About Chesterfield

Tickets now on sale for Under-17 European Championship matches in Chesterfield

19th March 2018

UEFA tournament ambassador Jack Butland is urging the nation to get behind the Young Lions as England prepares to host the Under-17 European Championship for the first time.

Tickets for the eagerly-awaited tournament, which will be staged across ten match days at six venues in the Midlands and South Yorkshire from Friday 4 May to Sunday 20 May, are now on public sale.

England’s group fixtures will be held at Chesterfield FC on Friday 4 May (KO 1900), Walsall FC on Monday 7 May (KO 1500) and Rotherham United on Thursday 10 May (KO 1900)*. Burton Albion, Loughborough University and St. George’s Park will also stage matches.

Stoke City goalkeeper Butland, a key member of the England side which won the tournament in 2010, believes home support could be key to propelling Steve Cooper’s current crop all the way to the final in Rotherham on Sunday 20 May.

Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba and Mario Gotze are just some of the famous names to have appeared at previous editions of the Under-17 European Championship.

And with tickets starting from just £2 for children and £4 for adults, fans of all ages can watch Europe’s future stars on their doorstep at affordable prices.

Butland, who was named in the 22-man team of the tournament in 2010, said: “The UEFA Under-17 European Championship is a great chance to go and see the stars of tomorrow.

“I have not been lucky enough to play in a home tournament for England so for these young England players to do that, it will be a massive experience and they can really show what they are about.

“With England playing at Walsall, Chesterfield and Rotherham, it is a great chance for fans to go out and support the Young Lions. We have a bright future in this country and these players are at the heart of that.

“There is also going to be plenty of European talent on show in the matches at Loughborough University, St. George’s Park and Burton.”

After the unprecedented success of England’s development teams in 2017 and interest in youth football at an all-time high, these are exciting times for the Young Lions.

England, who also won the title in 2014 and finished runners-up to Spain last year, have qualified automatically as hosts.

The Young Lions will discover their group opponents when the draw for the 16-nation tournament takes place at St. George’s Park on 5 April.

Butland, who was confirmed in Gareth Southgate’s senior squad yesterday for the forthcoming friendlies against Holland and Italy, added: “Winning the Under-17 European Championship eight years ago has been a massive part of my career. It is one of my favourite moments in football.

“We had a great set of talent that year – and we do this year too. For anyone to get to play in this major tournament will be very special.

“From a senior point of view, we want to follow that and show that we are leading the way. It is a great time for English football and it is great to see the young sides doing so well.”

See the stars of tomorrow in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, 4-20 May 2018. Visit www.TheFA.com/U17Euro for tickets and further information.

*NOTE – kick-off times are subject to change

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

The Grand Tour returns across Derbyshire

16th March 2018

Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire are set to become cultural tourism destinations once again this spring, as season three of The Grand Tour opens on 24 March.

Four of the UK’s most respected cultural institutions unite again to host a varied programme of exhibitions – Nottingham Contemporary, Chatsworth, Derby Museums and The Harley Gallery Welbeck – the collaborative programme will give visitors the opportunity to view the existing classic art collections as well as exciting new work by leading contemporary artists, explore the rich architectural heritage of the area and enjoy the stunning landscapes, gardens, cities and towns of both counties.

The third season of The Grand Tour focuses on creation and discovery, exploring the region’s strong industrial heritage and legacy. The programme’s leading exhibitions invite visitors to use their senses to explore time, discovery and progress.

Chatsworth has been home to influential British artist Linder Sterling as its first artist-in-residence. During her six-month residency, Linder has immersed herself in estate life of today and of days gone by. An exhibition, ‘Linder, An Artist in Residency’ (24 March – 21 October) showcasing new pieces created during her stay, will invite visitors to use their senses to explore the past and present of Chatsworth, featuring incense created from the estate, images on textiles as well as recorded oral histories and musical compositions.

Linder’s residency has also informed a major new artist-curated exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary (24 March – 17 June) called ‘The House of Fame’. Linder’s largest retrospective in the UK sees some of her iconic photomontages and performances from over the last 40 years, accompanied by a collection of her influences and wide-ranging collaborators, collating art and architecture, fashion and theatre, music and design.

