Celebrate Chesterfield

£400m Peak Resort development announced by Prime Minister David Cameron

Prime Minister David Cameron announced Peak Resort, a £400m leisure development near Chesterfield, which will create 1,300 jobs.

The all-weather leisure, health, sport and education destination will be located on the edge of the Peak District National Park.

The tourism development, which will bring more than 1,300 jobs to Chesterfield has been welcomed as a further sign of the borough’s economic strength.

Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield, the town’s marketing campaign, both say the news that the Peak Resort project will soon get underway shows the private sector’s confidence about investing in the borough.

News about the start of work on the integrated all-weather, year round leisure, health, sport and education destination will be formally announced by the Prime Minister David Cameron during a visit to America.

Plans for the project – which is in the Chesterfield borough on the reclaimed opencast mining site, close to the Birchall Estate at Unstone, have been years in the making. It brings together leading hospitality, university, sport and medical expertise and will have 600 holiday apartments, hotel and hostel units with 250 woodland lodges.

Councillor John Burrows, Leader and Executive Member for Regeneration at Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This is a fantastic boost to Chesterfield and its economy and another sign of the confidence the business community has about investing in our borough.

“I congratulate the developer Rupert Carr for his determination and hard work to make this happen. I also thank the council’s planning and economic development teams who have worked closely with him and his company over many years to make this project a reality.

“The development will provide 1,300 jobs when it opens, and hundreds more during the construction phase, so the opportunities for local people to get new jobs will be tremendous.

“And once completed the venue will bring thousands of extra visitors to our borough, improving Chesterfield’s tourism offer, with the knock-on benefits that this gives to our local shops and facilities.”

The move has also received the backing of Destination Chesterfield, the town’s marketing campaign.

Chair, Peter Swallow said: “The benefits of Chesterfield’s proximity to the Peak District National Park will be fully realised with the announcement of Peak Resort.

“The investment by the US firm Grand Heritage Hotel Group will put the town on the international map and I am confident Chesterfield will reap the domino effect of this investment far beyond the construction phase.

“Residents, retailers and developers in the area have an excellent opportunity now to capitalise on Peak Resort ahead of its opening and make Chesterfield the best it can be to ensure a positive lasting impression for all visitors.”

George Cowcher, Chief Executive of the East Midlands Chamber, which represents businesses in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, said: “This is fantastic news and will totally transform both the economy and the tourism offer of Chesterfield and the Peak District.

“This scheme has been in development for many years, so it’s great to see it has finally secured the funding to bring it to fruition, along with the green light to make it happen.”

“The visitor economy, particularly in this part of the region, is a key driver of economic growth and this new development will further enhance the offering, draw more visitors to the area and make Chesterfield and the Peak District an even stronger proposition for potential investors.”

A new regeneration investment organisation, bringing together the two investors – Birchall Properties, led by Rupert Carr, and the US owned Grand Heritage Hotel Group – will be created to lead the project.

Work will start on site between March and April.

Read more about the Peak Resort development

The Peak Resort Masterplan by Stanton Williams (Retina Images)

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

Proact Stadium prepares for popular Player of the Year dinner

This season’s Chesterfield FC Player of the Year dinner will be on a much larger scale than ever before to cope with the demand for tickets.

There are plans for a large marquee to be erected on the pitch at the Proact Stadium to accommodate around 500 people. If the Spireites are involved in the Sky Bet League 1 play-offs, the marquee will be erected on the car park instead.

The event, taking place on Bank Holiday Monday, May 4 (from 6pm), will feature an awards ceremony attended by the players and management staff, together with live music and a disco. Tickets are priced at £50 and £75.

Spireites Chief Executive, Chris Turner felt that it was important to make the showpiece annual event more accessible to supporters of the club. He said: “We have previously held the dinner in the Leengate Legends Lounge – limiting the capacity to just over 200 – and tickets have sold-out within hours of going on sale.

“We wanted to give an increased number of supporters the opportunity to attend the event and the use of a marquee on the pitch will enable us to do that. A lot of planning for the event has already taken place and it promises to be a memorable occasion.”

To book for the event, please phone sales & marketing manager Kevin Fitzgerald on 01246 209765 (ext 4152) or email kevinfitzgerald@chesterfield-fc.co.uk.

Source:Chesterfield FC

Posted in Celebrate Chesterfield

Grants awarded to support Chesterfield athletes

Some of the best young talent in the Chesterfield Borough have been handed a share of £2,250 in grants from business network ICON to help them chase their sporting dreams.

The chosen 15 athletes have been selected to receive a grant of up to £250 each, which they can use to help meet costs such as travel, equipment, coaching fees or competition costs.

All of the athletes are tipped for further success in their respective sports, and are either already competing for England or Great Britain or are part of recognised national development squads or club academy structures.

Chesterfield Borough Council will also provide each with free access to its leisure facilities to further help them with their training.

The selected athletes are ice hockey players: Jake Aspley, Ryan Aspley and Ameliah Such, table tennis players: Isobel Ashley and Liam Pitchford, track and field siblings: Alicia and Ella Barrett, golfers: Jamie Boler and George Woolgar, fencers: Jayne Crook and Hannah Lawrence, tennis player, Bradley Buckland, squash player, Ashley Davies, diver, Bron Jenkinson and swimmer, Imogen Morris.

Cllr Amanda Serjeant, Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism at Chesterfield Borough Council met 10 of the athletes to congratulate them during a presentation at the cricket pavilion in Queen’s Park, Chesterfield on Tuesday, January 13, along with Hayley Lever, Director of Derbyshire Sport which organises the ICON programme, Mark Tournier of the Chesterfield School Sport Partnership and Cllr Jean Innes of Derbyshire County Council.

“We all took great delight in the success of our sporting stars at London 2012 and again at the Commonwealth Games last year and it’s important that, through initiatives like these, we support those legacies in our communities,” said Cllr Serjeant.

Chesterfield Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council are among 10 local authorities across the county who are members of business network ICON, which was set up by Derbyshire Sport as part of the work to create a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Games in Derbyshire.

Other members of the programme include Destination Chesterfield and Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

Further details about the selected athletes are available atwww.derbyshiresport.co.uk

Source:Derbyshire Sport

Posted in Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

Town’s top firms rewarded at Derbyshire Times Business Awards

Chesterfield’s best firms were in the spotlight at last week’s Derbyshire Times’ Business Awards in association with Destination Chesterfield.

An impressive 15 categories were claimed locally at the glittering black tie event, hosted at the Proact Stadium by BBC Look North presenter, Claire Frisby.

The ultimate Business of the Year accolade went to United Cast Bar, a manufacturer based on Spital Lane, which also received the award for Excellence in Manufacturing.

James Brand, Director at the firm said: “It’s an absolute honour to have won.  I’d like to say a massive thank you to our dedicated team for all of their hard work over the years. Of course I’d like to thank our loyal clients. It’s humbling to be recognised for our achievements locally, and when up against such great businesses the accolade is even more rewarding.”

The New Business of the Year award went to innovative firm, NuWorld Energy, which specialises in electric vehicle charging infrastructure.  Describing the win as a privilege, Director, Mark Pymm said:-

“It just shows that the blood, sweat and tears endured during the first year of a new business is all worth it in the end. If it wasn’t for the support of the local business community, colleagues, friends and family, we would not be in this position and I look forward to building on this achievement with our growing team and being there again next year.”

Also honoured on the night was Casa Hotel which received the Customer Service award and Northern Tea Merchants which claimed Retailer of the Year.

Taking home the Community Contribution award for the second year running was Franke Sissons and both the Lifetime Achievement and Apprentice of the Year awards were won by Central Technology.

Organiser and Derbyshire Times Editor Graeme Huston said:-

“It’s fantastic to have everyone from our proud business community come together to celebrate their achievements in 2014.

“All the many entries were worthy of praise and our judging panel deliberated long and hard to find this year’s winners and we wish them and everyone else the best of luck for 2015.”

 

The full list of winners include:-

  • Business of the year: United Cast Bar
  • Small business of the year: Creativity Sells
  • New business of the year: NuWorld Energy
  • Apprentice of the year: Jamie Ridgeway, Central Technology
  • Young business person of the year: Hayley Gillbard
  • Business personality of the year: Mark Lord, Aztec Oils
  • Entrepreneur of the year: Robert Carlin
  • Team of the year: Auto Windscreens
  • Business idea of the year: In The Works PR
  • Retailer of the year: Northern Tea Merchants
  • Community contribution of the year: Franke Sissons
  • Employer of the year award: Auto Windscreens
  • Lifetime achievement award: Ian Snow, Central Technology
  • Customer service award: Casa Hotel
  • Creative innovation award: VHS Group
  • Environment Award: Carbon Low
  • Excellence in professional services: Barber Harrison and Platt
  • Excellence in Manufacturing: United Cast Bar

Photographs from the event can be seen in this week’s Derbyshire Times.

Source:Derbyshire Times

Posted in Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

Brampton Brewery Celebrates Another Win

Brampton Brewery has seen success once again at the annual SIBA Midlands Regional Beer Competition, having scooped three awards at the event; held last month at the Nottingham Beer Festival.

Following three rounds of blind tastings by nearly 150 judges, the Chatsworth Road business secured two silver medals in the Milds & Stouts and Strong Bitters categories – for its Brampton Stout and Speciale in cask respectively.  Brampton also took home a bronze in the Premium Strong Ales category for its Winter Bock in cask.

Commenting on the win, Chris Radford, Managing Director and Head Brewer at Brampton Brewery said “I’m absolutely delighted – The Society of Independent Brewers Awards are significant for being completely blind-tasted which immediately removes any pre-conceptions.  Also the pool of judges are drawn from breweries and trades-people the length and breadth of the Country, so with over 1,200 breweries operating in the UK now we shouldn’t underestimate the contribution we are making at Brampton as one of the smaller commercial breweries.”

Source:Brampton Brewery

Posted in Celebrate Chesterfield

Chesterfield athletes receive financial support

Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games hopefuls across the county are among 128 athletes who have been awarded bursaries totalling £21,575 through Derbyshire Sport’s business network ICON, including 17 individuals from Chesterfield.

Each successful applicant lives in one of Derbyshire’s nine districts or competes for a Derbyshire-based club and must already compete at a high level to qualify.

All are already representing their country or Great Britain, have won a national championship medal, are part of a recognised development squad or a development squad aligned to a professional sports club or have been selected for the Derbyshire Institute of Sport.

They will receive a bursary up to a maximum of £250 to help meet costs such as travel, accommodation, equipment, coaching fees, clothing or competition entry, use of leisure facilities and a boost to their profile through local publicity.

The success of the scheme has been brought into view this summer by Chesterfield’s Liam Pitchford, who won three medals at this summer’s Commonwealth Games having benefited from ICON support.

“ICON really helped me a lot when I was coming through into the national set-up,” said Pitchford, who won two slivers and a bronze in Glasgow.

“It helped me get access to the best practice facilities possible at a time when I didn’t have national governing body funding.”

ICON was set up by Derbyshire Sport as part of the work to create a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic Games and encourage more links between business and sport.

Each member contributes an annual membership fee, and this money goes directly to athletes through the bursary scheme.

Full list of Chesterfield athletes given bursaries for the 2015 ICON programme:-

•Ryan Aspley (Ice Hockey) from Chesterfield

•Jake Aspley (Ice Hockey) from Chesterfield

•Isobel Ashley (Table Tennis) from Barrow Hill

•Jade Ashmore (Boxing) from Heath

•Alicia Barrett (Athletics) from Newbold

•Ella Barrett (Athletics) from Newbold

•Jamie Boler (Golf) from Chesterfield

•Bradley Buckland (Tennis) from Brampton

•Jayne Crook (Fencing) from Brimington

•Ashley Davies (Squash) from Chesterfield

•Bron Jenkinson (Diving) from Clowne

•Hannah Lawrence (Fencing) from Manchester and a member of Wingerworth Fencing Club, Chesterfield

•Imogen Morris (Swimming) from Heath

•Liam Pitchford (Table Tennis) from Brimington

•Ameliah Such (Ice Hockey) from Chesterfield

•Morgan Swales (Ice Skating) from Calow

•George Woolgar (Golf) from Tapton

Source:Derbyshire Sport

Posted in Celebrate Chesterfield

Young People Hail Inaugural Made in Chesterfield Week a Success

More than 400 students from North East Derbyshire’s schools have hailed Chesterfield’s very first manufacturing festival, Made in Chesterfield, a success.

The week (10 – 14 November), which was coordinated by Destination Chesterfield, featured a programme of manufacturing dedicated events.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Chesterfield kicked off the festival by unveiling a new sculpture outside Chesterfield Coach Station, which was a collaboration between, Franke Sissons Ltd’s apprentices and students from Parkside School.

Year 10 Parkside School student Bayley Siddall, who worked on the sculpture’s design said, “It’s given me a real insight into what I would like to do in the future.”

The week-long festival was designed to showcase the town’s successful manufacturing and engineering sector and ignite career interest in the sector from young people as well as bring together the business community.

School events included tours of United Cast Bar Ltd, Franke Sissons Ltd, MSE Hiller, Penny Hydraulics, Corregated Case Company and Kingfield Electronics, as well as making a stainless steel die at NLT, and an open evening at Chesterfield College.

There was also a number of competitions held throughout the week including design a tent with FieldCandy and Crush Design, and a Twitter vs Drone competition hosted by Magnifica Technologies Ltd and Kingfield Electronics, which was won by Brookfield School.

Commenting at a business round table event during Made in Chesterfield Week, Andy Dukelow, Managing Director of Franke Sissons said: “You have to overcome a generation that thinks manufacturing is noisy and dirty.  There are young people leaving school now that haven’t had family members working in industry and view manufacturing as the past. This isn’t the case. Chesterfield has a thriving manufacturing and engineering sector and many companies within it are working throughout the world.”

He added: As a former apprentice myself, I am very passionate about working closely with local schools. Working with students at Parkside School gave us the opportunity to give 10 young people and insight into the manufacturing industry, and show them the different careers and routes they could pursue. Many children think that manufacturing is just solely about working in a factory, but there’s so much more to it and that’s what Made in Chesterfield was designed to show them.”

A highlight of the week included the arrival of the travelling engineering showcase, MANTRA, (Manufacturing Transporter), sponsored by commercial insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher, on Thursday 14 November at the Proact Stadium. The 14m HGV trailer, packed with state of the art engineering technology has been developed by The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, a world-class centre for advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors.

Toby Perkins MP for Chesterfield, joined students from Tupton Primary School on Mantra. He said: “Manufacturing is vitally important for Britain’s future and motivating the next generation of Engineers to see the potential opportunities is a great idea.  I hope that some of the children I met here today will be the Engineers of the future.”

A number of sixth form students were also invited to take part in the annual manufacturing breakfast seminar held at The Proact Stadium during the Week. Hosted by Shorts Chartered Accountants, NatWest and Banner Jones Solicitors, the event brought together key speakers from the heart of local business, putting emphasis on the future of manufacturing within the region.

Made in Chesterfield Week also coincided with UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) sixth Export Week. It emerged during the festival that many of the town’s companies are supplying their products globally and also contributing to Chesterfield reputation for manufacturing and engineering specialisms.

11% of the country’s gross comes from manufacturing which contributes £6.7 trillion to the global economy and locally this represents around 20% for Sheffield City Region.

Simon Grandidge, International Marketing Manager for UK Trade & Investment East Midlands said: “The week long Made in Chesterfield festival provided a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the products and services that come from the area and we were delighted to support Destination Chesterfield with our own export themed event, offering advice to local businesses on how to boost their profits by winning business overseas.

“The event formed part of the biggest Export Week we have held in the region yet, with over 400 companies attending across the week, but we still think that more firms should be taking advantage of the support that is available to them through UKTI and other business support organisations.

“Our research tells us that only 14%, some 8,000, of East Midlands companies export – so there is a lot more we could achieve by boosting this figure by just a few percent.

“We will continue to work with our regional partners, including Destination Chesterfield, to encourage businesses to look at overseas markets and to help drive the economy forwards.”

Although the coal mining industry in north east Derbyshire has ended, Chesterfield’s reputation as the centre of centrifuging in the UK continues with MSE Hiller, based at Markham Vale. The company supplies and rents centrifuges and environmental engineering products to the water, food and other industries throughout the UK. Ivan Fomin, Managing Director of MSE Hiller said: “No one in Britain is doing what we are doing. Our products and services are very much in demand.”

Earlier this year United Cast Bar (UK) brought Chesterfield to the attention of the global iron industry after it successfully produced a record-breaking 665mm diameter bar of iron, casting 220 tonnes of material using the continuous casting method.

James Brand Managing director of United Cast Bar said: “While there are fewer jobs in the sector today, he believes there is a wealth of undiscovered opportunities for young people and I urge schools to encourage young people to consider a career within it.

“If we are to develop our young people and retain their talent in the UK, schools must start bringing the manufacturing and engineering sector to their attention. Made in Chesterfield has made a fantastic start in doing this and I very much hope it continues.”

Dominic Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager added: “Chesterfield has a rich heritage in the manufacturing and engineering sector and it’s important to celebrate that. We’re really passionate about inspiring young people to pursue a career in manufacturing or engineering but to be able to do that it’s vital to show them that there are hundreds of careers paths they could pursue in the sector.

“We’re thrilled that the first Made in Chesterfield festival went down a storm. Thank you to all of the local businesses 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

Source:Destination Chesterfield

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

Spireites fan wins national award

Chesterfield fan Mick Beddingham has been named the Sky Bet League 1 Fan of the Month for October.

Mick is a super Spireites supporter with a difference. As well as following Chesterfield’s first team, he also travels to all of the youth team fixtures with the staff and players.

For many years Mick has raised funds for the club’s youth section through raffles and other fundraising activities. His commitment has been recognised by youth team staff and he now helps out on match days on a voluntary basis.

Mick said: “I am absolutely over the moon to win the award! I want to thank Sky Bet for selecting me as the winner.

“I decided to get involved with the academy 15 years ago. I have been raising funds ever since and I have been able to raise thousands of pounds.

“I am now attempting to raise enough money to kit out the whole academy with a Chesterfield bag to use on match days so they look professional.”

Chesterfield chief executive Chris Turner said: “I am delighted that Mick’s contribution behind the scenes has been acknowledged in this way.

“He fully deserves the accolade after working tirelessly on behalf of the club, raising funds for the academy and helping out at youth-team games.

“Mick’s input is very much appreciated by everyone at the club.”

Source:Chesterfield FC

Posted in Celebrate Chesterfield

Growing Chesterfield firm named industry’s best

Recon Electrical has triumphed in the national 2014 Electrical Industry awards, putting the business on track to expand further.

Once again the Sheepbridge-based independent electrical wholesaler beat off stiff competition from a number of national and international chains to win two awards at the prestigious black tie event – UK Electrical Wholesaler of the Year and Electrical App of the Year.

The Recon Electrical Phone App is believed to be the first of its kind in the electrical industry. It was developed for Recon’s customers earlier this year to provide them with an on-the-go source of information, including a technical library and quick quote feature, which can be accessed via their smart phone.

Held in London, the annual event, which is organised by Electrical Times, is the trade’s longest running and most respected awards championing excellence. The awards not only encourage and celebrate innovation, but also rewards the contribution of individuals and teams across the electrical trade.

This is the second time this year that Recon Electrical has been recognised in national competitions. Earlier in 2014 the business was highly commended in two categories at the Electrical Wholesaler Awards 2014 – Best Individual Wholesaler Branch and Best Electrical Wholesaler with 10 and Under Branches.

Recon Electrical’s Managing Director Andy Salvin, said “The Electrical Industry Awards win has topped off a brilliant year for the business. The awards pay tribute to our focus on customer satisfaction by having the right, skilled and knowledgeable staff.

“In the near future we are looking to expand on what we have in Chesterfield and are looking for larger premises. Long term, we are looking at opening other branches and increasing the team.”

Established in 1996, Recon Electrical now employs nine people at its Broombank Road premises, where it supplies commercial, industrial and private customers with electrical products and consumables, including lamps, lighting, plugs, sockets, cabling, electrical panels and control gear, to companies and individuals locally and throughout the UK.

The company has already made a big impact amongst the area’s trades people after it formed the Chesterfield Trades Hub last year, which was launched to bring the sector together to share business and discuss upcoming projects in the town.

Source:Recon Electrical Ltd via In the Works PR

Posted in Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

National recognition for Chesterfield crafters

A Chesterfield knitting group has earned a special mention on the Innocent Smoothies website after working together to create over 4000 tiny hats for ‘The Big Knit’- an annual campaign designed to raise money for Age UK.

Led by Chesterfield Champion StraightCurves, the team of 53 has dreamed up all sorts of creations for the cause – from ghosts to soldiers, and everything has been knitted or crocheted by hand.

Karen Rogers, owner of StraightCurves is pleased to be involved in the campaign for a second year:

“We’re so grateful to everybody that has been involved in making these little hats – whilst the hats are only tiny, the difference that they make is huge. It’s a pleasure to be involved in The Big Knit 2014, and we’re already looking forward to setting our target for next year!”

The little hats are now at the headquarters of Innocent Smoothies and will appear in stores nationwide in February 2015. Look out for them as for every bottle sold with a knitted hat, 25p will be donated directly to Age UK to help keep older people warm in winter.

If anyone in Chesterfield would like to get involved in the collective effort for The Big Knit 2015 please contact Karen Rogers by emailing info@straightcurvescrafts.co.uk.

Source:StraightCurves

Posted in Celebrate Chesterfield

The town ‘steels’ itself for Made in Chesterfield Week

Chesterfield Champion, Franke Sissons Ltd is kicking off an entire week dedicated to celebrating the town’s manufacturing heritage by unveiling a brand new sculpture which has been designed and made by the firm’s apprentices and students from Parkside School.

The unveiling of the sculpture is the start of a series of Made in Chesterfield events, organised by Destination Chesterfield and taking place from 10 – 14 November. The week will celebrate the town’s manufacturing heritage as well as raise awareness of the wealth of job and career opportunities in the sector amongst young people and their teachers.

The idea of the sculpture was conceived by Franke Sissons Ltd to recognise the town’s manufacturing heritage and also the company’s 230th Anniversary which it will celebrate during Made in Chesterfield Week.

The sculpture will be sighted outside the Coach Station in The Pocket Park, a community collaboration being delivered by Chesterfield and District Civic Society to mark their 50th Anniversary, in association with Franke Sissons Ltd and Chesterfield Borough Council. As well as the sculpture, The Pocket Park will feature a number of Norway Maple Trees supplied by N T Killingley Ltd to enhance Chesterfield’s town centre.

Bryan Thompson, Chairman of the Chesterfield and District Civic Society said: “This is a wonderful example of the private and public sectors, a school, and a community interest group happily working together to make the town a more attractive place for all, which will make a difference both now and for future generations. We would like to see more well-sited Pocket Parks, to help reinvigorate a sense of identity both within neighbourhoods and across the Borough.”

Councillor John Burrows, Chesterfield Borough Council’s leader and executive member for regeneration said: “Chesterfield Coach Station is the first view that many visitors have when they arrive into the town and I’m sure this new sculpture will help welcome them to the town. As a mechanical engineer, I’m proud to have played a small part in the construction of this artwork.

“I’m also proud of the fact that the sculpture gave opportunities to Chesterfield apprentices and schoolchildren to put their design and manufacturing skills into practice, they will be in a place where we can all admire them.”

Franke Sissons’ design apprentice worked with pupils from Parkside School to develop the design for the sculpture. It comprises three cube frames within each other, features icons that the students felt were representative of Chesterfield today; Nature, Manufacturing, and Community. It will sit outside Chesterfield Coach Station and will stand 1.3m high and 1.5m wide.

Andy Dukelow, Managing Director of Franke Sissons Ltd said: “Our business is rooted in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas. We’re thrilled to be kicking off Made in Chesterfield Week with this magnificent sculpture. I am very proud of what Franke’s apprentices have accomplished with the students of Parkside School. The statue has been a real team effort and one I cannot wait to see in situ.

“Young people play an important role in Chesterfield’s manufacturing sector and I am keen to see more consider a career within it. Having started my career as an apprentice myself with the company 33 years ago, I know first-hand that the sky really is the limit where career progression is concerned.”

Made in Chesterfield Week is taking place between 10 – 14th November and will feature a series of events.  Coordinated by Destination Chesterfield, in partnership with a steering group from Natwest, United Cast Bars, Chesterfield College, Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, Positive 4 Young People, Placing Futures , Derbyshire County Council and Chesterfield Borough Council, the festival is designed to showcase Chesterfield and North Derbyshire’s thriving manufacturing sector and its associated industries to students, raising awareness of the employment opportunities within it as well as the number of varied and exciting roles.

A number of Chesterfield companies have signed up to run activities for schools. Events taking place during Made in Chesterfield Week (10-14 November) involving students and teachers from schools throughout north east Derbyshire, include workshops with StraightCurves Crafts and NLT Training, factory tours at MSE Hiller, Franke Sissons Ltd and United Cast Bar.

Software company Magnifica Technologies Ltd and Kingfield Electronics, are also hosting a competition for schools via the social media network Twitter. Using software built by bespoke technology specialists Magnifica, a Quadcopter (drone) will be controlled using data collected from Twitter at Kingfield Electronics’ new manufacturing facility on Sheepbridge Industrial Estate.

Local camping brand Field Candy will also be challenging students to come up with unique artwork for a new designer tent.

The activities are designed to embrace the modern face of the town’s thriving manufacturing sector as well as looking at the manufacturing practices of a bygone age.

Dominic Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager, said: “Chesterfield has such a rich heritage in manufacturing and we have a thriving sector with a number of companies doing business on a global scale. Made in Chesterfield Week is a great celebration of this heritage and the sector. The different events that are happening throughout the week will highlight the career opportunities and open young people’s eyes to a career in manufacturing within the town.”

To find out more information about Made in Chesterfield Week, visit:www.chesterfield.co.uk/made 

Made in Chesterfield Franke Sissons Unveiling

Posted in Celebrate Chesterfield, Made in Chesterfield