Celebrate Chesterfield

Chesterfield’s Mortgage 1st reach the finals in two prestigious Industry Awards.

A Chesterfield-based mortgage broker is celebrating a double success, after being named as finalists in two major industry awards.

Established in Chesterfield in 2008, Mortgage 1st offers mortgage & protection advice to customers all over the UK. With Advisers both in Chesterfield and across the country their team have helped thousands of customers over the years to secure their first home, remortgage, become landlords and protect their family with the right insurance.

With no sign of the firm’s growth slowing down any time soon, welcoming new faces into their team on almost a monthly basis, Mortgage 1st have ambitious plans to become one of the UK’s largest Mortgage Brokers.

Alongside offering quality advice to their customers, the Mortgage 1st team are passionate about supporting young people and work closely with a number of schools across Derbyshire delivering mortgage lessons and raising awareness of careers in the financial services industry.

It’s a combination of the firm’s continuous growth, the quality advice they provide their customers, the career opportunities offered to their team and the support they give within the local community that’s lead them to the finals in two separate industry awards.

The firm has been named amongst the list of finalistsin the ‘Best Mortgage Broker (8 to 50 advisers) category at the Mortgage Strategy Award3 2023. The ceremony is regarded as the pinnacle of success for those in the UK mortgage industry. Winners will be announced at the Gala dinner in London on the 25th of May.

Furthermore, Mortgage 1st is also looking to scoop ‘Broker Firm of the Year (11-50 employees)’ at the Financial Reporter Awards. Winners will be announced at the awards event on the 11th of May.

Lisa Stones, Operations Director at Mortgage 1st (pictured above) commented: “To be named as finalists in both of these awards and listed alongside some fantastic businesses is absolutely amazing. Testament to our entire team, their passion, commitment and ongoing hard work. We would love nothing more than to bring home a winner’s trophy but regardless, we’ll have a fantastic time at the award events and will be celebrating our achievements.”

Mortgage 1st supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

Mortgage 1st Office for social

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60 acres of land to be used for nature conservation in Chesterfield

60 acres of land has been secured by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust for a major project to improve nature conservation in Chesterfield.

The charity says the ‘Wild Whittington’ project has been enabled for local people to enjoy nature, thanks to overwhelming support from the public, generous grants and philanthropic loans.

The piece of land at Old Whittington, to the north of Chesterfield, is set to be rewilded, becoming a place of major importance to nature, and to the people of Chesterfield and Derbyshire.

Wild Whittington has been acquired through a mixture of investment in nature, including donations from Derbyshire wildlife Trust supporters and The John Swire 1989 Charitable Trust in response to the Defend Nature appeal.

The site connects St Bartholomew’s woods to the south and Grasscroft ancient woodlands to the north. These woods join to Unstone and then down into the valley of the River Drone. Using rewilding, the plan is to create varied habitats to bolster a vital corridor between the woodlands and support nature’s recovery in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas.

Matt Buckler, Director of Natural Solutions at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said: “We are so grateful for the incredible response we had to our appeal to secure this land from our members, the public, and our generous major donors.

“Here in Derbyshire, we want to take action to restore nature now. Quite simply, turning land over to rewilding projects is one of the most effective ways to get resilient nature back in people’s lives, and it would not be possible without the support we receive.

“The purchase is not only good news for wildlife, its great news for local residents and visitors to the area too. We can’t wait to turn this piece of land into an oasis for wildlife for future generations to enjoy.”

Wild Whittington

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Matlock Farm Park announces exciting 20th anniversary celebrations

Matlock Farm Park, located between Matlock and Chesterfield, is looking forward to celebrating its 20th birthday in April with its visitors.

The attraction has come a long way since humble beginnings, recently winning for the second year running Visit Peak District & Derbyshire’s Visitor Attraction of the Year, as well as their Accessible & Inclusive Tourism award and Best Event for their annual Peak District Highland Games from the National Farm Attractions Network.

Managing Director and founder Allan Finlay said: “We’ve really surpassed everything we set out to do. My background was hospitality and my wife Virginia has always been in farming – we started the park off just as a little something to do together. I look now at what we offer and feel immensely proud, especially of our team who work hard to deliver a great experience. Seeing children and adults happy when they’re with us is just wonderful.”

The farm park started off as a few outdoor pens, a small animal barn and a 15-seater tea room, but has more than doubled in size to be home to a wide range of animals such as goats, meerkats, donkeys, Highland cattle and wallabies. There are activities such as sheep racing, small animal handling and alpaca walking, as well as indoor and outdoor multi-zone play centres, a horse-riding school, function rooms, café and a Changing Places facility.

“There’ve certainly been some trying times over the years,” recalled Allan. “Obviously things were difficult during the pandemic, but back in 2013 we seriously thought about giving the farm park up altogether when things were quiet and we were juggling our young family with other full-time jobs. It was thanks to a small grant we managed to get to build a café and us starting social media posts when things started to change. Before we knew it, visitor numbers began rising and we were able to start re-investing in the park.”

Lotty Hawkins, Assistant Manager, said: “The positive feedback from visitors brings the most pride for the management and staff. Visitors really notice how much we’ve improved over the years and how much there is to do and see during a visit. Many people tell us how contact with our lovely animals helps their wellbeing too – animals can be so calming when there’s a special connection. Visitors with Autism and Dementia can also have such rewarding experiences with us.”

The farm park is now one of only a few attractions in the region to hold ‘Accessibility Champion’ status. “Our Changing Places facility has made such a difference to children and adults with additional needs,” added Lotty.

The team look forward to 20th anniversary celebrations with their visitors in April, including the park’s biggest ever social media prize giveaway and party event weekends.

Lotty said: “We really want to give thanks to all our visitors and to all those who’ve supported us over the years. With Easter and lots of Summer events coming up too, it’s an exciting time for Matlock Farm Park!”

Matlock Farm Park supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

matlock farm park sheep racing

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Three Chesterfield businesses boosted by new recruits

Three businesses in Chesterfield have recently bolstered their ranks with new recruits, adding further growth to their organisations.

Law firm CMP Legal, community-based charity Junction Arts and sustainable packaging firm Robinson PLC have all taken on new staff – showcasing growth and investment in the town across a number of sectors.

CMP Legal announces new Employment Director

Lauren Pickard - CMP Legal

The Chesterfield based law firm that delivers expert services to clients in Derbyshire, Sheffield and across the UK is thrilled to announce the appointment of Lauren Pickard as its new Employment Director.

Lauren is a specialist Employment Law Solicitor and joins CMP Legal from national law firm Knights plc where she worked as a Senior Associate, previously based in Sheffield. She has a wealth of knowledge and employment law experience from managing performance, disciplinary and grievance matters to redundancy and restructuring advice, delivering training, drafting contracts and much more.

Lauren Pickard, Employment Director at CMP Legal says: “I am delighted to join CMP Legal at such an exciting time for the firm in terms of growth. CMP Legal has swiftly established itself as a niche practice offering high quality advice. The lawyers at CMP Legal have a wealth of experience and this, combined with their desire to do things in a dynamic and progressive way, works strongly to the benefit of clients.”

Neil Brown, Co-Founder at CMP Legal says: “Lauren has an excellent reputation in the region and will be a fantastic asset to both our business and our clients. We are delighted to welcome her into our expanding team as we continue to deliver exceptional service to our clients.”

Robinson PLC invests in sales team with two senior appointments

Angela Doyle

Robinson – the manufacturer specialising in value-added custom packaging – has invested in its sales team with two new senior appointments in the UK.

Angela Doyle joins Robinson from Berry Plastics and previously Constantia Group where she worked in the flexibles sector in both the UK and Ireland in commercial sales, primarily in the food and beverage sector. Looking forward to her role as a New Business Development Manager at Robinson, Angela highlighted: “I have a strong technical and commercial skill set, working closely with customers and production on development, problem solving and meeting deadlines.  I have always enjoyed being part of a team, leading innovation and out of the box thinking.”

“Robinsons has a really strong collaborative, welcoming culture and I am looking forward to playing my part in the team, creating new business opportunities and building on the strong company foundations”.

Also joining the team as Business Development Manager is Nick Hudson. His background is in UK manufacture and outsourcing of premium packaging across many substrates.

Nick commented: “I am really looking forward to creating awareness of the company’s commitment to sustainable, innovative rigid box packaging and its high standards of quality and service leading to Robinsons being the first choice for customers”.

Junction Arts announces new Managing Director

Emily Junction Arts

Award-winning participatory arts charity, Junction Arts has appointed Emily Bowman, the current Deputy CEO for The Mighty Creatives, as its new Managing Director.

Emily will join the Chesterfield-based charity on the 1st of April and is tasked with helping the team to deliver an ambitious programme of creative events and initiatives throughout 2023. She will lead the charity to deliver its vision, support the Arts Council England’s ‘Let’s Create’ strategy and will be responsible to the Board on all matters of strategy, policy development and management.

Junction Arts has engaged communities across Bolsover District, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield and rural areas of the East Midlands for over 45 years.   Following an uplift in National Portfolio Funding (NPO) from the Arts Council until 2026, the charity has aspirations for significant growth and is hoping to embark on a number of exciting partnership projects over the next three years.

Emily is currently the Deputy CEO for The Mighty Creatives, a children and young people’s charity based in Leicester and Arts Council England’s Bridge organisation for the East Midlands.  She has worked in the creative sector for 20 years and at a senior leadership level since 2015. Through her background and training in performance and her work in arts leadership, she has a deep understanding and passion for arts, culture, and creativity, specifically focused on young audiences, with experience in co-producing high-quality programmes that are accessible to all.

She said: “I am thrilled to be joining Junction Arts. I am excited to be leading such a vibrant and dedicated team and will do all I can to continue to grow and develop the organisation, building on its current success and supporting more people to engage, and creativity to thrive across our communities.”

Lucie Maycock, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Junction Arts said: “Emily has all the right experience, skills, and strategic thinking to take on this exciting role. She is passionate about community arts and making a real difference. Our shared values and her experience working with children, young people and communities, developing programmes that support their cultural, personal and professional development, will enhance our new and existing programmes. Helping to make a real impact and take the organisation to the next level.”

CMP Legal, Robinson PLC and Junction Arts support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

spire view dusk chesterfield

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Chesterfield business leaders congratulate colleagues in Derby on winning bid for Great British Railways HQ

Leaders in Chesterfield have congratulated the team behind Derby’s winning bid to bring the headquarters of Great British Railways to the county.

The Department for Transport has confirmed that the city has beaten off competition from locations around the country, including Birmingham, Newcastle and York, to be selected as the home of Britain’s rail network.

This is expected to bring a number of benefits to Chesterfield, with several rail supply chain businesses already located here.

The news also comes as a new rail innovation and training centre The Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle (DRIIVe) is being developed in Barrow Hill, as one of the projects outlined in the Staveley Town Deal.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “I’m delighted to learn of the news that Derby has been successful in its bid to become the new headquarters for Great British Railways.

“I was pleased to offer Chesterfield Borough Council’s full support for Derby’s bid, and we look forward to working with the City to see how the Government’s decision to invest in Derby can also benefit our long-held ambition to grow the rail sector in Chesterfield.

“Through the Staveley Town Deal we are working with partners to develop the Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle (DRIIVe) at Barrow Hill Roundhouse. DRIIVe will provide a base for training the next generation of railway engineers and pioneering new advances within the rail sector through the provision of facilities for research and development.

“Given our proximity to Derby and the positive relationships we have built up with the City Council in our support of their bid, we very much hope that Chesterfield will be able to benefit from Derby cementing its place at the heart of Great Britain’s rail industry.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “I’m delighted to hear that Great British Railways has committed to locating it’s new HQ here in Derbyshire, as it will undoubtedly provide a boost to our economy here in Chesterfield.

“It gives us a big opportunity to build on our industrial roots and showcase our town’s credentials as a thriving hub of innovation. Chesterfield has always been a town with strong links to the rail industry, not forgetting of course that George Stephenson made our town his home for a number of years.”

“We have a number of businesses locally working in the supply chain for the rail sector, and having Great British Railways situated within our county will mean more opportunities for those existing firms, alongside unlocking more potential investment in our area.”

“I would like to congratulate everyone who was involved in making this bid a success, and look forward to seeing how this development will help to shape the economic landscape of our area in years to come.”

Mervyn Allcock, General Manager at Barrow Hill Ltd. said: “The news of Great British Railways being headquartered in nearby Derby is fantastic news for our town.

“We look forward to build on the town’s strong industrial heritage with the development of DRIIVe at Barrow Hill, which will provide the sector with the high-level skills required to help grow our rail infrastructure nationally.

“This will help to bring more economic prosperity to Chesterfield with quality job opportunities for local people, unlocking further growth across Chesterfield and Staveley.”

Barrow hill web main

Barrow Hill Roundhouse, Chesterfield

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Chesterfield firm named as one of Europe’s fastest growing companies for the second year running

Chesterfield-based Superior Wellness has earnt a place on the FT 1000: the seventh annual list of Europe’s fastest-growing companies for the second year running.

On 1 March 2023, the latest FT-Statista report was released highlighting the fastest-growing European companies in the three years to 2021. Superior Wellness is delighted to have earnt a place on this list, ranking 323rd up from 348th last year. This also means the company has ranked in the top 60 across the UK.

Superior Wellness leads the market as the world’s fastest growing hot tub manufacturer, creating premium, high quality products focused on improving your health and well-being.

The ranking shows how many businesses thrived despite the pandemic — or, in many cases, because of it. Superior Wellness was in a fortunate position to experience a monumental level of growth during the pandemic.

The ranking lists those European companies that achieved the highest compound annual growth rate in revenue between 2018 and 2021. The minimum average growth rate required to be included on the list was 36.2 per cent — marginally less than the 36.5 per cent last time round.

Superior Wellness moved into its headquarters in Chesterfield in March 2021 and last year opened a 10,000 sq. ft showroom with training facilities. It now works with a global partner network of 250 hot tub retailers and is focusing on its growth across the United States of America with two dedicated sales managers based there.

Rob Carlin, Managing Director, said: “We were so proud when we heard the news that Superior Wellness had made it once again onto the fastest-growing companies in Europe list. We ranked 323rd in Europe for the fastest growing companies and also in the top 60 in the UK!

I would like to extend my thanks to all the Superior Wellness team and our partners for making this possible.”

Chesterfield is superbly located in the heart of the UK, with fantastic connectivity and a strong workforce to help businesses grow. Find out more about locating your business in the town at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/

Superior Wellness supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

superior wellness spatex

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One of the country’s leading street food markets is coming to Chesterfield

A renowned street food market will be bringing its unique offer to Chesterfield, as the latest addition to the borough’s exciting events programme.

Chesterfield Borough Council has partnered with Peddler Events, which has operated an extremely successful street food market from their base in Kelham Island in Sheffield.

Peddler Events champions local creators and artisans – over the last eight years they have become known for delivering award winning cuisine, craft drinks, live music, bespoke products, art, and excellent entertainment.

Peddler Events will be bringing their unique offer to Chesterfield with the first market set to take place in June with more planned for later in 2023.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “We’re really excited to welcome Peddler to Chesterfield – it’s fantastic that they see Chesterfield as a place to invest and grow their business, and they bring with them a great reputation. We know this is the kind of memorable experience that our residents want to be able to enjoy on their doorstep, as well as attracting new visitors to our town centre.

“Having Peddler bring their vast experience to our town enhances our already packed events programme, and also creates the opportunity to support local businesses by attracting more people into the town centre in the afternoon, and into the evening.

“We look forward to working closely with the team at Peddler, together with our local businesses in Chesterfield, and I hope that lots of people will come along and support these events.”

Peddler Market attracts around 8,000 visitors to its monthly street market event and has helped cement Sheffield’s place on the culinary map whilst also supporting the regeneration of the former industrial area it operates in.

The Chesterfield events represents a new opportunity for Peddler Events to work with more Chesterfield based businesses and support the wider town centre.

Ben Smith, Director at Peddler Events, said: “”Over the past 8 years, Peddler Market has played a pivotal role in helping transform Sheffield into one of the country’s leading culinary destinations.

“We’re driven by showcasing passionate people who share our ethos for quality, whether they’re creating delicious street food, craft beer and spirits, music, performance, or art.

“Our aim is to bring the leading lights of the street food world to this wonderful market town and see them shine alongside the wealth of talent and heritage that Chesterfield has to offer.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Peddler Market to Chesterfield at such an exciting time in Chesterfield’s regeneration, and the entire team are looking forward to seeing our new partnership grow.”

The first two-day event is scheduled to take place in Chesterfield town centre on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 June.

Chesterfield is hosting a packed events programme in 2023 with the return of old favourites like the Festival of Cricket, Chesterfield Pride, Medieval Fun Day and 1940s Market but also the inclusion of new events including a Food and Drink Festival and Eat in the Park, a two day live music event in Queen’s Park, find out more about these events at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/events/

Funding to help bring the event to Chesterfield has been provided through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Chesterfield Borough Council received £2.69m of UKSPF funding which will be invested across the borough over the next three years. A portion of this will be invested into promoting the borough as a place to visit, and providing support for arts, culture, and heritage activities.

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Chesterfield skills providers recognised at prestigious apprenticeship awards ceremony

Two skills and training providers in Chesterfield have been recognised in a national ceremony, which celebrates the best in apprenticeship delivery across the UK.

The AAC Apprenticeship Awards took place on 14th March 2023, in a special ceremony in Birmingham. A record 375 entries were received from training providers, colleges, universities and employers.

Workpays won the award for Legal, Finance, and Accounting Apprenticeship Provider of the Year, while GBS Apprenticeships were worthy finalists in the Digital Apprenticeship Provider of the Year category.

2023 marks the third year in a row that Workpays have won an accolade at the annual award ceremony, and is the second time that Workpays have won Legal, Finance, and Accounting Apprenticeship Provider of the Year.

Alex Glasner, Managing Director of Workpays (pictured above), said: “We are thrilled to win such a prestigious award for a third year in a row. This really is testament to the dedication of our apprenticeship team, who work day-in day-out to provide the best training possible to individuals across the country.

“Apprenticeships are an amazing way to support employees to gain the skills they need to excel as well as a great path to grow new talent. Our portfolio of apprenticeships and accredited qualifications enable this to happen.”

Alex continued: “All our programmes are tailored to the businesses and individuals we work with, each with its own unique learner journey, this is what has set us apart. We know first-hand how this can change people’s lives and help businesses grow. This award is further recognition of
the hard work of our entire team and I’m incredibly proud.”

Speaking about the company’s nomination as finalists in the Digital Apprenticeships category, GBS Apprenticeships said it was a ‘great honour’ to be recognised – adding that it indicates that the work the company has been doing is being acknowledged by experts and peers in the industry.

A statement from the company’s CEO, Penny Guard said: “I would like to thank the GBS team for their continued hard work and dedication to the company, and our students that continues to push boundaries through stretch and challenge creating talented individuals that strive for even greater successes in the future”.

Chesterfield is the first town in the UK to declare itself an Apprentice Town, demonstrating its commitment to developing future skills for young people and providing a strong pipeline of talent for local businesses. Find out more at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/apprenticeships/what-is-apprentice-town/

Workpays and GBS Apprenticeships support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

AAC Awards GBS

GBS Apprenticeships at the AAC Awards 2023

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Unique shop opens in Chesterfield selling comics, retro games and trading cards

An independent shop which sells comic books, trading cards and retro games has opened it’s doors on West Bars in Chesterfield, after proving a big success in nearby Sheffield.

The Vault is an independent store founded originally in late 2020, and opened in the city on the first day after the last Covid lockdown ended.

After more than two years of continued success, the business has expanded with a second store, choosing Chesterfield as it’s new location.

The shop stocks a wide range of comics, trading card games, retro games and much more. It’s most popular items are individual cards which are on sale in-store, with Pokémon cards being a sought after item for collectors.

Owner of The Vault, Samir Jaouane told us that the shop has somewhere in the range of 90,000 cards on sale – making it one of the only shops in the country to stock that amount of individual cards.

Samir said: “Our Sheffield shop proved to be very popular and gained a lot of local return customers, so we decided we should try and open a second shop in Chesterfield as we noticed there was a gap in the market for our shop in the area.

“Chesterfield is a great town with a bustling market on market days. The local area is full of friendly people and is really well maintained. We hope all our customers feel welcome when greeted by our friendly staff.”

Samir also had a message on the importance of supporting local businesses and keeping the town’s high street thriving: ” As a small independent business, we rely on the trade of the local residents to stay open. The best description for supporting an independent local business is ‘if you don’t use it you will lose it.’

Find out more about Chesterfield’s fantastic range of local independent shops and market traders at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/shopping/

the vault pokemon cards

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Chesterfield reveals ambition to increase visitor economy by £32 million

Ahead of English Tourism Week 2023 (17 – 23 March), Chesterfield has announced its bold ambition to increase the value of its visitor economy by 20% by 2030.

A 20% increase in tourism will bring an additional £32 million into the economy annually helping create jobs for local people and opportunities for existing and new businesses.

The town will build on its heritage, retail and leisure offering as well as its proximity to the Peak District National Park, to increase the number of overnight stays in the town.

As part of its drive to attract people to visit and stay in the town, the town’s inward investment marketing campaign Destination Chesterfield has appealed to businesses and residents to ‘talk up the town’ within their networks and help attract visitors.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said: “Chesterfield has an excellent offer for visitors, as well as the town’s close proximity to one of the most visited National Parks in the world. There is an opportunity for us to attract more people to visit and stay overnight in Chesterfield using the town as a base rather than just passing through on their way to the Peak District.”

The Peak District currently welcomes more than 13 million visitors annually with 83% of these arriving by car. Attracting some of these visitors to stay in Chesterfield and using its bus and rail links to visit surrounding areas, including major attractions like Chatsworth House, will not only benefit the borough’s economy but also support the Park Authority’s Sustainable Transport Action Plan.

Additionally, there are cycle paths into the Peak District, the border of which is just five miles from the town centre.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire praised Chesterfield’s ambitions, saying: “Tourism already plays a vital role in making the area such a brilliant place to live, work and visit, and we strongly support Chesterfield’s ambition to grow the value of its visitor economy even further.

“The tourism sector generates billions of pounds for the local economy each year, supporting thousands of local jobs and displaying huge potential for future growth, particularly in areas such as sustainable and active travel, which Chesterfield can really capitalise on.

“Growing and developing the town’s tourism offer will not only benefit local businesses, it will also have a positive and lasting effect on local residents and communities. We look forward to working with partners in Chesterfield to support them in achieving this goal and ensuring the visitor economy’s long-term success.”

Mark Thurman, Managing Director of Casa Hotels which owns and operates two four-star hotels in the borough, urged people to ‘celebrate what we’ve already got,’ saying: “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We have wonderful accommodation, great restaurants and fantastic transport links to bring people to Chesterfield to then go and explore the surrounding area. We don’t need to do anything other than celebrate what we’ve already got.”

The town’s proximity to the Peak District has already attracted major investment to the borough including the £300 million PEAK, an all-year-round round leisure education, wellness and entertainment destination. PEAK’s masterplan has been developed around a transport and mobility system connected to the National Park. Phase one of the development, Gateway at PEAK, which is being developed by Milligan is expected to be completed in 2025.

celebrate 2023 visitor economy panel

Experts discuss Chesterfield’s visitor economy at Celebrate Chesterfield 2023. (Left to right: Jo Dilley – Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, Phil Bramley – Derbyshire Times, Mark Thurman – Casa Hotels, Jimmy Drew – Derbyshire County Cricket Club)

The town is already home to the award-winning Casa Hotel and further hotel accommodation is planned within the £320 million Chesterfield Waterside scheme located close to the close to town’s mainline train station. The developer, Bolsterstone Group Plc, is in talks with major hotel brands to operate the proposed 120-bed hotel within Phase 1 of the scheme. The new hotel will be a further addition to the popular 92-bed Premier Inn Hotel which was opened within the Elder Way development in the town centre in 2019.

Increasing the visitor economy of the town is one of the key targets in the 2023-27 Chesterfield Growth Strategy which was launched by Chesterfield Borough Council on 23 February. In addition to growing the visitor economy, key headline targets, include:

  • Increasing the number of employee jobs in the borough by 4% (2,000 jobs)
  • Increasing the number of businesses by 12% (400 businesses)
  • Increasing the number of higher value businesses by 15% (100 businesses)
  • Increasing the share of Chesterfield residents in knowledge-based occupations by 15% (baseline Census 21 – 18,000)
  • Increasing the value of the visitor economy by 20% (baseline £163m)

Councillor Kate Sarvent, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “We are already a fantastic visitor destination but growing our visitor economy strengthens growth across the borough, it leads to more people supporting our local businesses and town centre. This will in turn create new jobs and opportunities for our residents. To do this we need to work closely with our partners to promote our town, we have excellent transport connections, fantastic accommodation choices and our proximity to the Peak District puts us in a very strong position to bring more people to our town.”

Peter added: “The lasting and far reaching change we are striving for in Chesterfield cannot be done by one organisation alone; it must be a collaborative effort. By doing this, there is a real opportunity to build a thriving visitor economy in the town.”

Chatsworth Country Fair

Chatsworth Country Fair – Image by Chatsworth House Trust

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Chesterfield borough’s parks, green spaces and play areas set for £1.32m boost

£1.32 million is set to be invested in Chesterfield’s parks, green spaces and play spaces as part of new five-year plan to further improve facilities for local people.

The Parks, Open Spaces and Play Delivery Plan (2023 to 2028) sets out Chesterfield Borough Council’s commitment to making sure local communities continue to have access to modern and well-maintained spaces for leisure and play, and to support people’s health and wellbeing.

Approved by the council’s Cabinet on Tuesday 14 March, the plan builds on the significant investment in parks and green spaces over the last five years – and also sets out measures to help achieve the council’s target to create a carbon neutral borough by 2050.

Over the course of the five-year programme, communities will benefit from 18 enhanced youth and play spaces, and the council also aims to double the number of its sites that are acknowledged by the prestigious Green Flag Award – an international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

Projects to be delivered over the coming year include:

  • Improvements to play areas at Stand Road Park, Highfield Park, Ringwood Park, Cottage Close, Devonshire Avenue North, Thirlmere Road and Tapton Park.
  • The full renovation of the circular footpath at Poolsbrook Country Park which, at 165 acres, is Chesterfield’s largest park with miles of trails, extensive woodland plantations, meadows, lakes, children’s play areas and wildlife habits.

As the delivery plan progresses over the next five years communities will also see improvements to youth and place spaces at Pennine Way, Hartington Recreational Ground, Wickins Place, Stanford Way, Barnes Road, Heathervale Road, Manor Road (youth), Somersall Park (youth), West Crescent, Damon Drive and Canal Wharf.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Chesterfield boasts a range of fantastic parks, play areas and green spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy and we recognise just how important and valued they are for everyone in our communities.

“We also understand that having an opportunity to play and explore the outdoors is hugely important for developing both physical and social skills, so we want to provide as many opportunities for residents to do this as we can.

“It’s our aim to create a variety of sustainable spaces that provide people of all ages and abilities with accessible, quality, and fun opportunities for play.

“We are really proud to provide good quality parks and play spaces in our community, and this investment will help us to continue to achieve this. Last year was a record-breaking year for us, with five of our parks being recognised with the prestigious Green Flag Award – and we’re hoping to double this over the next five years so more of our spaces can be formally acknowledged.

“Last year also saw our beautiful green spaces, colourful floral displays and innovative community projects earn the borough a top accolade in the prestigious East Midlands In Bloom competition. We were officially crowned the winner of the ‘Small City’ category in September, the first time we have scooped the sought-after award and we can’t wait to build on this success over the next five years.

“Our parks and green spaces were a lifeline during Covid-19 and have continued to offer opportunities for people to walk, play and chat. As loneliness is reported to be on the increase, our green spaces are a vital resource in the drive to combat loneliness and isolation.”

The views of local people have helped shape the council’s plan for investment, following a public consultation on two new strategies – the parks and open spaces, and play strategies – last year. The aim is to make sure local facilities meet the needs of local communities now and in the future.

The Parks, Open Spaces and Play Delivery Plan is being part-funded by £158,500 from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

It will also draw on funding from a range of sources including the Community Infrastructure Levy, section 106 agreements and Landfill Tax grants.

More information about plans for specific sites – and what improvements local people will benefit from – will be shared as the projects progress.

Queen's Park

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