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National recognition for local golf course owner

Owner of Stanedge Golf Club and PGA Professional, Fame Tate, has received National recognition from the Golf Club Managers’ Association.

During the Golf Club Managers’ Association annual two day National Conference, Fame received a special commendation award for her hard work in regenerating the fortunes of Stanedge Golf Club.

Fame was nominated for Best Newcomer Manager of the Year, along with Kerry Alligan-Sith of Redditch Golf Club, for her achievements after acquiring Stanedge Golf Club and bringing it back from the edge of closure and extinction.

Fame took over Stanedge Golf Club in March 2019 and has transformed the place from a run down clubhouse and golf course, to a thriving facility which is an accessible, warm and welcoming place where people of all ages, gender and backgrounds can come enjoy playing the golf course or socialise in the clubhouse.

Despite being named runner-up, Fame was over the moon to be selected as one of the two finalists and receive a special commendation: “I feel incredibly proud and honored to have received this commendation award, to be recognized for what we have achieved at the club in such a short space of time is incredible. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us, members, visitors, local businesses for hole sponsorship and our scorecard sponsors Il Mondo Travel – a massive thank you to my team at the club, I couldn’t have done it without your hard work and long hours, putting Stanedge Golf Club back on the map!”

Fame, who is a PGA professional, has a quite a year in 2019 picking up awards –  to add to her commendation was earlier in the year awarded the “Outstanding Achievement” Award at The English Women’s Awards North, and also named as the PGA Female Assistant of the year for 2019.

Fame said: “I had a strong vision in place when I purchased Stanedge Golf Club, which was to break away from the traditional golf club model, making it a venue that is welcoming, affordable, accessible, friendly and fun”.

Commenting on the journey so far, Fame said: “The resurrection of Stanedge Golf Club has not been easy, it really has been a monumental effort by many people who put many unsociable hours into making the club a place people now want to visit and enjoy being at.”

“Since we acquired the club in February, we have attracted over 120 new members and many visitors in response to our various offers, with different groups getting involved in our coaching and learn to play offers.”

“We have recently launched Tyzack’s Bar at the club which is open to the public as well as members and we serve home cooked food daily, including our breakfasts, Sunday lunches and currently starting on our Christmas Fayre menu and programme of activities.”

A round of 9 holes at Stanedge should not take more than a couple of hours and if you have time to spare afterwards you can drop into the friendly and welcoming clubhouse for refreshments, where there is a fully licensed bar and food served daily.

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

Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon 2020 launched

Event organisers and sponsors have confirmed details for the 2020 Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon following the ‘huge success’ of the 2019 event.

Full details for the 2020 event were announced launched at a special launch event, which also reflected on the success of 2019.

The 2020 event will take place on Sunday 18 October at 9.30am, and will start and finish in Queen’s Park following a record-breaking outing in 2019 which saw the highest-ever advance entry for a Redbrik Half Marathon.

Early Bird entries are now being accepted for the 2020 event, with the 13.1-mile Redbrik Half priced at £23 (normally £29) and the Peak FM Five Mile Run priced at £16 (normally £19) until the 29 February 2020.

The 2020 Redbrik Half will again have the backing of Chesterfield Borough Council, and will be headline sponsored by leading estate agency Redbrik in the fourth year of its five-year sponsorship deal.

Ashgate Hospicecare will be the 2020 Redbrik Half’s main charity partner, and the event will also support North Anston-based Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, which also supports families across North Derbyshire, as well as other good causes. In 2019, £40,000 was pledged for charities including Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood.

The run is credited with positively impacting on Chesterfield, according to Race Director, John Timms: “The Redbrik Half plays a huge role in raising the profile of Chesterfield, bringing people into the town – something that’s crucial for the continued prosperity of the region.”

“We’ve been absolutely delighted with the response from the general public since the Chesterfield Half’s relaunch in 2017, with Redbrik and other event partners playing a huge role in its continued success.”

