On Wednesday 19 July, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) partnered with West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and Acorn Training Ltd to run their largest recruitment event to date.The event aimed to help residents access the vast range of free employment support available and enable local employers to fill vacancies by engaging with the local labour market.Over 150 jobseekers attended the free event and over 30 exhibitors were on hand to showcase local jobs, training and support which included Kew Green Hotels, Moulton College, Northampton College, Whittlebury Hall and many more.Attendees on the day benefitted from CV advice, tips on...

24 July, 2023

The British Independent Retailers Association has joined forces with seven other leading associations to sign an open letter urging Ofgem, the energy regulator, to take immediate action on hidden charges imposed by energy brokers.The associations argue that businesses they represent, particularly those heavily impacted by the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, are being taken advantage of in the face of escalating energy costs.The open letter, organised by not-for-profit energy consultancy Box Power CIC, includes signatures from prominent groups such as UKHospitality, Care England, the British Retail Consortium, the Federation of Independent Retailers, the Association of Convenience Stores, the Independent Care Group,...

24 July, 2023

Introducing Vulcan Works… A state-of-the-art £14 million hub is offering support to creative and digital start-up businesses in Northampton.Vulcan Works, which opened its doors in the Cultural Quarter area of the town centre in February, provides lettable office space, workshops, meeting rooms and coworking spaces and holds a range of business support events.The centre was created through transforming a Grade II listed former ironworks factory on the corner of Angel Street and Fetter Street as part of a £14 million project funded by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), who facilitated a Local Growth Fund...

24 July, 2023

Everyone is invited to explore West Northamptonshire’s historical heritage this September with the two-week Heritage Open Days festival taking place between 8 and 17 of September.Dozens of stately homes, including Sulgrave Manor, Lamport Hall and Canons Ashby, buildings of historic interest, including 78 Derngate and Weedon Royal Ordnance Depot, and museums and places of worship across the county will all be taking part in England’s largest annual festival of history and culture.As well as opening up buildings or parts of buildings not normally accessible to the public, there will also be individual events on offer including guided tours, walks and...

24 July, 2023

A local charity which is helping Northamptonshire people grow, cook and eat healthily has pledged its support for the county’s food and drink sector.Groundwork Northamptonshire, which manages a host of green, environmental and food-based projects and supports more than 1,000 young people every year through its youth work programme, is supporting this year’s Northamptonshire NNBN Business Awards and sponsoring its Food and Drink Category.Kate Williams, CEO of Groundwork Northamptonshire, said: “We promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles and earlier this year launched our ‘Grow, Cook, Eat’ project, for food-based community projects in Northamptonshire. That is why it felt like the...

24 July, 2023

Today (Monday 24 July) sees the launch of a creative new campaign delivered by North Northamptonshire Council in collaboration with a variety of independent businesses operating from local high streets and the surrounding areas, to put them in the spotlight and encourage people to shop local, eat local and support local.Funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which invests in communities and place, the summer phase of the Hi Street campaign is a rallying call to residents to help them rediscover and use the many high streets that North Northamptonshire is home to, and asks them to actively...

24 July, 2023

Hairdresser Jade-Lawri Jones is proving herself a cut above the rest – returning to the Philippines to help young adults escape a life of poverty.Jade-Lawri, who works at Daniel Granger Hairdressing in Northampton town centre, is jetting out to the capital Manilla in August and then driving to the ‘Hermann Gmeiner Training Centre’ in Lipa City – where she is volunteering for two weeks to teach wannabe hairdressers from surrounding villages how to colour, cut and style hair.This is the second year Jade-Lawri has been invited to the Philippines and her first year as Ambassador for the charity at the...

24 July, 2023

Five Knife Amnesty bins and Emergency Bleed Control cabinets have been installed in communities across West Northamptonshire as part of a partnership approach to tackle knife crime and serious violence.The amnesty bins allow people to discard knives or harmful weapons without fear of being prosecuted. The bins are securely bolted to walls with a letter box design to allow knife deposits whilst stopping people from reaching inside and are emptied regularly.West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) in partnership with Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Partnership Homes, and anti-knife crime charity Off The Streets NN have installed the bins over the past 12 months in...

24 July, 2023

Retail leaders in the town centre have welcomed a renewed focus on dealing with anti-social behaviour as part of a drive to cut crime and make Northampton a safer place to shop.The Northampton Town Anti-Social Behaviour Reporting Scheme (NTARS) programme was relaunched earlier this year and has already seen more than 200 members underline their commitment to reducing rates of criminal activity in the town.Over the past three months, businesses have collated 74 offences through the system, with a further 27 added in July so far.Mark Mullen, operations manager of Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), said: “Obviously, in...

24 July, 2023

Members of an art club at Northampton School for Boys have taken part in a competition to design flags for a lifestyle store in the town.The competition was organised by Bell of Northampton, a store situated on Kingsthorpe Road, as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations.Students were challenged to design a commemorative flag that draws on the store’s heritage but with a modern twist. The top three entries, judged by the team at Bell of Northampton, will be produced in real life and fly on the three flag poles that stand proudly outside the store. Amazon vouchers were also awarded...

24 July, 2023

A new website promoting the tourism offering across the local area has been launched, coinciding with the school summer holidays and following the opening of the Discover Northamptonshire hub at Rushden Lakes earlier this year.The Discover Northamptonshire website provides a one-stop shop for anyone visiting, as well as residents of, Northamptonshire with information on a variety of areas to discover including:What’s on and events across Northamptonshire Accommodation Days out Arts, culture and heritage Food and drink Walking and cycling Sports and Leisure Local towns Jobs in the tourism sectorWebsite visitors can also create itineraries based on their interests and...

24 July, 2023