Destination Chesterfield

Online careers programme launched by Derbyshire Education Business Partnership

Derbyshire Education Business Partnership (DEBP) have launched a new online careers programme, Directions, which aims to support young people at home due to the impact of COVID-19.

The programme is available to young people in secondary schools, special educational needs or disability schools and includes access to careers advice, employer workshops and study resources.

DEBP are offering one-to-one information, advice and guidance, as well as group activities covering applications, apprenticeships, employability, resilience, transition and stress management. The team are also are working closely with local employers to offer Q&A’s, video diaries, networking and virtual visits to help ensure young people are developing the skills employers’ value and look for.

Clare Talati, Director at DEBP said, “We have a team of qualified Careers and Employability professionals who are ready to support online. Normally they are based within schools or visit them on a regular basis. We want to carry on supporting our partner schools and others to assist young people with their future choices.”

To be a part of the programme, parents, carers, career leaders, teachers or students are asked to register their interest here. A member of the DEBP team will then get in touch to guide you through the next steps.

For more information about Directions please email Dayna Stubbs at dayna.stubbs@debp.org.

Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, alongside Destination Chesterfield, are the main organisers of the Made in Chesterfield campaign, which works with local schools and their students to raise the profile of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) sector careers. The initiative was as a finalist in the Business and Education Partnership category at the East Midlands Chamber Derbyshire Business Awards 2019.

Click here to find out more about Made in Chesterfield

Year 11 GCSE students from Eckington School visited the award-winning Penny Hydraulics in early 2020 as part of the Made in Chesterfield campaign

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

Chesterfield Half Marathon in coronavirus crisis charity rallying call

Organisers, partners and sponsors of the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon have come together to urge the residents of Chesterfield & North Derbyshire to the support the event’s two key local charities ‘in any way possible’.

With people across the UK taking part in ‘run five, donate five, nominate five’ challenges to support charities under increased strain due to the coronavirus outbreak, organisers of the Redbrik Half are encouraging local communities to keep active and support Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice wherever possible.

The challenge encourages people to run, jog or walk 5km – or complete other forms of physical exercise – before donating a minimum of £5 to a charity of their choice and in turn nominating five friends to do the same, usually via social media.

Event organisers MLS Contracts have been joined by headline sponsor Redbrik Estate Agents and event partners Peak FM, Blachford UK Ltd, Pronto Paints, Chesterfield Borough Council, Destination Chesterfield, HRM, North Derbyshire Running Club and Franklin & Sons Ltd in issuing a rallying call to raise funds and awareness for Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

Ashgate Hospicecare is among the charities across the country helping to relieve pressure on the NHS after opening its doors to coronavirus patients, and launched an #AshgateUrgentAppeal as an urgent plea for public support earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice’s #LetsPledge campaign encourages people across the region to pledge support for the charity in any way they can. Public support will enable the charity to continue providing vital care for vulnerable children and young people.

Since its inception in 2017, the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon has seen more than £140,000 pledged to good causes – including Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

John Timms, Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon Event Director, said: “The Redbrik Half Marathon’s primary focus is supporting the local community, including fantastic charities such as Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.”

“We’re incredibly proud of the response from event partners and local people in pledging their support for Ashgate and Bluebell Wood at this particularly crucial time.”

“Support for charities at this time is vital, especially those which support frontline workers and provide essential services to the most vulnerable people.”

“As an event which aims to promote and improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Chesterfield, we felt the ‘run five, donate five, nominate five’ idea would be a great way of encouraging people to support fantastic causes while staying healthy, within the Government’s current social distancing guidelines.”

Mark Ross, Managing Director of event headline sponsor Redbrik, said: “At Redbrik, we want to do as much as we can to give back to the local community and this desire is the essence of the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.”

“Given the Covid-19 pandemic, and the attention understandably focused on healthcare frontlines, we need to ensure that Ashgate and Bluebell Wood receive more support than ever, in terms of both awareness and funding, so their vital work can continue.”

To support Ashgate Hospicecare, click here. For more information on how to support Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, click here.

Click here more information on the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.

Please note these pictures are from our image library and were not taken recently

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

New website highlights how Chesterfield’s businesses and service providers are adapting during lockdown

A new website is helping Chesterfield’s independent businesses and service providers continue to operate and supply their services and products during lockdown.

People are being urged to #LoveChesterfield and use the new website to access the products and services of local businesses and organisations during lockdown.

Developed and launched by Destination Chesterfield www.chesterfield.co.uk/supportinglocal has details of nearly 100 shops, food and drink businesses, training, support and service providers in and around Chesterfield that are continuing to operate by adapting their services to meet the needs of the community.

And Destination Chesterfield wants to add even more businesses, organisations and supports services to the free online directory!

A listing on the website is FREE and Destination Chesterfield is keen to hear from any business or service provider that is offering or adapting products and services in support of the COVID-19 effort.

There are eight categories on the website – Shopping, Food and Drink, Dine at Home, Keeping Busy, Pets, Education & Training, Business Services and Community Support – all combined in an easy to use directory. Details of the businesses and how you can purchase or access the products or services are listed on the site. Business owners and service providers can supply their details free of charge for inclusion on the new website.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager commented: “The mission for Destination Chesterfield has always been to encourage as many people as possible to support the town and celebrate its achievements. The resilience that local businesses and service providers have shown during lockdown has been remarkable and we hope the new website will become a valuable tool in supporting them further in their efforts to remain operational.

“We’re encouraging everyone to #LoveChesterfield and continue supporting small independent businesses and service providers throughout lockdown. Every trader and service producer plays an important part in the local economy and we all need to work together to can ensure their survival beyond these extremely challenging times.”

National retailers are currently deluged with consumer demand, causing long queues into both their websites and stores, as well as prolonged delivery times. Shopping local at independent retailers not only supports a small business but also puts money back into the local economy.

If you’re a business owner or service provider and would like to be considered to be included on the new website, please complete the form at https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/supportinglocal/get-involved/ .

To find out more about the new ‘Supporting Local’ site, please visit: www.chesterfield.co.uk/supportinglocal.

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

Volunteers sought for local Covid Response Hub

Chesterfield-based charity Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA), has set up a Covid Response Hub for Chesterfield and the surrounding areas, and is now seeking volunteers to help assist local residents.

The Covid Response Hub is currently handling an increasing number of referrals each day from Derbyshire County Council’s Community Response Unit. Their small staff team triages requests from local people for help with shopping, medicines and befriending and matches them up with the local agencies, groups and volunteers who are able to come to their aid.

Chief Executive, Jacqui Willis (right), said “There is a wealth of people in our area with a huge range of skills and we’d really like to bring them into the work of the Response Hub. We’re working in a fast-changing environment under challenging conditions, to bring vital support to isolated and vulnerable residents.”

She added: “There are a number of roles within the Hub which we need to fill to enhance our effectiveness and support our staff. We particularly want to hear from people who have DBS checks, and those with professional skills such as project management, marketing, counselling and social media. I’d urge anyone with these skills who has some time to give, to get in touch with me.”

To find out more, email info@dva.org.uk or call 01246 555908.

For more information on local support services, please visit our Supporting Local page here.

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

Small businesses boosted by bounce back loans

Small businesses will benefit from a new fast-track finance scheme providing loans with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders, the Chancellor announced yesterday (Monday 27 April).

Rishi Sunak said the new Bounce Back Loans scheme, which will provide loans of up to £50,000, would help bolster the existing package of support available to the smallest businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The scheme has been designed to ensure that small firms who need vital cash injections to keep operating can get finance in a matter of days, and comes alongside the £6 billion awarded in business grants, supporting 4 million jobs through the job retention scheme and generous tax deferrals supporting hundreds of thousands of firms.

The government will provide lenders with a 100% guarantee for the loan and pay any fees and interest for the first 12 months. No repayments will be due during the first 12 months.

The loans will be easy to apply for through a short, standardised online application. The loan should reach businesses within days- providing immediate support to those that need it as easily as possible.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “Our smallest businesses are the backbone of our economy and play a vital role in their communities. This new rapid loan scheme will help ensure they get the finance they need quickly to help survive this crisis.”

“This is in addition to business grants, tax deferrals, and the job retention scheme, which are already helping to support hundreds of thousands of small businesses.”

Commenting, Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “This is another welcome intervention from the Chancellor.”

“Although the Government has already made a significant amount of financial support available to businesses which need it, many have struggled to access it because of the sheer volume of applications being made, the delays in processing them and inconsistencies in the way different lenders are approaching the various loan schemes.”

“In the current situation, every day of delay is having a critical impact on businesses which need funding to ease their cashflow and wage pressures, so anything which can be done to quicken the flow of credit to the firms which need it most has to be a good thing.”

Firms will be able to access these loans through a network of accredited lenders. The government will work with lenders to ensure loans delivered through this scheme are advanced as quickly as possible and agree a low standardised level of interest for the remaining period of the loan.

The scheme will launch for applications on Monday 4 May.

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

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

Chesterfield technology company launches Virtual Graduate Fair to support students and universities

Inspired to find a solution for graduates and students affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Chesterfield technology company Oasis Studio have developed the ‘Virtual Graduate Fair’, allowing students to showcase their skills online to visitors around the world.

The online system allows students to display videos, images, and documents within their own custom CGI exhibition stands, all of which can be viewed by potential employers at the click of a button.

Up and down the country, the coronavirus pandemic has forced cancellations and postponements of everything from exams to graduation ceremonies. As a result, students are missing out on one key element of graduation – an end of year show and the opportunity for students to showcase three years of hard work to friends and family, the community, and most importantly, potential employers. A recent report found over 60% of students now have reduced confidence in their post-graduation job prospects.

The event also allows universities to promote the high standard of work created within their halls and allow their graduates to stand out from the crowd as they prepare to leave education and enter the competitive world of work.

Paul Deakin, Director of Oasis Studio, explains: “Competing for your first job after leaving university is difficult at the best of times. The Virtual Graduate Fair allows universities to continue offering the typical end of year shows and graduate fairs which have been threatened this year by COVID-19”.

Paul added: “We hope more universities will see the value in helping their graduates to promote themselves to a much wider audience – and add a bit of an extra boost to their career prospects!”

Oasis Studio is currently in talks with a number of universities, with graduates of creative degrees expected to be among the first to trial the platform.

Click here to find out more about Oasis Studio

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

Work to begin on Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

Work is set to begin on the new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre next week (27 April), to ensure the site is available for local businesses to move in to at the earliest possible opportunity and benefit the local economy.

Chesterfield Borough Council’s contractor, Robert Woodhead Ltd, will take control of the site and begin groundworks on part of the Holywell Cross (Donut) Car Park in Chesterfield town centre as preparation for the construction of the new Enterprise Centre.

Developing a thriving borough continues to be a priority for the Council and that includes supporting the business community during the COVID 19 outbreak and into recovery. Robert Woodhead Ltd have completed assessments ahead of the work beginning and have confirmed they will follow strict COVID 19 social distancing guidelines to ensure the safety of employees and the public.

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth, said: “We appreciate there may be concerns around any construction activity starting in the town centre right now, given we remain at a key stage of the national response to the COVID 19 outbreak.

“The contractor will be working to the latest Construction Site Operating Procedures published by the Construction Leadership Council in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

“With these essential works progressing safely we hope to minimise any delay to the start of the main build and ultimately its completion. This major construction project will also help contribute to Chesterfield’s post COVID 19 recovery with the council’s requirement for Robert Woodhead Ltd to source local labour, supplies and equipment.

“The project will result in high quality, flexible, office space being made available on easy-in and easy-out letting terms to businesses just starting out or looking to grow their company here in Chesterfield.”

Tom Woodhead, Business Services Director at Robert Woodhead Ltd, said: “Over the last few weeks, we have been working with our industry peers, government and industry bodies to understand how the government guidelines and CLC Site Operating Procedures can be implemented on construction sites.

“We have developed stringent operating procedures, risk and method statements to enable us to start on site to deliver this exciting project in collaboration with Chesterfield Borough Council.”

Groundworks are likely to take around eight weeks to complete, running from the end of April onwards. Whilst these works are taking place the building design will be finalised, supplies of materials ordered and sub-contractors hired. These activities will put the project in a good position to proceed to full construction later on in the year.

The new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre will accommodate a range of businesses within 32 office suites. It will also offer access to outstanding shared facilities and local business support services.

The new centre is an important addition to Chesterfield Borough Council’s commercial property portfolio and will hopefully be a key component in Chesterfield’s post COVID 19 recovery.

The Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre project has benefited from grant funding support from the Sheffield City Region Investment Fund.

To find out more about your business being based in the Enterprise Centre email either claire.cunningham@chesterfield.gov.uk or hannah.ramsdale@chesterfield.gov.uk.

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

East Midlands Chamber responds to UK Finance’s update on CBILS applications

UK Finance, the trade body representing more than 250 financial services firms across the UK, today announced that more than £2.8bn of funding had been lent to businesses under the Government’s Cornonavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

The organisation said that more than 9,000 loans have been approved over the past seven days, taking the total number of loans allocated to 16,600. Lenders have received more than 36,000 applications since the scheme was launched earlier this month.

Commenting, Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “Although the increase in firms accessing CBILS is encouraging, there is still a clear need to ensure that the gap between applications received and those processed and approved can be closed quickly to ensure funding can reach the businesses which need it.

“Many firms are urgently trying to access financial support to help them ease cash flow and wage pressures and having to wait for their applications to be processed could be having a critical impact on their operations.

“We are also hearing from a lot of local businesses that accessing the scheme is a complex and lengthy process with no consistent approach between lenders, which is causing real problems on the ground.

“Government and lenders must continue to work together to address these common issues and improve the way the scheme works, so more firms on the frontline can access the cash they need, quickly.”

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

Lime Living Estate Agents organise children’s art display to show support for NHS and key workers

Lime Living Estate Agents, based in Chesterfield town centre, have created a poster display with colourful artwork made by local children to thank NHS staff and key workers.

Jamie Wajs, Director of Lime Living Estate Agents, said: “We initially asked family & friends who are home schooling if they would like their children to have some fun and create a poster for our town centre office window. We gave a simple brief of make it bright, with a supportive and positive message for anyone passing and in particular for key workers and NHS staff – All of whom we are all very grateful to for their continued hard work, bravery and unselfish efforts during this pandemic.”

He added: “The posters that have been produced so far are excellent and we still have a few more window spaces to fill. If anyone would like to help fill our window, please email us!”

The posters are currently on display in the window of their office on Saltergate. Posters can be submitted by sending a landscape, jpeg image or photo of their design to info@limeliving.co.uk.

The Lime Living team are currently working in a remote capacity and are still able to advise those looking to move, as well as those with queries regarding residential lettings, sales, land, auctions and commercial services.

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

Chesterfield Borough Council reaches over £15 million paid in business support grants

Under the Government’s business grants scheme, Chesterfield Borough Council has paid more than £15.7 million to over 1,300 Chesterfield businesses in order to support them through the COVID-19 outbreak.

The business rates team are working hard to process applications as fast as possible, including working in the evening and at weekends.

Chesterfield Borough Council have stated that a number of eligible businesses still need to provide information before they are able to pay the business support grant. If you are eligible for a grant and you have not yet completed the application form, please apply as soon as possible, so the council can process the grant and make payment to you.

You can download the application form here (opens in new tab).

The council has also produced a new FAQs sheet about the business support grants, which aims to highlight which businesses are eligible and what the funding can be used for. Currently the following grants are in place to support businesses:

  • a small business grant of £10,000 for all businesses in receipt of small business rate relief
  • grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property where the rateable value is between £15,000 and £51,000

You can find more information on the council’s website here: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Click here to see the Detsination Chesterfield Coronavirus (COVID-19) business support page

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