Chesterfield print and embroidery company, Giraffe Graphics has expanded into new headquarters.

The new office, which is located at Dunston Place, has allowed the company to increase capacity and take on the print and embroidery industry from a fresh perspective.

From the humble beginnings of a spare-bedroom-business, Giraffe Graphics has seen rapid growth over the last 5 years.

Like many other business owners, Chris and Rebecca Blackwell made the difficult decision to close during the beginning of lockdown. Once the appropriate safety measures were put in place, and it was deemed safe to turn on the embroidery machines once more, Giraffe saw demand soar for workwear, paper print, design, and signage.

This proved timely, as the company had plans for new premises in the pipeline, as co-director Rebecca explained: “We were beginning to reach the limits of what we could achieve as a business within our previous office space, and were eager to expand.

“Naturally at the beginning of March, these aspirations seemed to become a little far-fetched! But thankfully, we have a great bunch of loyal, returning customers and friends who appreciate our services and keep coming back!

“We spent time refining our website, and tried to ensure that despite the difficult circumstances, our clients could still reach us. We’re so grateful to those who have supported us through the years, and we’re excited to see how Giraffe continues to grow in our new HQ!’”

Looking to expand or relocate your business to Chesterfield?  Search commercial property in Chesterfield here.

A key milestone has been celebrated at the new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre in Chesterfield. The building’s floor slabs and roof have been carefully poured into place using approximately 925 tonnes of concrete.

The significant step was marked during UK Construction Week, by leaders from the construction company, Robert Woodhead Limited, Chesterfield Borough Council and project architects Whittam Cox. Chesterfield Borough Council will be supporting the scheme which will see female leaders and managers from across the construction industry support young women from Chesterfield.

The partners will come together and deliver an innovative mentoring programme to build on the success of the recently launched online gateway “My Future.” It will provide real life support to help local young women into the construction industry. By linking with the D2N2 North Derbyshire Careers Hub and Chesterfield’s Property and Construction Forum, the programme will offer school and college students the opportunity to work with female leaders from across a broad range of disciplines in the construction sector.

The programme is a result of Woodhead’s employment and skills commitments to deliver a lasting legacy and social value whilst on site.

Councilor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Improving the skills and work readiness of people in Chesterfield is our top priority because it will help ensure our ambition to create a thriving borough. We require all new developments to commit to supporting the local economy through both skills development and opportunities for local businesses.

“This programme is a great example of how by working with our partners we can strengthen the links between education and business, which will help ensure that more school leavers are developing the skills they need to enter the workplace. We want to raise aspirations in Chesterfield and show that it is a great place plan your future and build a successful career. Working with young women in sectors where they are underrepresented is key to ensuring our success. Women currently make up around 14% of professional roles within the construction industry, this number can only be set to rise with more and more women choosing construction jobs. Misconceptions about gender specific roles are diminishing with the growing number of women choosing a career in construction.

The council has a strong track record on supporting female leadership, of the nine positions in our senior leadership and corporate management teams four are held by women, we also have an all-female leadership of the council and this further demonstrates the important role women have in the future of Chesterfield.”

The new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is a highly sustainable building that will provide 32 high-quality offices for the town. As the mentoring programme gathers momentum, it is hoped that the young women will also be able to participate in site visits to see the building take shape.

Robert Woodhead ltd, Chesterfield Borough Council and Whitham Cox Architects supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Ahead of construction starting on the new seven storey office block at Chesterfield Waterside on 19 October, Chesterfield’s £340million mixed-use regeneration scheme has been brought to life in a new augmented reality film created by local company Oasis Studio.

Combining drone footage with illustrations, the film brings to life the 16-hectare Chesterfield Waterside site which is located on the edge of the A61 corridor adjacent to the River Rother and Chesterfield Canal.

Existing drone footage of the site has been overlaid with the five colour-coded neighbourhoods which make up the scheme, to show what Waterside will look like and how it will sit within the local environment once complete.

The fly through details each of the five neighbourhoods – Waterside Quarter, Basin Square, Waterfront, Riverside East and Station Place – and the buildings which will be constructed in each of them. The construction phase alone is expected to create up to 2,000 jobs.

Tony Buck, Associate Director of Oasis Studios, commented: “It’s the first time we’ve combined real life moving drone footage with superimposed buildings but we are delighted with the result. It takes the conceptual stage of the project to another level.”

Tom Swallow, Development Manager at Bolsterstone Group Plc which is leading the Chesterfield Waterside scheme, instructed and worked alongside the team at Oasis to create the flyover animation.

He added: “The film is an important element of the marketing campaign for Waterside. Rather than just seeing a patch of land, potential investors can now see the scale of the scheme and understand its significance to the town. It also gives a clear picture of the scheme’s prominent location, adjacent to both the town centre and train station. Chesterfield Waterside will completely regenerate the north east side of the town centre creating an attractive environment in which to both live and work.”

Recognised as being one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects, Chesterfield Waterside is being led by Chesterfield-based Bolsterstone Group Plc working in conjunction with Arnold Laver Group and Chesterfield Borough Council.

Last month it was announced that Chesterfield Borough Council has secured a forward funding agreement with Chesterfield Waterside Ltd, to bring forward construction of No.1 Waterside Place in the Basin Square neighbourhood of the development.

Britcon (UK) Ltd, a leading Civil Engineering, Building and Steel Frame Solutions company, has been appointed as the main contractor to construct the office building and will start on site on Monday 19 October. The building is being marketed by property agents Knight Frank FHP.

Already, construction at Waterside Quarter is underway. House builder Avant Homes began construction of 173 two, three and four bedroom homes in the neighbourhood and in August the showhomes were opened to the public. Avant Homes is reporting strong interest in the development.

Avant Homes Central Managing Director, Stuart Rowlands, said: “Waterside Quarter is a hugely important development for us.

“Waterside Quarter is a development that we believe will be ideal for a number of different buyers such as those looking for their first home and young families. As well as quality, attainable, design-led homes for those living in Chesterfield, we believe that it will also help bring other buyers to the area, further boosting the town.”

In addition to the office accommodation Basin Square, the first commercial element of Chesterfield Waterside, will comprise Grade A office accommodation, 350 Built-to-Rent apartments, a hotel and multi-storey car park, all sited around a high quality public realm area overlooking the newly constructed canal basin.

Find out more about Chesterfield Waterside

D2N2, the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire, has confirmed funding for seven projects across the region as part of its role of supporting the economy in particular in response to the economic downturn brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.  This includes the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield Project.

With over £5.75m awarded, the projects will create 462 jobs and support 3273 new learners across the whole of the D2N2 region including in places such as Chesterfield, Nottingham, Derby, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Newark, Ilkeston, and Eastwood.

Funding for each project comes from D2N2s Local Growth Fund allocation, a Government fund that enables D2N2 to invest in projects that benefit the local area and economy, supporting greater numbers of jobs, homes, and learners.

The range of funded projects emphasises the breadth and range of interventions D2N2 has supported in achieving its aim of stimulating the local economy.

They include investments in digital infrastructure, new technology, and supporting the region’s towns in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At £2.2m, the state-of-the-art community and activity village in Newark operated by YMCA Newark & Sherwood has benefited from the largest award of the wave with funding being used to enable social mobility in a district ranked one of the worst in the country for social deprivation.

The other six projects to be awarded funding from D2N2s Local Growth Fund allocation are:

• Improvements to Chesterfield’s outdoor market and surrounding public space, as part of a programme referred to as Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield, funded in part by £650,000 from D2N2
• A new research facility at the University of Derby benefiting from £850,000 and focusing on the effect that foods, vitamins, supplements, and drugs have on the human body
• The Smart Wireless Innovation Facility (SWIFt) at Nottingham Trent University which has received £800,000 to add 5G connectivity and infrastructure to the University’s Clifton campus
• The Automation and Robotics Centre at West Nottinghamshire College which will provide investment in skills for the future to meet the changing demands of local businesses and will benefit from a £670,000 investment
• The refurbishment of Toll Bar House in Ilkeston to create new office space by Erewash Borough Council with and investment of £425,000 from D2N2
• The construction of commercial space for SMEs at Mushroom Farm in Eastwood by Broxtowe Borough Council, in which D2N2 has contributed £160,000.

D2N2 Deputy Chair David Williams said: “To overcome an economic downturn of the scale we’re now faced with requires a truly united approach so I’m proud to have worked with partners from across the region to bring these projects to fruition.”

“The projects we’ve funded will help us to not only respond to the needs of today but also to enable our communities to thrive tomorrow by investing in new industries, new skills, and new technology.”

chesterfield-market place

Local companies are being invited to take part in a virtual ‘Contact the Buyer’ event, to find out how to tender for work connected to the ongoing regeneration of Chesterfield.

Construction of the seven-storey office building in Basin Square, part of the £340million Chesterfield Waterside scheme is due to commence on 19 October 2020. The building will provide circa 35,000ft² of Grade A accommodation. Britcon, the main contractors would like to speak to local companies to form part of their supply chain on this project.

As part of its commitment to supporting the local economy Chesterfield Borough Council, as the planning authority, includes local labour clauses within developments of this kind to ensure developers use local suppliers, have apprenticeships and allocate as many jobs as possible to local people.

To maximise the opportunities for local companies, main contractors Britcon are working with Chesterfield Borough Council to encourage local companies to ‘contact the buyer’ to find out about a range of sub-contractor packages available during the project.

Opportunities include:

• Precast Stairs
• Blinds
• Brickwork
• Wall Tiling
• Concrete Floor slab
• Metalwork
• Single Ply Roof
• Flooring/ Floor Coverings
• Screeding
• Partitions
• Suspended Ceiling
• Intumescent Paint
• Metsec SFS
• Landscaping
• Mansafe
• Decorating
• Road Marking
• Roller Shutter & Steel Door
• Scaffold/ Edge Protection
• CCTV/ Jetting
• Glazed Partitions
• Steps/ Handrails
• External Zinc Cladding at 6^th Floor

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth, said: “There is more than £1 billion of investment currently underway in Chesterfield and one of the key priorities of the council is that Chesterfield residents directly benefit from this by getting new jobs, training, business and skills opportunities.

“Britcon has worked closely with the council to ensure that our borough benefits as much as possible from the opportunities that building this new development will bring.

“I would encourage all local businesses to attend the Contact the Buyer and see what opportunities are available for them and their workforces.”

Nick Shephard, Managing Director of Britcon said “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the council and will work with them to maximize employment opportunities for local people”

The office development at Chesterfield Waterside has been supported with a £2.7million grant from the Sheffield City Region Infrastructure Fund (SCRIF).

As a virtual event local companies are being invited to get in touch to express an intertest in any of the opportunities listed with Britcon by contacting Emily Williams via email on emily.williams@chesterfield.gov.uk with CBC – Waterside Office Accommodation as the subject line of the email. Please ensure you send your expression of interest by Monday 2 November and include the following details:

• Business Name:
• Trade(s):
• Address:
• Contact Information (Phone / Email):

To find out more about the Contact the Buyer event please  contact Emily Williams on (01246) 959717 or email emily.williams@chesterfield.gov.uk