Business

New online docuseries follows Stanedge Golf Club owner’s one-woman mission to transform golf

A unique new docuseries telling the remarkable story of one woman’s mission to turnaround a rundown golf club and make it a friendly, accessible and inclusive community venue is now streaming online.

In a first for the golf industry, the fly-on-the-wall documentary, Changing the Business of Golf, follows former Ladies European Tour professional Fame Tate as she breaks with tradition and aims to transform the course and customer experience at Stanedge Golf Club, Derbyshire.

In the first episode, Fame recalls the life-changing decision to acquire the golf course and how she is turning the club into an open, friendly venue at the heart of her local community.

Meanwhile, as the team prepares for a new season, they are faced with the prospect of preparing the golf course for reopening without their head greenkeeper.

“If you’d said to me one day you’ll own a golf club, I’d have probably sat there are laughed,” says Fame, whose playing career was cut short by injury.

“My vision from day one was to break away from the traditional golf club model. It’s about making a place that’s welcoming, affordable, accessible, inclusive.”

Working closely with her greenkeeping team – and revealing how she rolled up her sleeves to get stuck in to groundwork – Fame is investing in a major course upgrade to improve playing conditions.

The series documents day-to-day happenings, including course management work led by head greenkeeper Christian ‘CJ’ Johnson.

“It was a tough task for Fame and everybody involved to get the course back to where it was,” says CJ. “But since then we have really tried to improve it as a team and get it moving forwards.”

Just one year after acquiring the club, Fame faced the potentially catastrophic challenge of the Covid pandemic and enforced lockdown, forcing her and the team to call on their inner reserves of strength and resilience to keep the business afloat.

Will she realise her vision and succeed? The series will follow Fame and her team as she reopens Stanedge Golf Club and takes on the business of golf.

Watch the first episode now on Syngenta Golf: https://www.syngentagolf.com/changing-business-golf

Stanedge Golf Club supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

Noonah launches new covid-safe product personalisation service

Chesterfield-based engagement Specialist Noonah has announced the launch of ‘Personalize’, a new covid-safe product personalisation service.

The company says with Covid restrictions being lifted, the high-street and event planners face the considerable challenge of how to re-engage with their customer base and stimulate footfall in an uncertain landscape.

It will come as no surprise that online sales grew a massive 36% in 2020 while the high street suffered ‘the worst decline on record.’ But with lockdown easing and public spaces reopening, the team at Noonah believes re-engaging customers lost to e-commerce is not an impossible task.

Matt Franks, Noonah CEO said: “The solution is dependent on traditional bricks and mortar embracing the opportunities that tech offers. The High street needs to play to its strengths, using technology like Personalize to offer what online pure-players can’t, an engaging, physical brand experience.”

“Product-personalisation was on the rise long before Covid 19 and major brands such as Levi’s and Nike used it to elevate their stores from places where goods were sold, to truly experiential destinations. Noonah has long been the market leader in providing product-personalisation tech to its wide array of clients and understands better than anyone the massive potential it holds for brands, retailers and live events in the post-covid landscape.”

The biggest challenge for Noonah was around how to make the technology available to everyone and not just those with the biggest budgets. The new platform is designed to offer product personalisation to all, from the independent retailer to the international brand.

Personalize can be tailored to suit any brand, market and almost any product. Being a cloud-based technology, the software can be operated through a terminal in-store or by using the “Covid-safe” option of the customer’s own mobile phone.

The company also says the software is truly scalable and depending on the size, budget and strategy Noonah can help organise installations as pop-up events or long-term fixtures. The Personalize printers (provided by Noonah as part
of the Service), can print any design to almost any product.

Matt added: “Above all Personalize is about engagement and re-establishing customer loyalty at a time when the high street and live events need as much help as they can get.”

For more information visit: https://noonah.com/personalize/

Noonah supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , ,

Local housebuilder Woodhead Homes named best in the UK

Woodhead Homes have been named as the National Federation of Builders (NFB) UK House Builder of the Year (delivering under 35 units per year).

The company is part of Robert Woodhead Group ltd, which is currently working alongside Whittam Cox Architects on Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre, along with various projects across the East Midlands and the rest of the UK.

Woodhead Homes have created an exclusive and already award-winning development, Rufford Pastures, in the sought-after village of Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire. It is a bespoke and luxurious of collection of just 64 homes.

Leo Woodhead, Director, said: “Being shortlisted against national competition is an achievement in itself. The win signifies the huge amount of effort and visionary thinking that has gone into Rufford Pastures. It recognises our unique design ethos and that there is an appetite to improve new build housing through exceptional design.”

Every detail in the design of Rufford Pastures has been carefully considered with a real focus on quality, space and sustainability. From sourcing the very best materials and products from natural oak doors to beautiful bespoke designer kitchens, made locally by Colour Hill to the cutting-edge sustainability to the clever design of the homes and the wider development.

Leo continued, “we have been overwhelmed by the flurry of demand as people re-evaluate what is important to them in a home. Be that space for home working, a generously sized home, a bustling local high street with independent shops, a rural surrounding with great walks, bike riding trails or simply the chance to connect with nature at Sherwood Forest.”

The homes have been designed by Joseph Kemish Architects who have demonstrated that with careful integration of architecture and landscape an exciting and very personal development can be created which encourages social interaction, a sense of belonging and pride of place.

The flurry of demand has in part been spurred on by the Stamp Duty holiday, providing buyers with savings of up to £8,000. The team are now down to their final few homes and expect to sell out very quickly following the news of their second award.

For more information or to book an appointment contact: homes@woodhead-group.co.uk

Woodhead Group supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Development, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , ,

Dronfield Hall Barn recognised as one of UK’s top wedding venues in LUX Life Magazine

The team at Dronfield Hall Barn are celebrating, after the venue was recognised as one of the nation’s best wedding venues in LUX Life magazine’s Global Wedding Awards 2021.

The multi-purpose venue which is managed by the Dronfield Heritage Trust and is a registered charity, has been awarded the title of “Best Individual Wedding Ceremony Venue – East Midlands.”

Pauline Hindle Hospitality Manager “We are all delighted to receive this accolade. It recognises the stunning beauty of the Barn and the hard work of the team who put so much effort into ensuring that everyone who  has their wedding here has a perfect day.”

LUXlife Magazine is a premium lifestyle publication which is distributed to a circulation of 238,000 globally. The magazine focuses on a range of topics within the luxury lifestyle industry, featuring articles on; fashion, beauty, fine dining, travel, luxury real estate and much more.

Alongside weddings, the barn serves the local community in Dronfield in a number of different ways. One recent example was how it provided food collection and delivery services to local residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Since its restoration, Dronfield Hall barn has hosted a number of events including heritage displays and art exhibitions. There is also a coffee shop serving light lunches and delicious home-made cakes, along with heritage, sensory and wildflower gardens to add to the high quality visitor experience.

This month is also cause for more celebration for the team, as the barn marks five years since it was first opened to the public. Now self-sustainable, the Trust continues to engage the community and generate income to keep the Barn open.

Staff at the barn say they are now taking bookings for 2023 weddings. For more details, head to: https://dronfieldhallbarn.org/weddings/

Dronfield Hall Barn supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

Chesterfield’s Superior Wellness continues growth with further recruitment

Chesterfield’s Superior Wellness is showing further signs of growth, with the company announcing a number of new roles within the business.

With the recent move into a brand-new headquarters in Chesterfield and continued growth of the company, Superior Wellness is now taking on several new employees and has launched a recruitment drive.

The recruitment will  provide a further boost for the local economy and employment in the Chesterfield area, with the firm looking for people who share their ambition to be the world market leader in hot tubs and swim spas.

Superior offers a global choice of high-quality products and has been commended for their focus on wellness and best in class customer experience.

The company is hiring in a range of different roles, including a Marketing Executive, After Sales Manager, Graphic Designer, Customer Service Advisors, Technicians and Delivery Drivers plus many more.

The new headquarters based on the Chesterfield Trading Estate houses the warehouse, distribution centre and office, plus one of the UK’s largest hot tub showrooms for their retail division Miami Spas – which will open this summer.  The new location is almost the size of two football pitches and will be the largest hot tub distribution centre in the UK, stocking up to 3,000 hot tubs.

Rob Carlin, Managing Director said: “Our close-knit award-winning team has a family culture and the team are friendly, passionate and fun. There are plenty of opportunities for growth and development – we want to see our team grow.  If you are truly passionate about going beyond expectations focusing on quality, care, innovation and choice then this could be just the career you are looking for.”

The company has a strong focus on the wellness of staff, with team members able to benefit from an onsite gym, subsidised healthy meals, a games room and rooftop bar.  If you are interested in finding out more about a career at Superior Wellness, visit https://superiorwellness.co.uk/careers/

Superior Wellness supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Development, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , ,

Kids Planet launches new podcast, All Things Early Years.

