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Chesterfield’s digital flower festival – Grow and Tell

Chesterfield Borough Council is encouraging residents to share pictures of gardens, wildlife and wildflowers they spot around the borough in order to help create a digital flower festival.

The virtual festival, Grow and Tell, aims to collect images from around the borough that show off some of the colourful flower displays created by residents, as well as wildflowers and wildlife from across the borough’s many green spaces. Residents are also asked to share some of the stories behind the photographs.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “With the cancellation of Britain in Bloom, Grow and Tell is a chance for us all to show how marvellous Chesterfield looks at this time of year. I hope lots of people will send pictures of all the hard work they’ve done during lockdown in their gardens and pictures of the unusual flowers they have spotted whilst exploring the borough.”

All the images and accompanying messages that are sent in will be placed in a special gallery on the council’s website and Facebook page for anyone to view whenever they need a splash of colour and inspiration.

In order to share your pictures for Grow and Tell please d one of the following:

Find out more and view the gallery here.

In addition to the digital flower festival, Chesterfield Borough Council is holding a Chesterfield’s Still Blooming competition to find the borough’s best sunflowers, with garden centre vouchers on offer as prizes for the winners.

There are three categories:

  1. Tallest sunflower – from the top of the soil to the top of the flower. (Please make sure your picture is next to a tape measure)
  2. Sunflower with the largest flower head based on diameter or width. (Please include a photo next to a ruler or tape measure).
  3. Sunflower plant with the most flower heads. (Please try to make sure all flower heads are visible in your photo).

To enter please send a picture of your sunflower, stating your name and the category you want to enter to green.spaces@chesterfield.gov.uk

Chesterfield’s Still Blooming will run until Wednesday 30 September 2020. Winners will be given a special certificate and vouchers that can be used at garden centres.

The council will announce the winners on social media and share some of the best pictures from the competition.

Chesterfield in Bloom

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

Whittam Cox Architects reach over £50,000 raised for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice

Whittam Cox Architects are delighted to announce they have reached a significant milestone, having raised over £50,000 for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

The practice, who have supported the charity for the past 6 years, have taken part in various fundraising initiatives from Skydives, Bluebell Wood’s ‘Bag it up’, 10k road races and bake off events to raise money for the organisation, who offer care and support to children with a shortened life expectancy, both in their own homes and in the hospice in North Anston.

Most recently, employees from the practice have taken part in the 2.6 challenge which involved participating in a range of activities based around 2.6 or 26. For this campaign they raised £850 which will be split between Bluebell Wood and their other partner charity, Ashgate Hospicecare.

Jon Godwin, Director, who heads up CSR initiatives at the practice, said, “We’re really proud to have supported Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice for the last 6 years. The work they do for families in the region is absolutely invaluable.”

“Charities will undoubtedly be struggling for funds at this time, so I’m pleased the team have been able pull together in the circumstances in order to do our bit to raise crucial funds for these two fantastic local charities.”

Sam Wood, Head of Fundraising at Bluebell Wood, added: “Whittam Cox Architects have been fantastic supporters over the years and we’re consistently taken aback by their generosity.”

“A huge thank you to all at the practice and to everyone who has supported their amazing fundraising for all your support – it really does make a huge difference to local children and families who are going through the most difficult of times.”

The practice will continue to raise funds for both charities throughout 2020.

For further information about either of Whittam Cox Architects partnered charities Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice and Ashgate Hospicecare please visit www.bluebellwood.org or www.ashgatehospicecare.org.uk

Click here to find out more about Whittam Cox Architects

Whittam Cox Architects are members of the Chesterfield Champions local business membership scheme. To find out more about the Chesterfield Champions, click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home

Chesterfield’s Love Brewing hire four new staff after business growth during lockdown

Chesterfield-based business, Love Brewing, is celebrating growth in the business with the addition of four new members of staff.

The new team members will help to support the company’s growing customer base which has nearly quadrupled over the lockdown period including increased international sales alongside orders from across the country.

Love Brewing, based on Chatsworth Road, is a one-stop shop for anyone who enjoys making beer, wine, cider, or spirits at home and have a vast range of equipment and supplies available to purchase via its website and two retail outlets.

During the current Covid-19 crisis, Love Brewing has seen a huge renaissance in the sector and staff have been working 24/7 for the last 3 months to fulfil over 2000 orders per week.

Darren Byrne, General Manager of Love Brewing, said: “From a standing start some 8 years ago, we are delighted to have grown to be one of the leading home brew websites in the UK. We have been responsible for bringing some of the most innovative new products in home brew to the UK market over this time and have now developed our very own premium quality Wineworks, Ciderworks and Beerworks kits.”

Darren added: “My staff have risen to the challenge and I couldn’t wish for a better crew to have working for us, they have kept us running throughout all this and have adapted to the new working shift times, extra working days and working and trusting each other in the new working conditions of a COVID19 world we find ourselves in”.

Love Brewing has also been supporting essential organisations by producing hand sanitiser from the alcohol they produce with a mix of botanicals. Further emphasising the organisations focus on community – to produce the sanitiser and have been providing to local care homes and schools during the lockdown period including Hady School which Darren’s children attend.

Love Brewing are proud members of the Chesterfield Champions business membership scheme. Joining the scheme is a direct statement of belief from organisations about their commitment to Chesterfield and its successful future.

Darren said: “Chesterfield although a town, does have a feel of a city; embrace the local people and local produce and companies and you won’t go far wrong- a key reason we signed up as a Chesterfield Champion to join forces with the community focussed network.”

Click here to find out more about Love Brewing

Click here to find out more about becoming a Chesterfield Champion

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

Chesterfield to see reopening of non-essential retail businesses from 15 June

Chesterfield Borough Council is working with local retailers, Market Hall traders and the Pavements and Vicar Lane Shopping Centres to achieve the phased re-opening of non-essential retail stores within Chesterfield Town Centre from 15 June.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “It was great to welcome our regular market traders back to the town’s general market last week.

“We’re very much looking forward to the return of our ever popular flea market from this Thursday, and to more town centre retailers opening up for business from next Monday.”

“The safety of those who live, work and shop in Chesterfield town centre remains the council’s number one priority and we have been working closely with local retailers and market traders to make sure we can maintain safe social distancing within the town centre.”

“Signage will advise shoppers where to queue outside individual shops, and where restrictions may be enforced.”

“Barriers are also available for shops to use to make it clear where people should queue and wait to enter shops and this process will be supported by a number of council appointed ambassadors, deployed around the town centre to assist shoppers.”

In line with both Government and industry guidance, the town’s general market, which operates every Monday, Friday and Saturday, successfully re-opened for business last week, following the easing of lockdown restrictions. It was announced last week that the popular flea market is set to return to the town centre on Thursday 11 June.

The public toilets, which are located in the Market Hall are also open, but customers will notice some changes in terms of extra cleaning and hygiene procedures, and social distancing measures.

Local businesses are currently offering you amazing products, services and advice to support you during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Click here to view our Supporting Local pages

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

Specsavers on hand to offer advice for those with lockdown sight deterioration

Specsavers Chesterfield, which has remained open throughout the pandemic for customers with urgent and essential needs and key workers, can now care for more priority customers face-to-face, in line with sector guidelines.

Customers booking an appointment online will be contacted by their local store by phone to discuss their sight concerns and make sure that coming in to store for a test is the best option for them.

The Government’s easing of stay-at-home measures in England mean that people who have noticed any change at all in their sight during lockdown, or since their last eye test, can now book online for an in-store appointment at Specsavers. Customers wanting a routine eye test but not experiencing any changes to their sight currently will have to wait a little longer, as stores focus their attention on those with more immediate needs.

A survey by Specsavers* has revealed that a third of people in the UK have noticed a deterioration in their eyesight during lockdown.

Clinical services director Giles Edmonds says: “During lockdown many of us have been spending more time looking at screens, reading, or watching TV, which is likely to make people more aware of pre-existing sight conditions or the fact that their prescription may have changed. More screen time can also lead to eye strain and visual fatigue, which isn’t usually serious but could explain why so many people are reporting issues.”

If significant and serious deterioration of vision has been experienced recently by anyone, Specsavers still recommends phoning a local store immediately as it may need a more urgent store visit to undertake testing and investigation.

Mr Edmonds explains: “What was deemed as essential during the first phase of the pandemic has been expanded. This takes into account that many people experiencing problems with their sight during the lockdown period, but who were not considered urgent or essential cases at the time, may now require priority face-to-face care given the time that has elapsed.”

“The easing of stay at home measures in England will also see people venturing out again and relying more on their sight as they return to work. There will be those, too, who have been worried or had concerns about their eyes but who have been reluctant to come forward to see their optician during the peak of the virus while in lockdown and isolation.”

“The safety of our customers remains our ultimate priority and we have worked hard to put in place robust measures to create an uncompromisingly safe store environment and reassure our customers as lockdown restrictions begin to ease. As well as limiting the number of customers in store at any given time, social distancing, thorough disinfection of our stores, equipment and products, and full use of screening and medical grade PPE, are standard in all of our stores.”

“We would encourage anyone who feels that they have seen a change in their sight during lockdown or since their last eye test to book an appointment on our website.”

This welcome reintroduction of services, post-lockdown, expands the in-store offering now available at Specsavers stores in England. Since mid May, full audiology services including hearing tests, ear wax removal and general advice and care has been available again to all customers.

The date for the reintroduction of routine eye tests or expanded essential care in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales is yet to be confirmed. Specsavers will adhere to each country’s industry guidance once this is established.

*Specsavers customer panel survey of 1,618 respondents,1 June 2020. 32% of people have noticed a deterioration in their eyesight during lockdown.

Click here to find out more about Specsavers Chesterfield

Specsavers Chesterfield are members of the Chesterfield Champions local business membership scheme. To find out more about the Chesterfield Champions, click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home

Chesterfield mobile bar business launch new gift hampers

Salute, a mobile bar business based in Chesterfield, has launched a new range of gift hampers, allowing customers to continue their celebrations at home.

The family-owned company was founded in 2016 by sisters Natalia and Daniela Marchetta through their shared love for fine bubbles. The business began by serving prosecco on tap out of an up-cycled horse box and has since expanded to include a range of drink & catering packages for functions of any size.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Salute has now launched its gift hampers for people to celebrate any occasion virtually with their friends or family.

The new gift hampers contain a selection of drinks, snacks and games, are made to order and can be customised to suit the purpose of your gift. Their Father’s Day and Hen Party Hampers are now live and they are soon launching birthday hampers, New Baby hampers, Picnic hampers and more.

Daniela said: “We are a local family business and being involved in local community is incredibly important to us. We are so excited to launch our new range of gift hampers that will allow people to celebrate with their loved ones. All our hampers can be customised for any occasion so please contact us to order a bespoke hamper.”

Salute is often found trading at local events including the Street Food & Grooves festival and Chesterfield Food & Drink festival.

Click here to find out more about Salute

Salute is a member of the Chesterfield Champions local business membership scheme. To find out more about the Chesterfield Champions, click here.

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

Local residents asked to share Covid-19 experiences for new book

Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA) is to publish a book documenting the Covid-19 Pandemic as seen through the eyes of Chesterfield and the surrounding areas, and are now asking for submissions from local residents.

Submissions will be welcomed from residents of all ages, from amateur and professional artists, poets, photographers, creative writers to key workers, volunteers and those who have been directly impacted by Covid-19.

  • Do you have interesting photos of bad haircuts, VE Day celebrations, volunteer’s delivering food parcels, deserted streets and queues outside supermarkets?
  • Have you kept a diary during this time or have you expressed yourself in a short story or poem?
  • Have you or your children created rainbows for your windows or a scarecrow in your garden?
  • Maybe you now feel inspired to create something?

Jacqui Willis, Chief Executive of DVA (pictured), said: “Allow your creativity to record your experience and consider the ways you’ve dealt with the changes, the ups and the downs, the feelings of isolation and loneliness and let’s not forget the heart-warming stories, the acts of kindness towards strangers and elements of lockdown we may not want to lose!”

With your permission, the work you submit will be featured in the Covid-19 book, the DVA Network magazine, Derbyshire Voluntary Action website’s COVID 19 page, social media platforms and when it is safe to do so, at an event for everyone to view the array of submissions.

To be included or to find out more, please email to charlotte@dva.org.uk or post your submission to Derbyshire Voluntary Action, Offices 2a – 2c, The Market Hall, Chesterfield S40 1AR.

Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA) is one of 180 Chesterfield Champions supporting the marketing and economic growth of the town.

Click here to find out more about Chesterfield Champions

Story of Chesterfield

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

Chesterfield Borough Council announce discretionary grants for local businesses

Chesterfield Borough Council has been awarded £1.27 million from the Government to provide discretionary grants to local businesses who were not eligible to receive funding from the Small Business Grant or Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Funds.

Councillor Jean Innes, Chesterfield Borough Council’s, cabinet member for Business Transformation and Customers, said: “We have already paid out over £24 million in business support grants to over 2100 Chesterfield businesses to support them during the Covid-19 pandemic and 661 businesses have received business rates relief worth over £18 million.

“Chesterfield Borough Council’s new discretionary scheme will provide the opportunity for more local businesses to receive grant support, particularly those with high property-related costs and who have struggled to trade during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The new grant scheme opens on Friday 5 June 2020 and closes for applications on 17 June 2020.

Small businesses can apply for grants of up to £25,000, though the council expects that most grant payments will be in the range of £2,500 to £10,000. The following types of businesses are eligible for this new grant:

  • Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces; for example, business/industrial parks and incubator offices which do not have their own business rates assessment
  • Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment but have fixed building costs, such as rent
  • Bed and Breakfast accommodation providers who are registered as a food business within Chesterfield Borough Council and pay Council Tax instead of Business Rates
  • Charities in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for small business rates relief

To apply for this new grant scheme businesses must:

  • Have been the occupier of a property with a trading address in Chesterfield borough used wholly or mainly for business purposes on 11 March 2020
  • Employ fewer than 50 people
  • Have a rateable value or annual rent or mortgage of below £51,000
  • Be able to evidence relatively high ongoing fixed building costs
  • Be able to demonstrate that they have had a significant drop in income due to the Covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions
  • Be able to demonstrate the business is their sole or primary source of income

In order to apply you will need to download and complete an application form from the Chesterfield Borough Council website and provide the necessary supporting evidence. You will then need to submit it electronically via the council’s secure document management system on their website.

Further information on how to apply, criteria and evidence required is available here: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus-information-hub/businesses-information.aspx#hub_discretionary_grants_local

If you have any further questions about these grants please contact the team by emailing discretionarygrants@chesterfield.gov.uk

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

Derbyshire libraries’ Summer Reading Challenge goes digital

Derbyshire County Council libraries are supporting this year’s Summer Reading Challenge by organising online events and activities.

Children are invited to sign up to the national Silly Squad – this years theme – where there will be lots of information, quizzes, resources and book suggestions for them to enjoy.

The Silly Squad is a group of madcap animals looking for fun and the aim is to encourage children and their families to have fun too, get silly and read anything that makes them happy. Whether that’s a comic, joke book, poetry, fiction or non-fiction, in digital or print format, from e-book lending through Derbyshire libraries online or reading books they already have at home.

The challenge will run from June to September, launching with a week of activity from Monday 1 June, with the official launch on 5 June 2020.

Local libraries will be joining the fun throughout the summer by offering online story times, mini book reviews and recommendations, a forum for sharing ideas and suggestions about books and a regular craft activity.

Councillor Barry Lewis, Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture and Tourism, said: “The Summer Reading Challenge has always been a fantastic way to ensure children keep up their reading skills over the long summer holiday. As many children have been unable to go to school in the last few months this is more important than ever. And parents who are home-schooling their youngsters will welcome the Summer Reading Challenge as another way to motivate them.”

He added: “Encouraging children to read independently and to read more has huge benefits for their development and educational achievement.”

Children who aren’t library members join the library with the help of a parent or guardian. A member of staff will then be in touch with their library card number so that children can borrow eBooks, eMagazines and eAudiobooks.

Find more information and the programme of activities about the summer reading challenge, click here or visit the Derbyshire Libraries’ Facebook or Twitter pages.

Harry Pooter night chesterfield library

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

Chesterfield’s popular Flea Market to return next week

Chesterfield’s popular flea market is set to return to the town centre on Thursday 11 June.

The news comes days after the town’s general market successfully re-opened for business, following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “Our priority is to ensure that Chesterfield town centre is as safe as possible for everyone. In line with Government and industry guidance, we have introduced physical changes to the layout of the market to maintain safe social distancing and signage reminding people from different households to keep two metres apart and to regularly wash or gel their hands.”

“It was great to welcome our regular market traders back to the town’s general market on Monday and we look forward to seeing more of our regular traders return this coming Friday and Saturday.”

“The council took the decision not to run with Thursday’s popular flea market this week. We felt it was important to first learn the lessons from the general markets in terms of queuing systems, customer journeys and social distancing pinch points. We however, plan to reopen the flea market on Thursday, 11 June.”

Casual traders are not able to join the regular market traders at this stage as the council’s markets team need the flexibility of space to be able to adjust the layout of the market to ensure that traders and member of the public can maintain safe social distancing.

The council continues to support retailers selling essential goods from the Market Hall with more traders expected to return to the indoor market from 15 June. Access in and out of the Market Hall will however continue to be controlled to maintain safe social distancing within the premises.

The council is also working with local retailers and the Pavements and Vicar Lane Shopping Centres to assist with the phased re-opening of non-essential stores from 15 June. This includes establishing what support they might need to manage queues both within and outside their stores in terms of barriers, signage and floor markings.

Councillor Kate Sarvent continued: “Throughout the pandemic, it has been great to see people’s commitment to shopping local when buying their essential goods.”

“As we progress with our phased re-opening of the town centre and more shops and market stalls start to return, I would encourage residents to continue to support our retailers and traders wherever they can.”

“Shopping local will help to restart Chesterfield’s economy, and also reduces the number of miles people travel to buy essential goods such as groceries, which has a positive impact on our environment.”

All of the latest service-related updates will be published in the dedicated Coronavirus information hub: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/coronavirus

Arts and Crafts Fair

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

Matlock Farm Park celebrate Twiglet the miracle goat kid

Twiglet, a new addition at Matlock Farm Park, wasn’t expected to survive after being rejected by his mother, but is now happy and healthy thanks to round the clock care from the Matlock Farm Park team.

During lockdown, life has gone on as normal for the animals of Matlock Farm Park, with many wonderful new arrivals of lambs, chicks, bunnies and goat kids. Some however have provided the farm’s dedicated team with more drama than others, with one particular baby creating a little triumph over adversity.

Twiglet was born four weeks prematurely and sadly lost his sibling at birth. Twiglet’s mum was a first-time parent and it soon became evident to staff that she was rejecting her only surviving kid. Fortunately neighbouring farmer Eddie (pictured), who was checking on all the newborns late one night, noted how much heat little Twiglet was losing and took the weak kid home to try to save him.

Eddie made a small pen next to his log burner to keep Twiglet warm and the experienced farmer then bottle fed him throughout the night.

Eddie said: “I’ve seen many vulnerable newborns over the years and I really didn’t think this premature little one would make it.”

Twiglet was still very weak the following day, but with a few more days of dedicated care from Eddie, Twiglet gained more strength. Eddie then passed the reins to Matlock Farm Park worker Kate (below) who continued to care for him 24/7, bottle feeding him day and night and taking him to tag along beside her at the farm park.

Kate said: “It’s taken so much care to get Twiglet to where he is now and of course with us being closed, there are only a couple of voluntary staff to tend to around 150 animals every day, so it’s quite a task. But Twiglet is worth it – he’s such a character and he’s become a bit of a celebrity with our social media followers!”

Twiglet has now been introduced back in to the farm park and is happily making friends with ‘the other kids’, leaping off rocks and frolicking in the sunshine. Kate and Eddie continue to tend to Twiglet and all of the animals’ needs.

Kate added: “I think the animals are really missing their visitors and all the attention they get from them. We’re really looking forward to opening our doors again and welcoming people back to enjoy interacting with our animals in this beautiful wide-open setting”.

Until Government guidelines allow Matlock Farm Park to re-open, their team will continue to bring the farm park into people’s homes with an array of photos, videos and news across their social media platforms.

Click here to find out more about Matlock Farm Park

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

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