Students and staff in the Fabrication and Welding department at Chesterfield College are celebrating after being named as a Showcase Centre for the third consecutive year by awarding body, ABC Awards.  The department holds on to the Showcase Centre title for another year because of the way it continues to work with learners and employers to ensure both get the skills they need to succeed.

Paul Eeles, Chief Executive at the Skills and Education Group, visited the college to present them with their award. He spent the afternoon meeting students and tutors as well as looking at the facilities in action.

He said:-

“For us this is all about rewarding high quality learning, teaching and assessment as well as sharing good practice. It’s also about the engagement in the wider community, working with employers and developing qualifications that meet their needs. The fabrication and welding team at Chesterfield College certainly ticks all of these boxes for us, hence this Showcase Centre award. This is the second time I’ve been to the college to present this award and it’s fascinating to see how the equipment is being used to develop student skills.”

The Fabrication and Welding department provides courses designed to meet the needs of employers and offers a flexible approach to full time learners who may still be making choices about their future career paths.

Ray Peet, Career Pathway Leader for the department said:-

“It is an honour to be named as a Showcase Centre again. We work really hard to make sure what we do here develops a highly skilled workforce. We see the importance of making links with schools to inspire the next generation of engineers as well as providing outstanding learning opportunities for the students who have already decided that this is the career for them. It is a real achievement to know that the way we work has been recognised as best practice.”

Chesterfield-based Shorts Chartered Accountants has represented Sheffield rail depot equipment manufacturer, Mechan, in its sale to French rail transport specialist, CIM, for an undisclosed sum.

Sheffield-based hlw Keeble Hawson also acted for Mechan on the deal which sees Mechan managing director, Richard Carr, finance director, Zahir Altaf and a 20-strong team continue to operate under the same name from the Sheffield site. They will be supported by CIM whose portfolio of products and services includes railway infrastructure supply and construction projects.

Richard Carr said the takeover would help accelerate the company’s international development:-

“I will continue to lead Mechan’s expert team and as far as existing clients are concerned, it will be business as usual.

“However, we are looking forward to raising CIM’s profile in the UK and becoming part of an organisation that has demonstrated its dynamism through consistent growth.”

Alain Lovambac, Chief Executive of the CIM Group, commented:-

“Mechan is a particularly innovative and successful company whose high-quality products are complementary to our own.

“This acquisition strengthens our ambition to become a world leader in the design and supply of turnkey railway workshop solutions.”

Andy Ryder, Corporate Finance partner with Shorts commented:-

“We are delighted to have advised Richard and Zahir on the successful completion of, what was, a complex transaction. We look forward to seeing Mechan continue its exciting growth story as part of CIM”.

Paul Trudgill, Managing Partner of hlw Keeble Hawson, said:-

“Mechan boasts a strong reputation in its field and we are pleased to have played an instrumental role in the purchase which will enable the business to make global inroads backed by CIM – a highly respected international player.”

Chesterfield based domiciliary care provider Peak Home Care has acquired a Derbyshire based rival provider which supports over 60 clients in the Chesterfield Area.

Pegasus Care LTD was founded by Barbara Sowden in 1992 and has grown and developed over the last 26 years to become one of the preferred providers in Derbyshire. Under Barbara and Stephen Sowden’s guidance and expertise, Pegasus recently received a ‘Good’ CQC report, and built up excellent working relations with Derbyshire County Council.

Speaking of the sale, Barbara and Stephen said:-

“We’re delighted that Peak Home Care have acquired Pegasus Care Ltd. The staff we met from Peak Home Care have the same high standards as Pegasus Care, which made it easier to let Pegasus go. We wish them well for the future.”

Joe Cattee, Director at Peak Home Care added that the acquisition would help the company ‘evolve’, he comments:-

“We have seen Peak Home Care grow over the past 3 years, both in reputation and service provided, and I am immensely proud of all our Staff who have made this happen. The opportunity to acquire a local company which stands for the same principals and ethos as us is an exciting time for us.

“I look forward to welcoming the Pegasus Staff into Peak Home Care, and getting to know them better. We want to say a huge thank you to both Barbara and Stephen for giving us this opportunity, and all at Ironmonger Curtis LLP & Shorts Chartered Accountants, who enabled us to finalise the deal.”

Shorts Chartered Accountants were engaged as Lead Advisers for Pegasus in the sale, researching the market to identify a strategic buyer with Matt Milnes assisting to shape the deal and providing support throughout the transaction and Due Diligence process. Ironmonger Curtis LLP also advised.

A North Derbyshire independent mortgage adviser has scooped one the financial industry’s top awards.

Daniel Bailey, director of Middleton Finance, has been named as the Mortgage Adviser of the Year in the 2017 Unbiased Media Awards.

The Unbiased Media Awards celebrate the work of financial advisers and journalists who promote the value of advice. They are open to more than 26,000 independent financial advisers and Daniel was just one of 14 professionals to be honoured at the central London awards ceremony.

Daniel is regularly quoted in the national press commenting on the UK mortgage market and, as part of his award nomination, had to submit a number of articles which had been published in newspapers such as The Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and Daily Express.

Commenting on his award win, Daniel said:-

“I am delighted to win the award. It is fantastic to be recognised for my contribution and opinions in the media on the mortgage market. With more than 75% of all mortgages being organised through a mortgage broker today, there is increasing demand for my services from the media, particularly for comment that is jargon-free and decodes an increasingly complicated and changing industry.”

Prior to the win, Daniel had been shortlisted for the prestigious award for four consecutive years, before scooping the industry accolade in February this year. He fought off competition from five other shortlisted mortgage advisers to be named as the winner by a panel of top financial journalists.

Daniel established Middleton Finance in 2009 and since then has quickly risen to become one of the country’s top independent mortgage advisers and is regularly called on by the media for comment and opinion.

He added:-

“Getting a mortgage to buy a home is easier to get than many people think. After 15 years in the industry I still get a buzz from finding exactly the right mortgage for my customers. Buying a property remains one of life’s biggest decisions, and it’s a rare privilege to play a part in helping people realise their hopes and aspirations.”

The Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Macmillan Cancer Support has released a new video taking us inside the new NGS Macmillan Unit as it begins to take shape. The new video provides a sense of the geography of the building and the space the unit will allow.

The £9million development will bring all of the Trust’s cancer services together under one roof to revolutionise the way cancer care is delivered in the hospital. Work started in November 2015 and it’s expected that the building will open soon.

The structure is virtually complete and many of the rooms have been sectioned off as work continues on the building’s internal aspects. The video, which you can watch below, follows some of the Royal Hopsital staff from the Cavendish Suite, where chemotherapy treatments currently take place, around the new unit to get their views along with the project lead and some of those who have helped raise money for the Macmillan appeal.

Reacting to the Midlands Engine Strategy announced this morning, Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at East Midlands Chamber, said:-

“We welcome this first proper strategy for what the Midlands Engine – a concept launched almost two years ago – will do. It would seem at first glance that Government has been listening to business across the region, and that’s very positive.

“The headings chosen by Government reflect the concerns raised by us on behalf of our members and other businesses in recent years and appear to support a consensus that the Midlands is the heart of the UK economy, and not merely by its position. They also reflect work that partners and the Chamber are already progressing and it is essential that, as this strategy is further developed, it adds to, as opposed to replicates, this activity.

“The East Midlands, in particular, is the home of many large international manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce, Bombardier, Toyota, JCB, Caterpillar and Walgreen Boots Alliance, each of which has established supply chains and an existing business support ecosystem that the Midlands Engine Strategy must support.”

The Government’s announcement today states:-

“Stretching from Shropshire to Lincolnshire, with the M1, M6, and most of our major railway lines running through it, the Midlands sits at the very heart of the UK economy.

“Building on our modern Industrial Strategy, the Midlands Engine Strategy sets out the actions we are taking to address productivity barriers across the Midlands, enabling businesses to create more jobs, export more goods and services, and grow their productivity.”

It adds:-

“The Midlands is essential to our national economic success. The region is responsible for over a fifth of the UK’s total manufacturing capability. The services sector in the Midlands accounts for over four million jobs and is worth around £158bn a year. This is a dynamic region: there are now 427,610 more people in employment in the Midlands than there were in 2010 and the size of the Midlands economy has increased by £32.9bn.”

Chris added:-

“It is vital now, as we are about to embark on negotiations for leaving the EU, that the Government’s words are translated into positive actions to drive growth across the Midlands and for our towns, cities and counties to work together to make sure potential global investors know and buy-in to the advantages offered by the Midlands region.

“Businesses in the East Midlands will play an integral part in ensuring the UK makes a success of the coming years, and the Chamber will continue to do all it can to ensure the voice of business continues to be heard and heeded at Westminster.”