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Chesterfield Market Traders continue to trade

17th March 2020

Chesterfield Market Traders have issued a statement regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Chesterfield Market Traders will continue to trade for as long as we are allowed to.

We recognise that Chestefield Market is an important part of life for many people. We are also aware that for those who are elderly, live alone or can be on low or fixed incomes the market is essential – which is why we want to keep on serving you.

On Chestefield Market and in the Market Hall you can buy everything you need – from antiques to toiletries, pet food, fruit & vegetables, sweets, treats, cheese, clothes, cleaning supplies and much more besides.

Traders are taking all reasonable precautions to ensure that we keep you, our valued customers, safe but we also need you to do your bit:

Wash your hands
Please don’t touch something unless you are serious about buying it
Please respect personal space
Cough and sneeze into your elbow
Keep smiling
Stay safe

We hope to see you all soon, and wish you all the best.

Chesterfield Market Traders

The team at Destination Chesterfield is keen to keep Chesterfield and North Derbyshire businesses up-to-date on the latest advice, guidance and support regarding the coronavirus outbreak in the UK. Please visit our Coronavirus – Business Support page.

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

Derbyshire County Cricket Club achieve record surplus in 2019

17th March 2020

Derbyshire County Cricket Club has recorded a club-record surplus of £402,000 for the financial year ending December 2019.

The figure, which is the highest posted by the club in its history, was driven by higher ECB receipts; prize money from the Vitality Blast; an increase in ticket revenue; and improved cost management.

The club’s run to Finals Day in the Vitality Blast led to an additional £57,000, while record Twenty20 crowds and the Aston Lark Tourist Fixture against Australia generated a £91,000 increase in ticket revenue compared to 2018, with Membership revenue also increasing by £20,000.

Chairman, Ian Morgan OBE, said: “As we expected, last year’s financial loss proved to be a one-off due in the main to unforeseen circumstances, and I am pleased to report that the club returned to profitability in 2019 and achieved a surplus after operations and before tax of £402,000.

“A new County Partnership Agreement (CPA) with the ECB for all First Class Counties includes new funding streams on the back of the media rights deal. For Derbyshire this means that we can now progress our plans to develop and improve the infrastructure at The Pattonair County Ground, by increasing our seating capacity, installing a new scoreboard, installing new toilets and enhancing our bars and concessions amongst other ground developments.

“A great number of factors have led to this positive position at the end of the financial year and I would like to thank our Members, supporters and 1870 Business Club partners, and our Principal Partner, Pattonair, for their ongoing support.

“I continue to be proud and appreciative of the positive, friendly and helpful attitude of everyone at Derbyshire County Cricket Club. While we know there is room to continue increasing our commercial revenue, I remain optimistic about the coming seasons as we continue to strive for success on and off-the-field.”

Chief Executive, Ryan Duckett, added: “Our aims for the year were to enhance our customer experience, maintain and grow our commercial revenues, reduce our cost base and increase profitability in order to maintain our spending on cricket. I’m pleased to say we’ve been able to do that and we’re now in a position to plan for long-term sustainability and to be debt free by the end of the term of the new media rights agreement.

“Commercial growth and the tightening up of margins have been major factors in this surplus, however like many clubs we are acutely aware of the reliance on ECB funding. Whilst we continue to grow our cricket revenues and interest in the game across the county, it is important to keep diversifying our business model in order to develop new revenue opportunities away from cricket.

“We have a number of exciting events in 2020, including a Michael Bublè concert in July and our major fireworks night in November. It’s opportunities such as these which allow us to continue investing in cricket and hopefully contributing to success on the field and more occasions such as Finals Day last summer.”

Click here to find out more about the BRM Solicitors Chesterfield Festival of Cricket

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

UKATA lends its support to Mates in Mind

17th March 2020

The UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) has pledged its support to Mates in Mind, a charity committed to raising awareness, addressing the stigma of poor mental health and promoting positive mental wellbeing across workplaces.

By partnering with UKATA, Mates in Mind hopes to reach even more self-employed construction workers, helping it achieve its target of reaching 75% of the construction industry by 2025.

