How businesses are helping improve the lives of people in Chesterfield

From supporting the health and wellbeing of our residents, to organising events which bring our local community together, organisations are working collaboratively to raise the profile of the town, whilst making tangible differences to people’s lives.

Furthermore, businesses across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire are increasingly looking to work in partnership with public, private and charity sector organisations.

A recent study from East Midlands Chamber, in partnership with the University of Derby and Loughborough University found that six in ten businesses regionally continue to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, while 42% plan to increase these over the next year.

With those statistics in mind, this month’s round table organised by Destination Chesterfield in conjunction with the Derbyshire Times, brought together leaders from local charities, community groups and public sector organisations – to give their views on why CSR continues to rise, whilst also explaining how they continue to make a positive impact on the town.

DS - Dom Stevens – Destination Chesterfield Manager (Chair)

LR – Lucy Robinson – Director of resources, East Midlands Chamber

RA – Rod Auton – Secretary and Publicity Officer, Chesterfield Canal Trust

DJ – Daniel Jones – Marketing and Communications Officer, Derbyshire Voluntary Action

CW – Claire Wilks – Commercial Manager, Dronfield Heritage Trust

CB – Courtney Beddingham – Regional Fundraiser, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice

HB – Hannah Bowdler – Relationship Fundraiser, Junction Arts

KJ – Karen Johnson – Communications Manager, Chesterfield Royal Hospital

How are organisations in Chesterfield working collaboratively to support our local community?

LR – We always try to support the business community by signposting them to what they need. One of the big things we’ve seen is that many businesses are focusing on CSR and trying to do more around it.

CW - We work with different community groups- from Chesterfield Canal Trust who recently provided a speaker; to Crafting 2gether who provided the content for an exhibition about the covid pandemic to the Rotary Group who hire rooms to hold meetings with us. We also work with several local schools- providing work experience opportunities, a stall space for a sixth form enterprise group, holding school trips and providing speakers, or hosting their artwork as a temporary exhibition.

RA – Our trip boats increasingly do charters for all sorts of groups, for example care homes or mindfulness groups. Many people who use our boats are holidaymakers from the Peak District too. They will then spend their money and make a day of it in Chesterfield, which helps to boost the local economy.

DJ – We provide the infrastructure and brokerage between education, charities, community groups and businesses, so collaboration is key to what we do. Over the last year, we’ve chalked up more than £200,000 of fundraising for community groups. We’re also speaking to charities on how to make use of money and business resources. They really benefit from that expertise.

HB – There are lots of great events are coming up across the town this year, which gives an extra reason for businesses to see where their money is going. Community events and initiatives are so important for everyone, especially from a wellbeing perspective.

RA- The Tapton Lock Festival last September was great. It was wonderful to see so many different cultures represented.

CW- I also run the Dronfield Homes for Ukraine community group, which is an excellent local initiative. We are always looking for opportunities to give local events and initiatives a Ukrainian connection.

CB –We have made a lot of contacts via the Chesterfield Champions network and have had some great partnerships with local companies. I’ve noticed a growth in CSR across the local area. Some businesses which have never worked with charities before are now looking into it.

KJ – During the pandemic, we learned the value of community. We couldn’t have got through it without the support of local people. Thanks to donations and sponsorship, we now have a new health and wellbeing hub for hospital staff, to give them somewhere to decompress, use the gym and relax after a shift.

How important is the role of our community and voluntary sector in providing a good quality of life for residents in Chesterfield – and making our area an attractive place to live, work and visit?

DJ – As a charity we see many organisations regionally contributing to health, wellbeing and making a difference to people’s lives. I regularly take my kids to sports clubs organised by volunteers. It’s gratifying to see how much is out there for young people.

CW – We have 100 volunteers and 25 staff. With each volunteer, we ask what they want to get from it. Getting to the bottom of that has really helped us to be able to develop our volunteering offer.

LR - I think there are opportunities to highlight case studies of volunteers or CSR where possible. Having those stories to showcase what people have gained from doing voluntary work can be the best showcase.

RA – One of the things that came out of the pandemic was that people looked at some of the great outdoor spaces on their doorstep, and it really helped us all to realise the value of the assets we have locally. The number of people using the canal towpath increased rapidly during that time and hasn’t dropped off since.

HB- We are excited to be bringing a children's festival to Chesterfield this Summer, with interactive art and creativity activities. It’s going to be very different to what we do already and we’re hoping to get young people engaged.

DJ - At community Chesterfield, we deal with more than 300 community groups. There is a wealth of organisations across Derbyshire which we’re really fortunate to have.

How can businesses benefit from taking part in CSR activities?

LR – We know that it can create a competitive edge for businesses. It helps your organisation and enables you to grow the talent that you've got. For those businesses that aren't engaging in CSR, it's about trying to understand why they're not. I think it is about being able to signpost in the right way, which is what we like to do.

CW - I think a lot of businesses can over complicate what they have to do in terms of CSR. It could be something really simple, such as training volunteers and community groups in skills - for example delivering a short workshop on social media posting or corporate photography.

DJ – We are launching a project called Derbyshire Pioneers. It is all about putting groups with the right people. A big part of the scheme will be a matchmaking system where we'll find out exactly what the business is looking to achieve. We can then match them directly with the type of company, charity, or group to help them get the maximum out of it.

LR – Young people particularly are looking for that bit extra that businesses are doing. People are looking more at the values of their prospective employers and showcasing CSR activity can be a big driver in recruiting talented people.

KJ - We've had a lot of Community support and we're proud to work with the community in many ways. We get a lot of businesses in helping and supporting us. During the Covid pandemic, we had a lot of businesses stepping up and supporting hospital staff. We couldn't function without our community, and we do work with as many partners as we can.

CB - In terms of CSR, we try and offer what's best for that company. A local IT company named us as their charity of the year for the past five years, and their CSR is amazing. Staff are allowed to take time off work for volunteering days help and support us. It can be so much more than simply painting a fence or working on a garden.

DJ - People really are starting to take a real big interest in ESG (environmental and sustainability goals). Google searches on ESG-related keywords have gone up by 400% in the last year. It's definitely a talking point which people are considering really strongly when they pick where they want to work.

HB – The activity we carry out wouldn’t happen without collaboration and support from businesses. The Tapton Lock Festival is only made possible through sponsorship, working with community groups, and being at the centre of what the community wants.

CW- If we could work more with a business to plan in regular activity, it gives us the opportunity to really think about how both organisations can get the best out of that process.

Chesterfield has always been a town which prides itself on the strength of its local community – How can we champion this further to raise the profile of the town externally?

HB – There is a lot already happening in Chesterfield. I’ve lived here pretty much all my life, and it’s great to see organisations in the town highlighting what we have. People have realised there are good places to enjoy here, which is fantastic. Chesterfield has fabulous surroundings, venues, and spaces. It's everyone’s responsibility to create these safe places to bring people together.

LR – It’s all about ensuring that we are working cohesively to showcase what is going on. Highlighting things such as case studies and examples of best practice across the town, whether it be from businesses, charities or public sector organisations can all feed into the offer of the place.

DS - Longer term collaborations have the most meaningful impact. Made in Chesterfield is a partnership between several organisations and has a community impact on young people in the local area.

CW - We hold various community events at the Barn - these include being the central venue for Dronfield Arts Festival; a large Christmas market to coincide with the town’s light switch on; a Medieval Christmas Festival and a regular Producer and Artisan market. This brings thousands of people into our town and community.

RA - I think we must remember that we know the town is wonderfully located, but many people outside the area don’t know where Chesterfield is. There are simple things we can do, such as highlighting the geography and location of our area as much as we can. To just have the word ‘Chesterfield’ in people's consciousness is really important.