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Bridge Help adds to growing team

Chesterfield Champion Bridge Help has added to its growing team with the appointment of Naseer Ahmed as Head of Sales for London and the South East.

Naseer’s appointment at the fast-growing short-term lender is one of a number of regional business development appointments being made by the company in 2021 to meet national demand for its loan products.

Naseer brings 13 years in client relationship management and corporate and commercial banking to his new role at Bridge Help. He boasts 10 years’ experience with major high street banks where he specialised in commercial banking before making the move to the bridging sector in 2019. He joins Bridge Help from TFG Capital Limited and, prior to that, Kuflink.

Explaining what attracted him to the role, he said: “Bridge Help offers a fresh and evolving approach in a saturated market. The company puts relationship-building at the heart of the deal backed by some excellent inhouse systems.”

Welcoming Naseer to Bridge Help, Chief Executive Chris Sellars said: “Naseer’s appointment represents a very important milestone for the business. Our loan book is growing daily and its important to me that we have the right people, like Danny, in place at a regional level to continue to develop solid, long-term relationships with brokers throughout the country. I am confident that Naseer will make significant inroads with brokers in London and the South East.”

Naseer added: “Having recruited teams myself in my previous banking roles I could identify with Chris at interview. He really wanted to get to know me as a person. His passion and vision for the business is very exciting and I am delighted to join the team.”

Outside work, Naseer enjoys spending time with his young family and being outdoors. He has recently taken up fishing despite his dislike of live fishing bait. “I like to push myself out of my comfort zone,” he explained.

Naseer is one of a number of strategic business development appointments that Bridge Help will be making in order to deliver more than £25 million in short-term loans this year.

Brokers and borrowers have not only been attracted by the client-first approach and attractive terms that Bridge Help offers, but also the firm’s dedicated legal and valuation teams which have ensured that property investors have been able to get deals over the line quickly and benefit from the current stamp duty holiday.

To arrange a meeting with Naseer or speak to one of our business development team in your region, contact Bridge Help on 033 3303 4681.

Bridge Help 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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Community Chesterfield launches virtual health and social care careers showcase

An innovative week-long event to showcase the diversity of careers and pathways into health and social care has been launched in Chesterfield.

‘Careers that Care’ week, a series of virtual events organised in partnership with Derbyshire Voluntary Action’s (DVA) Community Chesterfield project, the University of Derby and Joined Up Careers Derbyshire, will take place from 21 to 25 June.

The event, which is funded by the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Collaborative Outreach Programme (DANCOP), will feature opportunities for attendees to watch videos from people playing crucial roles in the region’s health and social care sectors, allowing them to find out more about what they do in the role day to day and where the career could take you. These will include disability support worker, radiography and podiatry.

The videos will be available to watch on YouTube prior to the event and those attending the event are invited to post questions for the expert via the comments section under each video. These questions will then be answered during live Q&A sessions throughout the week, equipping delegates with knowledge about what it is like to work in that field.

The week will culminate in a live panel discussion, with special guests including Dr Paula Holt MBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care at the University of Derby, Jacqui Willis, chief executive at Derbyshire Voluntary Action and Linda Garnett, Workforce and Organisational Development Lead for Joined Up Care Derbyshire as well as Emily Williams from Chesterfield Borough Council.

Toby Perkins MP, Labour MP for Chesterfield and Shadow Minister for Further Education and Skills, will introduce the panel. Attendees will be able to watch Question Time-style discussion via a live stream.

The panel will be looking at the big picture of health in the local area, the barriers and strengths within the sector and their thoughts on what individuals can do to support through both community action and careers in health and social care.

Charlotte Repton, project manager at Community Chesterfield, which links the skills, knowledge and experience of Chesterfield’s voluntary and community sector, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with Joined Up Careers on this event, which will promote the variety of roles available across the NHS and public sector and highlight why people should choose these sectors as a career path.

“Our role at Community Chesterfield is to bring the University and community together to create a resourceful, experienced and knowledgeable health and social care sector in the area, as well as creating learning and personal development opportunities for students. This event should help to do just that.”

Careers that Care is open to anyone from Chesterfield and surrounding areas with an interest in health and social care, but will be of particular interest to young people at the point of making a decision about their career or to individuals who might be considering a career change.

It will also benefit parents or teachers who are supporting a young person to make decisions about their career and current students who wish to find out about the range of careers their studies could lead them to.

For more information visit www.careersthatcareweek.org

Derbyshire Voluntary Action and University of Derby support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Derbyshire County Council apprenticeships

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Chamber explains how region’s businesses can support India during Covid-19 crisis

Businesses in the region are being encouraged to offer support where they can to India during its Covid-19 crisis.

With shortages of oxygen, hospital beds and medicine in Delhi, and many other cities in the world’s second-most populous country, due to a devastating second wave, there are specific urgent needs that could be plugged by East Midlands companies with access to those resources. They include:

  • Empty, refillable oxygen cylinders with between 10 litres and 45 litres liquid medical oxygen (LMO) capacity
  • Oxygen concentrators
  • In-situ oxygen manufacturing plants for hospitals
  • Remdesivir, an antiviral medication used in treating Covid-19

More than 200,000 people are reported to have died from coronavirus in India – although the real figure is believed to be much higher – with 3,293 deaths reported in the most recent 24-hour period.

East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles has joined the rest of the British Chambers of Commerce network in launching an appeal, alongside the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and charity UNICEF, for the business community to support where possible.

He said: “Many of us will have seen the truly heart-breaking media reports showing the devastating impact of the second wave of Covid-19 in India.

“While the UK Government is considering how it will support with much-needed supplies, we believe the business community can step up in the meantime – just as we have rallied before in the battle against coronavirus.

“In our #EMComingTogether campaign launched at the beginning of the pandemic, in which we helped to link up companies with access to PPE to the local and national organisations that needed supplies, we were hugely inspired by the number of firms that came forward during a challenging period.

“Once again, we’re asking businesses to rally round and get behind the campaigns by UKIBC and UNICEF. There may well be companies within our region that are able to help source these crucial items that will save countless lives and enable India to get through this crisis.”

Anyone able to offer support with any of the urgent needs should explain how they can help by contacting the UKIBC at covidsupport@ukibc.com or UNICEF at rmpindia@unicef.org.

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Chesterfield businesses urged to take advantage of government apprenticeship bonus scheme

Pinewood Property Estates Ltd and Chesterfield College are urging Derbyshire businesses to make the most of the government’s apprenticeship bonus scheme which launched earlier this month.

The scheme offers employers up to £4,000 for every apprentice recruited. It is designed to help businesses grow their team and provide opportunities for people to develop the skills they need to boost their careers.

Stacey Davies-Bowler, managing director at Pinewood Property Estates Ltd in Chesterfield, is a great advocate for apprenticeships. He is keen to highlight what benefits they bring, particularly with the availability of the apprenticeship incentive payment.

Stacey started his career as an apprentice and has helped many others to do the same.  As part of recent expansion plans, the business was keen to recruit a new apprentice along with other senior members of staff. They worked with Chesterfield College to explore the options open to them to find the perfect apprentice candidate. The apprenticeship bonus scheme was an added benefit for the organisation when they recruited Alberta, a Customer Service apprentice.

Stacey is keen to share his experiences as an employer of apprentices to encourage other small businesses to make the most of what the incentive scheme offers. He said:

“Without young people coming through, any industry gets stagnant. If companies are not giving young people a chance and supporting them to learn, they are going to find a huge void in their workforce and the skills they need. We have had great success with apprentices over the years and it is good to see young people develop in the organisation.

“In our business, an apprentice is not cheap labour. We have to invest a lot of time and effort into developing apprentices but we know we get a payback in the long term. We get someone who understands our business and our industry who then goes on to contribute to making a profit.

“The incentive scheme gives businesses who might be new to the apprenticeship process of developing their team a good opportunity to try it out. The bonus payment could potentially cover a third of an apprentice’s annual salary. For a small business this could offer a perfect way to give a young person a start to their career and develop an apprentice to become a valued member of their team.”

Leah Shortt, Apprentice Recruitment Manager at Chesterfield College said:

“We have been supporting local business like Pinewood Property Estates to grow their team through apprenticeships for many years. Now the new incentive scheme is available, we hope it will encourage more employers to explore how apprentices could benefit them.  We are here to help employers navigate their way through the apprenticeship landscape and access the incentive payments before the deadline. Our team of apprenticeship experts is on hand to help employers find the right apprenticeship programme, and the right candidate. Ultimately, this will support them to develop their future workforce and fill those critical skills gaps now and in the future.”

Find out more at https://www.chesterfield.ac.uk/apprenticeship-bonus-payment/ or call 0345 850 1055.

Pinewood Properties and Chesterfield College support 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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NLT forms partnership with leading joint integrity training provider

NLT Training Services has expanded its training provision to now include joint integrity training at its Chesterfield and Scunthorpe centres.

The addition of joint integrity training follows a new partnership with specialist joint integrity management and training provider Zulu Joint Integrity and Training Limited, which is part of the Phoenix Group.

Based in Bridgend in Wales, the partnership with NLT now gives Zulu two locations in England from which to deliver its training.

Nine new joint integrity courses have now been added to NLT Training Services’ training portfolio, specifically:

• BS EN 1591-4:2013
• ECITB MJI10/MJI11 and Technical units
• Energy Institute Guidelines
• Pipework – Breaking Containment
• Human Error / Human Factors
• Gasket & Sealing Technology
• Valve training for Process Operators
• Safe Isolation of Process Plant (HSG253)
• Introduction to Internal Auditing (QMS)

NLT and Zulu anticipate high demand for the training particularly in the Humberside area where there is a concentration of oil and gas, chemical, petrochemical, power, steel making and process industries.

All joint integrity training courses are aligned to industry best practice and provide a blend of sealing technology and practical elements associated with flange assembly. The courses provide delegates with the knowledge and practical skills required for dismantling and assembling flanged connections in pipelines as used in the process industry, particularly high hazardous industries.

Sarah Temperton, Chief Executive of NLT Training Services commented: “We’re delighted to announce our partnership with Zulu. It’s an exciting time for both businesses and we’re very much looking forward to expanding our joint training offering as our relationship develops.”
Christopher Mellows, Managing Director of Zulu Joint Integrity and Training Limited added: “This exciting new partnership not only allows Zulu to have a base within Humberside to support local businesses with their joint integrity, but also gives NLT a whole new range of courses to be delivered at its wonderful training centres.”

To find out more about the new range of NLT joint integrity training courses, or to make a booking please call 0333 880 3540 or visit https://www.nlt-training.co.uk/courses/.

NLT Training Services 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 Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , ,

University of Derby to offer higher education courses to students in Singapore

A higher education provider in Singapore will be the latest international institution to offer University of Derby courses to international students.

The formal agreement signed between the University and DIMENSIONS International College will result in the launch of a number of Derby’s undergraduate courses to DIMENSIONS students from this month.

The first group of courses includes BSc (Hons) Psychological Studies, BA (Hons) Marketing (Management), BA (Hons) International Accounting, BA (Hons) Business Management and BA (Hons) Graphic Design.

The courses have been registered by the Committee for Private Education (CPE), Singapore’s regulatory equivalent of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the UK.

Over the next few years, courses from all four of the University’s colleges – Arts, Humanities and Education, Business, Law and Social Sciences, Health, Psychology and Social Care, and Science and Engineering – will be available to students at DIMENSIONS, who are from across the whole of east and south-east Asia.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “We are delighted to have established a new strategic international partnership with DIMENSIONS, as Singapore is a very important hub for transnational education, attracting students from many different countries.

“Such partnerships enable us to offer degree courses from across the University of Derby’s academic portfolio to students in different locations around the world, extending our reputation for teaching excellence across the globe.”

Mr. Henry Chan, Managing Director and Principal of DIMENSIONS International College, said: “It is our great privilege to be the collaborative partner of University of Derby, given its rich heritage, good ranking and wide range of programmes which students can choose from.

“Our students have now embarked on the learning journey with University of Derby at DIMENSIONS. We are excited with the plans to roll out more of Derby’s programmes in 2022.”

DIMENSIONS joins a growing list of partners offering a range of programmes by the University of Derby. This list includes institutions such as the Mediterranean College in Greece and Domain Academy in Malta, as well as specialist institutions such as Botswana Accountancy College, and Swiss Education Group – an alliance of internationally-recognised schools specialising in hospitality, business and the culinary arts.

Richard Side, Associate Director of International at the University of Derby, said: “We worked closely with the British Council in Singapore to carefully identify colleges with ambitions that are closely aligned to our own, with whom we could potentially work. It was clear that DIMENSIONS very much met our requirements for delivering degree programmes from across our colleges.

“There are a number of phases to the partnership. Phase one will see five courses being delivered from this summer. Discussions about which of our Science and Engineering courses will be provided by DIMENSIONS under phase two in 2022 have just begun.”

Posted in Development, Featured, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , , ,

Progress continues on development of 120 new homes in Holmewood

A housing development comprising of 120 new homes is continuing progress in Holmewood, with the developer opening the doors to its marketing suite on the site this month.

Thorpe Meadows is the latest development by housebuilder Harron Homes, which has also been working on the Regents Green development in nearby Grassmoor.

Set in a picturesque area of North East of Derbyshire, Holmewood boasts the Five Pits Trail, a country park which is a haven for wildlife, while Chesterfield is just a short drive away for major retailers as well as leisure and entertainment options.

The village is also in close proximity to the M1, providing commuters with convenient access to Sheffield and Nottingham, both of which are approximately 20 miles away.

Construction work is progressing, with a showhome expected to be available to view by July 2021. This development comprises of a collection of three and four bedroom homes.

Harron Homes says ecology will be a priority on the site with bird boxes, bat boxes and hedgehog homes and highways all being incorporated in the development.

Natalie Griffiths, Sales and Marketing Director at Harron Homes North Midlands, said “We’re delighted to bring our collection of sought-after homes to this stunning area.

“Given the popularity of our last development in the region, we don’t anticipate these homes staying on the market for long, so be sure to register your interest early!”

The first homes are expected to be complete by Autumn 2021.

If you would like to find out more about living and working in Chesterfield, our website has plenty of useful information here.

There are several developments currently taking place across the town, bringing a variety of new homes, leisure facilities, office space and retail units. You can keep track of all the major regeneration taking place across the town on our developments page.

 

Posted in Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Leisure, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , , ,

Chesterfield’s Superior Wellness marks 10 year anniversary

Europe’s largest hot tub and swim spa distributor Superior Wellness are celebrating their 10 year anniversary today (28 April 2021). The milestone year also coincides with the recent move into the new 130,000 square foot warehouse, distribution centre and office in Chesterfield.

It all began in 2011, at the age of 23, Rob Carlin, Managing Director decided he wanted to import and sell hot tubs.  Having zero knowledge of the hot tub industry he researched the products and saw a gap in the market for entry level products to be retailed online.

Rob then moved into distribution selling the Superior Spas brand initially then creating Platinum Spas and introducing other brands to the portfolio.

Superior Wellness saw phenomenal growth in 2020 in terms of sales, revenue and team members too. This accelerated growth is one of the reasons for the move and will enable them the space to achieve their vision.

The team recently moved into their new headquarters in Chesterfield which houses the warehouse, distribution centre and office, plus one of the UK’s largest hot tub showrooms for their retail division Miami Spas.  The new location is almost the size of two football pitches and will be the largest hot tub distribution centre in the UK stocking up to 3,000 hot tubs.

Reflecting on the last ten years Rob Carlin, Managing Director said: “I am incredibly proud of how far we have come.  From the early days when I rented a small warehouse and worked from my bedroom to now moving into our new headquarters, illustrates the growth we have experienced.

“Last year we received 25,000 spa orders and currently three months into 2021 we are on a grand total of 12,000 plus spa orders received. Sales have rocketed during the pandemic.

“We have a purpose-built manufacturing facility in China to produce our Platinum Spas brand and very recently have taken over another facility.

“We have an amazing team and partner network around the world who I am eternally grateful to.”

Gareth Ward, Sales Director added: “We are also investing in marketing, technology, research, IT, product innovation and the customer experience.  We aim to go beyond expectations in all that we do.

“We could not have achieved the growth without our culture; we work as a close knit team and support each other.  Our partners work with us – as one team.  Thank you to each and every one of you.”

Over the next ten years Superior Wellness will be working towards their vision of becoming the world market leader in hot tubs and swim spas, offering a global choice of high quality products and commended for our focus on wellness and best in class customer experience.

Superior Wellness 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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Jones & Co Team named amongst UK’s top rated financial advisors

Four independent financial advisors at Chesterfield-based independent financial advice firm, Jones & Co, have been named amongst some of the UK’s top-rated financial advisors with VouchedFor.

In VouchedFor’s 2021 Guide to the UK’s top-rated Financial Advisors distributed with The Times newspaper, Suzanne Jeakins, Pauline Fernandes, Kirk Yeomans and Mark Jones were identified as a select number of professional IFAs in Derbyshire to achieve this significant accolade. The guide aims to help people understand how advice could benefit them and celebrates financial and mortgage advisors who are delivering excellent outcomes for their clients.

Each of the financial and mortgage advisors listed within the guide have received the highest volume of positive client reviews since the start of 2020 on VouchedFor.co.uk, the UK’s leading ratings site for financial and legal advisers.

As well as being endorsed by at least ten clients, each advisor is a fully verified member of VouchedFor, which means the company has checked that they have the necessary permissions to practice, in line with the latest Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules.

Commenting on the news, managing director of Jones & Co, Mark Jones said: “Gaining nationwide recognition as being amongst some of the UK’s top-rated financial advisors is testament to the outstanding team we have here at Jones & Co.

“Working with people to help them to accumulate and preserve their wealth and security is such a rewarding job. Everyone has bespoke financial objectives which is why we are committed to creating tailored portfolios for each of our clients. It’s a real pleasure to support people achieve, and often exceed, their goals and that shows in the excellent five-star reviews we continually receive.”

The company aims to deliver a financial strategy that helps each client to achieve their own personal retirement or financial goals. That includes helping people make the right decisions and assisting them to gain maximum capital or income possible from hard-earned savings made.

Jones & Co. 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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Shorts Chartered Accountants promote Gary Moorhouse to Genus Director role

Shorts Chartered Accountants are delighted to announce the promotion of Gary Moorhouse to Genus Director, with immediate effect.  Gary joined Shorts in 2013 and has played an active role in the growth and development of the Genus service; providing business with meaningful management accounts upon which to make better informed business decisions.

Malcolm Pope, Partner at Shorts and Head of Genus said:  “We are delighted to promote Gary to the position of Director. His performance has been consistently excellent, helping us to develop and further enhance our management accounts offering for local businesses. He will play an important role in the ongoing growth and development of the department.”

On his promotion, Gary said:  “It is great to be asked to take this position, I have been with Shorts 8 years and it has been such an interesting journey. We have developed our support for clients to enable us to be the leading firm in the region and the Genus team is an integral part of this.”

Gary will now spearhead the ambitious growth plans for Genus, while the team continues to excel in aiding clients with strategy from top to bottom.  He can be contacted on 0114 2671617 or by emailing gary.moorhouse@shorts.uk.com.

Genus provides clients with detailed management reporting and projects. These projects include reviewing existing systems and processes, from simple accounting software changes to full process reviews and integration of cutting-edge accounting software.

With a long-standing heritage of over 130 years, Shorts Chartered Accountants has grown from a local business to a nationally recognised award-winning firm.

The company is home to some incredible expertise – specialists have joined the company from some of the world’s leading firms, bringing years of experience that they have shared and continue to hone.

Shorts Chartered Accountants 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 Business, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Home, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , ,

New online docuseries follows Stanedge Golf Club owner’s one-woman mission to transform golf

A unique new docuseries telling the remarkable story of one woman’s mission to turnaround a rundown golf club and make it a friendly, accessible and inclusive community venue is now streaming online.

In a first for the golf industry, the fly-on-the-wall documentary, Changing the Business of Golf, follows former Ladies European Tour professional Fame Tate as she breaks with tradition and aims to transform the course and customer experience at Stanedge Golf Club, Derbyshire.

In the first episode, Fame recalls the life-changing decision to acquire the golf course and how she is turning the club into an open, friendly venue at the heart of her local community.

Meanwhile, as the team prepares for a new season, they are faced with the prospect of preparing the golf course for reopening without their head greenkeeper.

“If you’d said to me one day you’ll own a golf club, I’d have probably sat there are laughed,” says Fame, whose playing career was cut short by injury.

“My vision from day one was to break away from the traditional golf club model. It’s about making a place that’s welcoming, affordable, accessible, inclusive.”

Working closely with her greenkeeping team – and revealing how she rolled up her sleeves to get stuck in to groundwork – Fame is investing in a major course upgrade to improve playing conditions.

The series documents day-to-day happenings, including course management work led by head greenkeeper Christian ‘CJ’ Johnson.

“It was a tough task for Fame and everybody involved to get the course back to where it was,” says CJ. “But since then we have really tried to improve it as a team and get it moving forwards.”

Just one year after acquiring the club, Fame faced the potentially catastrophic challenge of the Covid pandemic and enforced lockdown, forcing her and the team to call on their inner reserves of strength and resilience to keep the business afloat.

Will she realise her vision and succeed? The series will follow Fame and her team as she reopens Stanedge Golf Club and takes on the business of golf.

Watch the first episode now on Syngenta Golf: https://www.syngentagolf.com/changing-business-golf

Stanedge Golf Club 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 Business, Featured, Home, Leisure, Summer, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , ,

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