Author: Dom Stevens

Chesterfield Investment Summit 2019 hears how localised social media could be key to revitalising town’s high street

With up to 74% of high street retailers not having an active social media presence, Polly Barnfield OBE, a member of the government’s High Street Task Force has urged Chesterfield’s shops and market traders to adopt social media and use it to deliver both improved footfall and sales on demand.

Speaking at the sell-out 2019 Chesterfield Investment Summit, Ms Barnfield, who has been named as one of the top 100 most influential women in technology, believes events and localised social media activity could be the key to revitalising and growing Chesterfield’s high street.

She said: “Social media is a resource that any business can use, and retailers should use this opportunity to engage with and understand their customers.”

“Social media is fundamentally changing the rules of doing business. It’s not a question of a business being online or offline anymore – they must be both. There has been a huge shift in human behaviour over the last 15 years driven by social media. For the first time ever, people now spend more time on their mobile phone than watching TV.”

However, she urged retailers not to just to focus on selling themselves on social media. “Engagement with the community around you is key. You can’t just sell your own product on social media if you want to be successful,” urged Ms Barnfield.

She advised: “Retailers should post on social media every day and talk to their audience not just about what is happening in their business but around them.”

Highlighting the power of social media on retail at the Investment Summit, it was revealed that ALTERIS, owner of the town’s Vicar Lane Shopping Centre, has successfully used the online platform Maybe* over the last six months to increase footfall by 29%.

ALTERIS bought Vicar Lane Shopping Centre out of administration earlier this year promising to create ‘a new town centre retail model for the post e-commerce world’.

Ms Barnfield was one of several speakers presenting at the annual Investment Summit which was held at Chesterfield’s Casa Hotel.

Addressing future investment and development opportunities in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire, the event was organised by Derbyshire Economic Partnership, Destination Chesterfield and Marketing Derby.

Speaking at the event Dr Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council, also revealed that the town had welcomed 330 business start-ups in the last 12 months.

He commented: “For Chesterfield to grow and survive it needs to be a place where people feel they can do business and do it successfully. This means ensuring we make the most of our competitive advantages in order to attract investment as well as optimise our current development opportunities including HS2, Chesterfield Waterside, Northern Gateway and Peak Resort. Our competitive advantages underpin our recently published Growth Strategy.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield, highlighted the town’s successful public-private sector partnership approach to investment, commenting: “Chesterfield is a town of opportunity and we have the partners and collaboration in place to drive forward our ambitions to not only deliver our current development plans but also attract further investment and continue to grow.”

More than 200 people attended the 2019 Chesterfield Annual Summit. In addition to Polly Barnfield OBE and Huw Bowen, delegates also heard from Mark Warrilow, Skills Stakeholder Manager – Phase 2 (Skills Employment and Education) at HS2 Ltd; Peter Storey, Head of Markham Vale at Derbyshire Country Council; Mark Jones, Head of Technical at Kier Living; Cllr Tony King, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Derbyshire County Council and David Higham, Commercial Director at Learning Unlimited, part of the Chesterfield College Group.

To keep up-to-date with investments and developments in Chesterfield, please visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting

Redbrik Half feeling refreshed with new soft drinks partner

The Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon has confirmed a new official soft drinks supplier for its 2019 event in Queen’s Park.

Franklin & Sons Soft Drinks, part of the Global Brands franchise of businesses, will provide drinks for runners, spectators and volunteers at the 2019 Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, which this year takes place on 20 October 2019, starting at 9:30am.

With its main outlet stationed in Queen’s Park at the start/finish line, Franklin & Sons will also provide additional prizes for the Redbrik Half’s event winners – details of which will be confirmed soon.

Ruby Sterland, Assistant Brand Manager at Franklin & Sons, said: “We’re really proud to have partnered with the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.”

“To be part of what is one of the region’s biggest – and best! – mass-participation events is fantastic, and gives us a brilliant opportunity to give back to the local community.”

Ruby added: “As a community-focused organisation, it’s great to be involved – we take part in a huge amount of CSR activity as a business and as individuals.”

“We look forward to supporting event runners, volunteers and spectators, and also a great cause in the form of our charity partner, Ashgate Hospicecare.”

John Timms, Event Director at Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, said: “We’re delighted to have Franklin & Sons on board for the 2019 Chesterfield Half – and runners, spectators and volunteers no doubt will be, too.”

“This is the latest in a long line of important partnerships with renowned local and regional businesses, all of which are crucial to growing the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon event and its brand awareness locally, regionally and nationally.”

“We want to make the Redbrik Chesterfield Half an event for all ages – we’re really excited to see everything come to fruition on event day and seeing our runners get some refreshing drinks when they cross the finish line after all their hard work!”

Entries remain open for the 2019 Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, Peak FM Five Mile Run and the Blachfords Fun Run online at www.redbrikchesterfieldhalf.com.

Entries are also being taken for the 2019 Pronto Paints Wellbeing Challenge. To enter the challenge as a business or group and receive a 10% discount on entry fee, email info@redbrikchesterfieldhalf.com with the appropriate business name and the team will be in touch.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Leisure

East Midlands Chamber announces Derbyshire Business of the Year

A specialist in the creation and re-use of digital information has won the East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) Derbyshire Business of the Year Award 2019.

Established in 2000, Derby-based Bloc Digital is split into four complementary disciplines of modelling, animation, development and web.

As a leader in the use of digital technology in industry, it produces innovative, immersive, digital solutions – Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), web and mobile – for many companies globally.

Receiving the award from Mazars, the headline sponsor of the Chamber’s Business Awards 2019, Bloc Digital Director Keith Cox said: “We entered the East Midlands Chamber Business Awards to gain recognition for what our team is doing.”

“We are so busy day to day that it is amazing to stop and see that people appreciate and acknowledge what we do. We are absolutely delighted to win this award.”

To qualify as a contender for the supreme accolade of Business of the Year, Bloc Digital had already won the Business Improvement through Technology award earlier in the evening.

The company was one of 13 to win an award on the night, as the Chamber celebrated the strength and successes of businesses across Derby and Derbyshire.

Chesterfield Champions the Chesterfield College Group were also among the winners, receiving the Education and Business Partnership Award. Chesterfield-based education initiative Made in Chesterfield was a runner up in the same category.

Made in Chesterfield is organised by Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire Education Business Partnership and sponsored by University of Derby. It is designed to bring together businesses, schools and training providers to showcase STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers to future school leavers.

Learning Unlimited, part of the Chesterfield College Group and also Chesterfield Champions, sponsored the Apprentice of the Year category and fellow Chesterfield Champions The Accountancy Recruitment Group were finalists in the Excellence In Customer Service category.

Chamber President Kevin Harris said: “One of the main privileges of being Chamber President is being able to address and celebrate the crème de la crème of our region’s businesses at the Business Awards.”

“Taking part in the Chamber’s Business Awards, the only local awards to offer winners the chance to go on to compete on a regional and national stage at the British Chambers of Commerce Awards, encourages an organisation to look closely at what they do best.”

“Making it through to the final is cause for celebration in itself and whether you get that far or walk off with the ultimate crown, you should shout about that success and proclaim to the world that yours is one of the best businesses out there.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

Fruit and vegetable changes on Chesterfield market

Fruit and vegetables on Chesterfield market will soon be sold by one local business rather than two, following the confirmation of an amalgamation.

Ayres and Ibbotsons are two local traders who have served residents and visitors in Chesterfield for more than 80 years, but Ayres are soon to stop serving following discussions with both Chesterfield Borough Council and Ibbotsons.

Ibbotsons are going to take over the current Ayres stand on the market as the two businesses amalgamate.

From 9 September, Ibbotsons will be trading six days per week on the market on a larger stall.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy, said: “Although it is always sad to see a trader disappear from Chesterfield market, and particularly one that has traded for so many years, I am pleased that Ayres and Ibbotsons have worked with the council to come up with the best solution for all involved.”

Nick Ibbotson, owner of Ibbotson’s fruit and veg stall, explained: “This is a very proud occasion for us as a local business. We will continue to stand six days per week and will now have a permanent stall opposite Marks & Spencer in Chesterfield.

“We are going to be continuing the longevity of our business standing on the market by having a bigger stall and having a new and improved offer for our customers. We will be stocking some extra lines and are looking forward to what the future holds.”

David Mills from Ayres said: “Ayres see this as a positive move going forward, consolidating both businesses onto one pitch. We are excited about the move and are looking forward to developing the business with Ibbotsons. We both feel this will strengthen the business and ensure continuity going forward which will benefit our customers, staff and the town centre as a whole.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards

Chesterfield Medical Partnership and Royal Primary Care join together

The Chesterfield Medical Partnership (CMP) will officially join together with Royal Primary Care (RPC) becoming ‘RPC Chesterfield North-West’.

CMP provides primary care services to 14,000 patients out of surgeries based in Ashgate, Holme Hall and Whittington – and is rated ‘GOOD’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). RPC – covering areas of Chesterfield South-East (Grangewood, Staveley and Inkersall) and North East Derbyshire (Clay Cross and Grassmoor) has also delivered rapid improvements, achieving the same CQC ‘GOOD’ rating earlier this year.

CMP approached RPC about a mutual and beneficial collaboration, attracted by RPC’s way of working and visible improvements.  As a clinical division of Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) for the last five years, RPC is outside the more traditional primary care model, complimenting the model delivered by CMP.  With both organisations innovative and forward thinking, joining together ensures they remain viable and sustainable and can respond to the significant challenges primary care faces.

Patients and staff won’t see any visible difference (staff, surgeries and opening hours will remain exactly the same across CMP and RPC).  This new collaboration simply offers a range of opportunities and improvements for the future.

For example, as part of the Chesterfield Vocational Training Scheme, CMP brings expertise in GP training programmes – and it also hosts a long-standing and successful commercial research company.  Both CMP and RPC support  effective mixed clinical teams, in line with the goals set out in the NHS Long-Term Plan, which advocates the development of ‘fully integrated community-based health care’ – including the creation of multidisciplinary teams, where GPs, pharmacists, nurses, mental health and allied health professionals work across primary care and hospital sites’.

In addition, with a combined and larger clinical team in place, there is the potential for ‘the new RPC organisation’ to run its home-visiting service in a different way;  along with more options available to cover surgeries and balance workload at times of high-demand and operational pressures.

Commenting on the approach Chesterfield Medical Partnership made to RPC, Kate Chilton, Practice Director said: “We are a thriving and successful practice.  Nevertheless, across the country, fewer GPs are inclined to become partners in a practice – so we were interested in how Royal Primary Care operates, as a way to future-proof and secure our services for our own patients.  We felt that we’d really fit with RPC because they have a clinical model similar to ours and want to progress.  We are pleased to have the opportunity to ‘join forces’ as we can see the potential it offers.  We will benefit from being part of a larger group at a time when the Long-Term Plan for the NHS recommends that GP practices work in networks to proactively manage the health and well-being of their populations. We feel really excited about this opportunity!”

Divisional Director at Royal Primary Care, Dr Peter Scriven agrees that this is an exciting pooling of skills, knowledge and experience: “We are delighted to come together with the Chesterfield Medical Practice in a constructive way, so we can work on a common approach to improving patient and carer experience for the 44,000 local people we all look after.  We are like-minded organisations. CMP brings expertise with it that will strengthen RPC – to improve the primary care offer to all of our patients.  As a GP I fully understand how important continuity of care is and I want to emphasise that all our patients will continue to see the same GPs, in the same buildings which will be open at the same times as normal, I hope they’ll also appreciate the benefits of being part of a larger primary care group in these challenging times.”

The development has been subject to robust scrutiny – with workforce, working practices, finances, governance, building and facilities all going through examination.  The amalgamation has been approved by local commissioners NHS Derby and North Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group, as well as NHS England.  There has also been engagement with staff, patient participation groups and other interested parties – sharing details about the agreed merger, its opportunities and any potential risks.

Chief Operating Officer for Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Tony Campbell, is the executive lead for RPC and comments: “We’ve learnt a lot from the two RPC developments we’ve led over the past five years – clearly demonstrated by the CQC ‘GOOD’ rating both of them have now achieved.  There have been challenges to overcome, although we have shown that this model can succeed and does improve patient care and services.

“The Trust’s Board of Directors considered the Chesterfield Medical Partnership’s approach over a number of months. We feel that bringing CMP into our Royal Primary Care division is a positive that has a number of advantages.  With a larger clinical team that includes a range of professionals, RPC as a whole is well-placed to support the NHS Long-Term Plan and it’ aims to keep patients well and independent, as well as caring for them when they have an urgent clinical need.  What matters most is that we work as a single entity to provide safe, high-quality and effective care to our patients.”

It will remain ‘business as usual’ for patients – who will continue to contact their GP surgery as they would do normally for appointments, repeat prescriptions or other queries. Regular updates and information will also be posted on Royal Primary Care’s Facebook , Twitter and Instagram pages, as well as on its website.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Leisure

Disappointing result for Chesterfield racer Perez

Amigos Redline Racing star Seb Perez managed to make the most of a disappointing weekend as he continued his Porsche Carrera Cup GB campaign when he returned to Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.

The 19-year-old Chesterfield-based racer competing as a support race to the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series, had high hopes after his promising one-off entry at the circuit in the International Porsche Supercup in July.

However, he and the Amigos Redline Racing team struggled to find the pace in the car during the two Free practice sessions on Friday that saw him finish ninth and eleventh respectively, the team worked hard on the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car chipping away at the performance from then on.

Saturday’s qualifying session proved that Perez was still there in the weekends rankings. He stormed through the field of 18 other cars topping speeds of over 170kph finishing sixth putting him on row 3 for the first race of the weekend later in the day.

Race one saw Seb have an entertaining thirty five minute, race-long battle with Jamie Orton and Dan Vaughan that resulted in a solid sixth-place finish and was looking to secure an even better finish for Sundays showdown.

A partial reverse grid for Sunday’s second race saw Perez line up same place as race one on the grid with his Nottinghamshire Amigo’s team mate George Gamble the pole sitter.

Perez had seen better starts losing a place when the lights went out but in his usual style he fought back putting pressure on Tom Roche at Maggots that saw him back to his grid place of sixth before sweeping past two cars that had come together, he took fourth slot and set after Vaughan ahead.

A podium place was in sight Perez was quickly catching the Motorbase driver he lined up a move on the outside of Brooklands before disaster struck on lap 12 of the 17 lap race, contact sent him off track and with dirty tyres he then lost control of the car into Luffield, getting stuck in the gravel and being forced to retire.

After a mixed and disappointing weekend at the Northamptonshire circuit Perez said: “We were a little on the back foot at the start of the weekend. We found a bit of time in qualifying and in race one we found some more. We made changes which paid off for race two and found even more time.!

“In the mid stage of the race we were quick and were battling for third with good race pace, after starting sixth. We had a little coming together with a Motorbase car and I ran wide onto the grass and with the tyres dirty I then spun and got stuck in the gravel.”

“We gained a bit from where we were on Friday, so we need to get our heads down and suss it out. It’s not really the way we wanted the weekend to be because we had the GP circuit experience from the Supercup so we felt we should be strong, but for some reason we didn’t have the pace.”

“It was a shame but the speed we had in the second race was brilliant, so we need to bear that in mind and keep our heads high. We’re back here in three weeks’ time, so we need to do what we did in race two and hopefully we’ll have a solid result.”

Perez leaves Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in sixth place in the championship and Amigos Redline Racing third in the Entrants Championship.

Next up on the calendar sees the Amigos boys back at Silverstone on the National circuit (28 – 29 September) for the penultimate race weekend of the series.

This year’s 16 race Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship series is one of the most highly regarded championships in Europe and follows the Kwik-Fit British Touring Car Championship as a support package. You can follow Seb and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship live on ITV4.

Editorial and Images by Paul Horton Motorsport Photography

Posted in About Chesterfield

Staveley to benefit from £3.6 billion Towns Fund

Staveley and Clay Cross are 2 of the 100 places invited to develop proposals for a new generation of multi-million-pound Town Deals which have today (6 September 2019) been announced by Local Government Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP.

The towns eligible for support from the £3.6 billion Towns Fund include places with proud industrial and economic heritage but have not always benefitted from economic growth in the same way as more prosperous areas.

Communities, businesses and local leaders will now join forces to draw up ambitious plans to transform their town’s economic growth prospects with a focus on improved transport, broadband connectivity, skills and culture.

A total of 42 places across the Northern Powerhouse and 33 places in the Midlands Engine are among the 100 pioneers of new Town Deals as part of the government’s commitment to level up all regions by boosting productivity, skills and living standards.

Local Government Secretary, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, said:

“Ensuring that prosperity and opportunities are available to everyone in this country, not just those in London or our biggest cities, is at the heart of the mission of this government.

We want to level-up our great towns, raising living standards and ensuring they can thrive with transformative investment in transport, technology, skills and culture.

I will now work with local people from the 100 communities announced today to agree proposals to invest up to £25 million in each place. I hope these deals will provide the investment and the impetus for long-term renewal ensuring each town can look to the future with a new optimism.”

The government will soon publish a prospectus to guide towns through the process and set eligibility criteria for funding.

Once approved, new Town Deals will improve connectivity, provide vital social and cultural infrastructure and boost growth – with communities having a say on how the money is spent.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development

DEBP Shortlisted for Careers Provider of the Year

Chesterfield Champion, Derbyshire Education Business Partnership (DEBP) have been shortlisted for the Careers Provider of the Year Award in the Careers Excellence Awards 2019.

Now in its third year, the Awards are organised by The Careers & Enterprise Company, partnering with the Gatsby Foundation.  The Awards shine a light on best practice careers provision – inspiring and preparing young people for success in the world of work.  The Awards are made up of 10 categories to highlight the talent and expertise required to reach the Gatsby Benchmarks, build networks and support careers leaders.

Clare Talati, DEBP Director said, “We are extremely proud to be shortlisted for the Careers Provider of the Year Award.  We work incredibly hard in partnership to strengthen and broaden the scope of Careers Education and ensure that learners benefit from, and schools meet, the Gatsby benchmarks.”

Clare continued, “All our programmes improve a young person’s ability to make careers decisions; educating them to be better informed and more confident through reality-based career interventions. This motivates each young person around academic attainment and identifies how further learning can support their aspirations.”

DEBP work across mainstream and SEND provision with two schools providing exceptional references in support of this nomination.

Debbie Gerring, Headteacher at St Martins School and Horizons 6th Form said, “DEBP are an active, important part of St Martins outstanding provision. Colleagues provide proactive employer links, paving the way for our students, all of whom have additional needs, to access meaningful, inspiring employer encounters.”

Helen Suffolk-Adams, Careers Leader at Landau Forte College said, “We have worked in partnership with DEBP for the last three years.  They are my ‘go to’ provider of choice and never let me down.”

DEBP are one of only three businesses to be shortlisted for the Careers Provider of the Year Award and will attend the Awards Ceremony on Friday 27 September at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Made in Chesterfield

Derby shortlisted for University of the Year Award

Chesterfield Champion, The University of Derby has been shortlisted for the sector’s most prestigious accolade – the Times Higher Education (THE) University of the Year Award 2019.

The THE Awards are widely acknowledged as the ‘Oscars of the higher education sector’ and recognise outstanding work and exceptional performance across 23 award categories, with the University of the Year Award being the most sought after.

Derby has been shortlisted in two other categories. Firstly, the Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year category, which recognises the innovative use of digital technology to improve any function at a university. In addition, Sian Burgess, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, has been nominated for the Most Innovative Teacher of the Year Award, designed to honour academics whose imagination and passion has transformed a course and inspired students.

Speaking about the triple shortlisting, Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “I am delighted that the University of Derby has been shortlisted for University of the Year Award. To be a finalist for such a well-respected and revered award is recognition of the great work our staff, students and stakeholders are undertaking to deliver a powerful regional university that addresses the needs of our students, region and beyond.

“I am extremely proud that the University has been shortlisted for Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year and would like to congratulate Sian on the tremendous achievement of being shortlisted for Most Innovative Teacher of the Year Award.

“As a TEF Gold university, the culture of teaching excellence plays a crucial role in enhancing and enriching our academic delivery, nurturing productive links between teaching, research and professional practice. We support, encourage and incentivise innovative teaching and assessment and we are committed to assuring that our pedagogic approach is transformational using research-informed Digital Learning methodology for our curriculum development.”

In the shortlisted award entry for University of the Year, Derby highlighted its growing reputation as a leading institution for social mobility, demonstrated by HEPI Fair Access Table ranking (2nd in the country), and its highest overall national league table position (26th – Guardian University Guide 2020).

The application emphasised Derby’s drive to address the grand challenge of the Industrial strategy and in particular, the regional skills gap with trailblazing programmes, such as the nursing associate, which provides a well-qualified workforce for our NHS and offers opportunities to many in the region to enter nursing. Derby is one of the first pilot sites with the largest single-University group of trainee nursing associates in the country.

Derby’s embedded practice of offering real world experiences has resulted in a 16% increase in graduate employability and 95% of its graduates are employed or in further study within six months of completing their studies, many within the region.

The University’s nomination for Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year stems from its holistic approach to establish future-fit curricula through an embedded and systematic digital pedagogy.

Sian Burgess, Senior Lecturer was nominated by one of the University of Derby’s graduates based upon her passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to her discipline of Occupational Therapy. This commitment has ensured that every student has the best possible academic and clinical experience. In the award submission, the nominator focused on the opportunities Sian creates for her students, the research she facilitates and her dedication to motivating and nurturing students.

Sian is highly regarded within the organisation, especially in promoting student voice and has been instrumental in launching the University’s Cohort Integration Project, which pairs second and third year students with first year students so they can share knowledge and experiences.

THE editor John Gill said: “The THE Awards hold a place in the hearts of many in UK higher education and have now been a fixture in the its calendar for well over a decade. This year we decided to incorporate the complementary strengths of our THE Leadership and Management Awards, so that the range of categories better reflects the reality of how universities operate today, and the interwoven nature of so much of what they do. This will be the biggest celebration of higher education that we have ever hosted.

“I am delighted to say that the ‘Oscars of higher education’ go from strength to strength. With 23 categories this year, we’re also showcasing more exceptional stories than ever before, and it’s a real honour for us to shine a spotlight on all those who have made it as far as these shortlists – their stories deserve much wider circulation.”

The winners of the 15th annual Times Higher Education Awards will be revealed on Thursday 28 November 2019 at a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Find out more about the awards here.

New £6.9 million University Campus brings history and future together in Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Avenue School Challenge to expand

Chesterfield Champions Placing Futures have been a key partner in a successful project that promotes career opportunities in the construction sector.

The Avenue School Challenge, which aims to help students find out more about the world of construction and improve their science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) skills, was set up by North East Derbyshire District Council and partners in  autumn 2018.

However, thanks to the success of the pilot project, the council has now pledged to continue with the initiative for the next ten years.

Cllr Martin Thacker MBE, Leader of North East Derbyshire District Council, said: “I’m delighted we have been able to help students find apprenticeships and work experience through this pioneering project.

“I’m also pleased we have been able to expand the scheme, so it can be of benefit to even more young people eager to carve out a career in construction.”

Pupils from Tupton Hall School and Parkside Community School took part in the pilot project, which included taking part in various ice-breaking and construction activities at North Derbyshire District Council’s Wingerworth offices, as well as site visits, talks in school from industry professionals and a visit to Chesterfield College to create video CVs.

At the end of the scheme, the students then attended a special presentation evening, where they were presented with certificates and a CREST qualification – a widely recognised national award within the construction sector – for all their hard work.

In addition, four pupils were given apprenticeships and three students had work experience placements with Kier Living, who are building the first phase of houses on the Avenue site in Wingerworth and have been involved with the project from the start.

Four schools will now be involved in the Avenue School Challenge, when it is re-launched on 23 September 2019.

Kier Living will be talking at the Chesterfield Investment Summit on the 11th September

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Made in Chesterfield

Tourism sector in the Peak District and Derbyshire is worth £2.3 billion

Latest figures reveal the Peak District and Derbyshire’s tourism sector is now worth £2.3 billion to the local economy, with 42 million people visiting the area in 2018 and supporting over 30,000 jobs – marking another year of significant growth and a remarkable 7.4% increase on the previous year.

New research released by official tourist board Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire reveals significant yet sustainable growth across the area’s tourism industry.

In line with the tourist board’s long-term strategy to increase overnight stays and visitor spend, the area saw a 13.5% increase in overnight stays in 2018 with an extra 504,000 bed nights across the region. Meanwhile day visitor levels were maintained with a moderate 1.3% increase on last year.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “This is fantastic news for the visitor economy in the Peak District and Derbyshire. The significant rise in tourism’s overall value signals that our long-term policy to run innovative marketing campaigns that showcase the area as a great place to stay is really paying off.

“We know that these are testing times with the uncertainty around Brexit, however, our recent business survey suggests that confidence is high with 68% of respondents experiencing an increase in bookings during 2019.

The rise in overnight stays has contributed to the significant increase in the overall value of the sector, with overnight visitor spend increasing by 19%, contributing to a total spend of £823 million during 2018.

The sector continues to support and sustain a significant amount of jobs across the area, with the number increasing by 5.2% and breaking the 30,000 mark for the first time.

James Berresford, Chair of the Derbyshire Culture, Heritage and Tourism Board, said: “This significant increase in the value of tourism is fantastic news. Derbyshire is a wonderful destination, proved by the fact that people are voting with their feet.

“It is very encouraging to see the growth in overnight stays, which proves that more visitors are choosing to stay for longer than a day. This has led to an increase in visitor spend in the area, which is great news for local businesses and clearly demonstrates the importance of the tourism industry to the local economy.”

As well as highlighting the value of the tourism industry to the local economy, the latest figures also support the area’s bid to become a national Tourism Action Zone. Following the announcement of the Tourism Sector Deal in June, it was revealed that the Government is looking to create a number of Tourism Action Zones, which would offer opportunities to secure funding and support for selected areas to boost their visitor economy.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure, Visiting

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