About Chesterfield

Derbyshire community groups urged to apply for Action Grants before deadline

Local community groups are being urged to apply for one of Derbyshire County Council’s £500 Action Grants to support their activities as the deadline for current applications approaches.The £1.5m Action Grants scheme was launched in May and the deadline for the next round of applications is this Sunday (September 30).

In just 4 months Action Grants totalling more than £210,000 have been awarded to 113 community groups, clubs, charities and other non-profit organisations across Derbyshire. Successful applicants were able to show they promoted one or more of the four Action Grant themes – youth activity, community action, sport and physical activity or community safety – or a combination.

There are 2,000 small grants of up to £500, a number of grants worth up to £5,000 and for schemes which can be shown to offer long-term benefits for local people and promote 2 or more of our Action Grant themes there are potential grants of £10,000.

Derbyshire County Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis said: “There are many groups across Derbyshire who do amazing work to provide opportunities for residents in their communities and we want to support them.”

“An Action Grant could be just the helping hand they need to do even more to provide lasting benefits for people across Derbyshire.”

“The application form is simple and easy to complete and there’s still time to apply for this round of £500 grants.”

The current round is for grants of up to £500. If applicants miss this week’s deadline the next one is 31 December 2018. The Action Grants scheme will run until 31 May 2020.

For more information click here.

Action Grants

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Helping residents to recycle right during National Recycle Week

Recycling is something most Derbyshire residents already do and as a nation we are recycling more than ever before. But there is more to be done! Derbyshire County Council is putting the call out to residents to get behind Recycle Week and keep up the momentum in driving down the county’s waste.

Recycle Week runs from 24 – 30 September. It celebrates the fact that we are recycling more but is focusing this year on getting the recycling right. The national campaign organised by Recycle Now puts out the clarion call to people to recycle more, recycle right and be proud of what they’re doing – because it matters.

Over three quarters of UK households (76%) add one or more items to their recycling collection that is not accepted locally, which can be problematic in the recycling process. Meanwhile more than half (54%) put at least one item in the general rubbish that could be recycled.

There are some simple things that we can all do to make our recycling even better:
  • Recycle more of these items: aerosols (empty), plastic cosmetic bottles such as shampoo, shower gel (rinsed out) and plastic cleaning bottles including bleach (emptied, lids on, triggers can also be recycled).
  • Make sure these never go in the recycling bin: plastic bags, film or food wrappings (e.g. crisp packets, potato bags, bubble wrap); tissue and kitchen roll; dirty nappies.

Anyone who is unsure about how to recycle a specific item or would like further information on recycling can visit Derbyshire County Council‘s website.

Councillor Simon Spencer Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure said:

“This year many of us have taken more notice of our impact on the environment. Programmes like Blue Planet II have inspired people up and down the country to cut their use of plastic – especially single use plastic.”

“All of this helps as does recycling more and making sure we get our recycling right. There’s also a sound economic argument for recycling. It currently costs Derbyshire County Council £34 million a year to dispose of waste that could have been recycled at source.”

Recycle week

Posted in About Chesterfield

Continued funding to help raise aspirations across Derbyshire

Derbyshire County Council are continuing to fund Raising Aspirations, a countywide project aimed at helping vulnerable young people gain skills, employment and further education. The project, developed by Bolsover Partnership, aims to remove the barriers relating to aspiration and engagement that face some young people.

The Derbyshire County Council cabinet has approved £231,000 of funding to enable Bolsover Partnership to extend the delivery of the Raising Aspirations project in selected schools across Derbyshire.

Councillor Carol Hart, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities said:

“The Raising Aspirations project aims to provide targeted, intensive work with small groups of young people who might need extra support and motivation in order to move into education, training or employment when they leave school.”

“The project offers real opportunities for young people and delivers great results. In 2016 /17 the project worked with 95 young people.”

“Out of that 72% went onto college, 14% went to a sixth form, 7% started an apprenticeship and 4% started with a training provider.”

Mandy Chambers, Chair of Bolsover Partnership said:

“I am delighted that this much deserved initiative will continue to receive funding for a further two years. The innovative approach of the Raising Aspirations programme gives young people intensive support to improve their confidence, aspirations and post-16 progression.”