“It’s exciting to be talking about the 2020 event – we’re looking forward to it already!”

Redbrik Managing Director, Mark Ross, said: “The 2019 event was a huge success, and we cannot wait for it to return in 2020.”

“The Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon plays such a vital role in our region, raising crucial funds for some great causes. Supporting local charities is part of our ethos of giving back to the local community.”

“We’re extremely proud to be entering our fourth year of sponsorship of north Derbyshire biggest (and best!) mass-participation event.”

For more information about the 2020 event, including how to sign up, click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Be ‘Ginspired’ with Chesterfield’s newest independent retailer

A new independent drinks retailer, Ginspired, has opened in Chesterfield’s Market Hall, specialising in gin, rum, whisky and other spirits.

Ginspired will focus on high quality spirits with over 200 unique and interesting bottles to choose from, as well as a wide range of gift items for Christmas and other special occasions. In store tasting events will also be a regular occurrence and staff will be on hand to provide friendly helpful advice.

Co-Owners Matt and Darren have worked in the drinks industry for 10 years before using their passion and experience to open Ginspired, showcasing a fantastic collection of gin, rum, whisky, vodka, bourbon, liqueurs, mead, cognac and more.

Co-Owner Matt said: “Our name is taken from Chesterfield’s famous Crooked Spire and our passion for Gin. We hope Ginspired will compliment and support the already vibrant beer and gin scene, with some great pubs, bars and producers well established in Chesterfield.”

He added: “We strongly believe in supporting small independent local businesses and our primary focus will be on products from Derbyshire and the surrounding area where possible.”

Ginspired is now open within Chesterfield’s Market Hall.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Christmas, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Launch of Vicar Lane’s big screen

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is delighted to announce the launch of their brand-new big screen on Friday 6th December.

The new LED screen is located outdoors, on St. James’ Square and will be used throughout the year and during key seasonal events to create a much more animated focal point and a lively new meeting area for shoppers within the town, as well as being a key feature in free events run by Vicar Lane.

The launch event will begin at 11am, allowing time for visitors to arrive before the ribbon cutting and official switch-on of the screen at 11:30am.

Visitors will then be able to enjoy a series of screenings from new independent stores at Vicar Lane – Shop Indie and Rate Cute – as well as Let’s Go Peak District and Destination Chesterfield.

Between 1pm and 3pm customers will have the chance to enjoy a PIING social gaming event, while a local business networking event takes place in the store underneath the screen, with presentations from Alterx – owners of Vicar Lane – and a special guest speaker before the day comes to a close at 4pm. Local business people and those working in community groups or other local organisations can claim a free ticket here.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager at Vicar Lane, said, “We’re really excited about the launch of our big screen. It’s the first really visible change we’ve made to Vicar Lane in a long time and we hope it’s the start of great things to come, with lots of exciting events throughout the year.’’

The installation of the big screen is the first step in a list of improvements that Alterx, who bought the centre out of administration earlier in the year, plan to make to Vicar Lane having identified an opportunity to revitalise it. So, this event is a celebration of their plans coming to fruition and tangible evidence of the investments being made in Vicar Lane.

Find out more here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Featured, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Vicar Lane Hosts a Calendar of Festive Fun

This Christmas, Vicar Lane Shopping Centre, Chesterfield is helping shoppers get in the spirit of the season with a whole heap of activities for them to enjoy.

With a different event every Saturday from 30th November until Christmas, there’s something for every member of the family to enjoy!

On Saturday 30th November, customers can get their green fingers ready to craft their very own Christmas wreath in a festive workshop. The pro’s from Thanks A Bunch will be on hand to help them with their festive front door creation in these workshops starting at 10am, 12.30pm and 2:30pm. Numbers are strictly limited to 10 per session and cost just £15 a ticket, which includes hot refreshments and mince pies. Over 16’s only. Tickets can be purchased here.

On Saturday 30th November, the centre will also receive a visit from a really wild guest as a life-like polar bear patrols the centre and poses for Christmas selfies at intervals throughout the day from 10am – 4pm!

On Saturday 7th December, a team of professional ice sculptors will have customers transfixed as a unique piece of art emerges from the ice between 11am and 1pm. The Ice sculpture will be available for customers to view until 5pm.

On Saturday 14th December, customers can see Christmas family favourite ‘Elf’ on the big screen at the centre’s pop-up cinema, opposite F. Hinds in partnership with Bluebird North Events. Tickets are just £4 each, and can be purchased here.

On Saturday 21st December, families will have the opportunity to catch a screening of Christmas family movie ‘The Polar Express’ on the big screen at the pop-up cinema, opposite F. Hinds in partnership with Bluebird North Events. Tickets are just £4 each, and can be purchased here. 

On Saturdays 7th, 14th & 21st December customers are offered the chance to take the flap out of wrapping this festive season and visit ‘Shop Indie’ to have their gifts professionally wrapped.

Vicar Lane is also offering time-stretched shoppers a little relief from their frantic festive preparations with late night shopping on Thursday & Friday 12th & 13th and 19th & 20th December, plus Monday 23rd December.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager, Vicar Lane said, “We understand that shoppers expect a little more than just great stores on their shopping trip these days, so we wanted to offer an exciting experience on every visit this festive season. We look forward to welcoming families of Chesterfield and beyond throughout the Christmas period.’’

Earlier this week, Vicar Lane announced will be home to a brand new, dog-friendly, pop-up bar. The Cap and Whippet will serve up a thirst-quenching menu of beers and spirits, all produced at Derbyshire breweries and distilleries. Customers will also find a range of Christmas gifts to purchase and take home, it will be open from 29th November until Christmas Eve.

Find out more about Christmas at Vicar Lane here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Christmas, Home, Leisure, Visiting

‘Give a Child a Smile’ this Christmas with Peak FM

Peak FM believe that no child should go without at Christmas. Their annual toy appeal campaign, ‘Give a Child a Smile’ is dedicated to collecting toy donations for under privileged children across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Multiple businesses have quickly signed up and volunteered to be official toy drop off points, these locations can be found here.

For the first time Peak FM have secured a pop up shop unit in Chesterfield Town Centre thanks to Pavements Shopping Centre’s help. The pop up is in the old Thomas Cook store at 57 Low Pavements and will be open Thurs – Sun to accept new and unwrapped toys for children ages 0-16 years.

Fast Signs Sheffield & Chesterfield heard about the campaign and kindly donated the window decals for the front of the building making the unit stand out to passers-by.

Sam Earnshaw, Station Director at Peak FM, said: “This is such a wonderful campaign and one that we whole heartedly support at the station. As we all start to get excited about Christmas and gear up for this special time of year it is so sad to think that some children in our local area, for lots of reasons, may go without. We are always staggered by the generosity of our listeners and these toy donations really do help to put a smile on the face of so many children.”

She added: “We work with a broad range of charities and children’s organisations to ensure that toys are distributed in time for Christmas and we are always keen to hear from as many organisations as possible to ensure our donations reach as many children as they can.”

New and unwrapped toys will be distributed to charities and registered children’s organisations in time for Christmas. Donations are being accepted until December 8th 2019 and local businesses and residents are encouraged to get involved.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Christmas, Home, Leisure, Visiting

The Lily Pad celebrates refurbishment and extended Friday night opening hours

The Lily Pad Café and Restaurant, located on Soresby Street in Chesterfield, are celebrating an extensive refurbishment and exciting changes to their menu. They welcomed customers to enjoy the new Friday night dinner menu last week.

The refurbishment brings a new look, a new menu and new opening hours to this popular town-centre eatery which recently won the accolade of the Café / Tea Room of the Year at the Chesterfield Food & Drink Awards 2019.

Head Chef and Manager, Ryan Purrington said: “It is wonderful to welcome our customers back through our doors and we are really pleased to be able to offer our new dinner menu on a Friday evening too. I hope everyone is as impressed with our new look as we are.”

