Celebrate Chesterfield

Furniture and lighting firm chooses Markham Vale for its northern base.

Aver Property has confirmed a 224,000 sq ft deal with one of the UK’s biggest furniture companies at Markham Vale.

The deal will see Gallery Direct take the Orion 1 unit on Seymour Link Road as its packing, warehousing, and distribution hub for the North.  This newly built facility owned by Aver property, comprises an eaves height of 15 metres, 21 docking doors and spaces for 39 trailers. It boasts over 224,000 sq. ft. of space, enough to house 35,000 pallets.

This distribution facility sits prominently fronting onto the M1 Motorway and will serve as Gallery’s northern packing, warehousing, and distribution hub, with enough space to accommodate the ongoing expansion of the business. The property is also planned to accommodate a new 30,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art showroom over three floors.

Established in 1973 as a small family run business, Gallery Direct has grown to become the leading British based designer, manufacturer and worldwide distributor of furniture, home decor and accessories, committed to offering the complete home furnishings solution.

Peter Delaney, managing director at The Gallery Direct Group, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured this prestigious facility in an amazing northern location. The fact is that this new property, combined with our southern warehouse and head office, improves further our distribution and operational capacity. We will be able to serve 96% of our clients’ requirements with one day delivery times, utilising our own home distribution fleet.

“We are excited to be expanding Gallery’s established home interiors categories, including furniture, lighting, wall décor and textiles, as well as the newer developments in outdoor living, home accessories and Christmas. Our strategy to be the leading supplier of the complete home and outdoor solution continues at pace. OrionOne is another significant milestone for our business and we look forward to welcoming clients to our grand opening early in 2022.”

Rob Whatmuff, from Colliers, commented: “We are delighted to have advised Aver Property on this transaction. Agreeing the deal in advance of practical completion is testament to both the quality of the building and the Markham Vale location.”

 

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New games quarter to open in Chesterfield town centre

A brand-new leisure offering is set to open in Chesterfield, bringing a variety of new activities for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Chesterfield Games quarter is an exciting new development in Soresby Street in the Town Centre. The attraction is a collaboration of four Leisure and Gaming businesses, set to offer a variety of gaming genres all in one location.

Two new exciting businesses have chosen to move to the location due to the popularity of Chesterfield Escape Rooms since its opening earlier this year and Geeks Headquarters, which has grown in popularity for players of trading card games, board games, roleplaying games and miniature games.

Chesterfield VR – A Virtual Reality gaming centre and Chesterfield Games Zone (GMZN), a PC and gaming arcade will officially open their doors in November 2021, bringing a variety of fun activities for people of all ages.

Chesterfield Escape Rooms has also confirmed that due to an amazing response from the public, the attraction is set to expand further.

Games masters at the popular venue are in the process of creating an additional game in time for Christmas called “Santa’s Stuck up the Chimney,” with a fifth game set to launch in February 2022.

The Escape Rooms already offers three games for visitors, known as ‘The Governor,’ ‘Rob The Bank’ and ‘The Crazy Cat Lady.’

Nick Hogan, owner of Chesterfield Escape Rooms stated: “It’s a huge coup for the town to attract two new fledgling businesses to invest in the town centre and create something very unique, especially as all four owners live in the local area.

“We cant wait to get this opportunity, which shall serve the needs of all age groups, off the ground in late November.”

Chesterfield Escape Rooms supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

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Chamber celebrates helping 1,000 young people find job placements via Kickstart Scheme

East Midlands Chamber is celebrating after passing a major milestone – helping more than 1,000 young people to secure a job placement via the Kickstart Scheme.

The region’s leading business representation group has been commended by the Minister for Employment after playing a key role in assisting companies to create six-month work placements for people aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit or at risk of long-term unemployment.

The Chamber is the UK’s largest and – with almost half the vacancies created resulting in a position being filled – top-performing gateway organisation, which lodges funding applications on behalf of businesses to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

It celebrated the landmark achievement by welcoming key civil servants at the DWP to the Chesterfield Jobs Fair, hosted by Chesterfield Borough Council, earlier today (15 September).

East Midlands Chamber deputy chief executive and Kickstart lead Diane Beresford, along with education and business partnership manager Pieter Eksteen, also met with Jo Macdonald, who chairs the Kickstart gateway approvals board for the DWP, to explain how the Chamber has managed to secure so many placement starts among young people.

Diane said: “Young people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic both in terms of their mental and physical wellbeing, and the significant amount of unemployment it has created.

“The Kickstart Scheme has therefore been a lifeline for them to get the skills and work experience that will be vital to their future prospects. We’re delighted with our track record in converting applications into real jobs, which have played a key role in giving young people the chance they may not have otherwise had while also enabling companies to trial new roles.

“We’re continuing to support businesses and job centres to place young people, as well as look beyond the six-month period to ensure there’s a future roadmap to full-time employment.”

How Kickstart Scheme has benefitted businesses and young people

Nick Hogan, owner of Chesterfield Escape Rooms, has hired six games masters via the Kickstart Scheme – with two other vacancies now live and an application for another position currently being processed – and joined the celebration event with Kickstart employee James Bryan.

Nick has entered into a joint venture partnership with some members of his Kickstart team to establish Chesterfield Games Quarter, which will comprise the escape rooms as well as a video games zone, virtual reality zone and the existing Geeks board game venue. Based in Soresby Street, it is due to open in October.

“I used the Kickstart scheme because I wanted to give something back to the town and create new opportunities for young people,” said Nick, who has given the team a five-figure, interest-free loan to the team to help it run the business.

“But it has also allowed me to get my foot into the market to assess the business opportunity, and has given me the confidence to now grow this into the Chesterfield Games Quarter concept.”

Freelance actor James, 22, of Chesterfield, (pictured above) is four months into his Kickstart placement at the escape rooms business after finding acting work opportunities deteriorated during the pandemic.

He said: “It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime to get involved with a new business, and gain some really valuable experience and diverse skills for my CV that will be really important for my future employability.”

How does the Kickstart Scheme work?

The DWP funds 100% of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage, national insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week over a six-month period.

Employers can choose to top up this wage and are also eligible for a £1,500 Government grant for training people on a Kickstart placement.

Once applications are accepted, young people are referred into the roles via a Jobcentre Plus work coach.

East Midlands Chamber has had more than 2,700 placements approved among almost 800 businesses located in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and other locations. Of these, 2,200 have resulted in vacancies being created and 1,024 of those have now been filled.

Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP said: “It’s fantastic to see that over 1,000 young people have begun their Kickstart journey thanks to the vital support from East Midlands Chamber, in a range of exciting new roles, setting them on the road for their future careers – crucially part of the over 69,000 young people who have now started these jobs.

“Our Plan for Jobs is focused on creating and spreading opportunity just like this around the UK as we push to level up across the country.”

East Midlands Chamber and Chesterfield Escape Rooms support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Mortgage 1st strengthens Senior Team due to continued success and growth

Throughout the past 18 months, whilst they navigated the challenges the pandemic forced upon them and all other businesses across the country, Mortgage 1st has continued its impressive growth.

The firm says conditions were tough in 2020, with service levels affected whilst lenders, solicitors, estate agents and mortgage brokers were all adjusting to the changes.

However, the determination and hard work of the Mortgage 1st team and the understanding and loyalty from their customers has ensured the company reached the half way point in 2021 with a record set of results.

As the majority of their Mortgage Advisers already worked remotely all over the country they could continue to operate throughout even the restrictive lockdowns. The head office team which includes senior members and the Mortgage Processing Department were having to adapt almost daily, but took all the changes in their stride and their focus firmly remained on their customers and colleagues alike.

Even throughout 2020, Mortgage 1st continued with recruitment plans and the team has grown at a similar rate to previous years. All departments increased with new team members including Administrators, Processors, Mortgage Advisers and an Apprentice Administrator.

With a team of almost 40 it was time to expand the Senior Management Team and Mortgage 1st has announced an internal promotion, along with the appointment of a new senior manager.

Carly Montisci first joined the Mortgage 1st family 5 years ago in 2016 as a mortgage administrator, with no industry experience. With her drive and passion she very quickly established herself as a key member in the team and stepped up to a mortgage processor role and then Head of Processing within her first two years, followed by a third promotion to Senior manager shortly after.

Carly’s new role is Head of Service, which encapsulates her skills and passions perfectly as even from day one her focus has always been on the team and the service their customers receive.

On the 1st of August, John Wileman joined the senior team as Head of Development to work alongside Carly and the Directors Jon & Lisa Stones. John has over 20 years’ industry experience and will be offering support to all their mortgage advisers as well as managing the on-boarding, training and ongoing support for all new advisers who join the team.

Lisa Stones – Operations Director at Mortgage 1st said: “Jon are I, along with the whole team congratulates Carly for her well-deserved promotion and we’re delighted to officially welcome John to the Mortgage 1st family. By strengthening our senior team we are now equipped more than ever before to push forward with our ambitions future growth plans. There are lots happening behind the scenes at Mortgage 1st at the moment so as they say…. Watch this space!”

Mortgage 1st supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Ashgate Hospicecare director raises more than £6,000 in incredible marathon challenge

An Ashgate Hospicecare director who set himself the challenge of running 12 marathons in as many months has finally crossed the finish line – two months ahead of schedule.

Peter Stone, Director of Income Generation at the North Derbyshire charity and Destination Chesterfield board member, was inspired to fundraise having seen others go above and beyond to help fund Ashgate’s vital care.

Starting last October, the 60-year-old challenged himself to run 12 marathons in just one year – a remarkable 314.4 miles in total.

And on Saturday, Peter was delighted to complete his final marathon of the challenge, finishing at Ashgate’s hospice site in Old Brampton, Chesterfield, where family, friends and colleagues applauded him as he passed through the gates.

Thanks to the generosity of Peter’s supporters, the challenge has helped raise an incredible £6,200 towards the charity, smashing his target of £1,000.

Following the final marathon, Peter said: “My final marathon was one of the hardest yet – it included 3,500 feet of ascent and a lot of off-road navigation in the area around Tansley and Ashover.

“That, combined with hot weather, made for a tiring trip out. I am delighted to have completed the 12 marathons and I am so grateful for all the support I have received.

“I am responsible for the fundraising and retail teams at Ashgate who every year must generate around 70 per cent of the organisation’s income. I was keen to raise some funds myself – to help with fundraising and to remind me how hard our fundraisers must work to generate the money we need.

“Even as a keen runner this challenge has been difficult. The older I get, the longer it takes to recover from a marathon so trying to cover one every four weeks has been tiring. Plus, there’s been runs in the rain, sleet and snow which haven’t helped matters at all!”

From a double marathon – with no stopping– in Northumberland to a 50km run along a disused railway line in Shropshire, Peter has taken part in marathons across the UK.

He’s averaged around one marathon every four weeks – a task he admits was “tough”, but now he’s got into the routine of it he’ll find it difficult to stop.

Peter’s efforts will help Ashgate in continuing to provide caring and compassionate palliative and end-of-life care to people all over North Derbyshire.

He added: “I wanted to fundraise for Ashgate because the charity undertakes such amazing work – offering specialist palliative and end of life care to patients with a life-limiting illness and their families across North Derbyshire.

“Ashgate is so loved by the community, and this has been apparent by the level of support I have received to date. I couldn’t have asked for more from everyone who has supported me and made donations – thank you all so much.”

Have you been inspired by Peter’s fundraiser? You can run for Ashgate Hospicecare at the Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10K on 17th October.

To support Peter following his mammoth marathon challenge go to his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/peterstoneag

Ashgate Hospicecare supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Chatsworth Launches Recruitment Drive For Hospitality Staff

Chatsworth has launched a recruitment drive to fill more than 30 hospitality roles in its cafes, pub and restaurants across the Derbyshire estate.

A selection of full and part-time positions are available for immediate starts in the hotels and restaurants, working in both the kitchens and front of house.

The recruitment drive follows the launch of a professional training academy to support new employees at Devonshire Hotels & Restaurants Group. The Devonshire Hospitality Academy will welcome its first students in autumn 2021 for its in-house training programme, which will lead to a recognised industry qualification at Level 2 Apprenticeship. Crucially, on successful completion of the course, permanent full time jobs will automatically offered.

In an effort to attract candidates and highlight the exciting career opportunities on offer, two Recruitment Days are taking place at Chatsworth on Thursday 9 September and Saturday 11 September.

Every attendee will be guaranteed an interview with a member of the senior hospitality team with a range of short term part-time seasonal roles on offer to longer-term opportunities with for those looking to build a career.

Richard Palmer, Devonshire Hotels MD, is particularly interested in finding people looking to make a longer term commitment and take advantage of the 18-month industry recognised training programme on offer.

“The loss of the labour force from Europe and the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality sector being one of the last to re-open has created a ‘perfect storm’ impacting on our ability to recruit and find people with the right skills.

“We want to get across the message that they are lots of fantastic careers in hospitality and we can help support people to realise those aspirations. I’m an example of this as I actually started within the Hotels at Bolton Abbey as a waiter and am now heading up the hotels and restaurants group.

“We’re keen to hear from people who may be coming to the end of furlough and are looking for a career change as well as those who may be starting out and looking for a job with excellent prospects.”

As well as Richard himself, the Chatsworth team is full of inspiring stories of those who have worked their way up with the support and training on offer from James Adlington who started as a casual worker to now managing the acclaimed Burlington Restaurant in Yorkshire in just six years to David Milward and Steph Shirt who both started as apprentices and are now Chef at Chatsworth and Head Baker at Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop respectively.

Richard added: “If you’re approachable and passionate, we would love you to become part of our team.”

As well as the guaranteed interview, attendees will hear from the senior hospitality team about working for Chatsworth. Roles are currently available at the Cavendish Hotel, the Devonshire Arms in Beeley and the Devonshire Arms in Pilsley.

Anyone interested in finding out more is advised to register their interest with their preferred date and time slot as soon as possible as places are limited. A drink and slice of homemade cake is thrown in to seal the deal.

  • Thursday 9 September | 2.30pm, 4pm, 5,30pm
  • Saturday 11 September | 10.30am, 12pm, 3pm
  • Location: Cavendish Restaurant, The Stables, Chatsworth, DE45 1PP
  • Email hr@devonshiregroup.co.uk to register.

Chatsworth supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Local entrepreneurs set to be recognised for hard work and resilience at 2021 Love Chesterfield Awards

The entrepreneurial achievements of new sole traders and limited companies are being celebrated in the brand-new 2021 Love Chesterfield Awards, organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with EntireFM – Complete Facilities Management.

Four businesses – CarMats.co.uk, Precious Memories by Anne-Marie, Stanedge Golf Ltd and Virtual World Studios Ltd – have all been shortlisted for the Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Sponsored by Banner Jones Solicitors, the new category recognises the achievements, leadership, vision and success of new sole traders and limited companies in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire over the last 18 months.

In addition to the accolade, the winner of the award will also receive 10 hours of free mentoring with Banner Jones Solicitors as well as a 12 months of marketing support through Chesterfield Champions with awards organiser Destination Chesterfield covering the contribution cost for a financial year.

The winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year award will be announced at a black- tie awards ceremony at the Winding Wheel Theatre on 20th October 2021.

Ash Young, Founder of CarMats.co.uk explained how it feels to be a finalist: “It’s a real honour to be shortlisted for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Love Chesterfield Awards. Industry awards are great, but there’s something special about local recognition. Chesterfield has so many great businesses and entrepreneurs; I’m looking forward to cheering for them all on the night of the awards.”

Anne-Marie Scott, Owner of Precious Memories by Anne-Marie said: “It feels very surreal to be nominated, mostly because I still have to pinch myself at times that I created not only a business from scratch but also my dream job! In the hardest year for most of the country, my business has still flourished and I was able to employ an intern to help with the demands of the growing business. Chesterfield is a wonderful market town, unique in encouraging local independent businesses, and encouraging local entrepreneurs helps to keep our much-loved town centre alive.”

Delighted to be shortlisted for the award, Fame Tate, Director and Owner of Stanedge Golf Ltd said: “I feel incredibly proud to be shortlisted for the award and to be recognised for what myself and my team have achieved at Stanedge Golf Club, particularly in such a short period of time. On a more personal level it is hugely satisfying as this is not just a business venture – it is a labour of love. It drives me every single day and it is something that I am hugely passionate about. I have said from day one that I want the club to be the best; that is something that will never change.”

Lyn Sheppard, Manging Director of Virtual World Studios Ltd commented: “I see entrepreneurship as a creative approach to developing and driving a business forward through innovation. I am extremely pleased that we are a finalist for this award. It was a very nice surprise. When lockdown forced the studio to close, it was only our ability to think creatively that enabled us to re-configure the virtual reality technology we had originally developed for film production, into effective and eye-catching virtual solutions for businesses.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield explained the importance of the new award: “Entrepreneurship plays a huge role in any thriving town or city – driving innovation, creating jobs and contributing to the growth of the local economy and never more so than during the pandemic. These businesses have adapted brilliantly to the challenges thrown at them, embodying Chesterfield’s can-do attitude. It was important to the Destination Chesterfield board that we recognised their hard work and achievements with this new award category.”

Peter Swallow Chair of Destination Chesterfield

The Entrepreneur of the Year award is one of 16 categories in the new 2021 Love Chesterfield Awards organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with Entire FM – Complete Facilities Management. The new awards have combined Chesterfield’s annual High Street and Food and Drink awards and also recognised the contribution of entrepreneurs, regeneration projects, apprentices and sustainability over the last 18 months.

See the full list of 2021 Love Chesterfield Awards finalists here: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/lovechesterfieldawards/finalists/

The 2021 Love Chesterfield Awards are supported and made possible by a number of sponsors and partners, including: Addooco IT, Banner Jones Solicitors, BHP Accountants, Chesterfield Borough Council, Chesterfield Digital High Street, The Chesterfield College Group, DBC Training, Derbyshire Times, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), Entire FM – Complete Facilities Management, Evoluted, Greatest Hits Radio South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire, Hoods Florist, JP Fire Safety Solutions, MSE Hiller, Peak Pharmacy, Shorts Chartered Accountants, Spirecross Ltd and Van Dyk by Wildes.

Peter Swallow added: “It’s never been more important to show our appreciation of the business community, so we’d love for the awards ceremony to be our biggest and best yet. This can only be made possible with sponsorship.”

There are only two sponsorship opportunities remaining. If you would like to support the Love Chesterfield awards, please visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/lovechesterfieldawards/sponsors/sponsorshippackages/ or contact Tara Underhill, Senior Destination Chesterfield Coordinator by emailing Tara.underhill@chesterfield.co.uk or calling 01246 207 207.

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Chesterfield businessmen to complete marathon for canine charity

Two dog-loving local businessmen are planning to design and complete their very own marathon route to raise money for their favourite canine charity.

Paul Gosney, who lives in Chesterfield and Tony Dent, from Ecclesall, Sheffield, are taking part in the Virtual London Marathon on Sunday October 3 on behalf of national charity Support Dogs, whose training centre is in Brightside.

Tony, a partner at B&B Vehicle Contracts, a vehicle leasing specialist in Chesterfield, and Paul, business development manager at City Taxis, are old friends who share a common love of dogs.

The pair, neither of whom have run a marathon before, are currently plotting a 26.2 mile marathon route starting at Dronfield Woodhouse and finishing at Support Dogs via various parts of Sheffield – hopefully around six hours later.

They plan to post staging posts online to encourage supporters to cheer them on at various points along the way, snaking through the city and avoiding as many hills as possible! Support will be provided by their friend Jim as pacemaker on his electric trike, Spike le Trike, and Tony’s wife Katey in a back-up van.

“We both love dogs, and Support Dogs do amazing work,” says Tony, whose company has made Support Dogs their charity of the year.

“I’ve known about their work and supported them for many years. I was recently watching one of their videos about a young girl whose life was turned round by her assistance dog, and every time I watch it, I cry!  It’s heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time.

“It gives someone a new lease of life which you would not expect from an animal. The sheer joy that a dog brings to people’s lives and what these dogs do is incredible. They give people who have disabilities such freedom and a new lease of life, and that’s what’s it’s all about for me.”

Tony and Paul are now hard at work in the gym and pounding the streets in preparation for the event, in which participants can choose their own marathon-length route.

Toy had heart surgery two years ago, so the Virtual London Marathon is a big challenge. Both men, who have set themselves a fundraising target of £3,000 are planning a practice half marathon route in September to test their fitness.

“When people hear that we’re doing a ‘virtual’ marathon they seem to think that it’s online and we’re not actually running 26.2 miles – but believe me we are!” says Paul.

Support Dogs trains assistance dogs for children and adults with autism, epilepsy and physical disability, enabling them to lead safer, more independent lives. It receives no government funding, and for every dog it trains it receives more than 50 requests for help.

If you would like to sponsor Tony and Paul go to Virgin Money Giving

City Taxis supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Exciting arts project re-creates the first live-linked satellite broadcast to celebrate our region

Junction Arts, in association with six arts organisations from across three counties, is set to be take part in ‘Our Place’ which showcases the people and places of the East Midlands, through the arts.

Led by the Chesterfield-based community arts charity, Our Place travels the East Midlands to celebrate diversity, community, culture and place. Through seven creative residencies, Our Place brings together the hills of the High Peak to the streets of inner-city Leicester, where Ukrainian dance from Derby will share the stage with embellished aprons made in rural Lincolnshire.

Junction Arts will be working with several project partners: City Arts (Nottingham), High Peak Community Arts (High Peak), People Express (Swadlincote), Soft Touch (Leicester), Surtal Arts (Derby) and The Hub (Sleaford).

The project has seen over 50 participants working with 27 artists throughout the summer in a series of diverse residencies involving textiles, VR, filmmaking, dance, creative writing and music video production.

The new work created through each residency has been brought together into a feature length film broadcast by Director Chris Bevan, co-curated by Junction Arts with partners and artists to showcase and connect communities across our diverse East Midlands region.

Managing Director of Junction Arts, Paul Steele says: “The project is about connecting people and places. After a hard year of dealing with lock downs and restricted activities, what better way to bring back local communities, by celebrating the people in them and sharing the unique cultures and talents with others.

“We know what it feels like to be ‘in this together’ and we’ve taken that feeling of connectedness and built it into a project where people from across three counties are uniting to share what it means to live in a place in this moment and time.”

Junction Arts were inspired by the first global TV satellite broadcast conceived in 1967, entitled ‘Our World’ which ended with the Beatles performing ‘All You Need is Love’ for the first time, during the height of the Vietnam War.

For their creative residency, Junction Arts commissioned Movement and Theatre Director Chris Yarnell and writer Simon Marshall to work with young people from Derbyshire LGBT+ Youth group to explore what it means to be young, LBGT and growing up in Chesterfield. Filmed within the property of where the group meet, ‘place’ is explored through creative writing, performance and spoken word demonstrating the exciting spirit and anarchic energy of young people challenging norms and finding their place in the world.

The celebratory web broadcast will launch on the Our Place website at 6:30pm on the 9th September 2021: https://junctionarts.org/our-place-broadcast/

Junction Arts supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Shorts wins ‘In-house finance team of the year’ at prestigious accountancy awards

The finance team at Shorts Chartered Accountants has been named ‘In-House Finance Team of the Year’ at the Yorkshire Accountancy Awards 2021.

The annual awards ceremony, which took place on August 19th, celebrates the achievements and successes of the region’s best accountancy professionals.

The accolade is one of several gained by Shorts in recent years, showing substantial recognition from industry peers. They include:

  • Advisory Firm of the Year, Yorkshire Accountancy Awards Winner 2018
  • Mid-Tier Firm of the Year, British Accountancy Awards Finalist 2016
  • Insider Dealmakers, Corporate Finance Firm of the Year – Shortlisted 2016, 2017 & 2018
  • Insider Dealmakers, National / International Dealmaker of the Year – Shortlisted 2017 & Winner 2018
  • Insider Dealmakers, Mid-Market Dealmaker of the Year – Winner 2017 & Shortlisted 2018
  • Insider Dealmakers, Deal of the Year up to £2.5m – Winner 2018

Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Shorts finance team was already producing regular and detailed information across the whole firm and partner group. However, the work they completed during the COVID period was essential to ongoing stability, enabling sound business decisions to be made during an extremely uncertain period.

The team demonstrated excellent standards of work and improved efficiencies, including production of revised budgets, and enhancing many internal reports.

Michelle Frost, Practice Director at Shorts said: “Our finance team blows me away with their enthusiasm and drive for continuous improvement. And when any of them have the available capacity, they will always offer a helping hand to other team members. True gems.”

According to the judges of the event: “Shorts Chartered Accountants demonstrated a focus on continuous improvement, carrying out a transformation programme that really impressed the judges, and showed how they were integral to the overall success of the business.”

With a long-standing heritage of over 130 years, Chesterfield-based Shorts has grown from a local business to a nationally recognised award-winning firm. With over 120 staff, the company is one of the largest practices in the region.

Shorts Chartered Accountants supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Increased demand fuels expansion for Banner Jones

Banner Jones, which has offices in Chesterfield, Mansfield, Nottingham and Sheffield, has responded to growing demand from new and existing corporate and consumer clients with the appointment of seven new colleagues across the business.

The appointments, which span the firm’s residential property, dispute resolution and commercial property departments, have been made in response to ‘unprecedented demand’ for its legal services during the pandemic – including employment law, family law, wills, personal injury, and commercial property.

In the 12-months ending May 2021 the firm’s residential property department alone completed in excess of 5500 transactions – marking a 38% increase on the previous 12months.

Joining Banner Jones is residential Property Executive Perri Boyes-Weston who brings more than a decade of experience overseeing complex conveyancing matters including leasehold & freehold sales & purchases, remortgages, new builds and transfer of equity matters to the role.

Perri has joined the Chesterfield property team along with paralegals Amy Hawksley and Lauren Smith, and the Sheffield property team has welcomed paralegals Camilla Donnell and Morgan Buisson.

Commenting on her new role Perri Boyes-Weston said she was pleased to be joining the business at the start of such an ‘exciting new era’, and is looking forward to contributing to the firm’s continued success.

The Dispute Resolution team in Chesterfield welcomes Solicitor Adam Tankard who joins the firm from Keoghs where he worked as a ‘Property Risks and coverage’ solicitor dealing with insurance litigated claims for fires / floods and property damage claims.

Previously he undertook his training contract at the Cooperative Legal Services in its Manchester office.

Assistant Solicitor Rozeena Aslam has joins Banner Jones Business Legal Services department in the firm’s Chesterfield commercial property team.

Having qualified at Trent Law where she gained experience in commercial law, she says she is ‘now very much looking forward to expanding her knowledge of commercial law at Banner Jones’.

Welcoming the new colleagues, Banner Jones Chief Executive, Simon Wright said, “The last year or so has been extremely challenging for all businesses, but the demand for both business and personal legal services has bounced back strongly.”

“In response to that, we are delighted and privileged to be welcoming seven new colleagues to the Banner Jones family.

“We are committed to investing in our staff and look forward to providing them with opportunities to develop their career within the firm.  I’m sure that all of our new recruits share our firm-wide passion and dedication to delivering outstanding customer service.”

Simon added that the firm’s recruitment drive was still under way, saying: “As we continue to grow, we remain on the lookout for passionate, skilled individuals at all levels and we would invite anyone that can contribute to our expert, no-nonsense legal services to reach out.”

The firm are currently recruiting for two roles in their Sheffield office, a Head of Corporate and an Employment solicitor or legal executive.  Details of the roles can be found here https://www.bannerjones.co.uk/pages/vacancies.

Banner Jones employs more than 140 staff across its South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire offices; operating across a full spectrum of legal services including personal matters such as Personal Injury, Divorce, Wills and Probate, Residential Property and Dispute Resolution through to business advice on Company Formation, Commercial Property, Company Finance, Partnership Agreements, Debt Recovery and Employment issues.

Banner Jones Solicitors supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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