Celebrate Chesterfield

Made in Chesterfield inspires tomorrow’s manufacturers and engineers

27th November 2015

More than 700 young people from schools throughout north east Derbyshire got involved with Chesterfield’s month-long festival celebrating the town’s manufacturing and engineering sector during November.

Made in Chesterfield was designed to introduce youngsters to training, careers and jobs in engineering and manufacturing through a series of visits to companies in the sector, business events and exhibitions.

The festival was coordinated by Destination Chesterfield in partnership with MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar, NatWest, Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, Chesterfield College, Derbyshire County Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, Placing Futures, NLT Training Services, UKTI, East Midlands Chamber, Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Positive 4 Young People.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, vice chair of Destination Chesterfield and cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy at Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Engineering has always played a major part in Chesterfield’s economy and the events showed that this heritage is continuing today.

“Engineering companies are also at the forefront of work in the town to create apprentices to give young people high quality job opportunities.

“This festival was an opportunity to showcase all they do and raise awareness of the many different types of products being manufactured in the town.”

Chesterfield Champions MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar and Weightron Bilanciai all hosted student visits to their premises with a number of students keen to follow apprenticeships in the sector following the visits. Catherine Swain of Whittington Green School said: “They were fantastic events which all our students loved getting involved in experiments and talking to the apprentices they had on site. MSE Hiller was one of the best places we have been to.”

Flynn Dodsworth a sixth form student at Shirebrook Academy who visited MSE Hiller said: ““I am interested in engineering and looking at doing mechanical engineering or computational fluid dynamics at University.” Fellow student Matt is considering an engineering apprenticeship when he leaves school. Of the visit to MSE Hiller, he said: “I wanted to experience engineering and what it’s about. It’s also good to add to my personal statement for when I’m applying to engineering companies for jobs.”

MSE Hiller also sponsored and hosted MANTRA (The Manufacturing Technology Transporter), a specially customised 14m HGV trailer, packed with the latest machinery and simulators, designed to give aspiring young engineers a hands-on experience with real cutting-edge technologies.

Designed to give students a taste of modern manufacturing, advanced modelling and assembly line technology to help inspire young people to take up careers in engineering, MANTRA worked its magic on 10 students from Parkside School who visited it.

Year 11 student Ashley Macefield (15) from Parkside School said: “I want to do engineering when I leave school and going to MANTRA helped me see all the different kinds of jobs and roles there are. It showed me that we can build anything if we put our mind to it.”

During the visit the boys were introduced to technology currently in use and that which is being developed, including 3D glasses similar to state-of-the-art ‘Occulus Rift’ equipment which is worn by gamers playing virtual reality games, which they are all fans of.

Parkside School Deputy Headteacher Rachel Hammond, who accompanied the students on their visit said: “It was a very successful visit. I could see that the youngsters really enjoyed it. In fact they were blown away by it. What was made evident is that these are very people the industry needs to employ because they are already familiar with and using modern technologies in video gaming.

“What was amazing to learn during the visit was how much of a major player Chesterfield is in engineering and manufacturing and it showed the boys the job and career opportunities that exist locally, which is hugely important to young people who do not want to move away from home.”

A highlight of the week, for both young people and the business community, was the arrival of Bloodhound, the vehicle which is Britain’s latest attempt to break the world land speed record, travelling at a speed of 1,000mph.

A replica of the vehicle was displayed at Chesterfield College. With only 6% of engineers in the UK being women, a wider aim of the £70million privately funded project is to raise awareness of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) careers.

One such woman is Casey Allen (17), an engineering apprentice at Foxwood Diesel in Old Whittington, who recently narrowly missed out on being named the overall winner of the prestigious Group Training Association (GTA) England Apprentice of the Year Award.

Casey, who is about to complete level 2 of her apprenticeship and start level 3, was put forward for the award by NLT Training Services, a specialist training and provider of apprentices in welding, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering based in Brimington, which also supported Made in Chesterfield hosting a number of school visits.

Principal of Chesterfield College, Stuart Cutforth, said “One hundred and fifty students from schools throughout Derbyshire visited Bloodhound while it was here. The presence of Bloodhound at the College has put the STEM agenda on the radar for Chesterfield.”

The arrival of Bloodhound in Chesterfield also had special significance for both the town and a local manufacturing company, industrial weighing specialists Weightron Bilanciai Ltd, who have supplied the weighing systems that have been use throughout the build of the project. The company is also supplying a system to measure the weight distribution through the wheels of the car, to allow the balancing of the vehicle.

The record attempt will take place in South Africa in October 2016 on 12 mile strip of land where Bloodhound travel faster than bullet and the speed of sound, covering a mile in 3.6 seconds.

As well as school events and Bloodhound’s arrival, there was also a special exhibition running at Chesterfield Museum showcasing the town’s manufacturing and engineering heritage.

And it was the museum and exhibition which hosted the Made in Chesterfield launch event to the business community. As well as the launch event, there was also a packed programme of business events held during Made in Chesterfield, including a manufacturing conference, business masterclasses and networking events.

During Made, UKTI hosted one of 11 business events – ‘UKTI Export Week: Made in Chesterfield……sold to the World,’ which was aimed at encouraging businesses to take up the overseas selling challenge and highlighting the wealth of support and knowledge available to help them grow.

Speakers at the event included representatives from Chesterfield drinks manufacturer Global Brands which currently exports to over 30 countries worldwide, and also Paul Wade, Managing Director of Northern Lights, based in Holmewood, exports to five continents.

The UKT event was also timed to coincide with the launch of the Government’s new Exporting is GREAT Campaign (www.exportingisgreat.gov.uk), which seeks to inspire 100,000 new exporters.

Ian Harrison, UKTI Regional Director in the East Midlands, said he was delighted to be involved in Made in Chesterfield.

He said: “Our breakfast event included an in-depth look at the exciting opportunities for local companies to trade internationally, showing businesses that whatever their size, we can help them take their goods and services worldwide.”

Dominic Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager said:-

“Made in Chesterfield was a complete success thanks to the support of businesses and organisations which enabled us to engage more young people in the sector than ever before showing them the number of jobs and careers and within it and right on their doorstep. Manufacturing engineering is the lifeblood of the economy and it’s important we engage its future workers now to ensure its continued success.

“Thank you to all of the local businesses, training providers and organisations that got behind the week by hosting their own events and attending others. We can’t wait to bring it back again next year to more young people.”

If you’re interested in getting involved in next year’s Made in Chesterfield Week, please contact dom.stevens@chesterfield.co.uk

For details of all events which took place in 2015 visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/made

Pupils bring colour to Chesterfield Coach Station

26th November 2015

Pupils from Brampton Primary School have brought a touch of colour to the town’s coach station.

The students helped put the final touches to the Pocket Park project on Markham Road, at the entrance to the coach station by planting 3,000 purple, yellow and white crocus corms.

The project, which started last year, is a collaboration between Chesterfield Civic Society, Franke Sissons and Chesterfield Borough Council, with support from Destination Chesterfield and Killingley Landscapes.

It aims to provide a welcoming green space for those who travel by coach and for shoppers passing by.

Chesterfield Civic Society suggested the planting scheme and paid for the bulbs. Chesterfield Borough Council staff provided spades for the project and helped with digging and preparing the ground for the bulbs to be planted by the children.

Amanda Chalke, Civic Society executive member, said: “We are delighted to work with Brampton Primary School and Chesterfield Borough Council. It now means the project has involved primary and secondary pupils and a talented young designer who attended Chesterfield College.

“Projects such as this are statements of pride in our town by all age groups. We hope to see more.”

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “This individual project is part of the wider Chesterfield in Bloom project work, which aims to involve the community in making our town a greener and brighter space.

“The work of the children and all the partners will help improve the welcome that coach visitors to the town get, as well as benefit residents.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting

Secondary Dance Festival returns to Winding Wheel

25th November 2015

Nine local schools are set to perform at the Secondary Dance Festival taking place on 2nd December at the Winding Wheel in Chesterfield. Now in its tenth year, the 2015 event will give more students than ever the opportunity to take part in all types of dance – from contemporary to classical. With the help of their dance teachers, the students have put together a show that would wow any audience.

Taking part are: Anthony Gell School, Brookfield Community School, Hasland Hall Community School, Lady Manners School, Netherthorpe School, Outwood Academy Newbold, Springwell Community College, St. Mary’s Catholic High School and Tupton Hall School.

Mark Tournier, Partnership and Development Manager at the Chesterfield School Sport Partnership, said: “The dance platform is organised by Chesterfield School Sport Partnership, bringing together a range of outstanding dance performances form across Chesterfield. It’s a celebration of dance and all the hard work and effort that goes into the performance. It’s not just about the talent on display, the performers show real courage and determination to make it happen.”

The performing schools will be joined by Déda Derby and Crystal Cheer and Dance who will showcase elements of Street Dance as well as professional choreography and storytelling.

Clare Limb, Head of Dance Development and Learning at Déda, said: “Déda is proud to be a partner organisation of Chesterfield SSP and is delighted to be involved in this event, which enables young people in the Chesterfield District and beyond to take part in an annual professional level performance.”

Mark Tournier added: “The event always has a great atmosphere and the performers leave the stage full of confidence. We are excited to be working with 9 schools and two community groups including the Derbyshire Youth Dance Company performing an inspired Dance–Theatre piece titled ‘Get in Line’.”

Tickets are available now priced at £5 for adults and £3 for juniors/concessions for family and friends of performers. This year’s event is expected to be a sell-out, with tickets already selling quickly. To book please contact the Chesterfield Visitor Centre on 01246 345777.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Greener commute wins award for Brockwell Junior School

24th November 2015

Brockwell Junior School in Chesterfield has received a national award for encouraging pupils to enjoy a more active, safer and greener commute.

The Modeshift STARS bronze accreditation recognises the school’s efforts in getting more children to travel to school on foot or using another sustainable means of transport.

Far surpassing any targets, Brockwell has recorded 82% of pupils walking, cycling or scooting to school on a daily basis during the 2014/15 academic year.

Miss Lenthall, of Brockwell Junior School, said: “It’s a fantastic and well organised scheme to be a part of, which really highlights the benefits of active travel. Through the scheme, we found that not only the children, but also their entire families were becoming more involved with travelling actively.

“The children loved being able to travel to school on bikes as well as scooters and couldn’t wait to record their achievements and track their progress against their pledges.”

Following the successful bronze initiatives, the school is continuing the Modeshift STARS scheme and hopes to expand their initiatives in order to achieve the Silver award in 2016.

The national Modeshift STARS scheme is delivered locally by the Chesterfield School Sport Partnership and supported by Derbyshire County Council and Sustrans, a national charity.

Every school in England can participate in the Modeshift STARS scheme for free, and achieve bronze, silver or gold level awards. It is supported by 52 local authorities and more than 11,000 schools nationally.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield

Young people become sporting ambassadors

19th November 2015

Over 100 local secondary school students came together last week to train as sporting ambassadors ready to plan and deliver their own sporting events in Chesterfield.

Organised and delivered by the Chesterfield School Sport Partnership, the all-day conference took place at the Institute of Sport in Sheffield and was an opportunity to gain a range of new skills and experience.

The day was delivered by experts in the field of journalism, photography and media as well as former Team GB Olympic volleyball players, Ben Pipes and Dami Bakare.

Students learned how to run how to run a variety of sporting activities; many which are different to the usual sports played in school – for example boccia and new age kurling.

Activities also included a mock press conference with a former top-level athlete, writing a feature, taking and selecting expert photos and deciding how to publicise any completed work.

Sarah Evans, Leadership and Physical Activity Officer at the Chesterfield School Sport Partnership, said: “It’s great to see so many young leaders here today developing their skills and taking on the role as a Young Ambassador.

“I can’t wait to see how they embrace this role to be inspirational and make a change within their schools.”

The media officer from the Brookfield Community School SSOC said: “I enjoyed the media workshop as we got involved in speaking to an Olympian, taking photos and videos of the other activities and writing a sports blog.”

The Silver Young Ambassadors are now preparing to deliver a School Sport Club in Chesterfield, a Level 1 School Games (Intra) competition and two Get Set for Community Action projects.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure

Engineering marvel arrives at Chesterfield College to inspire next generation of experts

19th November 2015

A replica of Bloodhound, the British-built and designed 1000 mph jet and rocket powered car, which will attempt the land speed record next year, is at Chesterfield College for two days to inspire the next generation of scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians.

120 pupils from schools across Derbyshire and more than 200 students from college are amongst some of the 100,000 young people in the UK who will get the chance to see the replica and find out how the best of the best in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) world have created this feat of engineering.

The young engineers have also built their own jet powered car, taken part in special science workshops and heard from key employers in the region like Rolls Royce, about the careers they could have if they studied STEM subjects.

The Bloodhound team is also on hand at Chesterfield College to meet businesses and engineers and offer a tour of the replica car. A first successful event was held for Chesterfield Champions yesterday evening and there will be another opportunity for local businesses to visit the college tonight.

In the East Midlands, between 2010 and 2020 more than two thirds of jobs will need engineering skills. That is 158,400 jobs that will need qualified engineers. However, over the last 7 years there has been a decline of 20.8% of students choosing STEM subjects. Almost two in five firms (39%) that require STEM-skilled employees report current difficulties in recruitment.

Stuart Cutforth, Principal of Chesterfield College said:

“Having such a high profile and exciting project in college is a fantastic opportunity to excite young people about where studying STEM subjects can lead. We know that STEM related jobs are on the increase but the number of students choosing to study the subjects that will get them the right qualifications to get these jobs has been in decline for some time now. As a college working in an area that is home to a host of key employers we know how important it is to inspire the next generation.”

To find out more about tonight’s Bloodhound event being held for local businesses please click here.

Bloodhound is in Chesterfield as part of the Made in Chesterfield Festival; a month-long celebration of the town’s manufacturing and engineering industry. More information is available at www.chesterfield.co.uk/made.

Photography by Les Wilcockson Photography and Chesterfield College.

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

Ashgate Hospicecare wins innovation award

16th November 2015

Ashgate Hospicecare has won the ‘Innovation in Income Generation Award’ at the 2015 Hospice UK Awards – together with Blythe House Hospice and Helen’s Trust.

Supported by The National Gardens Scheme, the national awards recognise the enormous contribution that individuals and innovative programmes have made to hospice care in local communities across the UK.

The three charities were praised for working collaboratively together on the #ChallengeDerbyshire campaign, which gives local people the opportunity to undertake a fundraising challenge whilst raising money for all three of the non-profit organisations. To date, the joint venture has raised over £30,000 which will be split equally between the charities.

Esther Preston, Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Ashgate Hospicecare, says “Ashgate, Blythe House and Helen’s Trust had all experienced supporters, particularly corporates, who found it hard to support one charity over another. The obvious solution was to set up a joint fundraising venture, so we launched our #ChallengeDerbyshire campaign.”

Managing Director of Markovitz Ltd, David Hopkins, welcomes the idea of supporting three charities simultaneously and is a keen supporter of the campaign. David says, “Challenge Derbyshire is such an amazing initiative for our company to support. Not only does it benefit such worthy charities, it also champions how lucky we are in North Derbyshire to have these three wonderful organisations working together for our community. As a company employing people right across the region, we have found that the majority of our staff and customer’s families have been touched at one time or another by one or more of the charities it benefits. It is wonderful to know that every pound we raise for Challenge Derbyshire is equally benefiting three wonderful local charities. We will certainly continue to promote and support the project.”

To get involved in #ChallengeDerbyshire and support three local charities, visit http://www.challengederbyshire.org.uk/#!get_involved/c8k2

Photo: Left to Right – Dr Ros Taylor MBE, George Plumptre (NGS), Blythe House Hospice Director Janet Dunphy, Heidi Hawkins, Esther Preston and Lord Howard of Lympne

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

Chesterfield set to sparkle

16th November 2015

Visitors and residents are getting excited ahead of the annual Christmas lights switch on, which takes place this Sunday, 22 November.

The festive event gets underway at noon with a magical market featuring entertainment, stalls and rides in the market place and in New Square. The indoor market hall will also be open from noon to 6pm.

A live stage show will begin at 3.30pm with Peak FM presenters providing plenty of fun and competitions, including the chance to win a family ticket to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Pomegranate Theatre.

Stars from the pantomime, including Eurovision queen, Nicki French and impressionist, Philip Green, best known from his appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, will switch on the lights at 4.45pm.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy, said:-

“The Christmas lights event is a highlight in the calendar allowing families to come together and get into the festive spirit.

“I’d encourage people to come along and visit the indoor and outdoor markets to pick up some of their Christmas presents, before joining in the fun of the stage show and seeing the Christmas lights switched on.”

Chesterfield borough residents are reminded that they can use their parking permits to park for free in the following council-run car parks on the day:

Albion Road
Ashgate Road
Derbyshire Times
Devonshire Street
Durrant Road
Hollis Lane (excluding on-street bays)
Holywell Cross (the Donut)
Spa Lane
Station Road
St Mary’s Gate
Theatre Lane
West Street.

For more top Christmas events, Christmas shopping and places to meet Santa visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/Christmas

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

Hundreds flock to inspiring Careers Fair event

12th November 2015

More than 500 students and parents flocked to Tupton Hall Careers Fair to discover the wide range of career paths open to them.

The second event of its kind saw employers, training providers, support services, voluntary organisations, colleges and universities gather under one roof to inspire and inform students.

The event was open to students from right across the school from Years 7 – 13 and it was extremely well attended, with students showing a clear interest in their own futures.

Big names such as Barclays, Tesco, Aldi, the NHS, and Lafarge Tarmac were talent scouting alongside local firms like MSE Hiller, Millbrook Precision Engineering, Rykneld Homes, KH Hair and Cheetham Jackson financial planners.

Training providers included Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), NLT Training and CITB. There were also colleges and universities represented from places as diverse as Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield to Leeds and Birmingham. Not forgetting Tupton Hall’s own Sixth Form college.

The Army, RAF, St John Ambulance, Derbyshire Police were also present to inspire young minds.

Careers Fair organiser Mrs Lisa Savino said: “The students had an exciting evening packed full of useful information about their future career choices.”

“The main purpose of the Careers Fair was to raise aspirations amongst our students and to open their eyes to the many different opportunities available to them.”

“The feedback from students, parents and staff has all been really positive and the event was a great success. We must say a very big thank you to everyone who attended for their inspiring presence.”

Several Tupton Hall alumni – or former students – came back for the evening to share their experiences with current students. They included Jade Ashmore who is a world class competitive boxer, Sammi-Jo Wright who owns her own flourishing hair salon in Clay Cross, Alex Bramley a university graduate and primary school teacher and Mark Heardman who worked in Royal Mail’s IT department but is now a creative mural artist.

Each student who attended the event was entered into a prize draw to win a top-of-the-range laser printer and scanner which was generously donated by event sponsor Frugal IT. The winner, Year 9 student Holly Wright, said the Careers Fair had inspired her to pursue her dream career as a doctor.

She said: “I got the chance to meet universities about which courses would be best for me. I would recommend the Careers Fair to any other Tupton Hall students and I will probably be there myself next year!”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield

Two of the top ten East Midlands hotels are in Chesterfield

10th November 2015

Hotel search website trivago.co.uk have revealed the results of their inaugural Top Hotel Awards and the Casa Hotel in Chesterfield has been named the top-rated hotel in the East Midlands.

trivago.co.uk have used aggregated online user ratings in order to recognise the best rated hotels, both regionally and nationally

The majority of the top-rated hotels are clustered towards the centre of the East Midlands region, with easy access to the Peak District. Two hotels are located in Chesterfield, alongside first place Casa Hotel is the Peak Edge Hotel which was named equal 5th in the survey.

To view the full results, please visit: checkin.trivago.co.uk/2015/11/04/trivago-uk-top-hotel-awards- 2015/#EastMid

Stuart Downham, Operations Director, Casa Hotel: “We are thrilled to be named as the number one hotel in the East Midlands for trivago’s 2015 Top Hotel Awards, the team at Casa work tirelessly to ensure the best stay for our guests. Being an independent hotel we are able to really tailor our service to the needs of our guests and every decision we make is made with the guest as our number one priority. We value all of the feedback we receive, we use it to get a little bit better every single day and recognition for our consistently high levels of service will give us all even more motivation to exceed our guests’ expectations.”

Denise Bartlett, UK Public Relations at trivago.co.uk said “With their attention to detail and attentiveness towards their guests, it is easy to see why Casa is our top-rated hotel in the East Midlands this year. Given the high number of independent hotels and guest houses in the top 20 for this region, it is only fitting that an independent hotel should take this title.

The trivago Top Hotel Awards aim to judge all accommodation fairly, whether they are chain hotel in Lincoln, a guest house in the Peak District, or a luxury independent hotel. It is really encouraging to see such a range of accommodation, both in terms of price and geographical location, in our top 20.”

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

Walking and cycling superstars at Westfield Infants

6th November 2015

Westfield Infants School in Chesterfield has received a national award for encouraging pupils to enjoy a more active, safer and greener commute.

The Modeshift STARS bronze accreditation recognises the school’s efforts in getting more children to travel on foot, by bike or via other sustainable means of transport, such as scooters, public transport or car sharing.

Supported by parents, staff, Derbyshire County Council and Sustrans – a national charity working towards sustainable travel – the school has taken part in a number of practical initiatives over the past academic year. These included ‘Scooter Smart’ training run by the County Council, and ‘Skills to Ride’ delivered by local cycling safety experts, Wheely Fun Wheels.

Westfield Infants has delivered great results, having more than doubled the amount of children walking, cycling or scooting to school on a daily basis.

The bronze award was presented to pupils at a school celebration held on Wednesday 4th November by Philip J. Smith, Senior Transport Officer from Derbyshire County Council, and Lisa Hopkinson, a Sustrans volunteer.

Mr Whitham, of Westfield Infant School, said: “Undertaking the Modeshift STARS award scheme has helped to raise the importance and profile of travelling in a sustainable way. Children loved the engaging assembly to kick-start the program. More and more of our children are coming to school on scooters and bikes, we are even looking into purchasing a new bike shelter to hold all the bikes!”

Following the successful bronze initiatives, the school is continuing the scheme and hopes to achieve the silver award in 2016.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield