CHESTERFIELD CHAMPION: '˜The town has such character'

I am married to Andy Dukelow and have a 22-year-old daughter called Zoe Clayton. I have lived and worked in the Chesterfield area all my life

I know many people from Chesterfield from socialising and working in this wonderful town.

I have always loved horses a and had them in my life and the same goes for my daughter Zoe, before I set the business up we owned a horse each and rode them regularly around the area.

We moved house in 2011 and things started to change. It put a different perspective on life, we moved out into the countryside and the house we purchased included stables and land.

I have one full time employee Stephanie Turner-Hamilton who is my assistant manager and a couple of volunteers. I now own 13 horses – one of these being a surprise foal which we are now in the process of bringing into work.

1. What do you like best about living in Chesterfield and why?

The best thing about living in Chesterfield is that it is so close to the countryside and has such character and history, it is a quaint and compact town. It is a huge positive running my business here in Derbyshire, being right in the heart of the county with a very good road infrastructure means it’s easily accessible, and the county being renowned for its beautiful countryside means it practically sells itself.

2. What are your favourite ways to spend your free time in Derbyshire?

My favourite ways to spend time in Derbyshire is by being out in the open and taking inthe wonderful views we are blessed to have, along with enjoying the different seasons as they pass.

3. Where is your favourite place to shop locally and why?

I always make a point of going into Chesterfield town centre on my day off every week to buy my fresh vegetables and fruit from Ibbotson’s market stall where the goods are always of a fresh.

4. What is your favourite hidden gem in Chesterfield and why?

One of the little hidden gems in Chesterfield is Calabria Italian restaurant where the food and customer service is always second to none.

5. What are the positives about running a business here?

Chesterfield is so close to the countryside and is known for the beautiful scenery. It has very good road infrastructure too meaning it’s easily accessible.

6. What new development excites you most?

The new leisure resort development excites me the most as the impact of increased tourism on the town and area should benefit greatly from this, including my own business.

7. What do you believe Chesterfield needs but doesn’t yet have?

I think once the new leisure resort is up and running Chesterfield would benefit from opening some souvenir/gift/craft type shops similar to what Bakewell have to try and entice tourism.