Chesterfield print and embroidery company, Giraffe Graphics has expanded into new headquarters.

The new office, which is located at Dunston Place, has allowed the company to increase capacity and take on the print and embroidery industry from a fresh perspective.

From the humble beginnings of a spare-bedroom-business, Giraffe Graphics has seen rapid growth over the last 5 years.

Like many other business owners, Chris and Rebecca Blackwell made the difficult decision to close during the beginning of lockdown. Once the appropriate safety measures were put in place, and it was deemed safe to turn on the embroidery machines once more, Giraffe saw demand soar for workwear, paper print, design, and signage.

This proved timely, as the company had plans for new premises in the pipeline, as co-director Rebecca explained: “We were beginning to reach the limits of what we could achieve as a business within our previous office space, and were eager to expand.

“Naturally at the beginning of March, these aspirations seemed to become a little far-fetched! But thankfully, we have a great bunch of loyal, returning customers and friends who appreciate our services and keep coming back!

“We spent time refining our website, and tried to ensure that despite the difficult circumstances, our clients could still reach us. We’re so grateful to those who have supported us through the years, and we’re excited to see how Giraffe continues to grow in our new HQ!’”

Looking to expand or relocate your business to Chesterfield?  Search commercial property in Chesterfield here.

A key milestone has been celebrated at the new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre in Chesterfield. The building’s floor slabs and roof have been carefully poured into place using approximately 925 tonnes of concrete.

The significant step was marked during UK Construction Week, by leaders from the construction company, Robert Woodhead Limited, Chesterfield Borough Council and project architects Whittam Cox. Chesterfield Borough Council will be supporting the scheme which will see female leaders and managers from across the construction industry support young women from Chesterfield.

The partners will come together and deliver an innovative mentoring programme to build on the success of the recently launched online gateway “My Future.” It will provide real life support to help local young women into the construction industry. By linking with the D2N2 North Derbyshire Careers Hub and Chesterfield’s Property and Construction Forum, the programme will offer school and college students the opportunity to work with female leaders from across a broad range of disciplines in the construction sector.

The programme is a result of Woodhead’s employment and skills commitments to deliver a lasting legacy and social value whilst on site.

Councilor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Improving the skills and work readiness of people in Chesterfield is our top priority because it will help ensure our ambition to create a thriving borough. We require all new developments to commit to supporting the local economy through both skills development and opportunities for local businesses.

“This programme is a great example of how by working with our partners we can strengthen the links between education and business, which will help ensure that more school leavers are developing the skills they need to enter the workplace. We want to raise aspirations in Chesterfield and show that it is a great place plan your future and build a successful career. Working with young women in sectors where they are underrepresented is key to ensuring our success. Women currently make up around 14% of professional roles within the construction industry, this number can only be set to rise with more and more women choosing construction jobs. Misconceptions about gender specific roles are diminishing with the growing number of women choosing a career in construction.

The council has a strong track record on supporting female leadership, of the nine positions in our senior leadership and corporate management teams four are held by women, we also have an all-female leadership of the council and this further demonstrates the important role women have in the future of Chesterfield.”

The new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre is a highly sustainable building that will provide 32 high-quality offices for the town. As the mentoring programme gathers momentum, it is hoped that the young women will also be able to participate in site visits to see the building take shape.

Robert Woodhead ltd, Chesterfield Borough Council and Whitham Cox Architects supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Ahead of construction starting on the new seven storey office block at Chesterfield Waterside on 19 October, Chesterfield’s £340million mixed-use regeneration scheme has been brought to life in a new augmented reality film created by local company Oasis Studio.

Combining drone footage with illustrations, the film brings to life the 16-hectare Chesterfield Waterside site which is located on the edge of the A61 corridor adjacent to the River Rother and Chesterfield Canal.

Existing drone footage of the site has been overlaid with the five colour-coded neighbourhoods which make up the scheme, to show what Waterside will look like and how it will sit within the local environment once complete.

The fly through details each of the five neighbourhoods – Waterside Quarter, Basin Square, Waterfront, Riverside East and Station Place – and the buildings which will be constructed in each of them. The construction phase alone is expected to create up to 2,000 jobs.

Tony Buck, Associate Director of Oasis Studios, commented: “It’s the first time we’ve combined real life moving drone footage with superimposed buildings but we are delighted with the result. It takes the conceptual stage of the project to another level.”

Tom Swallow, Development Manager at Bolsterstone Group Plc which is leading the Chesterfield Waterside scheme, instructed and worked alongside the team at Oasis to create the flyover animation.

He added: “The film is an important element of the marketing campaign for Waterside. Rather than just seeing a patch of land, potential investors can now see the scale of the scheme and understand its significance to the town. It also gives a clear picture of the scheme’s prominent location, adjacent to both the town centre and train station. Chesterfield Waterside will completely regenerate the north east side of the town centre creating an attractive environment in which to both live and work.”

Recognised as being one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects, Chesterfield Waterside is being led by Chesterfield-based Bolsterstone Group Plc working in conjunction with Arnold Laver Group and Chesterfield Borough Council.

Last month it was announced that Chesterfield Borough Council has secured a forward funding agreement with Chesterfield Waterside Ltd, to bring forward construction of No.1 Waterside Place in the Basin Square neighbourhood of the development.

Britcon (UK) Ltd, a leading Civil Engineering, Building and Steel Frame Solutions company, has been appointed as the main contractor to construct the office building and will start on site on Monday 19 October. The building is being marketed by property agents Knight Frank FHP.

Already, construction at Waterside Quarter is underway. House builder Avant Homes began construction of 173 two, three and four bedroom homes in the neighbourhood and in August the showhomes were opened to the public. Avant Homes is reporting strong interest in the development.

Avant Homes Central Managing Director, Stuart Rowlands, said: “Waterside Quarter is a hugely important development for us.

“Waterside Quarter is a development that we believe will be ideal for a number of different buyers such as those looking for their first home and young families. As well as quality, attainable, design-led homes for those living in Chesterfield, we believe that it will also help bring other buyers to the area, further boosting the town.”

In addition to the office accommodation Basin Square, the first commercial element of Chesterfield Waterside, will comprise Grade A office accommodation, 350 Built-to-Rent apartments, a hotel and multi-storey car park, all sited around a high quality public realm area overlooking the newly constructed canal basin.

Find out more about Chesterfield Waterside