Celebrate Chesterfield

The Tickled Trout provides meals for frontline NHS staff

The Tickled Trout, a Gastro pub & restaurant based in Barlow, has brought together local businesses in order to provide meals to the frontline NHS staff at Chesterfield’s Royal Hospital.

The staff have teamed up with Chesterfield Community Food Hut to cook restaurant-quality meals and together with their suppliers Delitalia, Highfield House Farm and Country Fresh Foods, they are supplying portioned meals for the NHS workers in the ICU and Covid-19 wards.

Any surplus meals are donated to the Chesterfield Community Food Hut, a project that coordinates donations, identifies people in need and arranges essentials to be distributed to them.

Chris Mapp, Owner of The Tickled Trout said: “We vaccum packed it into portions so that they could either have them on a break or just take them home after work.”

He added: “We hope it helps them when and if they find time to have a break and refuel or just to take home after their gruelling day so they can have some respite. We are already doing hampers for our local community with the addition of Owen Taylor to the other suppliers which is working really well but we collectively wanted to show our gratitude to the incredible staff and medics who are working hard to save lives and will no doubt have very little time to relax and cook, never mind go shopping! Dear NHS, this is on us. Thank you.”

You can hear Chris talking more about their work to support the NHS in a video on the The Tickled Trout Facebook page.

They now plan to expand their meals service into other nearby hospitals such as the Sheffield Northern General Hospital.

Click here to find out more about The Tickled Trout

Images credit: Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS FT & Royal Primary Care

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

Derbyshire County Council waives Trusted Trader member fees

Fees are to be removed for businesses and individuals registered with the Derbyshire County Council  Trusted Trader scheme.

Following the outbreak of coronavirus, Derbyshire County Council has made the decision to waive fees to the scheme for all current members for 12 months. Members of the scheme pay a yearly fee of either £75 if they are sole traders or social enterprises or £110 for all other businesses.

The scheme, which has more than 1,000 members, was set up to help Derbyshire residents find honest and reliable traders who commit to doing a good job for a fair price, and to protect older and vulnerable adults by making it easier for them to avoid falling foul of rogue traders.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Carol Hart said: “We know this is an anxious time for many businesses and sole traders and we are working hard to support them however we can.”

“We greatly value our Trusted Trader members and one way we can help them is by waiving the fees to the scheme for the next 12 months.”

“We realise that in some cases this may not make a huge difference to their finances, but I’m sure they could all do without any added expense at this time.”

“We will be contacting all our Trusted Trader members in the next few days to let them know about this change.”

Click here to be taken to our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Business Support Page

Meet the buyer

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

Chesterfield tea-blender collaborates with local traders to launch gift hamper deliveries

Gail Hannan, owner of Chesterfield-based Cup & Saucer, is collaborating with local businesses to produce tailored gift hampers that can be delivered to those who are isolating.

Cup & Saucer, who blend and sell quality loose tea with a Peak District twist, won the title of Food Producer of the Year at the Chesterfield Food & Drink Awards 2018. The company has traded at various markets & events and expanded in early 2020 by opening their own shop.

The shop is temporarily closed but now offer online sales and local contact-free delivery. Gail realised this was not an option for many of her fellow market traders so contacted a number of local companies in order to offer support and promotion.

Gail said: “It has all happened really quickly, but the gift hampers are proving to be really popular with our customers! I am working closely with many food & drink producers who I have met primarily through local markets, to create bespoke hampers for people to either order for themselves as a treat in isolation, or to send as a gift to a loved one.”

“Our most recent hamper aimed at chocoholics sold out within a day of advertising! This includes products from ourselves; Rate Good Brownies; Cacoa Elora; Jades Delights; Urban Flamingo and Homemade at Haslemere.”

She added: “It’s actually a really great opportunity for us to showcase our products to a wider audience. It obviously won’t change the fact that this will in no doubt be a devastating year for our businesses, but I am determined to not let this destroy what has taken me so much time and energy to build.”

Hampers include a Totally Tea Hamper, a Chocoholics Dream Hamper and two Derbyshire Producers Gift Hampers and can be ordered directly through the Cup & Saucer website. For a full list of products, or for more information, visit www.cupandsauceronline.co.uk/shop

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

Chesterfield Borough Council staff redeployed to support the community

Chesterfield Borough Council has reprioritised and reorganised staff resources to ensure essential services are maintained and to deliver additional community response activity to support Chesterfield residents and businesses at this difficult time.

In the community, staff have been redeployed in support of local pharmacies to deliver medicines to residents’ homes, have made regular food parcel deliveries to those in need, and are working with local community groups and charities to support a range of activities. Staff have also been redeployed around the council to support the rollout of small business grants, to work at the crematorium and to help ensure the Careline service can keep running for the benefit of the borough’s elderly residents.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “I’m proud of the way our staff have quickly responded to this crisis and the way in which they are continuing to adapt to new roles and responsibilities as required. It’s really important that we use all our resources to effectively support the local community and any residents who may require additional support, especially those who are particularly vulnerable at this time.”

Staff have been learning new skills in order to support essential service delivery. For example, some of the Town Hall’s clerical staff are now working at the crematorium where they are assisting by helping to run services and providing administrative support.

Members of the housing repairs team have been using council vehicles to support the delivery service of several local pharmacies. This small team has delivered around 650 prescriptions in the last week and will continue to assist pharmacies and their customers for the foreseeable future.

The council has also redeployed staff to support its Careline service. Careline supports around 2500 residents, many of whom are extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. The service has handled more than 40 call outs because of slips and falls in the last week. The falls recovery service helps to reduce the number of non-injured fallers being referred to the emergency services, which in turn reduces the pressure on the NHS.

Careline staff have also been working closely with local food banks to identify those in need of support and are helping deliver food parcels to vulnerable residents. The service has also been contacting around 200 residents a day to check on their wellbeing and to help them to obtain further support via the Derbyshire-wide Community Response Unit. To access help from the Derbyshire Community Response Unit please call 01629 535091 or register on the website: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/gethelp

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

Chesterfield’s MTM Products supplies the NHS with lifesaving equipment

Chesterfield manufacturer, MTM Products, is supplying nurse call handset overlays to a leading NHS equipment supplier to support them during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

The label and signage company is making large quantities of front fascia overlays for the nurse call handsets used in the temporary hospitals..

In total, the firm is manufacturing more than 14,000 overlays for one of its longstanding medical sector customers. The first 5,000 have already been delivered following a quick turnaround thanks for the company’s efforts.

MTM has a variety of customers which are also supplying products to the NHS and emergency services. These customers have asked MTM to continue trading so they can fulfil their responsibilities and supply essential equipment to health services in both the UK and mainland Europe. MTM plans to continue manufacturing at both of its Chesterfield sites for as long as possible, while observing Government advice around social distancing and hygiene.

Ian Greenaway, Managing Director at MTM Products said: “We are proud to be able to play our part in ensuring that the NHS and emergency services receive supplies necessary to fight the COVID-19 virus. We are part of a supply chain for many essential medical and life safety products and will do everything we can to maintain continuity of supply.”

Images: MTM Products

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

Geeks Headquarters producing mask straps for key workers and NHS staff

Chesterfield-based independent retailer, Geeks Headquarters, are using their 3D printer to create straps for face masks to support local key workers and NHS staff during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Staff member Massimiliano Naso has produced over 450 mask straps for medical facilities such as Chesterfield Royal Hospital, Barnsley District General, Whitworth Hospital Matlock, Walton Hospital, Royal Derby Hospital plus numerous care homes and care agencies.

Massimiliano said: “We are keen to help cause it is the right thing to do! We are doing everything free of charge, because making a profit out of this wouldn’t be right. If we receive any payment, because people insist on contributing, the sum will be donated to support NHS. Everyone has to play a part in this and we just want to help, in any way we could.”

The Geeks Headquarters store, located on Soresby Street in Chesterfield town centre, is currently closed following Government advice, however the staff are still working behind the scenes to fulfill product orders. A list of available products is shared on a regular basis to their Facebook page and delivery or curb side collection can be arranged.

The team has also created an online hub using Discord to organise online versions of tournaments and games as well as offering a welcoming environment to prevent loneliness during the coronvirus outbreak.

To request mask straps, check product availability or see more of their upcoming events, please contact the Geeks Headquarters team through their Facebook page here – www.facebook.com/geeksheadquarters or email geeksheadquartersltd@gmail.com.

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

Whittam Cox Architects use 3D printers to produce PPE for NHS staff

Whittam Cox Architects are pleased to be supporting the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic by producing face masks for NHS staff and key workers at Sheffield’s Teaching Hospitals.

The practice is 3D printing head bands and chin supports for single use face visors, which are then delivered to a central hub in Sheffield to have plastic visors fitted. Once assembled, the masks will be sterilised and packaged, and put into the NHS supply chain.

Ashley Turner, CEO at Whittam Cox Architects said, “It is logical for us to use our resources to help NHS staff and key workers in this national emergency. We are very willing to contribute our time, equipment and materials for this special purpose. Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do, and this is an important way for us to be able to do our part by providing these essential pieces of equipment to those who need it most.”

The initiative is being run by 3DCROWD UK, who are asking for volunteers and crowd funding to help support those on the frontline. Over 5500 volunteers have now signed up to the initiative and between them have provided 345,000 shields.

If you’d like to get involved, please visit https://www.3dcrowd.uk/

Click here to find out more about Whittam Cox Architects

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

Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop launches food deliveries to the vulnerable

The Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop has launched a new home delivery service with priority given to those who are either ill with the coronavirus, particularly vulnerable to infection such as the elderly, or people who are self-isolating.

With capacity for 75 deliveries daily as well as 60+ click and collect slots, the estate farm shop can now help around 140 customers per day (nearly 1000 a week) to receive fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and groceries either direct to their doorstep or straight into their car boot.

As well as the usual estate farm shop opening hours, a dedicated delivery and collection operation has been set up with three telephonists, two till operators, two payment processors, seven pickers and five drivers, operational seven-days a week. Advance orders are being taken by phone for collection at the shop without leaving the car – goods are loaded straight into the boot by the collections team.

From across the Chatsworth Estate, staff normally working in catering, retail, marketing, IT, the Chatsworth Gym and elsewhere have been working around the clock to introduce the delivery service to support local communities.

Initially, a fulfilment centre was set up in the estate farm shop café, closed during the pandemic, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t sufficient. A larger, more suitable space was created by putting up a marquee (usually used at Christmas) in the courtyard and converting it to a fully operational fulfilment centre in just a few hours.

Delivery drivers returning to the estate farm shop are reporting that their jobs are as rewarding as anything they’ve ever done, with some customers in tears on their doorsteps. Local suppliers such as Tomsons Fruit and Vegetables and RG Morris Fishmongers from Buxton, Bloomers of Bakewell and Matlock Meadows Ice Cream have been supporting Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop with both stock and additional vans for deliveries.

As well as these new services, Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop is still open as usual but has implemented a range of measures to ensure that customers can shop safely, respecting social distancing guidelines.

  • Hand wash stations have been installed outside the shop entrance. All customers are asked to clean their hands thoroughly before handling any produce or entering the shop
  • During busy periods a single shopper policy will operate whereby only one person from each family group can enter the shop
  • An external queuing area has been introduced, which will be used during busy periods
  • At checkout and across other areas of the shop, there are marked spaces on the floor to help customers adhere to safe social distancing
  • Customers are asked to use contactless payment and avoid using cash where possible
  • Team members are working throughout the day cleaning touch points such as handbaskets, trolley handles, door handles, till areas and card machines.

A regular award winner, more than half of all the products at the estate farm shop are either produced or prepared on the Chatsworth Estate. With a wealth of talented producers within easy reach, the estate farm shop prefers to source from small local suppliers wherever possible – some relationships stretching back more than 30 years.

Established by the Duchess Deborah in 1977, the shop sold beef and lamb from the estate farms, and venison from the park. Its aim was to sell Chatsworth’s produce directly to the people who wanted to eat top quality, locally grown food.

The house, farmyard, adventure playground, garden, gift shops, restaurants and car parks at Chatsworth will remain closed until further notice. Home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, the Derbyshire estate took the decision to close in response to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

Find out more about the Chatsworth delivery service here.

Images credit: Chatsworth House Trust

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

CBE+ set to help in UK ventilator shortage

CBE+ will be required to machine critical components for the ventilators in an extremely short timeframe to support the UK NHS throughout the COVID 19 pandemic.

CBE+, a Chesterfield based manufacturer, has recently enhanced its efforts in the medical sector after being approached by a group of companies tasked with the production of ventilator parts.

Ventilators are vital pieces of equipment in the fight against coronavirus, taking oxygen into the lungs and removing carbon dioxide when people are too ill to breathe on their own. The UK government aims to add more than 1,200 ventilators to its system in less than two weeks, and is forecasting it will need 30,000 at the peak of the outbreak. Governments and health authorities have called on non-health industry manufacturers and universities to help meet these drastic demands.

For this project, CBE+ have partnered with other specialist manufacturers from the aerospace and automotive sectors. CBE+ offer CNC machining and Electroless nickel plating to AS9100 certified standards and have therefore have previously focused on the aerospace, defence and oil & gas markets. Both companies have turned their full attention to producing the time critical components to support the national health service.

Fabio Cosenza, business development managers for the CBE+ group said: “We were honoured to have received a request to help the national effort by producing these parts: I knew we had to make it happen. We have created additional capacity to be able to machine these components on time, we understand how important they are to the nation and the team are working 24 hours around the clock 7 days a week to help with the shortage. I salute the flexibility and commitment of our staff who are dedicating days, nights and weekends to this project.”

Marie Cooper, CEO said “I am extremely proud the business and every single employee for working hard through these challenging times. We are considering the health risks and being extremely careful to follow government guidelines regarding those with symptoms to ensure we keep our employees and their families safe and can guarantee business continuity to produce these critical components for the country.”

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

University of Derby donates PPE equipment to Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Technicians from the College of Health and Social Care at the University of Derby have provided the Hospital with personal protection equipment including medical gloves, aprons, wipes, cleaning materials and alcohol gels. The equipment would usually be used by medical and healthcare students at the St Helena Campus, on Sheffield Road in Chesterfield.

Vice Chancellor Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL said: “We want to make as full as contribution as we can to help, and donating this equipment to a local hospital is just one of the ways in which we are doing so.”

“Many of our nursing and allied healthcare students are already on the frontline, working in hospitals alongside experienced professionals to provide the support the health service needs at this hugely challenging time.”

“With the university moving to delivering all HE teaching online for the remainder of the academic year, it is only right that equipment that would have been for the use of students is supplied to hospital staff who need it to ensure that they themselves are properly protected against the risk of contracting and spreading coronavirus.”

“The work of our technicians is so valuable to our students and teaching staff, and this proactive contribution to the crisis speaks volumes about their knowledge, specialism and desire to help however and whenever they can.”

A spokesperson for the Chesterfield Royal Hospital said: “We’ve had so many donations and messages of support which has given all of our hard-working colleagues a much needed boost.

“We work very closely with the University of Derby and we’re delighted to be able to make use of the equipment that would have been used to train some of the students. They will certainly be put to good use and we’d like to thank everyone at the university for their continued support and for helping our incredible frontline staff in this way.”

Click here to find out more about the University of Derby’s Chesterfield Campus

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

Casa Hotel commends NHS staff with free meals

Chesterfield Champion, Casa Hotel has started a complimentary dining service for employees of Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

The partnership with Winster Foods has been enabling workers to enjoy freshly cooked, locally sourced meals.

A recent delivery included Franklin & Sons’ Mango Go Natural Energy Drinks from Global Brands, which is also located within the hotel building.

This generosity follows the hotel’s invitation to local NHS workers to enjoy a complimentary night’s stay.

Last week the team welcomed a nurse to the four-star hotel following a 95-hour week.  It is hoped that the break, which included a hot meal, helped the guest to recuperate before returning to the frontline.

Casa Hotel is proud to commend the town’s frontline NHS employees.  Owner, Steve Perez said: “We just want to do what we can to say thank you to the key frontline workers tirelessly fighting against this pandemic.”

“We will do everything we can to take advantage of the Government support available to help both our business and our amazing team in order to get through these difficult times together.

“We are maintaining what operations we are able, cutting back where we can and trying to support our customers, our local community and our teams at the same time. All within the realms of what is possible under the current Government guidance.”

Casa is also currently providing a dine at home takeaway and collection service for the public. For further information about this and other local businesses which are operating creatively, whilst following Government guidelines, visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/2020/04/supporting-local/.

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