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Celebrating 2019 as a year of progress for Chesterfield

My last blog of this year and of the decade! As the end of 2019 moves ever nearer, I think it’s important that we look back at the progress we’ve made as a town this year, as well as looking ahead to the future we’re creating.

Chesterfield has truly had a transformational year and decade. Developments in the area have made huge progress, with some passing major milestones and others being completed, like the successful opening of both the Premier Inn in the former Co-Op building and the new Saltergate Car Park which together have spearheaded the Northern Gateway development.

Enterprise Centre

The plans for Northern Gateway include an enterprise centre for start-up and medium sized businesses on the site of Holywell Cross (Donut) car park.

The former site of the old Queens Park Sports Centre has also been revitalised with the addition of some much needed 3G pitches which are hugely popular with the many grassroots football teams in the area.

As well as construction, it’s been a big year for retail both nationally and in Chesterfield. Although the high street economy as a whole is under threat from the internet it doesn’t have to be the case. I believe that the high street and online can work together and be equally successful in their own space. ALTERIS, the new owners of Vicar Lane Shopping Centre, have proven this.

They are using Facebook to engage with shoppers and drive the redevelopment of the Vicar Lane area. They have asked shoppers what ‘offer’ they want and are responding accordingly and reaping the rewards via the resulting increased footfall. Pop-up shops, free classes, movie screenings and more at Vicar Lane have helped to bring people into the town centre helping Chesterfield’s high street performance remain above the national average.

We can all play a part in Chesterfield’s future retail success– Vote with your feet by shopping local; it really does make a difference.

The launch of the big screen at Vicar Lane Shopping Centre took place on Friday 6th December.

The public / private sector partnerships in Chesterfield are as strong as ever. Its effect is felt in every area of the borough from major developments like Markham Vale and Chesterfield Waterside through to spectacular events like the Christmas lights switch on and regular themed markets.

This collaboration is key to Chesterfield, and its people and businesses continuing to thrive. It also gives us an excellent excuse to celebrate our success with the annual Retail Awards and Food & Drink Awards. More importantly for me, these events recognise young talent – and having met the young chefs, Chesterfield College students and apprentices at this year’s Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, I can confirm that the town has a wealth of it.

I feel confident as we go into 2020 and a new decade that Chesterfield’s future is bright and is in safe hands.

Best wishes for the New Year!

There’s a full programme of entertainment for Christmas in Chesterfield from traditional markets to the annual pantomime and from stand up comedy to musical concerts.

Blog by Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield

Posted in About Chesterfield, Blog, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting

Hasland to receive community contributions alongside new housing development

Work is currently under way at a new housing development in Hasland, which will bring more than £600,000 of educational and health community contributions to the area.

Persimmon Homes Nottingham is creating a new community in Hasland as it builds 160 new homes off Mansfield Road.

Both Hady Primary School and Hasland Hall Community School are set to benefit from Section 106 contributions agreed during the planning process for the site, which will help create a further 37 pupil places across the two schools.

The NHS North Derbyshire CCG will receive £60,000 to support Hasland Medical Centre and Avenue and Hasland Partnership.

Persimmon’s Alderman Park development will feature two, three, four and five-bedroom homes and the company is working to open its showhome in January 2020.

Managing Director for Persimmon Homes Nottingham, Neil Follows, said: “We see our Alderman Park development as an extension of the thriving Hasland community.”

“This is the first time we have built in the area, so we are looking forward to introducing visitors to our range of homes.”

“We are already seeing many customers getting ahead of the game and securing their new home off-plan,” added Neil.

“Buying this way is ideal because you can secure your preferred property and location within the development.”

Located to the south-east of Chesterfield town centre, Alderman Park is near to all amenities and attractions required for everyday life as well as being close to beautiful countryside. Along with these benefits, comes convenient transport links by road, bus and rail.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Vicar Lane wins national award for digital innovation

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre, last night (4th December), won the gold award in the Re:wired category at the prestigious REVO Gold Awards.

The Re:wired award recognises and celebrates the best examples of innovative retail property technology. Vicar Lane has beat big names in the retail sector to the award including Westfield and Savills, highlighting the industry-leading nature of their approach to technology and customers.

The Centre and its owner Alterx have both been working with tech specialist Maybe*Tech to engage with the Chesterfield audience. The fascinating results have helped to shape the future design and function of Vicar Lane as well as helping to create a better experience for visitors.

The findings have led to a new approach to the leasing of empty shops with Steeplegate coming to life again as a venue for independent brands.

The approach has also helped shape the development of the centre’s marketing and promotions, and led to innovations like the giant new screen which opens in St James’ Square next month.

David Goldstein of Alterx explains: “The innovative work with Maybe*Tech has allowed us to actively use social media to monitor and communicate with our customers to understand what they want from Vicar Lane. This has led to us developing a series of successful pop-up events such as flower arranging, cinema screenings and a micro pub to compliment Vicar Lane’s current retail offer.”

Other new technology innovations have seen a partnership with parking specialists Reef, which has led to the Vicar Lane car park being upgraded to be fully automated and ticketless. Number plate recognition and an easy mobile payment enables a faster and frictionless parking system which is more efficient and environmentally conscious.

Behind the scenes, Alterx has set up new in-house communication channels for Vicar Lane retailers. This enables greater visibility on tenant trading performance which allows retailers to make better informed decisions.

The results have also seen increases in pedestrian counts, which is great news for Chesterfield, especially when so many similar towns across the country are struggling.

The shopping centre continues to be re-imagined and a new big screen and public square officially open in Chesterfield on Friday 6th December.

Proposed Vicar Lane Improvements

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Details of Chesterfield Festival of Cricket 2020 announced

Derbyshire County Cricket Club’s fixtures for the 2020 season have been released, including details of the popular Chesterfield Festival of Cricket.

The club, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2020, will play 17 days of home weekend and Bank Holiday cricket in 2020, with all but one home County Championship match spanning a weekend.

Twenty20 action returns to the picturesque Queen’s Park on Saturday 20 June as part of the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket, with the Falcons aiming for a seventh-straight win over Yorkshire in the format. The fixture was a complete sell out in both 2018 and 2019, with similar demand expected for 2020.

Prior to the visit of the Vikings, Derbyshire face Worcestershire in a County Championship match at the picturesque Queen’s Park to begin the week-long Chesterfield Festival of Cricket, in association with Chesterfield Borough Council.

Derbyshire will face the Yorkshire Vikings in the newly-structured Royal London Cup at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield on Sunday 26th July. The List A visit by Yorkshire will be the sixth day of cricket in Chesterfield next summer.

For full fixture list, visit the Derbyshire County Cricket Club website.

Chief Executive, Ryan Duckett, said: “We are very pleased to be playing more weekend cricket in 2020, allowing more people to support Derbyshire across all formats.”

“Next year promises to be a special occasion for Members, supporters and everyone associated with Derbyshire as we celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary.”

“As part of the celebrations, we are proud to offer a Membership which gives supporters better value for their money at Derbyshire. As well as just under 40 days of regular-season home cricket at The Pattonair County Ground and Chesterfield, we have included a host of exclusive added benefits.”

“As well as our core Membership, we also saw record numbers of supporters backing Derbyshire during the Vitality Blast last summer and with seven home games all handed prime evening and weekend slots, we expect to see demand for tickets surpass that of previous seasons.”

Chesterfield fixtures:

  • County Championship – Worcestershire – Sun 14 – Wed 17 June
  • Vitality Blast – Yorkshire Vikings – Sat 20 June
  • Royal London Cup – Yorkshire Vikings – Sun 26 July

Click here to find out more about the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket.

Click here to find out more about the 150th anniversary of Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

Chesterfield Festival of Cricket Image David Griffin

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

Prestigious travel awards for the Peak District and Derbyshire

It has been revealed that the Peak District and Derbyshire has won bronze in the prestigious 2019 British Travel Awards, which are considered the benchmark for excellence in the travel industry and are voted for by the travelling public.

It is the second year in a row that Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire has scooped bronze in the ‘Best UK Holiday County or Region’ category – fending off stiff competition from key contenders Devon, Cumbria and the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, beaten only by Cornwall (gold) and Northumberland (silver).

The announcement came amidst a month of success for tourism in the Peak District and Derbyshire after the destination also reached the final of the i news Staycation Awards, which celebrate the quality and diversity of Britain’s thriving domestic travel industry.

Out of over 1,000 entries in total, the Peak District and Derbyshire reached the final three in the ‘Rural Location of the Year’ category alongside Dumfries and Galloway (winners) and Northumberland.

Jo Dilley, Managing Director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said
“It’s been a fantastic month for tourism in the Peak District and Derbyshire and we are delighted that our world-class destination has been recognised in these prestigious awards.

“The area saw a 13.5 per cent increase in overnight stays last year with more than 42 million overall visitors – and these awards clearly showcase how the Peak District and Derbyshire is a top-quality choice for both domestic and international visitors. Hopefully, we will achieve even greater things in 2020!”

The Staycation Awards also showcased the area’s dedication to eco-friendly tourism. Hoe Grange Holidays self-catering accommodation, near Brassington, was shortlisted from hundreds of entrants in the sustainable tourism category – with special recognition for its commitment to the environment.

In a further boost to the local tourism industry, luxury lodge holiday park, Landal Darwin Forest near Matlock, was presented with two top awards by UK staycation specialist Hoseasons – including the coveted ‘Best in Britain: Large Resort’ title.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home, Leisure, Visiting

National recognition for local golf course owner

Owner of Stanedge Golf Club and PGA Professional, Fame Tate, has received National recognition from the Golf Club Managers’ Association.

During the Golf Club Managers’ Association annual two day National Conference, Fame received a special commendation award for her hard work in regenerating the fortunes of Stanedge Golf Club.

Fame was nominated for Best Newcomer Manager of the Year, along with Kerry Alligan-Sith of Redditch Golf Club, for her achievements after acquiring Stanedge Golf Club and bringing it back from the edge of closure and extinction.

Fame took over Stanedge Golf Club in March 2019 and has transformed the place from a run down clubhouse and golf course, to a thriving facility which is an accessible, warm and welcoming place where people of all ages, gender and backgrounds can come enjoy playing the golf course or socialise in the clubhouse.

Despite being named runner-up, Fame was over the moon to be selected as one of the two finalists and receive a special commendation: “I feel incredibly proud and honored to have received this commendation award, to be recognized for what we have achieved at the club in such a short space of time is incredible. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us, members, visitors, local businesses for hole sponsorship and our scorecard sponsors Il Mondo Travel – a massive thank you to my team at the club, I couldn’t have done it without your hard work and long hours, putting Stanedge Golf Club back on the map!”

Fame, who is a PGA professional, has a quite a year in 2019 picking up awards –  to add to her commendation was earlier in the year awarded the “Outstanding Achievement” Award at The English Women’s Awards North, and also named as the PGA Female Assistant of the year for 2019.

Fame said: “I had a strong vision in place when I purchased Stanedge Golf Club, which was to break away from the traditional golf club model, making it a venue that is welcoming, affordable, accessible, friendly and fun”.

Commenting on the journey so far, Fame said: “The resurrection of Stanedge Golf Club has not been easy, it really has been a monumental effort by many people who put many unsociable hours into making the club a place people now want to visit and enjoy being at.”

“Since we acquired the club in February, we have attracted over 120 new members and many visitors in response to our various offers, with different groups getting involved in our coaching and learn to play offers.”

“We have recently launched Tyzack’s Bar at the club which is open to the public as well as members and we serve home cooked food daily, including our breakfasts, Sunday lunches and currently starting on our Christmas Fayre menu and programme of activities.”

A round of 9 holes at Stanedge should not take more than a couple of hours and if you have time to spare afterwards you can drop into the friendly and welcoming clubhouse for refreshments, where there is a fully licensed bar and food served daily.

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

Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon 2020 launched

Event organisers and sponsors have confirmed details for the 2020 Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon following the ‘huge success’ of the 2019 event.

Full details for the 2020 event were announced launched at a special launch event, which also reflected on the success of 2019.

The 2020 event will take place on Sunday 18 October at 9.30am, and will start and finish in Queen’s Park following a record-breaking outing in 2019 which saw the highest-ever advance entry for a Redbrik Half Marathon.

Early Bird entries are now being accepted for the 2020 event, with the 13.1-mile Redbrik Half priced at £23 (normally £29) and the Peak FM Five Mile Run priced at £16 (normally £19) until the 29 February 2020.

The 2020 Redbrik Half will again have the backing of Chesterfield Borough Council, and will be headline sponsored by leading estate agency Redbrik in the fourth year of its five-year sponsorship deal.

Ashgate Hospicecare will be the 2020 Redbrik Half’s main charity partner, and the event will also support North Anston-based Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, which also supports families across North Derbyshire, as well as other good causes. In 2019, £40,000 was pledged for charities including Ashgate Hospicecare and Bluebell Wood.

The run is credited with positively impacting on Chesterfield, according to Race Director, John Timms: “The Redbrik Half plays a huge role in raising the profile of Chesterfield, bringing people into the town – something that’s crucial for the continued prosperity of the region.”

“We’ve been absolutely delighted with the response from the general public since the Chesterfield Half’s relaunch in 2017, with Redbrik and other event partners playing a huge role in its continued success.”

“It’s exciting to be talking about the 2020 event – we’re looking forward to it already!”

Redbrik Managing Director, Mark Ross, said: “The 2019 event was a huge success, and we cannot wait for it to return in 2020.”

“The Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon plays such a vital role in our region, raising crucial funds for some great causes. Supporting local charities is part of our ethos of giving back to the local community.”

“We’re extremely proud to be entering our fourth year of sponsorship of north Derbyshire biggest (and best!) mass-participation event.”

For more information about the 2020 event, including how to sign up, click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Be ‘Ginspired’ with Chesterfield’s newest independent retailer

A new independent drinks retailer, Ginspired, has opened in Chesterfield’s Market Hall, specialising in gin, rum, whisky and other spirits.

Ginspired will focus on high quality spirits with over 200 unique and interesting bottles to choose from, as well as a wide range of gift items for Christmas and other special occasions. In store tasting events will also be a regular occurrence and staff will be on hand to provide friendly helpful advice.

Co-Owners Matt and Darren have worked in the drinks industry for 10 years before using their passion and experience to open Ginspired, showcasing a fantastic collection of gin, rum, whisky, vodka, bourbon, liqueurs, mead, cognac and more.

Co-Owner Matt said: “Our name is taken from Chesterfield’s famous Crooked Spire and our passion for Gin. We hope Ginspired will compliment and support the already vibrant beer and gin scene, with some great pubs, bars and producers well established in Chesterfield.”

He added: “We strongly believe in supporting small independent local businesses and our primary focus will be on products from Derbyshire and the surrounding area where possible.”

Ginspired is now open within Chesterfield’s Market Hall.

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

Launch of Vicar Lane’s big screen

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is delighted to announce the launch of their brand-new big screen on Friday 6th December.

The new LED screen is located outdoors, on St. James’ Square and will be used throughout the year and during key seasonal events to create a much more animated focal point and a lively new meeting area for shoppers within the town, as well as being a key feature in free events run by Vicar Lane.

The launch event will begin at 11am, allowing time for visitors to arrive before the ribbon cutting and official switch-on of the screen at 11:30am.

Visitors will then be able to enjoy a series of screenings from new independent stores at Vicar Lane – Shop Indie and Rate Cute – as well as Let’s Go Peak District and Destination Chesterfield.

Between 1pm and 3pm customers will have the chance to enjoy a PIING social gaming event, while a local business networking event takes place in the store underneath the screen, with presentations from Alterx – owners of Vicar Lane – and a special guest speaker before the day comes to a close at 4pm. Local business people and those working in community groups or other local organisations can claim a free ticket here.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager at Vicar Lane, said, “We’re really excited about the launch of our big screen. It’s the first really visible change we’ve made to Vicar Lane in a long time and we hope it’s the start of great things to come, with lots of exciting events throughout the year.’’

The installation of the big screen is the first step in a list of improvements that Alterx, who bought the centre out of administration earlier in the year, plan to make to Vicar Lane having identified an opportunity to revitalise it. So, this event is a celebration of their plans coming to fruition and tangible evidence of the investments being made in Vicar Lane.

Find out more here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Chesterfield Retail Awards, Featured, Home, Leisure, Visiting

Vicar Lane Hosts a Calendar of Festive Fun

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Find out more about Christmas at Vicar Lane here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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