About Chesterfield

New Literary Festival at Chatsworth Announces Full Line-Up

2nd June 2015

The full line-up for a major new literary festival has been announced today with a stellar cast of more than 20 of art’s leading makers, curators and writers appearing at ‘The Chatsworth Festival – Art Out Loud‘, which runs for three days from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September 2015.

Believed to be first literary festival dedicated to art, speakers include Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry CBE; contemporary conceptual artist and painter Michael Craig-Martin; writer and BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz; Royal Academy director Tim Marlow on Ai Weiwei; novelists Esther Freud and Hannah Rothschild; and many more (see below for full list).

Talks will take place in a marquee on the private South Lawn and in the historic Theatre. Tickets go on sale from 9 June 2015 at www.chatsworth.org priced at £12.50 per talk and include entry to garden. Chatsworth will run a Festival Bookshop, selling recently published and other books by a selection of the speakers.

The three day event is inspired by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s passion for art. “We’re delighted to be able to give our visitors the opportunity to hear some of the country’s leading artists, collectors, authors and journalists and talking about their work. The lives of all our speakers, one way or another, have been immersed in art and we think their experiences and involvement in the creative process will provide some truly fascinating talks” – The Duke of Devonshire.

‘Art Out Loud’ is the latest addition to a burgeoning arts scene at Chatsworth and the event will run alongside the 10th anniversary of the ‘Beyond Limits’ monumental sculpture exhibition in the garden starting in September. The ‘Make Yourself Comfortable’ exhibition of contemporary seating takes place in the house until October while the ‘Grand Tour’ programme of exhibitions and events begins in July in conjunction with Nottingham Contemporary, the Harley Gallery and Derby Museums.

Chatsworth has a long association with the literary world. The Duke of Devonshire owns the antiquarian bookshop ‘Heywood Hill’ in Mayfair where his aunt Nancy Mitford, author of ‘Love in a Cold Climate’, worked during WWII, while his mother Deborah Cavendish was a successful published author of more than a dozen books including ‘Wait for Me’ and ‘Tearing Haste’.

Friday 18 September

Tim Marlow: the writer, broadcaster and art historian talks about Ai Weiwei as a major new exhibition of the artist’s work opens at the Royal Academy where Marlow is Director of Artistic Programmes.

Hannah Rothschild: the writer and film director is in conversation with Rachel Campbell-Johnston about her first novel “The Improbability of Love” published May 2015.

Philip Hook: a Director of Sotheby’s and author of “Breakfast at Sotheby’s; An A-Z of the Art World”, he gives the inside track on the business of buying and selling art.

Helen Rosslyn: the art historian and film maker looks at some of the rarely seen highlights of the Devonshire Collection of prints and explains how an early encounter with them contributed to her own passion for prints.

Saturday 19 September

Duke of Devonshire: in conversation with Rachel Campbell-Johnston, the Duke discusses the continuing work being done to establish Chatsworth as an important destination for contemporary art.

Fiona McCarthy: the award winning biographer of Eric Gill and William Morris talks about her long-held fascination with the process of making and how it inspires her books, including her new book about Walter Gropius

Michael Craig- Martin: the celebrated artist talks about his two new books, his 2014 exhibition at Chatsworth and his digital portrait of Lady Burlington, as she reflects on her experience as a sitter.

Pablo Bronstein: in conversation with Alex Farquharson of Nottingham Contemporary, the artist discusses the influence and impact of the architecture and design of the 17^th and 18^th centuries on his own work.

Jonathan Yeo: one of the UK’s most highly regarded portrait artists discusses his career to date and the current trajectory of portraiture in conversation with Matthew Parris.

Charles Saumarez Smith: the Chief Executive of the Royal Academy talks about the plans for the new RA building opening in 2018, its impact on the 250-year old institution and on the viewing public.

Will Gompertz: the author and BBC Arts Editor, discusses his new book “Think Like an Artist” and explores the subject of creativity; what unites successful artists and what can their ability to turn fantasy into reality teach us.

Joseph Walsh and Kevin Francis Gray: these two internationally successful artists discuss the artistic process behind their work in conversation with Rachel Campbell-Johnston.

Sunday 20 September

Esther Freud: the novelist discusses her latest book featuring Charles Rennie Mackintosh and explains how her experiences with her father Lucian helped her find the right tone and line.

Jonathan Ruffer: in conversation with Matthew Parris the investment banker tells how and why he bought and restored Auckland Castle along with its twelve Zurbaran paintings, all considered masterpieces.

Grayson Perry: the ceramicist and Turner prize-winner considers art history’s web of connections and influences and what they mean for artists and in particular for Grayson Perry himself.

Christopher Simon Sykes: the writer discusses the latest instalment of his biography of David Hockney, drawing on the primary material he gathered from Hockney and the artist’s close circle of friends to produce his rich, joyful account of Hockney’s life.

Simon Jenkins: the journalist, author and former Chair of the National Trust raises questions about the role of the historic house in the 21^st century and how best to balance the interests of the house and the visiting public.

Cate Haste: the biographer and film-maker discusses her book on Craigie Aitchison, examining what informed his visual imagination, distinctive themes and powerfully evocative painting style.

Alison Yarrington: the Professor of Art History at Loughborough University advised on the 2009 project to restore the Chatsworth Sculpture Gallery to its appearance in 1858, the year of the death of its creator the 6^th Duke of Devonshire. She discusses the work with Matthew Hirst, Head of Arts and Historic Collections at Chatsworth.

Final speaker: details to be announced, will be a ‘Great British Artist’.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Chesterfield Royal performs well in the latest National Inpatient Survey

2nd June 2015

The Chesterfield Royal Hospital is continuing to improve is the message from the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) patient survey report.

Of the 58 questions scored, the Royal showed improvement in 48 of the responses compared to the 2013 report across a wide range of topics including waiting times, ward environment, levels of care from doctors and nurses, discharge from hospital and information.

The Royal received 452 responses, an excellent response rate of 55%, to the survey carried out by the CQC to ensure the Trust knows what patients think of its services and the care and treatment they receive. More than 59,000 patients responded across the country from 154 acute trusts.

Key findings from the report include significant improvements in…

• Giving patients privacy when discussing their condition and treatment;
• The length of time nurses responded to the patient call button;
• Patient involvement in decision making regarding their care and treatment;
• Taking the patients’ family or home situation into account when planning discharge;
• Hospital staff informing patients who to contact if they’re concerned about their treatment following discharge;
• Patients feeling they were treated with dignity and respect;
• Patients asked to give views on their stay and being told how to make a complaint.

The Trust was rated as ‘about the same’ or ‘better than’ other hospitals in every single question asked, scoring highly in…

• Keeping to single sex accommodation bays;
• Being offered a good choice of food;
• The level of privacy afforded to patients during their examination and/or treatment;
• The cleanliness of the hospital room and ward;
• Keeping to the arranged admission date.

“Very encouraging”

Chief Executive Gavin Boyle said: “This survey is very encouraging and I’m delighted to see that we’re moving in the right direction with so many of the responses scoring higher than in 2013, some significantly so. The majority of our responses fall in the ‘expected range’ which, whilst still showing that we are performing well also shows that we can do better. Our aim is to provide the best possible care for our patients and we will continue to work hard as a Trust to achieve that aim.”

A small number of questions showed a fall compared to last year. An emerging theme was to improve communication and our arrangements for discharging patients from the hospital.

Gavin added: “We welcome hearing the views of our patients and, whilst it’s pleasing to acknowledge the good news, we welcome the opportunity to find out where our services can be improved. The only way to get better is to listen and make sure that we respond as a Trust to work on those areas.”

Posted in About Chesterfield

Celebrity host announced for Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards

1st June 2015

Celebrity chef Theo Randall has been confirmed as the host of Chesterfield’s 2015 Food and Drink Awards ceremony.

Theo will announce the winners of the very best producers, restaurants, cafes, bars and venues that Chesterfield has to offer. Nominations for the prestigious awards open on Monday 8 June, with the ceremony taking place later in the year in October.

The Awards are organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with headline sponsor Chesterfield College whose students will, once again, be catering the entire event at Chesterfield College’s Heart Space Building.

Award winning restaurateur Theo is a familiar face on prime time TV, and recently published his second cookery book, My Simple Italian.

Commenting on the awards Theo said: “I am delighted to be involved with the Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards. I am passionate about good quality food and drink and these awards embody the very best that the town has to offer as well as celebrating the next generation of employees in the hospitality industry. I am very much looking forward to meeting some of the local stars on the food and drink scene as well as the hospitality students at Chesterfield College.”

Stuart Cutforth, Principal and Chief Executive of Chesterfield College added: “It is fantastic to support Chesterfield’s Food and Drink awards again this year. These awards really help to raise the profile of the industry in the area and celebrate local talent. Chesterfield College is looking forward to hosting the event later this year and showcasing the talents of our catering and hospitality students. Events like this are a brilliant opportunity to excite and encourage young people to get the skills they need to be part of this industry in the future.”

Nominations across ten categories for the awards open in June and shortlisting will take place in August with the winners being crowned at the star-studded ceremony in October later this year.

This year there are 13 categories in the awards including the brand new Conference Venue of the Year. Other categories in the Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards include:

Restaurant of the Year – sponsored by Chesterfield Borough Council
Café/Tea Room of the Year – sponsored by Kier
Gastro Pub of the Year – sponsored by Chesterfield College
Pub / Bar of the Year
Best Newcomer – sponsored by BHP
Best Customer Service – sponsored by East Midlands Chamber
Best Out of Town
Chesterfield Food Producer – sponsored by NatWest
Conference Venue of the Year – sponsored by Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers
Young Chef of the Year – sponsored by Crooked Spire Church
International Restaurant of the Year – sponsored by MSE Hiller
Family Friendly Award – sponsored by Jumble Design
Chesterfield Food Hero – sponsored by Banner Jones

Other supporters of the awards include the Derbyshire Times, Peak FM, Franke Sissons, Holdsworth Foods and Reflections.

Voting opens on Monday 8 June and can be done online at www.chesterfield.co.uk/foodanddrinkawards. Posters and postcards are also being distributed to food and drink businesses across the town. Voting is open until midnight on Sunday 12 July 2015.

A limited number of sponsorship opportunities still remain. If any businesses are interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2015 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards they should contact Dominic Stevens on 01246 207207 or email dom.stevens@chesterfield.co.uk.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Destination Chesterfield

Residents to choose artwork for Chesterfield sports centre

1st June 2015

Chesterfield residents can have their say on the artwork which will grace the new Queen’s Park Sports Centre.
There are three options of the artwork which will be outside the new Chesterfield Borough Council facility, which is currently under construction.
The three options are:

• Heartbeat – designed by Nottinghamshire sculptor Michael Johnson. The design shows an image of a regular heartbeat symbolising wellbeing and exercise. At 12 metres long and 2.8 metres high, the design would be made of stainless steel with mosaic and bronze elements.

• Wave – designed by Matlock sculptor Stuart Marsh, showing a wave representing grace, strength and determination. The design would be 2.2 metres long and 1.8 metres high and made of stone from the Peak District.

• Jump – by West Midlands based artist Mick Thacker. This is a sculpture of a time lapse motion of the human figure jumping. The design represents the beauty of movement and the joy of life itself.

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for planning said: “We are keen for residents to have their say on which of these three pieces of art will be at the entrance to the new Queen’s Park Sports Centre.

“As a council, we have a policy that one per cent of the money spent on new developments must be spent on public artwork, this has led to some of the well-known pieces of art in the borough, including the Growth sculpture at Hornsbridge and the Spirit of Saltergate celebrating Chesterfield FC.
The consultation is available to complete online from Monday 1 June to Friday 12 June from a link on the council’s website: www.chesterfield.gov.uk.

People can also see the designs and vote for their favourite design at the existing Queen’s Park Sports Centre on Boythorpe Road, the Healthy Living Centre in Staveley, Chesterfield College and the council’s Visitor Information Centre in Rykneld Square.

The new Queen’s Park Sports Centre is currently being built on the site of Queen’s Park Annexe.
The £11.25 million project is paid for by £6.725 million from Chesterfield Borough Council, £2.5 million from Chesterfield College, as part of a dual use agreement, £2 million from Sport England’s Strategic Facilities Fund and £25,000 from Squash England. Read about the development

The new centre will open in early 2016. The existing centre on Boythorpe Road will remain open until the new one is complete.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Uncategorised

Find out About Fostering

28th May 2015

Chesterfield residents are invited to find out about fostering at an information session being held at St Thomas’ Centre on Saturday 13th June.

Organised by Derbyshire County Council as part of Fostering Fortnight, the event takes place from 2pm – 4pm and is an informal opportunity to chat to social workers and foster carers whilst enjoying coffee and cake.

Councillor Jim Coyle, cabinet member for children and young people, said:

“Children cared for in a real home have the best start, so foster carers can make such a positive difference to young people’s lives.

“We are looking for people from all walks of life to come forward and find out if they could become a foster carer.

We’re particularly looking for homes for older children and sibling groups and offer our foster carers lots of benefits, support and training as well as competitive financial allowances.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure

Local People Spending More Time Listening to Peak FM

27th May 2015

It’s been confirmed that local people are spending even longer listening to Peak FM – the number one commercial radio station for North Derbyshire.

The station is currently enjoyed for an impressive 942,000 hours each week according to the latest audience figures revealed by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research). This is an increase of 11% compared with December 2014.

Station Director Sam Fielding comments:-

“We work extremely hard to make sure the output of Peak FM truly reflects our locality. Content is the key to our success, from the music we play, our news and sport coverage to our online or on-air competitions and our interactivity with the audience. Everything we do is designed to make listening to Peak FM an enjoyable, informative experience.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure

Local Cancer Charities Share Donation from Franke Sissons

27th May 2015

Local cancer charities Nenna Kind and Ashgate Hospicecare have each received £1250 following a successful fundraising dinner dance hosted by Chesterfield manufacturer Franke Sissons.

Both charities are close to the company’s heart and both receive regular donations of monies and equipment. This latest round comes from the raffle and auction donations at the company’s annual dinner event held in March.

Andy Dukelow, Managing Director at Franke Sissons, who also auctioned a day of his own services said: “Both of these charities undertake remarkable work for the communities of North Derbyshire and we are proud to support them in whichever way we can.

“I’d like to thank all those that organised and attended the dinner and allowed us to raise such an impressive amount.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

Chiquito to Open in Chesterfield

27th May 2015

Chiquito has confirmed it is to open a restaurant in Chesterfield this autumn creating around 80 jobs for the town.

The popular mexican eatery is coming to Alma Leisure Park this October at the site of the former Wacky Warehouse.

Jody Millward, Regional Marketing Coordinator at Chiquito said:-

“We’re thrilled to announce that Chiquito is to join Chesterfield’s growing food and drink offering and hope to be open to the public in October.

“The combination of our quality food, quality drinks and cocktails, soaked up in our authentic and fun surroundings will take you to places you haven’t been before! Fresh, vibrant and colourful!

“Our team is the heartbeat of our restaurant and we look forward to meeting local candidates who are as passionate as we are about food, drink and all things Tex Mex.”

Recruitment has already begun for Chesterfield’s new Chiquito. More information is available on the Chiquito website under careers.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Summer, Visiting

Classic Car and Bike Show Comes to Renishaw Hall

27th May 2015

Hundreds of classic cars and bikes from all eras will be converging on picturesque Renishaw Hall, Eckington, near Chesterfield this June.

Organised each year by the Rotary Club of Chesterfield, the event, in association with Autoworld, is set to raise thousands of pounds for three local charities, Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, and Ashgate Hospicecare.

Main organiser, Stuart Bradley of Stuart Bradley Ltd Jewellers, said: “Renishaw Hall is the perfect venue for this charitable event which we have run successfully for several years now in support of these important local charities.”

There will be musical entertainment on the day from Direction Theatre Arts, a variety of stalls and amusements, plus refreshments and a bar. Admission is £5 a vehicle.

The Classic Car and Bike Show will be at Renishaw Hall on Wednesday 10 June 2015 from 3.00pm until 8.00pm. For more information please contact main organiser Stuart Bradley on 01246 222777.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

More Young People to Benefit from b_line Scheme

26th May 2015

Thousands more young people are to get help with travel costs after Derbyshire councillors gave the thumbs up to the new b_line scheme.

Plans have been approved to extend b_line − introduced in 2001 – to include all young people aged up to 19 living in Derbyshire. Previously only students in full-time education qualified for the reduction on adult bus and rail fares.

Now, from Saturday 1 August 2015, apprentices and those on training courses or looking for work will also qualify for the discount on local bus and train services – extending the benefit to an extra 6,000 young people.

Councillors also agreed to withdraw the travel discount for the under 16s who instead will qualify for the bus or train operators’ own cut-price tickets. In most cases these are currently better than or match the b_line discount.

Councillor Dean Collins, cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, said:

“Since b_line started there are more options, other than more traditional study, open to young people and the extension of our b_line scheme, to include wider groups of young people, reflects this.

“b_line is an optional scheme and although we are having to make unprecedented cuts we recognise the importance of supporting young people in getting out and about, particularly when they may be making the challenging step from education to training or work.”

Under the new scheme the two types of card will be:

b_line1 − an orange card for 11 to 16-year-olds. This provides proof that the cardholder is entitled to a child fare or operators’ discount.

b_line2 − a purple card for 16-year-olds up to 19th birthday. This gets the cardholder 25 per cent off adult fares on all bus and train journeys in Derbyshire and on some trips to nearby towns and cities that start or finish within the county.

For those attending Derbyshire or Derby city schools new cards will, in most cases, be issued automatically through schools. Other eligible young people will need to complete a b_line application form.

b_line is run in partnership with Derby City Council. Both cards also entitle the cardholder to discounts at around 600 local shops and other businesses and to borrow at any Derbyshire or Derby City library.

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

Talbot Signs New Contract with Spireites

26th May 2015

Long-serving defender Drew Talbot has committed his future to Chesterfield by signing a new one-year contract.

After putting pen to paper, Talbot said:

“I had a career-threatening injury, but I’m over that now and I’m raring to go. Chesterfield have always been good to me – especially over the last 18 months – and I wanted to repay their faith in me.

“I had a couple of offers to go elsewhere and I could have gone for a lot more money, but I love it here and it means I don’t have to move.

“It’s an exciting time. The manager has tried to sign me in the past and I was interested to hear his plans for the club.”

Spireites boss Dean Saunders said: “I’m really pleased to have kept Drew because I can rely on him and that’s the type of character I want. He’ll run through a brick wall for you.”

Talbot, who joined the Spireites after leaving Luton Town six years ago, has made over 200 appearances for the club. After regaining full fitness last season, he had a successful spell on loan at Plymouth Argyle.

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