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Chesterfield Festival of Cricket fixtures moved to Derby due to government restrictions

Due to the government’s delayed easing of lockdown restrictions, this summer’s BRM Solicitors Chesterfield Festival of Cricket fixtures will move to The Incora County Ground.

The latest government announcement, which was made on Monday 14 June, confirmed that the current Stage 3 protocols for sports venues will remain in place until Monday 19 July.

The LV= County Championship match versus champions Essex (Sun 11 – Wed 14 July) and the Vitality Blast local derby against Yorkshire Vikings (Sun 18 July) will now take place in Derby.

The Club and Chesterfield Borough Council had hoped to continue with the festival in its traditional format this summer. However, the extension of the current restrictions, the limits on capacities and additional operational costs due to Covid-safe protocols, have had significant commercial and operational implications on the viability of the Festival.

All Members and ticket-buyers will receive an email over the coming days with full details on refunds and ticket validity and we kindly ask you not to contact the Club until you have read this correspondence.

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

“The last 18 months have raised unprecedented challenges and forced tough decisions across cricket. For Derbyshire, this is arguably one of the toughest to date as the BRM Solicitors Chesterfield Festival of Cricket is one of the highlights of the calendar.

“While we understand the government announcement is for the long-term benefits of the nation, it adds further challenges for the sports, leisure and hospitality sector and I’m bitterly disappointed for our Members, supporters and sponsors.

“I’m grateful to Chesterfield Borough Council and BRM Solicitors for their continued support and we look forward to returning to Queen’s Park for the hugely popular festival next summer, by which time we all hope restrictions have been lifted and we can welcome back sell-outs crowds to the north of the county.”

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket at Queen’s Park is one of the highlights of our annual events programme, and we had been looking forward with great anticipation to welcoming Essex to the Festival for the first time and to Derbyshire Falcons renewing their rivalry with Yorkshire Vikings in the Vitality Blast in front of a capacity crowd.

“It is bitterly disappointing that the Festival cannot go ahead next month. However, keeping residents and visitors safe in these uncertain times has to be our number one priority and it is therefore the right decision to move the matches to Derby where players, sponsors and supporters can be better and more safely accommodated.

“The council will very shortly enter into a new agreement with Derbyshire County Cricket Club, which will secure the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket for the town and borough for the next five years. My thanks also to BRM Solicitors for their continued sponsorship of the Festival.

“We remain hopeful that Derbyshire’s Royal London Cup match against Yorkshire will still be able to take place at Queen’s Park on 8 August. It would give everyone a boost to see professional cricket being played again in one of the country’s most picturesque cricket grounds.”

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New bee-friendly ‘pocket park’ created by Chesterfield residents

Community-spirited residents have pulled together to create a new ‘pocket park’, with support from Chesterfield Borough Council.

The new space at Edinburgh Road Park features a number of raised beds that have been planted with wildflowers and plants to support pollinators like bees, new paving, 15,000 spring flowering bulbs and local urban artist Peter Barber has created a wall mural that celebrates nature behind the raised beds.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt said: “I had a great time getting stuck in and helping out at one of the planting sessions. The pocket park is a fantastic space for the local community and offers something unique for them to enjoy. We also had a wonderful array of daffodils in the spring thanks to the efforts of the group and the children who enjoyed planting in the mud!”

“Working together with The Healthy Friends of Edinburgh Road Park, to develop this park shows how projects like this can help bring the community closer together. I know local people of every generation have been involved in this project throughout and I hope they will all get to enjoy it for many years.”

The work is being led by The Healthy Friends of Edinburgh Road Park after securing funding worth almost ÂŁ20,000. Working in partnership with the Healthy Friends of Edinburgh Road the council submitted a bid to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and were awarded ÂŁ14,500, Chesterfield Borough Council through its Housing Tenant Participation programme provided ÂŁ5,000 and Derbyshire County Council Public Health also contributed a further ÂŁ1,000 towards the project.

More improvements are planned, and volunteers are still welcome to get involved.

James Green, Chairperson of The Healthy Friends of Edinburgh Road Park, said: “I’ve lived near Edinburgh Park all my life. As a child I used the play area and used to play football on the field. Nowadays, I walk my Border Terrier, Missy down there for exercise and a bit of relaxation.

“It was clear that Edinburgh Road Park was in need of some tender loving care so after many months of working with local residents, the council and a number of funding bodies it’s been pleasure to get to this point in the project. There have been many positive comments from local people on the improvements we’ve made. I hope more people visit the park to take a look!”

The first phase of improvements, including the raised beds and paving, were completed during the first lockdown in late spring 2020, closely followed by a socially distanced bulb planting in the autumn of 2020. In the autumn the group will complete the project with the planting of 40 trees in the same area as the bulbs and local people are still welcome to volunteer and get involved.

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Chesterfield’s Liam Pitchford qualifies to compete in his 3rd Olympic Games

Chesterfield’s Liam Pitchford will compete at his third Olympics as the British Olympic Association (BOA) announces the table tennis squad for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Pitchford has earned a place in the men’s singles by virtue of his world ranking of No 15 – he is the highest-ranked player not to have already qualified.

The 27-year-old competed in the team events at both London 2012 Olympic Games and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, helping Team GB to reach the quarter-finals in the latter, where they were defeated by the all-conquering Chinese team. He also competed in the singles in Rio, reaching the last 32.

Pitchford said: “Even though it’s been delayed for a year, it still feels amazing to qualify again. It’s going to be my third Olympics and I’m looking forward to it and hopefully I’ll have many more.

“I love being part of Team GB, we don’t get to experience that often, unlike some of the other sports. It’s just an honour, really, to be around so many great athletes and people wanting to achieve the same goals.

“It takes a bit of pressure off knowing you’re part of something that’s massive, and not a lot of people get to say they’re part of it.”

Also representing team GB is Tin-Tin Ho; the first female GB athlete to qualify for an Olympic Games since Atlanta 1996, although Team GB had a host-nation place for London 2012.

The 22-year-old from Paddington is currently a medical student at the University of Nottingham.

Pitchford and Ho have competed as part of the same England team at tournaments around the world for several years, including winning mixed doubles silver at both the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Pitchford added: “I’m really happy for Tin-Tin, and it’s not just for her but it’s good for women’s table tennis in Britain as well.

“It’s a massive boost in her career. She’s obviously performed well at Commonwealth Games and won medals. Hopefully, this will make her confidence go through the roof and that will help her to go out there and perform well.”

Team GB Chef de Mission for the Tokyo Olympic Games, Mark England said: “Congratulations to both Liam and Tin Tin on their selection to Team GB for Tokyo 2020.

“It is great to see Liam back competing at his third Games alongside Tin Tin, who is our first British female athlete to qualify for a Games since Atlanta 1996, a fantastic achievement for both her and the British Table Tennis Federation.”

Simon Mills, Table Tennis Team Leader for Tokyo 2020, added: “Congratulations to both athletes. For Liam to become a three-time Olympian at the age of only 27 is a huge achievement, while Tin-Tin’s qualification is a milestone in the development of the women’s game as well as a personal landmark. We look forward to supporting them to give their best possible performances in Tokyo.”

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Ground-breaking role created at Chesterfield FC Community Trust

Mollie Ward is relishing her ground-breaking role as a young people’s physical activity link worker, based in the HUB at the Technique Stadium.

Mollie recently took on the newly-created post, which sees her working with young people aged 14 to 25 who face challenges that prevent them from reaching their full potential.

The role has been created as a result of a partnership between Chesterfield FC Community Trust and Derbyshire Voluntary Action, who have come together to create a brand new social prescribing service for young people in Chesterfield.

Connect to… @ The HUB harnesses Derbyshire Voluntary Action’s experience in running social prescribing services for older adults for the last eight years, with Chesterfield FC Community Trust’s expertise, experience and facilities in supporting health and wellbeing in the community.

Summing up her role, Mollie says: “My job is to provide a person-centred support service for young people, working with them to highlight their interests and strengths, address their challenges, and to help them make the connections they don’t feel able to make by themselves.

“The connections could be to a community-based advice or counselling service, or to something sporty, arty, creative or social. Alternatively, it could be to volunteering, or literacy support, or a combination of several of those things – all of which will give them a strong foundation, positive wellbeing, basic skills and reliable relationships.”

Her new role represents a homecoming for Mollie, who was born in Bolsover and went to Heritage School in Clowne and the sixth form at Brookfield School before gaining a degree in psychology and working in London.

She worked in mental health services during her time in the capital, helping people in supported housing following discharge from hospital.

“For complete independent living, the people I supported needed help with community reintegration and engaging in community activities because often they had complex mental health needs like psychosis, schizophrenia and personality disorders,” Mollie explains.

“My clients were people who had been very withdrawn from society and had had long stays in hospital, some lasting five to ten years.

“My experience in London transfers into this role because you’re talking person-centred care and that’s what this role is about, it’s working with a person holistically, so not just the things that are holding them back, but also the positives.”

Mollie is delighted to have been given the opportunity to take on this new challenge, saying: “I’m really honoured because it is such an exciting thing to be part of what feels like a grassroots project. We really are building this new service from the ground up.

“I’m excited to get started – to have some young people come through the door and be able to work with them and follow their stories.”

Mollie can be contacted by emailing mollie@dva.org.uk or on 07522 023571.

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Chesterfield’s Corrugated Case Company creates eco-friendly furniture brand

A Chesterfield-based packaging company has launched a new venture aimed at creating eco-friendly home furnishings, children’s’ play pens and accessories.

Deckle & Chop has been created by the Corrugated Case Company to help fill the increasing demand for environmentally friendly and recyclable products.

The hand-crafted contemporary goods are made solely from cardboard, with the company initially releasing five designs from its toy range. The team behind Deckle & Chop say they’re now working on introducing new products on a regular basis, following a successful launch of home furniture products in March.

Lizzy Barker, structural packaging designer at Corrugated Case Company said: “Our journey starts over 20 years ago manufacturing standard cardboard boxes for business and commercial use. During our spare time, with our creative minds & understanding of cardboards amazing properties, we designed some pieces for the office and our own homes.

“We soon realised that these needed to be shared with the world and made available for purchase by everyone. We really hope that interest in our business and our products takes off and we are already working on new designs to add to our portfolio.”

Following the launch, Deckle and Chop has created a website and social media pages, in order to showcase the new products. Find out more at https://deckleandchop.com/ or on Facebook.

Recent designs include coffee tables, lampshades, and more recently play pens and an innovative ‘hot air balloon’ night light accessory centred around children.

Founded in 1996, The Corrugated Case Company continues to support a broad portfolio of clients ranging from local businesses to leading national brands — providing packing solutions for everything from products in transit to external customer-facing promotional packaging. The Corrugated Case Company’s products were also featured recently on an episode of the Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals. You can read more about that here. 

Corrugated Case Company supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Noonah installs selfie booths at Wembley Stadium, enabling fans to pose for photos with England stars

In readiness for a summer of live crowds, football and music, Chesterfield-based digital marketing company Noonah has partnered with Cake (Havas) to install two ‘Human Holograms’ Booths at Wembley Stadium for the EE project.

With software developed in-house at Noonah, the ‘EE Selfie Stations’ give fans the chance to have their picture taken with footballing stars including The Lionesses, Gareth Southgate or Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho & Harry Maguire.

Operated through your mobile phone, the kiosks use Noonah’s ‘covid-safe’ contactless technology which sends the photo souvenir directly to your inbox. The two kiosks are permanent installations in Wembley Stadium’s inner circle and mark an exciting milestone in the return to normal.

This video produced by Noonah shows how the technology works, along with detailing the installation at Wembley:

The company has been involved at Wembley before, previously helping the SSE Arena install a digital photo mosaic in order to say thank you to key workers during the covid-19 pandemic. Noonah has also worked with other big-name brands, such as Adidas, Vodafone, McDonalds, Sky TV and the BBC.