Research suggests that around 350,000 people in the UK construction industry (1 in 6 workers) are experiencing depression, anxiety or stress. A 2017 ONS study found that, in England, the risk of suicide among low-skilled male labourers, particularly those working in construction roles, was three times higher than the male national average.

UKATA now joins fellow Supporters Mineral Products Association, Balfour Beatty, Galliford Try, Tideway and Tarmac who, together, are committed to driving change across the industry by engaging with their customers, members and colleagues by reinforcing the importance of wellbeing, and how they can address this within their organisations.

Recheal Valderama, Support Manager for Mates in Mind, said: “UKATA will play an instrumental role in reaching out to organisations who want and need to address mental health within their own business and the wider industry. By working together, we will better understand the needs of the asbestos removal industry and ensure they are supported when they are ready.

“We are doing this by working collaboratively with organisations. We learn to understand their needs, to then evaluate and prioritise any gaps and tailor a programme that fits the needs of the organisation and their people. We provide ongoing support throughout their journey and provide the clarity and confidence to understand what they want to achieve and how to do this, as well as reassurance that they are benchmarking to best practice.”

Thousands of workers in construction and associated industries throughout the UK undertake UKATA approved asbestos awareness training every year.

“Through our member network of trainers, we will actively encourage conversations in the workplace about mental health – opening up opportunities for employees and employers to access support and information where its required.”

Craig Evans, UKATA Chief Operating Officer explained: “It made absolute sense for UKATA to support Mates in Mind and we are delighted to be involved. Asbestos and mental health are both invisible killers but the risk of both can be managed through raising awareness.

Mates in Mind was established by the Health in Construction Leadership Group (HCLG) with the support of the British Safety Council in September 2016.

To learn more about Mates in Mind visit MatesinMind.org.

Click here to find out more about UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA)

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home

Helping local companies benefit from Northern Gateway development

16th March 2020

Local companies are being invited to a Meet the Buyer event to find out how to tender for work connected to the ongoing regeneration of Chesterfield.

The construction of the new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre on part of the Holywell Cross car park is due to start in April. Main contractors Robert Woodhead Limited are interested to speak to local companies to form part of their supply chain on this project and other local projects in their pipeline.

The event will take place on 27 March 2020 between 8am – 12pm at Chesterfield Town Hall, Rose Hill, Chesterfield S40 1LP in committee room one.

The Enterprise Centre will provide 32 high-quality Grade A offices in a range of sizes (26 to 120 square metres) over three floors.

As part of its commitment to supporting the local economy Chesterfield Borough Council, as the planning authority, includes local labour clauses within developments of this kind to ensure developers use local suppliers, have apprenticeships and allocate as many jobs as possible to local people.

To maximise the opportunities for local companies, main contractors Robert Woodhead Limited and Chesterfield Borough Council will hold the event to provide details of a range of sub-contractor packages available during the project.

Other main contractors including Fortem will join the event to maximise the opportunities available to local businesses on the schemes they are developing across the Borough. Light refreshments will be provided, and companies are requested to bring plenty of business cards for what promises to be a valuable morning of networking.

Opportunities include:

• Brickwork
• Plastering
• Screeds
• Joinery and kitchen fitting
• Floor finishes
• Fencing
• Landscaping
• Painting and decorating
• Wall tiling
• Mastic and sealants
• Cleaners
• Roof Tiling
• Local labour recruitment agencies
• Rendering
• uPVC windows and doors
• Fire stopping
• Fire door set installation
• Kitchen and bathroom installation
• Suspended ceilings
• Electrical
• Plumbing and heating systems/gas
• Scaffolding
• Pitched and flat roofing

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth, said: “There is more than £1 billion of investment currently underway in Chesterfield and one of the key priorities of the council is that Chesterfield residents directly benefit from this by getting new jobs, training, business and skills opportunities.

“Robert Woodhead Limited has worked closely with the council to ensure that our borough benefits as much as possible from the opportunities that building this new Enterprise Centre will bring.

“I would encourage all local businesses to attend the Meet the Buyer event and see what opportunities are available for them and their workforces.”

In addition to the Meet the Buyer event, CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) and Chesterfield College will be in attendance to guide local business on how to access training and assist in the recruitment of apprentices.

To find out more about the Meet the Buyer event please contact Emily Williams on 01246 345254 or email emily.williams@chesterfield.gov.uk.

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

D2N2 LEP seeks two new board members

16th March 2020

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has begun recruitment for two new board members who can help continue the growth of the region.

Local Enterprise Partnerships play a central role in deciding local economic priorities to drive economic growth and create local jobs.

D2N2 LEP are looking for new members who can help to shape the economic strategy across Derby Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Their goal is to improve the productivity of our economy through inclusive growth.

Board members represent the LEP’s interests to partners and stakeholders in the private and public sectors and work collaboratively with them to deliver a shared agenda for the economy.

Elizabeth Fagan CBE (right), Chair of the D2N2, said: “We’re keen to hear from business leaders with energy, creativity, and passion to help us shape and deliver our ambitions for the region.”

“This is an important time for our region as we drive forward work on our Local Industrial Strategy to develop a more prosperous and lower carbon economy, which creates better skilled and higher value jobs for our future generations”

“Our board members come from different backgrounds across our region and offer a breadth of sector knowledge and expertise. I am keen to hear from people that can build on this diversity.”

Applications are welcome from across the LEP area and from all sectors of the economy to reflect the diverse business community. The deadline for applications is Monday 20th April 2020.

To learn more about the position, download the Candidate Pack or visit the website here.

Over 200 delegates attended the 2019 D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Conference

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

Chesterfield College launches Young Artists of the Year competition

16th March 2020

Chesterfield College has launched the fourth annual competition to find Derbyshire’s talented Young Artists of the Year.

School children in Year 4 to Year 13 are encouraged to use their creative skills to produce an illustration, a painting or collage, photography or a 3D sculpture on the theme of “Modern day Britain”.

Finalists’ artwork, across a range of age and competition categories, will be exhibited as part of the college’s Art’s Festival taking place from 22 June – 3 July 2020. The young artists will be invited to a special ceremony where the winners will be announced and presented with prizes.

James Marples, Brand and Campaigns Manager at Chesterfield College said: “The Young Artist of the Year competition has gone from strength to strength and we are looking forward to seeing how local young artists interpret our theme this year. We were amazed by the number and the standard of the entries we received last summer. Our judges had a real challenge when it came to choosing winners. It is fantastic to be able to encourage and celebrate the talent and skills of young artists and we are really pleased to be able to incorporate their work into the college’s Arts Festival.”

Last year saw a huge range of different styles of stunning paintings, drawings, sculptures and photography submitted and exhibited in West Studios, Chesterfield College’s creative hub and exhibition space. Winners of the 2019 competition spoke about how it felt to be crowned as Young Artists of the Year.

Isobel Greene, winner of the Visual Arts Year 7-9 category in 2019 said; “I have chosen to do Art GCSE at school next year. If I could be an artist one day I would. It is really nice to win this competition.”

Harry Bell, Winner of the Visual Arts Year 4-6 category last year said; “Winning this competition gives me a lot of confidence to paint a lot more.”

The closing date for the competition is 10 June 2020. More details, including terms and conditions of the competition can be found here www.chesterfield.ac.uk/yaoty

Isobel Greene, winner of the 2019 Young Artists of the Year Visual Arts Year 7-9 category

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Featured, Home, Leisure

Student Pop-Up opens at Vicar Lane

15th March 2020

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is continuing its partnership with Derbyshire Adult Community Education (DACES), part of Derbyshire County Council, to support an education programme for young adults in Chesterfield.

The learners attend Full Time Study Programmes in Shirebrook and Clay Cross; the programmes are based around employment and enterprise and are aimed at young people aged 16-19 to help them gain the skills they need for the world of work. Vicar Lane is working with organisers on an ‘Employer Challenge’ within the programme, whereby the learners are set a task within a real-life employment environment.

In addition to this, Vicar Lane will be providing participants in the programme with a space within the centre to create their very own pop-up stall. The stall will be managed by the Shirebrook students with support from tutors.

The pop-up stall will appear in St. James Square at Vicar Lane on Friday 20^th March between 10am and 2pm – just in time for Mothers’ Day. The stall will sell a range of crafts and jewellery, together with daffodil bulbs which have been grown by the students from their community allotment. There will also be tea and coffee available for customers to enjoy and a small seating area to relax and unwind.

All profits made on the day will go towards a team building activity for the students to enjoy at the end of term.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager, Vicar Lane said, “We’re thrilled to be welcoming this team of ambitious young people to Vicar Lane this March. The learners we met last year proved to be fantastically creative team players so it will be great to see how this group gets on. If you’re passing Vicar Lane on the day, please come down and show your support.”

Click here to find out more about Vicar Lane Shopping Centre

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Support local volunteers by swimming against loneliness

14th March 2020

Chesterfield residents are being encouraged to sign up for a sponsored swim that aims to raise money for the Chesterfield Volunteer Centre’s befriending service.

The swimathon, called Swim Against Loneliness, will be held at Queen’s Park Sports Centre on Saturday 6 June 2020 and is open to anyone who wants to take part, providing they meet the minimum sponsorship requirement.

Participants are being asked to get sponsorship of at least £20 to take part in the event, but by raising this minimum amount there will be no charge for entry.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “I’m proud that we are able to support this event to help raise much needed funds for the befriending service.

“I hope lots of people will take part and that many more will come down to the centre and support the swimmers. Whether you swim for fun, attend swimming classes or are an experienced swimmer, the swimathon is open to everyone.”

Children who take part in swimming classes at either Queen’s Park Sports Centre or the Healthy Living Centre can use the swimathon to help in their work towards their distance badges.

Swimmers can select how many lengths they wish to swim, with the number ranging from 10 to 100 but special allowances can be made for those who wish to swim more or fewer lengths than this.

David Radford, the manager of The Volunteer Centre, said: “The Elderfriends project has been going for about 20 years now and over that time the issues we face around loneliness and social isolation have become greater, we hope this swimathon will help us raise awareness of the project and help us raise money to further expand these much needed services.

“We have a big waiting list for people who need our services, so anyone interested in giving their time to support this project, should contact us directly.”

You can find out more about the swimathon, register for your place and download a sponsorship form here: www.swimagainstloneliness.online/ or for more details info@chesterfieldvc.org.uk

The befriending service is run by Chesterfield Volunteer Centre and is completely free. The service provides company for elderly people, to help tackle loneliness and the many problems that are associated with it.

Find out more about the Chesterfield Volunteer Centre and the services it provides here: www.chesterfieldvc.online

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Chesterfield’s Great British Spring Clean

14th March 2020

Chesterfield residents are being encouraged to take part in a local community ‘clean up’ as part of this year’s Great British Spring Clean.

The Great British Spring Clean campaign, an initiative from Keep Britain Tidy, is running from Friday 20 March to Monday 13 April and aims to bring people across the country together to help tidy our streets, parks and countryside.

As part of the Great British Spring Clean, Chesterfield Borough Council’s tenant participation team has organised five litter picks across the borough and is encouraging community groups and individuals to join the campaign and lend a hand.

The litter picks will take place at:

Loundsley Green – Friday 20 March – meet at Loundsley Green Community Centre
Newbold Moor – Wednesday 25 March – meet at the bus stop on Racecourse Road/Mountcastle Walk
Littlemoor – Friday 27 March – meet outside the shops, Littlemoor Centre
Mastin Moor – Tuesday 7 April – meet at Eventide Rest Room
Holme Hall – Thursday 9 April – meet at Holme Hall Community Hub

Each litter pick will start at 11am and finish at 12:30pm. Litter pickers, high visibility jackets and gloves will be provided for everyone taking part.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “We are proud to be continuing our support for the ‘Great British Spring Clean’ campaign once again and we want as many people as possible to get involved with this year’s events.”

“We held five events last year as part of the initiative and welcomed 107 people from across the borough who together collected 125 bags of rubbish. This year we would love to see even more people get involved and help us collect even more litter.”

“Keeping our communities clean and tidy is one of our priorities and involving local residents helps us to build a strong community through communication and teamwork. In 2019 our tenant participation team distributed free litter picking kits to local community groups and schools to allow them to arrange their own community litter picks and help keep Chesterfield tidy.”

If community groups want to get involved and organise their own events, they can borrow litter picking equipment from the council.

To find out more about how to get involved in the Great British Spring Clean or other future litter picks in Chesterfield, contact the tenant participation team on 01246 345147 or tpenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Ashgate Hospicecare takes steps to keep end of life patients safe from coronavirus

13th March 2020

Ashgate Hospicecare is implementing precautionary measures to reduce the risk of coronavirus to its end of life patients, staff, volunteers and the wider community.

Ashgate Hospicecare is enabling most of the hospice’s non-clinical staff to work remotely and stopping any non-essential visitors from coming to the hospice at Old Brampton.

Services at the hospice will continue to be delivered to ensure the hospice is providing vital care for patients across North Derbyshire. Ashgate is introducing an increase in telephone consultation for patients in the community where this is appropriate and possible.

Ashgate Hospicecare shops and coffee shops will continue to operate as normal. However, opening and closing times of all shops will be adjusted by half an hour to allow for time to deep clean.

Family members and friends of loved ones who are visiting the hospice’s inpatient units will be asked at reception about places they have visited recently and if they are showing signs of illness, and are also being reminded not to come to the hospice if they are feeling unwell.

Barbara-Anne Walker, Chief Executive at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “Our priority here at Ashgate Hospicecare is to ensure that our end of life patients are receiving the best possible care and that we are doing everything we can to reduce the risk of our patients, as well as our staff, volunteers and the wider community contracting coronavirus.

“It is important that we take all reasonable steps to protect those using our services, as well as those working and volunteering for the hospice. We have now moved many of our non-clinical staff off-site and are enabling them to work remotely from home. We are introducing change in a measured and proportionate way – for example we are gradually increasing our use of telephone visits rather than face to face visits in the community.

“We would ask that the community keeps fundraising for us and supporting us through the coming weeks and months. We rely on our community to help us raise almost 75% of our funds which enables us to provide vital care to those who need us the most.”

For further information on Coronavirus, please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public (opens in new tab).

For more information about Ashgate Hospicecare and how you can continue to support your local hospice as well as regular updates about how the hospice is dealing with the coronavirus, please visit www.ashgatehospicecare.org.uk or follow them on social media.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home

Derbyshire County Council announce £1 million to support people affected by coronavirus

13th March 2020

Derbyshire County Council has set aside £1 million worth of funding to support residents and businesses who may be affected by coronavirus.

Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis announced the £1 million fund today to complement the government support announced in the budget and said it was an initial amount and could rise, depending on how seriously the virus affected the county.

Nationally, a £500 million ‘hardship fund’ was announced by new Chancellor Rishi Sunak in Wednesday’s budget, which will be given to local authorities in England to help support vulnerable people through the coronavirus outbreak.

The hardship fund is one of a number of national measures to support the country through the coronavirus outbreak, including extending sick pay and suspending business rates for many firms in England, also announced in the budget.

Councillor Barry Lewis welcomed the government’s hardship fund announcement and said that all authorities needed to work together to support those affected by the virus.

There are currently four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Derbyshire, with the number predicted to rise over the coming weeks.

Councillor Lewis said:“We are pleased to be able to announce an initial fund of £1 million to support Derbyshire residents and businesses who may be affected by the coronavirus in the coming weeks.”

“We just don’t know how this will affect people personally, or how it will hit local businesses, but we want people to know that support is available to help them get through the outbreak, whether it’s advice and information or financial support.”

“So even though we can’t predict the impact of coronavirus, we are acutely aware that businesses – particularly small and independent traders – and people organising events will be worried and we want to be ready to assist where we can.”

“The £1 million fund is an initial amount, and we will consider further allocations when we know more about the government schemes and local needs, which is why we especially welcome the announcement in the budget that there will be support for local authorities to help their communities when they need it most.”

“Any further increases in the fund will, of course, need to be balanced against the additional costs the council faces in delivering its own services, particularly to vulnerable residents, during this period.”

Further details of the Derbyshire fund will be made available shortly.

Find out more information about the coronavirus on the Derbyshire County Council website.

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