Local News

Ballyhoo PR, a public relations and copywriting business in Corby, has appointed a new Senior PR Executive. Catherine Bontoft, who has around 20 years of PR and journalism experience, joins the company from Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce, where she managed the organisation’s press office and edited its bi-monthly magazine inbusiness. Prior to that she worked for a PR agency, which specialised in the education sector, and was Assistant News Editor at the Northamptonshire Telegraph. The appointment is the second for Ballyhoo PR, taking the team up to three. Catherine will be supporting company director Emma Speirs and PR Executive Katie Graves in delivering a range of PR, copywriting and social media management services to businesses across the UK. Emma Speirs, Director of Ballyhoo PR, said: “I’m really excited to announce Catherine’s appointment and welcome her to Ballyhoo PR. Catherine is a fantastic writer with a wealth of experience that will..

Age UK Northamptonshire gratefully received donations of chocolate Easter eggs and Easter bunnies from Morrisons and TK Maxx which are being delivered to older people across Northamptonshire as part of their emergency COVID-19 delivery service.   The generous donations from Morrisons on Victoria Promenade in central Northampton and nearby TK Maxx are being delivered to the most vulnerable in the county, alongside hot meals and essential food items like tinned food, soup, pasta, rice, cleaning products and toilet roll. The emergency delivery service also sees Age UK Northamptonshire collecting much-needed prescriptions from chemists and delivering them safely to the doorsteps of older people. The donated Easter treats are being delivered Monday to Friday so that older people in the county have something to enjoy in time for Easter. Age UK Northamptonshire delivery drivers are even getting into the Easter spirit and dressing up as Easter bunnies to bring a smile to the faces of older people isolating due to the pandemic.  Fern Overton, Day Care and Transport Services Manager said “I would personally like to thank all our staff. Everyone has had their normal jobs turned upside..

Masterchef semi-finalist Christian Day has teamed up with two of the rising stars of the Northamptonshire food and drink scene to launch a ‘Social Isolation Supper Club’. The former Northampton Saints lock forward, currently competing in BBC 1’s flagship amateur cooking show, will star in a live cookalong jointly hosted by James Peck of Burnt Lemon Chefs and Benjamin Jelley of Jelley’s Organic Vodka via Instagram on Saturday, April 18. Virtual ‘dinner guests’ will be able to order a box containing a pre-prepared three course meal and all the ingredients needed to make three organic vodka-based cocktails designed to perfectly match each course. Masterchef judge and acclaimed food critic William Sitwell will also be joining in the fun live through the social media feed, while guests will be able to get involved by asking questions and giving their verdict on the meal. Benjamin Jelley, brand founder of Brixworth-based Jelley’s Organic..

New national league tables have revealed Northampton College is now in the top 10 best-performing colleges in the country. Data released as part of the latest 2018/19 National Achievement Rates Tables (NART) shows Northampton College is placed 7th out of almost 200 colleges for 16 to 18-year-old education and training, up from 11th in the previous year’s rankings. The rating cements Northampton College’s position as the leading provider of Further Education in the South East Midlands and among the very best in the whole country, thanks to a continuing and determined focus on ensuring each individual student reaches their full potential. The data has revealed that 96 per cent of Northampton College students pass their course, coming out as the best college in the South East Midlands region for timely achievement at level 1, 2 and 3. Performance in maths and English is also comfortably above the national average, with..

Borough and District Councils across Northamptonshire have started the process of rolling out additional business rates support being provided by Government during the Coronavirus outbreak. Businesses are currently experiencing a range of significant and unprecedented pressures due to the Coronavirus pandemic and in response the Government has made available a number of financial and support packages to help during these difficult times. The best source of information to find out about all packages on offer is through the Government Business Support website, found here -https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/. Retail business rate discount has been increased to 100 per cent for the 2020-21 financial year and now includes the leisure and hospitality sector, and pre-school nurseries. Businesses need to do nothing, as this will be automatically applied and they will not be billed for next year’s amount. Businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality receiving a bill indicating how much they owe next year..

Northampton Borough Council is making parking free for key workers throughout April in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. Mayorhold Car Park will close to consolidate staff and all other car parks will be made free of charge from Monday (30 March). St John’s and St Michael’s multi-storey car parks will be set aside solely for key workers who need only show their work pass or appropriate identification on exit to avoid payment. But they will also be able to use any of the other council car parks across the town and enforcement in all car parks will be suspended until the end of April. Employers who pay in bulk for staff permits will not be charged for the month so will have no costs to pass on to staff. But those who pay for a space as their residential parking will be required to continue paying. Cllr Tim Hadland, Council..

A wander around Northampton’s Cultural Quarter offers glimpses of the optimism and confidence of the Victorian era. It’s worth exploring some of the fascinating history, and enjoying what the town has to offer us today. This month Laura Malpas visits an absolute gem, the stunningly pretty Royal Theatre, part of Royal & Derngate. An ancient town, with written records going back well over eleven hundred years, much of the  Northampton we see today was built in the Victorian era. Famous for its leather working industries, the town’s prosperity and its ‘high society’ grew significantly during the 1800s. The newly wealthy townsfolk wanted entertainment, somewhere to spend their money, and to see and to be seen. And there was no shortage of businessmen ready to provide opportunities for the newly rich to indulge. Hotelier Mr John Franklin-Campbell was keen to find a..

The county’s favourite annual charity bike ride, Cycle4Cynthia, has raised almost £600k for Cynthia Spencer Hospice over its sixteen-year history, but that impressive total has not come solely from those on two wheels. Indeed, a large chunk has been down to the generosity of local businesses, which have given either financially or, just as importantly, in kind, enabling the Hospice to offer its vital specialist care services to its patients and their families. Among them is leading commercial law firm EMW, which has just announced that it will act as lead sponsor of the ride for the third year running. Joy Vollans is CEO of the company, which has been providing solutions to meet clients’ needs in the county since 1992, and says they are thrilled to be extending their long-standing support of the event: “We are absolutely delighted to be headline sponsors again and of course, as we have..

A £100,000 fund has been launched to help firms across Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire continue to access vital business support services in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Membership Relief Fund has been created by Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce and its sister Chamber in Northamptonshire to enable Chamber members to get a rebate on their Chamber membership fees. Milton Keynes Chamber chief executive Paul Griffiths said: “These are extremely challenging times for all our businesses and we need to work together to get through the challenge. “We understand cash flow issues may become a challenge for businesses until restrictions relating to Coronavirus (Covid-19) are lifted and markets recover. We anticipate that, as a result, many businesses would be unwillingly forced to leave Chamber membership, which would separate them from the very mechanisms designed to support them at times like this. “Local businesses need, more than ever, the reliable,..

Amongst a crowd of professional chefs, including the holder of three Michelin Stars, Pierre Koffmann and Chef Patissier Benoit Blin MCA, and some well-known local faces, such as Reece Collier, Head Pastry Chef at The Grove Hotel and Daniel Richardson, Head Chef at Hartwell House Hotel, Milton Keynes College proudly opened its exciting new Patisserie Academy yesterday evening (18 May). The Claire Clark Academy; centre of patisserie excellence, which will realise a joint ambition of both Milton Keynes College and Claire Clark, will nurture the next generation of pastry chefs in the UK. Milton Keynes College’s Principal and CEO, Dr Julie Mills, is excited about the launch of the Claire Clark Academy. She said: “The launch event marks a significant development for Milton Keynes College and our provision of first-class, technical catering and hospitality study programmes. “We’re delighted to be able to work in partnership with Claire Clark and her..