/seawater interface and send a signal to the control panel which automatically raises or lowers the output to the anodes. In this way, the structure receives the optimum level of corrosion protection at all times.

“Cathelco have amassed a considerable amount of experience in the design of ice class ICCP systems for vessels and platforms operating in Arctic conditions.”

The orders for the ICCP systems have been received via Marine Bridge and Navigation Systems, Cathelco’s well established Russian agent based in St Petersburg.

Source:Cathelco via East Midlands Chamber

Autoworld in Chesterfield has this week taken delivery of a unique Triumph motorcycle.   As well as sporting the very distinct vin 666666, the Rocker111 Roadster also boasts custom paint execution across the tank and body work and a series of red demon images under the lacquer.

The exclusive opportunity to host this very special machine was won by the dedicated team at Autoworld after their marketing plan was declared the best in the country by senior managers at Triumph Motorbikes in Leicester.

Tony Cordin, Director at Autoworld said “I am proud of the marketing staff and their achievement; it’s down to their hard work that we now have this very special bike in our showroom.”

Bruno Tagliaferri, Sales Manager at Triumph Motorcycles said:-

“Triumphworld Chesterfield were without question the undisputed winners for the quality and depth of their presentation, including launch activity, media coverage, You Tube, and some excellent display positioning in the region. We look forward to seeing their local campaign materialising.

“The Rocket has not only been  the Triumph factory’s flagship model since its launch 10 years ago, but still remains the world’s largest production motorcycle. As a result we were keen to send it to the dealer with the most comprehensive marketing campaign.”

The bike is now available to view in the Triumphworld showroom on Brimington Road North at Autoworld and a teaser video is also available to view below.

Souce:Autoworld

Business leaders from Chesterfield are among those who have this week unveiled their demands of the next UK Government.

The East Midlands Chamber, which represents businesses in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, took representatives of more than 50 member businesses to Westminster on 25th November to meet MPs and launch its 2015 General Election business manifesto.

The event, in the Churchill Dining Room, in the Houses of Parliament was sponsored by Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins, the Shadow Minister for Small Business and was also attended by a host of regional MPs.

The manifesto was developed in collaboration with businesses from across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. It proposes measures which the Chamber believes will create an economy for long-term success and support a vibrant and prosperous East Midlands.

Chamber Chief Executive George Cowcher said: “Over the course of the current Parliament, businesses in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire have demonstrated a robustness, tenacity and ambition that has placed the East Midlands at the front of the pack in terms of driving economic growth and private sector job creation.

“However, decisions taken over the term of the next Parliament will be instrumental in determining the future direction of this growth. Businesses are committed to ensuring the resource, knowledge and skills which exist in the East Midlands are utilised to full effect to deliver growth.

“In doing so, it is essential that their commitment is demonstrably reciprocated by our politicians and the Chamber and its members were pleased to get the opportunity to go down to Westminster to state the case of local business directly to our elected representatives.”

The Chamber’s business manifesto is made up of 23 individual policy recommendations, which include:

• Placing business at the centre of local growth by offering clear commitments on devolution and the role business can play, guaranteeing a business ratepayers’ vote on local economic strategy, legislating to increase opportunities for SMEs to benefit from public contracts and committing to further rounds of the Regional Growth Fund.

• Delivering on long-term infrastructure needs by developing and implementing a 50-year UK energy security strategy, commissioning an independent body to deliver the National Infrastructure Plan, taking bold decisions to meet housing needs, ensuring every business has access to superfast broadband and working for delivery of the Eastern leg of HS2 as rapidly as possible.

• Fixing the link between education and the world of work by measuring employment outcomes in secondary school assessments, ensuring work experience is embedded into education, championing vocational options in education and ensuring a link between the curriculum and the demands of the labour market.

• Supporting East Midlands businesses to succeed overseas by reforming Air Passenger Duty to support development of new routes, ensuring Government backing for the development of global business-to-business networking, developing UK Export Finance into a ‘best in class’ agency and introducing a ‘fast track’ passport scheme for UK exports.

• Reducing the cost of doing business by undertaking a root and branch review of the broken Business Rates system, delivering regulation to encourage a more flexible and less burdensome trading environment, developing a programme for policy-makers in business-led departments to spend time at Chambers, ensuring the traditional routes to business finance are effective and new route development is supported, acting to simplify and increase transparency in the tax system and promising no unilateral measures that would increase energy costs for UK business.

A full copy of the manifesto can be found at http://bit.ly/1A7yGn9.

Source:East Midlands Chamber