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Quarantine Cuisine cooks up Live Demo Kitchen

Foodies from Chesterfield and across the UK have been promised a series of live cooking demos to be streamed by new Facebook group, Quarantine Cuisine.

Run by Chesterfield Champion, Edge Events Management Ltd (the company behind the Chesterfield Food and Drink Festival), Quarantine Cuisine has been created as a platform for people to share recipes to cook at home and to connect with like-minded food lovers.

The demo kitchen idea is set to take the group to the next level after reaching over 1,000 members in only a week.  Filmed ‘alfresco style’ from a Chesterfield garden, chefs will conduct the demos in slow-time so that everyone can cook along.  And chefs will be available online during the streaming to answer any questions.

So far the group has focused on interesting cuisines from around the world that can be cooked at home easily.  As well as stage-by-stage photo recipes from Richard Alsop, one of the owners of Edge Events Management Ltd, members have also been encouraged to share their ideas and feedback.

Edge Events’ Richard Alsop comments: “It’s fantastic to have hit the 1,000 milestone with the group and we are excited for the launch of our cooking demos.

“Whether it’s just for you or for the whole family, all the dishes are designed to be practical, affordable, healthy and freezable; so there will be no waste whatsoever!

“The demos will be filmed in our own front garden, in line with social spacing.  We have already spoken with production and chefs and we can broadcast these events without anybody coming within 10 metres of each other.  There will be multi-camera angles and audio production so you will get a really high quality experience to enjoy in your very own home.

“The first demo will be by myself and I am really looking forward to showing you how easy these dishes really are to make.  It will be my first time taking to the knives live on camera for the first time ever; so please do go easy on me!

“Prior to the demo, we will announce the ingredients you will need and we will give a full week to allow time to include them in your essential shopping list. We do not want people rushing out just for the ingredients; we still want you to be safe and only add them to your full shopping list.

“Once the cook-along has finished, we then encourage you to post photos of your attempts along with any feedback!

“The more, the merrier, so please do join the group if you haven’t done so already.”

The first cooking demo will take place with Richard Alsop from Edge Events on Saturday 9th May at 6pm, streamed live from Quarantine Cuisine Presented by Edge Events Management Ltd.  Once registered, members are invited to suggest the recipe they would like to see Richard cook by commenting on this post.

Edge Events Management Ltd supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.  The company’s past events have included the Chesterfield Food and Drink Festival and the Chesterfield Street Food and Grooves Festival, both of which are set to return in 2021.

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

Funding announced for HS2 site in Chesterfield

D2N2 has approved funding of £2.4m for Chesterfield Borough Council to invest in HS2 infrastructure.

The investment from D2N2 will go towards the development of the Chesterfield railway station area in order to capitalise on the economic benefits that HS2 will bring to the town.

This funding will be particularly beneficial to the area’s future as the local economy recovers from the effects of COVID-19.

D2N2 will be funding the development through its Local Growth Fund allocation, a funding programme that enables D2N2 to invest in projects that benefit the regional economy.

The funding announcement recognises the transformative opportunity that HS2 will bring to Chesterfield and the northern Derbyshire area, which will contribute to the achievement of the East Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy.

Chesterfield Borough Council is leading a partnership which includes Derbyshire County Council, Network Rail, HS2 Limited and East Midlands Railway to bring forward development at key sites in and around Chesterfield railway station.

Previous studies suggest that around £25 billion of the £74 billion growth in the region could come into Chesterfield and northern Derbyshire if anticipated investment decisions are made.

The funding will enable a step-change in developing and delivering Chesterfield Borough Council’s emerging HS2 Station Masterplan, which aims to bring disused sites back into use and maximise inward investment and growth for leisure, businesses and visitors.

D2N2 Chair Elizabeth Fagan said: “HS2 will have a transformational effect, not just on Chesterfield but the whole of our region for generations to come.”

“HS2 will greatly aid our efforts in upskilling our residents to meet the demands of a changing labour market as well as helping us achieve our goal of a carbon-free tomorrow for the region.”

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “The development of the station Master Plan is a significant project for Chesterfield and northern Derbyshire’s economy.”

“Our approach to HS2 has been to seek and develop benefits that will help local people find skilled and well-paid jobs and create a station and a destination to inspire future generations.”

“HS2 is a once in a generation opportunity to transform the fortunes of the borough with the prospect of 10,200 new jobs, 4,700 new homes and an annual uplift of £270 million in expenditure on local goods and services.”

The news comes in the wake of the Government announcement that confirmed the proposed HS2 line will be built in its entirety, with lines beyond Birmingham through the midlands and the north.

Find out more about the plans for HS2 in Chesterfield

HS2 Chesterfield Station

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home

Chesterfield Borough Council offers support for commercial tenants

Chesterfield Borough Council has agreed a package of support for its commercial tenants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The council, which is a landlord to over 400 commercial tenants, is eager to work with them to help them to get through this difficult period and have put the a the following measures in place for those who need support:

  • Voluntary / charity sector tenants  – Rent charged during the period of 1 April to 30 June 2020 will be waived.
  • Retail, food, leisure and other large businesses forced to be closed down – Businesses who have been forced to close will automatically have the option to defer rental payments for the period of 1 April to 30 June 2020.  The sum deferred will be recovered as part of the rental payments made over the following 18 months.
  • Other office and industrial businesses – All other businesses can apply to the council for their rental payments to be similarly deferred for the period of 1 April to 30 June 2020. Each application will be assessed on its individual merits, taking into account the type of business and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its ability to continue to trade.   If agreed, the sum deferred will be recovered as part of the rental payments made over the following 18 months.

The council will be contacting all tenants directly and details of how to apply to defer your rental payments can be found at: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus-information-hub/businesses-information

Councillor Terry Gilby, cabinet member for economic growth, said: “We understand that this is a difficult and uncertain time for many Chesterfield businesses, and we are working hard to ensure that they get the support they need.

“Rebuilding the local economy following the COVID-19 pandemic is a priority for Chesterfield Borough Council. We want to support our local businesses as much as we can to try and ensure their future viability and sustain the large numbers of jobs that they provide for local people.”

For information on business support during the Coronavirus Outbreak visit the Destination Chesterfield Business Support page

Find out how to support local businesses during the Coronavirus Outbreak.

Chesterfield Innovation Centres - Tapton Innovation Centre

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

Vicar Lane offers free parking for the NHS

To thank all of the NHS workers doing their bit during the coronavirus pandemic, Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is offering entry to its car park at no cost.

NHS workers wishing to sign up for this offer should send an email from their NHS email address with their name and vehicle license plate to uksupport@reefparking.com. Terms and conditions apply, read more here (opens in new tab).

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager, Vicar Lane said: “To say thank you to all of the NHS staff who are working so hard right now, we want to offer entry to our car park at no cost to the NHS for the duration of this pandemic. We hope this will make life a bit easier for those of you who need to get into town during this uncertain time.”

Vicar Lane wanted to help children and resident say ‘thank you’ to some of the amazing community heroes who are working hard at this time to help others and provide households with vital services and have created some free colouring templates for children to enjoy and display at home. You can download your colouring pages here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Chesterfield artist to create free open signs for local businesses

Chesterfield mural artist, Peter Barber is supporting local organisations by offering a free hand painted ‘OPEN’ sign and launching a social media campaign to celebrate Chesterfield businesses as they reopen after the Coronavirus Outbreak.

Peter Barber is a mural and sign painter, based in Chesterfield but working UK wide. He specialises in spray painting, photo realism and advertising murals.

Peter said “I am offering local independent businesses, sole traders, shops and pubs a free hand painted “Open” Sign.

I am hoping that when the time is right there will be a flurry of positive optimistic images shared on social media of local businesses with their Open sign.  This will be an opportunity to celebrate and promote Chesterfield based business.”

Chesterfield businesses that would like to request a sign should email info@peterbarber.co.uk or visit his facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/modernmurals

Once businesses receive their sign and they are open and trading they are encouraged to share pictures of their business and the sign across their social media channels with the hashtags#lovechesterfield #supportlocal #shoplocal #freeandopen #opensigns #withlove

For further information on how Chesterfield businesses are supporting the local community during the Coronavirus Outbreak visit Destination Chesterfield’s Supporting local website.

Chesterfield artist to create free open signs for local businesses

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

Extra cash for councillors to donate to local community groups

Derbyshire County Council councillors have been given extra funding so they can help local groups in their area.

Each year every councillor has £3,860 which they can donate to groups in their area which aim to improve the lives of local people. At a meeting on Thursday (23 April) our Cabinet agreed a proposal to double this amount of money, giving each councillor £7,720 for this financial year.

Derbyshire County Council Leader, Councillor Barry Lewis, said: “Local councillors know their areas the best and are well placed to spend this money where it is going to make the most difference.”

“For some local groups a small donation may make the difference to that organisation making it through this pandemic.”

“These funds cannot usually be used to help groups with general running costs, but given the circumstances we are lifting this requirement.”

Anyone who runs a local group in their community and wants to find out more should contact their local councillor here.

The total cost of £247,000 is to come from Derbyshire County Council reserve funds.

Please note these are photos from our image library and were not taken recently. 

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

Scarecrow competition supports Royal’s urgent appeal

A celebratory keyworker scarecrow competition has raised smiles and almost £2,000 for Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Residents of Matlock Road in Walton paid to enter their handmade designs to raise vital funds for NHS equipment. Scarecrows recognised doctors and nurses, police officers, supermarket staff, refuse collectors and many more essential workers.

The latest £500, which was donated by Cheese Factor based at Chesterfield Market Hall, has brought the total amount raised to £1,850. Although no formal prize for the competition, Cheese Factor has also gifted a cheese board to the winning family, whose design was a celebration of Chesterfield’s carers.

Simon Davidson, Owner of Cheese Factor said: “I wanted to say well done to everyone who has supported this competition. You have all shown amazing creativity and generosity.  It has been fantastic to see the local community coming together during these challenging times and it has made me feel proud to live and work in Chesterfield.”

Catherine Allen, a member of the Neighbourhood Watch, who set up the Just Giving Page, said: “As our Neighbourhood Watch group was unable to meet for our usual monthly catch up, we decided to come together in a different way.

“One of the ladies in the group suggested a scarecrow competition, as a thank you to the key workers to whom we are so thankful.  Another lady suggested making it a fundraiser.

“We thought it would be fun to do and would allow participation by all ages in our community.

“All entries to the competition were asked to make a minimum donation of £10 per household and then the additional funds raised have been through advertising the Just Giving page.

“The Protect Our NHS campaign led by Chesterfield Royal Hospital seemed like the perfect recipient.”

The keyworker scarecrow competition was judged by Toby Perkins MP on 18th April, who awarded first prize to a tribute to local carers.

The first prize scarecrow was to a tribute to local carers

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure

Chesterfield technology company launches Virtual Graduate Fair to support students and universities

Inspired to find a solution for graduates and students affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Chesterfield technology company Oasis Studio have developed the ‘Virtual Graduate Fair’, allowing students to showcase their skills online to visitors around the world.

The online system allows students to display videos, images, and documents within their own custom CGI exhibition stands, all of which can be viewed by potential employers at the click of a button.

Up and down the country, the coronavirus pandemic has forced cancellations and postponements of everything from exams to graduation ceremonies. As a result, students are missing out on one key element of graduation – an end of year show and the opportunity for students to showcase three years of hard work to friends and family, the community, and most importantly, potential employers. A recent report found over 60% of students now have reduced confidence in their post-graduation job prospects.

The event also allows universities to promote the high standard of work created within their halls and allow their graduates to stand out from the crowd as they prepare to leave education and enter the competitive world of work.

Paul Deakin, Director of Oasis Studio, explains: “Competing for your first job after leaving university is difficult at the best of times. The Virtual Graduate Fair allows universities to continue offering the typical end of year shows and graduate fairs which have been threatened this year by COVID-19”.

Paul added: “We hope more universities will see the value in helping their graduates to promote themselves to a much wider audience – and add a bit of an extra boost to their career prospects!”

Oasis Studio is currently in talks with a number of universities, with graduates of creative degrees expected to be among the first to trial the platform.

Click here to find out more about Oasis Studio

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

Work to begin on Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

Work is set to begin on the new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre next week (27 April), to ensure the site is available for local businesses to move in to at the earliest possible opportunity and benefit the local economy.

Chesterfield Borough Council’s contractor, Robert Woodhead Ltd, will take control of the site and begin groundworks on part of the Holywell Cross (Donut) Car Park in Chesterfield town centre as preparation for the construction of the new Enterprise Centre.

Developing a thriving borough continues to be a priority for the Council and that includes supporting the business community during the COVID 19 outbreak and into recovery. Robert Woodhead Ltd have completed assessments ahead of the work beginning and have confirmed they will follow strict COVID 19 social distancing guidelines to ensure the safety of employees and the public.

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth, said: “We appreciate there may be concerns around any construction activity starting in the town centre right now, given we remain at a key stage of the national response to the COVID 19 outbreak.

“The contractor will be working to the latest Construction Site Operating Procedures published by the Construction Leadership Council in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

“With these essential works progressing safely we hope to minimise any delay to the start of the main build and ultimately its completion. This major construction project will also help contribute to Chesterfield’s post COVID 19 recovery with the council’s requirement for Robert Woodhead Ltd to source local labour, supplies and equipment.

“The project will result in high quality, flexible, office space being made available on easy-in and easy-out letting terms to businesses just starting out or looking to grow their company here in Chesterfield.”

Tom Woodhead, Business Services Director at Robert Woodhead Ltd, said: “Over the last few weeks, we have been working with our industry peers, government and industry bodies to understand how the government guidelines and CLC Site Operating Procedures can be implemented on construction sites.

“We have developed stringent operating procedures, risk and method statements to enable us to start on site to deliver this exciting project in collaboration with Chesterfield Borough Council.”

Groundworks are likely to take around eight weeks to complete, running from the end of April onwards. Whilst these works are taking place the building design will be finalised, supplies of materials ordered and sub-contractors hired. These activities will put the project in a good position to proceed to full construction later on in the year.

The new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre will accommodate a range of businesses within 32 office suites. It will also offer access to outstanding shared facilities and local business support services.

The new centre is an important addition to Chesterfield Borough Council’s commercial property portfolio and will hopefully be a key component in Chesterfield’s post COVID 19 recovery.

The Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre project has benefited from grant funding support from the Sheffield City Region Investment Fund.

To find out more about your business being based in the Enterprise Centre email either claire.cunningham@chesterfield.gov.uk or hannah.ramsdale@chesterfield.gov.uk.

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

East Midlands Chamber responds to UK Finance’s update on CBILS applications

UK Finance, the trade body representing more than 250 financial services firms across the UK, today announced that more than £2.8bn of funding had been lent to businesses under the Government’s Cornonavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

The organisation said that more than 9,000 loans have been approved over the past seven days, taking the total number of loans allocated to 16,600. Lenders have received more than 36,000 applications since the scheme was launched earlier this month.

Commenting, Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “Although the increase in firms accessing CBILS is encouraging, there is still a clear need to ensure that the gap between applications received and those processed and approved can be closed quickly to ensure funding can reach the businesses which need it.

“Many firms are urgently trying to access financial support to help them ease cash flow and wage pressures and having to wait for their applications to be processed could be having a critical impact on their operations.

“We are also hearing from a lot of local businesses that accessing the scheme is a complex and lengthy process with no consistent approach between lenders, which is causing real problems on the ground.

“Government and lenders must continue to work together to address these common issues and improve the way the scheme works, so more firms on the frontline can access the cash they need, quickly.”

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

Chesterfield Borough Council leisure activities go digital

Following the ongoing temporary closures of both Queen’s Park Sports Centre and the Healthy Living Centre, the Chesterfield Borough Council leisure team have been putting together a selection of digital sessions that include dance classes, gymnastics, high-intensity interval training and Pilates.

You can get involved in these classes by visiting either of the center’s Facebook pages below:

The team have also put together a selection of downloadable resources that can be used to support your child’s education around health and fitness. These cover a range of topics from swimming to gymnastics and can be downloaded from the council’s website.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing (right), said: “I want to thank all of our customers for their understanding and support at this difficult time. Our leisure team are working hard to put together digital classes and activities for the whole family that will encourage people to lead a healthy lifestyle and exercise at home.”

With regards to the reopening of the leisure centres, the council will continue to evaluate the situation and update the public in line with the latest Government guidance. If you are currently a member of the leisure centres, your direct debit has been stopped and the council will not resume taking payments until after the centres have reopened.

The midwifery team based at Queen’s Park Sports Centre are still taking appointments, please contact the midwifery team directly to discuss arrangements for visiting the Centre.

Chesterfield Borough Council will continue to provide updates about its services on its dedicated coronavirus information hub: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus-information-hub/leisure-services-updates

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

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