Kakou

Champions collaborate to help firms achieve ESG targets

A group of businesspeople in the town’s network of Chesterfield Champions are joining forces to raise awareness of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) for all companies.

Three local firms – Choice Utility, Green Arch Consulting and Kakou are highlighting the strategic advantages of integrating ESG principles into business plans and processes. They are hoping to spread awareness of the importance of ESG and the impact it could have on the future of small businesses in Chesterfield.

ESG looks at how a business can run more efficiently, more sustainably and be more socially responsible, which will not only help cut costs but allow for longevity, in terms of how the business will be able to prepare for the next 10 years.

This means better financial options going forward, be that from investors, banks and the rest of the customer base.

The three businesses are set to host an awareness event at Chesterfield’s Casa Hotel in April, to ensure firms are well informed about how ESG reporting could affect things in future.

Speakers include:

  • Ann Fomukong-Boden, Founding Director of Kakou Technolgies
  • Emma Knight-Strong, Director of Green-Arch Consulting
  • Dan Molloy, Director of Choice Utility
  • Natashia Lee, Managing Director of ESG PRO

Choice Utility’s Dan Molloy said: “Having a detailed report can help improve interest rates offered from financial institutions, improve the overall business value for exit strategies, improve relations with customers and staff to build a company with a sustainable future. With FTSE 100 companies and government institutions making the disclosures in the report integral to winning their business and ongoing tender offers.

“Major UK cities are already building this into their business. Chesterfield businesses will no doubt have already had current clients or potential clients that are asking for more information from their supply chain.

“This is due to changes in government regulations and the need for disclosures up and down the chain. New tendering platforms from the government and the NHS require scope 3 carbon reporting which is the collection of information from the supply chain, this means that contracts and opportunities further down the chain can find themselves in jeopardy by not having this information.

“ESG reporting will inevitably become increasingly more integral to these regulations so it’s imperative businesses are equipped with the information in order to not lose out on millions in potential revenue.

“Ultimately businesses across Chesterfield and Derbyshire are already doing incredible work, likely already doing a lot that once reported correctly can become a fantastic foundation for their ESG principles.”

Ann Fomukong-Boden, Founding Director of Kakou Technologies, added: “A sustainability-focused culture starts with leadership commitment, employee engagement, and clear goals. A step-by-step approach ensures lasting change without overwhelming resources, making sustainability a shared responsibility and an integral part of business operations for long-term success.”

Emma Knight-Strong, Director of Green Arch Consulting said: “ESG is no longer optional—it’s a business imperative. Fostering a deeper understanding of business operations enables decision-makers to identify future risks and opportunities with greater clarity, while transparency fosters trust and drives long-term value. Sustainable business is smart business.”

Find out more about the event and book your place: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/events/the-esg-advantage/

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Chesterfield community organisations invited to apply for University of Derby funding

A fund created to support local groups, organisations and individuals in Chesterfield and the wider Derbyshire area will return for 2025 following a successful debut.

The University of Derby is inviting applications from anyone based in the city or county who is seeking seed funding for projects that will bring impact to the local area and community and would like to work in partnership with the University to bring their ideas to life.

The Civic Community Fund provided seed funding to five organisations in 2024. They were music and arts development group Baby People, Chesterfield-based inclusive arts project SocialFuse Festival, children’s mental wellbeing CIC Bridge The Gap, Hands on Skin – an initiative which looks at exploring identity and cultural heritage through drum rhythms – and a project that co-creates poetry around nature connectedness and the Whispers From The Woods poetry book.

As well as receiving a grant from the University of Derby, successful applicants were also invited to work closely with researchers and other experts at the University to profile and share their work within the wider civic community.

Destination Chesterfield Board Member, Ann Fomukong-Boden used the funding to host SocialFuse Festival; an inclusive event held in Chesterfield over the summer which showcased various social enterprises from across the county.

She said: “The contribution we received from the Civic Community Fund enabled us to host SocialFuse Festival earlier this year, and to ensure that the event was free for all attendees.

“This meant that everyone in the community could join in, regardless of their financial situation.

“It is important to us that SocialFuse Festival is accessible to all, and we are grateful to the University of Derby for the support it has given us.”

The Civic Community Fund is designed to support the work of the University’s Civic University Agreement, which was launched in June 2022, by creating new partnerships locally and providing support to civic projects that will have a positive impact within the community.

Although the Civic Community Fund is a relatively new initiative, the University has supported local community projects for decades, providing funding to inspiring groups across Derbyshire who make a real difference to people’s lives.

Dr Rhiannon Jones, (Associate Professor of Civic Practice) and Head of Civic and Communities at the University of Derby, said: “The University of Derby is proud to be a Civic organisation that is committed to playing its part in the city and county’s ongoing prosperity and wellbeing, supporting local communities and the people within them, working closely with our stakeholders and partners to deliver our Civic University Agreement.

“The Civic Community Fund has been a hugely successful initiative, and we are looking forward to receiving applications for 2025.

“The fund is a fantastic way of enabling us to provide bespoke support for local groups and individuals whose endeavours would benefit from the support the University can offer. We are looking for people who want to partner with us in the longer term, to work with our experts to develop their brilliant projects and make a real impact in the local area.”

Applications for the Civic Community Fund should be made via the university’s website before January 31. Applicants will be notified of funding application outcomes by February 14, 2025.

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

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Innovative community events launched to support local projects

Chesterfield community interest organisation, Kakou is set to launch a brand-new initiative, aimed at helping local projects gain funding.

Chesterfield SOUP is a project that invites artists, social enterprises, charitable organisations and everyone in-between to attend an evening meal with likeminded people where they will be given the time and platform to pitch their ideas and projects that will benefit and improve their local communities- and the voted ‘best pitch’ among the attendees will get the opportunity to be granted funding for their pitch.

This concept has been inspired by countless other SOUP projects worldwide, from Detroit and Perth to Oslo and Dundee- the SOUP event format has spread like wildfire across the world as hundreds of participants around the globe have seized the opportunity to share their ideas to better the hometowns and cities they love the most, all in a wholesome and familiar environment with people who share their passion for change and their love of a homecooked meal.

There is very little as inspiring, powerful and important as the support of a community. This, the team at Kakou quickly came to understand and respect in their work as a Social Enterprise and certified B-Corporation, and the organisation has consistently aimed to bring projects to smaller and younger communities to provide more diverse means by which those voices can enact and be a part of the social change they want to see.

Ann Fomukong-Boden, Kakou Co-Founder commented: “It’s a fantastic way for local people to support local community projects directly.”

It is this incredibly potent sense of community that has led Kakou to the launching of the SOUP project, which the organisation believes will channel every ounce of love, ambition and care that we see in spades all around Chesterfield for years to come.

Kakou couldn’t be prouder of how dense a population of social enterprises and community charities that hang their hats in Chesterfield, and of how many people truly care about reaching out, offering a hand and being a part of the movement to make Chesterfield an even more diverse, green, safe and accessible town of opportunity for all in our little corner of Derbyshire.

The first Chesterfield SOUP event will be held on November 11th, from 7pm to 9:30pm at the Monkey Park Community Café on Chester Street, Chesterfield, S40 1DN. Find out more info about Chesterfield SOUP, and to register your place as an attendee, on our website at soup.socialfuse.org.uk.

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

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