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Chesterfield College becomes the first to sign up to Autotech Academy

Chesterfield College has become the first college to officially sign up to Autotech Academy – the innovative internship program launched by Autotech Group earlier this year.

In a move designed to give newly qualified students the best chance of employment after their studies, Chesterfield College has partnered with Autotech Academy. The partnership will help talented students with the skills the industry needs to get their foot on the automotive career ladder through a paid internship.

Acting as a conduit between Chesterfield College and automotive employers, Autotech Academy will source internship opportunities for students, equip them with their first toolbox and uniform, and provide ongoing support and training over a period of 3-12 months until they make the transition into full-time employment. Every intern will also be trained to Level 3 IMI Electric Vehicle accreditation.

With an intake of around 100 students per year into its successful automotive faculty, Chesterfield College teaches a range of light and heavy vehicle courses, while its body and paint courses are established as some of the best in the UK. With tutors deriving from the automotive industry, and a finger on the pulse of the most up-to-date skills, the college recognises the benefits forging an alliance with Autotech Academy will yield.

“We are passionate about our learners and giving them the best opportunities we can to gain employment,” comments Paul Sewell, Curriculum Operations Manager- Automotive & Body Paint at Chesterfield College. “I feel that the Autotech Academy internship programme is a fantastic way to bring employers and our learners together.”

Capitalising on its excellent reputation with automotive employers and colleges, Autotech Group launched Autotech Academy as a route to fill the automotive skills funnel, while helping time-poor, independent garages, dealer groups and vehicle manufacturers recruit newly skilled technicians.

“We are delighted that Chesterfield College has partnered with Autotech Academy,” comments Dave Walker, National Careers Manager for Autotech Academy. “The college has a fantastic, award-winning automotive division which has been recognised time and again, including winning gold awards at Skill Auto. Through our allegiance, we will work to enhance the employment opportunities of their students, ensuring that the skills taught at Chesterfield remain within the automotive industry.”

Despite the best efforts of UK colleges, around 10,000 students are lost to other industries each year as they struggle to secure an automotive role. While armed with theoretical knowledge, they have limited practical experience which deters some employers. Autotech Academy is set to smooth these recruitment bottlenecks, and create a cohort of skilled, experienced vehicle technicians which will help sustain the future of the industry.

For more information visit www.autotechacademy.co.uk

Chesterfield College supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Free Chesterfield cancer treatment transport service launched

A new transport service has been launched to provide people from Chesterfield with free, safe travel to Sheffield hospitals for cancer treatment.

The service has been launched by regional charity Weston Park Cancer Charity and will operate twice daily from Monday to Friday, between The University of Derby’s St Helena Campus in Chesterfield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

The Weston Park Cancer Charity Transport Service could save hundreds of pounds in travel costs each week for people in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas who are living with cancer.

Around 20 per cent of patients at Weston Park Cancer Centre – one of the four hospitals to which the transport service will provide free travel – are from Chesterfield, the equivalent of more than 3,000 patients at any one time and more than 1,300 each year.

The service will follow strict safety measures to keep volunteer drivers and passengers safe at all times. Drivers will all be tested for Covid-19 twice weekly, with buses cleaned thoroughly before every journey.

The launch of the new Transport Service follows Weston Park Cancer Charity’s takeover of Chesterfield cancer charity, Nenna Kind, in 2020. It marks a ’major step forward’ for Weston Park Cancer Charity in its ‘commitment to care in every sense’ for cancer patients and their families in Chesterfield.

Emma Clarke, director of services and grant-giving at Weston Park Cancer Charity said: “Our Transport Service will ensure that people facing cancer will not also have to worry about accessing treatment at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals – and will be able to focus on what’s important.

“A cancer diagnosis is a difficult thing for anyone to hear. But imagine that the recommended treatment is miles away from your home and you have no ability to make that journey. We don’t want anyone to ever have to face the decision to decline treatment because travel to and from their appointments is the barrier.

“The backing of our wonderful supporters enables us to fund this service in its entirety, meaning it’s free of charge for patients.

“It marks a major step forward for us as we look to build on Nenna Kind’s legacy, and to continue our commitment to care in every sense for cancer patients and their families in Chesterfield and the surrounding areas.”

Sheree Hall, Macmillan lead cancer nurse at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, said: “There is enough stress as there is with cancer – going through diagnosis and treatment is one thing, but somebody shouldn’t have to worry about how to get to their treatment in the first place.

“It may appear strange that somebody simply wouldn’t have treatment just because of transport issues, but that does happen. During lockdown, we’ve had a few cases in which individuals have had to contact us because they have no other means of getting to their appointment and simply no money to pay for taxis – and due to Covid-19 there wasn’t even the facility to travel how they might have done before.

“The new Transport Service means a lot and for some people it can be the difference between whether they could have their treatment or not.”

Alison Gibson, community development worker at Community Chesterfield who helped facilitate the scheme, said: “At Community Chesterfield we pride ourselves on connecting the region’s voluntary, community and charitable sectors both with the University of Derby and with one another, opening up opportunities for them to work together to create positive impact in the area.

“After a discussion with one of Weston Park Cancer Charity’s volunteers about the benefits that a transport service of this nature would bring, we are absolutely delighted to help facilitate this vital scheme from our offices at the St Helena Campus. It will without doubt be a huge help to residents of Chesterfield who need to travel to Weston Park to undergo cancer treatment and will hopefully go some way to making their lives during an incredibly challenging time that bit easier.”

Dr Paula Holt MBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care at the University of Derby, said: “We are delighted to be able to support Weston Park Cancer Charity and, in particular, residents of the Chesterfield area who depend upon this vital service.

“This once again demonstrates the value of our partnership with CommUNIty Chesterfield, who have connected us with the hospital charity.

“The University of Derby is proud to engage with the voluntary sector in the town to deliver projects and services which can make such an important and positive difference to people’s lives.

“In this instance, being able to utilise the current capacity at the St Helena Campus provides a solution to the needs of patients who are travelling to Sheffield to receive treatment.”

For more information or for bookings, call Weston Park Cancer Charity’s helpline 0114 553 3330 (option two) or email transport@wpcancercharity.org.uk.

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Plans to restore further stretch of Chesterfield Canal approved

Plans to restore the Chesterfield Canal by 1.6 miles have been approved. This will extend the navigable section in Derbyshire by a third from Staveley almost to Renishaw. It will include a 37m long aqueduct almost 10m above the River Doe Lea.

There remains lots of preparation to be done, but there should be works on the ground by the end of this year or early in 2022.

The restored canal currently ends at Eckington Road Bridge in Staveley, where the Chesterfield Canal Trust’s volunteer Work Party has built a new lock and restored a further 300m of canal. The new section will go through a disused railway line and across the Doe Lea Valley on the Staveley Puddlebank. This is a huge embankment nearly 800m long and up to 10m high that was a wonder of the age when constructed in 1776. The canal then turns north and runs parallel to the Doe Lea to the borough boundary.

The towpath will be a 3m wide all-user trail alongside the canal, so walkers, cyclists and mobility scooter users will be able to join boaters, canoeists and paddleboarders in enjoying the new route.

The application was submitted by the Chesterfield Canal Trust through its Development Manager, George Rogers. Although endorsed by lots of members of the public and numerous organisations including the Ramblers, Chesterfield Cycle Campaign and Chesterfield Civic Society, HS2 Ltd. objected. The canal runs underneath HS2’s proposed line to a maintenance depot. However, negotiations with HS2 earlier in the year led to the objection being withdrawn, leaving the way clear for council approval.

Chair of the Chesterfield Canal Trust, Peter Hardy, said: “We are delighted that our planning application has been approved. This is a substantial step on the path to achieving our ambition of reopening the canal fully by 2027. We would like to put on record our thanks to our many supporters and partners who have backed us so far and who we know will stick by us in the exciting years ahead.”

The Trust is hoping to start its Rewatering Renishaw project in the coming months, which will bring a further 1,000m of canal back to life. This will mean that there could be a total of 7½ miles of canal from Chesterfield to Renishaw by the end of 2023.

Once this has been achieved, lots of opportunities for tourism will open up including the hire of dayboats, weekend boats, canoes, paddleboards and cycles. There will be a need for more pubs and cafés, and anglers will be delighted by new opportunities.

At the same time, Staveley Town Basin, now renamed Staveley Waterside, will be developed by Derbyshire County Council and there are plans for a whole new village on the old Staveley Works site, including a hotel and small marina.

Rod Auton, Publicity Officer for the Trust, said: “The next few years will see an incredible transformation along the canal which will bring a massive economic boost to the area. It is our hope that the Chesterfield Waterside development will also continue, including opening the canal basin. This would connect the town directly into the beautiful, green and tranquil oasis that is the Chesterfield Canal.”

Chesterfield Canal Trust supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

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New online directory launched to support Chesterfield’s local businesses

A new directory of Chesterfield’s independent businesses has been launched, featuring the best of the town’s shops, restaurants, food suppliers and more.

Un-hampered has been launched following a collaborative effort between S40 and S41 Local magazines and Chesterfield-based creative agency Defeye, after many of the town’s local businesses begin their recovery following the enormous challenges of the pandemic.

Paul Chapman, owner of S40 Local said: “Our local businesses have been hit hard over the last year, but have risen to the enormous challenge, created an online presence in record time and have changed their offering to provide delivery, takeaway or click and collect services.

“These independent businesses are the foundation of our town, when you shop with them they, in turn, feed money into the local economy. When you eat at a local independent restaurant, chances are they’ve purchased the veg from a local grocer, they may have bought it from a local farm, the farmer services his van at the local garage, the garage owner advertises with us, we eat in the same restaurant – the money stays local and helps build the local economy.

“The Un-hampered directory is the first phase, we have so much more to offer and we’ll be bringing you news as we launch each new development. We really do want to modernise access to the traditional high street and help businesses maintain a physical presence.

Matt Pritchard from Defeye explains, “when Paul first came to us to talk about what would go on to become Un-hampered, we were on board straight away. As luck would have it, we’d been discussing how we wanted to work on a self-generated project of our own that could really help push the independent businesses in town that we love. Then magically, the next week we got an email from Paul asking us if we wanted to meet up to discuss his idea. It felt like Kismet.

“Although the idea has evolved and changed through this incredibly challenging year, the ultimate goal has remained fixed. ‘Create a platform that showcases local independent businesses and gives customers an easy way of finding them’. We were lucky enough to create the Shop and Support local video campaign for the council last year and it gave us the opportunity to talk to so many incredible businesses, strengthening our resolve to get Un-hampered launched so that we could show our support to them.

“We’re excited to get phase one off the ground finally and we hope it will be a platform that helps local businesses at a really critical time.”

If you would like to view the directory or find out more about it, head to www.un-hampered.co.uk

S40 Local and Defeye Creative support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Chatsworth Farmyard Awarded Rare Breeds Accreditation 

Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) has awarded RBST accreditation to Chatsworth Farmyard, recognising its important contribution to the conservation of some the rarest livestock and equine breeds native to the UK.

Chatsworth Farmyard is home to a number of the country’s rarest breeds of livestock and equines, including Suffolk Punch horses, Shire horses, Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, Bagot goats and Cream Legbar chickens, with British Landrace pigs and Eriskay ponies due to join them soon.

The award comes as the family-friendly farmyard and children’s adventure playground reopened (13 April) to visitors after several months closed in line with Covid restrictions. The garden is also open and the house will reopen on 18 May.

The farmyard at Chatsworth in Derbyshire has provided agricultural education and entertainment for almost half a century, and the estate has a longstanding connection with RBST. Duchess Deborah, mother of the current Duke of Devonshire, served as RBST President and the Cavendish family are valued ambassadors for native breed conservation.

RBST is the national charity that works to secure the future of rare breeds of native livestock and equines. Chatsworth Farmyard now becomes part of the 25-strong network of RBST accredited farm parks which take part in crucial conservation programmes, manage special breeding groups, and support education about rare breeds and why they matter.

RBST Chief Executive Christopher Price: “Native breeds have an important place in a future for farming where sustainable production goes hand in hand with the natural environment, but they are also an irreplaceable part of our rural heritage. For centuries these animals ploughed our fields, took our soldiers to war and powered our wool industry, it would be devastating if they disappeared, and Chatsworth Farmyard has been doing crucial work to support the survival of some of our rarest native breeds. I am thrilled to welcome them to the network of RBST-accredited farm parks and I look forward to working with the team.”

Melissa Underwood, Chatsworth Farmyard Manager: “Since joining Chatsworth Farmyard in September 2020 we have been increasing the numbers of rare breeds kept here. One of my best moments has been to discover that the Albion breed of cattle originated here in Bakewell. They were an obvious choice for us to have here and we hope to use them in our milking demonstrations later in the year. We were lucky to be able to source our two females and look forward to welcoming their calves in the summer. I am passionate about rare breeds and their conservation and look forward to sharing our journey and exciting new breeding programmes with our visitors.”

Visit www.chatsworth.org/farmyard-playground to find out more about the Farmyard’s reopening and how to book tickets.

Chatsworth supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Images provided by Chatsworth House Trust

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Dronfield Hall Barn recognised as one of UK’s top wedding venues in LUX Life Magazine

The team at Dronfield Hall Barn are celebrating, after the venue was recognised as one of the nation’s best wedding venues in LUX Life magazine’s Global Wedding Awards 2021.

The multi-purpose venue which is managed by the Dronfield Heritage Trust and is a registered charity, has been awarded the title of “Best Individual Wedding Ceremony Venue – East Midlands.”

Pauline Hindle Hospitality Manager “We are all delighted to receive this accolade. It recognises the stunning beauty of the Barn and the hard work of the team who put so much effort into ensuring that everyone who  has their wedding here has a perfect day.”

LUXlife Magazine is a premium lifestyle publication which is distributed to a circulation of 238,000 globally. The magazine focuses on a range of topics within the luxury lifestyle industry, featuring articles on; fashion, beauty, fine dining, travel, luxury real estate and much more.

Alongside weddings, the barn serves the local community in Dronfield in a number of different ways. One recent example was how it provided food collection and delivery services to local residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Since its restoration, Dronfield Hall barn has hosted a number of events including heritage displays and art exhibitions. There is also a coffee shop serving light lunches and delicious home-made cakes, along with heritage, sensory and wildflower gardens to add to the high quality visitor experience.

This month is also cause for more celebration for the team, as the barn marks five years since it was first opened to the public. Now self-sustainable, the Trust continues to engage the community and generate income to keep the Barn open.

Staff at the barn say they are now taking bookings for 2023 weddings. For more details, head to: https://dronfieldhallbarn.org/weddings/

Dronfield Hall Barn supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Chesterfield’s Superior Wellness continues growth with further recruitment

Chesterfield’s Superior Wellness is showing further signs of growth, with the company announcing a number of new roles within the business.

With the recent move into a brand-new headquarters in Chesterfield and continued growth of the company, Superior Wellness is now taking on several new employees and has launched a recruitment drive.

The recruitment will  provide a further boost for the local economy and employment in the Chesterfield area, with the firm looking for people who share their ambition to be the world market leader in hot tubs and swim spas.

Superior offers a global choice of high-quality products and has been commended for their focus on wellness and best in class customer experience.

The company is hiring in a range of different roles, including a Marketing Executive, After Sales Manager, Graphic Designer, Customer Service Advisors, Technicians and Delivery Drivers plus many more.

The new headquarters based on the Chesterfield Trading Estate houses the warehouse, distribution centre and office, plus one of the UK’s largest hot tub showrooms for their retail division Miami Spas – which will open this summer.  The new location is almost the size of two football pitches and will be the largest hot tub distribution centre in the UK, stocking up to 3,000 hot tubs.

Rob Carlin, Managing Director said: “Our close-knit award-winning team has a family culture and the team are friendly, passionate and fun. There are plenty of opportunities for growth and development – we want to see our team grow.  If you are truly passionate about going beyond expectations focusing on quality, care, innovation and choice then this could be just the career you are looking for.”

The company has a strong focus on the wellness of staff, with team members able to benefit from an onsite gym, subsidised healthy meals, a games room and rooftop bar.  If you are interested in finding out more about a career at Superior Wellness, visit https://superiorwellness.co.uk/careers/

Superior Wellness supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Kids Planet launches new podcast, All Things Early Years.

A brand-new podcast relating to working and living with under 5s has been launched by childcare group Kids Planet,  which has several centres located in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire .

The Early Years focused platform launched its first episode of ‘All Things Early Years’ with Kids Planet CEO, Clare Roberts discussing her successful business journey since establishing the group in 2008. With 5 settings across Chesterfield, the group continues to expand across the North West, South and Midlands and is now the third largest nursery group in the UK caring for over 8000 children and employing over 2000 staff across 59 settings.

The podcast’s most recent episode, released on March 26th, was an interview with baby product founder, Manju Bhatia from PoorlyBoo who chatted about advice for starting a business in the early years as well as her experiences working with social media influencer, Mrs Hinch.

Other guests who have appeared on the podcast include Actress and mum, Hayley Tammadon. Having recently become a new mum, Hayley spoke honestly about her time on ITV’s Full Monty last December, her new writing project and her experiences raising a baby during the covid lockdown: “You start to feel like a failure because you hear of other people’s babies doing things better than your baby and suddenly, you’re a failure, you’re failing at motherhood”.

Future guests include Chris McFadden, The UK and Ireland’s first male certified baby and toddler sleep consultant, male Early Years practitioners chatting about Kids Planet’s campaign to increase the number of working men in childcare, as well as Coach and trained psychotherapist, Sarie Taylor who offers advice for parents suffering with anxiety.

Episodes of All Things Early Years are released monthly and available to downloads from Apple Podcasts, Spotify and at https://www.kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk/podcasts/

If there is a topic you’d like the group to cover or if you work or have experience in Early Years with an interesting story to share on the podcast, please get in touch with jane.marwood@kidsplanetdaynurseries.

Kids Planet supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Ashgate Hospicecare welcomes two new Trustees

Ashgate Hospicecare have announced the appointment of two new Trustees who will help to shape the charity’s strategy, as they plan for the future needs of their local community and help meet the needs of patients for years to come.

Joining the Board of Trustees are Kirsty McMillan, Director of Integration and Direct Services for Derby City Council and Dermot Toberty, former Director of the largest HR Shared Service Centre in Europe.

In addition to her current role, Kirsty McMillan is also an active member of the local NHS and social care system, known as ‘Joined Up Care Derbyshire’. She previously worked as a Chief Officer within Local Government, as well as operationally within the housing association, supported housing and homelessness sectors.

Kirsty McMillan, Trustee at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “Having supported my own mother to live her final months in a way that she wanted, even though this was not conventional and at times tested the local palliative care team, I saw first-hand that as far as she was able, she died her way and in control of even the smallest decisions right up until her last few days.

“This was incredibly powerful to see and reminded me that individuals can have amazing strength in character, even at the most testing times in their lives. I am a passionate advocate for the ethos and values of the hospice sector, and Ashgate embodies this and more!

“I hope to be able to raise the profile of the contribution that Ashgate and palliative care can make to people’s lives.”

Dermot Toberty trained as an accountant and qualified whilst living up in the North East, and then moved to Chesterfield with his wife and two daughters in 1988 to work for Royal Mail.

Following a wide variety of finance roles across the UK, he moved to HR in 2003 to set up and run the largest HR Shared Service Centre in Europe. He remained there until his retirement in 2017.

Dermot Toberty, Trustee at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “In 2019, a very close friend was diagnosed with a terminal illness and she began to receive her end-of-life care from Bolton Hospice.

“Seeing and hearing about the care she received in her final few months was truly wonderful. Knowing that she was being well cared for in a lovely environment made the whole experience of her passing a lot more bearable. Nothing was left to chance and when she needed something it was delivered in an instant, without any fuss or bother, with care and compassion.

“Later, when I heard about the funding issues at Ashgate, and coming from a financial background, I was keen to get involved.

“I am very proud to be part of the Ashgate Team.”

Commenting on the appointment of the new Trustees, Nicholas Jeffrey, Chair of the Board at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Kirsty and Dermot as new Trustees to Ashgate. They bring with them a wealth of expertise, as well as compassion and a shared vision for a society where everyone can die with dignity and comfort.

“I am really looking forward to working with them as we shape our future services, which includes plans for how we cope with rising demand and more complex patient needs as people live longer with more complicated conditions.”

Ashgate Hospicecare supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Youngsters educated on healthy eating and internet safety by Chesterfield FC Community Trust

Chesterfield FC Community Trust has rolled out a number of initiatives aimed at educating the town’s young people, including the launch of internet safety workshops and a ‘Healthy Me’ nutrition project at Newbold Church School.

The children learned about how hydrated they are through the foods they eat and discussed the importance of eating five daily portions of fruit and vegetables.

During the six sessions, the importance of a healthy diet was stressed and raising awareness of the use of food banks in order to help others was also covered.

Commenting on the project, the Trust’s activities co-ordinator, Alyss Hearnshaw, said: “The Y4 class were outstanding to teach and their contribution to the food bank, supported by other pupils and teachers in the school, was second to none!”

Nicola Finch, from the Derbyshire Community Hub, added: “Thank you so much to all involved.

“We have managed too take two boxes full of food out into the community to support those who are homeless. Fantastic work!”

Meanwhile the Trust is encouraging young people to take part in the recently-launched internet safety workshops, which are free to schools and parents for home schooling purposes.

These workshops focus on the theme of reliability online, opening conversations with young people about how they explore information, looking at the strategies they can implement to spot and speak out against harmful and misleading content online. The workshops can also be delivered in school upon requests.

Robert Stevenson, the Trust’s Premier League co-ordinator, said “The workshops focus on what to trust online, exploring how influence, persuasion and manipulation can impact young people’s decisions, opinions and what they share online.
“We want to give young people the skills to support one another and the strategies to spot and speak out against harmful and misleading content online.”

If your school would like to take part in the ‘Healthy Me’ nutrition social action project or the internet safety workshops, email robertstevenson@spireitestrust.org.uk for more information.

Chesterfield Football Club supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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New home and new era for Derbyshire Institute of Sport

A new era has begun for Derbyshire Institute of Sport (DIS). It has a new home at the iconic Derby Arena and has expanded its operations to work with athletes and team players across the country.

DIS was founded in 2012 and since then it has been based at the University of Derby’s Kedleston Rd campus.

Managing Director Chloe Maudsley said: “We have had eight wonderful years working onsite with the university. They were a major, founding partner – alongside the city and county councils – when we began work as Derbyshire’s legacy project following the 2012 Olympics. We are so grateful to the university and founding partners for their support and unfailing belief in our mission.”

The original DIS goal was to increase the number of Derbyshire-based, world-class athletes. Its target of developing 20 such champions by 2020 was achieved in February 2020. These champions included marathon runners Jessica Piasecki and Ben Connor who have BOTH been confirmed in Team GB for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. DIS also worked with hurdlers Alex Knibbs and Jess Turner; para badminton world number one Jack Shephard; heptathlete Niamh Emerson, who is world junior champion and is now being coached by Toni Minichello and Jessica Ennis-Hill, and five times world champion para cyclist Katie Toft.

When the pandemic arrived, DIS recognised there was a need to provide support for talented sportspeople who could no longer get to gyms or train with their local teams. During the lockdowns it has worked with athletes online, offering strength and conditioning classes, nutrition, psychology and lifestyle support and virtual physiotherapy screenings.

DIS, which became a community interest company in 2017, is continuing to work with elite individual athletes and is also now working with team sports players and amateur athletes who want to be a champion at any level.

Chloe said: “We are coming out of the third lockdown on a high with our move to Derby Arena, which has great facilities and enables an expansion to our work to develop, inspire and support people who want to be the best they can be at the sports they love.”

DIS is following all Government guidance and working closely with the Arena to offer its athletes full membership of the Arena gym and face-to-face support from its world-class coaches in a Covid-secure way.

Chloe added: “For those who live further afield, we will continue to offer a package of 100% online support. This gives us the chance to help team sports players and individual athletes based anywhere in the world. Whether people choose a face-to-face or a virtual programme, they are all delivered by our multi-disciplinary team of experts who have supported Olympians, Paralympians and world champions.”

Rachel North, Strategic Director for Communities and Place, said: “We are delighted that Derbyshire Institute of Sport has chosen the excellent facilities of Derby Arena for its new base. It is fantastic to see how we have achieved the vision of 20 elite athletes by 2020 and look forward to seeing the Arena play its part in building more world champions of the future. Now that our leisure centres can start re-opening again, we look forward to welcoming our athletes in person.”

DIS supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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