The Wembley installation is part of a wide range of augmented reality and digital experience projects carried out by the company, with other recent project including the Chesterfield Santa House last Christmas, along with the launch of a new product personalisation service available to small businesses.

Matt Franks CEO and Co-Founder of Noonah said “I’m extremely proud of the Noonah team in successfully delivering of this project for EE. It’s a new, innovative way of creating user generated content for brands in a post-Covid world the client is delighted with the outcome.”

Noonah supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Citizens Advice Chesterfield joins innovative charity shopping initiative

Local charity Citizens Advice Chesterfield, which provides a range of support to thousands of residents across the town has joined EasyFundraising, which enables people to support charities simply by shopping online.

For many, Citizens Advice is the first point of call when serious life changes occur. The charity offers free, confidential, impartial, independent advice & information for problems faced by residents & their families. It also campaigns to improve policies & practices affecting people’s lives.

Easyfundraising turns everyday online shopping into free donations for a nominated cause of the customer’s choice. To do this, start your online shopping first on the easyfundraising website, then shop as normal. The site’s associated retailers will then make a small donation to the chosen charity to say “thank you”.

There are currently 4700+ retailers to choose from and so far the site has raised over ÂŁ35 million for thousands of community groups, schools, sports clubs, small and large charities across the UK.

Linda Moore, chair of Citizens Advice Chesterfield said: “As lockdown began last March, Citizens Advice Chesterfield completely changed delivery of services virtually overnight, with staff and some volunteers all working from home. At the same time demand for support increased. In the last quarter enquiries about loss of income, lack of food and loss of employment has increased by 29%.

“At the same time all fundraising events, including a Midsummer Ball and our increasingly popular Town Hall Abseil have been cancelled. We feel we can’t approach businesses which supported us in the past when they themselves are struggling with lockdown pressures.

“So we are trying Easyfundraising. Both individuals and businesses can sign up. Simply load up the Easyfundraising App, nominate “Citizens Advice Chesterfield” as your chosen charity, look for your favourite retailers and start shopping. A percentage from each sale is donated to us and it costs you nothing. It couldn’t be easier. And the more people sign up the better for us. It’s an easy way to help us help local residents.”

Citizens Advice Chesterfield supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Work begins on construction of new Jewson branch in Chesterfield

Morgan Sindall Construction and Chesterfield Borough Council have joined forces to celebrate the positive social impact that the build programme of a new Jewson branch in Chesterfield will have on the local community.

Jewson is one of the largest builders merchants in the UK, with nearly 500 branches located across the country. Its new branch on Sheffield Road in Chesterfield will replace the merchant’s former home in the town, which is no longer suitable due to the impact of works associated with the HS2 Station Master Plan. The new branch will be a one-stop shop for tradespeople, and will feature a vast supply of building materials, a customer sales area and storage facility.

The HS2 Station Master Plan sets out a vision to create a vibrant gateway to North Derbyshire, identifies potential development sites which could create around 850 new jobs and includes improvements in cycling, pedestrian and public transport routes.

The project was procured through Pagabo’s Medium Works Framework and is expected to complete in early 2022.

A groundbreaking event was held on the site of the new ÂŁ4.4m facility on Sheffield Road, attended by representatives from Morgan Sindall Construction, Jewson, Chesterfield Borough Council and Pagabo.

As part of its work in Chesterfield, Morgan Sindall Construction has commenced work with Chesterfield College on a programme of activities to demonstrate to students the many different opportunities that a career in construction can offer. This has already seen virtual talks on the work that will be delivered at the Jewson site, with in-person site tours set to take place as soon as COVID-19 restrictions allow. Work programmes are also underway to develop opportunities for local jobseekers, as well as university students and graduates.

In order to ensure these programmes bring maximum benefit to the local area, Morgan Sindall Construction will work with Chesterfield FC Community Trust, D2N2 Careers Hub and Chesterfield Job Centre along with Chesterfield Borough Council and Chesterfield College to ensure all employment and skills initiatives are mapped to community need.

Additionally, a charity football match has been organised between the specially created teams of Morgan Sindall FC and Jewson Property Professionals FC which will be held at Chesterfield Football Club Technique Stadium on the 17th June at 6pm. The match is being held to support The Chair’s Appeal for Ashgate Hospice Care and is being supported by Martin Thacker MBE, Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust, Jewson, Pagabo Foundation and Morgan Sindall Construction.

James Garnett, project director for Morgan Sindall Construction said: “We’re really pleased to have commenced works at the new Jewson branch in Chesterfield. The facility will bring an improved service to businesses and tradespeople in the region, and during the construction process we look forward to developing our relationships with the local community.

“We’re excited to be working closely with Chesterfield College and look forward to demonstrating to its students the many valuable careers that can be developed within our industry. Similarly, the charity football match next month is a great way to show our support and raise much needed funds for Ashgate Hospice Care, an organisation that does so much vital work for the people of North Derbyshire.”

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “I’m delighted to see works beginning as the development of this new site is vital to ensuring our HS2 Station Master Plan can be achieved. I look forward to seeing this site progress and also see how it can be used to help support skills development and economic recovery in Chesterfield.”

Jason Stapley, foundation chairman and managing director at Pagabo, said: “We’re happy to have supported Chesterfield Borough Council on their appointment of Morgan Sindall Construction following procurement through our Medium Works Framework. Social value is hugely important to us as a business and so it’s fantastic to see such a consideration for the local community throughout the project’s delivery and beyond.

“I’m also very much looking forward to dusting off my football boots before lighting up the Technique Stadium in support of the amazing work done by Ashgate Hospicecare.”

Steven Day, business unit director for Jewson, said: “We’re delighted that work has now begun on our new home in Chesterfield, and we’re excited to welcome tradespeople to our branch at the start of next year.

“We’re also proud to be able to play a part in inspiring the next generation of construction workers through Morgan Sindall Construction’s partnership with Chesterfield College, and in a few years’ time, some of those students could well be coming into the branch as tradespeople.

“Community is so important in Chesterfield, and we’re proud to have had a base in the town for over 25 years. To be able to give back to the community, in particular Ashgate Hospice Care, is so important, and we hope the charity football fixture will raise vital funds for an extremely important cause.”

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Stanedge Golf Club shortlisted at prestigious England Golf Awards 2021

The team at Chesterfield’s Stanedge Golf Club are celebrating, after being shortlisted in the ‘Club of the Year’ category at the 2021 England Golf Awards.

The event features seven award categories in total, which  recognises clubs, counties, volunteers and players. This year’s judging panels were drawn from the ranks of England Golf staff and the board as well as featuring industry and media colleagues.

The awards ceremony will be live-streamed on YouTube at 6:30pm on Thursday, 3rd June so people can tune in to see if Stanedge can clinch the prize ahead of three other nominees.

Stanedge Golf Club owner and former PGA professional, Fame Tate, told us she was delighted that their hard work has been recognised: “I purchased Stanedge Golf Club in February 2019 and that now seems a very distant memory.

“At that time, it was important for me to create and continue to create a niche around our services and have a thorough understanding of our target market.  I have spent many hours looking at market segmentation and demographic research and the first step that I had to take was to build and create a new brand.  I had to give the club a new identity and literally raise awareness that we were actually open.

“For the first six months I can’t even hazard a guess or give you a figure how many people drove down the lane, past my office window and the clubhouse and turned around in the car park and went back out again.  They just wanted to see what was going on and if the golf club had actually reopened.”

“I was mindful from the start that everyone needed to see change quickly in order to reinstate faith and confidence back in the club and me and that is what we have done.  In the first 12 months we transformed the club in SO many ways.  I used to call the clubhouse “my little scout hut” but now it is so much more than that.  We have undergone a complete refurbishment internally and externally which has gradually taken place over the last two years and will continue.”

“As a business we are prepared to change in order to improve and form a new business strategy in order to compete indirectly with our competitors.”

Fame added that the Chesterfield business community has also played its part in bringing the club back to life: “Throughout all of the changes and renovations, I have sourced local tradesmen and businesses to meet our needs.  I think it is hugely important to support other local businesses particularly during these very tough times.”

“As a new business, we too have experienced the support of other local businesses through hole and score card sponsorship, with Il Mondo Travel being our headline score card sponsor.

Back in 2019 there was no golf shop at the club, just a very small area in the corner of the clubhouse that sold a few staple items.  As a consequence of this we joined the Foremost buying group, which enabled our members to buy products online.

“I also approached Glenmuir and Srixon as I was looking for a reliable supplier of high quality golf apparel, hardware, balls and gloves that could to tailored to meet our member’s buying preferences.  Since that time, we have added a workshop where we can carry out club repairs and a re-gripping service as a certified Golf Pride grip centre.”

Charlotte Dalton from Glenmuir commented: “It has been a pleasure to work with Fame and the team at Stanedge since 2019 and especially to see the club grow into the friendly, welcoming and quality venue that it has become today. In many ways the core values that Glenmuir holds dear as a business are the same as that of Stanedge Golf Club and this has enabled our joint relationship to flourish. From everyone here at Glenmuir, we would like to congratulate Fame and her team for the nomination of the England Golf ‘Club of the Year’ Award – this is well deserved and we look forward to working with Stanedge Golf Club for many more years to come.”

Fame also thanked the members of the club for their support of the club since it’s reopening and throughout the covid-19 pandemic: “I have always instilled from day one to my team the importance of providing excellent customer service and a customer centric experience.  I want everyone who walks through our door to feel welcomed and special.  They aren’t just a member or a golfer, they are someone who is vitally important to our business.

“We have created a deeper level of connection with all of members and guests.  All of members are greeted by their first names. All of the team take the time out to get to know our members.  We take pride in the fact that we remember all of their names, what they like, their favorite food and drink and such like, which for me are all vital “touch” points.  I also operate an open door policy for the office, so all of the members know that if they have any questions or queries I am there.”.

“The golf club is a business and it is run as a business but I want it feel like a home.  All of the changes and decisions that we have made and continue to make are for the best interests of the members, visitors and club structure, whilst retaining our core values and beliefs.

“Being nominated and shortlisted for this award, being one of only four clubs in the country fills me with a huge sense of pride.  I know that it has been challenging twelve months for us all but this national recognition makes all of the tireless hard work and the adversities that we have faced all worthwhile. I would like to congratulate and thank all of my team for all of their hard work and support.  We have achieved things together at Stanedge that none of us could have achieved alone.

“To me this is much more than a business venture……it is my life.  It is something that I am hugely passionate about and more importantly care about. In doing all of this, we have created a community and a culture; breaking barriers and changing people’s perception of what a “typical” golf club is like and we have certainly shaken the tree within the golfing industry particularly within the locality.”

Stanedge Golf Club supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Chesterfield’s Seb Perez In Gear For Rally Debut

Editorial by Paul Horton

Chesterfield racing driver Seb Perez is all ready for this Bank Holiday Monday (31st May) debut in the first round of the British Rally Championship. He starts his 2021 season attack on the championship title in the Neil Howard Stages Rally at Oulton Park, Cheshire.

The 21 year old race and rally star, renowned for the last few years as a Porsche Carrera GB Champion is no stranger to the other side and changing from race track to rallying on tarmac or through forests at high speed.

Son of local drinks company entrepreneur Steve Perez who is a BTRDA rally champion twice over in his own rights has competed previously on rallies in the UK and Europe with a great track record of being on top spot. He started it all off as a Junior 1000 rally series driver back in 2013.

All eyes will be on Perez as he makes the full time swap to rallying coupled with his debut and previous rallying experience that could upset some of the well-known British Rally Championship contenders.

Sat alongside Seb will be his regular co-driver Gary McElhinney who will be responsible for reading the pace notes and maps to keep Perez on the right track, a rally partnership that goes back many years.

During the years Perez driven in such rally cars as his junior days in a Nissan Micra and progressing through a Ford Escort Mk2, RS1800Mk2, RS2000Mk2, Ford Focus RS WRC 07 and even an historic Porsche 911.

Perez’s office for the season is the M Sport sponsored Ford Fiesta Rally 2 or Fiesta R5 known by many an enthusiast.

Based on the popular Focus ST Line, M Sport has worked with Ford to create a championship winning rally car with pace and performance. It is M Sport’s most successful global rally car and development started on it in 2018 and saw Perez take it out in anger for the first time at the end of 2019 on the Grizedale Stages Rally and bring it home in 4th place.

An accolade for Perez to test the car for M Sport on its first rally and gave them essential testing data on an actual rally.

In 2019 Oulton Park Circuit played host to WRC Wales Rally GB and Perez will follow around the tracks where many World Rally Championship drivers have slipped and slide.

Seb has raced around the circuit many times and knows it well but in a rally car never with its tight infield tracks coupled with super-fast circuit layout which will favour the brave as gravel traps and frictionless grass outers will be ready to catch the unwary.

Perez will contest several historic race championships this year as well as the full British Rally Championship calendar and has a busy schedule this weekend where Saturday and Sunday he is back circuit racing at Brands Hatch in the Masters Historic Festival Gentleman Drivers Race in a 1965 Porsche 911 and then straight to Oulton Park for the rally on Bank Holiday Monday.

Perez commented this week “I have a busy Bank Holiday weekend with a mix of historic circuit action followed by the BRC at Oulton Park to finish it off. Both cars are extremely different to drive and both just as demanding”.

He added “I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the #26 M Sport Fiesta R5 rally machine. It’s been quite a while since 2019, my rally in one at Grizedale where I took 4th place, and am thoroughly looking forward my new opportunity of getting behind the wheel and my debut in the 2021 Championship”.

“I think Oulton Park will be quite beneficial for me [as the first round] as I know the layout pretty well from my circuit experience and some single venue events there so it will just be a case of combining that all together. From Nicky Grist onwards it will be a little unknown but I`m feeling pretty optimistic about the season ahead”.

All images by by Paul Lawrence and Paul Horton

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Brand-new podcast launches to promote town

A brand-new monthly podcast, sharing the successes, stories, news and events happening in Chesterfield, has been launched on Spotify by Destination Chesterfield.

Chesterfield’s answer to BBC One’s The One Show went live on Friday 28 May.

The Chesterfield Show, which aims to keep people up-to-date with what’s on and what’s happening in the town, has been created by former Peak FM news presenter Josh Marsh who is now the marketing co-ordinator for Destination Chesterfield.

The new podcast combines Josh’s broadcasting and production talents with news and views from around the borough. People can expect hear positive, uplifting news that always remains topical as well as discussions around the ongoing regeneration in the area in the monthly podcast.

The first edition is packed full of local stories, including:

Commenting on the new podcast, Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said: “The purpose of Destination Chesterfield has always been to promote the town as a great place to live, work and invest. The Chesterfield Show podcast is another vehicle we are using to share the positive stories of the many inspiring projects, businesses and individuals within the town. It’s yet another example of the town’s forward-thinking approach to promoting itself which has helped us attract investment throughout the pandemic.”

At the annual Celebrate Chesterfield conference it was revealed that SMEs in the borough are reporting growth in turnover and staff numbers through the pandemic, while developments have continued to move forward at pace.

More than ÂŁ1bn of regeneration projects are currently underway, with multi-million-pound schemes like Chesterfield Waterside, Glass Yard, PEAK and the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre starting to come out of the ground during lockdown.

Visit https://open.spotify.com/show/4pdhLtkuPdr5iLplFeX0Eb and listen to the first episode of The Chesterfield Show now.

If you’d like to be considered for an interview or involvement in a future episode of The Chesterfield Show, please contact josh.marsh@chesterfield.co.uk.

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