Champions column: Our town can be a progressive hub with great community spirit

​I have worked as a PI lawyer for 31 years. We also work closely with the Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team (DAST), supporting victims of asbestos-related diseases.

How would you describe Chesterfield and North Derbyshire, using only three words?

Proud, green, strong.

What are your favourite places to visit in Chesterfield and why?

Tapton Hall Park – for the proud historical link, the beautiful building and the squirrels (the latter being my dog’s choice!) The views over Chesterfield and the Peak District are amazing on a good day.

How is your business or organisation becoming more sustainable?

We are very paper-lite with a view to becoming paperless in the PI department shortly. We use electronic signature software to cut down on printing documents and we encourage conferences by remote means to reduce our carbon footprint.

Why do you love working or doing business in Chesterfield or North Derbyshire?

The client base is varied and people are always warm and friendly. This is my local community and I want to help the people in it as much as I can. The town’s long history of union membership and hard-working people sits well with my own and Graysons’ sense of social responsibility.

How are you supporting young people in your business?

Our firm actively invests in the development of young talent through structured apprenticeships and training contracts.

Recently, we celebrated the achievements of two team members who have successfully qualified as a chartered legal executive and a solicitor.

How are you, your business or your team supporting local people?

Graysons support DAST and also sponsor Chesterfield FC. We’re longstanding supporters of Ashgate Hospice and have sponsored the charity’s Forget Me Not Appeals.

We’ll also be sponsoring their Big Thank You Party this summer.

What support or advice has your business received recently and how has it benefited your business?

For the past few months we’ve been working closely with inspirational local mother and daughter, Wendy Watson and Becky Measures.

We’ve been backing their awareness campaign around hereditary breast cancer. We’ve been providing specialist legal advice to people that have been let down by the medical profession and we’ve been receiving advice from medical specialists in the field to ensure Graysons are leaders in this area.

Which upcoming development do you think will have the greatest impact on the town and why?

There are some great things coming to Chesterfield. The football team’s promotion will bring bigger teams and more people to the town which will improve awareness of the area and, hopefully, more tourism.

Chesterfield Waterside is an exciting development with new retail and leisure facilities on the horizon. The plans for the station will also have a significant impact and be far more attractive to visitors.

What is your vision for Chesterfield and North Derbyshire in 2030? What do you think the town needs to achieve this?

By 2030, I’d like to hope we can have a revitalised Chesterfield with a bustling town centre with vibrant shops and markets. I think we need to prioritise our heritage, harness our town’s great community spirit and ensure we remain a lively and progressive hub that doesn’t sacrifice its historical identity.