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City Taxis welcomes Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity as its Chesterfield charity of the year

Having pledged to support a small charity in each of their operating areas, local taxi company City Taxis has announced its latest charity partner for 2023 – the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity.

Chesterfield Royal Charity supports both the patients and staff at the hospital, by improving the environment and facilities on offer, all designed to enhance care and wellbeing. Through donations, the charity goes above and beyond to provide more than what is offered through ‘normal NHS funding’, from relaxation gardens and MRI scanners to water stations and mental health support for staff.

The Charity is currently working on its ‘Care for the Carers Appeal’ which is funding a £2m Health and Wellbeing Hub, which is being built on the hospital site. The Hub will offer all staff a safe place to actively look after their mental and physical health and wellbeing. Amongst the hub’s facilities will be a gym, counselling rooms and complimentary therapies.

Sacha Skinner, Marketing Manager at City Taxis, said: “Since finalising our City Charity strategy, we have worked with our Site Managers to select several local charities that we believe could really benefit from our support.

“In summer (2022) we teamed up with Sheffield Hospitals Charity to throw a ‘Thank You NHS Gala Ball’, where all funds were donated to the charity’s ‘We’ve Got You’ Campaign – dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of NHS staff across Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

“When we learned that Chesterfield Royal Charity were also working on a large project to support the health and wellbeing of their staff, we knew this was something we wanted to get involved with.

“We are very proud to be supporting such a wonderful charity and very much looking forward to getting involved in lots of fundraising activities and volunteering to support this project.”

Ken Godber, Director at Chesterfield Royal Charity, said: “We are extremely proud to welcome City Taxis on board to support for our ‘Care for the Carers’ appeal.

“We know the Health and Wellbeing Hub will make a huge difference to the 4,500 colleagues working at the hospital.

“It’s been a very difficult time for the NHS and with support from City Taxis for the whole of 2023 we think we’ll be able to make even more investments in the Hub.

“Thank you to them and all their drivers for this commitment.”

In 2022, six members of the City Taxis team took on the Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10k to help raise funds for the Health and Wellbeing Hub build, which is set to open in spring 2023. Visit the link for more information: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/CarefortheCarersCRH

City Taxis and Chesterfield Royal Hospital support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

City Taxis at the Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10k

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Vicar Lane announces upgrade to car parking facilities

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre will be undergoing an upgrade to the car park and general parking facilities in the coming weeks.

YourParkingSpace has been chosen as a partner to bring the parking facilities into the digital-era and streamline shoppers’ parking experience from 11th January.

Shoppers will see improvements to the car park access as entry/exit will be controlled by a new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. In addition, there will be a number of ways to pay either on site at a Payment Kiosk where cash and card is accepted, or digitally with ‘Pay by Mobile’ or ‘Express Checkout’ using the relevant QR codes that can be found on site.

Frequent visitors to Vicar Lane will also have the option to Pre-Book a space or set up AutoPay.

YourParkingSpace offers 24/7 customer service support and a free app to download for Android and IOS users.

Vicar Lane’s multistorey car park provides 400 spaces including 18 disabled spaces and 12 parent and child parking spaces.

Shaun Brown from Vicar Lane said: “We are delighted to be working with YourParkingSpace to upgrade and modernise our car park for visitors of Vicar Lane. We know this investment will enhance our shoppers experience giving choice and flexibility to everyone’s busy day to day activities.’’

Based in the heart of Chesterfield, Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is  home to a range of popular high-street retailers and a mix of unique independent stores. Shoppers of all ages will find they can shop for products from clothing, mobile phones and cosmetics to greetings cards and household items with lots of friendly, attentive staff ready to help.

For more information on stores to visit and to keep up to date on what’s going on at Vicar Lane visit https://www.vicarlaneshoppingcentre.co.uk/  

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Vicar Lane Fun Day

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Global Brands Limited announces the purchase of the Hooch, Hooper’s and Reef brands

Global Brands Limited has announced its purchase of the Hooch, Hooper’s, and Reef trademarks from Molson Coors Beverage Company.

The brands have been produced and distributed by Global Brands since 2012 and will now form parts of its owned portfolio.

This sale to Global Brands will mean Global Brands own the brands and can now focus on them as part of their own portfolio with all the freedoms that brings.

Nino Beneta, Managing Director of Molson Coors Export and License EMEA & APAC said: “We are excited to see Global Brands progress in growing these brands over the last decade and look forward to seeing the continued success and growth of the Reef, Hoopers and Hooch brands going forward.

“Moving forward as an EMEA & APAC Export and License team our focus will continue to be on a select portfolio of key international brands such as Coors, Staropramen, Carling, Madri Excepcional and Blue Moon.”

Steve Perez, Chairman and Founder of Global Brands said: “We are delighted to welcome the Hooch, Hooper’s and Reef brands as fully-fledged members of the Global Brands family. This will give us the opportunity to invest further into the brands with the added security of owning the equity.

“We re-launched Hooch in 2012 at the Publican Awards with Keith Lemon and reinvigorated the brand, with new flavours and focus. Hooch is a staple of the RTD category sold by major retailers, and is a popular, well-loved brand. This deal will reinforce Global Brands’ position as the leading independent producer of RTD brands in the UK.

“We have lots of ideas for innovation and look forward to sharing these with the trade and consumers shortly. We have enjoyed a fantastic supportive relationship with Molson Coors over the years and look forward to continue working closely together through their route-to-market team. It’s an exciting start for GBL in 2023!”

Hooch, Hooper’s, and Reef join the expanding and popular Global Brands portfolio – which includes VK, the biggest RTD brand in the On Trade, Franklin & Sons, the 2nd biggest premium tonic brand in the On Trade, and All Shook Up, Shake Baby Shake, Beviamo, Kick Energy, Lustre, and Amigos Tequila Beer. Global Brands are the biggest branded supplier of packaged cocktails to the UK Off Trade (by volume).

Hooch has enjoyed huge growth with Global Brands since 2012. Recent NPD for Hooch under Global Brands includes the launch of Pink Hooch in 2020 – the most successful ready-to-drink NPD launch of the year4 – and the launch of Orange Hooch in the summer of 2022. Alongside the original, no nonsense alcoholic lemon brew Hooch, is the passion fruit and mango sidekick Hoola Hooch, and a range of Hooch spirits.

Global Brands supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Hooch Global Brands

 

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Support for more Derbyshire businesses and organisations to reduce energy use and cut carbon

More Derbyshire businesses and organisations will be eligible for help to reduce their energy costs and cut carbon emissions as part of the Green Entrepreneurs Fund programme

More than £715,000 has already been awarded to businesses and organisations through the grants programme which Derbyshire County Council is running in collaboration with the University of Derby, as part of the drive to help the county reach net zero by 2050 or sooner.

But now changes made to the eligibility criteria for the programme’s Small Grants Fund mean even more businesses and organisations will be able to access funding to help implement green energy plans to reduce their energy costs.

Small grants from £6,000 up to a maximum of £20,000 can be applied for towards projects such as, but not limited to:

  • installing solar panels
  • replacing old heating systems with air/ground source heat pumps
  • retrofitting old boilers to make them more energy efficient
  • fitting electric vehicle charging points at their premises
  • installing energy efficient LED lighting
  • improving the insulation in their premises to help prevent heat escaping
  • funding to replace equipment and machinery with energy-saving alternatives
  • battery storage for solar generated energy.

Applicants will be required to show how their proposals would cut carbon emissions and how they are planning to reduce their emissions to net zero – which means reducing carbon emissions right down to the lowest possible level and off-setting those that cannot be cut through measures such as planting more trees and other forms of habitat creation to absorb excess carbon from the atmosphere, making the overall net emissions zero.

They will also be asked to highlight how the grant funding will support them to improve their management of resources and staff to increase sustainability and show how the project would or could include wider community benefits such as protecting jobs or encouraging greener behaviour among staff.

Councillor Tony King, Cabinet member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, said: “We know that small businesses are feeling the pinch with rising energy bills and costs of materials and goods generally.

“This change to the Small Grants Fund criteria means that we can help more small businesses to invest in energy efficiency measures to help cut their costs as well as their carbon footprint.”

As well as the Small Grants Fund, the programme is also accepting applications to the Green Entrepreneurs Scholarship Fund to support individuals to retrain with skills to enable them to enter the field of low carbon, green energy.

And the Green Entrepreneurs Demonstrator Fund is also open for applications from high quality, larger scale carbon-cutting projects in Derbyshire. This fund is open to projects that are designed to encourage solutions beyond the mainstream of current thinking and the minimum grant available through this fund is £200,000.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “The University has an ambition to make Derbyshire synonymous with sustainable business. This extra funding capacity to support businesses on the journey to zero carbon is invaluable, particularly at a time when energy costs are rising. We look forward to seeing the innovative projects that can be supported as a result.”

Find more information on the Green Entrepreneurs Fund programme here.

Wind Turbine in Chesterfield

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Chesterfield businesses share more festive joy with support for the local community

Businesses across Chesterfield have shared more festive joy in the run-up to Christmas.

From fabulous charity efforts to hosting a Santa’s grotto for our four-legged friends, here’s a taste of what our business community has been up to this December.

Find out more about some of the great festive initiatives carried out by our network of Chesterfield Champions here.

Banner Jones Solicitors donates to local foodbank

The staff at Chesterfield law firm Banner Jones have come together to collect their largest ever donation for the local foodbank, Gussie’s Kitchen – including toys, toiletries and tasty treats.

Set up in April 2016 and based in St Augustine’s Church in Chesterfield, Gussie’s aims to provide a friendly social space for communities to come together, meet new people and enjoy a tasty, low cost meal made using surplus food distributed by FareShare.

Due to demand within the community Gussie’s have expanded their services to now also act as a foodbank as well as offering seasonal clothing.

The supplies donated by Banner Jones will be handed out to members of the local community using the service this Christmas.

Ann-Marie Lowe, Banner Jones’ marketing manager, said: “Christmas is a wonderful time to get together and spend quality time with families and friends, but for many people it can be an extremely difficult time of year. Especially for those who are struggling financially.

“We are delighted to have collected so many items, and to have been able to support those who are less fortunate this festive season. We hope the gifts go some way to putting a smile on someone’s face this Christmas.”

Redbrik continues to support community with charitable donations 

The Redbrik Foundation has recently donated over £3500 to organisations across Sheffield and Chesterfield.

Established in 2020, the Foundation supports several charitable organisations each year, primarily seeking to enhance the lives of children and young people, the elderly or vulnerable and those with disabilities.

The latest funds were presented to three organisations; Ashgate Hospice received a donation of £1368, £1000 was donated to The Sheffield Children’s Hospital snowflake appeal and the Foundation granted £1500 to Whirlow Hall Farm.

Funds raised by Redbrik colleagues at the Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10k in October were donated exclusively to Ashgate Hospice in memory of colleague Kirstie Snape, as per the wishes of Kirstie’s family. In March 2021, Kirstie was sadly diagnosed with cancer, and after a brave fight with many highs and lows, she passed away in September this year.

The Sheffield Children’s Hospital snowflake appeal will contribute to building a helipad at the hospital to save vital minutes when every second counts for patients. Whirlow Hall Farm’s grant will provide alternative education programmes for vulnerable children and young people who cannot attend mainstream education due to a variety of medical needs, mental health issues and learning disabilities.

David Cooper, Redbrik Director and Trustee of the Redbrik Foundation, said: “We are delighted to provide support to all three incredible local charities, and we know first-hand the difference these donations will make in helping the organisations continue their work for the local community.

I am proud of each and every one of our Redbrik team who took part in the 10k to raise money for Ashgate Hospice in Kirstie’s memory, and I commend their dedication to fundraising during such a difficult time.”

The Redbrik Foundation has more to offer and would love to help fund more local charities. If your charity is interested in support from The Redbrik Foundation, contact David Cooper by email on david.cooper@redbrik.co.uk.

Vicar Lane Takes part in ‘Let’s Can Hunger’ campaign

vicar lane xmas

To support Chesterfield Foodbank, Vicar Lane took part in a LET’S CAN HUNGER campaign to collect donations of essential supplies, for families and those most in need within the community this Christmas.

Having already run two very successful collections this year for the people of Ukraine, this was another opportunity for the local people of Chesterfield to give what they can, to support a charity that relies heavily on what they receive by the community.

Brandon Howard, Centre Administrator, Vicar Lane said, “We are always blown away by the generosity of our local community, so we anticipate this to be a successful collection to support the work that Chesterfield Foodbank do.”

Paperclip supports Christmas lunch for the disadvantaged

Christmas Day Lunch for the disadvantaged

Paperclip  is supporting a Christmas Day lunch for local people in need of a hot meal, some company, or assistance with mental health or substance abuse.

The businesses is helping out by providing and servicing the telephone hotline, and by volunteering on the day.

To find out more about the Christmas Day lunch event, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/events/christmas-lunch-for-the-disadvantaged-hosted-by-paperclip/

Rose Cottage Doggy Day Care hosts Santa’s Grotto for dogs

Rossi the boxer Rose Cottage Christmas

It would be unfair to leave our precious pooches out of the festive celebrations, wouldn’t it?!

Local Doggy Day Care business, Rose Cottage have ensured dog owners can get their pets into the spirit by hosting a Santa’s Grotto, between 12th-16th December.

Aptly named, SantaPAWS enabled owners to compete for the prize of ‘best dressed’ dog. Rossi the boxer dog (pictured) came out on top with his cute reindeer antlers and Christmas jumper!

Rossi and his owner took home a hamper box worth £50 in dog treats.. Someone is going to have a very merry Christmas indeed!

Banner Jones Solicitors, Redbrik, Rose Cottage, Vicar Lane and Paperclip support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

 

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Chesterfield Champions get involved in annual Santa Fun Run event

A number of Chesterfield Champion organisations will be represented at the Santa Fun Run, taking place in Queen’s Park in Chesterfield on Christmas Eve.

Organised by Cannon Events since 2016, the event features participants dressed in Santa suits running around the park, with a 1500m race (10am) and another one of 5k (10.30am).

Around 500 people are expected to take part, with Unit1 Fitness & Martial Arts leading the warm-ups ahead of the races and Ashover Band playing Christmas carols.

CSALS (Community Save a Life Scheme) will also be represented at the event, with the aim of raising the awareness of the need for more life-savers.

As part of the organisation’s efforts to actively promote the need for more people to learn life-saving skills, CSALS offers a free online first aid course.

Thousands of people have now completed the course, providing them with first aid skills which could result in lives being saved.

Race director John Cannon said: “A few years ago, I had a bit of an issue with my heart and ended up having an angiogram.

“The work that CSALS do is therefore close to me and I think if we can get the message out on Christmas Eve about the importance of first aid, hopefully a lot of people will take up the offer of doing the free online course. I think it’s really, really important.”

CSALS’ Nick Johnson will once again act as host at the event and he will be joined by Debra Johnson, community facilitator for the charity. Debra said: “We are really looking forward to being involved in such a popular event. It will be a great opportunity to raise awareness of the charity and promote the free online course, offered in partnership with Virtual College.”

Chesterfield Football Club’s official radio station, 1866 Sport is the official radio partner for the event, which will see funds raised for Ashgate Hospice.

To sign-up for the event, please visit www.entrycentral.com/festival/1926

To access the free online course, please click on the following link: https://www.virtual-college.co.uk/prepared

CSALS, Chesterfield Football Club and Ashgate Hospice  support the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

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Spireites Community Trust and Chesterfield Cricket Club provide hampers for 500 local families

Chesterfield FC Community Trust and Chesterfield Cricket Club have joined together to bring some festive cheer to families in the town.

Together they have driven a project to provide Christmas hampers for 500 families in the Chesterfield Borough Council area.

The hampers contain essential food items such as potatoes, milk, fruit and vegetables, together with household items including soap, washing powder and toys.

Families receiving them have been nominated by schools and have children who receive free school meals.

The hampers were funded by the Department of Education’s Holiday Activity Food (HAF) programme, which was set up two years ago as a result of the Covid lockdowns to provide cover during holiday periods for the children of families receiving free school meals.

Jayne Bacon, the Trust’s chief operating officer, said: “The Trust offer Camp Inspire to children where we provide a hot meal, two hours of physical activity, nutrition and enrichment sessions and lots of fun with friends in the holidays.

“We are delighted to have also been able to bid for 500 Christmas hampers through StreetGames, who manage the scheme for Derbyshire County Council, and we were successful.”

The project, led by the Trust’s Becks White, needed a venue where the hampers could be put together, stored and collected.

The Trust approached Chesterfield Cricket Club who were happy for the Queen’s Park pavilion to be used.

Chairman Nigel Mallender said: “Chesterfield Cricket Club is a community club and this is the kind of initiative that is right at the heart of the community.

“It is a tough time for so many families at the moment and I am really glad we have been able to assist in some small way with such a worthwhile initiative. A big well done to Jayne, Becks and the Trust team.”

Jayne added: “Becks has been responsible for ordering the food, arranging the staff, volunteers and co-ordinating all the deliveries and collections to create a truly magical hamper.

“She has been helped by Trust staff, members of the football club’s academy and students on their holiday break.

“Appropriately, for two sports clubs, it has been a real team effort to boost their local community.”

Chesterfield Football Club supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

CFC Trust Chesterfield Cricket Club Hampers

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2023 Made in Chesterfield festival inspires girls to consider careers in engineering and manufacturing

Girls have been inspired to consider a career in engineering and manufacturing thanks to this year’s Made in Chesterfield festival, co-ordinated by Destination Chesterfield and Direct Education Business Partnership (DEBP).

Maddy, a Year 9 pupil from Whittington Green School who visited performance vehicle specialist Scooby Clinic in Wingerworth, said: “I would definitely consider a future career in STEM. There’s a stigma about STEM being just for boys but actually more women should give it a go; they can do it. It’s not just for boys.”

Maddy was one of more than 150 male and female students from secondary schools throughout Chesterfield that took part in workplace visits to companies operating in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) sector during the four-week festival.

The visits, which were organised by Direct Education Business Partnership, were designed to introduce secondary school students to the varied STEM careers available in the local economy.

Sonya Martin, Out of School Tuition Tutor at Whittington Green Secondary School, praised the campaign, saying: “We’ve had quite a few female students say they didn’t realise engineering was open to them and that, actually, the work would be a lot of fun. Having the chance to bring them around different workplaces, especially Scooby Clinic, has been really good for them because we very rarely get to know what goes on in our local environment.”

Scooby Clinic was one of a number of businesses that welcomed students into the workplace during the festival. MSE Hiller, Weightron Bilanciai, United Cast Bar, Superior Wellness, Atlantic Pumps, Robinson PLC and Aztec Oils also opened their doors to students.

Aztec Oils, which is based in Bolsover and is one of the UK’s leading specialists in high-performance lubricant manufacture and distribution, welcomed students from Springwell Community College.

Scooby Clinic Made in Chesterfield

During the visit Year 9 pupil Lara commented; “Being here today has made me reconsider my GCSE options. It’s shown me that STEM is more than science and there are lots of jobs and so many opportunities out there.”

Julie Richards, Principal of The Chesterfield College Group, explained: “It is so positive to see the impact of raising aspirations in STEM subjects with girls across the region thanks to initiatives like Made in Chesterfield. This is the latest in a long line of positive actions to breakdown any perceived barriers for young women who enter a career in STEM. Year on year we are delighted to see more and more young, driven women studying programmes and apprenticeships at Chesterfield College in STEM industries. These students consistently inform us that when talking to school age girls about getting into a STEM related career they should ‘just go for it!’ Whilst they admitted they felt daunted when first entering the industry, that apprehension quickly subsided when they realised how supported and valued they were by their classmates or work colleagues.”

According to a report by The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM, only 27% of the UK’s STEM workforce is female compared to 52% of the wider workforce.

Made in Chesterfield, which is sponsored by the Chesterfield College Group, is now in its eighth year. The annual festival is playing a key role in addressing the technical skills shortage amongst local businesses.

Research by the UK Commission for Employment & Skills found that 43 per cent of national STEM vacancies are hard to fill due to a shortage of skilled and experienced applicants.

Ivan Fomin Destination Chesterfield board member responsible for manufacturing and engineering in the Borough said: “I am delighted at the impact the Made in Chesterfield festival has made with students, schools and businesses this year. Seeing so many mixed groups of students undertaking visits to STEM workplaces in Chesterfield is incredibly encouraging. Ensuring that our workplaces are diverse is critical to tackling skills shortages in the sector both locally and nationally.”

Clare Talati, Chief Executive of DEBP added: “DEBP are delighted to work in partnership on the initiative; at a time with increased pressures for schools and employers, the feedback demonstrates just how important workplace visits are in enabling young people to understand more about the amazing opportunities available locally.”

Since its 2014 launch, Made in Chesterfield has introduced over 3,500 young people to the jobs and careers available operating in the STEM sector within local businesses.

Whittington Green Made in Chesterfield Scooby Clinic Visit

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Optimism over ‘green shoots of recovery’ in 2023, says East Midlands Chamber study

The East Midlands economy has suffered a series of knocks throughout the year, with cost pressures hitting businesses hard – but there are hopes for a more optimistic outlook in 2023.

This is the verdict of East Midlands Chamber after its latest research, which showed a decline in customer demand for products and services, investment intentions and recruitment prospects – yet a slight upturn in business confidence for the year ahead.

As part of its Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), which is delivered in partnership with the University of Leicester School of Business and gauges the health of the region’s economy, the Chamber produces a State of the Economy Index to provide an “at a glance” picture showing the direction of travel for the local economy based on aggregated indicators.

It has trended downwards every quarter since the start of the year to reach its lowest level since the end of 2020 – a period of local Covid-19 restrictions and the beginning of a second national lockdown – but underlying data in the Q4 2022 survey offers room for optimism.

East Midlands Chamber director of policy and external affairs Chris Hobson said: “2022 has been a difficult year economically, with a series of events negatively impacting activity and sentiment – some out of our control and others self-inflicted.

“Domestic demand and international activity has softened slightly as the year has gone on, with cashflow deteriorating and investment intentions down.

“Recruitment difficulties have been the perennial issue, with this final set of data suggesting a drop-off in businesses seeking to grow their workforce.

“However, within that data lies a multitude of experiences, not all negative, and some signs for positivity as we enter 2023.

“Although business confidence – which affects tangible decisions like investment – has dropped significantly from where it was at the start of the year amid the war in Ukraine, political stability and policy flip-flops, there has been a small rise in optimism over profitability and turnover prospects during the final quarter of the year due to a more consistent approach to policy.

“While the gradual slowdown in demand has created capacity within the economy – opening the pressure valve on prices that has been one of the inflationary drivers – there are also signs that other drivers of inflation are starting to soften.”

Key findings from the Quarterly Economic Survey Q4 2022 for the East Midlands*, which was conducted between 7 November and 1 December 2022, included:

  • UK sales stagnated between the third and fourth quarters of the year, with UK advanced orders down by 9%
  • Overseas sales were up by 5% quarter on quarter but advanced orders decreased by 2%
  • The proportion of businesses that added to their headcount in the past three months fell by 8% compared to the previous quarter, while there was a similar decline in firms expecting to recruit new staff in the next three months
  • A net 57% of businesses expect they will be forced to raise prices as they grapple with rising costs for energy, interest rates, people, raw materials and fuel – although this is down from 62% and 58% in the previous two quarters
  • A net 17% of firms reported a decrease in cashflow, marking a 3% rise in the proportion of companies affected
  • A lack of room at the margins means investment intentions continue to trend downwards – falling by 6% quarter-on-quarter for plant and machinery, and 8% for training
  • After nosediving in recent months, business confidence in the prospects of profitability improvements rose 10% compared to the previous quarter, although optimism over improved turnover was down by 1%.

Chris added: “To turn these green shoots into real economic growth in 2023, it is essential that policymakers work with businesses to support them in their growth aspirations.

“Our Business Manifesto for Growth, launched at Westminster in November, provides a blueprint for this.

“While there is no one silver bullet, an immediate action Government could take is to better incentivise business investment in equipment and training, reducing inflationary pressures by both creating further capacity and softening the impact of high staff costs.

“Policy and geopolitical events aside, the biggest thing businesses will be hoping for in 2023 is a bit of calmness and consistency from those taking decisions on the direction of the UK economy – along with meaningful engagement with those businesses that will ultimately deliver the growth to ensure any recession is not just shallow, but short.”

The results will be discussed at the Chamber’s Annual State of the Economy Review on Friday (16 December), held in partnership with the University of Leicester, Geldards and emh group at Memorial House, in Coalville.

Professor Mohamed Shaban, associate dean for business and civic engagement at the University of Leicester School of Business, said there was support available for businesses affected by the economic climate.

He added: “We are proud of our long heritage providing research-informed knowledge exchange to businesses in the East Midlands and beyond through degrees, management development courses such as Help to Grow: Management, business support services, internships, placements, consultancy, knowledge transfer partnerships and contract research.

“Our academics thrive on solving business problems with world-changing research and innovative solutions providing real-world impact.”

To read the full Quarterly Economic Survey report for Q4 2022, click here.

East Midlands Chamber supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Multiple accolades for Superior Wellness at UK Pool & Spa Awards

Chesterfield based Superior Wellness were successful in winning several awards at the prestigious event held on 8 December 2022 in Birmingham.

The first award success was for the International Team of the Year, with the Superior Wellness Logistics team winning. Luke Shiels, Logistics Manager said: “We are over the moon to win this award, it’s great for the team to be acknowledged at the UK Pool & Spa awards. I am extremely proud of my team for all of their effort and hard work this year! We have all pulled together to make partner deliveries as smooth as possible and ensure that trade show season went ahead without any issues. Well done to all of you!”

The second accolade was for Marketing Initiative of the Year – for the location shoots. Superior Wellness has invested heavily in its marketing department with location shoots being a main focus throughout 2022. The team have travelled all over the country to many beautiful destinations and from this has been able to produce high quality marketing material for brands and partners.

Sarah Elphick, Head of Marketing said: “I am delighted that we have won the Marketing Initiative of the Year Award.  Our content has gone up a level with our new marketing studio and on location photoshoots. The team have worked incredibly hard, and I am very proud of them all.”

Superior wellness marketing team

Superior Wellness also received a Gold Award for the following categories:

  • Energy Efficiency/Eco Award – AquaSolus Eco-Heatlock
  • Energy Efficiency/Eco Award – Platinum Premium Shield
  • Spa Product of the Year – Ruby hot tub, Thermals Spas
  • Spa Product of the Year – Tokyo hot tub, Platinum Spas
  • Pool and Spa Supplier of the Year – Platinum Spas
  • Marketing Initiative of the Year – Marketing Studio

Rob Carlin, Managing Director said: “It is a great honour for us all to end the year with the award success, the team have been working hard all year and it’s great to see that all of their hard work has been recognised. I am extremely proud of the whole team.”

Showcasing the very best examples of pool and spa design from across the country, the UK Pool & Spa Awards celebrated its 12th anniversary with featured projects and products.  With 225 entries from 60 companies to assess, 22 judges were involved in the 2022 decision-making.

Entrants were awarded gold, silver or bronze standard in the competition covering both home and public pool and spa facilities in a contest that attracted over 2,000 on-line votes and votes from judges, before being scrutinised by an independent jury.

Winners across 30 categories were announced during the presentation at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham on Thursday 8 December which featured a guest appearance from The Pool Guy, a pool maintenance specialist from Bedfordshire, who boasts 13.7 million followers on Tik-Tok and over one million likes on You Tube.

More information on the awards, including a full list of winners, can be found at www.ukpoolandspaawards.co.uk

Superior Wellness supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Superior wellness team

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Ashgate Hospice’s Light Up a Life service sees hundreds take part to raise thousands for the charity

Hundreds of families celebrated their loved ones at a poignant sell-out lantern-lit procession and remembrance ceremony – raising more than £20,000 for Ashgate Hospice.

The hospice’s new-look Light Up a Life event saw more than 450 people attend to help fund end of life care in North Derbyshire.

Around 350 supporters joined the 1.2-mile procession as they lit up the streets of Chesterfield with special lanterns personalised in tribute to their family and friends.

It brought walkers to the hospice’s site at Old Brampton, where they were then joined by more supporters who attended just the ceremony.

Families from across the region and beyond came together to remember, celebrate and pay tribute to their loved ones who are no longer with us.

Their support has helped raise more than £20,000 so far, with donations still coming in. This money will go a long way towards helping to fund vital care for patients and their families.

Jack Wood, Head of Fundraising at Ashgate Hospice, said: “Thank you to each and every one of our supporters who braved a chilly December evening to come and join us at our Light Up a Life event.

“December can be an incredibly difficult time of year for many, so we felt it was important to give our community a chance to come together to remember our loved ones.

“This was the first time we were able to hold our Light Up a Life ceremony in person since the pandemic and we are delighted with how the new-look event went – I hope everyone that came along did too!

“From those who walked with us along the procession to our supporters who joined us for the ceremony at the hospice – we’re so grateful for your support and I hope it brings you some comfort at such an emotional time of year.”

The unique remembrance service, which took place on Sunday 4th December, was led by local celebrant Jonathan Reeve and featured gentle live music from local singer Ariarna Joy in the beautifully lit gardens.

Anyone who would still like to remember their loved ones from home whilst supporting the hospice’s Light Up a Life appeal can donate and receive a special lantern which can be personalised with a photo of their loved one and a special message. They will also be sent an electric light to place inside their lantern.

Ashgate Hospice supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Light up a Life Ashgate Hospice

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