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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

West Studios offers virtual office space in Chesterfield

Chesterfield’s West Studios, featuring a gallery, studio and meeting & event space, and home to a number of creative businesses, is now offering virtual office space.

The service offers a cost effective way for new and developing businesses in Chesterfield to take their business to the next level, at the same time as joining a supportive and established community of creative businesses.

The Virtual Tenancy offered by West Studios, for just £15 per month, not only gives new businesses the chance to have a registered business address away from their home address, it also gives them access to a whole host of other benefits including:

  • Access to an established creative community who work in the managed workspaces in the historic building
  • Use of the Gallery for informal meetings for up to 4 people
  • 20% off Monday – Friday bookings for the Meeting Room and Studio
  • A postal service
  • Exclusive tenant communications, offers and invitations
  • Details about the business will be included on the West Studios website, social media and there are opportunities to be featured in the monthly newsletter

West Studios is situated in the old Boys Grammar School on the Chesterfield College campus. It is designed to be a space to drive creativity and business growth, as well as to promote and showcase local talent.

To find out more about the Virtual Tenancy, contact the team on 01246 500799 or hello@weststudios.co.uk. For more information about West Studios, click here.

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

Markham Vale partner rebrands

Henry Boot Developments Ltd, Derbyshire County Council’s private sector partner at Markham Vale, has a new brand.

The company has overhauled its identity and will now be called HBD. This marks the first time it has done so in its 40-year history, after the firm boosted its pipeline from £1bn to £1.6bn in 2019. Whilst the company have a new brand and logo they still have the same driving ambition to create places with purpose. HBD will still remain an important part of parent company Henry Boot.

Managing Director of HBD, Ed Hutchinson, said: “I’m really excited about where we could get to. We’ve got some major schemes on the books now.”

“We are not distancing ourselves from Henry Boot,” Mr Hutchinson added.

“The rebrand is in order to reposition ourselves and make us look more current. Our people are first class. We will always be modest as a company, but perhaps we are guilty of being too understated.”

Following on from the rebrand, HBD has announced a number of senior promotions across its business which forms part of a wider strategy to deliver ambitious growth targets and continue to attract top talent.

Adam Brady, Vivienne Clements and Hamer Boot all become Executive Directors, focusing on city centre regeneration projects, partnerships and strategic employment sites, and investment & funding respectively. Their new roles will see them working across HBD’s seven offices.

Directors Julian Painter, John Cullen and Adrian Schofield all become Senior Directors, while Anthony Clitheroe and Harry Bunbury have been promoted to Director. Tom Wheldon becomes Director and Head of Yorkshire and North East, Justin Sheldon to Director and Head of Midlands, Dean Thompson to Director and Head of North West, and Matt Belshaw becomes Director and Head of Scotland. Nigel Munro becomes Project Director.

Along with individual promotions, the developer has created a new Executive Board that will comprise Ed Hutchinson, plus Executive Directors Hamer Boot, Adam Brady, Vivienne Clements, and Commercial Finance Manager, Wayne Wearing.

Ed Hutchinson, Managing Director of HBD, said: “We have announced a series of senior promotions across the UK, which is reflective of the talent and expertise within our business. Our new management structure allows us to continue attracting top talent, while maximising expertise throughout the regions as we deliver an ambitious growth strategy.”

Click here to find out more about Markham Vale.

Markham Vale

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home

UKATA donates £5,000 to Mesothelioma UK

UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) has become corporate partners with Mesothelioma UK and has raised £5,000 to support people living with asbestos-related cancer.

Statistics from the Health & Safety Executive released in October 2019, reveal that in the UK more than 2500 people die from mesothelioma each year, with a similar number of lung cancer related deaths, linked to past exposures of asbestos.

A cheque was presented to Guy Tewley, Corporate Fundraising Officer for Mesothelioma UK at a ceremony at UKATA’s head office in Chesterfield.

Guy said: “It has been fantastic to have the opportunity to work with UKATA over the past year and the funds they have raised will help us to continue to support patients, families and achieve our goals. We look forward in continuing this great partnership and working together in the future!”

UKATA’s Chief Operating Officer, Craig Evans said “UKATA is a leading not for profit asbestos training association, raising standards in asbestos training throughout the industry. Our members train in excess of 200,000 delegates each year on the dangers of asbestos and how to work safely.”

“The corporate partnership with Mesothelioma UK allowed us to further raise awareness of the risks associated to working with asbestos, at the same time, raising much needed funds to help support patients and families.”

“The money raised by the UKATA team and members is a great achievement and I am very proud of everyone’s efforts to support this great charity.”

The partnership will allow UKATA to support the charity in providing specialist mesothelioma information, support and education, and to improving care and treatment for all UK mesothelioma patients and carers.

Click here to find out more about UKATA

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Featured, Home

Work to begin on Chesterfield’s new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

Work is set to begin on the Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre on part of the Holywell Cross (Donut) car park.

Chesterfield Borough Council has appointed local contractor Robert Woodhead Ltd to build the new development for businesses, with work to begin in Spring 2020.

This appointment follows an extensive procurement process undertaken by Chesterfield Borough Council in which Robert Woodhead Ltd has proved successful amidst a highly competitive field of design and build contractors.  The good response by the construction market to this opportunity indicates there is a high level of interest for schemes in Chesterfield.

The new building will provide 32 high-quality offices in a range of sizes (26 to 120 square metres) over three floors.  It offers a shared reception and lobby area, meeting rooms, first floor break out area, bicycle store, shower and changing facilities, air conditioning throughout, lift access, internal bin store, kitchenettes on the first and second floor for use by occupants, individually metered power supplies, access control to all office doors, CCTV coverage to internal communal areas and external area.  IT fibre connection into building with maximum speed multi bandwith and Wifi is provided throughout.

Businesses moving in to the new facility will benefit from its central location, being in easy access to the town centre, Chesterfield train station, local buses and there being car parking nearby, and will benefit from having access to business support.

The development is estimated to take 12 months to build, so will be open for business in early 2021. Those interested in occupying one of the spaces should use the contact details below to discuss options available.

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic development, said: “The new centre will allow those based there to have access to in-house support services to encourage and nurture start-up and early stage businesses in a wide variety of industry sectors.

“The contractor appointed is based in the East Midlands, and as with all our contractors we will work with them in the support of the local labour clause promoting the use of a local supply chain and the employment of local people.

“The council declared a climate emergency in Chesterfield last year so being environmentally friendly in our forthcoming building projects is essential.

“This building has been deliberately designed to reduce its demand for energy and related carbon emissions.  Through this design we are looking to achieve a 39.11% reduction in carbon omissions and 41.28% reduction in annual energy consumption when compared with a standard building.

“The combination of building fabric design and efficient building energy management systems will help us to achieve these targets.  To demonstrate the sustainability credentials of this building we aim to achieve a BREEAM – New Construction Rating of Excellent.

“The location of the building in the town centre also ensures it benefits from proximity to a range of public transport services.  The building will provide shower and changing facilities for those occupants who cycle or travel to work on foot.  A building travel plan will also help promote more environmentally sustainable forms of transport to those using the building.

“The new centre will be the third managed workspace in the council’s portfolio, and we are seeking to build on the success of our well let Tapton and Dunston Innovation Centres.”

Leo Woodhead, Business Development Director at Woodhead Group, said: “Woodhead Group is delighted to be taking part in this exciting opportunity collaborating with Chesterfield Borough Council.”

“Our partnership will allow Woodhead Group to grow and develop our business within the local community.”

The centre will be developed on the same area that the archaeological dig took place last year, with hoarding going up around the site over the next few weeks.  It has benefited from grant funding support from the Sheffield City Region Investment Fund.

To find out more about your business being based in the Enterprise Centre call either Claire Cunningham or Hannah Ramsdale on 01246 345255 or email hannah.ramsdale@chesterfield.gov.uk or claire.cunningham@chesterfield.gov.uk .

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

Two new additions for Markham Vale

Following the completion of new deals at Wilson Business Park on Harper Way, two new companies have recently moved to Markham Vale.

QCR Recycling Equipment have moved in to Unit 5 along with their sister company Mypower Ltd. QCR supply balers and compactors which help businesses reduce waste costs, increase recycling rates and lower their carbon footprint.

After 20 years of waste equipment across the UK, QCR has vast experience with a huge range of waste materials and how to reduce costs. Their customers are so varied, spanning pubs and Michelin starred restaurants to the biggest retailers and manufacturers in the UK.

Sister company, Mypower, are award-winning designers and installers of commercial solar PV systems that help businesses of all sizes reduce their impact on climate change, whilst reducing their electricity costs.

This follows the recent announcement that Catering Projects, based in Waterloo Court, have acquired a second unit across the road in Wilson Business Park, as well as hiring four new staff members, including an Administration Assistant apprentice from Chesterfield College.

Discussions are progressing with three further businesses that are considering Markham Vale as the place for their future business needs.

Click here to find out more about locating your business in Markham Vale.

Click here to learn more about finding commercial property in Chesterfield.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home