Celebrate Chesterfield

Talk on Chesterfield Canal to take place at the Winding Wheel

5th March 2019

On Wednesday 13th March at 7.30 pm, John Lower, a long-term volunteer at Chesterfield Canal Trust, will be giving a talk at the Winding Wheel on ‘The History and Restoration of the Chesterfield Canal’.

The Chesterfield Canal Trust is a charitable company run entirely by volunteers. Their aims are to promote the full restoration and appropriate development of the Chesterfield Canal, and to campaign for the construction of the Rother Valley Link, a navigable waterway to join the Chesterfield Canal to the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.

John Lower has been a volunteer on the Chesterfield Canal since 1981, most recently involved in the construction of a replica wooden horse-drawn narrowboat of a type unique to the Chesterfield Canal. He is a well-known writer of waterway guides and magazine articles who has given hundreds of talks about the Chesterfield Canal right across the country.

John’s presentation will feature an illustrated journey along the beautiful and historic Chesterfield Canal. On the way, attendees will discover its history, the 12 miles of restoration already completed and what work is still required to once again link Chesterfield with the River Trent. Guests can also learn about the varied activities of the Chesterfield Canal Trust and its more than 1800 members.

For more information and to book click here.

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

#ChallengeDerbyshire charity ball raises over £170,000

5th March 2019

On Saturday 2^nd February the iconic Devonshire Dome in Buxton hosted the second annual #ChallengeDerbyshire Charity Ball. The event was attended by nearly 500 guests and raised a staggering sum in excess of £170,000, taking the total amassed by the initiative so far to well over three quarters of a million pounds.

#ChallengeDerbyshire was formed in 2015 to support the three amazing end of life care charities in North Derbyshire; Ashgate Hospicecare, Blythe House Hospicecare and Helen’s Trust.

David Hopkins, CEO of M Markovitz Ltd and Co-Founder of #ChallengeDerbyshire said on the night: “Excellent end of life care provided by our three charities should not be a ‘nice to have’ and with all three of our charities receiving barely 30% of the funds they need from government, it is essential that as local business owners and employers we play our part in helping to bridge that shortfall. We are very proud to cover the costs of running #ChallengeDerbyshire, meaning that every penny of every pound donated to our cause goes directly to providing end of life care by our three amazing charities.”

The fabulous evening, hosted by High Peak Radio’s Paul Jenner and Damian Senar, included a lavish four course dinner, live music from band Function Fever, as well as a fantastic guest performance from Derbyshire children’s choir Perfect Pitch, who continue to support #ChallengeDerbyshire, having themselves raised over £10,000 for the cause.

Caroline Morgan, who used the services of Ashgate Hospicecare and Blythe House Hospice when her husband Dean died, gave an emotional speech, saying, “People think of a hospice as a place of palliative care and death… I think of it as a place that gives life to those left behind. Your support is so vital, not just for the person with the illness or life limiting condition, but also for families like mine and for children left to cope with life after loss.”

Many local businesses contributed to the success of the evening and the event organisers expressed particular thanks to the University of Derby for their most generous support, which undoubtedly helped contribute to the incredible total raised.

Co-Founder Esther Wakeman went on to say, “Currently one in four families who need hospice care can’t get it, that’s about sixteen families a week across North Derbyshire. #ChallengeDerbyshire’s support is changing that and giving local people the choice to die at home, free from pain, with dignity and respect. Please help us be there for every family when they need us.”

David urged any people with business links to Derbyshire to consider lending their support to #ChallengeDerbyshire. For more information please contact Jennifer McBain on 01298 72021 or events@challengederbyshire.org.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Redbrik acquire property management company

4th March 2019

Leading regional estate agency Redbrik have strengthened their lettings proposition with the acquisition of Noble Hardy Property Management.

Redbrik has purchased the assets of the Chesterfield-based property management company and will take over managing the company’s portfolio with immediate effect.

Peter Lee, Lettings Director at Redbrik, said: “This acquisition is fantastic news for Redbrik as we look to expand our lettings service further.”

“We were attracted to the business as it had a very similar ethos to Redbrik in terms of delivering outstanding customer service and striving for 100 per cent occupancy. The company has been run very well by Wilson Spencer, aided by Sam Cauldwell and Joshua Whittaker, and we have inherited a great business with no debt or arrears. It is a really nice fit for the Redbrik brand and a great opportunity to expand our lettings offer in Chesterfield.”

“We are continually looking at ways to attract new landlords so we can work with them and help to maximise their assets. We have an extensive database of tenants waiting for properties and are always eager to add new properties to the market.”

Abigail Wilks, Redbrik’s Chesterfield Lettings Manager, added: “This is an exciting time for the business, and we are looking forward to welcoming the Noble Hardy’s Tenants and Landlords to Redbrik.”

“Providing unrivalled levels of customer service is at the heart of everything we do, and we offer a personal, consistent service with one Lettings Negotiator dealing with properties from beginning to end.”

“Our expert Lettings team provide Tenants and Landlords with a concierge-style service, which is entirely tailored to each individual. We understand what Landlords are looking for in a Tenant and go the extra mile to ensure they find the perfect match.”

When looking so sell Noble Hardy Property Management, Owner Wilson Spencer identified Redbrik as his preferred buyer for the business he started over fifteen years ago. He commented: “I have built a real bond with my clients and my primary focus when I knew I was selling was to choose an agency that would look after and take care of my landlords and tenants. I have known Redbrik’s co-founders Julie Bulheller and Mark Ross for many years, and when I knew they were interested, they were my number one choice.”

For more information, visit www.redbrik.co.uk

Posted in Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development

Annual Celebrate Chesterfield event to update town on Vicar Lane transformation

22nd February 2019

The latest developments at Chesterfield’s Vicar Lane Shopping Centre will be unveiled at the annual Celebrate Chesterfield event on Wednesday 20 March 2019 by the centre’s new owner ALTERIS.

Bert Broadhead, Director at ALTERIS is one of the confirmed speakers at the event which is being held at the Winding Wheel.

The town’s shopping centre, which attracts more than three million visitors every year, is set to be transformed and revitalised following its recent sale to property fund ALTERIS.

Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of the Chesterfield Borough Council, will also be speaking at the event, which is expected to attract nearly 300 delegates. Mr Bowen will be updating on the progress the town is making with multi-million pound commercial and residential developments, including Northern Gateway, which recently got the go-ahead for construction to begin on a new enterprise centre.

Celebrate Chesterfield, now in its ninth year and organised by Destination Chesterfield, is one of the biggest and most hotly anticipated business events in the area.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said: “It’s been a great start to the year for Chesterfield and we’ve got some exciting things ahead. The recent announcement of the transformation of Vicar Lane is just one of the things we are going to be talking about at the event, as well as the town’s other major developments, including Chesterfield Waterside and Northern Gateway.”

“Celebrate Chesterfield is a great opportunity for the town’s business community to come together, not only to celebrate the town’s success, but to look forward to future plans. We have a lot to look forward to in 2019 and we are eager to share our plans with the town at the Winding Wheel.”

The University of Derby is this year’s headline sponsor with Central Technology and Markham Vale – Derbyshire’s flagship regeneration scheme, as associate sponsors.

Julie Stone – Associate Pro Vice Chancellor External Affairs, University of Derby, said: “We are delighted to be working with Destination Chesterfield and supporting the Celebrate Chesterfield event again this year.”

“As Derbyshire’s only university we look to use our academic expertise, research and innovation to foster talent and create impactful partnerships with businesses. The Celebrate Chesterfield event provides a great opportunity for us to have valuable conversations that enable us to understand more about the challenges local businesses face. Our priority remains to understand and effectively service the needs of businesses and to create opportunities for individuals, employers and communities to develop and flourish.”

Ian Snow, Managing Director at Central Technology, added: “Supporting Destination Chesterfield is of huge importance to us at Central Technology. Having been established and working in Chesterfield with year on year growth for over 16 years, we seek to employ local talent and work with mid-market organisations that require IT support and critical data and security protection. 2019 is a big year for Central Technology. We have recently moved to a new 11,000 sq ft office to accommodate our growth and provide more opportunities for jobs in the area.”

“With a key focus on staff training and development, we now have dedicated training facilities and test labs for technical learning time. By attracting excellent technicians and developing our local apprenticeship scheme, we will be able to continue to provide the excellent service our customers expect. The event is a great opportunity for us to meet and work with like-minded mid-market organisations that are keen to grow business in Chesterfield and make it a great location to both work and live.”

Henry Boot Developments (HBD), development partner for the Markham Vale site, will also be attending the event. Vivienne Clements, Director at HBD Sheffield, added: “We are now in our tenth year of development at Derbyshire’s flagship regeneration scheme, Markham Vale, and our partnership with Derbyshire County Council has brought about continued economic growth to the Chesterfield area and beyond.

“2018 saw us maintain 1,600 jobs at Markham Vale, along with securing 164,500sq ft of new commercial space for three global businesses: Protec International, Sterigenics and Grangers International. Our goals for 2019 are to continue to attract both local, national and international companies to the scheme.”

“Business development and employment creation within this region has always been a key focus for the partnership and we are set to achieve another successful year. The Celebrate Chesterfield event is a chance for us to develop our business relationships in the local area and explore exciting opportunities with those looking for high-quality, purpose-built premises.”

Tickets for the breakfast event, which is being held from 7.30am to 11:00am, and includes an exhibition with 28 businesses, are available to book now.

To book your ticket at the event, please visit http://www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate/.

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

Local apprentices set to meet MP at the House of Commons

20th February 2019

Five employees from independent drinks company and Chesterfield Champion Global Brands will join circa 200 apprentices who are set to impress their local MP’s in the 3^rd annual Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase during National Apprenticeship Week (4^th – 8^th March).

Oliva Harbor, Hannah Batty, Lauren Greaves, Barrie Sly and Liam Baker will meet MP Mr Toby Perkins (below) at the House of Commons on Wednesday 6^th March 2019 to talk about their career development and have a bit of fun in challenging their MP to participate in a number of interactive challenges, from pulling the perfect pint to climbing the career ladder.

The team work across sales, marketing and communications within hospitality based business, a sector that offers a huge range of careers, supports 2.9m jobs, represents 10% of UK employment, 6% of businesses and 5% of GDP.

Hospitality is the third largest private sector employer and double the size of financial services and bigger than automotive, pharmaceuticals and aerospace combined.

Global Brands was founded by Steve Perez (right) in 1997 and has grown to an international business selling drinks in more than 55 countries around the world. Steve comments: “The world of hospitality, and drinks in particular, is so fast-paced. You need to be able to stay ahead of what people want and keep innovating. Being in the thick of the action is a great starting point for understanding this. It helps people learn first-hand about the sector and what’s needed to succeed. Apprenticeships are invaluable in this sense. They provide people with a solid grounding to grow and create their own opportunities. As we continue to grow as a company, our aspiration is for our apprentices to grow with us and fuel innovative ways of thinking, creating and working.”

Chairman of the Perceptions hospitality industry group (involved with organising the event), and CEO of the multi-award winning Beds & Bars business Keith Knowles said: “Showcasing our industry to government and demonstrating that we have opportunities that range from the kitchen to the bar; from brewing to casual dining, from hostels to hotels as well as those in professional business support roles such as marketing, property and finance; highlight the many diverse roles the industry can offer. This is an industry where it is not unusual to start at grass roots on minimum wage and progress to senior management positions. For young people, career progression in this sector can be rapid, with many progressing to a management role within 3 years.”

The event takes place on Wednesday 6th March within the House of Commons, with Ministers and over 80 MPs from across the country currently signed up to meet local apprentices, including representatives from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Youth Employment; APPG for Skills and Employment; APP Beer Group; APPG for Apprentices; APPG for Pubs; APPG for Tourism and Leisure planned to meet the apprentices and young learners.

The sector creates 1 in 8 of all new jobs and given the right economic circumstances the sector is forecast to continue to grow.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield

Green light for Chesterfield’s Enterprise Centre

19th February 2019

The transformation of Chesterfield town centre has taken another significant step forward as plans for a new enterprise centre have been given the go ahead.

The proposals, developed by Whittam Cox Architects on behalf of Chesterfield Borough Council, will see the new centre built on part of the site of Holywell Cross car park and form a vital part of the Northern Gateway.

The new centre will help meet demand for office space to house start up and growing small business and support the council’s existing innovation centres at Dunston and Tapton Park.

When complete, the three-storey building will comprise 32 offices to suit a range of start-up and small companies; two meeting rooms; a reception and shared lobby area; facilities for staff working in the building including kitchenettes, break out spaces, showers and a bicycle store.

Andrew Dabbs, Board Director at Whittam Cox Architects commented, “We are delighted that the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre will soon be breaking ground bringing a contemporary commercial offer to Chesterfield. This development is a great example of how a forward-thinking Local Authority can take hold of its own direction and positively influence change and investment in our town centres. I have no doubt this development will act as a catalyst for further development and opportunities for the town.”

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, said: “These plans are a vital piece of the jigsaw in the Northern Gateway scheme and we know from the enquiries we get from start-up businesses how much this type of office space is needed in a town centre location.”

Works are due to start next month and will take a year to complete.

Local businesses looking for space at the new enterprise centre should contact Chesterfield Borough Council’s economic development team by calling (01246) 345255.

The Northern Gateway project is funded by a Sheffield City Region Infrastructure Fund grant of £5.83 million with Chesterfield Borough Council contributing £6.5 million.

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

Morrisons is searching for local foodmakers

13th February 2019

Morrisons continues its search for a new wave of local foodmakers to provide locally produced food to its customers.

‘The Nation’s Local Foodmakers’ campaign will see Morrisons aim to recruit new suppliers from across England, Scotland and Wales. The campaign has already seen 153 local suppliers working with Morrisons since it started in 2017.

Morrisons has a priority of sourcing more local food and is keen to reduce the distance that food travels. The Local Foodmaker search will result in more customers being able to buy more food in a British supermarket that was grown, made, picked or packaged around 35 miles of their local store.

The new search will help Morrisons offer more local, British produce to customers. A 2018 report by DEFRA states that 60% of shoppers agree that they try to buy British food whenever they can, and 76% agree it is important to support British farmers.

Suppliers are being invited to apply to work with Morrisons via their website here.

Selected applicants will be invited to an event in their region where they will be able to showcase their food to customers and Morrisons staff, including Morrisons buyers, who will choose which products will take their place in Morrisons supermarkets. Applicants can apply at any time, and do not have to attend an event.

The Local Foodmaker search will be coming to Chesterfield on Thursday 20th June 2019.

Morrisons will also be working with local food groups and food hubs, using their knowledge and expertise to source and select the best suppliers in their area.

Family owned Murdoch Allan bakery is only seven miles from Morrisons Peterhead store. After attending a Local Foodmaker event, Murdoch Allan is now working with Morrisons. Morrisons Peterhead store has a full promotional bay of their bakery products, along with Point of Sale. The bakery’s known and loved product, Butteries, are in a further four Morrisons stores in Aberdeenshire.

Murdoch Allan’s Pie branch, Thaines Bakery, who supply the pies for the Aberdeen football ground, are also now sold in Morrisons Peterhead store. They have since sold around 200,000 packs of pies from the store in less than a year.

Andy Atkinson, Group Customer and Marketing Director at Morrisons, said: “Our customers tell us they like to support local businesses and want to be able to put local products in their shopping trolleys. We have listened and are looking for the next wave of British and local foodmakers to work with.”

Morrisons is in a unique position to support British foodmakers because as well as operating 494 supermarkets, Morrisons is the UK’s largest fresh food maker.

Morrisons Foodmakers food producers Chesterfield

Photo by Theo Moye: ‘The Nation’s Local Foodmakers’ campaign event at the Woolwell Centre, Plymouth.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards

2019 looks set to be a year full of important milestones for Chesterfield

4th February 2019

2019 looks set to be a year full of important milestones for Chesterfield. The new Premier Inn hotel was completed in January and handed over ahead of its Spring opening and February sees Twist celebrate its tenth anniversary. Huge congratulations to Mike and all the team for reaching this important milestone.

Twist, like Destination Chesterfield, celebrates all that is good about the great town we live and work in. Each month the magazine is packed with positive news, embodying, I think, Chesterfield on paper. There is always something happening, and the pace never seems to slow down – which in turn always provides us with an array of content for the annual Celebrate Chesterfield event.

To be held on 20 March later this year at the Winding Wheel, this event attracts around 300 people, all keen to hear the latest updates on regeneration projects, housing, tourism, education and jobs in the town. It is an event I very much look forward to each year. It’s an opportunity to not only look back and reflect on how far Chesterfield has come in recent years but also see what is on the horizon. There is always a buzz in the room and you can’t help but feel uplifted and excited about the town’s future. – Book Here

However, if we’re to keep up the pace of developments, it is imperative that the town has a skilled workforce to support it. With more than 14,000 students in North Derbyshire set to gain their GCSE and A Level qualifications over the next five years, it’s also important that the workforce is home grown. This is why, later this month, the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference is being held. – Book Here

The annual conference aims to strengthen links between education providers and local businesses to ensure our school leavers are work ready; we also want young people to be aware of the range of jobs and careers they can have on their doorstep so the town can make the most of its home grown talent.

Chesterfield is a town of opportunity – let’s make sure our young people, their friends, families, teachers and schools know it too.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Blog, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield

Milestone for Chesterfield’s Twist Magazine

4th February 2019

Heron Publications has delivered the 100th edition of its free Chesterfield publication, Twist, and also published its largest magazine to date, a 150-page special edition of Dronfield Eye – the ‘2019 Dronfield Directory’. Heron Publications are also responsible for Active8, delivered in south Sheffield.

Heron Publications are in their 17th year and moved their offices to Enterprise House at Dronfield a little over three years ago.

Director Mike Firth said: “Having two reasons to celebrate has given us a wonderful start to the new year.”

“A further exciting project is the expansion of another of our Derbyshire magazines, ‘Wings’, ensuring it is read by all the people moving into the hundreds of new homes being built in the Wingerworth and Tupton areas.”

“Readers appreciate the fact that we concentrate on all the positive things that are going on in town and they like the way we present our features in such a bright and breezy manner,” he says.

“They are happy to see Twist land on their doorstep each month and, because people pick it up and read it, advertisers are also delighted with the response they get; that is why many of them feature in our pages every month.”

Twist has the largest distribution of any magazine in Chesterfield. In all, they distribute their free magazines to 51,500 homes and businesses.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure

Free support to recruit and retain graduates for Chesterfield SMEs

1st February 2019

Are you part of an exciting, growing SME in Chesterfield? RISE helps connect the region’s network of innovative and exciting businesses to graduates with energy, enthusiasm and fresh ideas.

RISE is a free graduate recruitment programme to help SMEs based in in the nine regions of the SCR (including Chesterfield, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire and the Derbyshire Dales) to find the best graduate talent for their business. The team will write you an advert, advertise your role across the UK and put candidates through a variety of recruitment tasks. You’ll also have access to line manager training, interview guidance and toolkits.

To date, RISE has helped over 300 businesses to fill over 400 graduate vacancies, from manufacturing to marketing. A recent survey of RISE businesses showed that businesses benefit in many ways by taking on a graduate who bring new skills, energy and enthusiasm to their business as well as new ways of working that ultimately help the business to grow. In fact, 72% of businesses who used RISE believe that hiring a graduate helped their business grow.

“RISE worked really well for us. We wouldn’t have had the resources to interview the number of initial applicants ourselves.” Riverside Automation

“The RISE scheme was a breath of fresh air and I learnt a lot about recruitment. All the information was there if we needed it, but wasn’t forced on us if we didn’t.” Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens

“It has been a great service as RISE has done a lot of the selection process for us. It’s great because whilst RISE organises a lot of the recruitment process, we still have the final say on who we hire.” Pyronix

The service is jointly funded by The University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub, so there is no cost to you except the graduate’s salary and employers NI.

The deadline to sign up to the scheme is 6^th March so get in touch with Oliver Tarrant to discuss advertising a vacancy.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Made in Chesterfield

Growth of Chesterfield’s Superior Spas leads to new 400,000 sq ft factory

1st February 2019

Superior Spas, the Chesterfield-based UK Spa ‘Supplier of the Year’ has broken ground on a brand new, 400,000 sq ft factory in China as it pushes ahead with plans to up its own brand manufacturing and expand its presence internationally beyond the UK and Europe.

The huge new space will be the largest hot tub manufacturing facility in the world and will give Superior Spas the capacity to further expand into manufacturing for other hot tub firms. Coupled with a new distribution centre being constructed in Chesterfield, it will see the company become one of the largest spa and hot tub firms in the world at a time when many businesses are struggling to shake off post-Brexit fears.

Robert Carlin, Superior Spas MD said: “This is a very exciting time for Superior Spas and we are striding forwards with confidence as we realise our very ambitious growth plans. Having our own state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is a game changer for the Superior Spas brand and one that will elevate us to an international presence outside of Europe for the first time. This will also mean we create more jobs, bring more to the local economy at home and generate more export and import business.”

The firm expects to create 20 new UK jobs initially and hundreds of new roles in China. Production at the factory will start in March with Superior Spas products being moved from the current manufacturer to the firm’s own factory over the course of the next 12 months. The firm’s full range of Platinum and Swim Spas will be taken in-house.

Sales Director Gareth Ward said: “When the brand new Superior Spas factory comes online fully in March of this year, we’ll be able to stock 900 hot tubs in the UK at any one time as well as keep over 2000 units in stock in China. What’s more, this means we can explore new business partnerships with the option to extend manufacturing services to other hot tub brands looking for a specialist manufacturer for their own product lines. Our clients will have the option to build their own brand of spas in our factory, give us more opportunity to grow our product range and customer base.”

Rob White, Superior Spa’s Head of Marketing adds: “Having our own manufacturing facility is massive – it means we can control every aspect of quality and production schedules, reduce costs, create jobs, open up big new markets and give us the opportunity to sell to a worldwide audience from one of the most prosperous regions in the world.”

To find out more, visit: www.superiorspas.co.uk

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