Raising Aspirations, which will be delivered by Derbyshire Education Business Partnership on behalf of Bolsover Partnership, uses a wide range of techniques including the use of positive role models and mentoring, intensive support and opportunities to take part in employment, education and training.

The funding comes from the public health localities and place-based programme for 2018-2019 and will run for two years from September 2018.

In 2017-2018 the project was delivered in 13 schools and 175 students from years 10 and 11 received support from the project. In addition a further 960 students took part in motivational activities and work to help improve their chances of finding employment.

engineering

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town

Quit smoking for good this Stoptober

1 October 2018 sees the launch of this year’s Stoptober challenge where Derbyshire smokers are being urged to quit for 28 days and see the difference that it can make. The annual campaign, run by Public Health England, attracts thousands of people keen to quit.

Councillor Carol Hart, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities said: “Smoking remains one of the biggest causes of preventable illness and premature death in Derbyshire. If you’re thinking of quitting smoking, Stoptober is a great opportunity to sign-up with thousands of other people who are keen to quit.”

Research shows that you’re four times more likely to quit with your local stop smoking service, and Derbyshire has seen a reduction in estimated adult smoking from 20.5% in 2010 to 15.1% in 2017.

Councillor Hart added: “We are working hard in Derbyshire to help reduce the harmful effects of smoking and our Live Life Better Derbyshire healthy lifestyles services offers free help and support to people who want to quit for good.”

Live Life Better offers stop smoking clinics across Derbyshire or find more help and support to stop smoking.

Stoptober

Posted in About Chesterfield

University of Derby named 13th for teaching quality in league table

The University of Derby is the 13th best university in the UK for teaching quality, according to the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 league table.

The table, to be published this weekend, will show that the University has climbed from 22nd to joint 13th in the country for its teaching quality.

University of Derby Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kathryn Mitchell, said: “The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide ranking is a very important assessment of a university’s progress across a range of measures. To be ranked joint 13th in the country for teaching quality is a fantastic achievement, and further reinforces our commitment to delivering teaching and learning excellence at Derby.

“Our teaching strategy encourages our academic teaching staff to be innovative in their approach to teaching and to be flexible enough to support the learning needs of individual students. We aim to help every student fulfil their potential and prepare them for their future career or further study.”

This league table position is the latest in a long line of achievements for the University of Derby, which this year has seen it:

  • Ranked as one of the UK’s top 30 universities overall in The Guardian’s University Guide for 2019 – it’s highest ever overall position
  • Named among the world’s top 250 modern universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University rankings
  • Presented with the Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year Award at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs)

The National Student Satisfaction Survey (NSS) reported in July that satisfaction with teaching at the University of Derby had risen to 88%. In the same survey, assessment and feedback had moved up to 79% satisfaction, with student satisfaction at the University overall rising to 86%, above the national average.

In August, University of Derby Online Learning (UDOL) Academic Manager Paula Shaw received a National Teaching Fellowship – the most prestigious individual award in higher education – in recognition of her outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession.

And Dr Ian Turner, Associate Professor in Learning and Teaching at the University, was shortlisted in the ‘Most Innovative Teacher of the Year’ category for the 14th annual Times Higher Education Awards 2018. The award ceremony takes place in November.

Those successes followed the Teaching Excellence Framework Gold Award from the Higher Education Funding Council in 2017, which puts the University of Derby in the top 20 per cent of all providers in the UK.

This year’s Times and Sunday Times league table also puts student experience at the University of Derby at number 40, up from 55th last year. Overall, the University was ranked 75th, up from 81st in last year’s table – its highest ever overall ranking in the Times and Sunday Times league table.

Professor Mitchell added: “The importance of the student experience of Derby is inextricably linked to outcomes, and we have worked hard with our student body to ensure that they have a greater voice in the way the university is run, as well as investing in new accommodation and facilities.

“Our vision is for Derby to be recognised as an inclusive university, providing the knowledge, experience and support that give our students the skills and confidence to achieve what they are capable of.”

Read more about the University of Derby’s Chesterfield campus, St Helena, by clicking here.

University of Derby 13th teaching quality

 

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Made in Chesterfield

BHP boosts business with 21 new starters

One of the region’s largest independent firm of Chartered Accountants, BHP, has welcomed 21 trainees into the company this month.

BHP, which has offices in Chesterfield, Sheffield, Cleckheaton, Leeds and York, has appointed 12 graduates, four year-long placements and five trainees.

The new starters have been appointed across the Audit and Assurance, Tax, Corporate Finance, Healthcare and Financial Planning departments.

Lisa Leighton, who joined BHP as a graduate in the Audit team and is now a Partner at the firm, said: “We’re very excited to welcome this latest intake of trainees who bring with them fresh ideas and talent. I know first-hand what it’s like joining as a graduate and the opportunities it offers to grow and develop your career. We very much look forward to supporting these new starters to flourish in their roles.”

This is also the first time a graduate has been appointed to the Financial Planning team which has witnessed exceptional growth over the last 18 months.

Louise Allen, Head of HR at BHP, said: “We firmly believe in training and retaining future talent as much as possible and these appointments are a testament to the exceptional growth of the business.”

“We’re very proud of our apprenticeship and placement programmes which strike a good balance between work, study and training, while equipping young people for the future of work.”

Nadeem Alam, a graduate in the Audit and Assurance department, said: “I chose to work at BHP because I could see that it has such a warm and welcoming environment.

“Starting a new job can make you feel very nervous but everyone has been very welcoming in my first few weeks which made it easy to settle in.”

“In the future, I would like to achieve my potential and I believe this is possible at BHP because they encourage internal progression which is crucial for your development. After speaking to people here I know I made the correct decision to join this ambitious firm.”

BHP has more than 350 staff, including 31 partners. Over the last 10 years the business has increased turnover from £8m to more than £20m.

For more information about BHP visit their Chesterfield Champion page here.

BHP Chartered Accountants

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

New florist brings floral fancy to Chesterfield

Bolsover Flowers is bringing new floral fancy to the area whilst giving back to the armed forces, with the opening of its new store.

Having launched two months ago, Bolsover Flowers is the realised dream of Marie Carline, who brings her 25 years of experience and floral passion to the local community.

Marie started working with blooms as a trainee florist in Letchworth aged just 19, then built her experience all across the country as she moved around with her husband, who was in the Royal Air Force. It’s this link to the forces that inspired the design of her store, paying homage to those who have fought for their country with fitting poppy artwork adorning the walls. Marie’s support doesn’t stop there, however, giving back to the armed forces by donating a proportion of profits to the benevolent fund.

Going on to gain Interflora and E-Florist experience, Marie then completed the Interflora examination backed by years of honing her craft, before setting out on her own with Bolsover Flowers.

It’s not solely about the blooms for Marie, however – flowers mark some of the most important moments in peoples’ lives and she becomes more of a friend to her customers than just the florist. From happy occasions such as weddings and births, to the more sad moments such as deaths and funerals, Marie recognises the individual needs of her customers to provide a truly personal experience, closing the store or extending her opening times to give privacy when required, with a box of tissues always at the ready. Whatever the request, Marie is happy to deliver. From favourite hobbies to nicknames, Marie utilises her artistic flair to create something special to commemorate a loved one, or can provide long lasting silk flowers for a graveside tribute.

With her flowers coming fresh from the great quality Pride Flowers in Derby, with whom Marie has worked with for over 20 years, plus a weekly delivery from Holland and plants and flower supplies coming from the local Sheffield markets, Marie takes pride in the quality of her flowers. From Willy Wonka-esque rainbow roses to classic white lilies, Marie can make up a bouquet in front of her customers to suit their personal taste. She also stocks a range of gifts from floral filled watering cans to spiky cactus pots and delivers throughout Chesterfield and further afield throughout the UK.

Marie comments: “Floristry is my passion and all I’ve ever wanted to do – I’m actually quite taken aback that I’m finally realising my dream of owning my own florist! The feedback from my customers has been incredible and I can’t wait to create more floral masterpieces for both existing and new customers as I go from strength to strength whilst giving back to the armed forces.”

Bolsover Flowers is open now.

Bolsover Flowers

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

New play area officially opens

Fun times lie ahead for youngsters in Somersall following the official opening of a new £56,000 playground this weekend.

The playground has been installed following a joint project between Chesterfield Borough Council and the Friends of Somersall Park to improve the quality of play equipment for young people.

The playground includes:

  • Traditional and basket swings
  • Play climbing structures including slides
  • Talking tubes
  • Obstacle course type activities to climb

An official opening ceremony for the playground will be held in Somersall Park at 11am on Saturday 22nd September.

The work has been funded by £25,000 from a Viridor landfill tax credit, £23,000 from Chesterfield Borough Council and £10,000 grant from Tesco Bags of Help.

John Ramsey, Principal Greenspaces Officer for Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Over the last three years we have been working with the Friends of Somersall Park to secure funding for the new play space in Somersall Park.”

“It is really pleasing to see that hard work pay off and for a wide range of play equipment to be installed to improve the quality of the play area for children to enjoy.”

The Friends of Somersall Park group has already carried out a range of projects to improve the park experience for users. These include tree and bulb planting, litter picks and organising various events including an annual lantern parade and a play day during the school holidays.

Rebecca Robinson, chair of the Friends of Somersall Park, said: “We are delighted to have successfully delivered a new play at Somersall Park for our local community to enjoy. We’d like to thank everyone who has helped and supported us.”

Somersall Park

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Leisure

Chesterfield on track to create world class visitor economy

It has been revealed that converting just 5% of Chesterfield’s day visitors into overnight stays would transform the town’s visitor economy.

Speaking at the annual Chesterfield Investment Summit, keynote speaker James Berresford, Chair of the Derbyshire Culture, Heritage, Arts and Tourism Board, added: “Chesterfield has its foot on the ladder of being world class and is on track to transform its visitor economy. It must focus on creating the distinctive, unique and special.”

At the sell-out event, which was held at Casa Hotel, it was revealed that last year Chesterfield attracted 3.7 million visitors who brought £175 million to the economy, representing a 50% uplift in tourism spend compared to 2009. (Read more about the growth in tourism in Chesterfield)

Mr Berresford praised the town’s ambitions saying: “Tourists today want experiences. We need to focus on the unique and distinctive things we have like the market and the Crooked Spire to stand out from the crowd. They are a wonderful local experience reflecting the character of the town.”

Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council, added: “It is very much a time of growth for the town and borough. However, as a council we remain committed to the premise that the growth we generate must be inclusive and that local people must benefit in terms of jobs and business opportunities.”

As part of Chesterfield’s drive to increase the visitor economy, more than 2,500 beds will be added to the Borough’s accommodation offering over the next 36 months. The 92-bed Premier Inn Hotel on Elder Way will open in January 2019 and further beds will be delivered at Chesterfield Waterside and Peak Resort.

Construction of a ‘core four’ phase one of Peak Resort will begin next year on the Birchall Estate.  Phase One is scheduled to open at the end of 2020. Phase One will be centered around the Gateway Complex which will provide serviced connectivity and equipment for tourists to engage in all sorts of activities in the surrounding communities and National Park.

The Birchall Estate has planning approvals for up to 2000 hotel rooms and 250 chalets. The hotels will be delivered in phases and in a range of formats from 5 star to hostel accommodation.  The aim is to deliver the quality and scope of accommodation and hospitality similar to that of a ski resort, sitting at the heart of the country alongside the Peak District National Park.

Delegates heard that climate change, travel security, changing habits and Brexit have all been key factors in the realisation of Peak Resort. Combined, they are driving more people to holiday in the UK.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield, added: “Young people need to raise their aspirations and skill up ahead of HS2 arriving in Chesterfield and the opening of Peak Resort to ensure that they and the town makes the most of the opportunities that these schemes will bring.”

Organised by Destination Chesterfield, Derbyshire Economic Partnership and Marketing Derby and part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the annual Investment Summit was held at Casa Hotel.

More than 200 people attended to learn more on the latest investment opportunities in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire. In addition to James Berresford, Rupert Carr and Huw Bowen, delegates also heard from Adam Hearld of Jomast Developments, which is transforming the former Co-op building and Frank Horsley, Head of Economic Regeneration at Derbyshire County Council.

Find out more about developments in Chesterfield.

Chesterfield Investment Summit 2018

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development

University of Derby researchers develop fingerprint technique to help criminal investigations

Researchers at the University of Derby have developed a breakthrough identification technique that helps develop fingermarks after prolonged periods of time.

