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Chesterfield going for gold after being named as Britain in Bloom finalist

Chesterfield has been named as a finalist in the RHS’s nationwide gardening competition, Britain in Bloom.

Following the success at the East Midland’s in Bloom awards over the past four years, Chesterfield Borough Council and local residents will now put their horticultural skills to the test as they prepare to battle it out on a national level in the small city category of Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) competition.

Britain in Bloom is the UK’s longest running gardening competition. It provides a regional and nationwide platform for community groups to brighten up their town or city. Finalists are put forward to the national final based on their progress regionally and will be scored by a team of RHS national judges in summer this year.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Britain in Bloom is such a great campaign and we are delighted to have been selected as finalists this year. It shows just how well we have done on a regional level in the last few years.”

“As a council we are committed to improving the local environment and projects such as this really do help. It’s also great to see that the bloom projects and competitions in Chesterfield bring a variety of people together throughout the year, so being selected as a finalist is a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together once again and show Chesterfield at its best.”

Judges will visit some the borough’s parks and green spaces on Friday 7 August, including main sponsor, Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa, before the winners are announced later in the year.

More information on Britain in Bloom can be found here.

Click here to find out more about the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2020

Chesterfield in Bloom

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

Success for young Financial Services Apprentice in Chesterfield

Apprentice Ethan Noakes has been offered a permanent position and opportunity to progress at Chesterfield company Mortgage 1st after successfully completing his apprenticeship scheme.

Ethan left school in 2017 and was keen to get straight into the workplace instead of continuing in further education. He secured a position at Mortgage 1st in Chesterfield on their apprenticeship scheme, studying Level 2 Financial Services Customer Adviser through a local training provider.

Ethan worked within the Mortgage Processing Department and with the support of his line manager Carly and all his colleagues, he began to learn the role and expectations of a Mortgage Administrator.

After 18 months, he successfully completed his apprenticeship and was offered a permanent position at Mortgage 1st. Not only had he passed the course work and exams, he had also impressed the management team with his professionalism, commitment and hard work.

Ethan has now been given an opportunity to progress further within the company and has begun training to become a General Insurance Adviser at Mortgage 1st. This has involved moving upstairs to the broker floor to join Louise and her team of advisers, as well as meeting with insurers such as Legal & General & Aviva to begin learning about their products and services.

Ethan said: “I have really enjoyed my time within the processing department and am excited to begin the training for my new role. I hope to continue learning, growing in knowledge and confidence, and keep progressing further and further. I know with the support that Mortgage 1st continuously offer that this is more than achievable. Everything being well, my dream goal is to be a Mortgage and Protection Advisor.”

Mortgage 1st continues to offer both work experience and apprenticeship opportunities to ambitious and driven young people in and around Chesterfield. For further details please contact the company to register your interest with HR Director Lisa Stones.

Ethan and his Mortgage 1st colleagues took part in the 2019 Redbrilk Chesterfield Half Marathon

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Home

Chesterfield’s new housing strategy approved

Chesterfield Borough Council has approved a new four-year Housing Strategy which outlines the council’s priorities to enhance the borough’s housing offer and meet the needs of residents.

The new strategy highlights the council’s housing ambitions from 2019 to 2023 and is set out under three key objectives:

  • Delivery – ensuring that increased new housing provision meets the needs of current and future residents of Chesterfield to provide a home for every stage of life
  • Quality– the council will utilise internal and external resources to ensure that as many homes as possible are of decent quality
  • People – ensuring that the needs of all groups to access and sustain housing appropriate for their needs in Chesterfield, particularly those that are vulnerable.

Councillor Chris Ludlow (right), Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “This strategy is really important as it sets out the framework for the council to meet the housing challenges in the borough.

“It will play a key role in helping us to deliver the council’s vision of ‘putting our communities first’ and help us achieve our priorities of making Chesterfield a thriving borough and improving the quality of life for local people.”

Residents and stakeholders were invited to consult on the housing strategy during September and October 2019. The consultation programme included an online survey for members of the public to complete and a session with tenant representatives.

Councillor Ludlow added: “For us, it was important to make sure that this new strategy takes into account people’s views and addresses the challenges currently being experienced by residents and stakeholders here in Chesterfield. By consulting with the public we’ve been able to make sure that the strategy focuses on the most relevant issues which will allow us to make the greatest impact over the next four years.”

The full Housing Strategy is available to view at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/housing-strategy

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

Chesterfield estate agent opens new site following acquisition

Award-winning estate agent Dales & Peaks will be expanding to a new office location in Matlock to accommodate its expanding team following the acquisition of rival firm TPS Estates.

Established in 2006, the company offers ‘no-fuss’ professional services to those looking to buy, sell or rent residential properties. Dales & Peaks have expanded to grow their already substantial property portfolio and client base across Derbyshire, the East Midlands and beyond.

The new location will provide a large office space, situated in an attractive listed building sat at a prominent location at Dale Road in Matlock and will employ three staff members, with the view of growing this to five or six in 2020.

Banner Jones Solicitors advised Dale & Peaks – which has a well-established office on Old Brick Works Lane, Chesterfield – on the business acquisition and the lease agreement on the new office space. Banner Jones Solicitors and Dales & Peaks are both part of the Chesterfield Champions scheme which is run by Destination Chesterfield.

Sarah Currey, Managing Director of Dales & Peaks, said: “We’ve had a hugely successful year, with considerable expansion through the hard work of the team. Having recently won Small Business of the Year 2019 at the Derbyshire Times Business Excellence Awards, ending the year with the acquisition of TPS Estates is a fantastic achievement, allowing us to further our offering across Derbyshire and the East Midlands, and to continue to provide high-quality services to our ever-expanding client base.”

“We hope the acquisition and our new office space in Matlock will ensure that we are in a strong location to help people with their residential property needs in Matlock and surrounding areas, and to provide another great location out of which our growing, passionate team can operate.”

“Banner Jones’ advice throughout this period has been invaluable, and we are looking forward to what the future now holds!”

Ian Osborn, Commercial Solicitor at Banner Jones added: “Dales & Peaks has had a great year which has seen them expand organically, as well as through the acquisition of TPS.”

“We are delighted to have been instructed to support them with their commercial legal requirements during this time and look forward to assisting with their commercial offering in the future, as their operation continues to grow.”

Banner Jones offers a full range of services to businesses, including commercial agreements, company formations, support with commercial property and more.

Click here to find out more about Banner Jones

Click here to find out more about becoming a Chesterfield Champion

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

Headline sponsor of Sparkle Night Walk aims to reach £1m raised for Ashgate Hospicecare

Local company M Markovitz Ltd have been confirmed as headline partners for the Sparkle Night Walk for the fourth year running, as they aim to surpass £1 million raised for Ashgate Hospicecare.

Savannah Redhead, Events Fundraiser at Ashgate Hospicecare said: “The 2019 Sparkle Night Walk set new records with over 3,000 walkers taking part. Collectively over the years, the event has raised more than £700,000 for patients and their families across North Derbyshire and we are hoping that 2020 will raise over £300,000. This would take the total amount raised over the last four years to £1,000,000! ”

“The ongoing support Markovitz provides means that the money people raise on the night goes directly to caring for patients in their own homes and at the hospice. We are aiming for another record sell-out event when it returns on Saturday 11 July 2020 with an improved route and additional capacity for more walkers – and the support of Markovitz has been integral to that growth.”

Barbara-Anne Walker, Chief Executive at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “What an amazing four years it has been for the Markovitz Sparkle Night Walk and Ashgate Hospicecare’s Events Team. The event continues to beat all expectations and raise phenomenal amounts for the hospice each year, something we couldn’t have done without the support of David Hopkins and Markovitz.”

“We can’t put into words how grateful everyone at Ashgate Hospicecare is for the amazing support and kindness all those involved have continued to show. The Markovitz Sparkle Night Walk has made an enormous contribution to the hospice and difference to the care that patients and their families across North Derbyshire have been able to receive.”

“It means a huge amount to all of us at Ashgate to have had your support at our flagship event over the past four years.”

David Hopkins, CEO of Markovitz, said: “2020 will be our 4th year as proud sponsors of the Sparkle Night Walk. Thanks to the thousands of local people who year after year support this fantastic event, in this short time over £700,000 has been collected. Hopefully this year will see us smash through the £1million.”

“Our heartfelt thanks go out to all those supporting the Markovitz Sparkle Night Walk. With everyone’s help we must ensure that Ashgate Hospicecare remains able to support those in need at the most difficult of times.”

Ashgate Hospicecare encourage any local business who might consider supporting with this fantastic event to get in touch with our team at Ashgate Hospicecare. If you or your business would like to sponsor Chesterfield’s biggest fundraising event in 2020 and make a huge difference to the lives of local people, please get in touch with Ali at alison.ward-foster@ashgatehospicecare.org.uk before the end of February 2020.

Registration for the Markovitz Sparkle Night Walk 2020 on Saturday 11th July is now open. If you register before 14th April you will receive our Early Bird Discount, reducing entry to JUST £10 per person.

Click here to find out more and to book your place at the Markovitz Sparkle Night Walk

Click here to find out ore about Ashgate Hospicecare

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

Gogglebox personality to headline Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference

Gogglebox personality Baasit Siddiqui is headlining a free event next month which will bring together North Derbyshire’s business community and education sector ahead of the creation of thousands of jobs.

The Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference aims to strengthen links between education providers and local businesses to ensure school leavers are ready to take up an estimated 10,000 job opportunities that are being delivered as a result of more than £1bn of development in the borough of Chesterfield.

Baasit Siddiqui, who appears on the hit Channel 4 show with his brother and father (The Siddiqui Family) is the keynote speaker at the conference, which is being held at Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa, Brimington, from 8:00am – 10:30am on Wednesday 26 February.

A former teacher, who boasts 10 years of teaching experience, the TV personality is an expert on education and social mobility. He is the Managing Director of Siddiqui Education Ltd, a Derby-based company which uses his public profile and the positive reputation of the Siddiquis from Gogglebox to help motivate and inspire school children.

The conference is organised by Chesterfield Borough Council, The D2N2 North Derbyshire Careers Hub, and Destination Chesterfield.

At the conference, which returns for the fourth year, Mr Siddiqui will focus on how an education, which helps develop a range of transferable skills, can be used to support students as they progress through their educational and employability journey.

He will be joined by Rachel Quinn – Head of People and Skills at D2N2 LEP, Michael Timmins – Director of Water, Ports and Power North at AECOM and representatives from The Careers Enterprise Company and Cornerstone Business, as well as student council members at Whittington Green School.

The students at Whittington Green School are just some of more than 14,000 students in North Derbyshire, who are set to gain their GCSE and A Level qualifications in the next five years. 

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, explained why the conference is so important to Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.  

He said: “One of the Council’s priorities is to ensure that local people benefit from the economic growth that we are seeing in Chesterfield and support them into local jobs and good careers. There are a number of significant growth and regeneration projects underway in the borough. Collectively, these projects provide an opportunity to put Chesterfield on a higher growth path and will bring the opportunity for local people to access up to 10,000 new jobs.”

“The conference plays an important role in bringing together both business and education leaders to ensure communication lines are open and young people can benefit from employment and training opportunities now and in the future within the town.”

Daniel Heffernan of The D2N2 North Derbyshire Careers Hub added: “We’re delighted to be involved in the event which will showcase the fantastic collaboration that is already taking place in the area. Importantly it also brings together business and education leaders who are eager to understand how they can better support the regions young people. Ultimately this will help lead to improved employment opportunities, and subsequent economic growth.” 

Places at the conference are limited. To find out more and to book your free place at the event, please click here.

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

Chesterfield company chosen to install £7m solar project at Port of Hull

ABP is to invest almost £7m at the Port of Hull to install the UK’s largest roof-mounted solar project, with the help of leading commercial solar installer and Chesterfield-based company, Custom Solar Ltd.

The solar system designed and installed by Custom Solar, will cover ABP warehouses and the engineering workshops on the Port of Hull. The solar panels will save 2,600 tonnes of CO2 per annum, equating to the energy needs of 1,600 average UK homes.

Simon Bird, Director at ABP Humber, said: “This solar installation is another vital step toward making our energy supply even more sustainable and even greener.”

“It will make more use of the hybridised port equipment we have invested in to carry out port operations.”

“I’m excited to see where this green energy revolution can take us as a port operator, as we look to decarbonise further our own operations and, in turn, those of our customers and the wider supply chain.”

Once completed, the 6.5 MW solar scheme at the Port of Hull will more than double the Humber Ports’ renewable energy generation, increasing it to over 12 MW, which will supply almost 29 per cent of the ports’ energy requirement. The entire installation is set to be online and producing clean power by July 2020.

Gary Sucharewycz, Development Director at Custom Solar, said: “In order for this project to be sanctioned, an incredible amount of work has taken place, working with ABP and the DNO Northern Powergrid.”

“It has been a fantastic achievement by all involved and has ensured this project was able to progress to fruition.”

With this new installation up and running, 17 of ABP’s 21 ports will have renewable energy projects in operation, generating clean power for the company. In 2018, 12.2 per cent of all the electricity ABP used was generated by onsite renewable projects and more projects came online in 2019.

Managing Director at Custom Solar, Matthew Brailsford, said: “We are delighted to be installing another iconic solar project on the Humber for Associated British Ports.”

“It has taken the Custom Solar team over two years to plan the project alongside the ABP engineering team due to the sheer scale and complexity of the project.”

“We are extremely proud to be installing the UK’s largest rooftop solar system and we very much look forward to unveiling the completed system in 2020 once all aspects have been safely installed and commissioned.”

The company previously scooped the impressive title of Commercial Rooftop Solar Installation of the Year at the Solar Power Portal Awards.

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

North Derbyshire Careers Hub launched by D2N2

Over one hundred people attended the launch of the North Derbyshire Careers Hub on 14 January. The hub is an initiative between D2N2 and the Careers and Enterprise Company designed to improve the life chances of the region’s young people.

At the launch, hosted at the Casa Hotel in Chesterfield, guests learned first-hand how the ambitions of the Hub will shape the future of young people. Attendees were encouraged to think about the skills that will be needed in the future workplace and new careers available in a rapidly changing landscape.

The North Derbyshire Careers Hub is made up of 21 schools and colleges working together to transform careers education for young people across the region. Careers Hub will maximise the quality and impact of careers support for young people across the north of the county.

Led by D2N2 with £80,000 in financial support from the Careers & Enterprise Company; the Careers Hub works collaboratively with universities, training providers, employers, Enterprise Advisers, and careers professionals alongside lead school Shirebrook Academy to deliver the Gatsby Benchmarks and improve careers outcomes for young people.

In addition, the hub also offers a central fund for employer engagement activities and training for a ‘Careers Leader’ in each school.

Amongst the speakers at the launch event were D2N2 Head of People & Skills Rachel Quinn, Abdul Bathin from the Careers & Enterprise Company, and Dom Stevens from Destination Chesterfield.

Local students also helped support the event with compare duties performed by Head boy of Tibshelf school, Max Derbyshire and refreshments provided by pupils from Stubbin Wood Special School.

Chloe Pearce, 14, from Outwood Academy Newbold said: “The event has been really interesting, especially seeing what goes on in careers behind the scenes and it’s been great getting students involved in the whole experience.”

D2N2 Careers Hub lead Dan Heffernan said of the launch: “I’m delighted to be managing this project on behalf of D2N2. This launch event showed the real appetite for change across North Derbyshire, and the team and I look forward to working closely with all our partners in the coming months.

“The North Derbyshire Careers Hub will play a key role in the long-term success of our region’s economy, building on the success of our existing Enterprise Advisor Network, and the strong partnerships between schools, colleges, and businesses.”

“We want to ensure young people get timely and relevant careers advice and meaningful encounters with the world of work. This will help lead to improved employment opportunities and subsequent economic growth.”

John Yarham, Interim Chief Executive of the Careers & Enterprise Company said: “This is brilliant news for young people in the county. The North Derbyshire Careers Hub will mean more and more young people get the opportunity to meet all and interact with a huge range of employers.

“These opportunities will help inspire young people, inform them about the different paths open to them, and prepare them for the world of work.”

The North Derbyshire Careers Hub is part of a wider network of hubs set up across the country by LEPs and supported by the Careers & Enterprise Company.

Hubs have garnered support from the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and more than 100 ‘cornerstone employers’ across the country who have committed to driving and championing connections to the world of work; including Airbus, KPMG, Anglian Water and GCHQ.

The Careers Hubs are based on a pilot scheme by the Gatsby Foundation (which is behind the Gatsby Benchmarks, an internationally recognised ‘checklist’ of what schools and colleges need to do to provide the best careers advice) and the North-East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), run from 2015 to 2017.

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

Local shoppers donate specs in aid of charity

Staff and customers at the Specsavers stores in Matlock and Chesterfield have donated nearly 8,500 pairs of old glasses to the store over the last year to raise money for the Vision Aid Overseas charity.

Vision Aid Overseas is a registered charity which supports those with eye sight problems in developing countries. They operate in Zambia, Ghana, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.

Vicki Bainbridge, Director at Specsavers in Matlock and Chesterfield, said: “We would like to thank all of our customers who helped us last year on this project, but please do keep bringing in your glasses. Every single one will make a difference!”

“In a country where opticians’ services are readily available, it is easy for us to take our vision for granted. In the developing world however, the provision of optical services has a real impact on peoples’ lives.”

“Customers raised thousands of glasses this year – nearly enough to fill Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium! So check your drawers and dig down the back of the sofa, your unwanted specs can certainly go to good use.”

Once donated, all of the pairs of glasses collected are then recycled. The money made from this is used to help provide eye-care in developing countries.

The team at Specsavers is hopeful that donations will continue to be received throughout this year, allowing them to support Vision Aid Overseas’ work further.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home

Proposals for new cycle routes in Derbyshire approved

Proposals to implement a key cycle network throughout Derbyshire have been approved by Derbyshire County Council cabinet members.

The Derbyshire Cycle Plan launched in early 2016 set out aspirations to create the most connected and integrated county for cycling in the country.

In 2017, the Cabinet agreed to the development of a key cycle network for the county identifying the most important routes for commuting, leisure and tourism which included both established and new routes.

Now a revised network of routes has been approved following a 12-week public consultation period which gave Derbyshire residents the opportunity to have their say on the proposals offering amendments and recommendations.

Please click below links to view the PDF documents (opens in new window).

Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure, Simon Spencer, said: “These plans show our ambition to cement Derbyshire as a world class cycling destination for everyone.”

“The council has recently pledged to tackle climate change with our carbon reduction manifesto which includes supporting and promoting the development of low carbon travel and more environmentally friendly modes of transport.”

“Establishing a key cycle network will make a significant contribution to this pledge offering quality routes for low carbon travel which are safe and enjoyable to use for both residents and visitors to the county.”

There are 127 sections of the network that have been prioritised for investment which have been grouped in short, medium and long term categories.

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

Chesterfield mortgage advisers named as finalist in British Bank Awards 2020

Chesterfield-based mortgage advisers, Mortgage 1st, are delighted to be named as a finalist in the ‘Best Mortgage Broker’ category in the British Bank Awards 2020.

The British Bank Awards aim to find the best financial products and the most trusted financial brands in the country. These awards are voted for by customers and so far over 21,000 have voted for more than 180 different companies.

Lisa Stones (below), Marketing Director at Mortgage 1st said: “To be shortlisted for any award is amazing but when the results are based on customer votes it’s even more special as service excellence is what we pride ourselves on. We are very excited to be in the finals alongside a number of large well-known national mortgage firms – Wish us luck!”

Voting for finalists continues until the 9th of February – to vote for Mortgage 1st click here. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on the 12th of March 2020.

Mortgage 1st were also recently shortlisted as finalists in the Yorkshire Financial Awards in three categories – Mortgage Broker of the year, Customer Service Award and their Managing Director Jon Stones is shortlisted for Director of the Year. Winners will be announced in Leeds on the 27th of February 2020.

Lisa added: “We are delighted to be recognised for our contributions to the financial services industry, both regionally and nationally!”

Click here to find out more about Mortgage 1st.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home