“Our new menu includes some of the old favourites which we know people love us for, but we’ve also developed the menu to include some exciting new additions. We have a much more extensive selection for vegetarians and vegans too. There are a whole host of new features and food and drinks specials for people to try which we are really excited about.”

The Chesterfield College Group own the business and has invested in the refurbishment process. They work with the dedicated front of house and kitchen team at the Lily Pad to help them develop the business.

Jo Kershaw, Director of Business and Professional Services at Chesterfield College said: “The Lily Pad not only offers local diners an amazing choice of menu options, it also has a unique atmosphere which comes from the passion of the team. They work tirelessly to keep their customers happy. When we invested in this business we saw how the passion of this relatively young team created a popular eatery and how apprentices are supported to grow into key roles in the organisation.”

“We also saw the potential to support this town-centre business in its development. It has been a pleasure working with Ryan and his team over the last few months. I hope both new and existing customers will be as pleased with the results of the refurbishment as we are.”

The Lily Pad is now open for breakfast and lunch from Monday to Sunday (closed all day Wednesdays) as well as now serving evening meals on Friday evenings.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Christmas, Development, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Dog-friendly bar to open at Vicar Lane

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is excited to announce the opening of a brand new, dog-friendly, pop-up bar in the Centre, in the run up to Christmas.

The Cap and Whippet is the brainchild of the owner of local, award-winning bar ‘Brimming with Beer’ which is already a firm favourite with locals. Brimming with Beer was set up in the Summer of 2016 and this year was awarded ‘Chesterfield CAMRA Pub of the Season-Summer 2019’ as well as being entered into the Good Beer Guide.

The Cap and Whippet will serve up a thirst-quenching menu of beers and spirits, all produced at Derbyshire breweries and distilleries. Customers will also find a range of Christmas gifts to purchase and take home.

The Cap and Whippet is named after owner Ben’s Whippet called ‘Tan’ and her favourite flat cap. The bar will be open from 10am – 10pm (midnight at the weekend), 6 days a week from 29th November until Christmas Eve.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager, Vicar Lane said, “We’re really excited to welcome The Cap and Whippet to Vicar Lane this festive season. The dog-friendly bar will offer a thirst-quenching drink to warm the cockles in the approach to Christmas, as well as providing a great venue for friends, colleagues and their dogs to enjoy after work drinks or a night out in Chesterfield.’’

Find out what else is happening at Vicar Lane Shopping Centre this festive season here.

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

Win a tasty Window at Vicar Lane

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is excited to continue their new competition that gives customers the chance to win a new prize every month.

‘Win the Window’ continues with a brand new competition starting on Thursday 14th November and running until Thursday 5th December. This month’s prize up for grabs is a tasty £20 voucher from Quoozies. The prize is displayed in the winning window, located opposite F. Hinds at Vicar Lane.

This competition follows the first which saw the popular Chesterfield shopping centre giving away a generous £30 F. Hinds gift card and the second which saw one lucky person winning a giant teddy from Holmes Amusements.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager, Vicar Lane said, “‘Win the Window’ is all about giving customers something new and exciting to look forward to each month. We plan to give away a variety of fabulous prizes throughout the year, so there’s something for everyone.’’

For the chance to win the latest prize, customers should simply visit the Centre’s winning window opposite F. Hinds and follow the simple instructions, or comment on the official competition post on Facebook. Terms and conditions apply.

Vicar Lane with festive cheer from 11am until 3.30pm on Sunday 17th November for the Chesterfield Christmas Lights Switch On. Enjoy a live brass band filling the air with festive nostalgia, plus free festive face painting for the little ones to get you in the spirit of the season before the big switch on.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Fun for all the family at Chesterfield Christmas lights event

Chesterfield residents and visitors can enjoy the town’s annual Christmas lights-switch on, which offers fun for all the family.

Taking place on Sunday 17 November, the event will see children’s favourite Peter Rabbit  appearing in Rykneld Square outside Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre from noon to 12.30pm, 1pm to 1.30pm, 2pm to 2.30pm and 3pm to 3.30pm.

There will be a market from noon in the market place with stalls offering some great Christmas gift ideas, games and fairground rides.

Many local shops will also be open on the day with a variety of Christmas gifts allowing people to shop local. Chesterfield Market Café in the Market Hall will also be open offering a hot drink and refreshments for visitors.

The stage show will get underway in New Square from 3.30pm with Peak FM providing the fun as presenters, including breakfast presenters Ricky and Becky, take to the stage.

There will also be opportunities for everyone to join in the fun with games and prize giveaways courtesy of Peak FM.

As well as a host of local acts, stars from Jack and the Beanstalk, this year’s pantomime at the Pomegranate Theatre, will also perform on stage. They will be joined by Peter Rabbit for the big switch-on, which takes place at 4.45pm.

Alyson Barnes, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Tourism, Museums and Events Manager, said: “The Christmas lights switch on event is one of the biggest in Chesterfield’s annual calendar of events attracting thousands of people each year. I would encourage families to come along to enjoy the day and also to shop local and support our market and local shops.”

Chesterfield residents can use their free parking pass to park at the following council-run car parks:

  • Albion Road
  • Derbyshire Times
  • Devonshire Street
  • Durrant Road
  • Hollis Lane (excluding on-street bays)
  • Holywell Cross (the ‘Donut’)
  • Queens Park (North and South)
  • Spa Lane
  • Station Road
  • St Mary’s Gate
  • Theatre Lane

There’s a full programme of entertainment for Christmas in Chesterfield from traditional markets to stand up comedy and from gigs to musical concerts.

Find out more about what’s coming up as part of Christmas in Chesterfield here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Christmas, Leisure, Visiting

Peak Pharmacy branch launches 24/7 prescription collection service

Peak Pharmacy, owned by PCT Healthcare, has officially launched its 24/7 automated prescription collection system at its pharmacy at Ashgate Medical Centre in Chesterfield.

At an opening ceremony on Friday 8th November, Oliver Atkinson (right), a Year 6 student at Brockwell Primary School, cut the opening ribbon after pupils entered a competition to name the new machine. Oliver’s winning entry ‘Medi-Tron’ was revealed by Joe Cattee, Director of PCT Healthcare. A sign with the new name will be soon be displayed near the machine. Oliver was joined by Florence Rix (Year 3), Noah Rix (Year 5) and Holly Bradbury (Year 5). The pupils received a small gift for taking part and were the first to try the new machine.

The machine is the first of its type in the area and one of only a few devices in the country that offers 24 hour a day prescription collection for patients with regular repeat prescriptions, giving patients the convenience of being able to collect their medication whenever suits them.

Patients simply need to let the team know they want to use the collection point, then arrange for their doctor to send their prescription directly to the pharmacy. Peak Pharmacy will then dispense the prescription in advance and package securely ready for collection from the collection point. Customers will receive a text message to let them know that their prescription is ready for collection and can be collected whenever they wish – with no more waiting in queue’s or having to arrive within normal trading hours.

Darryl Dethick, Head of Business Development said: “We believe this additional option for collecting prescriptions makes life easier for our customers and shows our continual commitment to ensuring we offer the best possible prescription service in the area. If anyone would like to find out more details then please call our pharmacy on 01246 208647 or pop in and see us at Ashgate Medical Centre.”

The collection point is conveniently located at the Peak Pharmacy on Ashgate Road, which offers ample free parking, and allows pre-dispensed prescriptions to be collected even when the pharmacy isn’t open.

Holly Bradbury (Year 5), Noah Rix (Year 5), Florence Rix (Year 3) and Oliver Atkinson (Year 6) were invited to the opening by Joe Cattee, Director of PCT Healthcare.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure, Visiting

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