Visiting

Spireites Prepare for True Blue Day

21st April 2015

Chesterfield’s game at home to Bristol City on Saturday will be ‘True Blue Day’, with Spireites fans urged to wear blue to show their support for the club.

The aim is to be as many fans as possible wearing blue at the Proact Stadium on Saturday 25th April, whether it be a replica home shirt, t-shirt or scarf.

The dress code in the corporate areas of the stadium will also be relaxed on the day, allowing those in the lounges to wear replica shirts.

Spireites Chief Executive Chris Turner said:-

“We want to generate a party atmosphere to celebrate what has been a fantastic season and it would be fantastic to witness a sea of blue in the stands when the teams run out.

“There is a limited stock of home replica shirts on sale in the Club Superstore and we also have some blue t-shirts and scarves available. The players and management have done superbly well to put us within touching distance of the play-offs so let’s make True Blue Day an unforgettable occasion.”

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

Daredevil Stunt Team Joins Chatsworth Country Fair

20th April 2015

Three exciting new acts have been announced for this year’s Chatsworth Country Fair – including the energetic Ukrainian Cossack Stunt Team which is set to wow visitors with mind-blowing stunts – from balancing on a saddle whilst galloping at full speed to hanging from a stirrup with just one leg.

The world-famous group will be joined at the event by The Band of the Corps of the Royal Engineers, who will perform a medley of traditional army marches, as well as a selection of well-known hits and current chart toppers. Appearing at numerous state occasions, the band continually achieves wide public recognition through its many broadcasts, recordings and concert performances, most notably playing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and, to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The Essex Dog Display Team will top off the action-packed schedule of new talent, with 10 various breeds of dogs and their handlers carrying out an exciting display of ambitious exercises and agility obstacles, which may even see them jumping through flaming hoops! A big hit with royals and celebrities alike, the team has performed in venues ranging from the grounds of Blenheim Palace and Windsor Castle to the studios of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

Held in the beautiful Chatsworth parkland surrounding the house in the heart of the Peak District, the popular three-day event will feature all three acts in the prestigious Grand Ring, along with many more performers yet to be announced.

This year’s Chatsworth Country Fair promises bigger and better entertainment for the whole family to enjoy. For more information visit http://www.chesterfield.co.uk/events/chatsworth-country-fair/.

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

Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre up for Prestigious Award

20th April 2015

Chesterfield Visitor Information Centre has been announced as a finalist in the prestigious VisitEngland Awards For Excellence 2015.

The centre, based in Rykneld Square and owned and operated by Chesterfield Borough Council, is in the running for Visitor Information Provider of the Year and faces competition from the City of London Information Centre, Durham Visitor Information Network, Simply Staffordshire and The Welcome People in London.

Alyson Barnes, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Tourism, Museums and Events Manager said:-

“We provide a welcoming atmosphere for all our visitors both prior to and during their stay in Chesterfield, delivered by enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff.

“The staff are ambassadors for Chesterfield, promoting the town and the Peak District to allow visitors to get the most from their stay, increasing visitor spend and supporting the local economy.”

The winners will be announced at a ceremony held on Monday 11 May 2015 at the Sage, Gateshead and all finalists are guaranteed to receive either gold, silver, bronze or highly commended.

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland said:-

“It’s been another successful year for our excellence awards as we’ve received hundreds of applications of an extremely high standard. That’s why all the finalists should be incredibly proud that they’ve been short-listed against such tough competition.

“I’d like to congratulate all the finalists who now represent the top five in their category in England and wish them all the very best of luck on awards night.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Queen’s Park named as one of the top ten Cricket outgrounds in the Country

14th April 2015

Queen’s Park in Chesterfield is one of ten outgrounds to visit this year according to the Independent.

The picturesque setting at the ground and the enchanting old-school pavilion makes it a must visit destination for Cricket fans this summer.

The Chesterfield Festival of cricket which returns this summer, will feature three Derbyshire matches, to mark a tenth successive year for the festival.

Queen’s Park will play host to the visit of Northampton Steelbacks in the NatWest T20 Blast on Sunday 5 July, before Glamorgan arrive the following day for the start of the LV= County Championship fixture.

The festival concludes the following Sunday, with Derbyshire meeting Yorkshire Vikings the NatWest T20 Blast, in a clash that is expected to draw in a huge crowd.

The ground will also host international cricket in the summer with England U19’s taking on Australia U19’s

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Visit England Chooses Chatsworth For Excellence Awards

13th April 2015

Chatsworth has been chosen as a finalist in the ‘Large Visitor Attraction’ category of Visit England’s Excellence Awards – a celebration of the cream of English Tourism.

The winner will be announced at a glittering Awards Ceremony at the Sage Centre in Gateshead on 9 May 2015.

Chatsworth has seen significant investment in recent years. More than £14 million was invested in upgrading the visitor experience as part of the Masterplan programme of improvements while major events like the ‘Beyond Limits’ monumental sculpture exhibition in the garden, the ‘Chatsworth Country Fair’ and the ‘Chatsworth Festival – Art Out Loud’ draw in thousands of visitors.

The Large Visitor Attraction category covers visitor attractions of all kinds, with over 50,000 visitors per annum, including attractions that offer pre-booked tickets, museums, interpretation centres, theme parks, historic houses and castles. Chatsworth is facing competition for the top prize from Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in Shropshire, Liverpool Cathedral, The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall and the Roman Baths and Pump Room in Bath, Somerset.

James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland said: “It’s been another successful year for our Excellence Awards as we’ve received hundreds of applications of an extremely high standard.

“That’s why all the finalists should be incredibly proud that they’ve been short-listed against such tough competition. I’d like to congratulate all the finalists who now represent the top five in their category in England and wish them all the very best of luck on Awards night at the Sage Centre in Gateshead – a spectacular venue to celebrate the industry’s best.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Spireites Sign International Striker

9th April 2015

Chesterfield have signed Bermuda international striker, Rai Simons from non-league Ilkeston Town.

The 19-year-old has been on Chesterfield’s radar for some time and manager Paul Cook is delighted to have clinched his signature.

Cook said: “Rai is someone we have tracked for a while. We feel that he will develop as time goes on and have a bright future.”

After agreeing a two-year deal at the Proact, Simons said: “I’m excited because I’ve been looking forward to this moment since moving to England at the age of 15. The set-up sounds brilliant and it is everything I could ask for.”

Simons scored on his full international debut for Bermuda and set up the other goal in a 2-2 draw against Grenada.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Young Spireites Duo to Sign Professional Deals

1st April 2015

Chesterfield FC has offered professional contracts to youth team duo Laurence Maguire and Jake Beesley.

Maguire, who plays in central defence, has captained the high-flying Spireites youth team this season while striker Beesley has scored 20 goals so far. Both youngsters have a footballing heritage.

Maguire’s brother Harry is with Premier League club Hull City and Beesley’s father, Paul, starred for the likes of Sheffield United and Leeds United.

Commenting on the decision to offer contracts to the pair, Academy Manager, Gerry Carr said:-

“This is without doubt the most difficult part of my job. We have had an excellent season with the youth team and all of the players have played a huge part in that.

“Mark Smith and I have assessed all of the second years over a two-year period and Laurence Maguire and Jake Beesley have been the most progressive over that period. Hopefully they can both go on to represent Chesterfield in the first team. For those two the hard work to become a successful professional footballer is just starting.

“Those that have been unfortunate enough not to be offered a professional contract will hopefully go on to prove us wrong. We as a club will do our best to help them out in the next stage of their lives and careers. I wish them all the very best of luck in the future.”
Maguire expressed his delight at the news. He said: “It feels very good. When I got the news from Gerry and Mark, I was just relieved – now it’s onwards and upwards.”

Beesley added:-

“I’ve been at the club since I was 14-years-old. It’s nice to come all the way through, get my scholarship first and then after those two years I’m delighted now to get my first pro contract.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Chesterfield’s Mud-loving Legals Endure Charity Challenge

1st April 2015

A team from Banner Jones Solicitors – known as the ‘Mud-Loving Legals’ – has raised over £300 for Help the Heroes at the Endurer 8km Dash in Barlow.

The Endurer course, developed by former Royal Marine Commandos is a test of anyone’s stamina, strength, agility and determination and includes a muddy commando crawl, a 7ft wall, high bale stacks, a water slide and a freezing cold pond dip to name a few.

Kerry Anderson, Costs Lawyer at Banner Jones said:-

“I knew it would be muddy but I never expected mud up to my waist- we almost lost a team member!

It’s the best event I’ve ever done, we laughed all the way round and the support from Banner Jones was amazing. We were absolutely thrilled to discover that we had finished 18th out of 65 teams who entered.”

Marketing Manager, Ann-Marie Lowe comments:-

“Banner Jones do a lot of charity work throughout the year and regularly enter teams into running events, including the Chesterfield Marathon, but when the team decided they wanted to have a go at this we couldn’t help but support them.

“They took this on with absolute determination and have helped to raised £327 for Help for Heroes in the process. We are very proud of our Mud Loving Legals!”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Leisure, Visiting

Shorts Take on Cycle Challenge in Memory of Colleague

30th March 2015

Partners and staff at Shorts Chartered Accountants are teaming up to raise money for The Lymphoma Association in memory of a long-serving Chesterfield colleague.

The group has been training over the winter in preparation for a 170 mile ‘Way of the Roses’ charity cycle ride in spring.

The marathon route, which starts in Morecambe and finishes in Bridlington is a highly popular yet extremely challenging cycling route. The team plans to complete the challenge in 3 days covering between 40 and 65 miles each day.

Senior Tax Manager at Shorts, Adrian Dunkley is organising the event and comments:-

“2015 marks Shorts’ 125th anniversary and we wanted to organise a charity event which would coincide.

“Sadly, over Christmas 2014 Shorts lost a long serving and greatly respected colleague, Brian Sewell to Lymphoma. It made sense that we complete this challenge, whilst raising money for this extremely worthwhile cause in his memory; it is fantastic that so many of the staff and partners are taking part.’

The team is scheduled to set off on Friday 8 May 2015, from Morecambe, aiming to arrive in Bridlington on Sunday evening. Those taking part include Paul Beeson, Chris Chambers, Howard Freeman, Simon Hollin, Andy Ryder, Linzi riley, Tom Winter, Adrian Dunkley, Martin Dean, Matt Milnes, Greg Taylor, Paul Snaith, Kate Smith, Eleanor Huddleston, and Claire Seedhouse.

Donations can be made by visiting the team’s Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/shorts-accountants1/ or by texting the code BINE75 with the donation amount to 70070.

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

Chesterfield Homes to be Protected Against Flooding

27th March 2015

More than 60 Chesterfield homes will be protected against flooding thanks to a specialist scheme supported from Chesterfield Borough Council.

Work is currently being carried out by specialist contractor Whitehouse Construction on three homes in Spital Lane. The properties will be fitted with flood doors, drainage pumps and non-return valves as well as other works to seal against flood water.

A further 59 homes in Brampton are to benefit later in the year.

The Environment Agency has helped secure funding for the work with Chesterfield Borough Council contributing a further £53,000 towards the cost.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment said:

“Although the council is not directly responsible for flooding, we know that flooding has been a big problem for some of our residents and this is why we have contributed funding towards the work.

“The work carried out on these homes should offer real relief to people who have previously experienced flooding after heavy rainfall.

“We will continue to work with our partners to help alleviate the risk and effects of flooding for residents.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Volunteers Transform Local Footpath

27th March 2015

Seven ramblers have joined forces with Chesterfield Borough Council to improve a boggy local footpath ahead of the annual Chesterfield in Bloom competition.

Running from the Sheepbridge Industrial Estate through to Cobnar Wood to link with the countryside around Barlow, the route is popular with walkers, wildlife enthusiasts and workers alike.

The volunteers are currently working with council park rangers to install edging boards and resurface the path with stone so that local people will soon be able to gain access to the ancient wood throughout the year.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment said:

“Chesterfield in Bloom is a project led by the council to encourage people to take pride in and help improve their local environment.

“Thanks to the volunteers from Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Ramblers giving their time and effort, the community can now benefit from an improved path offering access to local countryside and wildlife.

Michael Sims from Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Ramblers, who volunteered on the project added:

“We are very pleased that we were able to assist in the project.

“The Ramblers help everyone, everywhere, to enjoy walking and protect the places we love to walk.”

The council will launch the annual Chesterfield in Bloom garden competitions in early May. Anyone interested in volunteering as part of Chesterfield in Bloom should contact John Ramsey on 01246 345097.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting