About Chesterfield

Sculpture chosen for new Chesterfield College building

A sculpture celebrating the town’s famous railway pioneer, George Stephenson is to be installed outside Chesterfield College’s new construction facility on Infirmary Road.

The winning design comes from Chesterfield College art and design student, Hannah Carter, aged 17, who was one of 6 finalists shortlisted from a total of 28, and will incorporate some of the decorative stones from the old building on the site.

Hannah said:

“I was inspired by the role the railway has played in the town and I wanted to combine that with the role education plays in shaping people’s lives. My design is created from stone and metal railway tracks. It shows how education can take you on different journeys in life.”

“It has been an amazing experience to take part in this competition. I can’t wait to see my designs come to life for everyone to enjoy.”

Luke Chapman, tutor at Chesterfield College said:-

“I am proud of how each of the students has used different inspirations to create their designs. This competition has given them all a fantastic opportunity to see how design is important in the local community. Some of the students want to go on to study architecture when they leave us and being finalists in a competition like this really gives them a head start in being able to apply what they learn in a classroom to the outside world.”

Other finalists included Justine Wright, Charlene Haughton, Lauren Blount and Jordan Thorpe all aged 17 and first year art and design students. The competition was judged by Cllr Terry Gilby from Chesterfield Borough Council, Stuart Cutforth, Principal at Chesterfield College and Mike Thackery, Head of Facilities at Chesterfield College.

The new sculpture is part of the Percent for Art scheme run by Chesterfield Borough Council, which invites developers of schemes costing over £1m to include a work of art as part of their finished project.

Hannah Carter (centre) winner of sculpture competition with some of the finalists

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting

More protection for Derbyshire consumers

Derbyshire residents are to be offered more protection against scams through a new scheme set up by Age UK Derby and Derbyshire and the Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Scam Watch will offer victims one-to-one support and provide direct help and advice as well as raise awareness about phone, mail, online and doorstep scams.

Funded by a £25,000 Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Grant, the scheme will ensure victims receive direct help and are referred to other appropriate sources of support.

It will enable volunteers to be recruited and trained to visit scam mail victims at home and ‘call blockers’ − devices which filter out unwanted or cold calls − will be installed in the homes of vulnerable, high-risk phone scam victims.

The grant will also allow better identification of those at risk, support research into how much scams cost the local economy and allow closer partnership working with support groups such as Neighbourhood Watch.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Dave Allen said:

“We welcome the Police and Crime Commissioner grant to improve the support we offer and also raise awareness to help people spot a scam and not be taken in.

Computer broadband Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield

Devolution bid formally submitted by council leaders

Council leaders in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have submitted a joint bid to government for the devolution of more economic powers and much greater control over their own affairs.

It is believed that the ground-breaking deal would place the East Midlands firmly on the Westminster map and at the front of the queue for jobs, growth and skills.

It would also place the area, which includes the Core City of Nottingham, on a par with Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and the West Midlands.

The final detail of the bid is still subject to on-going negotiation, but will include new powers to generate income for major infrastructure projects. It also calls for more say over jobs, skills, housing and transport projects.

One of the Government’s conditions for devolving significant powers includes a directly elected mayor. While this is challenging for many, it was agreed that it needed to be seen in the light of the prize that was on offer.

All 19 councils in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, including Chesterfield Borough Council, have shown their support for the idea of regions having greater control over their own affairs and being able to help local economies to thrive.

In a joint statement, Councillor Anne Western, Chair of the D2 Joint Committee, and Councillor Graham Chapman, Chair of the Nottinghamshire Economic Prosperity Committee, said:

“We submitted our devolution bid to Government on Friday 4 September 2015 after an agreement from the leaders of the councils.

“The potential benefits to local people are substantial. It would place Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire at the head of the queue for skills, growth and economic development.

“We all know that some of the conditions are challenging but the size of the prize means that we can’t afford not to be at the table. The important thing now is to keep talking and negotiating so we can secure the best possible deal for the people of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.”

Chesterfield Town Hall spring

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

New fitness equipment for Chesterfield leisure centres

State-of-the-art fitness equipment is set to be installed at two Chesterfield leisure centres.

The 150 stations currently available at the Healthy Living Centre in Staveley will all be replaced before Christmas.  There will be a mix of the latest cardio, strength and functional machines and accessories to provide a range of exercise options for users.

New equipment will also be in place at the new Queen’s Park Sports Centre when it opens early next year.  The size of the new fitness suite will be more than double that in the current centre, with over 80 stations compared to the 40 now available.

At least half of the new equipment will be designed to an inclusive standard which will improve accessibility to equipment for people with disabilities.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing said: “One of the council’s top priorities is the health and wellbeing of our residents and this investment shows how seriously we take this.

“We are committed to keeping the equipment at both our fitness suites as up to date and as accessible as possible for our gym users.”

A consultation will be carried out before the final mix of equipment is chosen.

Queens Park Sports Centre

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Visiting

Promote your business to new students at Chesterfield College

Chesterfield College is inviting local organisations to say a ‘big hello’ at its special freshers event taking place next week on Friday 11th September.

Designed to highlight the opportunities available to young people in the area, the entire Infirmary Road campus will be transformed into a festival venue for the afternoon with plenty of music, food and entertainment.

There will be a number of special guest appearances including James Argent from TOWIE, Chesterfield Football Club and Donut Creative Arts Studio (DCAS).

Stuart Cutforth, Principal at Chesterfield College said:-

“We want to celebrate the end of the first week of term and welcome the 4000 students we are expecting to join us by giving them the chance to see all the benefits that studying at college in Chesterfield can bring. We would love lots of local organisations to join us to make the afternoon one for everyone to really remember.”

If you run a club students might be interested in joining, an organisation looking for volunteers, a place for students to eat and hang out, Chesterfield college would love to hear from you. Space is limited at the event but will be offered free of charge to organisations that can help make this a first week of term to remember for the students.

Local businesses and organisations that want to be part of the festival can contact Kerry Robertson on 07875 200939 or robertsonk@chesterfield.ac.uk for more information.

Stuart Cutforth Principal Chesterfield College

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure

Funding available for Chesterfield athletes

Financial support is now on offer to help Chesterfield athletes follow in the footsteps of major championship medal winner, Liam Pitchford (pictured below).

The Derbyshire ICON bursary programme is now open for this year’s applications and also provides access to a free leisure pass and valuable PR exposure.

A total of 15 athletes from the Chesterfield area benefited from ICON support in 2014-2015, sharing a total of £2,250.

Among them was Newbold athlete Alicia Barrett, who finished sixth in the 100m hurdles final of the IAAF World Youth Championships after setting a new United Kingdom under-18 record in her heat.

Another to benefit has been Brampton tennis player Bradley Buckland (pictured right), who qualified to play at Wimbledon in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 and Under Challenge.

There have been 131 athletes in all from across the county on the Derbyshire Sport-run programme over the past 12 months, awarded bursaries totalling £21,925.

That was made possible by the contributions of all 10 Derbyshire local authorities, plus a number of business members from across the county.

To qualify, applicants must live in one of the county’s nine districts or compete for a Derbyshire-based club and must already compete at a high level in a sport recognised by Sport England.

All should already be representing their country or Great Britain, have won a national championship medal, are part of a recognised development squad or a development squad aligned to a professional club or have been selected for the Derbyshire Institute of Sport.

The closing date for applications is Friday September 25. For more information visit http://www.derbyshiresport.co.uk/icon-applications

Liam Pitchford

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer

Share your views to help improve where you live

Residents are invited to help set priorities for their area at the next round of Chesterfield community assembly meetings.

Held four times a year, the meetings allow people to receive information and ask questions about projects led by the council and other partners that will affect them and their families.

In September the focus will be on health and wellbeing, community safety and crime, growth, the local economy and Chesterfield as a thriving borough.  Responses will be used to create a community action plan for each area.

Locals will also hear how they can become involved in the commemorations of the Battle of Chesterfield and be invited to vote on funding of up to £200 for local projects as part of the council’s minor grants scheme.

Councillor Sharon Blank, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for governance, says: “The best way for us to develop action plans for each area is for us to have the thoughts, ideas and opinions of residents so I would encourage people to come along to their community assembly meeting in September and have their say.”

The meetings will take place across the town including:-

  • Chesterfield North: Tuesday 15 September at Whittington Green School, High Street, Old Whittington
  • Chesterfield East: Wednesday 16 September at Netherthorpe School, Ralph Road, Staveley
  • Chesterfield South: Wednesday 23 September at the Town Hall, Rose Hill
  • Chesterfield West: Thursday 24 September at Loundsley Green Community Centre, Cuttholme Road.

The meetings are held at 6.30pm and anyone attending will have their opportunity to speak to their local councillors at the end of discussions.

Chesterfield Town Hall spring

Posted in About Chesterfield

Beat post-holiday blues with ‘Shake Up September’

People across Chesterfield are being encouraged to shake off the post-holiday season blues by taking part in the Derbyshire Workplace Challenge’s Shake Up September.

The campaign – administered by Derbyshire Sport – aims to help individuals of all abilities get into shape by joining forces with their work colleagues to log points from their fitness activities which are listed on a leaderboard.

Getting involved can also help you sleep better, reduce the risk of disease and stress and improve life expectancy.

It will also assist adults in meeting the government’s recommendation of getting at least 150 minutes of regular exercise every week.

And if you can get together a group of people from your organisation, you could win a team prize by earning the highest average number of points.

Vickie Maris, from Chesterfield, who works at Rykneld Homes in Wingerworth, took part in the January Workplace Challenge along with a number of her colleagues and is looking forward to ‘Shake Up September’ after recently getting married.

“The Workplace Challenge is something we use particularly when there are active challenges, such as the walking one which ran in May and the cycling one throughout August,” said the 28-year-old.

“Most of us at Rykneld take part in our own separate activities to get our points, but we do have a circuit session that we host on-site too, while we also have regular Walking Wednesday sessions when we walk a couple of miles.

“As you start to get your points, you can see how you are doing against previous weeks and also against other people in the office. Quite a few will be logging their points when they walk to work.”

To sign up for ‘Shake Up September’ go to http://www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/derbyshire and for more ideas on what activities you might want to try go to www.derbyshiresport.co.uk/get-active

Derbyshire Sport

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Ey Up Me Little Yellow Duck

Over the next few weeks, more than thirty little ducks will be released in Chesterfield and the surrounding area.  But don’t call the RSPCA just yet! The ducks are all knitted or crocheted by the StraightCurves Charity Knitting Group and are part of a worldwide project aiming to raise awareness of the importance of blood and organ donation.

The Little Yellow Duck project was originally launched in 2014 in memory of Clare Cruickshank, who passed away aged just 26 whilst awaiting a double lung transplant. Due to a chronic shortage of organ donors here in the UK, Clare never got her second chance at life, but her friends and family pledged to her that they would try to change the situation so that other families don’t suffer in the same way.

They set about spreading random acts of kindness by making cute yellow ducks and leaving them in public places for strangers to stumble upon. Each duck has a tag with its name on, and finders are asked to take the duck home, record the spot where it was discovered on the project’s interactive map, and most importantly, to consider registering as a blood or organ donor. In just over a year, more than 4,500 ducks have been found in over 75 countries!

The StraightCurves Charity Knitting Group decided to join in with the project having seen first hand what a difference an organ transplant can make to somebody’s life. Studio Manager Roz Vincent explained some of the motivation behind the group’s decision:

“My father-in-law received a kidney transplant in 2008 after several years on the waiting list. The difference it has made, not only to his quality of life, but to our whole family is unbelievable.”

