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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

Peak FM celebrates another big audience increase

The latest figures published by audience research body RAJAR, show an additional 3000 people are listening to Chesterfield’s Peak FM every week.

The local station, based on the Sheepbridge Industrial Estate, now has 63,000 weekly listeners.

Playing a blend of current, 80s and 90s hit music, the station has been at the centre of the community for years, having recently celebrated its 21st birthday. Presenters Laura and Ricky kickstart the workday with a busy Breakfast show packed with travel updates, local news and callers; Matt Curtis takes over at 10 and Richie Pearson from 2pm.

Tim Smith, Content Controller at Peak FM, is delighted with the result: “In these challenging times it’s especially pleasing to see increased audience engagement on all our platforms. The on-air presenters have done an amazing job this last few months supporting our key workers, helping raise thousands for Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s Protect Your NHS and keeping people entertained in these tough times.”

The Peak FM team are highly skilled in building brands, on-air and online marketing campaigns tailored to the needs of their partners.

You can hear Peak FM on 107.4 FM and 102.0 FM in North Derbyshire, on a smart speaker like Alexa or by downloading the Peak FM app.

Click here to find out more about Peak FM

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

‘Chesterfield is Open’ creative project supports retailers to reopen

Local independent creatives have come together to combine their skills and help get Chesterfield’s independents ‘back to business’.

Local modern mural artist, Peter Barber, started painting ‘OPEN’ signs using left over bits of wood and tins of paint.

Peter explained: “My thoughts were to drop signs off with businesses as they opened, take a photo and to share them, to create a positive and uplifting message that Chesterfield is slowly opening up again”.

He added: “I posted my thoughts on social media and the response was overwhelming, so many small, independent business owners were chomping at the bit to get going again.”

Helen Rowan from Helen Rowan Photography saw Pete’s post and stepped up to help with the photography and Paul Chapman from community magazine S40 and S41 Local offered to work with the pair to share the news.

Helen commented: “I’m proud to live and work within our local community and jumped at the chance to be part of such a wonderful project to support our local businesses.”

Paul Chapman from S40 Local says, “I’ve always been a massive fan of Pete’s work and love what he does. I was keen to help and support the community.”

“I’ll be printing the pictures in S40 Local and Simon Paterson will do the same in S41 Local, plus I’ll be sharing and adding the pictures to my website (www.chesterfieldlocal.com) as businesses open to help spread the news and support them.”

“Many people have looked for alternative ways to shop during the lockdown and have turned away from the supermarkets and chain stores. If every adult in Chesterfield spent just £5 in a local independent shop, instead of online or at the big supermarkets, it would be worth an extra £20.4 million per year for the Chesterfield’s economy. Which has to be good for us”.

Many local businesses have offered services right through lock down by doing order, delivery and collection. Chesterfield Arms for instance have been doing orders and collection of their beer stocks, Maison Mes Amis have been doing their fabulous Sunday dinners to order and deliver and have been supplying Cream Tea & Champers packages to help customers celebrate birthdays and Shop Indie run an online business alongside their shop on Vicar Lane.

Peter said: “Look out for the signs around town and further afield, and if you do see one, please try and support the business, they need your help now more now than ever. Together we can support local independents and get Chesterfield back to business”.

Destination Chesterfield have put together a Supporting Local section on the www.chesterfield.co.uk website, listing local retailers that are still trading.

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

£35,000 funding for Chesterfield Theatres confirmed by Arts Council England

Chesterfield Borough Council has secured £35,000 from the Arts Council Emergency Response Fund to support the re-launch of the Pomegranate and The Winding Wheel theatres as and when the current Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

The grant of £35,000 is made possible with thanks to public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “Chesterfield Theatres can’t wait to get back to delivering the full range of shows and events that our growing audiences from near and far have come to expect. Our Theatres’ team are already considering how best to use the funding so that when the time is right for us to reopen, we will be in a position to create more memorable experiences for our theatregoers.”

The Theatres’ broad range of events, which includes drama, musicals, dance, comedy, concerts, talks and cinema came to an abrupt halt midway through March due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Income from ticket sales, bar sales and venue hire are integral to the Theatres’ survival. The emergency funding will fund essential marketing costs to help the Theatres’ reach out to customers, old and new, and highlight some of the great shows planned for when lockdown measures are eased.

The Pomegranate and The Winding Wheel theatres are still subject to Covid-19 restrictions, but a series of Autumn shows are currently available to book including the Pomegranate Theatre’s hit Christmas Pantomime, Beauty and the Beast. To find out more about Chesterfield Theatres and to book tickets visit www.chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk.

The Grade II-listed theatres, the Pomegranate Theatre and The Winding Wheel Theatre, are proudly owned and managed by Chesterfield Borough Council.

Relatively Speaking

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

Local resident takes on 24-hour cycling challenge to raise funds for Ashgate Hospicecare’s Urgent Appeal

Tom Hodgson will cycle 315 miles on an indoor cycling machine for 24 hours straight to raise vital funds for patient care at a time when the Ashgate Hospicecare’s funding has taken a huge hit due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Hodgson has previously been taking doorstep portraits of his neighbours to raise funds for the hospice’s Urgent Appeal, and now aims to cycle the distance from North Derbyshire to Dartmouth on an indoor cycling machine, starting on 3rd June for 24 hours straight.

Tom’s friend and fellow cyclist, Zach Law, recently took on the 24-hour indoor cycling challenge and has so already raised over £7,000 for Ashgate Hospicecare. Tom said: “I was truly inspired by the gruelling challenge that Zach took on, and the fact that he was able to raise so much money for the hospice.”

“I will be asking Zach for tips about how he coped, but it’s fair to say that this is going to take all my strength and determination, and will no doubt be the most physically and mentally challenging task I’ve ever set myself.”

Tom knows the importance of raising funds for the hospice as just over two years ago his father, John, was taken into hospital with a suspected heart attack. It transpired that John was actually suffering from a bleed caused by a tumour on his spleen. His family were told that the only treatment available was palliative and to prepare for the worst.

Tom said, “When my dad suddenly became ill, it was a huge shock for our family. After being told the gut-wrenching news that he wasn’t going to recover, all dad wanted was to stay at home and be cared for by my mum and us. He didn’t want to go into hospital to die.”

It was only with the help of Ashgate Hospicecare that Tom’s family were able to fulfil John’s wish as they were supported to care for him at home. Unfortunately, in the last days of his life, John became so unwell that caring for him at home was no longer possible and he had to go onto the ward at the hospice for round the clock specialist care.

Tom continued, “We couldn’t have wished for him to be in a more caring and compassionate environment. We received so much care and kindness from Ashgate, and thanks to them, there is now an endless support network for my mum as she tries to rebuild her life. I don’t think that until you have seen the support and care from the hospice first-hand you can truly appreciate what they do for people in their local community.”

“We had no idea about the services that Ashgate Hospicecare delivered until our family needed them. I’m determined to raise this money for the hospice because I know there will sadly be more families who will face a similar situation to us, and who will need the support of the hospice during their darkest times. We all need to do our bit to help them, so they can continue to be there for our community.”

Tom will be taking on this mammoth challenge on 3rd June, in honour of his father’s 74th birthday, and aims to cycle the huge distance of 315 miles on his indoor cycling machine in 24 hours, only stopping for comfort breaks.

The whole challenge will live streamed on YouTube here.

To show your support for Tom and to make a donation to Ashgate Hospicecare, go to Tom’s fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RidingDerbyshireDartmouth24.

Click here to find out more about Ashgate Hospicecare

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Chesterfield business expands despite Covid-19 industry setbacks

Chesterfield-based mortgage advice firm Mortgage 1st have continued their ambitions growth plans with the recruitment of two new Mortgage Advisers, despite huge setbacks and disruption to both the financial services industry and the housing market due to Covid-19.

Two new advisers have just completed their ‘virtual’ induction and will be authorised to start looking after clients by the end of May. A further three new Advisers have also recently accepted a position at Mortgage 1st and once their applications are complete the Adviser head count will reach 20 by the end of the year.

Mortgage 1st was established in 2008 by Jon Stones at his dining table. His passion and hard work over the years has seen his team grow from a one-man-band to a strong and capable team of 28 today. Jon has ambitious future plans for Mortgage 1st and even a global pandemic hasn’t stood in his way in continuing with the recruitment and growth of his team.

Mortgage 1st has always offered ‘remote advice’ meaning everything can be done on email, Zoom or over the phone. As well as the Chesterfield based head office team, over half of the advisers work remotely and are based all over the UK. This has meant that they have seen very little disruption and have been able to continue working as normal for their customers during the last few uncertain months.

The Mortgage 1st head office has been closed for the duration of lockdown, their team were set up to work from home safely from day 1 meaning it’s been business as usual for their clients. The team have stayed in touch with one another using video and conference calls and were even able to conduct a virtual 2-day induction course for their new advisers.

Lisa Stones, HR & Marketing Director at Mortgage 1st (below) said: “We are delighted to be welcoming two new faces to the team who bring years of experience with them. Continued growth is a huge part of our company vision and even though we have had to adapt quickly, like all businesses have, during the past few months this hasn’t stopped us, we’ve just become more virtual!”

Since some of the housing market restrictions were lifted earlier this month Mortgage 1st have already seen a large spike in new enquires as the property market safely kick starts. This is great news for the industry, for house buyers & sellers and for the economy in general.

Click here to read more about Mortgage 1st

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

Chesterfield Royal Hospital retains ‘GOOD’ rating

The Chief Inspector of Hospitals has confirmed that the Chesterfield Royal Hospital has retained an overall rating of GOOD for the services it runs, following a recent visit from Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors.

The report published on Friday May 29 2020) showed that the Trust had maintained its high standards in the regulator’s five domains that asks whether a hospital is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The report also highlights five areas of outstanding practice within urgent and emergency service, medical care and surgery.

Commenting on the rating, Chief Executive Angie Smithson (below) said: “I’m incredibly proud of what our colleagues have achieved to once again show that the care and services we provide have met the high standards set out by the CQC. Our teams across the Trust work hard to provide the best possible care to our patients and visitors. This rating reflects that dedication and gives us a solid platform as we continue our journey to ‘OUTSTANDING’.”

Inspectors visited the site in February 2020, spending three days on site to look at a number of different services.

The report, in particular noted high levels of kind and compassionate care throughout the Trust with good, visible and approachable leadership providing a good, inclusive service to the local population.

Meanwhile services were praised for being appropriately staffed with a good skill mix to keep patients safe from harm with staff quick to identify and act upon patients at risk of deterioration. It also highlighted a high level of understanding from staff as to how to protect patients from abuse, working well with other services and agencies to do so.

The report sets out just two areas that the Trust must do – ensuring staff wear personal protective equipment at all times when taking bloods and inserting a cannula. The second is to make sure Deprivation of Liberty (DoLS) assessments are carried out in a timely fashion and that families are informed of the outcome and involved in best interest decision meetings.

There are also 32 actions the CQC recommend the Trust to undertake to make services better that range from patients being told how to use the call bells and keeping up to date with mandatory training to keeping corridors clear of obstructions and the appropriate storage of emergency equipment.

Director of Nursing and Patient Care, Lynn Andrews, said: “This is a highly detailed report and we will take the time to go through it line by line to make certain that we can put plans in place to address those recommendations and maintain our successes.”

Lynn added: “I would like to thank all of our staff for their dedication and hard work in achieving this outcome. We have such a strong platform to build on and this report gives us what we need to continue our journey towards ‘OUTSTANDING’.”

To view the full report, click here www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RFS

Angie Smithson – Chief Executive of Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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

Dronfield Open Art Exhibition goes virtual

For the first time, Dronfield Arts Festival is now hosting its popular Open Art Exhibition as an online event.

Although the exhibition is no longer taking place at Dronfield Hall Barn, local digital design agency FWD Motion, managers of the Dronfield Arts Festival, are now sharing the artwork online, to allow everyone to enjoy a fantastic selection of unique pieces, created by some of our most talented local artists.

The diverse array of styles and mediums on display, reflects the varied backgrounds of the entrants. Award-winning artist Carole Slinn, whose modern, mixed-media artwork focuses on an individual’s personal history and how this influences their identity, is just one of the artists featured in the exhibition.

Heron Publications, the publishers of Twist Magazine, are this year’s festival patrons, will be awarding the two most outstanding pieces of art with the titles of ‘Best in Show’ and ‘Highly Commended.’

Art lovers, or those looking to treat someone special, can purchase any of the original artwork currently being exhibited in the online gallery, subject to availability.

Click here to view the online art gallery

Dronfield Arts Festival, FWD Motion and Heron Publications are all 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, Leisure, Summer

Talent contest by local care group lifts spirits amid coronavirus crisis

Local care provider, Heathcotes Group, has been helping to keep its service users engaged during lockdown with a talent contest inviting their services to show off their creative abilities.

Fifteen services took up the invitation to enter Heathcotes’s Got Talent, which showed off a fantastic mix of artistic styles recorded on audio and video, including choreographed dancing, drawing, rapping, Elvis impersonations and a COVID-19-themed dance mix. Many of the entries promoted an uplifting message expressing positivity and solidarity in dealing with the coronavirus crisis whilst thanking the UK’s courageous key workers in the NHS and social care.

Gemma Hollingsworth, Director of Operations (North) said: “All the entries had plenty to admire and it was difficult to pick out winners. We ended up choosing four winners and all the other services received certificates of commendation. They certainly showed that they’ve got talent and they put a big smile on our face!”

“COVID-19 has impacted many people’s mental health and the pandemic has been an enormous challenge for a care provider that support adults with learning disabilities and complex mental health needs. The response from our staff has been amazing – our services nationwide have been coming up with all kinds of creative ways to lift spirits, keep our service users occupied and help them cope with the disruption. We’ve seen baking contests, photo shoots, rainbow-themed parties, art galleries, newsletters, garden makeovers and numerous other activities and events.”

Natalia Lysiuk, Director of Business Development, said: “Under immense pressure, our Support Workers, Team Leaders and Service Managers have shown unwavering commitment in support of some of the most vulnerable people in society, at a time when they need that support more than ever. We are incredibly proud of their work and the difference that they’re making. We’re also proud of our service users – their spirit and resilience have been incredible during such a difficult time for everyone.”

With expertise in providing living environments that closely resemble typical family homes, Heathcotes Group currently has 72 services nationwide. The company offers a wide range of specialist support for individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome, autism, Down Syndrome, learning disabilities, personality disorders, physical disabilities, Prader-Willi Syndrome, sensory impairments, speech difficulties and severe epilepsy.

Click here to find out more about the Heathcotes Group

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

Free careers support offered for workers, employers and students

Derbyshire County Council careers coaches are giving free help to groups who have been affected by the current situation.

Students in years 11, 12 and 13 whose exams have been cancelled can ask for advice about future employment, education and training. It’s not just children who can get in touch – their parents or carers can get in touch, either on their behalf or on their own behalf, for help.

Those who have lost their jobs or are furloughed are being signposted to a wide range of resources including use of the government’s ‘Skills Toolkit’ which has free courses for all abilities to help develop workplace and digital skills. And help is being given to employers who need to recruit workers for essential roles.

Councillor Alex Dale, Cabinet Member for Young People, said: “We are acutely aware of the pressure that many of our residents, businesses and services are under during the coronavirus pandemic. People are fearful for their jobs, their education and their futures.”

“We want to help where we can and extending our jobs and careers advice is one way we can do this. Our staff are friendly, highly knowledgeable and approachable.”

“I am sure this extended service will be of great benefit to those who need it and I urge them to get in touch.”

The careers coaches would normally offer face-to-face appointments, drop in sessions or group workshops but these are not possible at the moment. Instead support is being given by phone, email, video calls or text.

The free support is wide ranging according to the person or business’s specific needs and may include things like the best ways to job hunt or to recruit staff, improving interview skills, further training and funding opportunities.

Follow up sessions are offered after an initial appointment and continue to be free of charge as the work is government funded through the National Careers Service.

Find out more about the National Careers Service.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Featured, Home

Chesterfield Borough Council announce plans to reopen markets

Chesterfield Borough Council has now finalised its plans to restart its open-air markets, in line with both Government and industry guidance.

Regular market traders will be invited to return to the town centre to trade on the town’s general market from Monday 1 June, with further markets scheduled for Friday 5 June and Saturday 6 June. No casual traders will be allowed to join the regular market traders at this stage.

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, our staff, our market traders and the visiting public.

“We have conducted a specific review looking at how the council can help our outdoor market traders to start to return by introducing physical changes to the layout of the market to maintain safe social distancing and signage reminding people from different households to keep 2 metres apart and to regularly wash or gel their hands.”

“The council will not be restarting the Thursday’s popular flea market at this stage. We need to first learn the lessons from how next week’s general markets operate in terms of queuing systems, customer journeys and social distancing pinch points.”

“We are however committed to restarting the flea market as soon as possible and will continue to liaise with trader representatives about how this can be safely achieved.”

The council would expect returning regular market traders to be in place from 8am though many are likely to work reduced hours for a number of weeks.

Chesterfield Borough Council will also continue to support retailers selling essential goods to trade from the Market Hall. Access in and out of the Market Hall will however continue to be controlled to maintain safe social distancing within the premises.

The public toilets located in the Market Hall will re-open from Monday 1 June, with social distancing measures and extra cleaning processes in place; this may mean increased queues for the toilets.

Councillor Kate Sarvent continued: “As we move towards the phased re-opening of Chesterfield town centre, I would encourage residents to support our local traders on our general markets and at the Market Hall which will help us to restart our local economy.”

“Shopping local is important for a number of reasons including supporting our traders from a financial point of view and reducing the number of miles we are travelling to buy our essential products such as groceries, which has a positive impact on our environment.”

Chesterfield Borough Council is encouraging its shopworkers and residents to cycle or walk into the town centre, wherever possible.

The council had planned to lower car parking barriers and re-introduce car parking charges from Monday 1 June. These measures will now take effect from Wednesday 3 June and will include the reopening of the council’s two multi storey car parks at Saltergate and Beetwell Street, and two-barrier controlled surface car parks at Rose Hill and Soresby Street.

Residents are reminded to use their Resident’s Permit, which entitles them to park for free in most car parks before 10am and after 3pm Monday to Saturday and all day on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Find out more about this here.

Parking permits including pre-paid scratch cards are also available and significant cost reductions can be achieved through purchasing these in advance. Please make sure you properly display your permit when parking your car.

Funding generated from town centre car parking charges helps the council to cover the cost of several essential services, including CCTV, street cleaning and public toilets provision.

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

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