The Harley Gallery’s exhibition ‘Half in Shadow: Half in Light’ (24 March – 30 June), is a collaboration with the British artist Clare Twomey, exploring life on the historic Welbeck estate through a series of lithophanes. The lithophanes, inspired by a tea cup that the artist saw in the V&A Museum, will be lit from behind to reveal contemporary life on the estate, through the lens of the past, present and future.

Derby Museum & Art Gallery’s exhibition ‘The Art of Industry: From Joseph Wright to the 21^st Century’ (24 March – 30 June) will look back at the region’s industrial history and manufacturing landscape through both historic artefacts and contemporary artistic interpretation. Derby-born artist Joseph Wright’s ‘An Iron Forge’, painted in 1772 and now in the Tate collection, will return to the city for the first time since the 18^th century to be displayed alongside works by Ford Madox Brown, L. S. Lowry, Graham Sutherland and Sir Edwardo Paolozzi.

As in previous seasons, the Grand Tour will extend beyond these four venues with a host of fringe venues providing endless opportunities for the culture tourist to experience a broad range of art.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, the area’s official tourist board, said:

“The Grand Tour offers staying visitors the ideal opportunity to discover Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire’s wealth of classical and contemporary culture, built heritage and beautiful landscapes during short breaks to experience the best of both counties.

“Previous seasons have demonstrated that, when key venues collaborate, art and culture can be used as an effective catalyst to bring in more tourists and heighten both areas’ profiles as vibrant visitor destinations for the benefit of both the local and regional economy.”

Comfortable hotels abound in both city and country in the Peak District and Derbyshire. The Cathedral Quarter Hotel offers a four star boutique stay in Derby, while The Devonshire Arms Beeley or the Devonshire Arms Pilsley are both situated in peaceful and picturesque villages on the Chatsworth estate. Experience the true spirit of The Grand Tour at The Cavendish Hotel in Baslow, also on the Chatsworth estate, which has a unique collection of more than 300 artworks from the Devonshire collection, from fine art to 20th century graffiti. All its luxuriously-appointed bedrooms have magnificent views over Chatsworth’s parkland.

Dining out is a gourmet delight. Highlights in Derby include Terroir Bistro, which won the accolade of Restaurant of the Year in the Derby Food and Drink Awards 2017, and The Old Bell Hotel, Derby’s oldest hotel, bar and restaurant. Further north is award-winning Fischer’s Baslow Hall at Baslow, on the fringe of the Chatsworth estate, famous for its Michelin-starred fine dining experience. Luxurious and stylish with impeccable service, the restaurant is renowned for head chef Rupert Rowley’s inventive modern British cuisine.

Wider tourist attractions in the Peak District and Derbyshire include historic houses such as Haddon Hall, Hardwick Hall near Chesterfield and Kedleston Hall near Derby, fascinating underground caverns in Castleton and Buxton and family attractions such as exhilarating cable car rides and much more at The Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath and the pioneering industrial history of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Garden lovers should make a date in their diaries for the second annual RHS Chatsworth Flower Show (June 6 – 10).

More information is available on The Grand Tour website – www.thegrandtour.uk.com

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure

Derbyshire County Cricket Club announce record surplus for 2017

15th March 2018

Derbyshire County Cricket Club has recorded a surplus of £83,050 for the financial year ending December 2017.

Turnover reached record levels having grown by 20% year-on-year. This was driven by a rise in commercial income and a growth in conference and events revenue, following the successful hosting of two major concerts in 2017.

The hosting of the ICC Women’s World Cup also helped increase turnover, with the Club staging eight games during the competition and placing Derby on the world’s sporting stage.

An increase in cash receipts from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) allowed the Club to reduce some of its loan from Derby City Council, maintain its investment on the field and continue to improve facilities at The 3aaa County Ground.

Ian Morgan, Chairman of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, said:-

“I am proud to report a surplus for 2017, which is a seventh successive surplus for the Club.

“The performance was characterised by an impressive growth in our turnover, driven by our growing non-cricket business. This is vital and realistically the only way we can continue to grow our on-field playing budget.

“It’s a testament to our dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working off-field team that, despite the challenges of a packed domestic schedule, a global cricket tournament and two high-profile concerts, we were able to achieve record numbers.

“I would like to extend a big thank you to our Members, supporters and 1870 Business Club partners, and in particular to our Principal Partner 3aaa, for their continued support.

“We are working hard to bring success to Derbyshire and I’m confident that, with our plans on and off-the-field showing progress, we can be optimistic about the future.”

Simon Storey, Chief Executive of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, added:-

“It’s been another challenging, but ultimately successful year for Derbyshire. On-the-field, progress under the guidance of Cricket Advisor Kim Barnett was marked by the Club’s first home quarter-final in the T20 Blast.

“Our commercial and operations teams, meanwhile, worked exceptionally hard in delivering a number of major events and this success helped us to sustain our investment in the playing budget.

“A healthy future on and off-the-field demands continued innovation and, whilst we must always remember we are a cricket club first and foremost, our non-cricket events demonstrated our increasingly important role in the community as a cricket, conference and events, and major events venue.

“Our results for 2017, however, benefited from a number of one-off major events that will not be repeated in 2018. But with our responsible financial management, we are ensuring that we balance the short-term financial challenges with long-term sustainability.”

Posted in About Chesterfield

Derbyshire showcases half billion of investment at MIPIM

15th March 2018

Derby and Derbyshire have been promoting the region at MIPIM, the international property conference, as part of the Midlands UK Pavilion.

Frank Horsley, Head of Economic Regeneration at Derbyshire County Council presented, alongside senior representatives from Birmingham and Coventry, as part of a ‘Living and Thriving’ panel hosted by Estates Gazette. The panel discussed the effects leisure and tourism have on the economic development and Derbyshire brings a wealth of opportunity to the table.

Derbyshire has long been a destination of choice to live, work and play. With over 35 million visitors per year, the tourism economy in Derbyshire is thriving. Iconic brands and stunning locations such as the Peak District National Park, Chatsworth House and the National Forest attract millions of tourists each year and encourages more businesses to set up or locate in Derbyshire. The County has a unique lifestyle offer and Derbyshire’s residents have easy access to both an area of outstanding national beauty and to major cities.

Frank Horsley, Head of Economic Regeneration at Derbyshire County Council said “Countless examples of living and thriving can be found right across Derbyshire from the famous Peak District National Park and Derbyshire Dales to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site – the birth-place of the industrial revolution. Derbyshire is proud of its industrial past and manufacturing is still at its core with twice the national average being employed in this sector. The visitor economy is also booming, and worth over £2 billion with new developments of global significance such as Buxton Hotel and Spa and Peak Resort in Chesterfield coming forward. People and businesses thrive in Derbyshire, from entrepreneurs to large scale multi-national companies – innovation is in our DNA”

As Derbyshire’s largest town, Chesterfield is undergoing a huge change with major investments in retail, tourism and housing developments currently taking place.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said “The first phase of £400m Peak Resort, which is set to launch in 2020, will help cement Chesterfield’s reputation as a tourism town, harnessing its proximity to the Peak District. We have long recognised the tourist potential of the town and are making significant investment in the number of overnight beds available, creating additional hotel accommodation in both the town centre and at Basin Square in the first phase of Chesterfield Waterside.”

Another key part of Derbyshire’s investment offer is the market town of Buxton founded by the Romans, it later became a famous spa town in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The development of Buxton Crescent to a Five-star thermal spa hotel and visitor centre brings huge opportunities for the town. The project, which received a £23.8m Heritage Lottery Fund award, one of the largest awards granted outside London, is a partnership between High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire County Council, Trevor Osborne Property Group and CP Holding Ltd, the outright owner of the Danubius Hotel and Spa Group – Europe’s largest hotel and spa operator.

VINCI Construction UK started work on the £46 million redevelopment in 2016 and the Hotel and Spa and Pump Room will open in 2019. The Crescent development will place Buxton firmly back on the map as England’s leading spa town.

The crescent, built by the Fifth Duke of Devonshire, has strong links with the Chatsworth Estate in the stunning Peak District National Park as the current Duke of Devonshire is the Patron of the Buxton Crescent & Thermal Spa Heritage Trust. The Chatsworth Estate is an important part of the visitor economy and the Duke of Devonshire is a strong advocate of the excellent quality of life on offer in Derbyshire.

The Duke of Devonshire commented “Derbyshire is a wonderful part of the world, with many and varied reasons to live here and visit. As a university, spa and market town, Buxton is one of those reasons. Built by my ancestor the 5th Duke of Devonshire, the Crescent has been part of Buxton’s history for over 200 years, and I hope that its current redevelopment will play a pivotal role in the continued renaissance of Buxton as a leading spa town. At Chatsworth, we look forward to playing our part in the next stage of Buxton’s story.”

Download the D2 Prospectus of investment opportunities.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development

Chesterfield businesses invited to take part in graduate recruitment programme

14th March 2018

Small to medium Chesterfield businesses are being invited to access expert help to attract, select, recruit and train graduates through a city region-wide funded scheme.

The Sheffield City Region RISE graduate recruitment programme is delivered in partnership with the SCR Growth Hub, University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and the private sector.

It aims to connect growing businesses with ambitious graduates – and take the hassle out of recruitment. Local organisations that have been involved in the project to date include Chesterfield Champions Casa Hotel, Global Brands and Stopfords.

Stopfords Chesterfield LLP welcomed marketing graduate Joshua Paget to their team last year as part of the RISE recruitment programme.

Martin Swain, Partner at Stopfords, comments on Joshua’s appointment:-

“I am delighted to be able to welcome Joshua to Stopfords. The scheme not only benefits the local community and businesses copious amounts, but also saves us, the employer, a lot of time and resources.”

Joshua, said about the scheme:

“It enables me to learn and develop in a role I have an interest in. The RISE team were very supportive and informative throughout the whole process and I have had a warm welcome from all the staff at Stopfords.”

Business can participate in RISE, whether they want to appoint a graduate to a six month internship or a permanent post with a six-month probationary period. The only eligibility criteria is that they have less than 250 employees and are based in the Sheffield City Region.

The organisation must commit to an excellent induction, management support, salary and appraisal package. In return, they can access a fully-funded recruitment programme to help manage the process and ensure the best possible result for both employer and employee – plus there’s a £1,000 wage subsidy available.

To find out more about the RISE project click here. The deadline for applications to get involved is March 19th.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Trading Standards offer to stop businesses falling foul of the law

14th March 2018

Businesses are being encouraged to take advantage of the Derbyshire County Council cut-price offer that could save them money and stop them falling foul of the law.

Businesses that manufacture, import, store or supply goods or services to consumers face numerous trading laws which are enforced by the Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards service.

Trading Standards supports businesses, helps consumers and tackles unfair and unsafe trading practices.

Officers’ advice could help businesses avoid legal action being taken against them.

For one month the rate charged for this bespoke business advice will be almost halved as part of a campaign to promote the service.

The advice service usually costs businesses £65 plus VAT per hour but for the next month the county council are offering it at just £35 plus VAT an hour − a saving of £30 an hour.

For example, among other things, officers can help businesses ensure the safety of their consumer products, help them get their food labelling right and provide them with guidance to ensure that their terms and conditions comply.

Many businesses don’t know about the help the Trading Standards officers can provide, or are reluctant to ask for help. In many cases businesses have realised too late they could have avoided the unnecessary expense of wastage or recalls by involving Trading Standards at an early stage.

Getting something wrong can harm consumers, cost businesses money, damage reputation and lead to prosecution.

Councillor Carol Hart, cabinet member for health and communities at Derbyshire County Council, said:

“No business wants to fall foul of the law and it can be costly if they inadvertently do. For sound advice and peace of mind we have a team of experienced Trading Standards officers with a wealth of knowledge who are happy to help any business that trades in Derbyshire, large or small, with practical advice and guidance.”

She added:

“We hope this offer will encourage more businesses to take up the service, which is a sound investment for them. By using it businesses could avoid lots of problems and save money in the long run.”

Businessman Mike Channon, who owns Tablet Hookz in Derbyshire, manufactures a device for mounting tablets and phones on car, aeroplane and train seats and tables, so people can enjoy hands-free entertainment while they travel.

Mr Channon said:

“I would recommend to anyone who is thinking of bringing a product to market that they should get advice from Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards before they do. I’ve found their advice invaluable. Finding out at a later stage that your product or the instructions don’t comply with the law could be a very costly mistake, if legal action is taken against you.”

Businesswoman Helen Wang, of Abakus Foods in London, got help from us with the packaging of her healthy snacks, which are sold in Derbyshire.

She said:

“Derbyshire County Council Trading Standards helped us check our packaging design to make sure it complies with regulatory standards. The detailed report was helpful for us to know what we can and cannot say on the packaging. The comments were very insightful and the turnaround was quick. We will be back in the future.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Chesterfield Champion crowned VEEAM Partner of the Year

13th March 2018

Chesterfield Champion, Central Technology (CT), were awarded Veeam’s VSCP Partner of the Year award at the Veeam’s Partner Awards ceremony in early March.

This award recognises the Veeam partner that has made the greatest contribution to the popularisation of Veeam powered services. The award was presented on the 8th March at Veeam’s Partner Awards by Greg Bailey, Veeam’s Sales Director for Channel & Cloud UK&I.

CT was nominated and awarded this honour for delivering innovative ideas to maximise the development as well as improvement of Veeam products. Effective marketing and business practices that has positively promoted the benefits of Veeam services were also highlighted.

Demonstrating the delivery of effective technical ideas was CT’s Director, Chris Barr, who influenced the addition of a crucial cyber security protection feature in the most recent Veeam Backup and Replication release – a ‘recycle bin’ for the Cloud Connect Backup repository’ which provides a true air gap between the customers’ onsite environment and the data stored with the service provider.

Ian Snow, Managing Director at CT, said:-

‘The team here at CT places great value on our long standing partnership with Veeam and the benefits that it offers all our customers. Our partnership and combined expertise has enabled us to offer the very best in hosted products and services, including addressing a critical cyber security challenge amongst our customers.’

Ian continues:-

‘The ability to influence the development of a product that provides the highest level of protection and availability for customers is incredibly satisfying and is testament to the work we have achieved together. From a service provider perspective, we see tremendous opportunity for the growth of Veeam’s suite of business continuity products. They are a leader in their space and will continue to help us deliver world-class cloud-based backup and recovery services to our customers at a time where legacy back-up solutions do not provide the protection organisations now need.’

Mike Tonks, Veeam’s Territory Manager Cloud UK & Ireland, said:-

‘I am delighted to award the Veeam VSCP Partners of the year to CT. Our strong relationship has resulted in solid growth on their platform particularly around BaaS and DRaaS offerings. We are excited about the future for CT and Veeam and we look forward to continued growth.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Go Outdoors Chesterfield set to open this weekend

13th March 2018

Outdoor company Go Outdoors has confirmed that it’s new Chesterfield store will open on Saturday 17th March.

Go Outdoors follows a number of retailers to invest in the town recently including Deichmann Shoes , Trespass and Patisserie Valarie as well as a number of new independent stores.

Whilst the store is set to open this weekend, the official opening will take place the following weekend on Saturday 24th March with actor Ross Kemp cutting the ceremonial ribbon to mark the opening of the new store at Spire Walk Business Park. The celebrity guest will be onsite from 9am, taking part in a question and answers session, welcoming new customers and signing autographs.

As part of the official opening on the 24th, families will receive a complimentary £20 gift voucher if they are one of the first 200 shoppers through the door. Other incentives at the opening event include an 15% discount over the weekend and a free Go Outdoors discount voucher offering a range of savings across a variety of products and brands.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Cathelco supply equipment for four jackups owned by Marine Gulf Services

13th March 2018

Cathelco are supplying marine growth prevention systems (MGPS) for four jackup barges owned by Gulf Marine Services, the largest operator of self-propelled, self-elevating support vessels in the world.

The systems will protect the barges against blockages in pipework caused by the growth of barnacles and mussels which can impair the efficiency of engine cooling systems and ancillary equipment.

The systems will be installed over the coming months when the Kikuyu, Kawawa, Kudeta and Keloa return to the GMS yard in Abu Dhabi for scheduled maintenance work.

The order was obtained by Cathelco Middle East who are based in Sharjah and provide sales and technical support throughout the region.

Stevenson Verghese, Managing Director of Cathelco Middle East, said:-

“Bio-fouling organisms grow rapidly in warm, shallow waters and therefore Cathelco MGPS are widely used on jackups to prevent the problems caused by blockages in pipework.”

Cathelco will be supplying two types of MGPS systems for each of the vessels, one to provide protection when they are in transit with their hulls floating on the water and the other for when the platforms are in the elevated position.

The seachest installations, protecting the vessel in transit, will consist of two pairs of copper and aluminium anodes connected to a control panel, whilst in the elevated position copper anodes will be used protect the submersible pumps.

In operation, the copper anode produces ions which flow through the pipework and create an environment where mussel and barnacle larvae do not settle or grow. At the same time, the aluminium ions produce an anti-corrosive layer on the internal surfaces of pipes.

The concentrations of copper are extremely small, but effective in preventing blockages caused by bio-fouling. As a result, the system is environmentally benign and does not harm the wider marine habitat.

Cathelco are the largest manufacturer of MGPS equipment in the world with a record of over 50,000 installations during a period of more than 60 years. It’s systems are used on offshore platforms and jackup rigs in locations from the Middle East to the Russian Arctic as well as numerous types of commercial ships including offshore supply vessels.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Organisations invited to support blooming glorious Chesterfield

12th March 2018

Chesterfield is set to experience a blooming riot of colour this summer as residents get set to enter the annual best kept garden competition as part of the Chesterfield in Bloom campaign.

The launch of this year’s Chesterfield and East Midlands in Bloom campaign is fast approaching and the organisers are looking for local organisations to support the event.

Chesterfield in Bloom is led by a committee of local residents supported by Chesterfield Borough Council, who have been working hard on new initiatives for the forth coming campaign including new categories for specifically for council house tenants and a wheel barrow competition for secondary school children. They are also looking to expand the amount of floral displays we have in the town centre through their work with other town centre partners.

A record breaking number of more than 100 people took part in the competition last year, which is open to all Chesterfield borough residents.

Current partners include Ringwood Hall Hotel, Spencer’s Solicitors, Killingley Landscapes, Tawney Wood Developments, Dunston Hall and New Leaf Garden Centres. Local businesses and companies are invited to join the current partners to support the Chesterfield in Bloom competition with a number of sponsorship opportunities available.

The sponsorship packages include company name engraved on the awards and certificates, listed on entry forms and award brochures, invitation to the awards and judging competition alongside extensive PR coverage in local media from April – September 2018.

If you are interested in supporting Chesterfield in Bloom contact John Ramsey at john.ramsey@chesterfield.gov.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Summer

Girlguides in Derbyshire unite in social action for charity

12th March 2018

Across Derbyshire hundreds of Girlguiding units have raised thousands of pounds for charity as part of their commitment to social action.

Members raised £22,596 through a range of fundraising activity, which could help fund 807 Macmillan nursing hours, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

Girlguiding Midlands launched their 12-month charity partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support in January 2017 with a programme of activities to volunteer, raise funds and awareness for the charity.

Annette Heartfield, County Commissioner for Derbyshire, said:-

“We’re so proud of our members who used the partnership to raise a large amount of money but had lots of fun whilst doing it.”

Through their ‘Macmillan Challenge’ – a programme of fundraising activities including Mile for Macmillan and Dress Up and Dance and World’s Biggest Coffee Morning – Girlguiding Midlands have collectively raised more than £113,800 – enough to help run a Macmillan Information and Support Centre for a whole year. The activities were chosen to easily fit in with Girlguiding Midlands programme of events and to encourage the engagement and participation of the 72,000 members across the region.

Abi Salter, Chief Commissioner for Girlguiding Midlands, said:-

“I am absolutely delighted with the outcome of the Macmillan Challenge. Thousands of girls and leaders have taken part across the Midlands and the amount raised is fantastic. Girlguiding offers a wide range of opportunities to our members and this challenge has enabled our girls to help other people as well as having a lot of fun along the way. I would like to thank everyone who has made the Challenge such a huge success.”

Social action and helping others is a core part of the guiding programme and working in partnership with Macmillan has encouraged Girlguiding Midlands members to get actively involved.

Gini Smith, Partnership Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:-

“We would like to say an enormous thank you to each and every member of Girlguiding Midlands who has supported our partnership. You have run, walked, danced and baked in true Girlguiding style. Together they have raised a massive £112,000, exceeding all expectations. It’s been a fantastic partnership and we were delighted to see so many events taking place across the region. We can’t thank you enough. ”

By participating in The Macmillan Challenge, members of Girlguiding Midlands have made a real positive difference to those living with cancer through three strands of social action – fundraising, awareness and volunteering – with bespoke Girlguiding badges available for each.

Claire Singlehurst, Director of Relationship Fundraising at Macmillan, said:-

“We are overwhelmed by the success of this partnership with Girlguiding Midlands. We have seen such a great commitment to the ‘Macmillan Challenge’ and hope that members of Girlguiding Midlands enjoyed being part of “Team Macmillan” over the last year. Thank you to everyone who took part. As the leading cancer support charity in the UK we were also able to support members of Girlguiding Midlands to talk about cancer and inspire them to make healthy choices in the future leaving a lasting legacy for years to come.”

Posted in About Chesterfield