Up until now, fingerprint techniques used by forensic scientists have always found metal surfaces such as knives and firearms very challenging.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of Derby and the University of Nottingham, have developed an approach that uses Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS), which is capable of revealing fingerprint ridge detail that is exceptionally clear and can be analysed up to 26 days after deposition. This raises the possibility of being able to reliably visualise fingerprints on surfaces previously thought to be devoid of such crucial evidence.

Adam Long, Undergraduate Programme Coordinator for Forensic Science at the University of Derby, said: “This revolutionary system is the first of its kind.”

“Fingerprints are incredibly difficult to retrieve from metallic surfaces. This is mainly due to physical and environmental conditions that the prints may be exposed to at the crime scene, the age of the print, as well as how the developing agents react with the surface.”

“A common example of the difficulties investigators face, comes from examining fired bullet casings. The high temperatures, pressure and friction caused when a bullet is fired makes fingerprints extremely fragile and this, combined with other factors, often results in their apparent removal or obliteration. This technique is non-destructive and can be used repeatedly to image fingerprint marks without compromising their quality.”

To conduct the study, researchers took fingermarks from six donors, every day for 14 days. The fingerprints were put on to disks of brass, aluminium and stainless steel and treated simultaneously so the effects of ageing could easily be determined. Using an Ion beam, from the ToF-SIMS technique, the researchers were able to detect and visualise the fingerprint secretions, in order to determine which metal surface was capable of preserving the previously undetected fingerprints.

The results showed that the fingerprints developed using traditional techniques did not work nearly as well, with one showing no results at all after the 14 days, unlike the ToF-SIMS method, which was used repeatedly up to 26 after initial sampling – the first time this has ever been done.

Dr Ian Turner, Associate Professor at the University of Derby said “It is fantastic to see the impact that combining the expertise of leading physicists and forensic scientists has had on developing fingermarks on this challenging surface.”

Dr Ian turner was recently shortlisted for a ‘Most Innovative Teacher of the Year’ award.

This technique is of interest to the East Midland Scientific Operations Unit – Forensic Services who helped develop the conventional marks used in the study.

The full findings, which were conducted by Tshaiya Devi Thandauthapani, Adam Reeve, Adam Long, Dr Ian Turner and Dr James Sharp, can be found here.

fingerprint forensics university of derby

Posted in About Chesterfield

Record visitor numbers boost Chesterfield economy

New figures showing a record number of visitors to Chesterfield are providing a £175 million boost to the borough’s economy were announced this morning at the Chesterfield Investment Summit.

The industry figures show that in 2017, Chesterfield received 3.7 million visitors, an increase of 5.1 per cent on 2016. This compares with an average 1.3 per cent increase across the rest of Derbyshire.

The year also saw tourism contribute £175.21 million to the Chesterfield economy, a 6.9 per cent increase on 2016.

As a result, the visitor economy sector also supported 2,165 full-time equivalent jobs in Chesterfield, an increase of 4.8 per cent on 2016. This compares with a 2.5 per cent increase across Derbyshire.

Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council said: “With the Peak District National Park on our doorstep, Chesterfield has long been a convenient place to visit but the fact we see so many people returning to visit us, shows we have a lot to offer in our own right.

“With attractions such as the world-famous Crooked Spire, the traditional open-air market, two theatres offering major shows and plays, Chesterfield Museum, Revolution House and Barrow Hill Roundhouse, it’s no wonder people choose to visit Chesterfield.

“This is great news for our local economy and we will continue to organise regular events to encourage people to visit the borough and, while they are here, take advantage of the many shops, cafés, restaurants and bars we have on offer here.

“I think it is easy to take what you have on your doorstep for granted but when I talk to visitors they are always very complimentary about Chesterfield and what it has to offer. These latest figures back that up and show how important tourism is to our economy.”

Chesterfield Borough Council organises regular events to attract visitors to the borough, such as the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket which brings in cricket fans from across the country. The next event is the 1940s market which takes place in the traditional open-air market place on Thursday 1 November.

Find out more about visiting Chesterfield and events

Crooked Spire in Spring - Visit Chesterfield

Crooked Spire in Spring

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Summer, Visiting