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Lime Living Estate Agents organise children’s art display to show support for NHS and key workers

23rd April 2020

Lime Living Estate Agents, based in Chesterfield town centre, have created a poster display with colourful artwork made by local children to thank NHS staff and key workers.

Jamie Wajs, Director of Lime Living Estate Agents, said: “We initially asked family & friends who are home schooling if they would like their children to have some fun and create a poster for our town centre office window. We gave a simple brief of make it bright, with a supportive and positive message for anyone passing and in particular for key workers and NHS staff – All of whom we are all very grateful to for their continued hard work, bravery and unselfish efforts during this pandemic.”

He added: “The posters that have been produced so far are excellent and we still have a few more window spaces to fill. If anyone would like to help fill our window, please email us!”

The posters are currently on display in the window of their office on Saltergate. Posters can be submitted by sending a landscape, jpeg image or photo of their design to info@limeliving.co.uk.

The Lime Living team are currently working in a remote capacity and are still able to advise those looking to move, as well as those with queries regarding residential lettings, sales, land, auctions and commercial services.

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

Council Leader lobbies Prime Minster for further financial support for local authorities

23rd April 2020

Cllr Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council has written to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson regarding the impact of COVID –19 on Chesterfield Borough Council.

In an open letter Cllr Gilby asks for additional financial support for dealing with the Coronavirus outbreak with additional costs and lost income for the authority totaling over £3.7 million.

She writes ” the financial cost to our council already stands at £3.781 million comprising £1.042 million in additional expenditure and £2.739 million in lost income; figures that will increase month on month for the foreseeable future. ”

Cllr. Gilby expresses her pride in the work of the staff at Chesterfield Borough Council in the response the Covid 19 crisis and the authorities commitment to doing what is necessary to tackle

In the letter Cllr Gilby states “I am nonetheless very pleased and proud to report that Chesterfield Borough Council is playing its part to the full in support of the government’s response.

We are working hard to maintain a full waste collection service, to keep the borough’s streets safe and clean, and our parks and open spaces open to enable our residents to exercise;

We have re-deployed staff to ensure that our 24/7 careline service continues to offer daily telephone and falls recovery support to over 2,500 elderly and vulnerable residents;

We have worked with our neighbouring district councils to provide secure accommodation and support services for all rough sleepers;

Our business rates team worked through the bank holiday weekend to process small business grants and our revenues and benefits team are dealing with unprecedented numbers of applications for universal credit, council tax support and other benefits;

Council staff have been re-deployed to local pharmacies to help them with medicine deliveries, to support the running of NHS testing facilities and to deliver food packages for the shielded within our population;

We have established a Chesterfield co-ordination hub to support Derbyshire County Council’s community response unit to link vulnerable residents to volunteers and voluntary organisations;

We have also made sensitive and respectful arrangements as the sole provider of crematorium services for north eastern Derbyshire; the numbers of cremations are now sadly two and a half times more than the numbers we would routinely be dealing with;

I have no issue with Chesterfield Borough Council making these and other investments; it is what we are here to do. However, it was always on the understanding that the government would recompense us for the additional direct costs of responding to the coronavirus pandemic; and also help us with the income that we will inevitably lose through the period of the crisis.”

For the latest information from Chesterfield Borough Council please visit their Covid 19 Hub at https://www.chesterfield.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus-information-hub.aspx

Read the letter to the Prime Minister in full.

Read our Supporting Local page, with lots of information on local businesses that can serve you during the coronavirus outbreak.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home

Dronfield Arts Festival create online hub for residents to celebrate VE Day 75 at home

22nd April 2020

The organisers of Dronfield Arts Festival have created an online hub with ways residents can take part in stay at home celebrations for VE Day 75 on Friday 8th May.

Even though the highly-anticipated celebrations planned at Dronfield Hall Barn will no longer be taking place, local digital design agency FWD Motion, who manage the Dronfield Arts Festival, have created a new hub with ways residents can show their wartime spirit.

Ideas for celebrating at home include holding a patriotic party from your house or garden, cooking wartime recipes or downloading their specially-themed craft activities.

In the lead up to the 8th May, there will be lots of free online activities to enjoy as part of their virtual entertainment programme featuring classic 40s artists including swing and vintage singer Jayne Darling, female harmony group La-Di-Dah and jazz vocalist Sarah Eastwood. Dronfield’s History Van will have online activities for children throughout the day itself.

Donations are still being welcomed online to support SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity and The Dronfield Heritage Trust charity who supports and maintains Dronfield Hall Barn.

The festival team are encouraging residents to share their celebrations and stories on social media to help boost morale. To see a full list of activities taking place and ways you can get involved, click here.

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

Chesterfield Borough Council reaches over £15 million paid in business support grants

22nd April 2020

Under the Government’s business grants scheme, Chesterfield Borough Council has paid more than £15.7 million to over 1,300 Chesterfield businesses in order to support them through the COVID-19 outbreak.

The business rates team are working hard to process applications as fast as possible, including working in the evening and at weekends.

Chesterfield Borough Council have stated that a number of eligible businesses still need to provide information before they are able to pay the business support grant. If you are eligible for a grant and you have not yet completed the application form, please apply as soon as possible, so the council can process the grant and make payment to you.

You can download the application form here (opens in new tab).

The council has also produced a new FAQs sheet about the business support grants, which aims to highlight which businesses are eligible and what the funding can be used for. Currently the following grants are in place to support businesses:

a small business grant of £10,000 for all businesses in receipt of small business rate relief
grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property where the rateable value is between £15,000 and £51,000

You can find more information on the council’s website here: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Click here to see the Detsination Chesterfield Coronavirus (COVID-19) business support page

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

Chesterfield manufacturer CBE+ becomes Apprentice Town ambassador

22nd April 2020

Local manufacturer CBE+ has become the latest Apprentice Town Ambassador, aiming to boost the number of young people participating in apprenticeships in the Chesterfield area.

Apprenticeship Ambassadors are businesses and organisations which sign up to actively promote and celebrate apprenticeships in Chesterfield and their benefits in strengthening the workforce.

Chesterfield is the first town in the UK to declare itself an ‘Apprentice Town’, demonstrating a commitment to growing the careers of young people alongside the economy. Chesterfield Borough Council is at the forefront of the Apprentice Town initiative which, with support from Ambassadors, is raising awareness of apprenticeships and advocating cooperative working across the education, business and learning community.

CEO, Marie Cooper, said: “Becoming an apprentice town ambassador is important to the future of Chesterfield and for the manufacturing industry in general. Failure to address the constant need to feed new people through a business and train them with job specific skills has led to a skill gap which has caused problems in the sector in the past. Therefore, initiatives like this are so important to bridge the gap between education and the business sector and is why we are proud to be a part of them.”

CBE+ have multiple apprentices on the shop floor studying mechanical engineering, as well as office apprentices in production, marketing and finance. When their course is finished, the business has a fully trained member of staff with both experience and the appropriate qualifications.

This decision is an extension to CBE+ becoming a cornerstone business in January 2020 to support the North East Derbyshire District Council to strengthen the area and ensure it is a great place to live and work.

Marie continued “Ten years ago, we were instigators in setting up a successful apprenticeship programme and have since worked with schools, colleges and young people to help them develop and enhance their employability skills. We believe the key to this was engaging with them on projects, recognising their strengths and how experiences develop certain strengths like confidence, resilience and commitment.”

“Most of the young people we have met, do not know what they want to do because they do not know the extent of what careers are available and are not fed the ideas which should inspire them to take a certain path. They can only get so much career advice from within schools and parents, so it is up to us as businesses to showcase what those opportunities are, to engage with them, talk to them and show them.”

Click here to find out more about the Apprentice Town initiative

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

The Tickled Trout provides meals for frontline NHS staff

21st April 2020

The Tickled Trout, a Gastro pub & restaurant based in Barlow, has brought together local businesses in order to provide meals to the frontline NHS staff at Chesterfield’s Royal Hospital.

The staff have teamed up with Chesterfield Community Food Hut to cook restaurant-quality meals and together with their suppliers Delitalia, Highfield House Farm and Country Fresh Foods, they are supplying portioned meals for the NHS workers in the ICU and Covid-19 wards.

Any surplus meals are donated to the Chesterfield Community Food Hut, a project that coordinates donations, identifies people in need and arranges essentials to be distributed to them.

Chris Mapp, Owner of The Tickled Trout said: “We vaccum packed it into portions so that they could either have them on a break or just take them home after work.”

He added: “We hope it helps them when and if they find time to have a break and refuel or just to take home after their gruelling day so they can have some respite. We are already doing hampers for our local community with the addition of Owen Taylor to the other suppliers which is working really well but we collectively wanted to show our gratitude to the incredible staff and medics who are working hard to save lives and will no doubt have very little time to relax and cook, never mind go shopping! Dear NHS, this is on us. Thank you.”

You can hear Chris talking more about their work to support the NHS in a video on the The Tickled Trout Facebook page.

They now plan to expand their meals service into other nearby hospitals such as the Sheffield Northern General Hospital.

Click here to find out more about The Tickled Trout

Images credit: Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS FT & Royal Primary Care

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

Derbyshire County Council waives Trusted Trader member fees

21st April 2020

Fees are to be removed for businesses and individuals registered with the Derbyshire County Council Trusted Trader scheme.

Following the outbreak of coronavirus, Derbyshire County Council has made the decision to waive fees to the scheme for all current members for 12 months. Members of the scheme pay a yearly fee of either £75 if they are sole traders or social enterprises or £110 for all other businesses.

The scheme, which has more than 1,000 members, was set up to help Derbyshire residents find honest and reliable traders who commit to doing a good job for a fair price, and to protect older and vulnerable adults by making it easier for them to avoid falling foul of rogue traders.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Carol Hart said: “We know this is an anxious time for many businesses and sole traders and we are working hard to support them however we can.”

“We greatly value our Trusted Trader members and one way we can help them is by waiving the fees to the scheme for the next 12 months.”

“We realise that in some cases this may not make a huge difference to their finances, but I’m sure they could all do without any added expense at this time.”

“We will be contacting all our Trusted Trader members in the next few days to let them know about this change.”

Click here to be taken to our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Business Support Page

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Chancellor announces support for innovative firms hit by coronavirus

21st April 2020

UK businesses driving innovation and development will be helped through the coronavirus outbreak with a £1.25 billion government support package, the Chancellor announced today (20th April).

Rishi Sunak said the targeted and tailored help would ensure firms in some of the most dynamic sectors of the UK economy – ranging from tech to life sciences – are protected through the crisis so they can continue to develop innovative new products and help power UK growth.

The comprehensive package includes a new £500 million loan scheme for high-growth firms, called the Future Fund, and £750 million of targeted support for small and medium sized businesses focusing on research and development.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, said “Britain is a global leader when it comes to innovation. Our start-ups and businesses driving research and development are one of our great economic strengths, and will help power our growth out of the coronavirus crisis.

This new, world-leading fund will mean they can access the capital they need at this difficult time, ensuring dynamic, fast-growing firms across all sectors will be able to continue to create new ideas and spread prosperity.”

Alok Sharma, Business Secretary, said ” The UK is a world leader in innovation and at this hugely challenging time, we know that young, fast-growing firms require tailored support to see them through. This wide-ranging package delivers important help that will protect some of the most dynamic sectors of our economy.

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, said ” We are the tech and creative capital of Europe, and it’s crucial to maintain our place. This funding will protect high growth businesses and enable the unicorns of tomorrow to thrive so that tech is in pole position to drive our post COVID recovery. The £500 million Future Fund has been designed to ensure high-growth companies across the UK receive the investment they need to continue during the crisis.”

Delivered in partnership with the British Business Bank and launching in May, the fund will provide UK-based companies with between £125,000 and £5 million from the government, with private investors at least matching the government commitment. These loans will automatically convert into equity on the company’s next qualifying funding round, or at the end of the loan if they are not repaid. To be eligible, a business must be an unlisted UK registered company that has previously raised at least £250,000 in equity investment from third party investors in the last five years.

The government is committing an initial £250 million in funding towards the scheme, which will initially be open until the end of September. The scale of the fund will be kept under review.

The £750 million of targeted support for the most R&D intensive small and medium size firms will be available through Innovate UK’s grants and loan scheme.

Innovate UK, the national innovation agency, will accelerate up to £200 million of grant and loan payments for its 2,500 existing Innovate UK customers on an opt-in basis. An extra £550 million will also be made available to increase support for existing customers and £175,000 of support will be offered to around 1,200 firms not currently in receipt of Innovate UK funding. The first payments will be made by mid-May.

This package builds on the government’s existing support for innovative, high-growth firms including the £2.5 billion British Patient Capital fund, the upcoming £200 million Life Sciences Investment Programme, internationally competitive R&D tax reliefs and our major commitments to increase public R&D spending to £22 billion by 2024-25.

For information about national and local support you can also visit the Destination Chesterfield Corona Virus Business Support Page.

We are supporting local during the Corona Virus, check out how you can support local businesses who can deliver to your home, keep you entertained and offer support for your business.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Home

Government launches new coronavirus business support finder tool

21st April 2020

A new ‘support finder’ tool will help businesses and self-employed people across the UK to quickly and easily determine what financial support is available to them during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new online platform helps businesses easily access the financial support they are eligible for during the coronavirus pandemic.

Access the platform here

A simple questionnaire takes business owners under a minute to complete and will signpost them to relevant government financial support.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said “Businesses of all shapes and sizes play a vital role in our economy, which is why we want to make it as easy as possible for all of them to access our wide-ranging package of financial support during this challenging time.”

This online questionnaire takes just minutes to complete and will quickly signpost a business to the loans, grants or other schemes they could be eligible for.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said “We’ve launched an unprecedented package of support to protect jobs, businesses and incomes during these challenging times.

Millions are already benefitting and this new online tool will allow firms and individuals to identify what help they are entitled to in a matter of minutes.

We are doing everything we can to make our support as accessible and as easy to navigate as possible.”

To support business, workers and the self-employed during the coronavirus outbreak, government has:

Made up to £330 billion of loans and guarantees for businesses
offered to pay 80 per cent of the wages of furloughed workers, up to £2,500;
Deferred the next quarter of VAT payments for firms, until the end of June – representing a £30 billion injection into the economy;
Introduced £20 billion in tax relief and cash grants to help businesses with cash flow;
Introduced the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes for both SMEs and larger businesses to make it easier to access vital financial support;
Offered to cover the cost of statutory sick pay;
Entirely removed all eligible properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector from business rates temporarily;
Introduced the Self-employment Income Support Scheme, offering a taxable grant worth 80% of trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 a month;
Deferred Self Assessment payments due in July 2020 until 31 January 2021;
Allowed companies required to hold AGMs to do so flexibly, which may include postponing them or holding them online;
suspended wrongful trading provisions for company directors to remove the threat of personal liability during the pandemic;
Offered a 3 month extension for filing accounts to businesses hit by coronavirus.

For information about national and local support you can also visit the Destination Chesterfield Corona Virus Business Support Page.

We are supporting local during the Corona Virus, check out how you can support local businesses who can deliver to your home, keep you entertained and offer support for your business.

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

Countywide effort to deliver emergency food parcels

18th April 2020

More than 400 emergency food parcels have been sent to residents in need across the county, with more to be delivered, as part of an ongoing scheme led by Derbyshire County Council.

Derbyshire County Council are working with district and borough councils and local voluntary organisations, to supply food to:

people advised by the NHS to self-isolate because they are at high risk of severe illness from coronavirus due to an underlying health condition and who have no friends or family to call on for support
people with underlying health conditions or aged over 70 who have been advised by government to minimise social contact and who have no friends or family to call on for support
people and households who are required to socially isolate for a period of 7 or 14 days due to having symptoms of coronavirus and who have no friends or family to call on for support
people experiencing financial hardship and therefore unable to buy food

Leader of Derbyshire County Council Councillor Barry Lewis said: “We know people are struggling as a result of the coronavirus either because they can’t go to the shops themselves and have no one around who can help, or because of the financial strain due to being laid off, furloughed or self-employed.”

“This is and just one of a package of measures we’ve put in place to support our residents at this difficult and challenging time and we’re doing all we can to get emergency supplies to the people who need it most as part of our Derbyshire Community Response Unit.”

The council are providing food supplies with the initial delivery supplemented by central government and packaging donated by Amazon.

People who have requested help and have been advised by the NHS to self-isolate can request a basic food parcel free of charge. All other groups can order one for a cost of £25 per box. Individuals with means to pay will be invoiced £25 per parcel at a later date to help continue to provide the service for others in need.

Food parcels are packed centrally in premises loaned free of charge by the Chatsworth Estate and delivered to people’s homes in conjunction with district and borough councils and voluntary sector organisations. The contents of the boxes are generic and provide food for one person for a week.

Councillor Lewis added: “At times like this, communities, councils, businesses and the voluntary sector need to pull together and I’m immensely proud of the efforts being made to ensure support reaches people who have no friends and family to call on to help them.”

“I’d like to thank all the volunteers around the county playing a vital role in making these deliveries as quickly and smoothly as possible, to Amazon for supplying the packaging and to the Chatsworth Estate for providing a base for our logistics hub free of charge and at short notice. This really is what Derbyshire Spirit is all about.”

Anyone who does not have any family or friends to call on to help with shopping can request an emergency food parcel online or call the Community Response Unit helpline tel: 01629 535091 on Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 9am to 1pm. Please be aware that phone lines may be busy.

Since launching at the beginning of April, the Community Response Unit has dealt with requests for help from more than 2,000 people in need of essential services – such as delivery of food and prescriptions – because they have no friends or family who can help.

Other measures Derbyshire County Counil have put in place to provide food to those who need it include:

£100,000 grant to Foundation Derbyshire to support and strengthen food bank provision across Derbyshire. The donation was made from the £1 million fund to support local communities through the coronavirus pandemic we announced on 12 March 2020.
Supporting 200 schools to provide 4,000 hampers for pupils eligible for benefits-related free school meals. Schools are buying these hampers from us to pass on to those pupils who are eligible for free school meals. Other schools are providing their eligible pupils with vouchers, or meals on site. Schools have decided which option is appropriate for them and their pupils.

There are 23 food banks in Derbyshire and there are donation points in supermarkets across the county. They are run by charities and non-profit organisations and mainly run by volunteers, and they provide a minimum of 3 days’ emergency food and support to people experiencing a crisis.

Derbyshire’s food banks are located in Ashbourne, Belper, Bolsover, Buxton, Chesterfield, Clay Cross, Glossop, Heanor, Holmewood, Ilkeston, Killamarsh, Langley Mill, Littlemoor, Long Eaton, Matlock, New Mills, Ripley, South Normanton and Swadlincote.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home

Chesterfield tea-blender collaborates with local traders to launch gift hamper deliveries

17th April 2020

Gail Hannan, owner of Chesterfield-based Cup & Saucer, is collaborating with local businesses to produce tailored gift hampers that can be delivered to those who are isolating.

Cup & Saucer, who blend and sell quality loose tea with a Peak District twist, won the title of Food Producer of the Year at the Chesterfield Food & Drink Awards 2018. The company has traded at various markets & events and expanded in early 2020 by opening their own shop.

The shop is temporarily closed but now offer online sales and local contact-free delivery. Gail realised this was not an option for many of her fellow market traders so contacted a number of local companies in order to offer support and promotion.

Gail said: “It has all happened really quickly, but the gift hampers are proving to be really popular with our customers! I am working closely with many food & drink producers who I have met primarily through local markets, to create bespoke hampers for people to either order for themselves as a treat in isolation, or to send as a gift to a loved one.”

“Our most recent hamper aimed at chocoholics sold out within a day of advertising! This includes products from ourselves; Rate Good Brownies; Cacoa Elora; Jades Delights; Urban Flamingo and Homemade at Haslemere.”

She added: “It’s actually a really great opportunity for us to showcase our products to a wider audience. It obviously won’t change the fact that this will in no doubt be a devastating year for our businesses, but I am determined to not let this destroy what has taken me so much time and energy to build.”

Hampers include a Totally Tea Hamper, a Chocoholics Dream Hamper and two Derbyshire Producers Gift Hampers and can be ordered directly through the Cup & Saucer website. For a full list of products, or for more information, visit www.cupandsauceronline.co.uk/shop

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