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Local tourism businesses invited to take part in new ‘staycation’ marketing video

Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire, the area’s official tourist board, is producing a new marketing video to showcase the area, and are asking for submissions from local businesses.

Local tourism and hospitality businesses are invited to film and submit clips, telling visitors all the reasons why the Peak District & Derbyshire is the perfect place for a UK ‘staycation’.

The marketing video will be part of the new ‘Time to…’ campaign by Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, which shines a spotlight on the warm welcome that awaits guests to the Peak District and Derbyshire, whilst showcasing the extra safety measures that businesses have put in place in order to reopen responsibly.

The ‘Time to…’ campaign will be supported across Visit Peak District & Derbyshire’s digital channels and on social media. Local businesses will be encouraged to create their own images using the campaign taglines which include ‘Time to Plan’, ‘Time to Discover’ and ‘Time to Recharge’.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “The industry has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic but our passionate, caring and resilient tourism businesses have worked exceptionally hard to put all the right measures in place to ensure we can warmly welcome visitors back.”

Here are some examples of what companies might say in a clip:

  • If you’re an activity provider you might say things like…”Our gritstone edges”, “The heights”, “Our natural landscapes”, “The bridleways”.
  • If you’re an accommodation provider you might say things like…”The comfort”, “Our rooms with a view”, “Our warm welcome”, “The cosy nights in”.
  • If you’re an attraction you might say something like… “Our friendly guides”, “The memorable experience”, “Our unique days out”.

The deadline for submitting videos is 11am on Monday 27th July.

Click here for details on how to get involved and submit your own videos.

If you have any questions regarding the filming or submission of your video, please contact danielle.sorsby@marketingpdd.com.

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

Surge in demand as Avant Homes Central is back building and selling on all its development sites

Chesterfield-based Avant Homes Central has announced the successful restart of construction work and sales activity on all 10 of its residential development sites.

The housebuilder is operating each development in strict accordance with UK government public health guidelines regarding Covd-19 to ensure the safety of its people, residents, contractors, suppliers and site visitors.

Since restarting its build programme and opening its marketing suites, the company has experienced a surge in prospective buyer enquiries.

Commenting on the successful restart, Avant Homes Central managing director, Stuart Rowlands said: “As soon as we closed down our build and sales operations, we began planning a safe way to return to work once it was encouraged by the UK government.”

“This enabled us to restart our build programme at pace, closely followed by our sales operation. We experienced an immediate and significant surge in demand from prospective buyers wanting to view our homes, which is still ongoing. This is testimony to both our product and the great work done by our people to respond to the situation created by Covid-19.”

“Our customer appointment system is working well to meet the high levels of demand and our sales teams are fully trained to provide safe showhome and site viewing experiences. We look forward to welcoming many more people to our developments as we continue to steadily increase activity across all our sites.”

The housebuilder’s current developments under construction stretch from Worksop to Nottingham, and when complete will have delivered a total of over 1200 new homes combined.

Its latest developments include Egstow Park in Clay Cross, Woodyard Park in Nottingham, Phase 2 of the highly successful Portlands Development in Creswell and Waterside Quarter, part of the £340 million regeneration project on the edge of Chesterfield town centre, adjacent to the River Rother and Chesterfield Canal.

Avant Homes’ Waterside Quarter offers buyers 11 house designs

Sales momentum is expected to increase even further over the coming months following the government announcement to raise the threshold for stamp duty in England and Wales to £500,000.

Commenting on the changes Stuart said: “The chancellor’s announcement is fantastic news for those looking for a new home. The impact of Covid-19 has created many challenges for both developers and homebuyers and not only does this mean buyers can make significant savings on purchasing a home, but it also acts as a catalyst to boost the housing market.

“We very much welcome the changes and anticipate that buyers will jump at the opportunity to take advantage of the rates holiday.”

Avant Homes Central is part of Avant Homes, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned housebuilders. Currently operating in Scotland, Yorkshire, north east England and the Midlands, Avant Homes has a turnover of £483 million and employs around 780 people. The company’s head office is at Junction 30 of the M1, near Sheffield.

For more information about Avant Homes visit www.avanthomes.co.uk

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

Stuart Rowlands, Managing Director Avant Homes Central

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

New beauty salon opens in Chesterfield

A new beauty salon, Skin & Tonic, is now open on Chesterfield’s Sheffield Road, after unavoidable delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The beauty rooms were originally due to open on the 24th March, the date that lockdown began, meaning that the opening had to be postponed until the government advice allowed.

Owner Emma Watson has over 10 years’ experience in the beauty industry, after gaining her BTEC National Diploma in Beauty Therapy Sciences from Chesterfield College in 2010.

Emma has previously worked at Leicestershire’s luxury Ragdale Hall Spa, as well as working for L’Oreal on national campaigns, before relocating back to her hometown of Chesterfield.

Emma, who is also a member of the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology, said: “I believe it’s important to ‘be your own kind of beautiful’. I specialise in skincare and it’s my absolute passion, it’s your body’s biggest organ so you must look after it!”

“During my career, I have learned expert skincare techniques by training with top brands such as Elemis, Decléor, Carita, Crystal Clear and Clarins. I learned nail techniques with Leighton Denny, O.P.I., CND Shellac and The Gel Bottle, tanning with Fake Bake and trained inSpa Find and Base Formula body treatments allowing me to offer such a wide range of services.”

Emma added: “I look forward to bringing my skill, knowledge and experience to a new and exciting business venture. I am excited to welcome you with wide open arms to my little haven, not far from the centre of Chesterfield.”

Skin & Tonic offer waxing for both men and women, manicures, pedicures, gel nails, lash and brow treatments, skincare and facial services, massages, and more.

You can find out more on their website at www.skinandtonicchesterfield.co.uk or by visiting their Facebook or Instagram pages.

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

Chatsworth House reopens to the public 27 July

Chatsworth House, one of Britain’s best loved visitor attractions, will reopen to the public on Monday 27 July for the first time this year.

While the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire have continued to live at their Derbyshire home, the planned public opening of the house, garden and farmyard in March was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Having put in place stringent safety measures including significantly reducing the number of tickets available each day, requiring all visitors to book tickets in advance for a specific arrival time, a one way visitor route and a raft of new cleaning procedures, Chatsworth will soon welcome back visitors to the house, which will be open from 10.30am to 5.00pm daily.

Over the past month, Chatsworth has been undertaking a carefully considered phased reopening of the estate, including the garden, shops and restaurants. The farmyard and adventure playground remains closed, with plans currently being developed to enable its safe reopening at a later date.

Visitors will once again be able to enjoy the splendour of the Painted Hall with its spectacular ceiling by Louis Laguerre; the Great Dining Room for entertaining the great and the good; the Chapel that has witnessed the christenings and marriages of the Devonshire dynasty over the centuries; the magnificent Sculpture Gallery, once the grandest private sculpture gallery in Europe; the State Rooms and much more.

Sally Ambrose, Head of Visitor Experience: “We’re delighted to open the doors again, the house really comes alive when visitors are there to enjoy all of its treasures.

“Our number one priority remains the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff, so we’ve implemented a number of new safety measures, including limiting the number of visitors each day, with bookings only available in advance, to ensure our visitors and staff can practise safe social distancing.”

Chatsworth’s garden reopened in late June with a display of more than 50,000 new flowering perennials, shrubs and trees as well as a huge, new stone sculpture called Natural Course by the artist Laura Ellen Bacon. Open for pre-booked visits from 10.30am to 6pm every day, the garden is currently undergoing its biggest transformation for nearly 200 years with previously underdeveloped areas opening up across its 105 acres.

The house opening is the latest part of the phased reopening plan that Chatsworth has put in place. It follows the garden, car parks, restaurants, shops and the installation of temporary toilet facilities, to enable visitors to access the estate’s surrounding parkland. As an essential food outlet, the estate farm shop in nearby Pilsley has remained open to the public during the pandemic and has also been delivering food supplies to vulnerable households in the local area.

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

Images credit: Chatsworth House Trust 

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

University of Derby rises 38 places in National Student Satisfaction survey

The University of Derby has risen 38 places in the national rankings, achieving a rating of 85 percent overall student satisfaction in this year’s National Survey of Students (NSS).

It also achieved 100% overall satisfaction in 14 subject areas in the high-profile annual census of nearly half a million final year students across the UK, commissioned by the Office for Students.

Students gave a clean sweep of positive feedback for subjects including Business and Management, Sport Management, Civil Engineering, Commercial Photography, Child and Youth Studies, Health and Social Care and LLB with Criminology.

Derby’s 2020 satisfaction rate has seen it rise to 55th in the national rankings, out of 155 UK higher education institutions.

The University credited closer working with student representatives after increasing its scores in the key areas of teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support, learning resources, and student voice.

To ensure that students play a meaningful part in University decision-making, the Union of Students are represented on key internal committees, are part of the University’s Governing Council and are involved in the recruitment process for Executive appointments.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “The quality of the experience our students have during their studies is of paramount importance to us, so to see that overall satisfaction has risen is very pleasing. The result is testament to listening closely to the needs of our students, the dedication of our staff and the high quality teaching at Derby that has earned national recognition as a TEF Gold institution.

“We are not complacent and are determined to continue improving the experience of our students. It has been a hugely unsettling time for everyone but our staff have worked tirelessly to implement the transition to off-campus teaching as the country went into lockdown, and we are now looking forward to a new academic year, and a new blended approach to learning, which we will make as full and rewarding for our students as possible.”

Professor Malcolm Todd, Provost (Academic and Student Experience), added: “One of the great strengths at Derby is the partnership we have with our students. We ensure that the student voice is at the heart of our decision-making, whether that be related to developing our curriculum or ensuring that we remain a university which opens its doors to all who have the ambition and desire to learn and progress.”

For more information about the University’s commitment to enhancing the student experience at Derby, click here.

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

To find out more about the University of Derby Chesterfield campus, click here.

The University of Derby’s St Helena Campus, located in Chesterfield town centre

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Featured, Home

New play equipment for Princess Street

Chesterfield Borough Council is delighted to be able to welcome local children back to Princess Street play area, bringing a world of imagination play zone to Brimington.

The play area, which cost more than £50,000 to install, was officially re-opened on Wednesday 15 July by local Councillors Tricia Gilby, Terry Gilby and Stuart Brittain, alongside children from Henry Bradley Infant School, Brimington, who were on hand to try out the new play equipment.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Investing in the borough’s play areas is so important. They provide a place for families to socialise and for children and young people to play together and get closer to nature.”

“We have worked closely with our funding partners to help deliver this fantastic new play area at Princess Street. I hope that local residents will create lots of great memories in this space for many years to come.”

Work on the site began in May 2020 and the play area has seen a complete transformation with new equipment and new surfaces installed. The new Princess Street Play Area has been purposely designed, with input from pupils at Henry Bradley Infant School, to provide a selection of equipment for all ages including a small play tower for young children, multiple swing sets, balance bars, roundabouts and much more, which will open a world of imagination to local children.

The funding for the new play equipment was provided by a Viridor Credits grant of £47,000 and a £7,500 grant from the Derbyshire County Council Community Programme Initiative. Installation was organised by Chesterfield Borough Council.

Following the Government’s direction that play areas and outdoor gyms could re-open, the council has been working hard to safely re-open all of its facilities. A number of measures have been introduced to ensure that everyone can have a safe and enjoyable time when visiting, whilst still maintaining social distancing.

More information on the measures in place can be found at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/coronavirus

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Plans confirmed for popular Crooked Spire annual events

It has been confirmed that plans are underway for this year’s Well Dressing display and the popular Christmas Tree Festival, both of which take place at Chesterfield’s Crooked Spire Church.

Reverend Patrick Coleman said: “I can share the wonderful news that we are definitely planning to hold both the Well Dressing and the Christmas Tree Festival this year. There will need to be careful access control for viewing of the Well Dressing, and we are planning a free online booking system for the Christmas Tree Festival, so that in both cases we can make sure that hygiene and distancing measures are kept in place.”

He added: “At present, singing is still completely forbidden, so no announcements on Carol Services just yet. These events will certainly feel a little different but we owe it to all the people who value the Crooked Spire, and its presence and contribution to the town’s life, to try and make a go of these things even under present conditions.”

The Well Dressing is planned from August 29th to September 6th, with details of this year’s theme yet to be announced.

Well dressing is an ancient custom unique to Derbyshire. Chesterfield began well dressing in 1864 when the Town Pump in Market Place was decorated after a very dry summer. The custom died out, but was revived in 1991 when a well was dressed as part of an exhibition about Derbyshire traditions.

A well dressing takes up to 7 days of work, by a whole team of people, to finish. It will only last about a week before the clay dries and cracks and the flowers fade, then it’s taken down and the boards stored away – until next year.

The Festival of Christmas Trees is due to take place between for 14th and 29th November, with further details to be confirmed closer to the time.

The Cooked Spire is the largest church in Derbyshire and each year it is filled to overflowing with more than 100 Christmas trees decorated by local people, groups and shops, from WIs to scout and guide groups, from schools to high street stores, from accountants to Chesterfield Museum and many more besides.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Christmas, Featured, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Planning permission sought for canal restoration

The Chesterfield Canal Trust has submitted a planning application for the restoration of the remainder of the canal within Chesterfield. This covers the 1.6 miles from Staveley to the edge of Renishaw.

The application can be viewed on Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning website here.

The route is mostly through open countryside. Part of it sits on the Staveley Puddlebank which is an embankment running for nearly half a mile across the Doe Lea river valley. The canal will cross the river on a 37m long aqueduct.

When it is finished, the canal towpath will provide a delightful walking and cycling route which will link up with the Trans-Pennine Trail, the Arkwright Trail and the Norbriggs Cutting Trail.

The volunteers from the Trust will build another lock at Staveley to complement Staveley Town Lock which they built a few years ago. Altogether the Trust has spent well over £200,000 on its work on this site. Derbyshire County Council’s Reclamation Department has also sunk considerable funds into the project which, along with the Loop Road, has transformed the area.

The canal is integral to the local landscape and the Trust is discussing how the restoration is central to the vision for Staveley currently being developed as part of the Towns Fund. Staveley is one of 101 towns allocated up to £25m each to support capital regeneration projects, and the Trust believes that this application should be one of the chosen projects.

Staveley Puddlebank, May 1970

The Trust was planning to start restoration work at Renishaw on a further kilometre of canal, working with volunteers, however the Covid-19 situation has paused all work. The hope is that this work can start in the autumn. When both sections are complete, they will extend the canal within Derbyshire by 2.5 miles.

In 1989, twenty miles of the Chesterfield Canal lay derelict between Worksop and Chesterfield. Since then 12 miles and 34 locks have been restored. 3 new locks and 11 bridges have been built plus 2 marinas. Just over eight miles remain to be completed and this planning application covers 20% of that distance. This is the next step in the Trust’s campaign to complete the restoration of the canal by 2027, which will be the 250th Anniversary of its opening.

Rod Auton, Chesterfield Canal Trust Publicity Officer said: “When this planning application has been approved and the work has been done, it will give 1.6 miles more canal to Chesterfield and open up a new walking and cycling route that will include the 37m long Doe Lea aqueduct. With the Avant Homes development at Waterside, the proposed new garden village on the old Staveley Works site and the eventual development at Staveley Town Basin, the next few years will see a total transformation of the canal”.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager added: “It’s excellent news that the restoration of Chesterfield Canal is moving forward at pace. The canal has played a role in Chesterfield’s economy for centuries. Where once it was a vital transport route it is now forming an important part of Chesterfield’s tourism offering. It offers exciting prospects for the town to further grow its overnight visitor economy.”

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.

Please note these images were taken prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Volunteer Work Party in Staveley Town Lock

Posted in About Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Eight ducklings rescued from Old Whittington wastewater treatment works

A ‘quack’ team of Yorkshire Water engineers have rescued eight ducklings which had become trapped in an unused tank at Old Whittington wastewater treatment works.

The quick-thinking Yorkshire Water key workers used a net to fish them out and can now add wildlife rescue to their day job of looking after Chesterfield’s waste.

Joe Johnson, Product and Process Engineer at Yorkshire Water, said: “Eight ducklings swimming in an unused tank is not something you see every day.”

Joe added: “Thankfully we used our hook-a-duck skills and managed to pull them out and get them to safety. It was a quacking job by the team at Old Whittington.”

The rescued ducklings – christened Mick, Russ, Wayne, Steve, Alex, Ryan, Mark and Simon after Yorkshire Water’s colleagues at Old Whittington wastewater treatment works.

The ducklings have been taken to a local vet and following their recovery, were rehomed at a wildlife sanctuary.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home

Councils’ support Community Trust takeover of Chesterfield Football Club

Chesterfield Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council have resolved to each provide £0.5m loans to Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust (the ‘Trust’) to support the Trust’s acquisition and operation of Chesterfield Football Club (the ‘Club’), subject to final agreement with the Trust on terms and completion of due diligence.

Chesterfield Borough Council’s Cabinet took the decision this morning (14 July 2020) whilst Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet came to an ‘in principle’ decision on the matter back in March.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Chesterfield Football Club has been an integral part of life here in Chesterfield borough for over 150 years.

“Football has the power to change people’s lives for the better. At such a difficult time for all of us, we believe the Club and Trust have key roles to play in supporting Chesterfield’s social and economic recovery.

“We’ve been impressed by the Trust’s approach in looking at all aspects of the Club’s financial and business affairs, and we think it’s the right thing for the Council to do to back the Trust at this time.

“We are also pleased to be working collaboratively with Derbyshire County Council on this venture and we very much welcome their involvement.”

Councillor Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: “Derbyshire County Council has worked with Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust over many years on a range of education, health and wellbeing and employment support programmes.

“The loans to the Trust will mean that these programmes will be critical in supporting the communities of Chesterfield and north eastern Derbyshire to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

“We therefore believe it makes good sense for our two Councils to come together to help fund the Trust.

“We’re confident that the Trust can breathe new life into the Club and bring new visitors from far and wide to enjoy not just the football, but all that the wonderful county of Derbyshire has to offer.”

Chesterfield Borough Council’s Cabinet decision is subject to the council’s call-in procedure, which means that the decision cannot be implemented until five calendar days have elapsed without a call-in being invoked.

Both councils have legal due diligence processes to complete to ensure that their respective interests are properly protected. It is proposed that the two £0.5m loans will be jointly secured by a legal charge on the Club’s stadium as was the case in 2009, when Chesterfield Borough Council provided a £1m loan to the Club, which was subsequently paid off

The loans will be repayable over a 15-year period and will attract a commercial rate of interest.

Should the Trust choose to sell the Club at some point in the future, then the Councils’ loans would be repaid in full at the point of sale.

The two Councils will also be invited to make appointments to the Trust.

anzacs chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home

Chesterfield FC Community Trust launch summer activities

Chesterfield FC Community Trust’s plans for summer delivery in 2020 have been outlined, with a return of the popular Spireites Sports Club and Girls Camp at St Mary’s Catholic High School.

Sessions will be socially distanced and follow all government guidelines. The Trust’s Saturday Morning Club has returned and enabled staff to deliver to smaller groups and trial temperature checks, hand sanitiser provision, the cleaning of equipment and enforce a one-way system around the venue.

The Trust’s head of sport and activities, Keith Jackson, said: “The safety of our participants is the number one priority, along with adhering to all government advice. Thereafter, we’ve been planning socially distanced delivery that will enable competitions and fun activities – the things that are the main ingredients of the Sports Club and always will be.”

The Trust has linked up with Dancedaze as part of their Spireites Schools Partnership and the leading street dance choreographers will be delivering ‘TikTok Tuesdays’ as part of the week-long clubs.

“We continue to look for new ways of creating engaging and exciting ways of making happy memories – TikTok is a hugely popular app and I’m sure learning the moves to the dances will be entertaining for everyone,” said Keith.

Additional safety measures put in place include extra staff for temperature checks, new equipment including footballs and cones, hand sanitiser breaks, equipment cleaning breaks and having smaller groups when delivering, all aimed at making the sessions as safe as possible.

The Sports Hall will be measured out for participants to have their own 2m space to keep their bags and personal equipment safe and all delivery will take place on the field.

New risk assessments have been produced along with the aforementioned changes, ensuring all safety guidelines are met.

Keith added: “Our coaches love to be on the grass as much as possible ordinarily, so whilst this decision is taken with safety in mind, it’s our preferred choice to deliver outdoors.”

Find out more about the Chesterfield FC Community Trust summer events below:

Chesterfield FC Community Trust use the power of Chesterfield FC and sport to inspire the community of Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

This picture was taken prior to the coronvirus outbreak

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

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