A brand-new podcast relating to working and living with under 5s has been launched by childcare group Kids Planet,  which has several centres located in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire .

The Early Years focused platform launched its first episode of ‘All Things Early Years’ with Kids Planet CEO, Clare Roberts discussing her successful business journey since establishing the group in 2008. With 5 settings across Chesterfield, the group continues to expand across the North West, South and Midlands and is now the third largest nursery group in the UK caring for over 8000 children and employing over 2000 staff across 59 settings.

The podcast’s most recent episode, released on March 26th, was an interview with baby product founder, Manju Bhatia from PoorlyBoo who chatted about advice for starting a business in the early years as well as her experiences working with social media influencer, Mrs Hinch.

Other guests who have appeared on the podcast include Actress and mum, Hayley Tammadon. Having recently become a new mum, Hayley spoke honestly about her time on ITV’s Full Monty last December, her new writing project and her experiences raising a baby during the covid lockdown: “You start to feel like a failure because you hear of other people’s babies doing things better than your baby and suddenly, you’re a failure, you’re failing at motherhood”.

Future guests include Chris McFadden, The UK and Ireland’s first male certified baby and toddler sleep consultant, male Early Years practitioners chatting about Kids Planet’s campaign to increase the number of working men in childcare, as well as Coach and trained psychotherapist, Sarie Taylor who offers advice for parents suffering with anxiety.

Episodes of All Things Early Years are released monthly and available to downloads from Apple Podcasts, Spotify and at https://www.kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk/podcasts/

If there is a topic you’d like the group to cover or if you work or have experience in Early Years with an interesting story to share on the podcast, please get in touch with jane.marwood@kidsplanetdaynurseries.

Kids Planet supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

Ashgate Hospicecare welcomes two new Trustees

Ashgate Hospicecare have announced the appointment of two new Trustees who will help to shape the charity’s strategy, as they plan for the future needs of their local community and help meet the needs of patients for years to come.

Joining the Board of Trustees are Kirsty McMillan, Director of Integration and Direct Services for Derby City Council and Dermot Toberty, former Director of the largest HR Shared Service Centre in Europe.

In addition to her current role, Kirsty McMillan is also an active member of the local NHS and social care system, known as ‘Joined Up Care Derbyshire’. She previously worked as a Chief Officer within Local Government, as well as operationally within the housing association, supported housing and homelessness sectors.

Kirsty McMillan, Trustee at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “Having supported my own mother to live her final months in a way that she wanted, even though this was not conventional and at times tested the local palliative care team, I saw first-hand that as far as she was able, she died her way and in control of even the smallest decisions right up until her last few days.

“This was incredibly powerful to see and reminded me that individuals can have amazing strength in character, even at the most testing times in their lives. I am a passionate advocate for the ethos and values of the hospice sector, and Ashgate embodies this and more!

“I hope to be able to raise the profile of the contribution that Ashgate and palliative care can make to people’s lives.”

Dermot Toberty trained as an accountant and qualified whilst living up in the North East, and then moved to Chesterfield with his wife and two daughters in 1988 to work for Royal Mail.

Following a wide variety of finance roles across the UK, he moved to HR in 2003 to set up and run the largest HR Shared Service Centre in Europe. He remained there until his retirement in 2017.

Dermot Toberty, Trustee at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “In 2019, a very close friend was diagnosed with a terminal illness and she began to receive her end-of-life care from Bolton Hospice.

“Seeing and hearing about the care she received in her final few months was truly wonderful. Knowing that she was being well cared for in a lovely environment made the whole experience of her passing a lot more bearable. Nothing was left to chance and when she needed something it was delivered in an instant, without any fuss or bother, with care and compassion.

“Later, when I heard about the funding issues at Ashgate, and coming from a financial background, I was keen to get involved.

“I am very proud to be part of the Ashgate Team.”

Commenting on the appointment of the new Trustees, Nicholas Jeffrey, Chair of the Board at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Kirsty and Dermot as new Trustees to Ashgate. They bring with them a wealth of expertise, as well as compassion and a shared vision for a society where everyone can die with dignity and comfort.

“I am really looking forward to working with them as we shape our future services, which includes plans for how we cope with rising demand and more complex patient needs as people live longer with more complicated conditions.”

Ashgate Hospicecare supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , ,

NLT becomes Disability Confident Committed employer

With 7.7 million working age people in the UK having a disability, Chesterfield’s NLT Training Services has been accredited as a Disability Confident Committed employer.

Developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives, the voluntary government scheme is designed to encourage employers to both think and act differently with how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people.

NLT is now part of the movement of change, encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people.

Sarah Temperton, Chief Executive at NLT Training Services commented: “I’m delighted that NLT is now a Disability Confident Committed employer. We want to ensure that disabled people and those with long term health conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.”

Accreditation lasts three years and in order to become a Disability Confident Committed employer a business needs to consider the five commitments below:

1. Ensure your recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
2. Communicate and promote vacancies
3. Offer an interview to disabled people
4. Anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments as required
5. Support any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work

In addition to this, the business also has to commit to offering disabled people at least one of the actions listed below:

1. Work experience
2. Work trials
3. Paid employment (permanent or fixed term)
4. Apprenticeships
5. Job shadowing opportunities
6. Traineeships
7. Paid internships and supported internships
8. Student placements
9. Sector-based work academy placements

Sarah added: “Through our Step into Work programme we are able to support people moving into work who may have a disability. Helping people and offering solutions is at the heart of what we do at NLT, so achieving Disability Confident Certification was a natural next step for us.”

To find out more about what becoming Disability Confident Committed means, please visit here. Or, to learn more and register for NLT’s Step Into Work programme, please get in touch with Janice Parker on 07947 550 571 or email janice.parker@nlt-training.co.uk

NLT Training Services supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , ,

New home and new era for Derbyshire Institute of Sport

A new era has begun for Derbyshire Institute of Sport (DIS). It has a new home at the iconic Derby Arena and has expanded its operations to work with athletes and team players across the country.

DIS was founded in 2012 and since then it has been based at the University of Derby’s Kedleston Rd campus.

Managing Director Chloe Maudsley said: “We have had eight wonderful years working onsite with the university. They were a major, founding partner – alongside the city and county councils – when we began work as Derbyshire’s legacy project following the 2012 Olympics. We are so grateful to the university and founding partners for their support and unfailing belief in our mission.”

The original DIS goal was to increase the number of Derbyshire-based, world-class athletes. Its target of developing 20 such champions by 2020 was achieved in February 2020. These champions included marathon runners Jessica Piasecki and Ben Connor who have BOTH been confirmed in Team GB for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. DIS also worked with hurdlers Alex Knibbs and Jess Turner; para badminton world number one Jack Shephard; heptathlete Niamh Emerson, who is world junior champion and is now being coached by Toni Minichello and Jessica Ennis-Hill, and five times world champion para cyclist Katie Toft.

When the pandemic arrived, DIS recognised there was a need to provide support for talented sportspeople who could no longer get to gyms or train with their local teams. During the lockdowns it has worked with athletes online, offering strength and conditioning classes, nutrition, psychology and lifestyle support and virtual physiotherapy screenings.

DIS, which became a community interest company in 2017, is continuing to work with elite individual athletes and is also now working with team sports players and amateur athletes who want to be a champion at any level.

Chloe said: “We are coming out of the third lockdown on a high with our move to Derby Arena, which has great facilities and enables an expansion to our work to develop, inspire and support people who want to be the best they can be at the sports they love.”

DIS is following all Government guidance and working closely with the Arena to offer its athletes full membership of the Arena gym and face-to-face support from its world-class coaches in a Covid-secure way.

Chloe added: “For those who live further afield, we will continue to offer a package of 100% online support. This gives us the chance to help team sports players and individual athletes based anywhere in the world. Whether people choose a face-to-face or a virtual programme, they are all delivered by our multi-disciplinary team of experts who have supported Olympians, Paralympians and world champions.”

Rachel North, Strategic Director for Communities and Place, said: “We are delighted that Derbyshire Institute of Sport has chosen the excellent facilities of Derby Arena for its new base. It is fantastic to see how we have achieved the vision of 20 elite athletes by 2020 and look forward to seeing the Arena play its part in building more world champions of the future. Now that our leisure centres can start re-opening again, we look forward to welcoming our athletes in person.”

DIS supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Posted in Business, Development, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , , ,

Peak Pipe Systems continues development by announcing several staff promotions

Chesterfield manufacturer Peak Pipe Systems has recently announced several internal promotions after staff at the company showed ‘outstanding commitment’ during the covid-19 pandemic.

As part of the company’s values and strategy, it looks to invest in employees and empower staff. Despite describing the last year as tough, Peak Pipe Systems has continued to develop and has made changes in order to enable the team to work more effectively.

Mark Bottoms has extensive experience working on Extrusion since 2014 when he joined Peak and has recently been promoted to Senior Operations Coordinator.

Meanwhile Marcin Ablomiejko, who joined Peak in 2017 working on Extrusion has been promoted to Team Leader following years of continued personal development.

Marcin Ablomiejko, Peak Pipe Systems

Within the sales team, Beccy Thompson joined Peak in 2014 and has shown her dedication and support to the team in varied roles, such as Team Leader. Beccy has recently been appointed to Internal Sales Project Support, which will enhance her strengths and skillset.

Beccy commented: “These last 7 years at Peak have flown by and I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges working within a number of roles predominantly within the Sales Team. Peak have offered me fantastic opportunities which have enabled me to grow professionally and personally.

“They have been a great support throughout my maternity leave during the pandemic, allowing me to come back to work 4 days a week whilst my children are still young. I am looking forward to my new role and getting back to some sort of normality in 2021.”

Katrina Simmons joined Peak in 2017 and has supported the team over the last year, recently being appointed as Internal Sales Team Leader.

Katrina commented: “Whilst working at Peak, I’ve always felt encouraged to expand my knowledge and development. This has been via utilising the in-house knowledge from other experienced colleagues as well as having access to outside courses.

“Within the company we have years of industry knowledge and everyone is more than happy to pass on this knowledge to help aid individual development. Last year I gained my BTEC level 2 certificate in team leadership, which has helped me secure a promotion within the company. I’m now looking to start my level 3 which will further my development alongside my new position.”

Katrina Simmons, Peak Pipe Systems

The company is a UK leader in the manufacture and supply of polyethylene (PE) multi-utility pipeline solutions. You can find out more about the company here.

Peak Pipe Systems supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Peak Pipe Systems

 

 

Posted in Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , ,

“We now have a chance to get back to our high streets and show our support upon their re-opening”

In his latest blog, Destination Chesterfield Chairman Peter Swallow has shared his thoughts about the reopening of non-essential retail in Chesterfield, along with providing an update on several regeneration projects taking place across the town.

With the gentle easing out of lockdown and the continuing success of the vaccination programme, the future is definitely looking brighter for everyone.

The re-opening of non-essential business is another positive step forward for the town. We have all been deprived of the things we enjoy doing whilst lockdown measures have been in place, such as shopping, attending events and eating out.

With Chesterfield’s wealth of independent shops and eateries, we now have a chance to get back to our high streets and show our support upon their re-opening. Just a few pounds spent in local shops will make a huge difference to these businesses and I personally feel it is a far more enjoyable experience to visit these outlets as opposed to clicking on a website.

The re-opening of the high street also coincides with the launch of the brand new Love Chesterfield Awards. They celebrate the town’s favourite food and drink and retail businesses, local entrepreneurs, regeneration projects, community contributions and sustainability. Nominations for the awards open in May, If you know of someone or something in Chesterfield that deserves recognition, please do put them forward for an award.

We also got the chance to recognise success across the borough at this year’s Celebrate Chesterfield event- and it was indeed a celebration. We celebrated our resilience as a town during the pandemic, we celebrated our community that continuously pulls together and we celebrated the positive future ahead for the town we love.

Part of Chesterfield’s success is its ability to join forces for the good of the town, and the launch of the town’s new Construction and Property Group at the event demonstrated this perfectly. The Group represents the coming together of public and private individuals and organisations in our town who, together, are committed to driving forward collaboration, investment, sustainability and skills within Chesterfield.

In spite of the pandemic, developments in Chesterfield have continued at pace and there are many more on the horizon. Most recently construction has begun on a McDonalds restaurant and drive-thru on the site of a long-derelict former multi-storey car park at West Bars. Staveley has also received £25.2 million from the Government’s Town Deal programme, which will help deliver inclusive growth opportunities over the next five years.

It is schemes like these as well as Chesterfield Waterside, PEAK and Northern Gateway that are creating immediate and future opportunities for our young people ensuring they are able to acquire skills that will help them achieve their future ambitions.

The past year has shown just how strong we are when we pull together and I know that is this strength and determination that will continue to drive us forward into our bright future and beyond.

Posted in Blog, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , ,

Stay informed

Keep up to date

Dont miss out on all the latest news, updates & special offers.

Signup to our newsletter