Local pop up company Pizza Pi will give a permanent home to its wood fired pizzas when it opens Pizza Pi Pizzeria on Beetwell Street, Chesterfield on Monday 20^th August.

The business began in March 2017 as a side venture between two friends, and since then has attended many local events such as the Chesterfield Food & Drink Festival, the Chesterfield Artisan Market and Chesterfield’s Vintage Summer Fair.

The pizzeria has been decorated with a rustic theme throughout and its menu will mainly be wood fired pizzas, with other types of wood fired foods soon to be available. Gluten free pizza bases will also be on offer and pizzas are available ‘to go’. The menu will include desserts such as ice cream and brownies and from the 6^th September the business will also be licensed to sell alcohol, offering a selection of wines, beers, gins and whiskeys alongside soft drinks and fresh coffee.

Pizza Pi Pizzeria will create up to 10 jobs long term and there are plans to host acoustic acts and charity nights in the future. The team will continue the pop up side of the business and will be available for private bookings such as weddings and birthdays.

Owner Ricky Marples said: “Pizza Pi was originally just an idea between two mates to earn a little extra spending money around our full-time jobs. We’re so pleased our pizzas have been well received, allowing us to open  our new premises in Chesterfield. We look forward to inviting people in to try a wood fired pizza the way it is supposed to be.”

Pizza Pi Pizzeria will open on Monday 20^th August at 11 Beetwell Street and will be open until 10pm every day.

Motan Colortronic are the new sponsors of the South Stand at Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium.

After agreeing a deal with the Chesterfield-based company, Spireites commercial manager Jim Brown said: “I would like to thank Motan-Colortronic for their valued support over many years and I am delighted to see their name on the South Stand.”

Karl Miller, Motan Colortronic’s Managing Director, said: “We’ve been involved in sponsoring the club for some years and when the opportunity arose to take a stand sponsorship, we were very happy to do it. In harder times, the club needs extra support and we feel that it’s important for us to provide backing in this way.”

Motan Colortronic Ltd, founded in 1974, are leading suppliers of high quality ancillary equipment for the plastics processing industry.

This announcement follows last week’s news that long term sponsor Karen Child has agreed a sponsorship deal for the East Stand, which will now be known as the Karen Child Community Stand. For more on this please click here.

Karl Miller (right) is pictured with Jim Brown outside the Motan Colortronic Stand.

Chesterfield’s Specsavers store has recognised 35 members of staff who have stayed with the company for at least five years, with the group clocking up an impressive 445 years of service between them.

Vicki Bainbridge, Director at the Specsavers store on Burlington Street said: ‘We feel so lucky to have such a loyal group of people working with us. A few years ago we started a tradition of taking our longer serving staff out for a celebratory dinner and gradually the number of people joining us for the meal has grown and grown.

‘This year we were proud to look down the table at 35 team members, 27 of whom have a decade or more of loyal service under their belts.’

Angie Lee, Administrator, has worked at the store for 14 years and says she has loved the job from day one: ‘The people here are really lovely, everyone genuinely cares about each other and we love working together. It’s a great place to work and the annual get-together is just one of the ways our management team looks after us. It makes you want to work hard because you feel valued.’

The longest serving member of staff is Nazir Hassen, the Optometrist Director, who opened the store in 1994. Julie Gregory, Customer Assistant and Sarah Nelson, Store Manager are next in line with 18 years’ service each under their belts and Gareth Webster, now a Retail Director, began working at the store in 2002 as a 19 year old assistant.

Specsavers recently won the Retailer of the Year Award at the 2018 Chesterfield Retail Awards.

The Chesterfield Retail Awards are organised by Destination Chesterfield.

Trentbarton buses boss Ian Morgan OBE has been appointed Chair of the Board of Directors at East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire).

He will replace current Chair Phil Stanyer (below) when Phil’s tenure ends at the end of January.

Ian (right), who is Deputy Chairman at Wellglade Group, the largest independently-owned group of bus companies in the UK and owner of trentbarton, was appointed Chair-elect at a Chamber Board meeting at the end of July.

Chairman of Derbyshire County Cricket Cub, Chairman of the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, panel member of the Invest to Grow Programme and a former member of the D2N2 LEP Board of Directors, Ian has previously served on the Chamber Board.

He was on the Board of Directors of the Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce and then the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber. He was President of Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce in 2002 and of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber in 2011.

He resigned from the Chamber Board in 2015 after more than 20 years’ service but continued to work with and support the Chamber.

Ian formally becomes Vice-Chair in September and will work alongside Phil for a handover period, taking over as Chair on 1 February 2019.

He said: “The Chamber is the biggest business-representation organisation in the Midlands and the strongest voice for regional businesses in Whitehall and Westminster. Under Phil’s stewardship, it has had strong and experienced management. His will be big shoes to fill but I’m ready for the challenge, have much to offer and will do my best to continue his good work.”

Phil formally retires as Chairman on 31 January 2019. He is a life member of the National Trust, a Trustee of Tideswell Male Voice Choir and a board member of the North Derbyshire Area Board for Young Enterprise. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of the Motor Industry and an Associate of the Institute for Independent Business.

Trained as a Chartered Accountant, he has enjoyed a career in business leadership, much of it in the motor industry, and has been a lead figure in change management and corporate governance. He won his first appointment as a Finance Director when he was just 26 years old and led his first business 12 years later.

Phil said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. The Chamber has a vital role to play in the business community and has to be an exemplar organisation. Ian has the strength, experience and ability to drive it to the next level and I wish both him and the Chamber continued success.”

Scott Knowles, the Chamber’s Chief Executive, said: “Phil was our first Chair following revisions to our management structure three years ago. His influence has been invaluable and I have enjoyed working with him.”

“Ian is well known to the Chamber and has had a long association with us. We know each other well. He will bring new drive, new ideas and a wealth of different experience to the role.”

“The Chamber is extremely grateful to Phil for all he’s done but we’re looking forward to whatever Ian brings to the table.”