The group will be releasing their ducks in several locations around the local Chesterfield area in the run up to StraightCurves’ next Open Day on 5th September so keep your eyes peeled and if you’re lucky enough to discover one of the little ducks, log onto the project website at www.thelittleyellowduckproject.org and record your find. The World Map on the project website shows the locations of all the ducks that have been found, so you can also see if there was one nearby that you missed!

If you would like more information about StraightCurves or the StraightCurves Charity Knitting Group, call Karen or Roz on 01246 807575, visit the website at www.straightcurves.co.uk or pop in to the studio open day at 104 Saltergate, Chesterfield on Saturday 5th September from 10am until 2.30pm.

StraightCurves Little Yellow Duck Project

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

More volunteers wanted for Chesterfield Marathon

Organisers of the Chesterfield Marathon are on the hunt for more volunteers to help make the second event a success.

Set to take place on Sunday 20th September, the full and half marathon, as well as the fun run will all start and finish at Queen’s Park – where an all-day party has also been planned.

Those keen to get involved will be asked to assist on the day of the race from 7.30am until early afternoon, with duties ranging from marshalling to manning drinks stations.

All volunteers will be given a high vis vest, branded t-shirt, refreshments and food whilst on duty, as well as a ‘Volunteers Village’ to return to in Queen’s Park, where everyone can meet, swap stories and relax after the race is complete.

Those sparing their time will also receive a share of the profits from the event for a charity of their choice, thanks to a scheme announced earlier this year.

One group already to sign up as volunteers include ‘Team Inspire’, made up of an inspiring young people who have undertaken a National Citizen’s Service (NCS) project to create a legally designated wall space for graffiti in Chesterfield. The team, accompanied by their parents, will look after the first drinks station of the race on the A617.

Mike Hyman, founder of the Chesterfield and Derbyshire Marathon, said: “Volunteering is a great opportunity for local people to get involved in a brilliant event in Chesterfield and show their support without actually taking part in the race itself.

“Organising an event of this scale takes a huge amount of time and effort, so volunteers provide us with such vital support, both in the run up to and on race day itself, to ensure things run as smoothly as possible.

“We are all excited about the marathon. It is going to be a fantastic day for everyone in the community and we hope as many people as possible can be involved with it.”

To volunteer for the Chesterfield Marathon register at www.chesterfieldmarathon.org.uk/registrations or contact Julie Harrington on 01246 269023 or e-mail julie@chesterfieldmarathon.co.uk.

Image: Team Inspire’, made up of an inspiring young people who have undertaken a National Citizen’s Service (NCS) project to create a legally designated wall space for graffiti in Chesterfield.

Team inspire

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Spireites sign Premiership player

Chesterfield have signed Liam O’Neil from West Bromwich Albion for an undisclosed fee.

O’Neil, 22, who can play in defence or midfield, has made five Premier League appearances.

After completing the signing, Spireites manager Dean Saunders said: “Liam is a young player who has played in West Brom’s first team. He’s exactly what we want – a midfield player who can also play at the back, if required.

“He’s one for the future for us, having been tracked by the club for two-and-a-half years. We were going to loan him but we’ve managed to sign him permanently, which is great for the long-term future of the club.”

O’Neil admits that he cannot wait to get started. He said: “ I want to get some experience and develop as a player and I think I’ll be able to do that here. I’m looking forward to it and I’m excited.”

O’Neil revealed that Spireites manager Dean Saunders was an influential figure in his decision to sign. “The gaffer got in touch with West Brom and has shown good interest,” he said.

“He’s been on my case to get down here all the time and that’s what I like. He sees me as part of his plans and that’s what I want. I want to be getting regular football and that’s key for me now. I’m 22 and this is perfect timing.”

O’Neil made 22 appearances in League One last season while on loan at Scunthorpe United.

The length of the contract signed by O’Neil has not been disclosed.

Luke O'Neil Chesterfield Football Club

Photo: Luke O’Neil is photographed after signing for Chesterfield (courtesy of Tina Jenner).

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting