Business

University of Derby agrees new partnership to support school sport

17th February 2016

The University of Derby is showing its support for school sport competitions in the county and the annual Derbyshire Schools’ Sports Awards after agreeing a new partnership with Derbyshire Sport and the Derbyshire Schools’ Sports Association (DSSA).

The partnership is part of the university’s ongoing work to create greater links with local schools and encourage more young people with an interest in sport to consider studying at the University of Derby.

In addition the university’s new £10.8m sports centre will play host to several county finals in the DSSA competition calendar.

The partnership was launched at the Derbyshire School Games U16 Badminton Team Championships, organised by Derbyshire Sport, which saw around 50 pupils from schools across Derbyshire competing.

Hari Punchihewa, Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director at the University of Derby, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the work of Derbyshire Sport and the Derbyshire Schools’ Sports Association in this way. The University and its Team Derby brand are serious about sport and have much to offer any young person with an interest in sport.

“This includes a range of sport and exercise courses, a range of first-class facilities, a performance sport programme for badminton, basketball and volleyball, and scholarship and bursary opportunities for talented athletes participating in British Universities and Colleges Sport.”

Ilana Freestone, Derbyshire Sport Director, said: “Derbyshire Sport and the DSSA are excited to be working with the University of Derby in this way. This new partnership will support a range of high quality competition opportunities for young people and allow their sporting successes to continue to be celebrated at the annual awards evening.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure

Land in Chesterfield sold for 91 home redevelopment

16th February 2016

A 10-acre plot of land in Chesterfield has been bought by the UK’s leading privately-owned house-builder Avant Homes. The developer now plans to redevelop the Newbold Road site to build 91 high-specification new homes.

Charles D’Auncey, director of Harris Lamb, oversaw the sale on behalf of GKN, and said that Avant Homes had been the successful bidder for the site, which a number of developers had identified as a desirable location for a residential development.

“There has been a real demand for quality new homes within the region as a result of its excellent access links and its proximity to the Peak District, but available land to fulfil that need is in short supply.

“ more than met the requirements. Located just four miles from the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the site is just a mile away from Chesterfield town centre and its amenities, lending itself to creating a residential community.”

The Newbold Road site had already been awarded planning consent for the properties subject the developer is committed to paying more than £200,000 toward improvements to the local nursery, infant and junior schools, as well as providing 20 per cent of the houses

Charles added: “Confidence has returned to the housing construction sector as the economy has improved; something the introduction of the Help To Buy Government initiative in 2013 has helped to escalate.

“As a result, Harris Lamb has been working with clients to identify suitable land supplies for residential development and liaising with interested developers to help secure the sale, planning permission and support site-works where appropriate.

“There was a great deal of interest in this site from various UK developers keen to secure a presence in Derbyshire, and the location of this particular parcel of land made it a very desirable asset. We’re confident that the site will be redeveloped to an extremely high standard, thanks to Avant Homes’ Avant Homes’ reputation for creating homes with an innovative design and specification,” he added.

Construction at the Newbold Fields site will start in the coming weeks and the development is expected to launch in the summer.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

NHS offers 10 traineeships to help young people into work

15th February 2016

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust is working with Learning Unlimited to offer 10 exciting traineeship opportunities to help unemployed 18-24 year olds in Chesterfield into employment.

Starting at the end of February, the traineeships are in estates, catering and patient experience departments and are a great way to gain essential work experience and develop key employability skills.

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust is a Top 10 NHS Best Places To Work employer 2015, in awards run by the Health Service Journal in association with the Nursing Times and NHS Employers.

For those succesful, the traineeship programme will last for 12 weeks, beginning with a two week induction period and followed by 10 weeks of work experience. Throughout the programme each trainee will be supported by the NHS Trust and training provider Learning Unlimited. At the end of the programme trainees will be offered an interview, given a reference, considered for potential job opportunities in the organisation and supported to think about the next steps into an apprenticeship, work or education with the help of Learning Unlimited.

Sharon Allison, workforce planning and development trainer at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust said:

“Traineeships are a fantastic way to develop people within the communities we serve. It is really important for our organisation to make sure we give people who want to work with us the opportunity to get experience and be job ready. We are keen to develop the skills the organisation needs and traineeships offer us the chance to do that.

“If you are unemployed, aged 18 to 24 and interested in a career in the NHS but feel you need some support to get the first step on the career ladder I would urge you think about traineeships with us.”

For more information about the traineeships and to apply visit https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/traineeship/689439. The closing date for applications is 19th February 2016.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

Peak District and Derbyshire share in tourism spending and jobs boost

12th February 2016

Inspirational marketing campaigns to encourage more visitors to come and stay in the Peak District and Derbyshire have proved almost eight times more effective than expected – generating more than £44.7 million in extra tourism spending and creating more than 830 jobs.

Research by national tourist board VisitEngland reveals that official tourist board Visit Peak District & Derbyshire has exceeded Government targets by a huge margin thanks to its major, multi-media marketing push ‘The World Away’ – costing just £600,000 over three years in a public and private sector partnership.

Government-set goals stipulated that the campaigns – which included the area’s first-ever television commercial, advertising billboards, video on demand and on-line, print and social media promotion – should reap a return of investment of £5.8 million and create more than 130 jobs from 2012 to 2015.

But they proved much more appealing than anticipated – mirroring the wider success of VisitEngland’s national campaign, ‘Growing Tourism Locally’, funded by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) – which has generated an extra £1.05 billion in tourism spend and created a record number of 19,490 jobs in the tourism sector across England over the same period.

“To say we are delighted is an understatement,” said Jo Dilley, Director of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire. “‘The World Away’ has punched well above its weight in terms of both return on investment and creating jobs, bringing concrete benefits and hopefully a lasting legacy to the local and regional economy that we can build on throughout 2016 and beyond.”

Lady Cobham CBE, Chairman of VisitEngland’s Advisory Board, added: “It’s fantastic to see the results of the ‘Growing Tourism Locally’ campaign’, which was aimed at driving growth by encouraging Brits to book a short break at home in one of the many wonderful destinations on offer across England. It’s a brilliant result, promoting our beautiful country as a world-class holiday destination.”

The Peak District and Derbyshire was one of 14 English destinations to benefit from a £19.8 million pot of money – part of a total investment of £41.6 million, including contributions from VisitEngland and the private sector – funding campaigns to target specific audiences such as young couples, young couples with pre-school children, older couples and groups.

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

Cathelco supplies equipment to US

9th February 2016

Chesterfield manufacturer Cathelco has won a contract to supply its specialist water treatment system for a new offshore vessel built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group for Harvey Gulf International Marine, LLC of New Orleans.

The Harvey Stone (Hull 234), with a length of 64.8m and 18m beam, is due to be delivered in the second quarter of this year.

Cathelco’s ballast water treatment (BWT) system can operate effectively in the most challenging water conditions and automatically adjusts to different sea water qualities.

Peter Smith, sales director of Cathelco said:-

“We are one of the few BWT system manufacturers using UV technology that has no restrictions on the salinities in which ships can operate in U.S. waters. Our system has been approved and accepted to work in marine, brackish and fresh water, allowing vessels to enter the Great Lakes and other inland waterways.”

The equpment’s space-saving UV chambers are some of the smallest on the market. Each unit is a twin chamber with only two lamps (100m³/hr per lamp) and is designed to make the sea water flow along one side and then the other – doubling UV exposure.

The system also boasts an innovative, non-chemical cleaning system which prevents damage to equipment as it has no mechanical parts, but instead uses special cleaning balls to remove any residue.

Posted in Business

National recognition for Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre

5th February 2016

Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre has once again been announced as a finalist in the prestigious England for Excellence Awards.

The centre in Rykneld Square, which is owned and operated by Chesterfield Borough Council has been shortlisted for a second year in the visitor information provider of the year category.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy said: “Each year we welcome thousands of visitors into Chesterfield to visit attractions including our open-air market, the Crooked Spire and the wider area including the Peak District.

“Our knowledgeable and friendly staff are often the first people visitors to the town will meet and they will go the extra mile to make people feel welcome and make sure they have all the information they need.”

Other nominees in the same category are: Eastbourne Tourist Information Centre, Gloucester Tourist Information Centre, Thanet Visitor Information Service and The Welcome People London.

Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive Officer of VisitBritain and VisitEngland added: “Awards for Excellence finalists exemplify outstanding tourism talent and distinguished businesses throughout England.

“We received over 400 truly impressive applications this year and there’s absolutely no doubt those shortlisted are a representatives of the best in the industry who place delivering an unforgettable experience to visitors in England at the heart of their business operations.

“I’d like to congratulate all finalists and wish them the very best of luck on awards night.”

The England for Excellence Awards 2016 takes place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Tuesday 8 March.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Getting more disabled people into sports and volunteering

4th February 2016

Ten sports clubs and organisations across Derbyshire are to benefit from free training to help increase the number of disabled people volunteering across the county.

Run by Derbyshire Sport, the IMPACT volunteering project aims to create more sports volunteering opportunities for disabled people whilst increasing their confidence and skills.

The programme will help understand whether having more disabled volunteers supporting a club helps increase disability participation, a key target of Sport England who are funding this project.

A volunteer recruitment campaign is set to take place within ‘Inclusive Volunteer Month’ in June to encourage disabled people to volunteer as well as providing training opportunities for the clubs who the volunteers will be deployed to.

Within the month, Derbyshire Sport will work with local voluntary services and other partners to encourage disabled people to sign up to the project and start their journey as a sports volunteer.

Matthew Dalley, Derbyshire Para-Equestrian rider and has gained many benefits from his own volunteering experience at his riding club where he started helping in the yard and now runs the club’s social media and website.

When speaking about his volunteering journey, Matthew said: “I am committed to helping other disabled people benefit from an involvement in sport, both as a participant and volunteer.

“Through my own volunteering I aim to show that my disability isn’t a barrier to helping make a difference and I encourage others to take the opportunity to get involved with the IMPACT project so they can benefit like I have.”

Sport Development Officer for Derbyshire Sport, Rachael Dyer, said: “it is important to reflect the broad spectrum of people that we are aiming to recruit by providing a varied training programme.

“Clubs and their volunteers will have the opportunity to develop a range of skills and knowledge on how to effectively engage with disabled people who are getting involved in their club in a voluntary capacity.

“The IMPACT project will help Derbyshire clubs and volunteers better understand how to effectively engage with disabled people and to help raise their awareness of what makes an inclusive club”.

Four counties will be involved in the project across the East Midlands; Lincolnshire Sport, Northamptonshire Sport and Sport Nottinghamshire will all be working alongside Derbyshire to get more disabled people volunteering across the region.

The four counties are sharing a £59,200 investment into the region that was awarded by Sport England in late 2015.

For more information on the project please contact Rachael.dyer@derbyshire.gov.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure

New road to bring more jobs to Markham Vale

3rd February 2016

Work has started on a new link road to the M1 motorway paving the way to potentially create more than 2,500 new jobs at Derbyshire County Council’s flagship regeneration site, Markham Vale.

The new Seymour Link Road will join up plots of land on the north side of the Markham Vale Enterprise Zone through Erin Road to Junction 29a of the M1 motorway and will open up more space for businesses to move to the site.

The jobs figures are an estimate based on the size of the development plots available and the county council has already received a number of enquiries from a range of businesses interested in the site.

Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Policy, Economic Development and Budget, Councillor Anne Western said:

“This is a great start to the New Year for Markham Vale.

“Seymour Link Road will open up opportunities for more businesses to move to the site and has the potential to create more than 2,500 new jobs for local people and boost the Derbyshire economy.

“We’re also currently negotiating with Government on a devolution deal with the hope that this will give us more money to invest in major projects such as Markham Vale, develop skills and boost employment.

“We look forward to welcoming even more new businesses to the site this year including Great Bear Distribution which is set to open in October and create up to 400 new jobs.”

Derbyshire County Council is providing £1.26m towards the new £7.56m link road in partnership with the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) − promoting economic growth in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire − investing £2.52m, and the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, £3.78m.

D2N2 LEP’s Chief Executive, David Ralph, said:

“Developing Enterprise Zone sites is key to our economic ambitions and at the heart of D2N2’s Strategic Economic Plan, with its overarching ambition to create 55,000 new private sector jobs in key industries, over ten years.

“To that end we are not only investing in Markham Vale, which will benefit hugely from the Seymour Link Road to the M1, but also the Nottingham and Derby Enterprise Zone sites.”

Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and Vice Chair of the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, Councillor John Burrows, said:

“The Enterprise Zone at Markham Vale is going from strength-to-strength − anyone travelling on the M1 can see that this is a hotbed of investment activity that gets busier every month.

“This new link road will open up more land to the growing numbers of businesses that want to be part of our successful Enterprise Zone.”

The link road at Markham Vale is due to be completed in October this year.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development

Chesterfield Businesses Needed to Help Develop Employability Skills in Schools

1st February 2016

Business leaders, employers and the self-employed are needed as volunteers to build stronger links between schools and companies, to help young people realise their career potential.

Business people are being sought to act as volunteer Enterprise Advisers. Each will work with a school or college; giving its senior staff an insight into business needs, talking to and motivating students about their future careers, and creating opportunities for other business leaders to get involved to strengthen links between businesses and schools in its area. The aim being to address the mismatch between skills and training taught to young people in schools and post-16 education centres, and those needed by companies to fill the ‘skills gaps’ in their workforces.

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and The Careers & Enterprise Company, the Government-backed body set-up to get UK employers and schools working more closely together, are jointly investing £300,000 in the LEP’s D2N2 Employability Framework and the Enterprise Adviser network.

Applicants must have a genuine interest in helping young people develop their careers and also be:

Challenging – Supportive and ambitious for their nominated school or college, and the impact of the wider Enterprise Adviser network.
Charismatic – Personable and engaging when talking to staff and students.
Connected – A good networker with effective links, which they are willing to use to further their work with the school or college.
Considered – Can adopt a strategic and analytical approach.
Credible – When talking to business or education organisations.
Dedicated – Willing to give time and energy to the Enterprise Adviser network.
Inspiring – Engaging, energetic and positive.

Enterprise Advisers will work with a nominated school or college and with their Enterprise Co-ordinator, of which there will be seven employed across the D2N2 area. All D2N2 Enterprise Advisors will be Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked.

Ian Greenaway, D2N2 LEP Employability Champion and Board Member for the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, said: “The success of our D2N2 Employability Framework will rely heavily on the support and experience of high calibre business people, who are willing to invest their time and effort in acting as volunteer Enterprise Advisers, to work with schools and colleges.

“I’d urge any business person with an interest in our young people’s career prospects, who believes they have something to offer, to contact us.”

The Employability Framework aims to see every secondary school and college in the D2N2 area, and at least 20% of specialist schools, having:

a designated employer linked to their organisation;
an Enterprise, Careers and Employability Strategy;
undertaken a self-assessment, to produce an action plan in response to the Enterprise, Careers and Employability Strategy;
access to providers delivering enterprise, careers and employability activities who have been quality assured against the D2N2 Employability Framework;
access to a range of funding to support their school strategies.

People interested in becoming an Enterprise Adviser can register their interest via an online form on the web page at www.d2n2lep.org/skills/d2n2-enterprise-adviser-network; or contact Katrina Woodward, D2N2 Commissioning Manager for Skills and Employability, on 0115 957 8753 or email: Katrina.Woodward@d2n2lep.org

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Made in Chesterfield

Chancellor’s nod could trigger devolution revolution

1st February 2016

Only ‘the nod’ from Chancellor George Osborne now stands between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire securing the biggest hand-over of powers from Government in generations.

New laws came into force at the end of January which could release “game-changing” investment in infrastructure, job creation, transport and skills.

The UK currently has one of the most centralised systems of Government in Europe, but the new Cities and Local Government Devolution Act, which now has Royal Assent, paves the way for the handing down of powers. This would give local people and business a greater control of their own affairs.

Council and business leaders from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have been negotiating for a comprehensive package of new powers and investment to be released from Government control and into the hands of local people, with a better understanding of the challenges and needs of the area.

The North Midlands devolution deal would deliver:

55,000 new private sector jobs
77,000 extra homes
an Investment Fund over 30 years to provide infrastructure such as roads and bridges
adult skills provision to better meet the needs of businesses
a joint transport fund to spend on key transport improvements
better co-ordinated public transport, with Oyster card style smart ticketing
more responsive and co-ordinated business support for growth
110,000 new apprenticeships
more people entering employment through better targeted local programmes
journey times to London of less than 90 minutes by train.

Councillor Alan Rhodes, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council said for every day that passed between now and Government sign-off of the deal, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire is losing ground on other parts of the UK.

Derbyshire County Council leader, Councillor Anne Western, said:

“The Government accepts that devolution is desperately needed to aid the economic recovery, the law is passed and we have a fantastic package of deliverable measures on the table. Now all the people of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire await is the nod from George Osborne.

“It seems like every day that another local business comes out in support of our deal or a major think-tank study concludes that the best chance for an area’s economic growth is with devolved powers and funding. The experts are saying devolution is needed now, local people and businesses are saying it’s needed now, even the Government is saying it’s needed now. Let’s do it now.”

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said:

“The enactment of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill is a significant milestone which brings the prospect of the devolution of a swathe of powers to Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire another step closer.

“We have a broad base of businesses here which play a huge role in driving the UK’s economy and they stand ready to champion the completion of a devolution deal, on the understanding that business engagement will remain central to its implementation.”

David Ralph, Chief Executive of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, added:

“Royal Assent to the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill is a major step in the Government’s commitment to deliver Devolution, including a North Midlands Devolution Deal covering Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

“All partners in the Deal recognise the importance of a strong D2N2 area economy and believe Devolutionwill provide some of the levers to boost productivity, create more jobs, and improve the skills levels and career prospects of our communities.

“With legislation now in place, we hope to see Government picking up the baton and quickly confirming the Deal for our area, without further unnecessary delays.”

19 councils across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire together with business leaders from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership which covers the two counties have been in negotiations with Ministers over a devolution deal for the area since last March.

They are seeking to create a single Combined Authority for the region by March 2016 − the first of its kind featuring district, borough, city and county councils.

Under the deal, the Combined Authority and a new Mayor, elected by the people of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, would be granted powers and resources currently held in London. It would gain responsibility for delivering a raft of new measures to boost economic growth, create jobs, build new homes and improve the quality of life for people living in the area.

The new powers would be held and delivered separately but in support of existing services, which would continue to be delivered by the local Councils.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

Rent Charges Frozen for Chesterfield Market

29th January 2016

Rent charges for market traders are to be frozen as part of plans to ensure Chesterfield’s successful historic outdoor market place continues to thrive in the modern shopping world.

Last year Chesterfield Borough Council, which owns and manages the outdoor market, carried out a public consultation as part of a review looking at how the market can continue to draw in shoppers as markets across the country face increased competition from the growth of online shopping and discount stores.

Charges for traders on the general, flea and farmers’ markets are being held at their current levels to support existing traders and help with the recruitment of new traders. Fees for electricity, storage and the promotion of the open market are also being frozen.

Market charges on Chesterfield outdoor market are already cheaper or in line with those at neighbouring markets in the region.

Despite the tough economic climate for markets nationally, Chesterfield market continues to have between 100 and 150 stalls trading on market days.

To increase this further the council has begun work with traders on both short and long term plans to make improvements to the outdoor market.

Specific proposals will be drawn up over the coming months, while work starts on identifying funding to carry out more major redevelopments in the long term that could see the layout changed and improvements made to the stalls area. Some initial short term ideas are to:

· Offer incentives for new traders

· Continue to develop the town centre events programme to increase the number of visitors in the town, with the boost that brings to the markets

· Looking at whether the success of the monthly artisan markets can be followed up by looking at other specialist market events

· Helping the traders make greater use of social media to promote their products

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy, said: “The market is the heart of our town centre and we all want it to remain that way.

“But all shopping environments have to move with the times to ensure they remain relevant in a world of online shopping and so I am really pleased that the traders have agreed to work with us on both short and long terms plans to achieve that.

“Some of the key issues to address are around footfall around the market place area, the sight lines of individual stalls and weather protection to provide good trading conditions for our traders and their customers.”

Longer term options to reorganise the market place area have been put forward following public consultation that would cost between £900,000 and £3 million, depending on the route taken.

Councillor Serjeant added: “With the funding cuts the council is facing this is not something we can fund at the current time so we plan on working with the traders on options to seek grant funding or work in to our medium to long term financial plans ways of identifying the money required.

“This will enable a viable and affordable plan to be developed that can then be delivered to achieve the on-going improvements the traders and us want to see.”

General markets are held in Chesterfield every Monday, Friday and Saturday and the flea market is each Thursday. A farmers’ market is held on the second Thursday of every month and an artisan market on the last Sunday of each month.

The council also holds car boot sales every Sunday at the Proact Stadium, off Sheffield Road.

–ends—

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