About Chesterfield

Chesterfield FC Women appoint General Manager

Gabrielle Salomon has been named as the new general manager of Chesterfield FC Women.

Gabrielle, who is involved with the Sport Policy Unit at Manchester Metropolitan University, will oversee the day to day running of the organisation and take the lead on all off-the-pitch matters.

She holds an MSc in Sport Management and is studying for a PhD, investigating the impacts diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives have on gender equality in football workplaces.

Commenting on her new role, Gabrielle said: “I’m excited to join Chesterfield FC Women as this club experienced a lot of great progress both on and off the pitch over recent seasons.”

“There is a strong dynamic around the club’s operations and incredible work planned for the future.”

Michael Noon, Chesterfield FC Women’s chairman and first-team manager, added: “We are delighted to have been able to attract somebody of Gabi’s calibre to come and work with us. ”

“Gabi’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable and she will play a key role in developing the women’s set up even further.”

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Climate change summit asks Derbyshire ‘what will you do?’

More than 150 people from local businesses, housing developers, councils and other public bodies gathered at an event to explore how they can work together to help tackle climate change.

The aim of the event, held at County Hall in Matlock, was to set out the vision and ambition for the whole of Derbyshire to become a net zero carbon county by 2050 – which means cutting carbon emissions from every area of everyday life to the lowest possible level and offsetting the remaining emissions through carbon absorbing measures such as planting trees.

Council leaders who attended from across the county showed their commitment by pledging their support to helping achieve the 2050 ambition in line with Government targets.

Derbyshire County Council Leader and Climate and Sustainability Champion Councillor Barry Lewis said:
“There’s no doubt our climate is changing and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent.

“Clearly action is needed on an unprecedented scale and by 2032 the county council intends to be carbon neutral in terms of our property, street-lighting and fleet operating with net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

“But there is a far bigger challenge that faces us. The council’s own carbon footprint makes up just one per cent of emissions from Derbyshire as a whole. And this is where we intend to grab hold of the nettle and strive to make a real difference.

“By working with our district and borough council colleagues and neighbouring Derby City, we intend to be at the forefront of engagement and innovation, working alongside our communities and businesses and supporting them to bring about change.”

People attending the event were invited to test drive our new fleet of electric pool vehicles during the day. We’ve replaced some of our older diesel vehicles with eight electric cars and three electric bikes which will be used by our staff in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of making essential business journeys in their own cars.

Rounding off the day, Derbyshire Youth Councillors Alex McDermott and George Davidson set down a challenge to everyone attending the event to make changes within their own organisations to support the climate change agenda in Derbyshire.

Councillor Lewis added “We want to move further and faster than any local authority in the UK to achieve a sensible, credible, measured and cohesive plan in which every business and household feels empowered to play their part in reducing the county’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“No business, organisation or individual can halt global warming alone. But by working together, we can design a new way of living and set a strong example for others to follow.”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Home

Chesterfield Waterside bridge nominated for national award

The Lavers Bridge project at the £320 million Chesterfield Waterside scheme, has been nominated for a national award which recognises the contribution it has made to bringing forward the development of new homes on the site.

The 30-metre steel bridge, which crosses the River Rother and connects Brimington Road to the new Avant Homes development at Waterside Quarter, has been shortlisted in the Smeaton Award category at the annual Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) Yorkshire and Humber Awards.

Dronfield-based Henry Boot Construction put the project forward for the prestigious awards which showcase the collective and individual achievements of civil engineers and civil engineering.

The Lavers Bridge is one of nine projects shortlisted in the Smeaton Award category, which is open to projects costing between £500,000 and £5million. The winner of the award will be announced on Friday 6 March 2020 at Sheffield City Hall.

The new vehicular and pedestrian bridge was designed by HSP Consulting Engineers Limited and constructed and installed by Henry Boot Construction Limited last year. It replaced an existing bridge.

The completion of the bridge will now enable 300 family homes to be delivered, the first of which are already underway at the Avant Homes’ Waterside Quarter development on the site.

Henry Boot and HSP Consulting Engineers brought innovative thinking to the project, choosing to manufacture much of the new bridge off-site in order to maintain access to site during its construction phase.

Chesterfield Borough Council granted planning permission to create the new access bridge and road to The Park area of Chesterfield Waterside in 2018. The granting of permission enabled developer Bolsterstone Group Plc to progress proposals to develop new homes. Avant Homes subsequently announced it would construct 173 new two, three and four bedroom houses in the Waterside Quarter neighbourhood. Construction of the new homes is now under way and the homes went on sale last month,

Peter Swallow, Managing Director of Bolsterstone Group Plc commented on the importance of the bridge: “I am delighted that both Henry Boot Construction and HSP Consulting Engineers are receiving recognition for the impact the Laver Bridge project has made at Chesterfield Waterside. The bridge was essential to enable us to continue developing The Park neighbourhood and bring forward hundreds of new homes.”

Ian Gresser, Operations Manager, Henry Boot Construction, commented: “With so many worthy schemes out there, it is great news Lavers Bridge has been shortlisted for the Smeaton Award.”

To learn more about the Chesterfield Waterside development and the investment opportunities available

Chesterfield Waterside bridge nominated for national award

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Home

Chesterfield Festival of Cricket Vitality Blast tickets now on sale

Tickets for the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket Vitality Blast fixture in June are now on sale.

The Derbyshire Falcons return to Queen’s Park on Saturday 20 June to face the Yorkshire Vikings as part of the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket.

The fixture was a complete sell out in both 2018 and 2019, with similar demand expected for 2020.

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

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

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

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

Chesterfield Festival of Cricket Image David Griffin

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Chesterfield’s Liam Pitchford is double national champion again

Liam Pitchford is the national Men’s Singles Champion for the sixth time after successfully defending his title at the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships.

The Chesterfield star beat fellow Olympian and second seed Paul Drinkhall in the final, recovering from 2-0 down to fight back and win 4-2.

The title moved him joint second on the all-time list, level with Drinkhall, Alan Cooke (also from Chesterfield) and Denis Neale, though still five behind the legendary Desmond Douglas.

Top seed Pitchford said: “It feels amazing. I’m on the same amount as plenty of good players, so the next step is to keep winning.”

“At the start I don’t think I played that bad. He was playing really well. Even throughout the whole match I think we both kept a good level. I had a bit of luck at the end of the fifth set and it can change matches. It was a few points here or there today and it went my way.”

Pitchford had earlier defeated another Rio Olympian, third seed Sam Walker, 4-1 in the semi-finals.

He was given a tough match by Junior national champion Ethan Walsh in the last 16, twice trailing before coming back to win 4-2, while his quarter-final was a more straightforward 4-0 margin over seventh seed Helshan Weerasinghe.

In the Men’s Doubles, Commonwealth Games gold medallists Pitchford & Drinkhall won the title for the seventh time, missing a match point in the third game but eventually getting past Walker & Tom Jarvis 3-2.

Pitchford has little time to enjoy his triumph, however, as he is competing at the Qatar Open this week.

Photo credit: Alan Man

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Volunteers hit the right note at the Royal

The work of volunteers has been praised at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital after attaining a highly prestigious accolade.

The Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has achieved the Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard following an application, supported by Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity. The Standard aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience for all volunteers and allows the Royal to acknowledge the enormous and valuable contribution they make to the care of patients and support of staff.

The process started in March 2019 and involved a number of workshops, a self-assessment report and submissions of evidence of best practice.  A two-day site assessment was then carried out involving the Chair, Chief Executive Angie Smithson and a group of no less than 25 volunteers who were interviewed about their understanding, experience and the value of volunteering at the Trust.

Richard Ball is the Royal’s Volunteering Services Manager, he said: “We currently have 190 volunteers across a range of services within the hospital, all of them giving their precious time of their own free will. The work they do in supporting our staff and enhancing the patient experience is immeasurable and achieving this standard is a testament to the effort they all put in.”

“We are constantly looking at how our volunteers affect the way our patients and staff experience this hospital’s services and have recently introduced the service into different areas. We now have trained volunteers who provide companionship to End of Life patients; we have chaplaincy volunteers, maternity support and volunteers who chat with our patients having Chemotherapy and make them cups of tea.”

“In 2019 alone our volunteers provided a total of 20,291 hours of help to patients which includes more than 5,000 hours on our wards, more than 1,500 hours from our chaplaincy and ‘End of Life’ companions and 1,126 hours supporting patients and staff in our Emergency Department. They’ve also been involved in putting together carers’ packs, end of life packs, wrapping Christmas presents and wayfinding for visitors and patients. Then there’s the Royal Rider, also supported by the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity, which has been an enormous success in supporting patients and visitors with mobility issues, carrying more than 40,000 patients last year which equates to one every six and a half minutes.”

“I’m delighted that the Trust and this service has been recognised and I’d like to thank Emma, Helen and Carol as part of my team, the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity and all of our volunteers for making this happen. I’m so proud to lead the excellent Voluntary Services and all of the wonderful volunteers who so positively touch the lives of patients, visitors and staff from admission to discharge.”

Investing in Volunteers is based on four areas of volunteer management; planning for volunteer involvement, recruiting volunteers, selecting and matching volunteers and supporting and retaining volunteers. Further information can be found on www.iiv.investinginvolunteers.org.uk.

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Route confirmed for 2020 Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon

Organisers of the 2020 Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon have confirmed the route for this year’s race.

Download the Chesterfield Half Marathon Route

Download the Chesterfield 5 Mile Route

Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon Guide

Chesterfield Half Marathon Road Closures

The race begins in the Park, before runners head through the town centre to be cheered on by the crowds in the market square and looping around the town’s famous crooked spire and southwards onto the A617.

Runners will then get the unique opportunity of not only running along the dual carriageway, but on right-hand side of the road, before heading towards Hasland Road and coming back towards the town centre, passing the halfway point in Hasland.

The runners will then have another chance to lap up the atmosphere of the busy crowds as they head back towards the town centre, past headline sponsors Redbrik Estate Agents, the town hall and out onto Chatsworth Road. They then then head towards event charity partner Ashgate Hospicecare, before looping back onto Chatsworth Road and heading for the finish line in Queens Park.

The 1km Fun Run will also take place during the main event in Queen’s Park.

John Timms, Event Director at Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, said: “We’re delighted to confirm the route for this year’s Half Marathon.”

“Following feedback from runners, Chesterfield Borough Council and event partners, we’re building on the route to not only provide an enhanced experience for our runners, but also provide easier movement for traffic, to keep the people of Chesterfield moving around the town as much as possible.”

“It also offers more opportunities for people to come and watch the event, with more time spent in the town centre and Queen’s Park. Friends and family can easily see runners a few times within walking distance of the start.”

“We’re really excited about this year’s event and we can’t wait until it starts.”

Entries remain open for the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, which is being held in aid of Ashgate Hospicecare, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice and countless other good causes.

Enter the Chesterfield Half Marathon

2020 Chesterfield Half Marathon Full Route

Chesterfield Half Marathon 5 Mile Route

 

 

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University of Derby appoints new Provost to deliver excellence in innovation and research

The University of Derby has appointed Professor Warren Manning to the newly established position of Provost – Innovation and Research to drive forward its strategic ambitions for research excellence, knowledge exchange and commercial and enterprise activities.

Professor Manning joined the University of Derby in January 2018 as Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology from De Montfort University where he was Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean for the Faculty of Business and Law.

In his new role, Professor Manning will provide the leadership to further promote and embed an innovation and research culture aligned to the University’s strategy. He will build upon the excellent progress the University has already made towards achieving its ambitions around the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which accounts for the quality of university research, and the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF), which provides an indication of the University’s engagement with businesses and community.

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Warren Manning said: “I am delighted to be moving into the role of Provost – Innovation and research. The opportunity to take on the challenge of delivering excellence in innovation and research for the University of Derby is compelling.

“The government commitment to increase research spending to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, an additional £20bn, is based on exploiting great ideas born in universities and grown through businesses. This is a driver for universities to work much closer with businesses and organisations to deliver collaborative, applied research and knowledge exchange.

“There are significant opportunities to work with local businesses here in Derby. We have made strong links with a number of companies through our regional development work, some of which have the ability and opportunity to become global. We aim to share our knowledge to support our partners to realise their ambitions regionally and globally.”

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, added: “At the University of Derby we encourage research excellence across all our disciplines and at all career stages, recognising the strong link between impactful research, enhanced student experience and influence in our region.  The Provost – Innovation and Research role demonstrates the investment we are making in our staff and our research infrastructure to help us achieve this.

“Warren brings a thorough and wide-ranging knowledge of the Higher Education environment from his previous roles at Derby and other universities, with experience of driving transformation at a strategic level. I welcome his approach to working with industry and local partners to deliver high quality and in-depth innovation.”

For further information about Research and Research Partnerships at the University of Derby, click here.

Click here to read more about the University of Derby Chesterfield campus

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Chesterfield FC ‘Time to Change’ fixture raises awareness

The Chesterfield FC match against Ebbsfleet United last weekend marked the Time to Change fixture for Chesterfield FC Community Trust.

Time to Change is a nationwide campaign to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people who experience mental health problems.

Statistically, one in four people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Participants from the Trust’s A Spire Right programme volunteered their time to engage with supporters at the Ebbsfleet game by giving leaflets out that focused on three points:

1. They are the same person as you. When someone tells you they have a mental health problem, don’t treat them differently.

2. Don’t just talk listen. Showing you are paying attention can make the world of difference.

3. Be careful with your language. Making a joke of someone’s mental health can be really isolating.

Andrea Parkinson, the Trust’s senior education and wellbeing officer, says: “There are two main fixtures at the Proact Stadium every season that focus on mental health and suicide prevention.”

“Dedicating matchdays to try and end the stigma regarding mental health is very important for our community and it also works alongside the messages we deliver on our mental health courses.”

“The participants gain from engaging with supporters and it is also a great way of raising awareness of our mental health projects.”

For more information regarding the health and wellbeing courses, please email andreaparkinson@spireitestrust.org.uk

Chesterfield FC Proact

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Perez excels in Mallorca Rally

Chesterfield’s race ace Seb Perez finished a fantastic second place in the Rally Sol de Ponent on the island of Mallorca Spain last weekend, missing out on first spot by only five seconds.

The 20-year-old racer took to the wheel of his classic Dansport-prepared Amigos Tequila Beer 1974 Porsche 911 RS, with navigator Gary McElhinney by his side. The dynamic British / Irish duo are no stranger to the Spanish tarmac roads, they took part in the Rally Dijious Bo, also on Mallorca, in November last year that saw them finish in 7th place also in the Porsche.

Over the past three years of competing in Rally Sol de Ponent, Perez’s performance has improved that saw him in 2018 finish 11th with his father Steve finishing 6th and last year Seb took a well-earned 4th slot.

This year the pair were on it from the start, they were determined to make their mark on the entry of 49 cars and one of only two British crews to enter that saw them finish second or third on the opening six stages and powered the Porsche to gain fastest times on stages seven, nine and ten as they tried to track down the winning team of Alberto Frau and Tomeu Mas in a Mini Rallye R56.

Next up on the calendar for Seb and Gary is the XVI Rally Clasico Isla Mallorca, which takes place over three days from 12-14 March, where their challenge will be for an overall victory, once again in the Porsche.

After the rally Perez commented: “It was really good fun. We were a bit fortunate in that the first couple of stages were in our favour, being in a wide car against narrower and more modern rivals. That got us up into the mix and then we had a bit of a loss for the first few afternoon stages due to them being very tight and twisty.”

“The last stages were a bit of a mix so we could use the power of the Porsche on the open sections. We had a great battle until the end, with just five seconds between ourselves and Alberto and Tomeu in their Mini. We were swapping stage times throughout the day and it was an incredibly close finish.”

“The third to last stage was in favour of Alberto so he took six seconds off me and I gave it everything for the last two. We took six seconds back on the final stage, though it wasn’t quite enough. But it was good fun and this rally was more of a test for the Classic in a few weeks’ time, so we’re ready for that.”

“The top class for the Classic is all three-litre cars like mine, which means we’ll all lose time in the same places, so it will be closer throughout the event. I finished third there in 2018 and second last year, so this time I’ve only got one option!”

Rallying and Motorsport is not new to the family, Perez junior started competing in the Kick Energy Junior 1000 Rally Championship at the wheel of a Nissan Micra rally car back in 2013 before moving to circuit racing a year later progressing through the ranks from a successful Ginetta Junior into Ginetta GT4 and GT5 cars.

His last two seasons have taken him into the prestige Porsche Carrera Cup GB that saw him take the Pro Am title in 2018 and finish 2019 in 5th place in the Pro driver classification.

In between his circuit racing career he has taken part in numerous British and European rallies including in December a fourth overall in the Ford World Rally Team M Sport Ford Fiesta R5 Mk2  on its debut gravel rally in the UK and was a test of what it will do on future World Rally Championship events.

Steve Perez is Chairman of Chesterfield based drinks brand development business Global Brands Ltd, father to Seb Perez and owner of Amigos Tequila Flavoured Beer and Kick Energy Drink Brands, has rallied M Sport Ford’s for a number of years that saw him become four times British National Rally Champion and 2014 BTRDA Gold Star Rally Champion too.

Posted in About Chesterfield

State-of-the-art wellness clinic opens in Chesterfield

360 Wellbeing Centre is a new state-of-the-art clinic, now open on Chatsworth Road in Chesterfield, offering a range treatments looking at all aspects of bodily, spiritual and mental wellness.

To celebrate their opening, the clinic has organised the 360 Wellbeing Seminar at Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium on 19th March, to give the local people an opportunity to meet the team, learn about what the clinic has to offer and to increase their knowledge of health and wellness related subjects.

Commenting on the event, Samantha Woodcroft, one of founding Directors of the clinic said: “Despite the advances in science, the research shows an continuing annual increase in conditions such as heart disease, anxiety, depression, cancer and type 2 diabetes. These are all conditions that can positively affected by good nutritional practice and supplementary treatments.”

“Helping people to address and overcome their health challenges is one of our primary reasons for being and we thought hosting a seminar would be an appropriate way to celebrate the launch of 360 Wellbeing whilst sharing some high quality speeches from leading experts in their field with the people of Derbyshire.”

The event has designed to be a fast-paced and engaging affair with short speeches covering a range of subjects. Attendees will enjoy a Gratitude Bag with gifts worth at least £60. Local Wellness Therapists in attendance will also have an opportunity to meet the 360 Wellbeing team and schedule some time for a formal meeting to discuss joint venture options.

Samantha added: “As well as hosting an agenda that we think offers subjects that will interest those local people who are focused on improving their mental and physical health, we are keen to add to our services and will seek to work with quality local therapists. We will also be explaining our recruitment process for this at the seminar”.

Click here to find out more or to book your place

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