Chesterfield’s Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is working with Derbyshire Adult Community Education (DACES) to run a virtual education programme for young adults in Chesterfield.
Vicar Lane is working with organisers on a ‘Virtual Employer Challenge’, whereby the young people are set a task within a real-life employment environment. Participants will watch a virtual tour of the shopping centre to familiarise themselves with the task at hand on Wednesday 8th July, before working on their ideas.
The task Vicar Lane has set involves the young people imagining they are opening a pop-up shop and deciding what products they would like to sell. They are required to produce a business plan for their business and show how it will fit in with the current retailers at Vicar Lane. At the end of the programme, they have to present their proposed solution back to the employer.
The programme is aimed at young people aged 16 to help them gain the skills they need for the world of work. The programme can lead to apprenticeships, further training and employment.
Proposals will be presented by the learners, back to the centre management team via Zoom on Thursday 23rd July.
Shaun Brown, Centre Manager at Vicar Lane said, “It’s a privilege to be working with a team of young people from the Chesterfield community to help improve their career prospects. Last year’s initiative generated some really exciting results, so we are looking forward to virtually seeing what this group of learners come up with.”
Vicar Lane supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
The Vicar Lane team at the launch of the new screen in February.
A host of local attractions, pubs, restaurants and accommodation providers have joined forces to welcome visitors back to the Peak District and Derbyshire in a new marketing campaign video.
Released to mark the reopening of the tourism and hospitality sector on 4 July, the ‘Time to…’ video (below) shines a spotlight on the warm welcome that awaits guests to the Peak District and Derbyshire, whilst showcasing the extra safety measures that businesses have put in place in order to reopen responsibly.
In behind-the-scenes shots businesses are shown setting tables, cleaning premises and implementing social distancing guidelines, before coming together in a show of solidarity to announce ‘We’re Good To Go’ – highlighting how the sector is adhering to the national industry standards introduced by VisitEngland.
The video signals the start of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire’s ‘Time to…’ digital marketing campaign which aims to inspire visitors to book a break in the area – helping to kick-start the area’s £2.3 billion tourism industry, which supports over 30,000 local jobs.
Visitors are encouraged to plan their trip on the ‘Time to…’ webpage at www.visitpeakdistrict.com/inspiration/time-to, and to look out for the official ‘We’re Good To Go’ mark which means that businesses are adhering to the appropriate Government and public health guidance.
The ‘Time to…’ campaign will be supported across Visit Peak District & Derbyshire’s digital channels and on social media. Local businesses will be encouraged to create their own images using the campaign taglines which include ‘Time to Plan’, ‘Time to Discover’ and ‘Time to Recharge’.
Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, says: “We’re delighted to mark the reopening of the tourism and hospitality sector with the launch of our ‘Time to…’ campaign. The industry has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic but our passionate, caring and resilient tourism businesses have worked exceptionally hard to put all the right measures in place to ensure we can warmly welcome visitors back.”
“This is just the beginning of our phased, gradual reopening and now our priority is to ensure that people are able to visit and enjoy our glorious destination in a responsible way; respecting our local communities and the landscape around us.”
“Whilst restrictions have been eased, not all businesses are open and there are many different measures in place, so we’re continuing to ask visitors to be patient, to plan ahead and to book in advance so you ‘Know Before You Go’. We hope visitors and residents alike will be inspired to enjoy our wonderful tourism offer and in turn, help businesses to successfully get back on their feet.”
Councillor Kate Sarvent, Cabinet Member for Town Centres and Visitor Economy, said: “We know that many of you will have spent the past few months shopping online, but now is your chance to come back and visit Chesterfield town centre, indulge in some retail therapy, socialise and support Chesterfield businesses.”
“The town centre has so much to offer. From national retailers to small independent stores and of course our outdoor market and Market Hall, there really is something for everyone.”
“We’ve put a number of measures in place around the town centre to help keep you safe when visiting and we politely request that you follow the advice on signage, follow floor markings and respect any queuing systems.”
Cllr Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council, says: “The tourism and hospitality industry is vital to the Derbyshire economy and plays a key role in making Derbyshire a popular attraction for visitors from far and wide.”
“We look forward to seeing people return, but it’s important we all follow the new measures put in place. The safety of staff, visitors and Derbyshire residents remains our number one priority. By acting responsibly and remaining vigilant we can help businesses get back on their feet and ensure visitors to our county get the true Derbyshire experience.”
In addition, Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire has launched a ‘Respect, Protect, Enjoy’ visitor charter which highlights the positive steps that people can take in order to enjoy the area responsibly: www.visitpeakdistrict.com/explore/respect-protect-enjoy.
D2N2 has formally announced the appointment of five new board members.
The LEP board brings together leaders from across the public, private, and education sectors who advise on key strategic decisions and use their knowledge and expertise to support D2N2 in achieving its ambitions for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire.
The new Board members bring a wealth of experience and expertise across a range of disciplines including automotive, manufacturing, Further Education (FE), Higher Education (HE), and the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.
Tim Freeman and James Brand join as private sector representatives. Tim Freeman is the Deputy Managing Director of Toyota Manufacturing (UK), based in South Derbyshire whilst James Brand (pictured below) is Managing Director of United Cast Bar based in Chesterfield.
Andrew Cropley, Principal at West Notts College in Mansfield will become the Board’s new representative for Further Education whilst Professor Shearer West, Vice Chancellor of the University of Nottingham will represent the region’s Higher Education providers.
Joining the board as the new Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) representative will be Michele Farmer, Director at the Princes Trust.
D2N2 Interim Chair David Williams said of the appointments: “On behalf of everyone at D2N2, I’d like to welcome Andrew, Shearer, Michele, Tim, and James to the board. Our new appointments have a real breadth of experience which will be essential as we help navigate the challenging environment our economy now finds itself in.”
“I would also like to formally record my thanks on behalf of all the board and staff to the outgoing board members who have each contributed significant time and energy in furthering our ambitions and have been strong advocates and champions for the region and its potential.”
All five appointees will formally join the board in September.
CrossCountry have reinstated a number of rail services to Chesterfield after outcry from local residents and a lobbying campaign led by the leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, Cllr Tricia Gilby.
CrossCountry had announced that no services would stop at Chesterfield from the 6th July.
Following this announcement Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, wrote to the Regional Director of CrossCountry, making representations in the ‘strongest possible terms’ to reinstate the service as soon as possible.
Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield, supported this: “The station and its excellent connectivity is an integral part of the growth ambitions of Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield wholeheartedly supports Chesterfield Borough Council’s lobbying to get CrossCountry’s decision reversed.”
Following the lobbying efforts and outcry from local rail users CrossCountry have had a change of heart and direct services will continue at peak times with connecting services to Derby and Sheffield at off peak times.
Commenting on the decision from CrossCountry, Councillor Tricia Gilby said: “I am delighted to hear that hourly CrossCountry train services at Chesterfield will be continuing during the busiest times of day.”
“As soon as I was made aware of the threat to CrossCountry services being withdrawn from Chesterfield station I wrote a very strongly worded letter to the Regional Director and involved local MP’s. We followed this up with very constructive conversations with CrossCountry and their new Regional Leadership Team.”
“Chesterfield Borough Council and our partners across Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and East Midlands have been campaigning for the full re-instatement of the CrossCountry service since we heard it may be withdrawn.”
“In normal circumstances around 620,000 passengers a year use CrossCountry services at Chesterfield, and whilst we are trying to rebuild the local economy and minimise the negative impacts on residents of our Borough and surrounding area, the action being proposed to temporarily suspend of all CrossCountry stops at Chesterfield from 6 July was appalling.”
“These services are critical to key workers and the growing numbers of people that are beginning to travel as the lockdown eases. The provision of regular and reliable public transport will be an essential part of our Coronavirus recovery plans for the Borough and northern Derbyshire communities.”
“I look forward to working with CrossCountry as our HS2 led regeneration proposals for the train station take shape over forthcoming months.”
A total of 10,000 protective facemasks have been donated to the University of Derby nursing and healthcare students, to help replace the stocks which were given to local hospitals at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thousands of items of personal protective equipment (PPE), which would have been used by students, were delivered by University staff to the Royal Derby Hospital and Chesterfield Royal Hospital in March and April. Many of the nursing and healthcare students are based at the University’s St Helena Campus in Chesterfield.
Now, one of the University’s overseas partner institutions, Hunan University of Technology, in China, has helped to replenish supplies in Derby by sending the consignment of facemasks.
Dr Paula Holt, Pro Vice Chancellor Dean of the College of Health and Social Care, said: “This is an extremely generous gesture from our colleagues in Hunan, who were aware that we had supplied our PPE to local hospitals. It will help our students during their training, much more of which will be on campus in the coming months, while our NHS partners focus on managing COVID-19 in our hospitals.
“The donation also underlines the value of international co-operation between higher education institutions, and we look forward to a time when we are able to welcome representatives from Hunan to Derby to thank them personally.”
Hunan University of Technology, based in the Hubei Province of China, became one of Derby’s partner universities in 2018. Since then it has worked closely with the University of Derby on student exchange, student progression and teacher training.
The facemask donation was organised by the university’s Chancellor, Professor Yang Liu and his senior management team.
Professor Liu said: “Our hearts are with everyone at Derby, and we hope that all of our friends and colleagues at the University stay safe.”
The University of Derby supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
Chesterfield’s Robinson Packaging Company is providing three local towns with brand new defibrillators for use by both the ambulance service and the general public.
Installed at the company’s factories in Kirkby, Stanton and Chesterfield as part of increasing investment in health and safety for the business, Managing Director Steve Haley decided to fit them outside the buildings so the general public can also use them.
Steve said: “We listened to our staff suggestions and are delighted to be able to offer these valuable lifesaving defibrillators to our local towns – we work closely with our communities and it is great to be able to invest in the safety of our employees both at work and in the towns where they live.”
Bought from St John Ambulance, the defibrillators are registered on The Circuit website, in conjunction with the local East Midlands Ambulance service.
Local paramedics have full access to these units as the locations and access codes are supplied automatically into their system. The local public also have access through calling 999/112 and requesting the unit opening code.
All Robinson’s staff members can access these units and first aiders will be given instructions and training on using the defibrillator.
A booming post-lockdown order book has prompted a Chesterfield manufacturer to create new full-time jobs, significantly increasing its workforce by more than 20 per cent.
Blachford UK, based in Holmewood, is looking for 20 people to fulfil a number of jobs and add to its growing work force. The available roles include multi-skilled maintenance engineers, apprentices, FLT Drivers and production operatives. All roles are available to start immediately and, following a 12-week probation period, will become permanent.
The pandemic left the business fearing for its future after it was forced to furlough all staff and shut the factory down for four weeks. After implementing social distancing measures and being given the green light by the Government to re-open, Blachford has since been met with unexpected demand for its acoustic insulation products which it produces for industrial vehicles.
Jason Lippitt, Managing Director, explained: “It’s a complete turnaround situation and a very enviable position to be in considering the current economic climate. Like many manufacturers, lockdown came as a real blow to us and created uncertainty in the business. However, since re-opening the factory, orders from our European and British customers have flooded in, securing the future of Blachford and creating brand new jobs. It’s a great sign for the local economy and manufacturing as a whole.”
Jason added: “All these new roles are part of the company’s growing future. It’s vital to me that all employees progress successfully in their career with Blachford and, more importantly, enjoy being part of a fantastic team.”
People interested in applying for the roles or who like further information, should email recruitment@blachforduk.com
The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), covering Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, has received a £44.4 million cash boost from the government to fund projects that will help the local economy and create jobs.
The ‘New Deal’ announcement is part of a comprehensive plan by government to deliver upgrades to local infrastructure and boost skills in a move to fuel economic recovery across the whole of the UK.
Answering a national call from Government, D2N2, together with partners from across the region, put forward a long list of compelling and innovative projects to deliver growth and continue to develop the talent, ideas, and facilities in the region.
These projects will now be evaluated by government to identify which will receive funding and deliver the most value in terms of restarting the local economy and meeting the future challenges of levelling up the UK. Successful projects will need to demonstrate they meet LEP key priorities and can be completed by the end of 2021.
David Williams, Interim Chair of D2N2, said: “We very much welcome the announcement by government. This will provide a major stimulus for our cities, towns and communities.”
“We believe the size of the allocation demonstrates a belief in what the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership can deliver and a testament to the collaborative working between the LEP and its partners.”
“We will continue to work with partners as we begin negotiations with the government to determine which projects will receive funding based on their ability to accelerate growth and create employment.”
“As we reshape our Local Industrial Strategy to reflect the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic it’s essential we remain flexible to support our communities, that we adapt to new opportunities, and build an economy that it is more resilient in the long term.”
“We will continue to work with government on future funding for investments to support our ambitions for the region.”
This fast-tracking of investment, totalling £11 million, will help kick-start activity in towns and high streets across the East Midlands, ensuring local people can see and feel the benefit as soon as possible.
The investment will support economic recovery as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and will be used to improve digital infrastructure; support skills and career opportunities; and the transition to a low carbon economy.
Chesterfield Library will reopen on Wednesday 8 July after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic since 20 March.
Libraries across Derbyshire are to begin reopening from this week, with several temporary changes in place to keep customers and staff safe.
Chesterfield Library will be open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays until further notice, with people being asked to arrange appointments direct with their local library.
‘Book and borrow’ appointments for people wanting to take out books can be arranged over the phone or by email, and use of library computers can be arranged by phone only.
All currently borrowed books and other items have been automatically renewed until 30 September 2020 and people are being urged not to bring them back unless they have made an appointment. No overdue charges will be incurred for books which are currently borrowed.
It will not be possible for library staff to order books from other libraries during the temporary arrangements, and staff will only be able to provide items from their specific branch. This means that specific titles may not always be available. All books will be issued to 30 September 2020.
Library staff will monitor how the new systems put in place are working and ensure social distancing can be adhered to before rolling out the re-opening of other libraries across Derbyshire.
Councillor Barry Lewis, Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Tourism and Culture, said:“We are delighted to be in a position where we can start to slowly reopen our libraries and take the first steps towards getting them back to being fully operational.”
“The safety of our staff and customers is always our top priority, and we’ve been following government guidance closely, considering a range of options to get our libraries open in some form.”
“We know how important libraries are to people, and we’ve seen the number of library members rise by more than 1,100 during lockdown, with Derbyshire residents taking advantage of the excellent range of free services available online, from eBooks and eNewspapers to activities and research materials.”
“I hope library users will bear with us and take advantage of the reopening of services, albeit limited to start with, and we will endeavour to reopen other parts of the service over the next few weeks.”
During the initial phase of reopenings, it will not be possible to:
visit without an appointment
return books or other items unless attending a book and borrow appointment
More businesses across Chesterfield, including pubs and restaurants, are set to re-open to the public from Saturday 4 July.
To make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend, Chesterfield Borough Council is reminding residents and visitors to adhere to social distancing rules and respect the Covid-19 secure measures that local businesses have put in place.
Residents that are making a special visit to a particular town centre business are being reminded to check that it is open as a number of businesses have delayed opening until Monday 6 July.
Councillor Kate Sarvent, Cabinet Member for Town Centres and Visitor Economy, said: “After over 100 days of lockdown, this is a great chance for you to visit the town centre and support our local businesses. Sustaining our many brilliant independent businesses as well as the many household names that appear on Chesterfield’s high street is vital for our local economy.”
“Please do look after yourselves and your families. If we all follow the rules we can keep everyone safe. It is vitally important that we all remember this when visiting our favourite pubs and restaurants.”
The council is working closely with its partners to ensure that everyone can have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
There will be an increased police presence and the council’s town centre ambassadors will also be on hand if people need any support.
The council’s licensing team have been working with business owners to ensure that they have undertaken appropriate risk assessments and have procedures in place to ensure the safety of both their customers and their staff. Bars and restaurants will be collecting customer details as part of their responsibility under the NHS track and trace system.
The council is encouraging visitors to walk or cycle into the town centre where possible, as it is anticipated that taxis will be busy. Each taxi company will also have their own Covid-19 secure working arrangements in place and you should check these when booking.
Residents using public transport are also required to wear a face covering on all public transport.
Chesterfield’s SME businesses are being invited to access expert help to attract, select, recruit and train graduates through a region-wide funded scheme.
RISE is a unique business support initiative, focussed on enabling small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow through the employment of graduate talent.
RISE is delivered through a well-established collaboration of the region’s local authorities, universities and a specialist private sector delivery partner working together to provide thetailored support your business needs.
RISE makes the recruitment process easier for businesses, saving costs, time and increasing their access to a wider pool of suitable graduates; but more importantly it is about helping develop your know-how and capabilities, providing the practical tools that will enable you to confidently recruit graduates in the future.
This service is free of charge to businesses and a limited number of one-off small grants are available towards employment costs.
To be eligible your business must:
Be an SME based in the Sheffield City Region
Currently employ fewer than 250 people
Not already be routinely employing graduates
Be looking to create new/additional graduate-level jobs
SMEs who have used the scheme previously can access the scheme again, providing they meet the eligibility criteria.
To find out more about the RISE project, download the information brochure here or by calling 0114 221 0220.
The deadline for applications to get involved is Wednesday 29th July.
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