The Chesterfield Royal Hospital is preparing to celebrate ‘National Apprenticeship Week’ by promoting the various different apprenticeship opportunities in healthcare.

Ahead of the week, which runs from 6-10 March, The Royal is advertising various apprentice positions in Administration, Theatres, Endoscopy and a range of clinical services.

One of the current apprentices at the NHS hospital is 18 year-old Alicia Birtles who started her apprenticeship after leaving sixth form.  She is currently doing a 2 year apprenticeship which could lead to a role as a qualified Pharmacy Technician.

Alicia said:-

“I’d recommend doing an apprenticeship to anyone.  It’s a fantastic way to learn new skills and start a career in the NHS.  I’ve been made to feel so welcome and have really enjoyed working alongside the other Pharmacy apprentices, Beth and Laura. You get the best of both worlds in the sense that you’re gaining experience whilst learning from the professionals so you have an idea of what to expect from the job if I make it as a Pharmacy Technician.”

Ellie Varley, completed her Pharmacy apprenticeship in 2016 and has just secured a permanent job at The Royal.  Ellie said, “You really have to put hard work into an apprenticeship but it’s worth it for the opportunities that open up afterwards. It’s completely different from classroom learning and gets you used to what it’s like having a career. It’s not just the responsibilities of the job, it’s about your responsibilities, getting here on time, working with and dealing with other people. It’s another way of learning a skill and it’s really paid off for me with a full time job doing something that I enjoy.”

Martin Shepherd, Head of Medicines Management, said:-

“The apprenticeship initiative  plays a vital role  in supporting the training of pharmacy technicians who undertake  such important work in the safe and effective  management of medicines for patients cared for by the hospital.  The enthusiasm, energy and dedication of the young people who we have trained, and are currently training with us, is very encouraging and serves as inspiration to all members of the pharmacy team.”

Hayley Watts, Apprenticeship Champion, said:-

‘We’re very keen on supporting our local community and helping people to start their careers in healthcare here with us at The Royal. We’ve always supported apprentices and our managers are only too aware of the benefits that welcoming a new individual with fresh ideas and skills can bring’.

Organised by the National Apprenticeship Service, National Apprentice Week is designed to promote the positive impact apprenticeships have on individuals, organisations and the economy.

The week  will bring together employers and apprentices from across England to celebrate the success of apprenticeships and encourage even more people to  take it as an opportunity to put themselves on the road to a great career.

Award-winning premium drinks brand Franklin & Sons launches 150ml tonics and mixer cans to complement its existing bottled offering.

The four-strong range of cans consists of the Great Taste Award-winning Natural Indian Tonic Water, Natural Light Tonic Water, and will also see the introduction of lemonade and soda variants in the next coming months.

The total spirits category is growing at +2% in volume & +5% in value, this trend is consistent within the mixer category as consumers seek to complete their drinking experience using premium mixers. Late night venues seek solutions to meet this growing demand and Franklin & Sons have maximised on this opportunity by crafting a selection of their mixers into a compact 150ml can.

Justin Horsman, Brand Controller at Franklin & Sons, said:-

“Cans are rapidly gaining popularity for premium drinks. This addition to the portfolio complements our existing bottled formats, providing more choice to our customers.

As Franklins continues to find success with our mixers range, we wanted to expand our portfolio to offer a full variety of product formats, so venues can continuously provide a premium experience. Late night venues face several issues serving glass bottles, to combat this we have created a premium can solution that no one else is delivering, thus ensuring outlets can continue to serve high-end drinks with ease and elegance”.

The new cans are ideal for late night venues, especially those with premium bottle to table serves as they create an appealing alternative to venues that are unable to use glass mixers. Produced with the same handcrafted liquids, the lightweight, sleek, recyclable cans cause less wastage and are easily transportable. The cans are diverse and will suit travel retail as well as featuring within hotel amenities, such as the minibar.

Justin Horsman adds:-

“The 150ml Natural and Natural Light cans provide the proper measurement to pair perfectly with a wide variety of premium spirits, cocktails or single serves, an ideal selection for any bar.”

After a hugely successful first year launch with impressive 4 digit growth, the move to expand the range by Franklin & Sons propels them further into the craft spirits market. The brand continues to carve the way for premium offerings to the trade whilst fast becoming the favoured partner for craft spirits.

Chesterfield Champions and website design experts, SEO CoPilot, recently created a brand new website for homeless charity Pathways of Chesterfield, cementing the start of a partnership between the two organisations.

Pathways of Chesterfield – a local charity set up to support the homeless and vulnerably housed in Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire and Bolsover – offers a housing support and food provision service for anyone currently living on the streets or at risk of becoming homeless. SEO CoPilot have partnered with the charity’s management to provide free website support, redesign and marketing materials to help broaden their scope.

Guy Tomlinson, who runs SEO CoPilot, is proud to support a charity that will provide essential care and guidance through the cold snap this winter. He commented:-

“SEO CoPilot provide web design provide support to businesses and individuals throughout the Chesterfield region and the Pathways’ case inspired the team to help create a website design that is not only easy to use and appealing to visitors, but a complete online overhaul that will enable them to reach more people and benefactors than ever before.

“Our speciality lies in helping businesses and organisations reach their maximum potential audience via Google’s search listings – and our partnership with Pathways will hopefully enable the charity to expand its reach exponentially.”

Emily from Pathways Chesterfield, said:-

“We are so pleased that Guy and the team from SEO CoPilot decided to offer their services. As a small independent charity, we are reliant on support from our local community. We are really impressed with the proposed web design – it looks very professional and the web page will be much easier to navigate’.

Alongside continuing to support Pathways with their online/print design and marketing, the SEO CoPilot’s team will be providing hands-on support to Pathways in the months to come, helping out at the charity’s hard-working food provision service.

Guy and his team are keen to help the organisation as much as they possibly can and are looking forward to offering physical volunteer support alongside recent marketing and website guidance that they have gifted the charity.

Chesterfield law firm BRM Solicitors, has raised £18,874 for the Macmillan appeal to raise £2.5 million to help build the NGS Macmillan Unit Appeal, at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. The firm ran a free will writing initiative during September and October 2016.

To support the appeal, BRM Solicitors offered to write clients’ wills for free during the two months and waived their fees, encouraging clients to make a cash donation of £54 for a single will and £108 for a double will to Macmillan for the service. The scheme has run for two years and has so far raised £28,616 for the Macmillan Appeal.

Rob Woodhead, Head of Wills and Probate at BRM Solicitors, says:-

“The campaign has been a huge success, giving people the opportunity to make a will who otherwise may not have done so, whilst at the same time raising awareness of the Cancer Centre Appeal. Many clients chose to donate more than the suggested £54, showing their support for Macmillan’s vital work and the legal service we provided. The money raised will help to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.”

The firm will continue to run the scheme alongside Macmillan Cancer Support in September and October, for the next two years.

Rob Turner, the local fundraising manager at Macmillan says:-

“Thank you to everyone who took up BRM Solicitors offer and made a generous donation to Macmillan. Whether you choose to donate now, in your will, or both, your support is vital in helping Macmillan be there to support more people in Chesterfield who are affected by cancer.”

Businesses, charities and organisations throughout Chesterfield and north Derbyshire are being called on to share their good news and help further raise the profile of the town as a great place to work and invest.

Destination Chesterfield has organised a free Media Awareness Workshop which will give organisations the skills and support they need to share their good news with the media. The workshop is being delivered by Chesterfield Champion, In the Works PR and is supported by the European Regional Development Fund. the popular workshop is being held on Wednesday 15 March at Commerce House from 10.00am – 1.00pm.

Anna Melton, Director of In the Works PR, who will be delivering the popular workshop said:-

“I have worked with businesses in around Chesterfield for a number of years now and know that there are some great stories about jobs and investment that they are not shouting about and this is news that local media outlets, like the Derbyshire Times, really want to hear about. This workshop is designed to give them the skills and know how to gain media coverage for their organisation’s good news.”

Now in its fifth year, the free Media Awareness workshop is a practical, hands-on day by the end of which, businesses will have the skills and understanding to maximise editorial coverage through writing press releases and identifying additional opportunities for media coverage.

To book onto the free Media Awareness Workshop click here.

Destination Chesterfield is part funded by contributions from local businesses, Chesterfield Borough Council and the European Regional Development Fund.  The project is helping to improve the economic prosperity of the town through a campaign to promote Chesterfield.  The local business community plays a central role in its success by both leading an independent board of Directors for Destination Chesterfield, as well as businesses pledging their support to become Chesterfield Champions.