Made in Chesterfield

Summit details roadmap key to Chesterfield thriving post pandemic

Public health will dominate the agenda in 2021 as Chesterfield looks to recover financially from the pandemic.

That was the message from Chief Executive of the Association of Town & City Management, Ojay McDonald, who headlined the fourth annual Chesterfield Investment Summit held on Wednesday 25 November.

Speaking at the virtual event which was organised by Destination Chesterfield, Mr McDonald said: “Public health will absolutely dominate the debate and will dictate how our town centres evolve going forward. We need to see town centres as ultra safe zones. People want safe, regulated spaces where they can meet, greet and network.”

He stressed that, despite the imminent vaccine, no-one knows whether the current town centre issues caused by the pandemic are short or long-term.

Mr McDonald did, however, highlight opportunities for the town centre brought about by the increase in home working. “Town centres can look to Paris in France for inspiration and its 15-minute city plan which has everything you need within a 15-minute radius on foot or bike.”

As well as addressing the challenges facing the high street and its long-term survival, the summit also outlined how the town plans to capitalise on the office and rail opportunities that are projected to emerge post Covid.

Office expert Darren Mansfield, Partner at Global Real Estate Consultants Knight Frank, who also spoke at the summit, agreed that home working would continue however demand for high quality office space locally was also forecast to increase.

He explained: “Employee fatigue and deficiencies in data protection have all emerged from working from home, therefore it is not a long term option. Instead, a hybrid model of home and office working is at the heart of the workspace strategy of the future. Offices will become showcases that are the centre of innovation, education and employee wellbeing.”

Rather than having a single large office, Mr Mansfield said that businesses will want to spread risk. As a consequence, large businesses will look to regional markets like Chesterfield, which is well positioned to capitalise on the increased demand for quality office space, with new developments at Chesterfield Waterside and Northern Gateway as well as having excellent road links and mainline rail connectivity.

At the summit, Chesterfield’s SMEs operating in the rail sector were identified as having a critical role to play in the ‘Building Back Better’ 2030 agenda.

Speaking at the summit Elaine Clark, Chief Executive of the Rail Forum Midlands, urged SMEs in the town to collaborate and work better together to capitalise on the opportunities available now in the rail sector.

“HS2 construction is well underway and there are opportunities now. There is a lot of expertise in the area but Chesterfield cannot be complacent and rely on its rail heritage. Local companies are well-placed to support future investment however they must collaborate with each other in order to compete with large companies on the continent.”

Capitalising on the forthcoming HS2 stop in the town, Chesterfield Borough Council has recently taken a part freehold, part leasehold interest in the former Chesterfield Hotel site. The site, which has been vacant for a number of years, has been identified as a key development opportunity in the emerging HS2 Station Masterplan, which aims to harness the opportunities presented by HS2 and revitalise the area around Chesterfield.

In addition to rail, the office sector has also been identified as a strategic priority for Chesterfield Borough Council. Speaking at the Summit, Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council referenced the council’s commitment to funding both the new town centre Enterprise Centre and the new seven-story office block at Chesterfield Waterside. He said that it was ‘absolutely the right thing to do’ to make these investments at the height of the pandemic when sadly too many Chesterfeld residents were losing their jobs.

The new Enterprise Centre, once complete, will support up to 32 new start-up businesses providing not only technology enabled space but also on-site business advisers to support the town’s entrepreneurs to develop their ideas and establish great businesses for the future.

He commented: “Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, Chesterfield continues to move forward. Town centre regeneration – and supporting retailers and office-based businesses to adapt to changing work practices post-Covid – is a key element of the council’s Economic Recovery Plan.

“This includes the Northern Gateway Scheme where construction of the new Enterprise Centre on Holywell Cross (Donut) is well underway, and the new office development at Chesterfield Waterside. Well done too to Blue Deer Ltd. who are also on site progressing The Glass Yard development at Sheffield Road.

“The town won’t have seen office accomodation of this quality before. The key now is to make sure that these offices meet the needs of employers looking to provide socially distanced, flexible and creative work space in the post-Covid world.”

Cllr Tony King, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Derbyshire County Council also spoke at the free event which was broadcast live by Virtual World and organised by Derbyshire Economic Partnership, Destination Chesterfield and Marketing Derby and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

You can watch the Investment Summit at https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/events/chesterfield-investment-summit/

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Proof will be in the pudding for ‘levelling up’ funds, says Chamber in response to Rishi Sunak’s spending review

Responding to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spending review statement on Wednesday (25 November), Scott Knowles, chief executive of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “The Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast that GDP will contract by 11.3% in 2020, the largest fall in output for more than three centuries, underlines the massive scale of the problem we face as a nation.

“It’s important the Government recognises it’s the private sector that will get us back to growth so it must have a proper plan in place to provide the continued support for businesses to get them through this pandemic.
“The £3bn Restart programme, which will help more than one million people who are unemployed for over a year find new work, is a significant intervention that will help both young and old people enter sustainable employment. It builds on the work of the Work & Health Programme, the Kickstart scheme and Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) scheme – three projects the Chamber is helping to deliver.

“If the 2.2% increase to the National Living Wage is going to come into force in April like the Chancellor has promised, he must be prepared to ensure support is in place for the businesses that will have to bear these increases, many of which are in the sectors hit worst by the pandemic, such as hospitality, leisure and retail – otherwise this may only add to the burden of firms already struggling to survive amid continued shutdowns.
“It was positive to hear the Chancellor commit to the new Shared Prosperity Fund matching the numbers involved with current EU structural funds, which have been essential to parts of the country such as the East Midlands, and we await more detail on what the pilot programmes next year will involve.

“Finally, the £4bn pledged on levelling-up and a new UK infrastructure bank to be set up outside London appear to be positive moves, and it’s good to see various Government departments working together on this rather than in siloes.

“However, it must be noted that there have been so many announcements like this over the years by successive chancellors from different political parties, and it is not always clear which funds are new and which ones are repackaged from previous commitments.

“Ultimately, all these pledges amount to absolutely nothing until we see this money spent on the ground. We already know the East Midlands receives less infrastructure investment per head than anywhere else in the country – £268 per capita in 2018/19, just 56% of the £481 national average – and we still await confirmation of the Eastern Leg of HS2. On this one, the proof of the pudding will very much be in the tasting.”

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Chesterfield companies and local school children set to support Vulcan XH558’s Operation Safeguard

A new innovative four-way partnership led by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTST) is set to inspire the next generation of engineers in a project that supports the Trust’s latest fundraising drive – Operation Safeguard.

The project will see CBE+, a specialist precision engineering sub-contractor, join forces with The Work-wise Foundation to engage with local schools who will all work together on a number of projects to help the VTST charity.

The Work Wise Foundation is an employer-inspired and led initiative for engineering, manufacturing, technology, set up to support the development of children and young people so they have the knowledge, skills, aptitude and opportunities for employment.

Dr Robert Pleming, CEO of VTST said: “We are thrilled to be announcing this partnership with Chesterfield based CBE+ and The Work-wise Foundation to bring a unique opportunity to young people, schools and colleges in the region.

“Inspiring young people into careers in aerospace and engineering is one of the fundamental principles guiding our charity.”

CBE+ are currently housing an original Fuel Tank (as used in the conversion of Vulcan to a tanker) and two spare original Delta Wing Tips form the stock of parts used to maintain the iconic British engineered Vulcan XH558, delivered by the Trust for preparation, restoration and subsequent display in The Vulcan Experience.

Robert added: “This is partnership working at its best. CBE+ are providing the workshop space, engineering innovation/adaptation and apprentices to help renovate the components in a modern engineering environment.

“The Work-wise Foundation are delivering an education programme with links to the curriculum, employability skills and managing visits and experiences for students and schools to get involved.

“The exhibits resulting from this work will eventually take pride of place at The Vulcan Experience, displaying the names of people who support us by donating to Operation Safeguard – the campaign to build our new home.”

XH558 is based at Doncaster Sheffield Airport and the VTST have planning permission to build a new permanent base for the aircraft. Operation Safeguard is their fundraising campaign to turn these ambitions into reality.

Marie Cooper, CEO of CBE+ said: “We are extremely pleased to be working with the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and The Work-wise Foundation on this project and cannot wait to get young people and apprentices involved in this innovative project.

“Taking delivery of the Fuel Tank and the Wing Tips was a very exciting moment for us and our engineers are keen to get to work on the restoration of these parts.

“Working with and inspiring young people into careers in STEM is so important for us. These are our future employees and we need to capture their attention when they are young so that they can see the potential of working in this sector.”

The Work-wise foundation will be working with schools to launch a competition that will see young people design the display stands to showcase the Fuel Tank and Wing Tips, the winning design will be translated into reality by CBE+.John Barber, CEO of The Work-wise Foundation said: “This is a really exciting partnership and we are proud to be working with both CBE+ and the Vulcan to the Sky Trust to bring this project to life.

“We will be working with primary and secondary schools to give students a first-hand experience of a real engineering renovation project in a modern industrial setting.

“Students will be able to learn about and see the work to restore and bring back to practical use the Fuel Tank and Wing Tips of the iconic Avro Vulcan Bomber XH558. Seeing and hearing from a team of Vulcan Engineers (Volunteers) and current apprentices.

“There will be a number of opportunities for students to learn practical skills and learn about all the jobs involved in working in aviation and engineering and the skills that are needed.”

The Work-wise Foundation supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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

70th apprentice for Chesterfield e-commerce firm

Xbite’s 70th apprentice says the opportunity has changed his life around.

Kieran Taylor (21) from Clowne became the Derbyshire e-commerce firm’s latest apprentice to join the firm which operates retail brands including 365 Games.co.uk, Roov.co.uk, Maison & White, Pukkr and Shop4.

Xbite, which has a £42m turnover, has been running a successful apprenticeship programme for seven years with a proven track record of growing and developing people and offering career progression.

Its apprentices have graduated to become buyers, marketing experts, accountants, software developers, and even managers of departments at the company, which now employs 170 people at its HQ offices and warehouse at Barlborough.

Digital marketing apprentice Kieran said: “This apprenticeship has given my life direction. I was stuck in a rut and didn’t know what I wanted to do. It has changed my life around. Now my creativity is fuelled and I have found a new focus. I am learning so many skills and getting paid for what I love doing.

“This is such an amazing company. The management are friendly, supportive and so helpful. They are really forward thinking and adapt to staff needs constantly.

“I have found the first proper job I have ever wanted to do and take pride in. I have made a proper commitment to a job and have found a career. It is the best move I have ever made. I would highly recommend an apprenticeship at Xbite.”

HR advisor Marcy White who was once an apprentice herself, oversees Xbite’s apprenticeship scheme which takes on employees between 16 – 25 in roles across the company. Xbite works with Chesterfield College, Sheffield College, Baltic Training, Yorkshire Training Provider and Chambers of Commerce to guide its apprentices who mainly come from Chesterfield and Sheffield.

Nick Whitehead, managing director at Xbite, said: “We are so proud to have Kieran as our 70th apprentice at Xbite.

“We are a growing company and it is difficult to be commercially successful whilst delivering a good, and relevant apprenticeship programme, but we have the right ingredients to do it including the best work environment and people at all levels supporting our Xbite rookies.

“Apprenticeship schemes are a really good source of talent. They can be ingrained in the fabric of the business. We have a lot of people in middle management roles that have come through that route and succeeded.

“There are so many success stories here across all ages, even people taking a step backward from their previous career path to be trained up and who now enjoy a better future.

“Xbite rookies have turned into buyers, marketing experts, accountants, software developers, and even managers of departments. Making 70 is such a proud moment for our history and its also really important to us to support local people. Our retention rate for apprentices is 95 percent – we put the effort in with staff and they give us commitment and loyalty back.”

Wade Harris, who joined Xbite as an apprentice in buying admin five years ago and is now Head of In-house Brand, said: “Going to university was not for me and a chance meeting at a family party brought me to Xbite. I started working and studying for an NVQ in digital marketing, then became junior buyer, product sourcing manager for three years and then from senior manager to Head of In-house Brand.

“The advantages of being on an apprenticeship is you gain experience from day one, train and get paid, have a guaranteed job at the end, and can take advantage of other opportunities in the company and pathways to different job roles in an environment you have already got to know really well. If you are driven here, the opportunities are yours to take. It’s a great business and I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.”

Xbite also operates a successful graduate recruitment programme with Sheffield City Region’s RISE and has taken on four graduates this year.

Find out more about apprenticeships in Chesterfield

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

Support for Chesterfield SMEs looking to take on talented graduates

Small-to-medium sized enterprises in Chesterfield are being invited to find out more about support available in adding talented graduates to their teams.

RISE is a unique business support initiative focussed on enabling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow through the employment of graduate talent. Businesses can receive access to free, tailored recruitment, talent matching, training and funding support.

It has been effective in helping SMEs overcome the barriers faced in graduate recruitment and equipping them with the tools and know-how to become successful graduate employers.

Since 2013, RISE has supported more than 350 regionally based SMEs successfully recruit over 450 graduates. Many of those businesses have gone on to report increases in turnover, productivity, innovation and growth as a result.

The enhanced RISE project now provides even more comprehensive business support and business benefits. RISE is delivered through a well-established collaboration of the region’s local authorities, universities and a specialist private sector delivery partner working together to provide the tailored support your business needs.

Sarah Stanley, SME Engagement Manager said: “We currently have an amazing talent pool of 250+ high quality graduates ready and wanting to work for SMEs in Sheffield City Region, including Chesterfield. Our support is fully funded and we help you to scope and advertise your graduate level role, match suitable candidates from our talent pool and provide you with a shortlist for you to interview.

“As well as helping you to find a great graduate(s) we help you make the most of your graduate hire and provide ongoing support at 3 and 6 months into your graduate’s employment. Our RISE Talent Pool is now live!”

RISE has already helped to match businesses in our region with graduate talent. North East Derbyshire-based urban drainage and environmental consultancy, RES Environmental recently employed Keele University graduate James England, after being matched with him through the scheme.

Alan Ayris, Managing Director at RES Environmental said: “Recruitment can be difficult in this sector and there are additional challenges to interviewing and sourcing new graduates because we can’t dig into their past projects and technical skills in the same way that we would with an established engineer. This is where RISE came in and made a huge impact. The RISE team are skilled at matching people to roles and identifying the additional support a business needs.

“RISE helped us pinpoint the wider traits and knowledge-base we’re seeking and supported us to explore these qualities with candidates during interviews. The traditional recruitment methods we employ can feel like a lottery, but the support offered through RISE significantly reduced the risk for us. We now feel better placed to progress our plans to create more graduate roles in the business.”

RISE is delivered in partnership with Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

You can find out more by visiting the RISE website, or by contacting Sarah Stanley via email: sarah@risescr.co.uk 

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Chesterfield Borough Council named among Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers

Chesterfield Borough Council is celebrating after being named as one of the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in England.

The council placed 82nd in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers which ranks the very best of England’s large apprenticeship employers, with employers recognised for providing some of the most successful apprenticeship programmes over the previous 12 months.

Chesterfield Borough Council currently employs more than 40 apprentices and has done a lot of work to promote apprenticeships throughout the borough by demonstrating the value of apprenticeships and through its pioneering ‘Apprentice Town’ project.

Councillor Jean Innes, cabinet member for business transformation and customers, said: “I’m delighted that we have been recognised in this way for the work we do with apprentices. We were the first town in the UK to declare itself an ‘Apprentice Town’ and we are committed to ensuring that young people in Chesterfield can build the skills and careers they want because this is key to ensuring that we are a thriving borough.

“We want Chesterfield to be a town where young people, businesses and parents think apprenticeship first and the council has to lead by example. That is why we have more than 40 apprentices working across the organisation in a wide range of disciplines including project management, legal services and commercial services.”

The council has apprentices working in almost every service area and they are helping ensure that the council has skilled individuals for the future.

Paul Davis, who is taking part in an apprenticeship programme with the council working towards a CIPFA Professional Qualification (Level 7), said: “I wanted to do the an apprenticeship with Chesterfield Borough Council because it allowed me to study further and to progress within my area of work. The apprenticeship gave me a greater understanding of the authority’s finances and management which I could apply directly to my everyday work for the council and enhance my future prospects with a globally recognised qualification.

“I would definitely recommend apprenticeships to other people as they are great way to learn and it provides you the opportunity to progress further in your career with the added benefit of not being left with a heavy burden of student debt at the end.”

Rachel O’Neil, assistant director for customers, commissioning and change, said: “I’m delighted that we have been recognised with this award for the work we do employing apprentices. Our apprenticeship programme provides the council with highly skilled individuals and in return help ensure they can build a career and a future they are proud of with the council.”

Miles Thirnwell, who recently completed a Housing/Property Management Level two apprenticeship with distinction whilst working for the council, said: “After leaving University this was a difficult time in terms of deciding on an alternative career path. However looking back, I am incredibly pleased with my decision of applying for an apprenticeship and despite the fact that they are often overlooked, they can provide an endless amount of opportunities and the provision of skills you need to develop in your desired career.

“My knowledge and skills were constantly progressing as I was always learning something new, whether this was in the office or whilst carrying out practical tasks throughout the borough. With Chesterfield Borough Council being eager to progress young employees and apprentices, this allowed my knowledge and experiences to develop even further as I was given access to training along with key college courses.”

Chesterfield Borough Council is just one of nine Local Government organisations to feature in the top 100.

Chesterfield Borough Council launched ‘Apprentice Town’ in 2017. It is run in partnership by Chesterfield Borough Council, Destination Chesterfield, the local business community, apprenticeship providers and The Apprentice Town steering group in order to raise awareness of apprenticeship activities and promote all aspects of apprenticeship provision.

2020 is the first year a ranking of the top 100 apprenticeship providers has been compiled. Find out more about ‘Apprentice Town’ here

apprentice town steering group

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Derbyshire County Council offers free careers advice for those who need it

Derbyshire County Council says it is offering free careers advice to anyone who is aged over 19, or anyone who is 18 and not working or in education. They can ask for free advice on:

  • Training courses – including how to get funding
  • Career planning – including help to understand the current labour market, identifying skills, looking at new career paths and routes into employment
  • How to write a CV or update an existing one
  • How to write covering letters that will gain the attention of prospective employers
  • Helpful tips on finding new employment such as making the most of ‘Find a Job’, using social media and exploring the hidden labour market guidance on how to write an application form and relating it to a possible interview

Appointments are either offered on the phone, or by video call. Advice is also available by email or text.

Cabinet Member for Young People, Councillor Alex Dale said: “We can offer advice to those who may have been affected by the changes to the economy due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“If you have been made redundant and need help then please get in touch and our friendly and knowledgeable team can help you with your CV, offer advice on training, or suggest a change of career.
“There is government funding earmarked for training and job creation, and our team of career coaches can help you to find out more.”

The team can also offer advice on interview skills, including video interviews and advice on volunteering and work experience opportunities on offer across the county.

You can find out more by visiting the County Council’s website. Find out more about working in Chesterfield here. 

Chesterfield is the first town in the UK to declare itself an Apprentice Town – demonstrating its commitment to growing the future and careers of young people alongside business and the economy by retaining and developing young talent in the town in order to attract more employers to invest here. Find out more about apprenticeships in Chesterfield

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Brampton Manor announces innovative ‘watch out to help out’ events

Brampton Manor has announced the launch of a series of drive-in movies next month, giving local people the opportunity to enjoy cinema in a safe environment.

A full schedule of movies has been planned throughout November and in the run up to Christmas, featuring a mixture of early evening family favourites and late-night big screen classics. The audio from the films will be played through each individual car radio using FM transmitters. Tickets are now available to book online.

The schedule is as follows:

  • 5th November – Bonfire Night Special! Hocus Pocus / Grease
  • 12th November – Frozen / The Conjuring (eve of Friday 13th!)
  • 19th November – The Greatest Showman / Back to the Future
  • 26th November – Lion King / Dirty Dancing
  • 3rd December – Home Alone 1 / Gremlins
  • 10th December – Elf / Bad Santa
  • 17th December – Frozen 2 / Love Actually

In-car dining will be available with a full drinks delivery service, alongside VIP pre-show or after-show dining in the brand-new outdoor Alpine Igloo Village. The late show will also include a ‘leave your car overnight’ option for those wishing to enjoy an alcoholic drink during the screening. Guests are being asked to arrive 30 minutes before the film is due to start.

Marshalls will be on-hand to assist with parking. For those wanting to get closer to the action, there is a VIP ‘golden circle’ option ensuring you get a spot near the screen.

The manor has also announced its new Winter Igloo Village will be offering a tea-time Halloween experience for families during half-term and are now available to book online only for Thursday 29th 4-8pm and Friday 30th October from 4-6pm.

Craig Lynch, Managing Director at Brampton Manor said: “It’s an option for getting out safely. Innovation is always key. If you stand still in life, you go backwards.

“There are advertising opportunities on the big screen for businesses pre-show with a special reduced rate for Chesterfield Champions. Anyone interested should contact me directly and I’ll put them in touch with the event company.”

Brampton Manor supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

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Mortgage 1st go ‘back to school’ to teach students about future financial planning

Mortgage 1st, a Chesterfield based Mortgage Advice firm have been ‘Back to School’ this October delivering a lesson they created for year 9 students as part of the schools personal development topic, the lesson focuses on future financial planning which is a very important and key life skill for young people.

The team at Mortgage 1st are passionate about supporting young people, they already offer an ‘Apprentice to Adviser’ program to school & college leavers and more recently have taken part in the My Future Platform which is a virtual careers fair showcasing the jobs available in their industry to inspire the next generation.

Developing a partnership with local schools and designing a lesson plan based around financial planning, mortgages and buying a house is something HR & Marketing Director, Lisa Stones has been keen to do for a while and after linking with Shirebrook Academy earlier this year the project took shape.

Along with her colleague Carly Montisci, Senior Manager at Mortgage 1st, Lisa delivered the lesson to 6 tutor groups, over 150 students in total, over a course of 3 weeks. The lessons were well received by the tutors and students alike even after the shock of discovering the actual cost of buying a house!

Many students expressed an interest in the financial service industry as a career option they may now consider but most importantly a seed has been planted with the 13 year olds about the importance of budgeting and sensible money management to enable a financially stable future.

Lisa Stones, HR & Marketing Director, Mortgage 1st said: “I am thrilled to have been able to see this project through, I wasn’t going to let any COVID restrictions get in my way this year! The team at Shirebrook Academy have been fantastic and provided me with all the guidance I needed to create an interesting and engaging lesson for the students. The feedback from the tutors has been great and the level of engagement and questions from the students was amazing, they were genuinely interested in what is a fairly complex and ‘grown-up’ subject. This is only the start as we hope to be able to offer this programme to more local school on a regular basis.”

Mortgage 1st will soon be on the lookout for their next new young apprentice to join their head office team in Barlborugh, Chesterfield. Details will be published on their website and social media later in the year.

Mortgage 1st supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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

East Midlands Chamber launches Enterprising Women Awards 2021

Female entrepreneurs, directors, employees and apprentices in the East Midlands will once again have a platform to showcase their success stories as the Enterprising Women Awards returns for 2021.

Applications are now open for the awards, which provides recognition to outstanding women in business across the region across various stages of the career ladder.
The annual showpiece event is organised by East Midlands Chamber and led by Eileen Richards MBE and Jean Mountain, who co-founded the Enterprising Women social network in 1997.

The 2021 awards features the same eight categories as this year’s event – which was held in early March as one of the last awards ceremonies before lockdown – including an honour for Outstanding Contribution to Work in STEM, which was introduced for the first time in the 2020 event.

Eileen, who owns the Leicester-based agency Eileen Richards Recruitment and is the Chamber’s vice-president, said: “These awards are really special every single year, but 2020 has brought to light so much resilience and innovation.

“We’ve all had breaking points and as women, we’re not always good at admitting that, but we’ve kept going during some tough periods.

“So having the chance to showcase the achievements of women in our region from these times is going to be an incredible moment and I can’t wait to see the entries.
“We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors once again, many of which have returned to support what they believe to be a hugely important event for the East Midlands.”

Jean, a past president of the Chamber, added: “I am so delighted to see the Enterprising Women network, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2022, go from strength to strength, and the awards are always a special event.”

The categories, and their sponsors, are:
• Social Commitment Award (sponsored by PPL PRS)
• Apprentice of the Year
• Employee of the Year (sponsored by Smallman & Son)
• Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• Team of the Year Award
• Small Business of the Year (sponsored by Unique Window Systems)
• Outstanding Contribution to Work in STEM (sponsored by Pick Everard)
• Business Woman of the Year (headline sponsored by Futures Housing Group)

This year’s event was launched during a virtual Zoom event held yesterday (15 October).

It featured a talk by Neeyantee Karia, the co-owner of Leicester-based “street food on-the-go” brand Jake & Nayns’ and the 2020 Business Woman of the Year, who reflected on the challenges she had encountered during a 20-year career in business.
The deadline for entries is Monday 21 December at 5pm.

Finalists will be announced on the week commencing 25 January and they will find out if they have won their category at a gala dinner planned for 12 March, subject to the Covid-19 situation.

To enter the Enterprising Women Awards, visit bit.ly/2NZoR3W.

Some categories are still available to businesses that want to get involved with the event. Anyone interested in sponsoring a category can contact Sanjib Sahota on 07776 596889 or email Sanjib.Sahota@emc-dnl.co.uk.

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Chesterfield food producer among the Great Taste winners of 2020

A food producer based in Chesterfield, The Crooked Pickle Co, has won Great Taste awards for two of its most popular products.

The Korean Pickled Garlic was awarded a 1-star Great Taste award, which means judges dubbed it a food that delivers fantastic flavour, and the Bread & Butter Pickles achieved a 2-star Great Taste award, which means judges dubbed it above and beyond delicious.

Judged by 144 of the most discerning palates, Great Taste is the most coveted of all food and drink awards. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to an outstanding product.

There were 12,777 entries from 106 different countries into Great Taste this year and of those products, 205 have been awarded a 3-star, 1,294 received a 2-star and 3,818 were awarded a 1-star accolade.

This year’s winners have been found through a combination of remote judging and socially distanced judging sessions, after the lockdown began just one week into the schedule. This necessitated a swift and comprehensive reinvention of the Great Taste process, all in time to provide a much-needed boost for food and drink producers during the all-important Christmas period.

Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste values taste above all else, with no regard for branding and packaging. Whether it is cake, coffee, kippers or kombucha being judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar, box or bottle before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award.

The panel of judges this year included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, celebrated Spanish chef, José Pizarro, Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, and baker and author, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose. These esteemed palates have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork Trophy recipients and the Great Taste 2020 Supreme Champion.

The Crooked Pickle Co were also finalists in last year’s Chesterfield Food & Drink Awards under the Food Producer of the Year category.

Felix Mendelsohn, founder and owner of The Crooked Pickle Co. explains: “Having a keen interest in all things food since as long as I can remember, being awarded for both my Bread & Butter Pickles and the Korean Pickled Garlic is pretty awesome. I just wanted to share my love of these wonderful pickles and now I’m an award winner. Time to order new labels complete with our new awards logo I think!”

“I’ll be celebrating with my wonderful family at the weekend, enjoying a few ice cold beers and maybe some home made burgers topped of course with our now famous pickles. Heaven!”

Great Taste 2020 will reach its exciting finale in late October, when the Golden Fork trophy winners and the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2020 are announced at the virtual Great Taste Golden Fork awards event.

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