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Win a personalised Christmas message from Santa

22nd November 2019

Chesterfield Borough Council has teamed up with Santa Claus to create a Christmas competition for residents in which the winners will receive a personalised video message from Santa.

The competition encourages residents to recycle this Christmas by creating recyclable decorations.

Chesterfield residents can enter the competition by:

Taking a photo of their Christmas decoration
Sending it through as a direct message to Chesterfield Borough Council on Facebook
Explaining how they made the decoration in the message
Telling the council in the direct message the names of the children Santa should include in the video.

Ian Waller, Assistant Director for Health and Wellbeing at Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This competition is a great opportunity for residents to have fun with recycling.”

“A personalised video message from Santa is a lovely surprise gift, so we are encouraging as many children and young people as possible to get involved.”

“We look forward to seeing how creative people can get with recycling.”

Residents can tailor their personalised message and tell Chesterfield Borough Council what Santa should include in the message.

The competition is open for entries from Monday 25 November. All entries are being judged on Monday 16 December and the winners of the competition will receive their personalised video on Monday 23 December.

To find out more about the competition, head to Chesterfield Borough Council’s competition page here, where all of the terms and conditions can be found.

Children can also meet Santa in his Grotto at Chesterfield Market Hall. A visit to Santa including a present is £5. For more information click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Christmas, Home

Vicar Lane Hosts a Calendar of Festive Fun

22nd November 2019

This Christmas, Vicar Lane Shopping Centre, Chesterfield is helping shoppers get in the spirit of the season with a whole heap of activities for them to enjoy.

With a different event every Saturday from 30^th November until Christmas, there’s something for every member of the family to enjoy!

On Saturday 30^th November, customers can get their green fingers ready to craft their very own Christmas wreath in a festive workshop. The pro’s from Thanks A Bunch will be on hand to help them with their festive front door creation in these workshops starting at 10am, 12.30pm and 2:30pm. Numbers are strictly limited to 10 per session and cost just £15 a ticket, which includes hot refreshments and mince pies. Over 16’s only. Tickets can be purchased here.

On Saturday 30^th November, the centre will also receive a visit from a really wild guest as a life-like polar bear patrols the centre and poses for Christmas selfies at intervals throughout the day from 10am – 4pm!

On Saturday 7^th December, a team of professional ice sculptors will have customers transfixed as a unique piece of art emerges from the ice between 11am and 1pm. The Ice sculpture will be available for customers to view until 5pm.

On Saturday 14^th December, customers can see Christmas family favourite ‘Elf’ on the big screen at the centre’s pop-up cinema, opposite F. Hinds in partnership with Bluebird North Events. Tickets are just £4 each, and can be purchased here.

On Saturday 21^st December, families will have the opportunity to catch a screening of Christmas family movie ‘The Polar Express’ on the big screen at the pop-up cinema, opposite F. Hinds in partnership with Bluebird North Events. Tickets are just £4 each, and can be purchased here.

On Saturdays 7^th, 14^th & 21^st December customers are offered the chance to take the flap out of wrapping this festive season and visit ‘Shop Indie’ to have their gifts professionally wrapped.

Vicar Lane is also offering time-stretched shoppers a little relief from their frantic festive preparations with late night shopping on Thursday & Friday 12th & 13th and 19th & 20th December, plus Monday 23rd December.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager, Vicar Lane said, “We understand that shoppers expect a little more than just great stores on their shopping trip these days, so we wanted to offer an exciting experience on every visit this festive season. We look forward to welcoming families of Chesterfield and beyond throughout the Christmas period.’’

Earlier this week, Vicar Lane announced will be home to a brand new, dog-friendly, pop-up bar. The Cap and Whippet will serve up a thirst-quenching menu of beers and spirits, all produced at Derbyshire breweries and distilleries. Customers will also find a range of Christmas gifts to purchase and take home, it will be open from 29^th November until Christmas Eve.

Find out more about Christmas at Vicar Lane here.

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

Candidates announced for Chesterfield parliamentary election

21st November 2019

The Chesterfield parliamentary election candidates have been announced ahead of the general election on Thursday 12 December.

The following candidates are confirmed as standing in the Chesterfield constituency:

• Emily Coy (Liberal Democrats)
• John Noneoftheabove Daramy (Independent)
• Leigh Higgins (Conservative Party)
• Neil Jackson (Green Party)
• Toby Perkins (Labour Party)
• John Scotting (Brexit Party)

Most people in the Chesterfield borough will vote to elect the MP for Chesterfield. However, voters in the Barrow Hill and New Whittington ward and the Lowgates and Woodthorpe ward fall within the North East Derbyshire constituency, so they will vote to elect the MP for that area.

Polls are open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 12 December.

Votes for the Chesterfield constituency will be counted at Queen’s Park Sports Centre, Boythorpe Road, Chesterfield after the polls close at 10pm on Thursday 12 December. The result is anticipated between 3am and 4am.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home

Former Chesterfield magistrates court sold for residential conversion

20th November 2019

The Grade II-listed former magistrates court in Chesterfield has been sold for residential conversion following a deal by Innes England.

ARC Vantage, who specialise in residential conversion and are experienced in refurbishing listed buildings, bought Knightsbridge Court for an undisclosed sum.

Knightsbridge Court is centrally located in the town between Rose Hill and West Bars. Set within 1.1 acres, it has been granted planning permission for 30 apartments over three floors.

Designed by Professor Joseph Stanley Allen, a renowned architect, planner and academic, the property was completed in 1956 and was listed in 1998. It was used as Chesterfield’s Magistrates Court until the court moved to a new building on Tapton Lane.

Chris Wright, Associate Director at Innes England, said: “Knightsbridge Court has been empty for a number of years and had sadly become the target for vandalism and fallen into disrepair.”

“This deal will see the building being brought back into use and bring employment opportunities for local people during the construction.”

“The conversion will not only deliver much-needed housing to Chesterfield but also safeguard the future of this landmark building.”

Adam Cavell, Director at ARC Vantage Limited, said: “This is an exciting project for ARC Vantage. As developers, we are highly motivated in the regeneration and restoration of Listed Buildings and relishing the opportunity to restore this building to its former glory.”

“We also understand the need for high quality, inner city housing stock. It is our aim to deliver premium city living to the market next year.”

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

New business moves to Markham Vale

20th November 2019

Markham Vale partners Derbyshire County Council and HBD (Henry Boot Developments) are pleased to report that another company is moving to the flagship regeneration site.

RB1 Ltd have moved in to Unit 3 Waterloo Court in order to meet their growing business needs. The company comprises a team of specialist electrical engineers with a strong background in the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) industry who also have a passion for all things engineering related.

The company, who are ISO9001 accredited, design and manufacture AC and DC switchgear specifically for the UPS industry. By utilising 3D and electrical CAD design tools along with their in-house Plasma and Laser CNC machinery they can design and build first class high quality engineered solutions to meet specific solutions. They also have a range of standard products to meet all UPS needs.

The company are currently fitting out their new premises with the aim of being fully operational in early 2020.

Markham Vale is a 200-acre business park with direct access to the M1 motorway via a dedicated junction, J29a. This prime development site offers build-to-suit units from 2,500 up to 300,000 sq. ft. for industrial, warehouse, hotel, office or retail builds.

2018 saw 1,600 jobs maintained at the development, along with 164,500 sq. ft. secured of new commercial space for three global businesses; Protec International, Sterigenics and Grangers International.

Read more about Markham Vale and the opportunities available here.

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

‘Give a Child a Smile’ this Christmas with Peak FM

20th November 2019

Peak FM believe that no child should go without at Christmas. Their annual toy appeal campaign, ‘Give a Child a Smile’ is dedicated to collecting toy donations for under privileged children across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Multiple businesses have quickly signed up and volunteered to be official toy drop off points, these locations can be found here.

For the first time Peak FM have secured a pop up shop unit in Chesterfield Town Centre thanks to Pavements Shopping Centre’s help. The pop up is in the old Thomas Cook store at 57 Low Pavements and will be open Thurs – Sun to accept new and unwrapped toys for children ages 0-16 years.

Fast Signs Sheffield & Chesterfield heard about the campaign and kindly donated the window decals for the front of the building making the unit stand out to passers-by.

Sam Earnshaw, Station Director at Peak FM, said: “This is such a wonderful campaign and one that we whole heartedly support at the station. As we all start to get excited about Christmas and gear up for this special time of year it is so sad to think that some children in our local area, for lots of reasons, may go without. We are always staggered by the generosity of our listeners and these toy donations really do help to put a smile on the face of so many children.”

She added: “We work with a broad range of charities and children’s organisations to ensure that toys are distributed in time for Christmas and we are always keen to hear from as many organisations as possible to ensure our donations reach as many children as they can.”

New and unwrapped toys will be distributed to charities and registered children’s organisations in time for Christmas. Donations are being accepted until December 8th 2019 and local businesses and residents are encouraged to get involved.

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

Specsavers Chesterfield emphasises importance of eye tests following Diabetes Day

19th November 2019

Specsavers Chesterfield is raising awareness of the importance of having regular eye tests following Diabetes Day on November 14.

Those suffering with diabetes are up to 20 times more likely to lose their sight than those without the condition. However, only one in five adults are aware that their optician can detect the signs through a regular eye test.

Dr Nigel Best, Clinical Spokesperson at Specsavers, said: “An estimated 1 million people in the UK are living with diabetes without even realising it – meaning they’re at huge risk of developing serious eye health complications and even sight loss.”

“Diabetes is one of the fastest growing health conditions today – fuelled by record levels of obesity, excessive sugar consumption and sedentary lifestyles. If we continue to turn a blind eye to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as a result, we can only expect to see the number of undiagnosed cases escalate.”

A complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy which can occur when high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in the back of the eye. If left untreated it can cause blindness.

Dr Best adds: “At Specsavers, we offer digital retinal photography free of charge as part of a standard eye test for customers aged over 40. This takes a detailed picture of the back of your eye allowing the blood vessels to be monitored more closely – helping to detect any signs of diabetes that might be present.”

Allissa Charlesworth (below), Optometrist Director at Specsavers Chesterfield, said: “A trip to the optician can do so much more than check your vision. Less than half the time taken during an eye appointment involves testing sight – most of the time we are assessing the health of the eye itself, and signs of your wider health too.”

Allissa concludes: “We encourage everyone to get their eyes checked every two years. As well as a check of your vision, a routine sight test might just reveal a more serious sight-threatening or wider health condition.”

To find out more or book your next appointment head to the Specsavers store on Chesterfield’s Burlington Street or visit www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/chesterfield, where you can currently avail of a free eye test, valid until 31st December 2019 (terms and conditions apply).

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home, Leisure

The Lily Pad celebrates refurbishment and extended Friday night opening hours

19th November 2019

The Lily Pad Café and Restaurant, located on Soresby Street in Chesterfield, are celebrating an extensive refurbishment and exciting changes to their menu. They welcomed customers to enjoy the new Friday night dinner menu last week.

The refurbishment brings a new look, a new menu and new opening hours to this popular town-centre eatery which recently won the accolade of the Café / Tea Room of the Year at the Chesterfield Food & Drink Awards 2019.

Head Chef and Manager, Ryan Purrington said: “It is wonderful to welcome our customers back through our doors and we are really pleased to be able to offer our new dinner menu on a Friday evening too. I hope everyone is as impressed with our new look as we are.”

“Our new menu includes some of the old favourites which we know people love us for, but we’ve also developed the menu to include some exciting new additions. We have a much more extensive selection for vegetarians and vegans too. There are a whole host of new features and food and drinks specials for people to try which we are really excited about.”

The Chesterfield College Group own the business and has invested in the refurbishment process. They work with the dedicated front of house and kitchen team at the Lily Pad to help them develop the business.

Jo Kershaw, Director of Business and Professional Services at Chesterfield College said: “The Lily Pad not only offers local diners an amazing choice of menu options, it also has a unique atmosphere which comes from the passion of the team. They work tirelessly to keep their customers happy. When we invested in this business we saw how the passion of this relatively young team created a popular eatery and how apprentices are supported to grow into key roles in the organisation.”

“We also saw the potential to support this town-centre business in its development. It has been a pleasure working with Ryan and his team over the last few months. I hope both new and existing customers will be as pleased with the results of the refurbishment as we are.”

The Lily Pad is now open for breakfast and lunch from Monday to Sunday (closed all day Wednesdays) as well as now serving evening meals on Friday evenings.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Christmas, Development, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Tenders invited from local business support specialists

18th November 2019

A procurement opportunity has arisen for a bank of high growth business support specialists to supply 1-2-1 business advice and workshops to businesses and entrepreneurs in the Sheffield City Region (SCR).

Tenderers should have extensive experience and or technical expertise in delivering high growth business support in one of the following disciplines:

Legal, HR and Health and Safety
Finance, IT and Risk Management
Sales and Marketing

ScaleUp 360 brings together a consortium of expert business partners from across the SCR to deliver on a tailored scale-up support programme designed to provide the inspirational advice and support that businesses and entrepreneurs need in order to sustainably scale their ventures and become investment ready.

The consortium comprises East Midlands Chamber; Doncaster Chamber; Barnsley Business Village; and Sheffield Hallam University.

The project is receiving funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

The deadline to apply is 4pm on 6th December 2019. Applications can be made here.

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

Dog-friendly bar to open at Vicar Lane

18th November 2019

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is excited to announce the opening of a brand new, dog-friendly, pop-up bar in the Centre, in the run up to Christmas.

The Cap and Whippet is the brainchild of the owner of local, award-winning bar ‘Brimming with Beer’ which is already a firm favourite with locals. Brimming with Beer was set up in the Summer of 2016 and this year was awarded ‘Chesterfield CAMRA Pub of the Season-Summer 2019’ as well as being entered into the Good Beer Guide.

The Cap and Whippet will serve up a thirst-quenching menu of beers and spirits, all produced at Derbyshire breweries and distilleries. Customers will also find a range of Christmas gifts to purchase and take home.

The Cap and Whippet is named after owner Ben’s Whippet called ‘Tan’ and her favourite flat cap. The bar will be open from 10am – 10pm (midnight at the weekend), 6 days a week from 29^th November until Christmas Eve.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager, Vicar Lane said, “We’re really excited to welcome The Cap and Whippet to Vicar Lane this festive season. The dog-friendly bar will offer a thirst-quenching drink to warm the cockles in the approach to Christmas, as well as providing a great venue for friends, colleagues and their dogs to enjoy after work drinks or a night out in Chesterfield.’’

Find out what else is happening at Vicar Lane Shopping Centre this festive season here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Christmas, Development, Home, Leisure, Visiting