Celebrate Chesterfield

Chesterfield business expands despite Covid-19 industry setbacks

2nd June 2020

Chesterfield-based mortgage advice firm Mortgage 1st have continued their ambitions growth plans with the recruitment of two new Mortgage Advisers, despite huge setbacks and disruption to both the financial services industry and the housing market due to Covid-19.

Two new advisers have just completed their ‘virtual’ induction and will be authorised to start looking after clients by the end of May. A further three new Advisers have also recently accepted a position at Mortgage 1st and once their applications are complete the Adviser head count will reach 20 by the end of the year.

Mortgage 1st was established in 2008 by Jon Stones at his dining table. His passion and hard work over the years has seen his team grow from a one-man-band to a strong and capable team of 28 today. Jon has ambitious future plans for Mortgage 1st and even a global pandemic hasn’t stood in his way in continuing with the recruitment and growth of his team.

Mortgage 1st has always offered ‘remote advice’ meaning everything can be done on email, Zoom or over the phone. As well as the Chesterfield based head office team, over half of the advisers work remotely and are based all over the UK. This has meant that they have seen very little disruption and have been able to continue working as normal for their customers during the last few uncertain months.

The Mortgage 1st head office has been closed for the duration of lockdown, their team were set up to work from home safely from day 1 meaning it’s been business as usual for their clients. The team have stayed in touch with one another using video and conference calls and were even able to conduct a virtual 2-day induction course for their new advisers.

Lisa Stones, HR & Marketing Director at Mortgage 1st (below) said: “We are delighted to be welcoming two new faces to the team who bring years of experience with them. Continued growth is a huge part of our company vision and even though we have had to adapt quickly, like all businesses have, during the past few months this hasn’t stopped us, we’ve just become more virtual!”

Since some of the housing market restrictions were lifted earlier this month Mortgage 1st have already seen a large spike in new enquires as the property market safely kick starts. This is great news for the industry, for house buyers & sellers and for the economy in general.

Click here to read more about Mortgage 1st

Chesterfield Borough Council announce plans to reopen markets

29th May 2020

Chesterfield Borough Council has now finalised its plans to restart its open-air markets, in line with both Government and industry guidance.

Regular market traders will be invited to return to the town centre to trade on the town’s general market from Monday 1 June, with further markets scheduled for Friday 5 June and Saturday 6 June. No casual traders will be allowed to join the regular market traders at this stage.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “Our priority is to ensure that Chesterfield town centre is as safe as possible for everyone, our staff, our market traders and the visiting public.

“We have conducted a specific review looking at how the council can help our outdoor market traders to start to return by introducing physical changes to the layout of the market to maintain safe social distancing and signage reminding people from different households to keep 2 metres apart and to regularly wash or gel their hands.”

“The council will not be restarting the Thursday’s popular flea market at this stage. We need to first learn the lessons from how next week’s general markets operate in terms of queuing systems, customer journeys and social distancing pinch points.”

“We are however committed to restarting the flea market as soon as possible and will continue to liaise with trader representatives about how this can be safely achieved.”

The council would expect returning regular market traders to be in place from 8am though many are likely to work reduced hours for a number of weeks.

Chesterfield Borough Council will also continue to support retailers selling essential goods to trade from the Market Hall. Access in and out of the Market Hall will however continue to be controlled to maintain safe social distancing within the premises.

The public toilets located in the Market Hall will re-open from Monday 1 June, with social distancing measures and extra cleaning processes in place; this may mean increased queues for the toilets.

Councillor Kate Sarvent continued: “As we move towards the phased re-opening of Chesterfield town centre, I would encourage residents to support our local traders on our general markets and at the Market Hall which will help us to restart our local economy.”

“Shopping local is important for a number of reasons including supporting our traders from a financial point of view and reducing the number of miles we are travelling to buy our essential products such as groceries, which has a positive impact on our environment.”

Chesterfield Borough Council is encouraging its shopworkers and residents to cycle or walk into the town centre, wherever possible.

The council had planned to lower car parking barriers and re-introduce car parking charges from Monday 1 June. These measures will now take effect from Wednesday 3 June and will include the reopening of the council’s two multi storey car parks at Saltergate and Beetwell Street, and two-barrier controlled surface car parks at Rose Hill and Soresby Street.

Residents are reminded to use their Resident’s Permit, which entitles them to park for free in most car parks before 10am and after 3pm Monday to Saturday and all day on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Find out more about this here.

Parking permits including pre-paid scratch cards are also available and significant cost reductions can be achieved through purchasing these in advance. Please make sure you properly display your permit when parking your car.

Funding generated from town centre car parking charges helps the council to cover the cost of several essential services, including CCTV, street cleaning and public toilets provision.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Chesterfield Borough Council issue Business Grants update

28th May 2020

Under the Government’s business grants scheme, Chesterfield Borough Council has now processed more than £22.9 million of payments to almost 2,000 local businesses.

This represents most of the businesses that the council believe are eligible for the scheme, but there are still some local businesses that haven’t yet applied.

Councillor Terry Gilby (right), Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, said: “We want to help as many local businesses as possible to claim the grant support to which they are entitled to, but we need you to get in touch. Please let us have your application form, so that we can check out your eligibility and process your payment as soon as possible.”

Grants are available for:

any business that receives small business rate relief
retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000

You can find the application form and more details about the grant and other support packages for business here.

Once completed, please return your application form to revenues.billing@chesterfield.gov.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home

Peak District & Derbyshire marks English Tourism Week

26th May 2020

For English Tourism Week (25-31 May), Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire is highlighting the need to protect the long-term future of tourism – by shining a spotlight on the sector’s value to the local economy.

English Tourism Week is an annual celebration of the tourism industry, dedicated to showcasing the country’s diverse tourism offer. For this year’s event, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire has joined with local leaders to pledge support for the sector’s recovery.

Tourism is a vital industry in the Peak District and Derbyshire, employing more than 30,000 people and generating more than £2.3 billion a year for the local economy. But the impact of government restrictions and the seasonality of the industry mean that many businesses now require crucial support.

Recent surveys* collated by Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire show that by March, coronavirus had already had ‘a major negative impact’ on over 80% of tourism businesses, with many reporting cancellations as far ahead as October. If lockdown restrictions lasted until the end of September, businesses said they would lose 97% of their income.

Ahead of the potential reopening of the hospitality industry on 4 July, 30% of businesses said they wouldn’t be able to open if restrictions such as social distancing measures remained in place. Over 20% said they may be forced to cease trading entirely – highlighting the need for long-term support to protect the sector’s future.

Throughout English Tourism Week, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire is encouraging people to pledge their support for local tourism businesses by using the hashtag #ProtectTourism and #EnglishTourismWeek20.

The tourist board is urging its followers on social media to share a ‘Peak District and Derbyshire Wish List’ of businesses they look forward to visiting when restrictions have eased, and to continue experiencing the Peak District and Derbyshire from home via www.visitpeakdistrict.com/inspiration/at-home.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “English Tourism Week is about celebrating the quality and value of our tourism offer, and during these testing times it has never been more important to support our local businesses and highlight the valuable contribution they make to the local economy.”

She added: “Tourism has been one of the earliest and hardest hit of all economic sectors and we must act now to protect the industry’s future. We’re working closely with our local and national partners to plan for recovery and help businesses bounce back. Part of these plans include the development of common industry standards that will provide a ‘ring of confidence’ for both businesses and visitors, so the sector can open safely when the time is right.”

Leader of Derbyshire County Council Councillor Barry Lewis said: “It’s vital that Derbyshire’s tourism industry has the tools at its disposal to bounce back once restrictions are lifted and people are able to start visiting our wonderful county once more.”

“Derbyshire County Council, together with Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire, has a key role to play in helping the sector re-open for business and we’re committed to supporting the industry to safely welcome back visitors when the time comes.”

Robert Largan, Member of Parliament for High Peak, said: “Tourism is a vital part of our local economy. A huge number of High Peak jobs depend on tourism, both directly and indirectly. It’s really important that we do all we can to protect the industry through this crisis, as tourism will play a key role in our economic recovery. I look forward to welcoming visitors back to the Peak District, to enjoy our beautiful part of the world and to spend money here, when the crisis is over.”

*Results taken from Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire’s Coronavirus Business Impact Survey (17-23 March 2020) and Tourism Recovery Planning Business Survey (27-30 April 2020).

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Chesterfield College to hold virtual events to help people plan for September

22nd May 2020

Chesterfield College is holding a series of virtual events to help people get the information they need to make the right choice about their future study options. The college is inviting school leavers, and adults who want to retrain or develop their skills, to join any of their virtual events taking place throughout May and June.

A virtual open day takes place on Wednesday 3 June between 4 and 6pm and a new series of ‘Live at Lunchtime’ chats on Instagram are taking place on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The virtual events will demonstrate the range of courses available in September, from beauty to engineering or digital technologies to vehicle refinishing. They will provide an opportunity to explore all the study options available.

The virtual open day will include video interviews with staff from every area of study as well as the different support teams across the college. Advisors with specialist knowledge on academic support, finance, travel and other aspects of college life will be on hand to answer questions via a live chat during the event.

During the Instagram ‘Live at Lunchtime’ chats, you can hear from special guests across the college as they talk about studying particular subjects and what other aspects of college life they can expect.

Julie Richards (right), principal and Chief Executive of Chesterfield College said; “It has never been more important to focus on the future and although we can’t hold our normal open days right now, we hope these virtual events will help people get the information they need to make the best choices to be ready for September.

“I want to reassure everyone in our community that there is a place for you at Chesterfield College. We’re still teaching and helping our students to learn the skills they need for the careers they want. We’re helping to train the next generation of healthcare workers, engineers, scientists and many other professions our economy needs now and in the future. When the new academic year starts we will be here to support all our new and returning students and apprentices to secure a positive start to their studies.”

You can register to take part in the virtual open day here and all the joining information will be sent to you.

To find out more about the series of ‘Live at Lunchtime’ chats taking place, click here.

Click here to find out more about Chesterfield College

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Celebrate Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Custom Solar completes a further installation project at Port of Southampton

21st May 2020

Chesterfield’s Custom Solar has successfully and safely completed another solar project working closely with Associated British Ports (ABP) at the Port of Southampton.

Despite the impact of Covid-19, the 120kWp solar system was successfully installed on the Ocean Terminal Coach Canopy within 6 working days, incorporating amended safe systems of work and social distancing measures.

The project is an extension to the existing 1.7mW previously installed by Custom Solar across multiple buildings on the port including the main Ocean Terminal, this means Solar is now providing over 20% of annual electrical demand.

The Port of Southampton is the nation’s second largest and most efficient container port, as well as the UK’s number one for cars and cruise. In 2016, ABP and its customers handled 89 million tonnes of cargo. They support 119,000 jobs and contribute £7.5 billion to the UK economy every year.

Custom Solar operate and maintain all of the systems across the port providing live monitoring via their own bespoke monitoring solution, full reactive maintenance and annual scheduled service visits.

Matthew Brailsford, MD of Custom Solar, said: “Once again we are very proud to be supporting ABP in the quest to source the majority of their power from solar energy, it proves what at integral role solar has in our energy future. This project is all the more amazing as we delivered it during a global pandemic and amended the entire way in which we approach our construction sites. It’s truly been a fantastic effort by the team.”

You can find out more about the project on the Case Studies section of Custom Solar’s website here.

Click here to find out more about Custom Solar

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Destination Chesterfield is going on a bear hunt

21st May 2020

Ten bears have been hidden across the websites of businesses and visitor attractions in Chesterfield, all ready for children to find over the May Half Term holiday. And they can win prizes.

Coordinated by Destination Chesterfield, the bear hunt has been created to remind families of some of the great places available to visit locally – once social distancing restrictions are lifted.

Each of the 10 bears hidden on the websites have a letter. Once all the bears have been found they will spell out a word which bear hunters can then enter in a free prize draw for the chance to win tickets for future use at local venues.

Prizes include a family ticket for Barrow Hill Roundhouse, a family ticket for Matlock Farm Park, two pairs of tickets for Chester’s Den and a £20 Chesterfield Canal Cruise Voucher.

Bear hunters have until 8pm on Sunday 7th June to complete their search and enter the prize draw.

The bears can be found on websites belonging to Barrow Hill Roundhouse, Chesterfield Community Trust, Chesterfield Leisure Centres, Chesterfield Museum, Chesterfield Theatres, Chesterfield Canal Trust, Dronfield Hall Barn, Matlock Farm Park, Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa and Straightcurves.

A number of the businesses and venues involved in the bear hunt have adapted their services during lockdown. Straightcurves is providing virtual creative workshops and Chesterfield Museum has offered a selection of family activities and a virtual tour.

Tara Underhill, Senior Destination Chesterfield Coordinator explained: “It has been great to work with 10 local leisure businesses to offer a fun bear hunt competition for families during lockdown. While enjoying the bear hunt and visiting the websites, it’s a great opportunity for families to enjoy many of the venues virtually.”

The bear hunt is part of a special package of support Destination Chesterfield’s is delivering to Champions during the COVID-19 crisis. Earlier this month it launched a mini website – www.chesterfield.co.uk/supportinglocal – giving details of more than 100 shops, food and drink businesses, training, venues, support and service providers in and around Chesterfield that are continuing to operate by adapting their services to meet the needs of the community.

Tara added: “As the town’s marketing campaign we work with over 180 local businesses, known as Chesterfield Champions, to raise the profile of the town. We have been keen to provide business and marketing support to help organisations navigate through these challenging times. Many of the businesses have continued to engage with their customers online and we are keen to encourage these interactions during their temporary closure period and throughout their plans for recovery.”

Destination Chesterfield is also asking bear hunters to share their photos along with #lovechesterfield to show their support for leisure businesses in Chesterfield.

To find out more about Chesterfield Champions, visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/destination-chesterfield/champions/.

To take part in Destination Chesterfield’s bear hunt visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/competitions/.

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

Chesterfield chosen as home of new engineering business

20th May 2020

A new project management firm, Aspire Engineered Solutions, has opened within Chesterfield’s Tapton Park Innovation Centre.

The company specialises in complete project management including worldwide equipment installation, design & assembly services, service and preventative maintenance, overflow production facilities, plant efficiency surveys and sourcing experienced project staff.

Martyn Harness, Managing Director, told Destination Chesterfield: “One of our goals is to use local skilled labour to assist us in our installation projects both in the UK and worldwide. We are also keen to forge relationships with customers in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas.”

Aspire Engineered Solutions is currently helping to design a new medical facility in the Dominican Republic (below). The company will also be supplying the materials and labour for the project, with installation set to continue once travel restrictions are lifted. Their teams have previously worked on projects in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Vietnam, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, North & South America.

As well as their new office space, the company also has plans to open a workshop in Chesterfield within the next year.

Jim Love, Director of Site Operations, said: “We believe setting up a new business in Chesterfield will give us the staffing and engineering resources we need to be a success.”

Jim added: “We pride our business on our reliability and providing top notch customer service. Life is hard enough and we don’t like seeing customers struggle, we are here to help!”

To find out more about Aspire Engineered Solutions, visit their website here.

Chesterfield Innovation Centres, including Tapton Park Innovation Centre and Dunston Innovation Centre, are managed by Chesterfield Borough Council and are designed to assist small to medium sized businesses to successfully innovate and grow.

Click here to find out more about available commercial property in Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Funding for part of Chesterfield Station Masterplan approved

20th May 2020

D2N2, the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, has approved a £3.8m grant towards the construction of the Hollis Lane Link Road in Chesterfield.

The £7.42m project will form a critical part of the Chesterfield Station Masterplan, bringing forward wholescale regeneration and supporting sustainable economic growth in the centre of Chesterfield. This regeneration will include new commercial development, as well as significantly improved connectivity.

D2N2 will be funding the development through its Local Growth Fund allocation, an investment programme to support projects that benefit the regional economy.

The funding for the Hollis Lane Link Road follows similar awards for infrastructure projects that benefit Chesterfield residents including the A61 Corridor, HS2-related development, and the Chesterfield Higher Level Skills Centre worth a combined £10.57m.

The new Hollis Lane Link Road will extend from the junction of Hollis Lane and Spa Lane and will terminate at the southern extent of the Chesterfield Station car park, providing direct access to the railway station from the south.

Furthermore, the Hollis Lane Link Road will unlock 0.92 hectares of early development plots within the Chesterfield Station Masterplan area which it is hoped will lead to over 500 jobs being created by businesses moving into the new development.

Remedial works are due to begin in September 2020 with work expected to be completed by late 2021.

D2N2 Chair Elizabeth Fagan CBE said: “Our investment into the construction of the Hollis Lane Link Road will be another important milestone for Chesterfield’s regeneration ambitions, bringing significant growth and investment opportunities whilst creating more homes, jobs, and learning places.”

“D2N2 is pleased to support investment in our town centres to stimulate economic growth which will be central to supporting the region’s recovery from the impact of Covid-19.”

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, Councillor Simon Spencer, said: “The Hollis Lane Link is a great example of the ambitious work now being undertaken by the Joint Growth Board.”

“It is a key part of the Chesterfield Masterplan which will bring a range of economic benefits to the town and surrounding area.”

The Joint Growth Board is body set up between Chesterfield Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council tasked with delivering key regeneration projects which will aid the borough’s growth strategy.

Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, Councillor Tricia Gilby, said: “The Hollis Lane Link road adds value to the work we are already doing on the emerging station masterplan, which is a significant project for Chesterfield and northern Derbyshire’s economy.”

“We are in the process of finalising the station master plan and will be undertaking public consultation later this year.”

“The station masterplan will define our aspirations for the economic future of the area and we continue to work closely with partner agencies to maximise this huge opportunity for Chesterfield Borough and beyond.”

Click here to find out more about HS2 and the Chesterfield Station Masterplan

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting

Nominations for the Peak FM Awards 2020 are now open

19th May 2020

Peak FM are urging residents of Chesterfield and North Derbyshire to submit their nominations for the Peak FM Awards 2020, which will be taking place virtually in June.

Peak FM is once again looking to recognise the amazing achievements of people from across the Chesterfield area; those who have made a difference to their community, shown courage or helped make the lives of others that little bit better.

In the interests of safety and maintaining social distance, the Peak FM Awards will for the first time be held as a virtual ceremony. The awards ceremony will take place throughout the day on Friday 5th June through Peak FM’s digital platforms and via their daytime shows.

Award recipients will be selected from Peak FM listener nominations and local news stories by a Peak FM judging panel who will consider every nomination received.

Nominations are now open for the following award categories:

Carer of the Year
Family of the Year
Child or Teenager of Courage
NHS Hero
Home Grown Talent
Act of Kindness
Fundraiser of the Year

Anyone can be nominated for a Peak FM award and they can be nominated under more than one category.

The Peak FM judging panel will make sure the nominations are considered for all relevant awards. Peak FM will choose the appropriate winner based on content of the nominations rather than amount of nominations.

Nominations close on May 28th at 12 noon.

Click here to nominate

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Destination Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Summer, Visiting

Grants available for Derbyshire Visitor Economy Businesses

18th May 2020

Visitor economy businesses in Derbyshire are being encouraged to apply for grants of up to £10,000 to rebuild their business and develop valuable digital assets in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire is offering business grants to support a range of activities such as website development, new photography, the creation of virtual tours and the implementation of cashless payment systems to help businesses bounce back and drive the recovery of the sector.

The grant programme is part of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire’s European Regional Development Fund project, and has been recently updated to reflect new business needs that have emerged as a result of the current climate.

Alongside digitalisation, grants of £1,000 to £10,000 are also available in the following areas:

Accessibility – e.g. accessible equipment and facilities for people with disabilities.
Environmental – e.g. electric car charging points, e-bikes or a water system for use by visitors that replaces the need for plastic bottles.
Cycling – e.g. secure cycle storage and maintenance equipment for use by visitors.
Internationalisation – e.g. website translation or the implementation of online booking/cashless payment systems to encourage international visitors.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, the area’s official tourist board, said: “I’m delighted that we are able to offer this funding through our European Regional Development Fund project. Derbyshire’s tourism industry is incredibly important to the local economy and these grants will enable businesses to rebuild and bounce back stronger than ever.

Jo added: “Grants are available for things such as online booking systems and virtual tours, which are both key in the current climate and will help to enrich the area’s tourism offer and power our recovery plans. I would urge businesses to visit the website for more information and get your applications in as soon as possible.”

Businesses applying for the funding must meet the following criteria:

They must be part of the visitor economy and its supply chain, including sole traders, partnerships and limited companies.
They must be located in Derbyshire.
They must have less than 250 employees.
They will need to demonstrate how the grant funding will help their business to become more competitive and support the area’s wider visitor economy.

Successful applicants will receive a 50% grant towards the cost of the overall project, with a minimum 50% grant contribution being £1,000 and the maximum £10,000.

A free webinar providing more details on the business grants programme is being held on Thursday 21 May.

Eligible businesses can register their interest for a grant now at https://business-grants-scheme.eventbrite.co.uk.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting