Development

New home for Chesterfield-based Superior Wellness

Europe’s largest hot tub and swim spa distributor Superior Wellness, based in Chesterfield has purchased a new 130,000 square foot warehouse, distribution centre and office.

The move is set to spearhead the company’s plans and help it become the world market leader in hot tubs and swim spas, offering a global choice of high quality products.

The team will move into their new home in the spring, a few miles away from their current Brimington base. The size is phenomenal at 130,000 square foot and will house the warehouse, distribution centre and office, plus one of the UK’s largest hot tub showrooms for their retail division Miami Spas. The new location is almost the size of two football pitches and will be the largest hot tub distribution centre in the UK stocking up to 3,000 hot tubs.

Based centrally in the UK this will allow them to deliver products to partners and customers quicker which will increase customer satisfaction. It will enable the team to be together in one location rather than across two sites, meaning greater efficiency, improved communications as well as it being great for team culture.

It will also house training room facilities which will be used for partner and team training, in-house photographic studio and one of the UK’s largest indoor showrooms for retail and training. There will also be a focus on team wellness with an onsite Gym and Fitness Centre ‘Superior Fitness’ and team breakout areas for chill out space and relaxation or to collaborate with other teams.

The move also coincides with the 10 year anniversary of Superior Wellness which they will be celebrating in April.

Rob Carlin, Managing Director at Superior Wellness said: “I am very excited to move the whole team into our new home soon. As well as providing much needed space to store hot tubs and a larger office, I am pleased that we have been able to provide areas for the team to focus on their wellness with an onsite gym and breakout areas which will be used during lunch breaks or to collaborate with other teams. The team culture is one of the key reasons of our success and this environment will only improve it.”

Superior Wellness saw phenomenal growth in 2020 in terms of sales, revenue and team members too. This accelerated growth is one of the reasons for the move and will enable them the space to achieve their vision. They are also investing in marketing, technology, research, IT, product innovation and the customer experience. They aim to go beyond expectations in all that they do.

Superior Wellness supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , ,

New multi-million pound build set to transform emergency care in North Derbyshire

A multi-million pound development at Chesterfield Royal Hospital is set to transform the face of emergency and urgent care for more than 420,000 people who live in the town and across North Derbyshire.

At an expected cost of around £26 million, the ambitious scheme will create a new Urgent and Emergency Department Care Department – at the front of the hospital site where an existing staff car park is sited. With enabling works due to start immediately, the build itself will get off the ground in early summer – and doors are expected to open to patients at the beginning of 2023.

The desire to reinvent emergency services at the Royal has long been under debate. In 2019, after years of discussion with NHS bodies, staff, patients and public engagement, agreement was initially reached on a way-forward that effectively re-designed the existing Emergency Department (and its adjacent areas) to the tune of around £19 million. This four to five-year project would have been carried out in a number of complicated stages, to fit around the continuation of patient care and service provision.

Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at the hospital, Berenice Groves is leading the revised project and explains the change of plan:

“The COVID-19 pandemic stopped our original proposal in its tracks, but it’s given us an opportunity to step-back and re-examine this important development, to make sure we really have ‘got it right’,” she comments.

“In the space of a year, like other hospitals across the country, we have had to work smarter. The pandemic has hastened improvements to our care processes and pathways and it’s become clear, over the last few months, that a new Urgent and Emergency Department Care Department build, outside the confines of the existing available space, offers a better solution in a shorter time-frame. Whilst on paper it might add up to a bigger financial commitment, the additional investment enables an even better environment for our patients to receive the care they need and more improvements to the workplace for our staff. Crucially, it future-proofs emergency and urgent care for everyone and provides much-needed sustainability.”

The latest architect’s plans are still being finalised, but the layout of this new and preferred option will still bring emergency, urgent and primary care services together in one space, although within defined areas. The aim is to get people where they need to be as quickly as possible, so they can be seen by the right clinical expert – whether they need treatment for a minor injury, emergency care for a serious accident, critical care for a life-threatening condition, or medical support for a long-term illness that’s causing concern. For staff, facilities will include changing areas, a staff rest room, office accommodation and an area for training. Throughout the pandemic we’ve learned just how critical these amenities are for staff to take a well-earned break and to continue their education.

The development also encompasses designated zones to care for children and those with a mental health need, as well as allowing for more in-depth assessment of patients who may require additional, but immediate support from other professionals, including therapists, voluntary and social services. There’ll also be improved access to nearby x-ray and imaging services to reduce the length of time patients spend in the department.

The transformation doesn’t stop there. As part of the project a paediatric assessment unit (PAU) will also be constructed, alongside the Royal’s Nightingale Children’s Unit. This additional aspect of the scheme will ensure babies, children and young people with acute illness or injury are assessed, investigated, observed and treated with an expectation of discharge home in 12 hours or less.

Over the next few weeks and months, a number of smaller projects will be carried out that will help the larger scheme to ‘get going’. These include works within the grounds and gardens to prepare the site, as well as other refurbishments within the existing hospital building. At the end of last year, to get ready for an earlier opening date for the Urgent and Emergency Care Department, the Trust opted to finance a pharmacy within its main entrance – which is already giving people easier access to over-the-counter and prescription medications, as well as advice from pharmacy specialists.

Dr Katherine Lendrum, Consultant in Emergency Care – and the Emergency Department’s Clinical Lead – is delighted to see progress taking place. She and the ED team have had input into the new plans and will be involved at every stage of the building programme. Commenting on the decision to adopt a new-build approach she says: “This will make such a difference and the team is incredibly excited to see the revised plans unfold. It’s absolutely the right decision for our patients and our staff. We have an opportunity to apply what we’ve learned throughout the pandemic, to cement the partnerships we’ve developed and to strengthen new ways of working that ensure our patients’ experience is a good one.

“Whatever level of care you need you will immediately be in the right place when you arrive at the door. Then it’s our job to assess you and make sure you see the right expert in the right part of our Emergency or Urgent Care Department as quickly as possible. This could be a GP, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Therapist or Consultant, but it will be someone with the skills and expertise that you require.”

Over the coming months staff, patients, the public – and other interested parties – will be able to share in the new development as it gets underway, through a series of on-line information events that build on previous engagement and involvement. These will include opportunities to view the plans and a ‘fly-through’ of the new building – to get an idea of what you’d experience as a patient. Financed by the NHS England and Improvement (through the Department of Health) and the Trust, this exciting scheme is one of the biggest recently seen on the Chesterfield Royal Hospital site and will revolutionise this aspect of hospital services that were first opened in 1984.

Baby Box

 

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , ,

Care continues virtually at Ashgate Hospicecare thanks to £80,000 grant

Ashgate Hospicecare is continuing to provide vital care and support to patients who are unable to visit its Day Hospice after a National Lottery Fund grant of almost £80,000 helped pay for new virtual services.

Patients and their families who are referred to the service would usually visit the charity’s main hospice in Old Brampton, Chesterfield, on a regular basis, where they could access a range of services from specialist medical support, to complementary therapies.

But there has been restricted access to the service since the pandemic began to unfold last March, with many patients shielding due to the risk posed by COVID-19.

Thanks to a generous grant of £78,606 from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, Ashgate Hospicecare has been able to roll out its innovative new Virtual Day Hospice service for patients to attend via video calls in their own homes.

The grant, which has funded staff and equipment in order to roll out the scheme, was awarded to the North Derbyshire charity in September last year, and patients accessed the virtual service shortly after.

David Lawton, aged 73, from Hayfield, High Peak, had never accessed the hospice’s services before the lockdown started, but has enjoyed making friends at the weekly coffee and quiz meetings, while testing out his art abilities at the activity sessions.

He said: “It’s nice to have friendly people to speak with, and people who are on the same level as me with regards to their ailments. We can have a laugh and a joke, doing the art and taking part in the quiz.

“There’s lots of useful information you pick up on and everyone shares their experiences. It’s all helped and given me something to do which isn’t too strenuous at this moment in time. I’ve found it to be interesting and very entertaining, and it’s stopped me from going round the bend because I’ve had something to look forward to!

“I would recommend the services of Ashgate to anyone because having it has been a big help. You can find out so much useful information with the people and services that are made available to you – always being able to ring them up and ask them about anything. It really is a great thing and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved with it.”

From one-to-one support from healthcare professionals, to creative art sessions, and a weekly quiz, patients have been able to link up in virtual groups with friends from the hospice, limiting feelings of isolation and the potential impact on their mental health. The initiative aims to give patients the opportunity to access all of Ashgate’s Day Hospice services including group counselling support, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, lymphoedema care, complementary therapy and more.

The project has initially been accessible to attendees of the Day Hospice service, but it will be developed into virtual support to patients across North Derbyshire with a life-limiting illness, and their families and carers.

Hayley Wardle, Director of Quality and Patient Care, said: “Unfortunately the pandemic has meant our community patients, who would usually come along to our Day Hospice, have been unable to access our usual Day Hospice services as we seek to protect them and our patients on our Inpatient Unit from the virus.

“Thanks to a generous grant from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, we were able to continue offering that care for people who were shielding at home, many of whom have been experiencing extreme feelings of anxiety, loneliness and isolation.

“While I’m sad that we’ve been unable to welcome patients to access Ashgate’s Day Hospice since the first lockdown last March, I’m glad that our wonderful clinical team have been at hand to offer vital care and support to the people who need it most during these difficult times.”

To read more about how Ashgate Hospicecare has supported people living with incurable illnesses with its Virtual Hospice during the pandemic go to: www.ashgatehospicecare.org.uk/patient-stories

Ashgate Hospicecare supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

David Lawton celebrates his golden wedding anniversary with his family

Posted in Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, UncategorisedTagged in , , ,

Fortem tackles youth unemployment with flexible work experience programme

Fortem have launched a virtual work experience programme, in partnership with the North Derbyshire Careers Hub (D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership), to help tackle rising youth unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The five-day virtual work experience (VWEX) programme prepares young people aged 14+ for the next steps of their career journey, raises aspirations and promotes inclusivity for all through the flexible delivery methods.

Fortem have developed a model which is easily adaptable and can be delivered online or offline, depending on the circumstances and needs of young people. Consisting of five modules; IT, innovation, customer care, design and planning, the programme helps young people identify transferable skills and how to put them into practice.

Since the start of COVID-19, the UK has seen a significant impact on 16-24-year-old unemployment. Comparing the latest quarter, September-November 2020, with the pre-pandemic quarter of January-March 2020, unemployment for young people has increased by 13%, and is set to rise with the impending pressures on the economy. 2020 saw the highest level of youth unemployment since 2016.

Findings from a YouGov poll for the Sutton Trust social mobility charity state that opportunities for young people to get experience of the workplace have also been impacted considerably by the COVID-19 crisis. Many firms who previously offered internships or work experience placements have cancelled them, with just over three fifths (61%) of employers surveyed cancelling some or all of their placements.

Leigh Garbutt, Head of Customer Experience at Fortem, said “At Fortem we don’t leave anyone behind so it was important that we created a virtual work experience programme that could be easily adapted to suit individual needs. We work closely with our clients and partners in the education sector to ensure that our offer is relevant and can really benefit our communities. Delivering people-focused opportunities like this are at the heart of Fortem’s culture and we are dedicated to continuing our commitment to supporting young people.”

The work experience programme not only gives students valuable work experience and an insight into the world of work, it also helps to achieve Gatsby Benchmark 6. Gatsby Benchmarks are a set of eight benchmarks that schools and colleges can use as a framework for improving their careers provision and is widely adopted as best practice. Read more about the benchmarks here.

Emily Carter, Enterprise Coordinator at North Derbyshire Careers Hub – D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said “It has been a privilege to work in partnership with Fortem on their exciting new virtual work experience offer. The flexibility in delivery of this programme will help to reduce barriers to engagement and promote transferable skills in an interactive way for young people.”

Following a successful pilot of the programme at Career Hub school, Springwell Community College in Chesterfield, a feedback survey found that 100% of students found the programme enjoyable and would recommend it to their friends and family, while 78% feel better informed about future opportunities within the industry. Fortem are refurbishing properties across Chesterfield as part of the council’s commitment to investing in its housing stock.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Deputy Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said, “Developing the skills young people have is vital to ensuring they can enter the workforce after they finish their education and is one of our key priorities as a local council. It’s brilliant to see partnerships like this forming and delivering meaningful outcomes for young people in Chesterfield.

“Our local labour clauses have helped ensure that all new development in Chesterfield has real employability benefits for the local community and this work experience programme is just one of many successful examples of this policy in action.”

For more information on the virtual work experience programme, please contact Rebecca Goodwin, Fortem’s Regional Customer and Community Manager, on Rebecca.Goodwin@fortem.co.uk.

The topic of skills and careers for young people was recently on the agenda at the Chesterfield and North Derbyshrie Employability & Skills Conference. You can find out more about the event and watch it back here.

Fortem supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s paediatric X-Ray room given space theme thanks to Fastsigns and Fujifilm

Younger patients will have an out of this world experience if they need to visit the paediatric X-Ray room at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

The room has been decked out with a space theme thanks to Fastsigns Chesterfield & Sheffield and Fujifilm who have worked with the hospital’s Imaging teams to transform it, making it feel less clinical and help to reduce the anxiety.

Steven Cullen, Clinical Specialist Radiographer, said: “It looks spectacular and gives the children, teenagers and even the adults a real lift when they come in. They’ll be coming for a diagnostic x-ray and won’t necessarily know what to expect so to be brought into this fun and uplifting environment really changes their mindset, puts them at ease and helps them to relax whilst we perform the scan.

“We’ve become a reference site for Fujifilm after they redeveloped our Radiology Department and they offered to come in and design the space for us. It was their idea to fill the walls with spaceships, aliens, planets, stars, installing some mood lighting and even put what can only be described as a mission control panel across our own scanning booth. It’s really very inventive, visual and I think some of the parents and even my colleagues get a bit of a buzz from it as well.”

Paul Allison, Director at Fastsigns Sheffield & Chesterfield said: “We have been planning this project with FujiFilm and Chesterfield Royal Hospital for almost a year and we are delighted to have played our part and finally bring this to life in a challenging year.”

Non-Clinical Environments

Using artwork and colourful surroundings to help relax patients is something that has been happening in many different areas across the hospital. The NGS Macmillan Unit has been designed with a glass front to bring the countryside view to chemotherapy patients, there are pictures of the Derbyshire landscapes and landmarks above most beds in the new and refurbished wards and the main entrance was designed in a way to make it feel less clinical.

Steven Cullen added: “We’ve done it for the adults as well. Another of our rooms has now got a huge mural of the Chesterfield town centre where a panoramic photograph has been touched up to resemble a painting. It has the same effect as the space theme in that people look at it and try to find their house, favourite pub or restaurant.

“I suppose you could call it a distraction technique to help put patients at ease and give them something else to concentrate on instead of the machinery, which can be imposing against our very high walls, and whatever it is that’s causing them to be here.

“It’s been very well received, encouraged discussion between our patients and radiographers and we’re hoping that we can do something very similar in other x-ray rooms, maybe even in other imaging modalities such as CT and MRI. Anything such as this that improves the patient experience is worth considering.”

It took less than a day to install the artwork, that can be wiped down in compliance with infection control guidelines, in each room.

FastSigns Sheffield and Chesterfield supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , , ,

Chesterfield FC pledges support to Plastic Free Chesterfield

Chesterfield FC and Chesterfield FC Community Trust have both signed up to become Plastic Free Allies.

Joining forces with Plastic Free Chesterfield, both organisations are pledging to reduce their plastic waste and move away from single-use plastic to alternate solutions.

Greg Hewitt, the community lead at Plastic Free Chesterfield, said: “We’re incredibly delighted to have the support of Chesterfield Football Club and Chesterfield FC Community Trust.

“The work they do in schools, raising awareness of single-use plastic pollution is inspirational, and it is fantastic that they now wish to take this a step further by signing up to our campaign and look at reducing single-use plastics at the football club.

“Their support is a huge step forward in our campaign to make Chesterfield an accredited Plastic Free Community.”

“We now look forward to being able to support the club in their efforts as well as being able to work in partnership to develop the schools outreach work on plastics, and to roll this out across all Chesterfield schools. We encourage schools to get in touch to request this.”

Martin Thacker, co-vice chairman of the football club and a trustee of the Community Trust, signed the pledge on behalf of both organisations. He said: “We are very happy to support the work being done by Plastic Free Chesterfield to reduce the use of single-use plastic in order to protect the environment.”

Recently, Destination Chesterfield also pledged it’s support for Plastic Free Chesterfield.  Destination Chesterfield Manager, Dom Stevens said: “In 2021 we’re encouraging businesses across Chesterfield to see if they’re able to make changes to their plastic use. If we all work together then, collectively, we’ll make a big difference in reducing the environmental impact on the rivers and beautiful local landscape here in North Derbyshire.”

Chesterfield Football Club supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , ,

Celebrating Chesterfield’s STEM ambassadors

Educators, businesses and local authorities across Chesterfield have been working together in recent years, as part of efforts to encourage more students to consider further study of STEM subjects and progression into related careers, inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals.

To help with enthusing and engaging our young people, STEM Ambassadors volunteer their time and expertise to promote STEM to young people in original, creative and practical ways. They also work to support the STEM curriculum in schools, raising awareness of careers and supporting activities in the community. Ambassadors cross all ages and backgrounds, representing a vast spectrum of different employers.

Chesterfield businesses can get involved in supporting STEM careers in a number of ways:

  • Sign up as a STEM Ambassador at https://www.stem.org.uk/
  • offering tours of your workplace for students and teachers
  • delivering talks to groups of learners in schools about your organisation and job opportunities
  • mentoring students doing projects
  • networking with students and teachers
  • setting a project related to your sector
  • doing mock interviews
  • filming a video of you at your workplace
  • and much more!

What are the benefits of being a STEM Ambassador?

  • Engage and develop your employees
  • raise your profile within the local community, whilst also expanding your regional and national media presence
  • promote your apprentice roles directly to local schools and colleges
  • support your recruitment efforts, boosting your future technical and graduate pipeline
  • offer specific and sector careers information to young people and their influencers

Meet the Ambassadors

Here are a few examples of how STEM ambassadors are helping to drive forward the future workforce here in Chesterfield:

Name – Lindsay Rowe

Company – AECOM

Position in company – Senior Mechanical Engineer

What it means to be a STEM ambassador.

To me, being a STEM ambassador is an opportunity to raise awareness of alternative careers, share my knowledge about the world of work and show young people that there really is something out there for everyone and there is more than one way to achieve your goal.

What it means for your business.

STEM ambassadors not only raise awareness of our industry in general, but they show students that they don’t have to move to London and the big cities to follow an exciting and rewarding career in engineering. Our company name and brand becomes more widely known and we get recognised as a company that students want to apply to when starting on the career ladder. Ultimately this makes it much easier for us to hire the people we need to continue growing our business.

The proudest moment you have had from volunteering your time

I’m always happy and proud when I see children being inspired to think differently about the type of work they might like to do in the future. My proudest moment though was when I finally got to attend a careers event at my son’s school, he was the reason I started volunteering in the first place.

Name – Ann Fomukong-Boden

Company – Kakou CIC

Position in company – Co-Founder/Director/Principal Electronic Engineer

What it means to be a STEM ambassador.

Being a STEM Ambassador is my opportunity to give back to my community and also encourage people to see how creative the STEM subjects are. I got into engineering through my love of music. The STEM subjects play a huge part in every aspect of our lives – even the fun things! I also like to challenge people’s stereotype of what an engineer is or looks like. Most people I meet rarely guess my profession from my appearance.

What it means for your business.

We have a community engagement programme called Social Fuse. We produce and facilitate creative-arts based STEM activities for our community. Social Fuse provides us with the opportunities to meet new people, build networks and collaborate on diverse, interesting projects that we may not have been aware of through our normal engineering activities. It brings variety to the business and we get to interact with young people, teachers, parents and organisations that we may have not otherwise encountered.

The proudest moment you have had from volunteering your time

To be honest, I feel a sense of pride whenever I volunteer, especially when you see someone who is new to an activity suddenly have that moment where it all starts to make sense and they realise that they understand something that they previously thought was difficult.

A stand-out moment was being chosen by the British Science Association to be one of their inaugural Community Leaders in recognition of my time volunteering within the community. As part of that I went to the Houses of Parliament to give expert testimony at the APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM. That day I also discovered that the Houses of Parliament use some equipment that I had designed – which brought a smile to my face.

 

Name – Julie Eley

Company – Ready4Work/School of Thought

Position in company – Co-Founder

What it means to be a STEM ambassador.

It is a privilege to engage with young people, not only to give them information about different careers but also to offer hope especially in uncertain times.

What it means for your business.

We have set up a project called School of Thought so we can promote the Automotive Industry to young People. If it wasn’t for STEM we wouldn’t be able to do this, so this helps us tell everyone about the great Industry we work in, dispel myths and to build the pipeline for the next generation of Employees

The proudest moment you have had from volunteering your time

Letting Young People know that there are different routes and that University isn’t the only choice. Personally, seeing some students tell me about their project of building a go kart, and seeing how excited and knowledgeable they were, I found it really inspiring

Name – Emma Knight-Strong

Company – Green Arch Consulting

Position in company – Owner

What it means to be a STEM ambassador.

I am proud to be a STEM ambassador. I am passionate about my field and want to ensure that young learners understand what skills they need to have in order to follow their own dreams. I personally believe that a STEM ambassador is a person who can use their enthusiasm for their chosen profession to inspire young people to think about the huge range of possibilities available to them if they continue in STEM subjects. It’s less ‘teaching them a specific job type’ and more about showing them how STEM can help them be resilient and adaptive to a constantly shifting job market.

What it means for your business.

 It allows more people to understand the type of business that I am in and introduces learners to a sector that is still relatively new

 The proudest moment you have had from volunteering your time

Having a teacher say to me that the three young girls who had been asking lots of questions usually never said a word in class and he was amazed at how engaged they were with the activity.

Name – Tom Mowbray

Company – Rolls-Royce

Position in company – Sub-System Design Engineer

What it means to be a STEM ambassador.

I find being a STEM Ambassador is a great excuse to share my excitement for Engineering with inquisitive minds. When I host STEM activities with kids it really is a two way exchange, whereby I’m sharing some insights about Engineering whilst setting challenges, and in return I get to see how young minds tackle the problem set. There’s some beautiful creativity that is quite inspiring.

What it means for your business.

“Our activities are designed to demonstrate the life-long opportunities that STEM careers can offer, helping to secure a future talent pipeline for ourselves and the wider industry. We hope that our education outreach programmes will inspire people to study the STEM subjects and show them the life-long opportunities that STEM careers can offer.”

https://www.rolls-royce.com/sustainability/performance/target-progress.aspx?reach-6-million-through-our-stem#reach-6-million-through-our-stem

The proudest moment you have had from volunteering your time

I have participated in a variety of activities with children aged 7-18; covering topics such as friction, power and motion in primary ages through to GCSE maths tutoring, careers days and A-level mentoring. The range of options to get involved and the overwhelmingly positive feedback makes me proud to be involved.

For more information about the STEM Ambassadors scheme, you can contact the Derbyshrie Education Business Partnership (DEBP) on 01246 212535 or visit their website: https://www.debp.org/

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Blog, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Made in Chesterfield, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , ,

HS2 Phase 2b critical to business confidence, says East Midlands Chamber director

Investing in key infrastructure projects like HS2 are crucial to rebuilding the confidence of investors in the post-Covid world, an East Midlands business leader has claimed.

Chris Hobson, director of policy and external affairs at East Midlands Chamber, warned the Government that failure to back the Eastern Leg of the high-speed rail line would affect sentiment in the region – with tangible knock-on impacts that would stifle job creation and economic growth.

He was speaking at the Levelling Up webinar hosted by transport body Midlands Connect shortly after it was announced that Phase 2a – connecting the West Midlands to Crewe – had been given royal assent in Parliament.

The future of HS2 Phase 2b – which will connect Birmingham and Leeds via a new East Midlands station in Toton and Sheffield, along with a spur of the line bringing HS2 trains to Chesterfield station – is uncertain after the National Infrastructure Commission recommended a scaled-back version of this line to stop at East Midlands Parkway station.

Businesses need solid Government commitments to plan ahead

Asked by The Sunday Times’ deputy political editor Caroline Wheeler what impact transport investment had on private sector confidence, Chris said: “It has a massive impact and I’d turn it the other way around to say that a lack of investment knocks confidence.

“It’s fantastic news that HS2 Phase 2a has been granted royal assent but there’s still uncertainty in the East Midlands about what’s going to happen to Phase 2b.

“That has a knock-on impact on confidence. When I speak to particularly our larger members, when they assess their asset plans in their various estates, they’re looking over decades rather than years.

“They want to know what the future holds and it’s really important the Government and policymakers don’t underestimate the impact of continually putting off decisions or making firm commitments to projects like this.”

Confidence might not be tangible, but the impact of it is

Chris also highlighted the importance of the connections that businesses, whether they trade locally or internationally, have to physical locations.

“They feel a commitment to the place they’re situated,” he said. “When I talk to members, they’ll talk about being a ‘Mansfield business’ or a ‘Market Harborough business’ – they feel real affinity to where they are as they’re often run by local people and employ people in their communities.

“So they want to buy into an exciting vision of what the future looks like for their business, families and communities they serve. Actually having a plan for infrastructure investment and seeing it take place gives confidence and makes businesses already here want to grow and invest.

“For those companies that are looking to move out of London or the South East – or potentially bring supply chains closer to home – they want to be excited about where they’re doing that so there’s a massive link between transport investment and confidence.

“And while confidence doesn’t feel tangible, the impacts of it very much are so it’s very important to see that investment going forward.”

Chris also spoke about a lack of quality work spaces hampering the influx of inward investment enquiries received by Derby, Leicester and Nottingham during the pandemic as more companies look to leave London, as well as the importance of embracing the region’s thriving advanced logistics sector.

Other panellists at the Midlands Connect Levelling Up webinar were Jane Stevenson MP, former Bassetlaw MP Lord John Mann and Lord Ravensdale, co-chair of the Midlands Engine All-Party Parliamentary Group.

The next event to be held in the webinar series will explore decarbonisation and takes place on Thursday 18 February. For more details, click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , ,

Chesterfield packaging specialist Robinson Acquires Danish Business

Robinson – the Chesterfield-based manufacturer specialising in value added custom packaging – has acquired the Danish company Schela Plast.

This major investment is part of the company’s dynamic development strategy allowing Robinson to continue to build on its bespoke, customised model and align with its multi-national customers on the back of three years of successful growth.

Offering a complete packaging solution, from cap to bottle, the acquisition of Schela Plast adds geographical reach into Northern Europe further strengthening Robinson’s existing position in the UK and Eastern Europe.

Schela Plast, located near Billund in Denmark, currently employs over 40 people, serving both local and international markets in similar sectors to Robinson. Schela Plast is aligned in the market sectors that we serve and similarly has seen an increase in demand for personal care and household product packaging due to the Covid pandemic.

Established in 1971 Schela Plast offers extrusion blow moulded (EBM) packaging and in 2020 produced more than 50 million products. The company boasts both tool making and product design capability and a very broad range of bottle and container sizes.

With high usage of recycled content and renewable materials, its sustainable portfolio marries up perfectly with Robinson’s. The additional technical and design capabilities will help continue to meet the growing needs of Robinson’s customers, while increasing capacity and delivering mutual benefit for Robinson and its customers.

Robinson will continue to invest in new machinery in both the UK and Poland to ensure they remain agile and flexible in decision making and speed of execution as they support key customers locally.

CEO Dr Helene Roberts says the acquisition is an exciting evolution in the Robinson journey. She says: “This is the ideal progression for us, only made possible because both companies are aligned in purpose, core values, and relevance for our customer base.

“This transition is not only driven by efficiencies but more importantly, with planned expansion in our existing customer base, will create jobs in support of Robinson being a future-fit organisation. We always go above and beyond to create a sustainable future for our people and our planet and this acquisition adds value on so many levels”.

Robinson’s strategy to grow revenues profitably ahead of the market is supplemented with this complementary investment, enabling the business to gain scale with continued focus on serving customers in the food, homecare, and personal care markets. Both Robinson and Schela Plast are successful businesses in their own right and will learn from each other, sharing best practice across all sites.

Morten Jeppesen, Managing Director of the Schela Plast business in Denmark, says: “We are thrilled to become a part of the Robinson family, a company that holds the same ambitions and values as ourselves, prioritising its customers and its people. We are complementary organisations, with agility, confidence, and the highest customer service. Like us they are deeply committed to sustainable development and offer a unique packaging experience for a wide range of customers”.

The partnership means a more localised EBM offering for our northern European customers – key to sustainability, which is at the heart of Robinson’s business strategy. Many companies in Europe and the UK are returning to regionalised production in the pandemic and as transport is a significant contributor to carbon credentials in the supply chain, the location of Schela Plast is a valuable addition to Robinson’s sustainability strategy.

Robinson supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Robinson CEO, Dr Helene Roberts

Posted in Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , , ,

Work progresses on Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

Work on high-quality office accommodation which will support new and growing businesses in the town is on track to be complete by the summer – despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is now weatherproof – meaning another key milestone has been reached in the project programme.

Councillor Dean Collins, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic development, said: “It is fantastic to see this building progressing with such pace. Our contractor – Robert Woodhead has worked incredibly hard and overcome many challenges to make sure they can deliver this project without delay in a Covid-secure environment.

“I’m confident that this enterprise centre will provide the space and support for businesses to express their entrepreneurial spirit and start or grow local businesses in the borough. This will help ensure that we a creating a thriving borough with lots of opportunities for young people to develop excellent careers in our town.”

In January glazing was added to the building, which is of a high standard for maximum thermal efficiency. The first fix for mechanical and electrical engineering has begun and work is set to begin on the brickwork and cladding very soon.

Dan Cove, Project Manager from Robert Woodhead Limited said “Works are progressing really well despite a few challenging days with the snow and ice. The team on site are working to enhanced covid secure measures too so that has added to the operational complexities of the scheme. It’s taking shape and you can see what a great addition this will be for Chesterfield.”

Work dividing the interior and installing a lift has begun.

Andy Dabbs, Board Director at Whittam Cox Architects, said: “As a local practice we are delighted to see progress still being made on site despite the pandemic.

“The Enterprise Centre is such an important part of the Northern Gateway regeneration in Chesterfield, providing a new and unique commercial offer which is designed to be a catalyst for further investment and development. As well as providing high quality facilities for businesses wanting to locate in the town centre, the architecture will provide a new contemporary landmark which will enrich the urban fabric of the town.”

Contractors Robert Woodhead have also achieved an ‘excellent’ mark in the initial Considerate Constructor Scheme assessment, which aims to raise standards in the construction industry. The building also remains on target to achieve an ‘excellent’ rating for its environmental sustainability.

Find out more about office facilities at the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre here.

Whittam Cox Architects and Robert Woodhead Ltd. support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , ,

£500,000 support boost for Derbyshire manufacturers

Small to medium-sized manufacturers in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have received a £500,000 support boost to help them overcome challenges and make the most of new opportunities.

The Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), which has already supported over 600 companies in other areas of the East Midlands, has agreed a deal with D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership to provide specialist assistance to firms in the two counties.

Manufacturing firms can now access a dedicated Manufacturing Growth Manager, who will use the GROWTHMapper benchmarking tool to identify pain points within the business, before delivering grants that can help support a third of the total cost of the business improvement project up to a maximum £10,000.

This new support covers manufacturing efficiencies, strategic marketing, new product development and leadership and management, with the programme due to help more than 85 business between now and June 2023.

It is anticipated that this manufacturing driven assistance will create 111 new jobs and 28 new product launches.

Martin Coats, Managing Director of the Manufacturing Growth Programme, commented: “This is excellent news for SME manufacturers in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and comes at a time when they will need access to industry specialists to overcome issues around Brexit and Covid-19.

“We have proven how successful this type of support, delivered by experts from the manufacturing sector, can be in Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. Across these three areas we have created nearly 700 new jobs and completed 805 improvement projects, helping many firms fulfil their potential.”

He continued: “Thanks to the backing of the D2N2 LEP, we can now give this targeted assistance to companies locally, making sure they are competitive in the sectors they have an undeniable edge in, including aerospace, automotive, food and drink, medical and rail.

“Each project is tailored to the individual company, so it has the biggest impact. Our Manufacturing Growth Managers are also very well connected and can link in management teams to other business support, funding or even supply chain opportunities.”

Mickleover-based Devtank is one of the companies that has welcomed the support boost, citing the need for manufacturers to have tailored assistance that will allow them to scale-up.

The open source test and measurement business currently supplies clients in defence, green energy, space and telecoms and has developed a range of products that help businesses automate their production testing and smart monitoring solutions.

“We are scaling rapidly and just about to launch a dedicated product page/e-commerce shop on our website, not to mention looking at ways where we can maximise our recent approval as a design partner for the Raspberry Pi Foundation,” pointed out Tim Telford, Chief Technical Officer at Devtank.

“The Manufacturing Growth Programme coming to this region means the right support will be available for us at the right time and I’m sure it will be beneficial to many other local businesses at this time of real need during the covid-19 recovery phase.

“Having access to dedicated manufacturing support is essential in helping us thrive. The last few years has seen us develop a number of new products and we have reinvested every last penny and more into the business. Being able to secure grants and specialist external assistant to capitalise on this investment is great news and will enable us to take the next step.”

Frank Horsley, Head of Business & Innovation at D2N2 LEP, concluded: “We are delighted to support the extension of the highly successful programme into our region.

“Manufacturing remains the historic bedrock of the D2N2 economy. If we are to transform into a more competitive, but greener economy, our manufacturers will need support to embrace the challenges of industrial digitalisation and net zero so that, similar to the first industrial revolution, we can lead the world.

“We look forward to bringing our strategic influence and partnership network to bear to ensure our businesses have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent support MGP can deliver.”

The Manufacturing Growth Programme, which is funded by ERDF and delivered by Oxford Innovation Services, is open to all manufacturing SMEs in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire that employ less than 250 people or have a turnover below £36m.

To apply for grant funding, please use the online eligibility checker.

Posted in Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield, UncategorisedTagged in , , , ,

Stay informed

Keep up to date

Dont miss out on all the latest news, updates & special offers.

Signup to our newsletter