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Online careers programme launched by Derbyshire Education Business Partnership

Derbyshire Education Business Partnership (DEBP) have launched a new online careers programme, Directions, which aims to support young people at home due to the impact of COVID-19.

The programme is available to young people in secondary schools, special educational needs or disability schools and includes access to careers advice, employer workshops and study resources.

DEBP are offering one-to-one information, advice and guidance, as well as group activities covering applications, apprenticeships, employability, resilience, transition and stress management. The team are also are working closely with local employers to offer Q&A’s, video diaries, networking and virtual visits to help ensure young people are developing the skills employers’ value and look for.

Clare Talati, Director at DEBP said, “We have a team of qualified Careers and Employability professionals who are ready to support online. Normally they are based within schools or visit them on a regular basis. We want to carry on supporting our partner schools and others to assist young people with their future choices.”

To be a part of the programme, parents, carers, career leaders, teachers or students are asked to register their interest here. A member of the DEBP team will then get in touch to guide you through the next steps.

For more information about Directions please email Dayna Stubbs at dayna.stubbs@debp.org.

Derbyshire Education Business Partnership, alongside Destination Chesterfield, are the main organisers of the Made in Chesterfield campaign, which works with local schools and their students to raise the profile of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) sector careers. The initiative was as a finalist in the Business and Education Partnership category at the East Midlands Chamber Derbyshire Business Awards 2019.

Click here to find out more about Made in Chesterfield

Year 11 GCSE students from Eckington School visited the award-winning Penny Hydraulics in early 2020 as part of the Made in Chesterfield campaign

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

Chesterfield Half Marathon in coronavirus crisis charity rallying call

Organisers, partners and sponsors of the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon have come together to urge the residents of Chesterfield & North Derbyshire to the support the event’s two key local charities ‘in any way possible’.

With people across the UK taking part in ‘run five, donate five, nominate five’ challenges to support charities under increased strain due to the coronavirus outbreak, organisers of the Redbrik Half are encouraging local communities to keep active and support Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice wherever possible.

The challenge encourages people to run, jog or walk 5km – or complete other forms of physical exercise – before donating a minimum of £5 to a charity of their choice and in turn nominating five friends to do the same, usually via social media.

Event organisers MLS Contracts have been joined by headline sponsor Redbrik Estate Agents and event partners Peak FM, Blachford UK Ltd, Pronto Paints, Chesterfield Borough Council, Destination Chesterfield, HRM, North Derbyshire Running Club and Franklin & Sons Ltd in issuing a rallying call to raise funds and awareness for Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

Ashgate Hospicecare is among the charities across the country helping to relieve pressure on the NHS after opening its doors to coronavirus patients, and launched an #AshgateUrgentAppeal as an urgent plea for public support earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice’s #LetsPledge campaign encourages people across the region to pledge support for the charity in any way they can. Public support will enable the charity to continue providing vital care for vulnerable children and young people.

Since its inception in 2017, the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon has seen more than £140,000 pledged to good causes – including Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

John Timms, Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon Event Director, said: “The Redbrik Half Marathon’s primary focus is supporting the local community, including fantastic charities such as Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.”

“We’re incredibly proud of the response from event partners and local people in pledging their support for Ashgate and Bluebell Wood at this particularly crucial time.”

“Support for charities at this time is vital, especially those which support frontline workers and provide essential services to the most vulnerable people.”

“As an event which aims to promote and improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Chesterfield, we felt the ‘run five, donate five, nominate five’ idea would be a great way of encouraging people to support fantastic causes while staying healthy, within the Government’s current social distancing guidelines.”

Mark Ross, Managing Director of event headline sponsor Redbrik, said: “At Redbrik, we want to do as much as we can to give back to the local community and this desire is the essence of the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.”

“Given the Covid-19 pandemic, and the attention understandably focused on healthcare frontlines, we need to ensure that Ashgate and Bluebell Wood receive more support than ever, in terms of both awareness and funding, so their vital work can continue.”

To support Ashgate Hospicecare, click here. For more information on how to support Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, click here.

Click here more information on the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon.

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

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

Derbyshire County Council to re-open household waste recycling centres

Derbyshire County Council will re-open household waste recycling centres ‘as soon as possible’.

Councillor Simon Spencer, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, said: “We are doing all we can to get our household waste recycling centres re-open as soon as we can, but this is going to take a few weeks rather than a few days.

“I know that many people would like to see our centres open and I’d like to thank them for their patience and understanding.”

“Before we re-open we need to make sure that we consider all of the practicalities, like putting social distancing measures in place, and make sure that our contractors can deal with the waste that people bring into us, many of whom have been closed since lockdown started.”

“We’re pulling all the stops out to make this happen as quickly as possible, and as soon as we can confirm a date we will let people know.”

Councillor Spencer added: “We will also need to work with the police as we will need their agreement for plans to manage the traffic around many of our sites, especially those next to major roads.”

“And we need the Government to make it clear that visiting a site is classed as an essential journey.”

Chesterfield Borough Council have also reported receiving a high number of enquiries about thier waste collection and recycling service.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing (right), said: “Collecting waste and recycling is one of the most important services we provide, and we will do everything we can to maintain this service during the current crisis. Please ensure you continue putting your bin out for your scheduled collection.”

Unlike some other nearby counties, Chesterfield Borough Council is continuing to collect garden waste through the green bin collections in order to stop this building up in people’s gardens and homes. They have also asked residents whose bins may have been missed to contact them to rearrange collection.

Crooked Spire Lunchtime concerts

Posted in About Chesterfield, Featured, Home

New website highlights how Chesterfield’s businesses and service providers are adapting during lockdown

A new website is helping Chesterfield’s independent businesses and service providers continue to operate and supply their services and products during lockdown.

People are being urged to #LoveChesterfield and use the new website to access the products and services of local businesses and organisations during lockdown.

Developed and launched by Destination Chesterfield www.chesterfield.co.uk/supportinglocal has details of nearly 100 shops, food and drink businesses, training, support and service providers in and around Chesterfield that are continuing to operate by adapting their services to meet the needs of the community.

And Destination Chesterfield wants to add even more businesses, organisations and supports services to the free online directory!

A listing on the website is FREE and Destination Chesterfield is keen to hear from any business or service provider that is offering or adapting products and services in support of the COVID-19 effort.

There are eight categories on the website – Shopping, Food and Drink, Dine at Home, Keeping Busy, Pets, Education & Training, Business Services and Community Support – all combined in an easy to use directory. Details of the businesses and how you can purchase or access the products or services are listed on the site. Business owners and service providers can supply their details free of charge for inclusion on the new website.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager commented: “The mission for Destination Chesterfield has always been to encourage as many people as possible to support the town and celebrate its achievements. The resilience that local businesses and service providers have shown during lockdown has been remarkable and we hope the new website will become a valuable tool in supporting them further in their efforts to remain operational.

“We’re encouraging everyone to #LoveChesterfield and continue supporting small independent businesses and service providers throughout lockdown. Every trader and service producer plays an important part in the local economy and we all need to work together to can ensure their survival beyond these extremely challenging times.”

National retailers are currently deluged with consumer demand, causing long queues into both their websites and stores, as well as prolonged delivery times. Shopping local at independent retailers not only supports a small business but also puts money back into the local economy.

If you’re a business owner or service provider and would like to be considered to be included on the new website, please complete the form at https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/supportinglocal/get-involved/ .

To find out more about the new ‘Supporting Local’ site, please visit: www.chesterfield.co.uk/supportinglocal.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

1.4m sq ft North Derbyshire warehouse development launched

A 1.4m sq ft Horizon29 warehouse and logistics development has been launched in North Derbyshire.

The scheme at the former Coalite works, just off junction 29a of the M1 and part-funded by D2N2, is being developed in two phases and is targeted at occupiers looking to take advantage of the first class location and labour supply.

The project benefited from a £5.8m injection of funds by D2N2 from its Local Growth Fund allocation.  The local growth fund is a funding programme that enables D2N2 to invest in projects that benefit the regional economy.

The developers have completed extensive ground works and infrastructure upgrades on this strategic brownfield site and are shortly to start works to improve the local highway network and service upgrades to enable the delivery of development plots in early 2021.

The first phase of Horizon29 was recently granted detailed planning consent for 824,000 sq. ft in five units ranging from 73,000 sq. ft to 310,000 sq. ft. Planning applications are pending on a second phase of 574,000 sq. ft in three units ranging from 113,000 sq. ft to 250,000 sq. ft.

Sajeeda Rose, Chief Executive of D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership said:“I’m pleased to see the first phase of the Horizon29 development progressing well.”

“As thoughts turn to how our region recovers from the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, projects like Horizon29 will be key in supporting our regional economy recovering and creating jobs for our people and communities.”

Gareth Williams, Development Director of St Francis Group, an expert in brownfield development and regeneration, said: “Horizon29 is one of the East Midlands’ newest and most refined industrial developments.

“The project will meet the very best standards expected by today’s occupiers, with bespoke buildings built to meet any specific requirements. The units will sit in a prime logistics environment just minutes from the M1 motorway, making it one of the UK’s most prominent new industrial and logistics parks.”

Nigel Lax, Development Director of iSec said: “As well as stimulating significant local job opportunities, we also expect the scheme to stimulate fresh inward investment in the area, giving a significant boost to the local economy and at 1.4 million sq ft in total, the scheme will play a national role in the ever-expanding logistics market, based on rapidly increasing demand from e-commerce.

“Horizon29 will be opening for business and available to logistics and manufacturing companies looking to return to some degree of normality in the not too distant future and capitalises on an outstanding location close to Chesterfield, Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home

Volunteers sought for local Covid Response Hub

Chesterfield-based charity Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA), has set up a Covid Response Hub for Chesterfield and the surrounding areas, and is now seeking volunteers to help assist local residents.

The Covid Response Hub is currently handling an increasing number of referrals each day from Derbyshire County Council’s Community Response Unit. Their small staff team triages requests from local people for help with shopping, medicines and befriending and matches them up with the local agencies, groups and volunteers who are able to come to their aid.

Chief Executive, Jacqui Willis (right), said “There is a wealth of people in our area with a huge range of skills and we’d really like to bring them into the work of the Response Hub. We’re working in a fast-changing environment under challenging conditions, to bring vital support to isolated and vulnerable residents.”

She added: “There are a number of roles within the Hub which we need to fill to enhance our effectiveness and support our staff. We particularly want to hear from people who have DBS checks, and those with professional skills such as project management, marketing, counselling and social media. I’d urge anyone with these skills who has some time to give, to get in touch with me.”

To find out more, email info@dva.org.uk or call 01246 555908.

For more information on local support services, please visit our Supporting Local page here.

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

Small businesses boosted by bounce back loans

Small businesses will benefit from a new fast-track finance scheme providing loans with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders, the Chancellor announced yesterday (Monday 27 April).

Rishi Sunak said the new Bounce Back Loans scheme, which will provide loans of up to £50,000, would help bolster the existing package of support available to the smallest businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The scheme has been designed to ensure that small firms who need vital cash injections to keep operating can get finance in a matter of days, and comes alongside the £6 billion awarded in business grants, supporting 4 million jobs through the job retention scheme and generous tax deferrals supporting hundreds of thousands of firms.

The government will provide lenders with a 100% guarantee for the loan and pay any fees and interest for the first 12 months. No repayments will be due during the first 12 months.

The loans will be easy to apply for through a short, standardised online application. The loan should reach businesses within days- providing immediate support to those that need it as easily as possible.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “Our smallest businesses are the backbone of our economy and play a vital role in their communities. This new rapid loan scheme will help ensure they get the finance they need quickly to help survive this crisis.”

“This is in addition to business grants, tax deferrals, and the job retention scheme, which are already helping to support hundreds of thousands of small businesses.”

Commenting, Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “This is another welcome intervention from the Chancellor.”

“Although the Government has already made a significant amount of financial support available to businesses which need it, many have struggled to access it because of the sheer volume of applications being made, the delays in processing them and inconsistencies in the way different lenders are approaching the various loan schemes.”

“In the current situation, every day of delay is having a critical impact on businesses which need funding to ease their cashflow and wage pressures, so anything which can be done to quicken the flow of credit to the firms which need it most has to be a good thing.”

Firms will be able to access these loans through a network of accredited lenders. The government will work with lenders to ensure loans delivered through this scheme are advanced as quickly as possible and agree a low standardised level of interest for the remaining period of the loan.

The scheme will launch for applications on Monday 4 May.

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

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

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