Leisure

Free social swim for Chesterfield cancer patients

Residents in Chesterfield who are recovering from or have cancer are invited to take part in a new swimming session at Queen’s Park Sports Centre.

OutSwimming Cancer is a supported swim session that will take place once per week and is completely free to attend, thanks to funding from Weston Park Cancer Charity.

Lesley Rechert (right), a swimming instructor at Queen’s Park Sports Centre who organises the OutSwimming sessions, said: “Swimming is a wonderful activity for people who have experienced cancer – it’s fun, enjoyable and therapeutic.”

“Recovery from cancer can take a long time but swimming is really beneficial for the journey back to better health. It’s a great way for rebuilding your strength and confidence.”

“It can often be a challenge to return to swimming after suffering with cancer but quiet sessions like this aim to create an inclusive environment that is supportive as well as enjoyable.”

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We are very proud to be supporting these sessions, it’s important that everyone in the Borough feels like they can pursue a healthy lifestyle and use our facilities for it.”

“It makes me proud that we can offer support like this to people who are going through such a difficult time in their lives.”

Lesley added: “A swim teacher will be available before, during and after the session to encourage, reassure and improve people’s swimming if they wish, so it is ideal for anyone who has had cancer and wants to start swimming or get better at it.”

Dr Ruby Osborn, grant officer at Weston Park Cancer Charity, said: “We’re proud to fund this scheme to help anyone who has or has had cancer to enjoy swimming in a supportive environment.”

“Changes to the body following cancer and cancer treatment can make it difficult to begin or return to exercise, so these sessions with a dedicated swimming teacher to guide people will make a big difference.”

The sessions start on Monday 2 March and run between 2pm and 3pm. Booking is not required.

Funding for the OutSwimming Cancer sessions is provided by Weston Park Cancer Charity with support from Chesterfield Borough Council. Swimmers must be fit and healthy enough to be in the swimming pool, please consult your GP if you are unsure.

For residents who are unable to attend the weekly sessions, a limited number of OutSwimming Cancer vouchers are available for free to be used at either the Healthy Living Centre, Staveley and Queen’s Park Sports Centre, Chesterfield.

For more information about the sessions or to book individual vouchers please contact:  rebecca.truman@chesterfield.go.uk.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Trustees required by Friends of Queen’s Park Cricket

Friends of Queen’s Park Cricket is seeking to appoint a number of Trustees to help achieve their objectives and to move forward the aims of the group.

Queen’s Park has seen cricket played there since 1894. The Friends want to celebrate that history and promote this iconic and historic ground in order to ensure the future of cricket at Queen’s Park.

Over the next couple of years, the Friends of Queen’s Park Cricket intend to:

  • Increase the membership and especially corporate membership
  • Raise funds in order to support investment in facilities and ground maintenance
  • Promote the Cricket Festival and increase the range activities to appeal to a wider audience
  • Increase the opportunities to play cricket in the park
  • Promote the historical significance as a world-renowned major cricket venue

Chairman Neil Swanwick stated: “We need help to achieve this and are looking to recruit additional trustees. In particular we are seeking skills and experience in Marketing and PR and using social media but above all else, we would value you anyone who shares our passion for cricket and the legacy of Queen’s Park Cricket and prepared to give us your time and commitment.”

Deadline for applications is 28 February 2020. Please click the below links to download more information about each role.

Social Media Trustee

General Trustee

Friends of Queen’s Park Cricket a Registered Charitable Organisation who: act as a voice for cricket in Queen’s Park; campaign to maintain high-standard facilities; strive to keep cricket in the park; ensure the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket continues and expands; develop the history and promote the playing of cricket at all levels and ages.

Click here to find out more about the Friends of Queen’s Park Cricket

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

Stars of hit West End musicals to perform at Queen’s Park

After successful sold out events in 2018 and 2019, Derbyshire County Cricket Club is bringing stars of London’s West End to Chesterfield this summer for An Evening of ABBA.

The event, which takes place on Sunday 21 June, will round off the popular Chesterfield Festival of Cricket in association with Chesterfield Borough Council, with crowds set to be wowed by a stunning display of ABBA’s back catalogue.

Performed by some of the West End’s brightest talents and featuring hits such as ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Waterloo’, it’s a night no ABBA fan should miss!

Set in the picturesque, tree-lined Queen’s Park, the outdoor concert is the must-see event of the summer in Chesterfield, full of singalong classics and entertainment.

Chief Executive Ryan Duckett said: “We have run sold-out events of this kind in Derby and it’s exciting to take the format to Chesterfield as part of the annual festival.

“We have strong ties to Chesterfield dating back to the nineteenth century and this is the latest chapter, bringing a new and vibrant concert event to Queen’s Park with a chance to welcome a new audience in the local community.”

Tickets for the outdoor concert spectacular are priced at just £25 and are on sale now via derbyshireccc.com , reception at The Pattonair County Ground or by calling 01332 388 101.

Only a limited number of tickets are available for this special event.

Evening of Abba at Queens Park

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

Pitchford equals best World Tour performance

Chesterfield born table tennis player Liam Pitchford equalled his best performance on the World Tour by reaching the semi-finals of the Hungarian Open.

Seeded ninth for the event, Pitchford did not have to play the qualifying rounds and started in the last 32 with a 4-2 (11-2, 10-12, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5) win over Alexander Shibaev of Russia.

He followed up with two confident victories, first 4-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-7, 11-7) against Qiu Dang of Germany, who had won the Portugal Open the previous week, and then taking out 11th seed Kristian Karlsson from Sweden 4-0 (11-9, 13-11, 11-4, 11-8).

His semi-final was against Yukiya Uda, a rising teenage star from Japan, and the match swung back and forth for four games before Uda pulled away to win 4-2 (11-13, 11-8, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6, 11-7).

But Pitchford will be pleased with his form going into the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships, which start on Friday in Nottingham.

Liam Pitchford

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Home, Leisure

BMX pro Libby Hawkins supports Chesterfield’s Beat the Street game

Meet Libby Hawkins, the co-ordinator of the Beat the Street game that’s starting in Chesterfield this week.

Libby is well-known locally as the founder of the Tuff Riders BMX School and club manager and coach for Chesterfield BMX Racing Club based at Ringwood Park in Brimington, Chesterfield. She is a development pathway coach for Team GB and also runs coaching sessions for people of all ages and abilities from beginners to international standard.

As well as cycling, she enjoys rock-climbing, indoor bouldering and is the co-founder of a non-profit dance school. She was recently shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality Unsung Hero award plus was a finalist in the Special Recognition category at the recent Active Derbyshire awards for her commitment to encouraging the community to try BMXing.

Her latest role brings together her love of sport and community to the Beat the Street Chesterfield game which takes place from 26 February to 8 April.

Anyone from the Chesterfield area is welcome to take part in the free game which encourages people to ditch the car and to walk, cycle, scoot or run as far as possible. More than 120 beeping and flashing sensors called Beat Boxes will be placed on lampposts around the area for the duration of the game. Players join a team or choose to support one of the chosen charities: Age Concern Chesterfield and District; Community Transformation for Cosy Hub and Fairplay.

Libby is currently visiting schools, workplaces and community groups in Chesterfield to raise awareness of the game and to encourage as many people to take part as possible.

She said: “I love encouraging people into physical activity and to help remove any barriers that might be stopping them from taking part in sport. What I love about Beat the Street is that it helps people make healthy lifestyle changes like considering walking to school, or cycling to work, or perhaps getting outside at lunchtime.

“I’ve always believed that sport is a way of bringing communities together and to connect people and change their approach. When I heard about Beat the Street, I wanted to get involved as it reflects what I currently do, but on a mass scale.

“Beat the Street is so much more than just a six-week game – it leaves a sustainable legacy of signposting people into finding an activity that suits them. It’s about changing perspectives and helping them find an activity they might not have thought of or had the confidence to consider before.

“We’re delivering fobs to each school in the area, and anyone else who would like to play is welcome to pick up a free card and map from a distribution point listed on the Beat the Street Chesterfield website. There are great prizes of vouchers for books or sports equipment for the top scoring teams, and also an average points leaderboard so smaller teams have a chance of winning too, plus ‘lucky tap’ prizes that you could win just for taking part.”

Beat the Street is being delivered by Intelligent Health in partnership with Chesterfield Borough Council and is funded by a National Lottery grant through Sport England and Chesterfield Health and Wellbeing Partnership.

Click here to find out more about Beat the Street Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home, Leisure

Chesterfield Museum showcases young artist’s work

Art work produced by young people from across the borough is currently being showcased at Chesterfield Museum.

Donut Creative Arts Studio (DCAS), are showcasing their paintings, collages, sculptures and music at the museum and Chesterfield residents are being encouraged to visit to show their support for local young people.

DCAS is a youth arts facility in Chesterfield that offers evening workshops and sessions in music and art for young people aged 11 to 19 years old. The theme of the exhibition is Only Time Will Tell and focuses on the past, present and future.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “We’re really pleased to be welcoming the team from DCAS and there are some great pieces of art on display.

“It’s important that we show our support for the young people across the borough, so I’d encourage as many of you as possible to visit the exhibition. We hope that the artwork on display will leave you inspired.”

Lucie Maycock, creative arts development worker, said: “At DCAS it is our mission to support young people in unlocking their potential through the creative arts, and we were delighted to be invited to create an arts exhibition at Chesterfield Museum as it gives the young people the chance to really show off their talents.”

“All the artwork on display comes from the thoughts and feelings of the young people at DCAS and we hope that you will enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed creating it.”

The exhibition runs until Saturday 28 March and is open Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 10am to 4pm.

Click here to find out more

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Awards night celebrates those who are improving lives in Derbyshire

The efforts and achievements of individuals and groups who are using physical activity to help improve the lives of people across Derbyshire were recognised at the Towards an Active Derbyshire Awards last week.

The exciting awards were jointly presented by sports broadcaster Colin Hazelden and GEM Radio presenter Jo Russell, with 200 guests attending the celebration. Entertainment was provided by Sing for your Supper community choir, Team Unit 1 Martial Arts and Erewash Valley Gymnastics Club.

The night celebrated some of the amazing work happening in the Derbyshire communities and Active Derbyshire, who organised the event, want the opportunity to thank the volunteers, groups and staff who help to make physical activity the norm.

Active Derbyshire help support the inactive to become active, ensure people are supported and encouraged to engage in activity, they also address the inequalities that can sometimes occur for those in priority groups such as lower socio-economic groups and women and girls.

2020 Winners and finalists

Change4Life award

Winner – James Illsley

Finalists – Derry Cooper, Rita Wagstaff

This Girl Can award

Winner – Afsana Afsar

Finalists – Hannah Kendall, Caroline Hill

Active Place award

Winner – Hunloke Community Garden

Finalists – Adam Fretwell PT, Freedom Leisure ARC Leisure 

Community Coach of the year

Winner – Dave Cartawick

Finalists – Helen Thornhill, Jay Plimmer

Project/Initiative/Innovation award

Winner – Redwood Primary School

Finalists – #runwalktalk, Wiltsthorpe School

Inclusive Project, group or club of the year

Winner – Rhubarb Farm

Finalists – St Martins School Derby SHOUTaboutSEND, Ripley LC and William Gregg VC LC Dementia Friendly Swimming

Community Group/Association of the year

Winner – Ilkeston Cycling Club

Finalists – Alvaston Parkrun, Residents of Fairfield Association, Erewash Valley Gymnastics Club

Special Recognition award

Winner – Joe Mason

Finalists – Gillian Stallion, Libby Hawkins

Active Derbyshire also awarded a Community Contribution award to organisations who have made a unique contribution to local communities and who are worthy of special recognition. These were awarded to: Pingle Academy, Active Fostering work and Active4Life Petersham.

A special thanks also goes to the category sponsors of the event: Action Nation, Strategic Leisure, University of Derby, Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council.

A full list of winner and finalist stories from the night can be found here.

Click here to find out more about Active Derbyshire

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home, Leisure

Residents urged to clear out old electrical items for chance to win

Are you having a clear out this spring? If you unearth any old, broken or unwanted electricals, take them to one of Derbyshire County Council’s household waste recycling centres for a chance to win one of fifteen £100 cash prizes.

From hair-dryers to hedge-trimmers, fairy lights to fridges and toasters to TVs, there’s a wide range of household appliances you can take to Derbyshire County Council’s recycling centres. From Monday 2 March until Sunday 5 April, you can exchange them for a golden ticket.

Simply ask for your golden ticket from a member of staff at any of the county council’s nine recycling centres, type in your unique ticket number online at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/electric and find out instantly if you’re a winner. The more items you recycle, the more tickets you’ll get.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure Councillor Simon Spencer said: “It’s a shocking fact that across the UK we throw away more than a quarter of the electrical items we buy instead of recycling them.”

“Reducing waste and increasing recycling is one of our key pledges to help reduce carbon emissions. The carbon footprint is much lower when recycled materials are used than when things are manufactured from scratch.”

“Our recycling contractors salvage precious metals and other valuable materials from the items residents bring us so that they can be recycled. For example one household iron contains enough steel to produce 13 steel cans.”

“So please bring us those old electricals. We’ll put them to good use and as an added bonus, you could win £100.”

It costs Derbyshire council tax payers £43 million a year for the county council to deal with waste in Derbyshire which residents choose not to recycle. If every Derbyshire household took just one electrical item to a recycling centres in March, the county council could recycle an additional 318,000 appliances and help to cut these costs.

The competition prizes are part-funded by Recycling Lives – the contractor which works on behalf of the county council to collect and recycle electrical items taken to its recycling centres. The competition is only open to Derbyshire Residents.

All electrical appliances are accepted including:

  • coffee makers
  • electric toothbrushes
  • electric garden equipment
  • fairy lights
  • fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers
  • game consoles
  • irons
  • kettles
  • lamps
  • laptops, tablets and PCs
  • microwaves
  • music systems
  • phones
  • power tools
  • printers
  • radios
  • sat navs
  • shavers
  • slow cookers
  • straighteners and hairdryers
  • washers and dryers
  • vacuums

For a full list of the other items you can take to the recycling centres and their locations: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentres

Please make sure all personal data has been removed from items such as laptops, mobile phones or tablets before you take them to a recycling centre.

If you have a broken electrical or other household items that you’d like to get repaired if possible take them along to one of Derbyshire’s six repair cafes. Qualified volunteers aim to fix your items free of charge rather than them being thrown out. Find out more here – www.derbyshire.gov.uk/repaircafes

Story of Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home, Leisure

Popular physical activity game Beat the Street is coming to Chesterfield

An innovative game that has already helped more than one million people get active is coming to Chesterfield from Wednesday 26th February to Wednesday 8th April.

Beat the Street is a free, interactive game that encourages people of all ages to leave the car at home and see how far they can walk, cycle, scoot or run during the six-week game.  The game is open to anyone of any age and there are prizes for the teams and individuals who travel the furthest.

Beeping and flashing sensors called Beat Boxes will be placed on lampposts around the town including the villages Duckmanton, Norbriggs, Poolsbrook and Woodthorpe.

Prior to the game, primary school pupils will be provided with fobs while parents and teachers will receive a card from the school so they can accompany children. The wider community can pick up a contactless card from a distribution point. Players then walk or cycle between the 120 Beat Boxes which are spaced half a mile apart – tapping the fobs or cards as they go. The further players travel, the more points they score.

Chesterfield residents are also encouraged to enter workplaces, community groups and sports groups into the game.

The game was devised by GP Dr William Bird MBE in 2010 to get communities active and to make physical activity accessible to everyone. So far, the game has been played all over the UK including East London, Leicester and Liverpool as well as Norway, New York and beyond. Beat the Street Chesterfield is funded as part of a £3.3 million National Lottery funding grant from Sport England; it is supported by Chesterfield Borough Council and delivered by Intelligent Health.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We are incredibly excited to be bringing Beat the Street to Chesterfield and can’t wait to see how far everyone is able to walk, run, cycle and scoot during the challenge.”

“The idea of the game is to encourage people to get more active and then to continue these new healthy lifestyle habits beyond the end of the game. The feedback from players in other towns who have experienced Beat the Street is often that people find it quite addictive and are not only doing great things for their health, getting out as a family and finding new places close by that they’ve not visited before.”

“It’s also a great way of saving money on fuel, helping reduce congestion and also air quality.”

“It’s open to everyone, so please keep an eye out for more information including where you can pick up a free card.”

More information is available at www.beatthestreet.me/chesterfield and on social media @ChesterfieldBTS

Story of Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Derbyshire producers offered exciting opportunity to exhibit at Chatsworth Country Fair

Derbyshire producers will get a chance to showcase and sell their products to thousands of visitors at Chatsworth Country Fair this summer thanks to an exciting opportunity offered by the area’s official tourist board.

For the third year running, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire (MPDD) is inviting local artisans to apply for a place in the Inspired by the Peak District and Derbyshire Marketplace at the major annual event, which attracts over 70,000 people from across the UK.

Held in the magnificent Chatsworth parkland, Chatsworth Country Fair (4 – 6 September 2020) showcases the best in traditional, British country pursuits with spectacular showground entertainment, quality trade stands and fun for all the family.

The opportunity is open to small-to-medium-sized businesses ranging from food and drink producers to artists and craftspeople, and is part financially supported by the MPDD-led European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project ‘Growing & Developing the Visitor Economy Within Derbyshire (Phase II)’.

Derbyshire-based businesses can apply for a place using the following link: www.chatsworth-country-fair-marquee-2020.eventbrite.co.uk

Applications are open until Friday 1st May 2020. Successful applicants will be notified in early June 2020. Stalls provided to successful applicants will be subject to a charge of £100 plus VAT per business.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “We’re excited to once again offer local businesses the fantastic opportunity to showcase their products and services at Chatsworth Country Fair via our ERDF project.”

“The event is the biggest and best of its kind in the country and our Inspired by the Peak District & Derbyshire Marketplace offers a unique platform for businesses to reach a potential audience of thousands of people from across the UK.”

“Thanks to our funding support, it’s a great chance for businesses to assess – with little financial risk – the effectiveness of exhibiting at a show such as this, with the hope that they attend under their own steam in future years. Good luck to everyone who applies!”

Val and Nigel Hufton of The Tasty Cakery exhibited in the Inspired by the Peak District & Derbyshire Marketplace last year. They said: “Attending Chatsworth Country Fair was a huge boost for our business. It was the best fair we had ever attended and we not only sold plenty of products, but we gained good exposure to the public and also valuable trade interest.”

“It provided us with a fantastic opportunity to sell our products at an event that we probably couldn’t have afforded to exhibit at in our own right. It was also great networking with other local producers and there was fantastic camaraderie!”

Click here to find out more about the Chatsworth Country Fair

Applications are open until Friday 1st May 2020

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

ESS staff to take on the Peak District Challenge in aid of the British Heart Foundation

ESS team members Dave Newton and John Wright are taking part in the 100km-long Peak District Challenge in aid of the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

1 in 4 people in the UK die of heart and circulatory diseases. The BHF use their resources to research treatments and support those suffering from these life changing conditions. Through their help, the number of people dying from heart disease has halved since 2005 but more can still be done.

This is a very personal cause for Dave in particular. Dave sadly lost his brother, Jono, to Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (S.A.D.S) last year. S.A.D.S is a genetic condition which can cause sudden death to people who are otherwise perfectly healthy.

Jono was incredibly fit and healthy, working as a professional bodybuilder and personal trainer. Without any prior warning, he died in his sleep, leaving behind his partner and two children. There are many unanswered questions about S.A.D.S and additional funding to find causes and cures are desperately needed. Dave and John hope that their efforts can raise further awareness and resources to this end.

The Peak District Challenge, starting on 4th July, consists of a tough 100km (61 miles) route through the Derbyshire hills. Dave and John will be completing a full continuous figure-of-8-loop through the peaks without stopping for sleep. They will start at their Bakewell base camp at 7am and won’t stop until they have crossed the finish line.

They are already well on their way to their £1,000 each fundraising target and every small contribution can make a difference. Just £24 is enough to pay for 2 hours of research. You can donate to Dave & John’s JustGiving pages via the links below.

Click here to find out more about Essential Site Skills

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Home, Leisure, Visiting