Leisure

Organisers of Beat the Street Chesterfield launch Beat the Bug

From the organisers of Beat the Street Chesterfield, Beat the Bug is a new health & wellbeing programme designed to help you and your family stay active and well during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Beat the Bug has been created by Intelligent Health. Intelligent Health was founded by Dr William Bird MBE, a frontline NHS doctor, global expert in physical fitness and advisor to the World Health Organisation and Public Health England.

Those wanting to stay up to date with the latest Coronavirus advice, receive tips and advice about staying healthy or those seeking fun ideas for activities you can do at home, can sign up for a weekly Beat the Bug newsletter to help people of all ages during the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Beat the Bug Facebook page is updated daily with new activities and is host to a number of regular online events such as ‘ABC Animal Yoga’ and ‘Bedtime Yoga’ for children and all ages ‘Mobilise Yourself’ yoga classes.

If you or your children want to ask Dr William Bird a question about Coronavirus/COVID-19, or about how to improve your physical or emotional wellbeing, or even if you’ve got a top tip to share with other families, he is holding regular Facebook Live sessions.

Find out more by visiting their website here – www.beatthebug.me or see their latest news and activities on their Facebook page here – www.facebook.com/BeattheBug1

Watch Dr William Bird talking about Beat the Bug below:

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Casa Hotel commends NHS staff with free meals

Chesterfield Champion, Casa Hotel has started a complimentary dining service for employees of Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

The partnership with Winster Foods has been enabling workers to enjoy freshly cooked, locally sourced meals.

A recent delivery included Franklin & Sons’ Mango Go Natural Energy Drinks from Global Brands, which is also located within the hotel building.

This generosity follows the hotel’s invitation to local NHS workers to enjoy a complimentary night’s stay.

Last week the team welcomed a nurse to the four-star hotel following a 95-hour week.  It is hoped that the break, which included a hot meal, helped the guest to recuperate before returning to the frontline.

Casa Hotel is proud to commend the town’s frontline NHS employees.  Owner, Steve Perez said: “We just want to do what we can to say thank you to the key frontline workers tirelessly fighting against this pandemic.”

“We will do everything we can to take advantage of the Government support available to help both our business and our amazing team in order to get through these difficult times together.

“We are maintaining what operations we are able, cutting back where we can and trying to support our customers, our local community and our teams at the same time. All within the realms of what is possible under the current Government guidance.”

Casa is also currently providing a dine at home takeaway and collection service for the public. For further information about this and other local businesses which are operating creatively, whilst following Government guidelines, visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/2020/04/supporting-local/.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Home, Leisure, Visiting

D2N2 appeals to businesses for Personal Protective Equipment

D2N2 is putting its support behind the PPE4NHS campaign and is asking businesses across the region to donate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the fight against Coronavirus.

In addition to widely reported shortages of PPE within the NHS, the Care and Charity sectors are also finding it difficult to source adequate items of PPE in order to safeguard vulnerable members of society.

Amongst the items in demand are:

  • Any fluid-resistant surgical masks including although not exclusively FFP2 or FFP3 (the rating is marked on each mask)
  • Nitrile gloves
  • Visors or goggles
  • Disposable aprons or overalls
  • Sanitising Gel
  • Overshoes

D2N2 Chief Executive Sajeeda Rose said: “We fully understand the efforts government are making to ensure PPE is available for all who need it, but we equally recognise the challenge they face in reaching beyond the NHS into other parts of the care system that are vital to shielding our most vulnerable citizens and preventing further strain on the front line by keeping people safe.”

“It may be that there are protective items sitting in storage cupboards that can be put to good use to support our social care workers, care workers and other front-line employees.”

“If businesses are able to offer up this stock in our fight against this virus, please get in touch.”

PPE4NHS

The campaign for PPE donations is the brainchild of Martin Rigley MBE, Chair of Discover Ashfield, and a D2N2 Enterprise Adviser with Portland Training College in Mansfield. Rigley has also been Managing Director of Sutton-in-Ashfield based, Lindhurst Engineering for the past 25 years.

Rigley said: “Having worked in engineering and manufacturing for nearly 40 years, I know there will now be cupboards and storerooms in manufacturing, engineering, construction and science-based businesses, full of brand-new PPE.”

“Our Health and Care workers desperately need this PPE and, as a business community, we have a duty to get it to them, if possible, without putting people at risk.”

Originally set up to cover the Mansfield and Ashfield area, the scheme is now being rolled out region-wide with the support of D2N2.

PPE Donations

Businesses interested in donating should visit the D2N2 PPE4NHS webpage.

To make the donation process as quick as possible, emails should include PPE supply details including quantity and postcode, plus a contact name and phone number. Businesses will be asked some questions about the type of support that can be provided and will be contacted as soon as possible if the support is needed.

Businesses can also interact with the scheme on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin via the @PPE4NHS accounts.

Click here to visit our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Business Support Page

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Home, Leisure, Manufacturing

Sport England funding package to help sport and physical activity manage the COVID-19 crisis

A £20 million Community Emergency Fund package will help Sport England’s partners, clubs and community organisations cope with the short and long-term impact of the pandemic. It will be opened immediately for clubs and community organisations to bid into and grants between £300 and £10,000 are available.

This fund aims to deliver immediate funding to those most in need. It’s specifically targeted at organisations, including those not currently supported by Sport England, who have a role in supporting the nation to be active but who are experiencing short-term financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to the impact of coronavirus.

The types of organisations eligible include local sports clubs forced to close at short notice but who are facing ongoing costs around maintenance and utility bills, and voluntary and community sector organisations who deliver or enable sport and physical activity.

A specific example might be a grant to support a local boxing club pay costs for their facility when no activity is taking place, or a grant to support a league who have paid for equipment to run a competition which has now been cancelled.

Other funding support includes:

  • A £5 million pot for existing partners to bid into if they’re facing specific financial difficulty
  • An additional £55 million to support our sector during an ongoing period of restrictions, to fund new and innovative ways to keep people active and, when the period of restrictions is over, to help organisations get back to business and adjust to a different environment
  • A £115 million rollover of current funding into 2021/22 to give long term certainty to over 100 well established partners who play a vital role in the delivery of sport and physical activity in England.

Eligibility criteria can be found here. More information can be found here.

It has also been announced that Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has launched a new Coronavirus Emergency Fund. Through this fund smaller charities, not for profit organisations, social enterprises and unregistered community groups can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to help them to continue to deliver much needed support to within their communities. Read more here.

Queen's Park artificial sports pitch

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Two local magazines combine

Two Chesterfield publications have united to continue to serve their local communities during the Coronavirus crisis.

A combined April 2020 edition of ‘Twist’ and ‘Wings’ is published this week, but you can read it online here.

Heron Publications produce both titles – ‘Twist’ in Chesterfield and ‘Wings’ in Wingerworth, Tupton, Ashover and Clay Cross. The company has temporarily closed its office, but has managed to put together a 36-page ‘emergency edition’ to serve its readership.

Said editor Mike Firth: “We were encouraged when a good number of local businesses told us they wanted to continue to get their messages across to local people through advertising in our publications, so we combined our two Chesterfield titles for ease of production.

“Along with important public information, this magazine also contains plenty to entertain – and even amuse – our readers.

“We have tips for activities people can to take up at home, a tale about previous school closures, a feature detailing how local folk can enrol to become life-savers, an update on Chesterfield Canal progress… and readers can learn why a former local headmistress used to remove her teeth in class!”

To read this special edition of Twist / Wings, click here.

Last year, Twist Magazine delivered the 100th edition of Twist. Heron Publications are also responsible for Active8, delivered in south Sheffield, and the Dronfield Eye.

Click here to find out more about Twist Magazine

Click here to view the online publication

Click the image above to view the online publication

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure, Manufacturing, Visiting

Charities Aid Foundation launches Coronavirus Emergency Fund

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has launched a new Coronavirus Emergency Fund. Through this fund smaller charities, not for profit organisations, social enterprises and unregistered community groups can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to help them to continue to deliver much needed support to within their communities.

The funding is available to help with core costs, staffing, volunteer costs, supplies and equipment, communications or other critical charitable areas.

They advise that they may need to focus on:

  • Charities, and other organisations, whose established charitable activities are at risk of being severely reduced to the detriment of vulnerable groups
  • Organisations that are having to deliver core services in fundamentally different or unusual ways in order to respond to the crisis and still reach their beneficiaries
  • Organisations that are deeply embedded with communities and have established networks to deliver their charitable activities
  • Organisations experiencing current cashflow problems, rather than concerns that future income will be reduced.

More information: https://www.cafonline.org/charities/grantmaking/caf-coronavirus-emergency-fund

Action Grants

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home, Leisure

Coronavirus outbreak: Support for Chesterfield businesses

In response to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Chesterfield Borough Council is actively implementing a number of Government backed financial measures to help support local businesses.

The council has already identified local businesses that may be eligible to access small business grants and business rate relief and has contacted these businesses directly.

However, not all businesses will be eligible for the small business grants and business rate relief schemes. Chesterfield Borough Council therefore want to ensure that these Chesterfield-based businesses are aware of other support schemes and advice which may be available to them during this challenging time.

Further information and links to Government schemes is available at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus-information-hub/businesses-information

Councillor Terry Gilby, cabinet member for economic growth, said: “Chesterfield Borough Council and our partner agencies are working hard to ensure that Chesterfield businesses can access the very best support and advice during these difficult times. I would urge all local businesses to keep up to date via our website and take the opportunity to discuss any specific concerns they might have with the council’s staff or those of our partner agencies”.

The council has a business advisor who is available to talk through and offer advice to any Chesterfield based business as part of our D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Hub scheme. You can contact the business advisor or staff of the council’s Economic Development team via economicdevelopment@chesterfield.gov.uk.

Businesses can also get support and advice from a number of partner agencies including East Midlands Chamber, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, Derbyshire County Council and Destination Chesterfield. Contact information and links to relevant websites are available on the Chesterfield Borough Council website via the link above.

Click here to read the Destination Chesterfield Coronavirus (COVID-19) Business Support Page

anzacs chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Manufacturing

Educational Day at the Proact Stadium delivered by Chesterfield FC Community Trust

Over 120 primary school pupils recently attended an Educational Day at the Proact Stadium, which was organised and delivered by Chesterfield FC Community Trust.

The theme of the Premier League Primary Stars event was ‘One World’, featuring the importance of being part of a diverse community, black history and world languages. Spireites stars Will Evans, Scott Boden, Liam Mandeville and Jack McKay also attended a Q&A session.

Keith Jackson, the Trust’s head of sport & activities, said: “We’ve now run a number of Educational Days and we were excited to deliver sessions with a ‘One World’ theme.”

“Kids were taught in foreign languages, told about Black History and equality and took part in an interactive quiz about diversity, with the winner receiving a VIP Press Box Experience at a forthcoming Chesterfield fixture!”

“We had some great messages from the children throughout the day, promoting the theme and really buying into it. As always, it’s been a pleasure to work with them all and we’re looking forward to the next one.”

To find out about any school activities offered by the Trust, please email keithjackson@spireitestrust.org.uk.

proact

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Learn how to save a life with free online course through local organisation

As many remain at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, people are being urged to do something positive with their time and learn vital first aid skills online.

In conjunction with Virtual College, Chesterfield-based community organisation CSALS promotes a free online first aid course which takes less than an hour on average to complete.

CSALS set a world record in 2016 when 1,795 people took part in a first aid lesson at Chesterfield FC’s Proact Stadium.

Debra Johnson, Community Facilitator for CSALS, explains why it is important for everyone to learn basic first aid skills. She says: “The statistics are quite startling because every five minutes, someone will have a heart attack and an estimated 140,000 people die annually where the use of first aid could have saved their lives.

“Around 59% of people wouldn’t feel comfortable attempting to save a life with 24% saying they would wait for an ambulance or others to help. With ambulance response times averaging 7-12 minutes, it really can be a matter of life or death whether someone knows how to administer first aid.”

Boxing legend Frank Bruno MBE (right) and former Sheffield United and England star Tony Currie (below) have both recently pledged their support for CSALS’ efforts to train more life-savers.

To do the course, which features just five short sections, please visit: www.virtual-college.co.uk/prepared. Once you have successfully completed it, you can download and print off a certificate of achievement stating that you are now ‘Prepared to Save a Life’!

A video highlighting the importance of first aid can be viewed below or on the CSALS YouTube channel here – www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP2xf0ykwqU

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Spireites volunteer wins National League award

Alan Roe, who works for Chesterfield FC on a voluntary basis, has won February’s Volunteer of the Month award for the National League.

Alan has been involved with the club for many years since the 1970s in various capacities. After being on the books as a player as a youngster, he later coached goalkeepers as a volunteer. He was also the club photographer for many years and, in recent years, has helped out with maintenance at the training ground.

A club spokesman said: “Alan is first and foremost a supporter with a deep affection for the club.

“He has also been a dedicated volunteer for many years and his help and assistance is very much appreciated by those connected with the club.”

In other Spireites news, Chesterfield FC Community Trust, along with partners Men-Talk and Fem-Talk, has recently been working with the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) to tackle the issue of mental health in the workplace. Find out more here.

Photo credit: Tina Jenner

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home, Leisure

Derbyshire County Cricket home ground renamed The Incora County Ground

The change comes as Principal Partner and ground naming rights holder, Pattonair, merge with Wesco Aircraft to become Incora™.

The company, which is a leading provider of comprehensive and innovative supply chain management services has this week unveiled its new brand identity.

Incora reflects the company’s commitment to its customers’ mission-critical work – both in choice of name and brand identity, while the business still maintains a strong presence in Derby and the local community, with over 600 employees in Derby.

Built on over 100 years of combined supply chain expertise and delivery performance, Incora now expands its portfolio to serve industrial manufacturing, marine, pharmaceuticals and beyond. Incora manages all aspects of supply chain from procurement and inventory management to logistics and on-site customer services.

Their continued investment as Principal Partner helps to support Derbyshire’s playing ambitions and investment in facilities at The Incora County Ground.

Chief Executive of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Ryan Duckett, said:

“We have enjoyed a growing relationship with Pattonair and it’s excellent to see a company with its roots in Derby expand to become a leading, global supply chain management services company.

“This merger to create Incora with its extended offering and fresh identity is great news for the city of Derby and the community as a whole.

“With a number of major concerts over the last three seasons, as well as international matches and sold-out domestic fixtures, the club is establishing itself as a 365-day-a-year venue.

“We are all currently facing some challenging and uncertain times right across the country, but we look forward to working closely with Incora to maximise the partnership and to hopefully welcome people to the The Incora County Ground in the near future.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure