Kind-hearted Chesterfield residents have donated £29,000 to local causes in the past 12 months through the mayor’s appeal.

During their term of office from May 2016 to May 2017, Chesterfield’s mayor, Councillor Steve Brunt and his wife and mayoress, Mrs Jill Mannion-Brunt, supported by a dedicated team have organised more than 30 events to support building the new Macmillan Cancer Centre at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Accessible Derbyshire.

These events have included a charity beer festival at the Assembly Rooms in Chesterfield Market Hall, a ‘fish and fizz’ event, a Christmas jumper night and a sporting dinner with Matthew Hoggard MBE.

In addition, Councillor Brunt also entered a relay team into the Chesterfield Marathon last September where he was joined by Councillor John Dickinson, Councillor Amanda Serjeant and Chesterfield Borough Council’s chief executive, Huw Bowen.

They also organised the Whistle for the Somme event to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme last summer.

Councillor Steve Brunt, mayor of Chesterfield 2016/17 said:-

“We have had a great year and our fundraising team have worked tirelessly throughout and the generosity of Chesterfield people helped us to realise such a fantastic sum of monies and much needed funds for our two charities”.

Councillor Brunt and Mrs Mannion-Brunt presented a cheque with money raised from the mayor’s appeal. to both charities in a ceremony held in the mayor’s parlour at Chesterfield Town Hall.

The senior partner of Chesterfield-based Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, Richard Trueman, has retired after nearly 50 years’ service with the firm.

He joined Mitchells in 1970 as a fresh-faced 18-year old from Chesterfield Boys School, now Brookfield Community School, and was made partner of the firm in 1978. He leaves 12 months ahead of Mitchells celebrating its 150^th anniversary.

Richard leaves after 46 years’ service during which he has worked with around 1,200 clients. He leaves the firm in the hands of senior partner Tim Leeman, who is supported by fellow partners Andrew McDaid and Tony Hornsby, who were promoted in 2015 as part of the firm’s succession planning strategy ahead of Richard’s retirement.

Under Richard’s leadership, Mitchells has grown to become one of the leading firms of Chartered Accountants in Chesterfield and north east Derbyshire. From handwriting all accounts in ledgers when he joined, the firm has progressed to become a leader in its field for the adoption of technology, winning awards for its CloudMitchells online service.

Richard explained:-

“When I started my career we were still writing everything in ledgers, an Apple was something you ate; a Dell was a secluded valley and a calculator was the person who could add up fastest in the office. Things have certainly changed, however what has remained constant is the fact that the people continue to be at the heart of the firm.

“I have loved my time at Mitchells – all 46 years of it, and that’s because of the people. They have not only made coming to work fun, but also given me great personal pride in seeing so many of them develop their careers at Mitchells.

“I leave the firm in the very capable hands of my fellow partners. Mitchells goes into its 150^th year in strong shape which I am confident will continue under the leadership of Tim, Tony and Andrew.”

Tim Leeman, partner at Mitchells added:-

“Myself and all staff and clients wish Richard well in his retirement. He is officially the longest serving member of staff and will be missed, but his legacy in the firm lives on in the strong team he has helped build here as well as the processes and technology he has put in place to make us one of the leading and longest established firms of Chartered Accountants in the area.”

Richard’s retirement was marked with a celebration for all staff and clients at Casa Hotel.

The three main political parties will be represented at a hustings style General Election business briefing in Chesterfield next week.

Chamber research reveals that regional businesses have conquered initial fears over Brexit, and have demonstrated adaptability and flexibility under challenging circumstances. However, it is important that the understandable preoccupation with Brexit does not come at the expense of a number of other domestic concerns that firms still have on a variety of topical issues.

Against a backdrop of prevailing uncertainty inhibiting investment intentions, the aim of this session is to enable each party to clearly articulate what it stands for on a broad range of operating issues affecting the day-to-day activities of firms across the region.

Candidates confirmed to attend so far are Toby Perkins (Labour) , Nigel Mills (Conservative) and Tom Snowdon (LibDem) have all confirmed they will take part in the East Midlands Chamber and Destination Chesterfield hosted event.

Many local businesses, covering a cross section in terms of sector and size, are expected to attend the event to question candidates about where they stand on Brexit, support for business growth, jobs creation and security and the wider regional economy.

Chris Hobson, the Chamber’s Director of Policy, said:-

“There are many domestic issues that risk being shunted into the sidings as negotiations for Brexit and trade agreements with the rest of the world grab centre stage in politics.

“But it’s important that momentum is not lost in these matters and businesses, quite rightly, will be seeking assurances from electoral candidates that they will not let them get sidelined.”

The free event will be held at East Midlands Chamber’s office at Commerce House, Millenium Way, Dunston Road, Chesterfield from 5pm to 6.30pm on Thursday 18 May. If you are a local business and would like to be involved click here to book.

As part of the sixth national Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Week, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will host an event for staff across the hospital – designed to celebrate equality and diversity in the workplace and to recognise the role it plays in supporting excellent patient care and a great place to work.

Zoe Lintin, Director of Workforce & Organisational Development, comments:-

“Equality and diversity plays a really important part of being a first-class hospital for the 400,000 people we serve in North Derbyshire and the 3,800 staff who are part of our team.  A diverse workforce and an organisation with fair processes and procedures, is a good place to work – and supports high-quality patient care.  Staff who feel they are treated equally and who are valued and recognised provide the best possible care to our patients. We were delighted to be accepted on to the NHS Employers Equality and Diversity Partnership Network for the second year. ”

Chesterfield Royal Hospital will be confirming its commitment to equality and diversity by hosting a three-hour education session that will give staff at all levels an opportunity to think about the role equality and diversity plays in their own job, in how their team works together and in how the Trust operates as a large, busy organisation.

Zoe continues:-

“It’s the chance to share ideas about how we can all make equality and diversity part of what we do, so it becomes second nature.  We will be  celebrating what we have achieved so far and looking at what we can in future to improve and make a difference.”

Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Week 2017 takes place from May 15-19 and is co-ordinated by NHS Employers to ‘shines a light on the great work going on across the NHS to ensure that it continues to meet the diverse needs of local populations’. Find out more on the NHS Employers website here.

Budding entrepreneurs and start-up business owners based throughout the Sheffield City Region are being urged to take advantage of a new, free of charge programme aimed at giving them the best possible start on their business journey.

Developed by Launchpad, which forms part of the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub, the unique scheme helps new entrepreneurs and business owners which have been trading for less than two years to access a comprehensive range of free resources including access to training events, as well as working with an experienced business mentor.

The mentoring programme has formally been launched across the Sheffield City Region at a special event which took place at Sheffield Central Library’s Business and IP Centre, which saw over twenty new business owners and experienced entrepreneurs come together to celebrate the launch of the new service.

During the event, delegates were given the opportunity to hear from business owners Jack Brzuz, found of the SME Business Academy and Dawn Bates, who shared their own experiences of how a business mentor can help to make a big difference to small business owners.

Participants of the mentoring programme are paired with an existing SCR business mentor who most meets their business needs and benefit from support and advice such as one to one meetings, training, coaching and events and workshops hosted throughout the City Region. All mentors are experienced entrepreneurs and business owners in their own right, looking to support, nurture and inspire the next generation of start-up successes.

Launchpad is available to all new business owners which have been trading for less than two years who are based in the Sheffield City Region; from Barnsley and Bassetlaw to Doncaster and the Derbyshire Dales.

Irshad Akbar, Business Mentoring Manager at Launchpad, said:

“Launchpad’s Mentoring programme is a tailored programme designed to support new business owners as they take the first steps on their business journey. It brings them together with individuals who have stood in their shoes, offering an opportunity to share the knowledge and expertise they have developed during their own business journey.

“The programme follows a tried and tested formula which helps to give new business owners confidence to grow and develop their ideas, as well as offering a chance to share concerns their business is currently facing. Our mentors come from many different backgrounds, but they share a passion to help others succeed. As a result many of our mentors and mentees become good friends and have built a strong professional relationship once the mentoring sessions were completed, with some even doing business together.”

Jack Brzuz, Founder and CEO, SME Business Academy, said:

“I became a mentor in the Launchpad Mentoring programme because I wanted to be able to provide advice and support for those who, like me, might be stuck at a point on their business journey and not know where to turn. Running a business can be a lonely experience and it’s easy to make the wrong decisions for what are often the right reasons at the time.

“Working with a mentor provides a sounding board and an opportunity to step outside of the day-to-day running of the business to look at the bigger picture. It can be invaluable for both parties. You form a relationship and have a desire to see them achieve and succeed. It’s an experience I’d recommend to any business owner.

“Sometimes when running a business, it’s the little things that really matter and a mentor can help to discuss different challenges and opportunities they face, often drawing on their own experiences.”

Launchpad currently has opportunities for new business owners interested in working with a business mentor and is also looking for experienced business owners based within the Sheffield City Region to join its mentoring programme.