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Hospital Charity Makes £1m for Health and Wellbeing Hub

The ‘A Night Under the Rainbow’ evening event, hosted at Chatsworth House by The Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity, heralded the announcement that they are halfway there – raising £1m to date!

Business and community leaders from across the region were invited to the prestigious event, co-hosted and funded by the Duke of Devonshire to raise support and donations for the purpose-built Health and Wellbeing Hub at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS FT.

The £2m appeal for the Health and Wellbeing Hub is the Charity’s most ambitious appeal in its history. The speakers for the event included the Duke of Devonshire, Beverley Webster OBE, Chair of the Charity Development Board as well as heartfelt pleas from two Critical Care Matrons, Maxine Hardy and Natalie Cooper-Hatch – both talked about the personal impact of the pandemic and how the Hub will be vital for supporting colleagues in to the future.

Alongside the grandeur and splendour, as well as Webster the Duck – the 8-foot charity mascot – the star of the show was local women, Nicola Mounsley, who was a nurse at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS FT and sadly lost her husband, Ian (51), to the illness in March 2021.

Atul Patel, Chair of the Chesterfield Royal Charity, who also spoke on the evening, said: “It’s fantastic news that we are now halfway to our goal. To raise £1m is such a mark of success for us and after last night, I’m confident that we can reach for our goal and have the Hub built and open in Spring 2023.

“I’d like to thank everybody who joined us on the evening in the Painted Hall. The message was clear, we need to provide these facilities to ‘care for the carers’ and I’m confident that those who attended will be able to provide the vital funds to really leave a legacy at the hospital for our 4,500 workforce to truly benefit from.”

One of the first of its kind, the Hub plans to offer all working at the hospital from porters to radiologists, physiotherapists to cooks, financial accountants to receptionists, a real haven to actively look after their health and wellbeing – supporting them to care for the people of Chesterfield.

The Hub would include counselling rooms and complimentary therapies as well as talking therapies and areas for group and individual reflections after traumatic incidents, like those seen during the pandemic. There is a proposed gym and multi-use games area too.

Donations can be made through the Trust website or Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity – JustGiving.

Ken Godber, Charity Director, added: “We want to ensure that everybody at the hospital will benefit from the Hub and we need everybody in the community to be involved – this isn’t just about businesses or community groups coming to Chatsworth. We now need everybody to get behind us and held raise the vital funds to make this a reality going forward.”

The Health and Wellbeing Hub has a number of high-profile partners: NHS Charities Together committed £250,000 and Westfield Health further contributed £250,000 – both of whom were speakers on the night through Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHSCT and Steve Purdham, Chair of Westfield Health.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home

A ‘mixed picture’ for East Midlands economy Chamber survey finds

Sky-high inflation, energy price hikes and the war in Ukraine are creating “new unknowns” for businesses and creating a mixed picture for the East Midlands economy, new research reveals.

East Midlands Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), which gauges the health of the region’s economy, reported improvements across most indicators in Q1 2022 compared to the final quarter of last year when there was a drop in business confidence due to the Omicron surge.

Despite this, growth remains weak and there are warning signs for what may lie ahead as cashflow dropped into negative territory for the first time in more than a year and investment intentions are restrained.

Chris Hobson, director of policy and external affairs at East Midlands Chamber, said: “The latest QES presents a mixed picture for our region’s economy, as the wave of optimism that encountered the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions has been diluted somewhat by other factors that are weighing down on businesses’ ability to trade effectively.

“After spending much of 2021 trying to figure out two major ‘unknowns’ – the impact of both the pandemic and the UK leaving the EU – it had felt at the start of this year that we were now equipped to plan for and deal with these.

“Unfortunately, just as we were getting into the swing of 2022, new unknowns have arrived in the form of the terrible events in Ukraine, which has thrown a spanner in the works when it comes to understanding where inflationary pressures and energy prices will top out – not to mention the supply chain disruption this causes across Europe, which is felt in the East Midlands.”

More than 350 businesses across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire took part in the Q1 2022 survey between 14 February and 9 March.

Key findings from the survey for the East Midlands* included:

  • No movement in UK sales between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022, with a net 27% of businesses reporting these increased in both periods, although there was an 8% rise in advanced orders between the quarters
  • Overseas sales and orders were up by 7% and 10% respectively
  • A net 20% of businesses increased their workforce in Q1 and a net 36% expect to do so in the next three months, representing a 3% and 1% growth respectively on the previous quarter’s findings
  • More than six in 10 (63%) of businesses attempted to recruit but, of this cohort, four in five (80%) encountered problems with filling vacancies
  • 30% of firms reported cashflow fell, compared to it improving for 27% – marking the first time it has fallen into negative territory for more than a year
  • Two-thirds (66%) of businesses expect prices to rise in the next three months, a 4% increase on the previous quarter
  • A lack of room at the margins means investment intentions in machinery are down by 2% compared to the end of last year, while there is only a 1% increase in intentions for investing in training between the two quarters
  • Despite this, there was a 4% improvement in the proportion of businesses expecting turnover to increase (a net 62% of Q1 2022 respondents believe it will, versus a net 58% in Q4 2021) and a 3% rise for profitability (a net 31% of organisations now believe it will improve)

Chris said the figures were “encouraging” at first glance but, with many QES indicators relative to what has come before, must be viewed in comparison to a weak final quarter in 2021. At the time, there was uncertainty around the Omicron variant and inflation began to creep up.

The biggest concerns for businesses right now are declining access to cash and margins being squeezed by galloping inflation, the survey found.

“Net cashflow movement is down into negative territory again, suggesting the squeeze is coming on once more with inflationary pressures from all directions,” Chris said.

“Price increases are up on already almost sky-high levels and investment in machinery is down, limiting one of the tools that businesses have to respond to increases in demand and the need to introduce efficiencies.

“We have a heated economy in which demand is still high, but 37% of our region’s businesses are at full capacity and struggling to meet this because they can’t recruit enough staff or don’t have the confidence to invest. Ultimately, our economy isn’t able to grow as fast as it needs to.”

To read the full Quarterly Economic Survey report for Q1 2022, click here.

Posted in Business, Featured, Home

Chesterfield’s Pantomime moves to the Winding Wheel Theatre

Chesterfield’s annual pantomime will take centre stage at the Winding Wheel Theatre this year, while the Pomegranate Theatre undergoes a multimillion-pound refurbishment.

Discounted early bird tickets are now on sale for the performance of Sleeping Beauty, which will be presented by Paul Holman Associates from Tuesday 6 December 2022 until Tuesday 3 January 2023.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “The pantomime is a Christmas tradition for many families in Chesterfield and it’s great that it’ll be back this year and that we can accommodate it in the Winding Wheel Theatre.

“Whilst the Pomegranate is closed for refurbishment, we’ll be making full use of the facilities at the Winding Wheel Theatre and ensuring that everyone can still enjoy a wide variety of fantastic performances and events.

“It’s a great opportunity to book at a reduced rate now and secure your tickets ahead of the Christmas rush later in the year.”

Paul Holman said: “We are delighted to have been selected one again to produce the pantomime for Chesterfield Theatres. Having produced the pantomime at the Pomegranate Theatre since 2012, we are really looking forward to presenting a pantomime in the Winding Wheel Theatre for the first time.”

The Pomegranate Theatre is set to close later this summer for works to begin on the multimillion-pound refurbishment project.

The work to Stephenson Memorial Hall, which is also home to Chesterfield Museum, will create a bespoke visitor attraction in the heart of Chesterfield – bringing together an extended Pomegranate Theatre, a reconfigured and modern museum, alongside new gallery space, a café bar, education and community facilities.

The Sleeping Beauty Pantomime is a fantastical tale full of fairies, bravery and enchantment. Featuring all of the best-loved panto shenanigans live on stage – with an abundance of laughter, dance and music along with dazzling scenery and costumes, spectacular special effects and plenty of audience interaction. This perfect Christmas treat with a star cast to be announced is for the entire family to enjoy!

There will be accessible performances including sign language, audio description and relaxed sessions. There will also be a touch tour of the set which partially sighted or blind customers will be able to book.

Discounted early bird tickets for the Pantomime are now on sale from at www.chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk/panto or by calling the box office on 01246 345 222.

Discover more about what is happening in Chesterfield.

Sleeping Beauty Pantomime

Posted in About Chesterfield, Christmas, Featured, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Council leaders set to gather for milestone meeting

Council leaders from across the county will gather for the first meeting of the Vision Derbyshire Joint Committee – a milestone for the partnership which will enable local authorities to work more closely on key issues affecting local people.

Hosted by Chesterfield Borough Council, the meeting will take place on Monday 4 April and will lay the foundations for the formal governance arrangements and programme of work for the partnership.

It is a key step forward for Vision Derbyshire, which is a collaboration of local authorities across Derbyshire and is designed to deliver priority projects which have a positive impact on people’s lives and achieve greater council efficiency.

The main aims of the Vision Derbyshire Joint Committee are to:

  • Provide collective leadership for Derbyshire
  • Progress shared ambitions for the area
  • Work together to tackle the issues and challenges outlined in the case for change
  • Enable agile, timely and effective decision making

The meeting will also consider the Vision Derbyshire Climate Change Strategy (2022-2025) which sets out what needs to be done to reduce emissions across the county to net zero by 2050, or sooner, and how Derbyshire’s councils will work to achieve this.

There will also be discussion around the recently announced County Deal and the submission of a devolution proposal to Government last week, after Derbyshire and Derby was one of nine areas put forward to receive extra investment and local powers as part of the Government’s levelling up plans.

The location of the meetings will be rotated between the member authorities.  They will be open to the public and meeting agendas, reports and minutes will be available to view, in line with usual local government processes which ensure open and transparent decision making.  Papers are available to access at www.chesterfield.gov.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home

David Robinson promoted to Tax Partner at Shorts

Shorts are delighted to announce the promotion of David Robinson to the position of Tax Partner, with effect from 1 April 2022.

Responding to a decade of sustained growth, David will join Chris Chambers and Scott Burkinshaw in leading the firm’s tax offering and will divide his time working across both the firm’s Sheffield and Chesterfield offices.

An experienced Chartered Tax Adviser with national firm experience, David joined Shorts in 2015 as Senior Tax Manager and was promoted to Director in 2018. The promotion to Partner recognises David’s continued commitment to growing the department and underpins the firm’s continued development and strength.

David will continue to advise his clients on all areas of UK taxation with a particular focus on transactional work, including acquisitions & disposals, corporate reconstructions, and advising international businesses on their expansion into the UK (through the firm’s membership of The Praxity Alliance). Going forward, his role will transition progressively in taking a more active role in the leadership and strategy of the firm.

David said “I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to be promoted to Tax Partner at Shorts, joining a partnership that has been in existence since 1890.  The promotion is the culmination of years of hard work, and I’m proud to take the next step on my professional journey.  I am very much looking forward to working with existing and future clients, as well as the rest of the partners, to help drive forward the continued success of the firm”.

Chris Chambers, Senior Tax Partner at Shorts, said “Since joining us in 2015, David has played a key part in the growth and success of the business, and this promotion is just reward for his hard work and effort.  He’ll be a fantastic addition to our partner group, and I am confident that with David on board, the firm will continue to go from strength to strength”.

Scott Burkinshaw, Tax Partner at Shorts, added “I am delighted that David has agreed to join us in the Partnership.  We have enjoyed significant growth over the last few years, and this appointment further strengthens our position as we head into the next chapter of our long history.  We reward talent and effort here at Shorts, and we had no hesitation in asking David to join us to continue to drive the business forward”.

Shorts are a nationally recognised award-winning firm with a long-standing heritage of over 130 years.  They can be contacted on info@shorts.uk.com or by calling 0114 2671617 or 01246 559955.

Shorts supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10K Route Revealed

The Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10K is back for the second year, taking place on Sunday 16th October 2022.

Organisers from the 10K have confirmed that this year’s event will take place with the same fantastic route as in 2021.

Leading from the start line in Queens Park out onto Dock Walk, and through Chesterfield from Old Road to Ashgate Road passing close by one of its Charity Partners Ashgate Hospicecare.

Runners will then make their way towards the historic town centre before heading down Glumangate, passing Redbrik’s Chesterfield office and the Towns famous Crooked Spire.

The race will conclude back in Queens Park, where family and friends can gather to cheer runners towards the finish line as the race completes one final lap of the park.

The route received lots of praise after its first year in the market town, offering a fast-paced, picturesque route that is accessible to all.

John Timms, Event Director of the Chesterfield 10K, said “After a fantastic event in 2021, we are delighted to be hosting the Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10K again along the same route.

“We received some fantastic feedback on last year’s race, and we can’t wait to welcome runners to Queens Park to take on the Challenge, whether it’s their first or second time at the event!”

Charity partners for this year’s event are Redbrik Foundation, Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

Last year more than 1,300 runners took part, with over £59,000 pledged to charities and good causes across the region.

If you are thinking about taking part this year, you can register for your place on the start line at: https://www.myraceentries.co.uk/RC10K/HomePage.aspx

Redbrik supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Staveley Town Deal funding confirmed

Over £25m worth of projects which will benefit Staveley residents for generations to come have been given the official go ahead, after Government approved the package of all eleven projects within the Staveley Town Deal Programme.

It is a significant milestone for the range of projects that will receive funding through the Towns Fund, which are being delivered by a variety of organisations including Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire County Council, Staveley Town Council, Barrow Hill Community Trust, Chesterfield Canal Trust, Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club and Tawnywood Ltd.

Together the projects offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve the quality of life for residents, create new employment opportunities with higher level skills, ensure it is a place where everyone can be proud to live and guarantee that the town and its residents have a bright future ahead – supporting Staveley as a place to start, stay and grow.

Ivan Fomin, Chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board and Managing Director of Staveley based MSE Hiller, said: “The projects that are being funded through the Town Deal are designed to complement one another and have been developed in response to the challenges and opportunities in Staveley. The project sponsors have worked hard to get to this point but we are now moving into delivering these projects and ensuring that they can benefit everyone in Staveley.”

Chesterfield Borough Council is the accountable programme lead but will also be delivering three projects using Town Deal funding.

A round up of the key projects being led by each partner is included below.

Chesterfield Borough Council

The Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle (DRIIVe) is a rail innovation and training centre located in Barrow Hill. It is being developed by the Council in partnership with Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society, Chesterfield College, the University of Derby, Newcastle University and Talgo.

Staveley 21 aims to regenerate and revitalise Staveley town centre. It is based around the masterplan developed last year and includes Wi-Fi connectivity and environmental improvements to ensure the town centre is attractive, with a good retail and leisure offering that residents can enjoy.

The final project delivered by Chesterfield Borough Council is the Construction Skills Hub which is a movable construction training centre initially based on a live construction site in Mastin Moor. It is being developed with a training provider and construction sector businesses to ensure people can develop the skills they need for a successful career and be ready to embrace future modern and sustainable construction methods.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and Vice Chair of the Town Deal Board said: “The Town Deal represents a once in lifetime opportunity for Staveley and its residents. Each project is fantastic in its own right, but together they are truly transformative for the entire area. We want everyone to benefit from this investment and to understand how each of these projects can enhance Staveley and the local community.”

champions event

Derbyshire County Council

Staveley Waterside is the first phase of a mixed-use development centred around the Staveley Canal Basin. This will include the creation of an access road, pontoons to create moorings, a café and flexible office and workshop space for small businesses.

Wheels to Work is focussed on ensuring everyone can access employment and training opportunities by providing bicycles and e-scooters for those who don’t have access to a private vehicle and have limited transport options.  There will also be real time passenger information and EV charge points.

Derbyshire County Council is also leading on the reinstatement of Staveley Railway Station but this is subject to confirmation of funding from the Government to restore the Barrow Hill Line. A decision on this is expected in the near future.

Councillor Tony King, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet Member for Clean Growth and Regeneration and Member of the Town Deal Board, said: “This is a great opportunity to work together to benefit Staveley and the wider community.

“We’re looking forward to building on the success of our flagship regeneration site Markham Vale to open up the canal basin as a base for business and a visitor attraction.

“And we’re pleased to be widening out our Wheels to Work scheme to improve employment and training opportunities in the area as well as continuing to press the case for a train station in the town which will broaden opportunities for commuting for work and connectivity for business further still.”

Works road and canal basin

Staveley Town Council

Staveley Town Council is using the funding it has secured to extend the historic Staveley Hall and create a modern events space with an extension to the café and the creation of two flexible events spaces that can be used for informal community events and also business led events.

Councillor Paul Mann, Leader of Staveley Town Council, said: We are very excited about the proposed project to build a new conference and events centre at Staveley Hall. I believe that it fits well with the wider strategic plans for developing Staveley and it will provide a modern, energy efficient facility for the community and businesses that will add economic value and jobs to the Staveley area.”

Chesterfield events

Barrow Hill Community Trust

Barrow Hill Community Trust is the community development charity for the village of Barrow Hill and surrounding neighbourhoods. It is leading on the refurbishment of Barrow Hill Memorial Hall to create a modern community hub where local residents can access support services and socialise together.

Simon Redding, Chair of Trustees said: “The community trust and people of Barrow Hill are overjoyed that we will finally have the services which other communities take for granted.

The Memorial Hall will be a community hub for all, with the facilities which local people have asked for – all thanks to the Town Deal.”

Chesterfield Canal Trust

Chesterfield Canal Trust is restoring the Chesterfield Canal to the borough boundary. Works include the reconstruction of 850m of canal channel, a new aqueduct over the river Doe Lea, bridges, a new lock and 3km of footpath improvements along the towpath and connecting routes to multiuser trails, it complements other works the Trust is undertaking in Renishaw.

Peter Hardy, Chair of the Chesterfield Canal Trust, said: “Our scheme will bring enormous benefits to the residents of Staveley and surrounding areas with the extension of the canal from Staveley Waterside almost to the river Doe Lea. Together with the other projects awarded money from the Towns Fund, it will enhance the environment, health and wellbeing of all who live in the area.

“We are indebted to the local company Suon Ltd. which has donated the clay to be used in this project; without this generosity the scheme would not have been possible.

“This project is the catalyst for the Chesterfield Canal Trust to complete the restoration of the canal.”

Hartington Industrial Park

Hartington Industrial Park is a 20-hectare site that has outline planning permission for industrial and warehouse development that will create more local jobs near to the successful Markham Vale site. The funding will support the development of infrastructure and enabling works to bring forward the development.

Simon White, Property Director at Tawnywood Ltd, said: “At Hartington Industrial Park we are delighted that the Town Deal has given us the opportunity to move this site from a relatively low grade secondary industrial location to one able to offer new businesses excellent access and infrastructure and so become an attractive location to companies seeking high quality modern manufacturing and warehouse accommodation providing numerous jobs across a wide range of opportunities. The proposal is to emulate the success of Markham Vale on a smaller scale and create quality buildings attracting a wide range of employment types boosting the scale and quality of the local environment and job offers in Staveley itself.”

Hartington Industrial Park

Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club

Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club is using funding to create an academy where young people earn BTECs or similar qualifications in sport. It includes the creation of two classrooms above the club house and will also use some funding to improve the car park near to the Chantry Playing Fields.

Terry Damms, Chairman of Staveley MWFC, said: “I’m really excited by the prospect of further facilities for the Staveley community and creating closer links for 16 to18-year-olds to develop their skills and complete their education. The purpose-built education facility will not only support local education it can also be used by other bodies like the Derbyshire FA to provide training and courses. Together with the Town Deal Accelerator Funding, the club will receive around £0.5 million of investment through the town deal and this supports funding provided through Viridor credits.

“The youngsters of Staveley have the best possible opportunities. We would like to thank the Staveley Town Deal Board for their commitment to us and support through the funding. The Trojans are here to serve the community and this is yet another clear example of us understanding and delivering the ethos required to suit this wide range of people within the Staveley community.”

You can find out more about the Town Deal and keep up to date with the latest developments here: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/staveley-town-deal

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Manufacturing, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , ,

Spireites launch Easter Egg Appeal to bring joy to youngsters across North Derbyshire

Chester’s 2022 Easter Egg Appeal has been launched by Chesterfield FC Community Trust and Chesterfield FC.

The appeal is sponsored by John Pye Auctions. Easter Eggs will be accepted in the HUB and by the club until Tuesday, April 5.

The eggs will be donated to The Life House Church, which will have four pop-up shops, open on Easter Sunday (April 17) in Whittington Moor, Boythorpe, Hasland and Newbold.

We are looking for people and businesses in North Derbyshire to donate any Easter Eggs for the children of North Derbyshire.

Pastor Paul Hollingworth of Life House Church is taking the lead with the appeal, and Spireites player Luke Croll will be providing his support.

Paul said: “In a world surrounded by fear, the simple act of ‘bringing a smile’ to someone is powerful.

“An appeal like this gives people the opportunity to invest something back into the community that can make such a huge difference.

“The partnership with Chesterfield Football Club is a great model of how we can all work together for the greater good. Over the years we have been able to make a significant community impact in many different ways.

“The support of Luke Croll with this appeal says a lot about him as an individual. He has been a great ambassador for the club. His enthusiasm is undoubtedly an indicator of the positive culture within the football club currently.”

The launch of the Spireites’ Easter Egg Appeal comes off the back of the hugely successful Christmas toy appeal hosted by the club. The appeal ensured that more than 120 less fortunate families in our area were able to open presents on Christmas Day.

The appeal has already been supported by a number of Chesterfield Champions, with businesses including Mortgage 1st making a dontation.

Meanwhile, The Trust has also been raising funds for people affected by the crisis in Ukraine, with collections at the recent Maidenhead United match and the academy game at Matlock Town raising around £1,000 for relief efforts. This was supplemented by some Spire Lotto winners, meaning £1,200 has been sent to the EFDN Foundation.

The European Football Development Network is supporting humanitarian work by Shakhtar Donetsk in Lviv. This campaign is facilitated by Legia Warsaw in Poland, where their stadium has become a distribution centre for much needed supplies.

Chesterfield FC Community Trust supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home, Leisure, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

Vintage Tea Rooms completes purchase of renowned local business

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre in Chesterfield has announced that Vintage Tea Rooms has purchased fellow local business, Liza Bakes.

The Vintage Tea Rooms has announced the move after going from strength-to-strength since it joined the shopping centre in February 2021.

Despite opening its doors during the midst of the pandemic, the business has grown significantly, and Sharon Hilton (owner) has now had the confidence to take a new leap and purchase another renowned local business in Liza Bakes.

Liza Bakes has long been a provider of high-quality cakes and treats available at Vintage Tea Rooms, and when the opportunity arose to purchase the business and turn it into an in-house bakery, Sharon had no hesitation.

The bakery has already been moved to Vintage Tea Rooms, and Sharon has big plans for the new acquisition, with hopes to further expand the customer base, offer more takeaway options, and sell an array of celebration cakes.

Sharon Hilton, owner of Vintage Tea Rooms, says: ‘’We definitely made the right decision moving our business to Vicar Lane back in 2021. Without the move, we probably wouldn’t have been in a strong enough position to acquire Liza Bakes. So, I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to the Vicar Lane team and our lovely customers (old and new)!’’

Find Vintage Tea Rooms on Steeplegate at Vicar Lane, next to CEX. Vicar Lane is also home to several independent businesses, such as Shop Indie, Qoozies, Clarissa’s Interiors, Nana B Baby and Childrenswear Boutique, Pizza Pi and Precious Memories by Anne Marie.

Alongside the independent offer, shoppers can also find a plethora of nationally recognised brands, such as Iceland, Holland & Barrett, Superdrug, Waterstones, New Look and JD Sports.

Find out more about the fantastic shopping experiences on offer in Chesterfield here: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/shopping/

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home, Leisure, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , ,

Marks and Spencer confirms expansion into larger Chesterfield store

Retail giant Marks and Spencer has committed further to its future in Chesterfield, by announcing plans to expand into a larger premises in the town.

The company has officially announced it will be moving to the former Debenhams store on the Ravenside Retail Park, which is a purpose built unit. It means M&S will be expanding its range of food, clothing and homeware to shoppers in Chesterfield.

Craig Baldock, Regional Manager for M&S said: “We’re excited to announce our plans to open a brand new, larger M&S store at Ravenside Retail Park, which will offer local customers in Chesterfield a much bigger range of M&S products across our Foodhall and Clothing & Home departments. The new store will be finished and open to customers later this year.

“We believe this is the right decision to ensure we can deliver the very best M&S offer for customers in Chesterfield and the wider local area. We will keep the community updated as the works progress.

“Shopping habits are changing, so we’re rotating our store estate and this investment in Chesterfield is part of our work to ensure we have the right stores to offer our customers a brilliant shopping experience.”

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “Marks and Spencer moving to Ravenside Retail Park represents a significant investment in our borough, creating more jobs and demonstrating confidence in the growth of the local economy. A new, expanded M&S store will mean they can offer a wider range of products and have a modern store that is fit for the future.

“Whilst the move is disappointing for our high street, we are making significant investments in this area to ensure we can create a modern, vibrant visitor destination which builds confidence in the town – including our ambitious town centre regeneration plans which are moving forward after we secured nearly £20m from the Government’s levelling up fund.

“The council does not own the building currently occupied by Marks and Spencer but we will work with them and the landlord to explore alternative uses for this key town centre building.”

The move is the latest in a line of new openings and expansions into the town, such as Rebel Menswear, Boba Shack and Pizza Pi.

To find out more about the fantastic range of independent retailers and nationally recognised brands in our town, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/shopping/

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Manufacturing Growth Programme boosts 150 jobs in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

The Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and designed and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, has delivered more than eighty strategic reviews to firms in the region – despite being in the midst of the pandemic.

Specialist assistance from dedicated Manufacturing Growth Managers has helped companies to improve quality performance, access new markets, develop new products and address environmental concerns.

In a deal agreed with D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, more than £130,000 of grants have been given out and this has been matched with £260,000 of private sector investment as manufacturing SMEs begin to bounce back from the effects of Covid-19.

Encouragingly, management teams still have until December 2022 to tap into MGP and make the most of a further £360,000 of support.

“Derbyshire and Nottingham manufacturers are extremely resilient, especially with what has been thrown at them over the last two years,” explained David Caddle, Regional Manager of the Manufacturing Growth Programme.

“Despite the pandemic, companies are still looking to grow sales and achieve competitive advantage and that’s where our team come in, using the GROWTHMapper benchmarking tool to identify pain points within the business.

“We can then use this to inform the specialist support they need, delivering grants that can help with a third of the total cost of an improvement project up to a maximum of £10,000.”

He went on to add: “There are still grants available to support the industrial bounce back and to help companies overcome the widespread supply chain and inflationary pressures we are seeing.”

More than 4,000 people in Chesterfield are currently employed by manufacturing businesses. Find out more about our town’s quality workforce, excellent location and vibrant business community at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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