Author: Tara Underhill

Psychic Sally Morgan Heads to Chesterfield

One of the nation’s favourite mediums – Sally Morgan – is back on tour and due to bring her jaw-dropping show to Chesterfield this April.

Formerly medium to Diana, the Princess of Wales, International star, Sally has a long list of celebrity clients and has performed in front of a combined audience of over 750,000 people in hundreds of venues.  Her TV show Sally Morgan: On the Road ran for three series and continues to be shown around the world. Sally is also the best-selling author of several books and is a regular guest and panellist on other popular television shows.

Sally says: “I love being on the road, reaching out to my fans and comforting people about life after death. Every night when I’m on stage amazing things happen and it’s a privilege to be able to pass on messages of love and comfort to the people I share my gift with.”

Sally Morgan comes to the Winding Wheel on Thursday 2nd April. Tickets are available at http://chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk/shows/sally-morgan.aspx#.VQFp4vmsV1Y

 

 

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Chesterfield Chosen to Host National Canal Festival

A popular national canal festival is to be held in Chesterfield for this first time in over ten years.

Organised by the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), the National Trailboat Festival will take place at Staveley Town Basin during the 2016 spring bank holiday weekend.

Highlights of the event include an illuminated parade of boats on the Saturday night and a convoy right up to the River Rother at St Helena’s on the Monday.

Robin Stonebridge Chair of Chesterfield Canal Trust said:

“We are delighted that the IWA has chosen to return to the Chesterfield for its 2016 Trailboat Festival.

“The boaters who came here in 2002 or 2005 will see a great change, both on the canal and in the surrounding area.

“Canals get restored by continuously making the case, by hard graft and by spreading the word and building support from across the country.  Although we still have eight miles to restore, the festival will be a good way to celebrate the trust’s efforts thus far and for visitors to have a really good time here in North East Derbyshire.”

As with the yearly canal festivals held at Staveley, this national event will also include boat rides, canoeing, children’s rides, plenty of entertainment, dozens of stalls plus food and drink including a real ale bar.

The vital difference with this festival however – say Canal Trust members – will be the number of boats. It is expected that dozens of trailboats will be moored in the basin and back towards Constitution Hill Bridge. Many will be decorated, creating a really colourful spectacle.

As trailboats are towed, it will also be possible to be launch them down the slipway at Staveley Basin – where they will enter the stretch of water between Staveley and Kiveton Park which is currently inaccessible to normal canal boats due to ongoing restoration work.

IWA national chairman Les Etheridge said: “Our 2016 Trailboat Festival will help to demonstrate the community benefits that flow from the revival of functioning waterways. As well as providing a great day out, we hope the festival will stimulate renewed support from the public and local interest groups for the Trust’s sterling restoration work.”

Derbyshire County Council owns this section of the canal. The Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure Councillor Dean Collins said: “The newly developed Staveley Basin has made Chesterfield Canal an attractive area for boats and we’re delighted to be hosting the National Trail Boat Festival in Derbyshire next year.

“We’re committed to helping to improve Derbyshire’s economy and tourism has a massive role to play.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the boating community to Derbyshire to enjoy our beautiful county and all it has to offer.”

Chesterfield Canal Trust has previously run IWA Trailboat Festivals at Tapton Lock in 2002 and 2005. Both were hugely successful, as was the IWA Campaign Rally held at Kiveton Park in 2009.

For more information visit http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/

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

Young Spireites Winger Signs New Contract

Exciting Spireites winger Gboly Ariyibi has signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract.

The former Southampton player has impressed in recent weeks after being given his chance in the first team.

Commenting on the news, Spireites Manager, Paul Cook said: “Gboly is a very, very exciting young prospect who has great ability and pace. He is still developing as a player so there has to be some patience shown by fans as he learns the game.”

Ariyibi, 20, joined Chesterfield in the summer after a spell at Leeds United. He made his debut in the JPT tie at Scunthorpe in September and has now made a total of eight appearances.

Born in Virginia, USA, before being brought up in England, Ariyibi is a USA Under-20 international.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

New Artisan Market Set to Launch in Chesterfield

A vibrant artisan market is coming to Chesterfield town centre this spring.

Starting on 31st May, the new attraction will take place on the last Sunday of every month and offers a wide selection of locally produced food and individually hand crafted items, showcasing the very best of products from Chesterfield and Derbyshire.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said:

“We have an excellent track record of offering fresh produce on our market and now residents and visitors will be able to buy a new range of exquisite local produce and trinkets.

“They will be able to speak to the stallholders, ask about the products they have made, try new flavours and discover unique treasures.

“Local entertainers will also be performing each month to show their talents and add to the buzzing atmosphere.

“I’m sure this will be a popular addition to the successful markets we already run in Chesterfield, including the monthly farmers’ market and the weekly flea market.”

Joining forces with Chesterfield Borough Council, Denise Valente, Director of The Market Co said: “We are very excited to bring our artisan market concept to Chesterfield.

“The local area has so many incredibly talented artisans, all very eager to showcase their fantastic products.”

For more details about the artisan market, visit: www.themarketco.co.uk.

Chesterfield Market Place also hosts a variety of other markets each week with a general market each Monday, Friday and Saturday, a flea market each Thursday and a farmers’ market on the second Thursday of each month.   For more details click here.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Summer, Visiting

Proact to Host Funny Photoshoot for Comic Relief

Players and staff at Chesterfield Football Club are inviting visitors to take part in a funny photoshoot for Comic Relief.

Club photographer Tina Jenner will run a pop-up studio at the Hub at Proact Stadium on Monday 9th March from 1.00pm – 6.00pm in return for a donation of at least £2 per image.

There will also be a funny face competition, with the winner receiving a print similar to the poster shown here with their image in the middle, signed by the featured players.

Those taking part will need to complete a photo consent form, which will act as a model release form, which can be downloaded from the Chesterfield FC Community Trust website. Under-18s who attend alone will need to bring a signed form with them.

The Trust’s sport & activity manager, Rachel Booth, said: “As a charity, the Trust is really happy to support such a good, charitable cause.

“We are really looking forward to working with the football club and Tina Jenner Photography to stage such a fun event at The HUB. All of the staff will be joining in and we can’t wait to see our funny photos!”

For more information on the event, please visit http://www.spireitestrust.org.uk/rnd2015/

Posted in About Chesterfield, Leisure, Visiting

Council Tax Frozen for Second Year Running

Council tax paid by residents for services provided by Chesterfield Borough Council has been frozen for another year.

The unanimous vote was taken at the council meeting on Thursday 26 February.

Councillor John Burrows, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Leader, said: “Despite the fact we are, again, facing a huge cut in the funding we receive from the government, we have frozen council tax again to help families in the borough who are doing their best to make ends meet in these difficult economic times.

Councillors also voted to accept the council’s proposed budget for the coming year.

Although Chesterfield Borough Council collects council tax, it only keeps 10 per cent of the money.

For the average band A property, this means the council keeps only £96.59 each year or £1.86 each week of the money collected to fund its services including: refuse collection, street cleaning, sports and park facilities, regeneration, housing, markets, museums, theatres and tourism.

The rest of the money goes to different authorities including Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Constabulary and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Each of these authorities has chosen to increase its portion of council tax by just under two per cent. This means that although the amount residents pay towards services provided by Chesterfield Borough Council will remain the same, the overall amount they pay will increase.

Posted in About Chesterfield

Chinese Tour Buyers Welcomed to Peak District

A group of Chinese tour buyers checked out some of the Peak District and Derbyshire’s top tourism highlights during a whistle-stop tour lead by VisitBritain.

The 20-plus delegation enjoyed a bird’s eye view of breathtaking countryside from cable cars at The Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath as well as an exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of Chatsworth and Haddon Hall.

The flying visit was part of a week-long fact-finding tour of key British destinations, including Yorkshire, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London – and is just one of a number of VisitBritain hosted trips showcasing the country’s finest attractions, accommodation and activities until March 6.

Latest figures from VisitBritain reveal that China is Britain’s 30th most important market for the volume of visits, and 13th for the amount spent by visitors. In 2013, Chinese tourists made 196,000, or 0.6 per cent, of all overseas visits to Britain, and spent £492 million pounds.

“China is one of Britain’s fastest growing visitor markets, so we were delighted that VisitBritain chose to include the Peak District and Derbyshire in – and worked in partnership with us to arrange – one of its escorted itineraries after ExploreGB,” said Jo Dilley, Director of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, the area’s official tourist board.

“More and more Chinese visitors are coming to the Peak District and Derbyshire – including students at surrounding universities in Manchester and Sheffield, who are often visited by friends and relatives – and Chatsworth has already signed up to VisitBritain’s Great China Welcome Charter, as one of the country’s leading Chinese-friendly tourism businesses.

“We hope that this brief visit has given Chinese tour buyers an informative and interesting insight into the wide range of attractions, accommodation and activities that are available in our unique and accessible area – and that they will encourage more Chinese visitors to come and discover more of its many delights in the future.”

Charlie Li, Deputy Manager China for VisitBritain, added: “The Peak District and Derbyshire has everything that Chinese tourists are looking for – including heritage, culture and countryside, plus interesting literature and film links – so this was an ideal opportunity to showcase its assets to our key tour buyers.

“I’m sure they will all be considering how to build the area into their British itineraries to bring more Chinese visitors here as the market develops and grows.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business

S40 Local Small Business Club announces Event Programme

Booking is now live for a range of monthly evening seminars designed to help local small businesses to succeed.

Hosted by S40 Local Small Business Club and held at StraightCurves on Saltergate, the first event will be lead by Paul Stuart, one of Chesterfield Borough Council’s own business advisers.  Paul has been supporting the development of StraightCurves since 2013.

Karen Rogers, Owner of StraightCurves says:-

“Having gone through some really tough times setting up my own small business over the last two years I want to help those going through the same issues. Sometimes all you need is someone who understands what it is like to listen to you and share a cuppa and that is what our get-togethers are all about. There won’t be any formalities or awkward network selling – just chats and cuppas. Equally it great to be able to jump up and down about your successes and bounce ideas off other people.”

“Paul has been key to the success of my business so far and without him I would not be where I am today. He is a font of knowledge, a great support and always there when I need him. I want more people to be able to access the help that is available to them from the Council and other local business providers too; hopefully our club will enable this to happen.”
Workshops run by the S40 Local Small Business are open to both members and non-members, priced at £10 and £15 respectively.  Further details are available at www.s40smallbusinessclub.co.uk or by calling 01246 807575.
Posted in Business

Chatsworth International Horse Trials to Raise Funds for Air Ambulance

The Air Ambulance for Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland  (DLRAA) has been announced as the official charity for this year’s Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials which takes place from 15-17 May.

The DLRAA, which provides a vital life-saving rapid response helicopter service, relies entirely on donations to keep the service flying. At a cost of £1,700 for each mission, it is hoped the partnership with the Horse Trials will help support the ongoing fundraising and raise awareness of the important work carried out every day.

Just last year, the DLRAA attended 22 equestrian-related missions in Derbyshire alone. In many cases, the crew is the first on the scene providing vital medical care before either flying the patient to hospital or transferring to a location where they can be reached by land ambulance.

DLRAA flew a total of 1032 missions in 2014 which included 442 road traffic collisions, 186 medical emergencies and 195 sports related injuries, 90 of which were equestrian-related.

Sophie Burt, National Partnerships Manager for Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA), said:

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to be involved in such a prestigious event and we would like to thank the Duke and Duchess and all the team for choosing DLRAA to be the Horse Trials Charity for 2015. DLRAA are a charity that receives no government funding, so we rely entirely on donations and fundraising opportunities like this to keep our vital service flying. It costs around £1,700 for each mission, and we fly an average of three a day.”

The charity will have a stand at the event and will be out and about talking to visitors about their work and accepting donations over the three days.

As well as thrilling cross country action featuring the world’s leading riders, the Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials has fun for all the family with entertainment including the British Scurry and Driving Trials; Pony Club Mounted Games and Falconry displays. Dog lovers will be in for a treat with the gun dog displays; have a go dog agility; dog show and Hound parade.

The event has lots for children to enjoy from meeting the Chatsworth Farmyard animals to Punch and Judy shows; face painting; Mini Land Rovers; bouncy castle and giant slide.

Tickets for the Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials start at £10 for adults and £4.50 for children aged five and over. For more information on the Dodson & Horrell International Chatsworth Horse Trials, visit www.chatsworth.org.

Posted in Visiting

Celebrate Chesterfield welcomes Two Headline Sponsors

Limited places remain to toast the success of Chesterfield’s marketing campaign, Destination Chesterfield at the Winding Wheel, on Wednesday 25 March from 07:30am – 11:00am.

The free ‘Celebrate Chesterfield’ event, held in association with headline sponsors Markham Vale and Corrugated Case Company, allows local businesses to be the first to hear the exciting plans in store for the town in 2015. The morning will also reveal Destination Chesterfield’s upcoming marketing activities until December 2016.

The breakfast will also look back on the campaign’s success during the last twelve months and offers the opportunity to question local leaders and politicians on a Question Time panel.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield said: “The annual Celebrate event is so important.  All too often we hear about the good news in isolation and it can be overshadowed by the bad which means it can be forgotten in the melee. This will be our third Celebrate Chesterfield event, following the success of last year’s which was standing room only, however the stream of good news delivered by the Destination Chesterfield team left us all uplifted! This year, Celebrate will be no different. We’ve made a point of building on last year’s success and striving to be even better in 2015.”

The event will also include talks from various local business people.  Corrugated Case Company will discuss how it secured RGF funding to develop the business, a tenant from Markham Vale will talk about their expansion and the University of Derby will present its much anticipated plans for the St Helena’s site in the town centre.

Destination Chesterfield was established in 2010 during which time it has engaged the business community as Chesterfield Champions in actively supporting the marketing of the town and driving investment and bringing it to the attention of national investors.

Ben Ward of Henry Boot Developments said, “Markham vale has grown successfully to become one of Chesterfield’s prime employment sites over the last twelve months which is great news for the local economy.  During the next twelve months we are hopeful to be able to announce some further significant new investment projects for the site and region.

“We are delighted to sponsor this event and continue our support to promote Chesterfield, often overshadowed by its larger neighbours. There is a wealth of good news in the area which needs to be celebrated. This includes the decision by both Inspirespac and Gould alloys to retain their roots in Chesterfield and invest to significantly grow their businesses at Markham.”

Tony Hession, Director of Corrugated Case Company said: “As a Chesterfield based company with customers and staff based here, we’re thrilled to be involved with the Celebrate Chesterfield event. It is vital that we promote all that is good about our town; its’ centrally located geographic position, it’s historic (and present day) creative manufacturing and engineering prowess and of course its location on the edge of the magnificent Peak District and all that has to offer! We look forward to meeting friends both old and new at the Destination Chesterfield event.”

Celebrate Chesterfield is free to attend however spaces are limited and places should be confirmed online.  More than 200 delegates have already registered and so businesses are being encouraged to book now to avoid disappointment at www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate.

Posted in Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield

Franke Sissons Sponsors Bike Racing Team

RSR Racing, based in Hasland in Chesterfield has received another round of sponsorship from local manufacturer, Franke Sissons.

Rodger Turner, team principal and chief engineer explains “Franke’s support has been invaluable – and being supported by a local company is always a bit special too. Our Franke 125cc Bike won the championship last year so I hope we can build on the relationship.”

RSR Racing is a specialist road racing motorcycle team that enters races from the East Midland Racing championships. The team actively supports and encourages young riders to take up the sport and develop their skills both in the UK and Spain.

Managing Director, Andrew Dukelow from Franke Sissons says. “RSR Racing has enjoyed some notable success in the EMRA series and we are proud to be encouraging young people to get involved in the sport via our association. I wish the team all the best for the 2015 season which starts in March.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business