Visiting

Celebrate a magical Christmas at Chatsworth with Mr Toad

24th November 2015

Chatsworth has once again taken inspiration from a children’s classic for its much anticipated festive season. Christmas at Chatsworth with Mr Toad takes visitors through the adventures of those best of animal friends; Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad as they get ready to celebrate Christmas.

With the lower floors of the house transformed into scenes loosely based on Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved classic Wind in the Willows, the Painted Hall serves beautifully as the Baronial Toad Hall dressed with sumptuous garlands and a magnificent Christmas tree while the house itself is generously decorated with festive flowers and giant Christmas trees throughout.

The enchantment continues with scenes of the riverside folk getting ready to celebrate Christmas at Toad Hall before they come in for a shock. Visitors will discover Mole helping to dress Ratty’s Christmas tree before loading up his little boat with gifts to take to Toad Hall. With many charming scenes unfolding on the journey through the house, this year’s festive celebration is sure to enchant all that come under its magical spell.

This year, Chatsworth is also transforming the Great Chamber and the Guest Bedrooms into the scenes from the evergreen story to extend the festive route throughout more of the house.

Children will enjoy discovering the hiding places of the little mice all along the route, placing their wish on the Wishes Trees and dressing up in the costumes made especially for Christmas with Mr Toad by the in house textiles team.

Once again, it’s been a huge effort from the talented Chatsworth in house team with staff from Textiles; Housekeeping; Joinery and Gardening coming together to create the costumes for characters and guides; painting backdrops; making scene-setting items such as Ratty’s jetty and Badger’s house and putting together the garlands and other festive flower displays.

Tickets for visits at Christmas now offer timed entry into the house to reduce queuing times. Visitors planning to make a trip to the house this festive season are advised to book in advance to secure their time slot and make the most of their visit. Free parking is included with all online bookings.

Christmas at Chatsworth with Mr Toad continues until 3rd January 2016. For more information visit http://www.chatsworth.org/attractions-and-events/christmas-at-chatsworth

Posted in About Chesterfield, Christmas, Leisure, Visiting

Engineering marvel arrives at Chesterfield College to inspire next generation of experts

19th November 2015

A replica of Bloodhound, the British-built and designed 1000 mph jet and rocket powered car, which will attempt the land speed record next year, is at Chesterfield College for two days to inspire the next generation of scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians.

120 pupils from schools across Derbyshire and more than 200 students from college are amongst some of the 100,000 young people in the UK who will get the chance to see the replica and find out how the best of the best in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) world have created this feat of engineering.

The young engineers have also built their own jet powered car, taken part in special science workshops and heard from key employers in the region like Rolls Royce, about the careers they could have if they studied STEM subjects.

The Bloodhound team is also on hand at Chesterfield College to meet businesses and engineers and offer a tour of the replica car. A first successful event was held for Chesterfield Champions yesterday evening and there will be another opportunity for local businesses to visit the college tonight.

In the East Midlands, between 2010 and 2020 more than two thirds of jobs will need engineering skills. That is 158,400 jobs that will need qualified engineers. However, over the last 7 years there has been a decline of 20.8% of students choosing STEM subjects. Almost two in five firms (39%) that require STEM-skilled employees report current difficulties in recruitment.

Stuart Cutforth, Principal of Chesterfield College said:

“Having such a high profile and exciting project in college is a fantastic opportunity to excite young people about where studying STEM subjects can lead. We know that STEM related jobs are on the increase but the number of students choosing to study the subjects that will get them the right qualifications to get these jobs has been in decline for some time now. As a college working in an area that is home to a host of key employers we know how important it is to inspire the next generation.”

To find out more about tonight’s Bloodhound event being held for local businesses please click here.

Bloodhound is in Chesterfield as part of the Made in Chesterfield Festival; a month-long celebration of the town’s manufacturing and engineering industry. More information is available at www.chesterfield.co.uk/made.

Photography by Les Wilcockson Photography and Chesterfield College.

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

More cycling fun added to Five Pits Trail

18th November 2015

Adventurous cyclists can now enjoy a new purpose-built off-road cycling facility just off the Five Pits Trail.

The new trail, which is just under a mile long, runs from the western side of Williamthorpe Nature Reserve near Holmewood, and is suitable for cyclists of all ages with basic off-road skills.

The Five Pits Trail is a five-and-a-half mile off-road surfaced route which runs from Grassmoor Country Park to Tibshelf Ponds.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure Councillor Dean Collins said:

“We’re delighted to announce that the adventurous bike trail has been completed.

“This is a great new trail for keen cyclists or mountain bikers looking for a new adventure. I’d like to thank our countryside team and volunteers who’ve logged an impressive 300 hours to build the new trail. They’ve all done a great job and should be proud of what they’ve achieved.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Chesterfield set to sparkle

16th November 2015

Visitors and residents are getting excited ahead of the annual Christmas lights switch on, which takes place this Sunday, 22 November.

The festive event gets underway at noon with a magical market featuring entertainment, stalls and rides in the market place and in New Square. The indoor market hall will also be open from noon to 6pm.

A live stage show will begin at 3.30pm with Peak FM presenters providing plenty of fun and competitions, including the chance to win a family ticket to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Pomegranate Theatre.

Stars from the pantomime, including Eurovision queen, Nicki French and impressionist, Philip Green, best known from his appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, will switch on the lights at 4.45pm.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy, said:-

“The Christmas lights event is a highlight in the calendar allowing families to come together and get into the festive spirit.

“I’d encourage people to come along and visit the indoor and outdoor markets to pick up some of their Christmas presents, before joining in the fun of the stage show and seeing the Christmas lights switched on.”

Chesterfield borough residents are reminded that they can use their parking permits to park for free in the following council-run car parks on the day:

Albion Road
Ashgate Road
Derbyshire Times
Devonshire Street
Durrant Road
Hollis Lane (excluding on-street bays)
Holywell Cross (the Donut)
Spa Lane
Station Road
St Mary’s Gate
Theatre Lane
West Street.

For more top Christmas events, Christmas shopping and places to meet Santa visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/Christmas

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

Chiquito recruiting for December launch

11th November 2015

Chiquito are recruiting for their new Chesterfield restaurant which is planned to open this December. The new restaurant is creating around 80 jobs for the town.

The restaurant is currently recruiting for team members, cocktail bar tenders and door hosts. A recruitment week starts on Monday 16th November. To apply send your CV to careers@chiquito.co.uk or chesterfield@chiquito.co.uk before Sunday 15th November.

The popular mexican eatery is coming to Alma Leisure Park at the site of the former Wacky Warehouse.

Jody Millward, Regional Marketing Coordinator at Chiquito said:-

“We’re thrilled to announce that Chiquito is to join Chesterfield’s growing food and drink offering and hope to be open to the public in December.

“The combination of our quality food, quality drinks and cocktails, soaked up in our authentic and fun surroundings will take you to places you haven’t been before! Fresh, vibrant and colourful!

“Our team is the heartbeat of our restaurant and we look forward to meeting local candidates who are as passionate as we are about food, drink and all things Tex Mex.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Development, Visiting

Two of the top ten East Midlands hotels are in Chesterfield

10th November 2015

Hotel search website trivago.co.uk have revealed the results of their inaugural Top Hotel Awards and the Casa Hotel in Chesterfield has been named the top-rated hotel in the East Midlands.

trivago.co.uk have used aggregated online user ratings in order to recognise the best rated hotels, both regionally and nationally

The majority of the top-rated hotels are clustered towards the centre of the East Midlands region, with easy access to the Peak District. Two hotels are located in Chesterfield, alongside first place Casa Hotel is the Peak Edge Hotel which was named equal 5th in the survey.

To view the full results, please visit: checkin.trivago.co.uk/2015/11/04/trivago-uk-top-hotel-awards- 2015/#EastMid

Stuart Downham, Operations Director, Casa Hotel: “We are thrilled to be named as the number one hotel in the East Midlands for trivago’s 2015 Top Hotel Awards, the team at Casa work tirelessly to ensure the best stay for our guests. Being an independent hotel we are able to really tailor our service to the needs of our guests and every decision we make is made with the guest as our number one priority. We value all of the feedback we receive, we use it to get a little bit better every single day and recognition for our consistently high levels of service will give us all even more motivation to exceed our guests’ expectations.”

Denise Bartlett, UK Public Relations at trivago.co.uk said “With their attention to detail and attentiveness towards their guests, it is easy to see why Casa is our top-rated hotel in the East Midlands this year. Given the high number of independent hotels and guest houses in the top 20 for this region, it is only fitting that an independent hotel should take this title.

The trivago Top Hotel Awards aim to judge all accommodation fairly, whether they are chain hotel in Lincoln, a guest house in the Peak District, or a luxury independent hotel. It is really encouraging to see such a range of accommodation, both in terms of price and geographical location, in our top 20.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Christmas, Development, Leisure, Visiting

Cocina named as Chesterfield’s Restaurant of the Year

29th October 2015

Cocina at Casa Hotel has been crowned Chesterfield’s best restaurant in the town’s prestigious Food and Drink Awards last night.

Judges described Cocina’s menu as ‘imaginative’ and the quality of food as ‘excellent,’ highlighting the ‘provenance of locally-sourced food.’ They also praised the overall ‘quality dining experience.’

The prestigious Restaurant of the Year award is another to add to the trophy cabinet of Chesterfield’s four star hotel, owned by local entrepreneur Steve Perez. Earlier this year it was announced as one of the top 5 hotels in the UK in the Trip Advisor 2015 Travellers’ Choice Awards.

Steve Perez said: “It’s always wonderful to receive awards, especially when you are in the company of other great shortlisted restaurants. Here at Casa we always try and put our customers first so it feels extra special when they make their voices heard in such a brilliant way. Cocina focuses on both the food product and the customer – using the best quality locally sourced ingredients in the kitchen, and friendly, professional service in the dining room.”

As well as Cocina, 11 other food and drink establishments, producers and individuals were also named as Chesterfield’s finest at the sell-out awards ceremony hosted by celebrity chef Theo Randall. Discover the full list of winners

Theo Randall said: ““Chesterfield’s food and drink scene is thriving; the strong field in the Best Newcomer category is testament to that. I commend all the finalists in this category knowing only too well myself, when I opened my first restaurant, Theo Randall at the InterContinental in 2006, the courage, commitment and belief in yourself it takes to set out and do it on your own.

“Good food is one of life’s simple pleasures. The support shown for the awards in both the nomination phase and the awards shows that good food is a passion of many people in Chesterfield.

“The awards are a great demonstration of how the food and drink scene in Chesterfield has evolved in recent years. It is now catering for many tastes, from authentic Japanese and Jamaican to Italian and Great British. The town has everything and is continuing to develop its thriving and increasingly successful hospitality scene.”

Organised by Destination Chesterfield, in association with Chesterfield College, the 2015 awards were the biggest yet and tickets sold out weeks in advance. More nominations than ever were received from the public resulting in 10 businesses being first time finalists in the awards.

As well as sponsoring the awards Chesterfield College also hosted them with 50 students, studying NVQ and BTECs in catering and hospitality, catering and silver serving a two course meal to more than 250 people attending the event. The college also trained the winner of the Young Chef of the Year James Greatorex.

Stuart Cutforth, Principal of Chesterfield College added: “The Food and Drink Awards are the go to event in Chesterfield. There is a wealth of outstanding food and drink establishments in the town and Chesterfield College is delighted to be training the future stars of the industry. Our mission statement is ‘inspiring futures, changing lives’ and the Food and Drink Awards enable us to do just that, giving the many apprentices we train real hands-on experiences at the ceremony each year.”

Destination Chesterfield Manager Dominic Stevens said: “Each year we have seen an increase in the number of people nominating businesses for the awards and this year was no exception. The support across Chesterfield has been phenomenal, with people keen to see the town, and the businesses and people working within its hospitality sector succeed and grow.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards, Christmas, Visiting

Kiwi defender joins Spireites

27th October 2015

Chesterfield have signed New Zealand U20 international defender Liam Graham following a spell on trial.

The 23-year-old right-back, who was a free agent, previously played for Italian clubs Ascoli, Monza and Pro Patria.

Commenting on the deal, Spireites manager Dean Saunders said: “Liam is not a player who will immediately be in contention for a place in the first team, but we feel that we can work on developing him as a player in the reserves.”

Graham said: “I’ve played two games for the reserves and already I feel a pretty good connection with the players I’ve been playing with. Now I’m excited to get going.“

Graham, who was born in Melbourne, remains eligible to represent New Zealand or Australia.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Celebrate Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Chatsworth at forefront of accessible tourism campaign

23rd October 2015

Chatsworth is one of eight businesses across the Peak District and Derbyshire playing a leading role in a pioneering project promoting England as a leading destination for accessible tourism.

Official tourist board Visit Peak District & Derbyshire was one of just seven top destinations to net a share in national tourist board VisitEngland’s ‘Access for All’ project, funded by a 125,000 Euros (more than £93,000) grant from the European Commission.

Chastworth has had a site audit to review facilities and pinpoint areas that could be improved, classroom-based and on-line training to boost customer service, a ‘mystery shop’ by people with a range of disabilities and tips to improve their accessibility statement and websites.

It also shared in a £100,000 print and on-line media and marketing campaign by VisitEngland in partnership with Express Newspapers throughout September, which aimed to raise awareness of accessible destinations and businesses across England.

VisitEngland research reveals that the overnight accessible tourism market is now worth £3 billion per annum to the English economy, with day visits boosting the figure to £12.1 billion. Over the past few years, overnight trips by disabled tourists and their companions have increased by 19 per cent, and their spending is up by a third.

“VisitEngland estimates that the overall annual value of overnight accessible tourism to Derbyshire is £45 million, so it makes sense for local businesses to invest in improving their facilities and services for this key sector of the market,” said Lindsay Rae, Deputy Director and Head of Industry Engagement at Visit Peak District & Derbyshire

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, said: “The accessible tourism market is worth a sizeable £12.1 billion to the English economy, and many tourism businesses are realising that catering for disabled customers is not only a necessity but a wise investment that brings a host of business benefits. Many of the changes businesses make may be small, but combined contribute significantly to the visitor experience.”

Sally Ambrose, Head of Marketing and Visitor Services at Chatsworth said: “Chatsworth is delighted to be part of VisitEngland’s Access for All initiative. We have always been committed to providing the best possible service to all our visitors, including those with mobility impairments, and this scheme has enabled us to ensure we are constantly improving our facilities to provide the best possible visitor experience for all.”

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

Chesterfield Museum highly commended in industry awards

23rd October 2015

Chesterfield Museum has been highly commended for its successful events at the recent Derbyshire Heritage Awards.

The popular Chesterfield Borough Council run attraction received the commendation in the inspiration category for its special project ‘What’s on at Chesterfield Museum’.

This campaign has seen a series of special events including using professional reenactors, talks from local organisations, as well as talents from the museum staff for storytelling, Meet George Stephenson and children’s craft workshops.

There are several events coming up over the coming weeks including:

Children’s Craft Workshops on Saturdays 30 October and 27 November with hands on craft activities for children aged three to five years
Storytelling on Saturdays 7 November and 5 December with an opportunity to handle and talk about objects from the museum’s collection
Meet George Stephenson Saturday 21 November 10am to noon and 1pm to 4pm.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centre and visitor economy said: “I’m very proud that Chesterfield Museum has been highly commended in the Derbyshire Heritage Awards.

“The museum has lots of regular visitors and our staff have also been working hard to attract new ones with a series of interactive special events – we have a full programme of events coming up suitable for families.”

Chesterfield Museum is open each Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.

The current exhibition on display is Made in Chesterfield taking a look at the many items that are made in the borough today with displays from 27 different companies.

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

Awards for green-fingered residents and businesses

19th October 2015

Chesterfield residents and businesses are celebrating after scooping prizes in the annual Chesterfield in Bloom awards.

The prize for the best overall garden was won by Richard and Sharon Smithson, who also won the best back garden (smaller than 80m2) category.

The judges praised their beautifully laid out garden, which they described as ‘a real haven of greenery, with colour and interest all year round, beautifully landscaped and maintained to a high standard. Excellent use of plants with bold foliage giving real structure to the garden.’

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing said: “Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Smithson and all the award winners in the Chesterfield in Bloom competition. The awards are as a result of months of hard work and toil.

“This is a great example of the way in which residents and businesses have taken pride in their area to improve where they live.”

Tom and Penny Gavan were also noted in the most improved category for the improvements made to their allotment plot.

The other category winners were:

Best front garden: Terry and Eileen Kelly
Best back garden (greater than 80m2): Jointly to Terry and Eileen Kelly and also to Philip Brighton
Best pub or restaurant: The Britannia Inn
Best hanging basket: Dorothy Smith
Best allotment site: Rufford Close Allotments, Nigel Masters
Best allotment plot: Glynn Barnett
Best container garden: Dorothy Smith
Best newcomer: Jeff Webster Bakery
Best plant stall: Mark Brooks, Unstone Plant Centre
Best general trader: George Cockburn Handbags
Best fruit and veg stall: Simon Harding
Best overall market stall: Simon Harding.

In the schools’ competition, St Joseph’s Primary and Junior School was named as the best overall school. The judges were impressed with a good range of vegetable and salad crops grown outdoors in raised beds and under glass and a garden which is having a positive impact on those children taking part.

Other winners in the competition were:

Vibrant vegetables: Whittington Green School
Best environmental garden: Calow CE Primary School
Wonderful wildlife: Calow CE Primary School
Radical recycling: St Joseph’s CofE Primary School
Fabulous flowers: St Marys RC Infant and Junior School
Best school hanging basket: St Marys RC Infant and Junior School
Painting competition (year 3 to year 6): Isabel Riddell, Henry Bradley School
Painting competition (reception to year 2): Holly Grace Miles, Christ Church Primary School.

Both award ceremonies were held at Ringwood Hall Hotel, which sponsors the awards.

Chesterfield in Bloom is a council-led project to improve the borough’s environment and forms the borough’s entry into the regional East Midlands in Bloom competition.

To become involved in a range of volunteering opportunities, contact John Ramsey by email: john.ramsey@chesterfield.gov.uk or call 01246 345097.

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