Voluntary and community groups who are looking for a funding boost to kick-start a project in 2023 are being encouraged to apply for small grants to help improve the lives of residents in North Northamptonshire.Community fundingFunding of up to £5,000 is being made available by North Northamptonshire Council.The second funding round is currently open:Grants up to £2,500– deadline 6 February 2023 Grants of between £2,500 and £5,000– deadline 6 February 2023The scheme is open to community and voluntary sector organisations, registered charities and not-for-profit organisations, with priority given to projects that support the council’s key priorities and the strategic aims.The...

11 January, 2023

The vision to enhance Northampton’s Market Square will start to become reality after planners approved the temporary relocation to the accessible Commercial St Car Park.The plans by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to redevelop the historic Market Square include:18 high-quality and bespoke fixed stalls which are larger and more structured to better serve traders, along with space for temporary stalls Permanent tiered seating Tree planting Relaying of cobbles New paving New lighting An interactive water feature.As part of the redevelopment work WNC looked at a range of alternative locations for the Market to continue trading while essential works take place....

11 January, 2023

Players from Northampton Town Football Club had a new goal last week – to highlight suicide prevention and how to look out for those at risk.The squad took time out of their busy schedule to team up with Lisa Pearson and Andy Willis from Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) for Suicide Prevention and Awareness Training at their practice ground.The session kicked off with discussions about the importance of good conversations around suicide, as well as where people can go to get help if they need it. It also looked at some of the myths surrounding suicide, as well as...

11 January, 2023

Wellingborough Town Council are proud to announce that they will be organising the International Waendel Walk from 2023. Since taking over the event from North Northants Council last week, Wellingborough Town Council held an urgent meeting on Monday where 27 people attended to agree the arrangements for the event.The Town Council are delighted with the amount of people who have come forward to offer their support with the event, but more volunteers are needed to help steward the walks which take place on Friday 12th May through to Sunday 14th May 2023.The three-day walking event will begin with a 5km...

11 January, 2023

NLive Radio, the local radio station for Northampton, is looking to support a local organisation that supports the community of Northampton by launching a search for its charity of the year.It’s part of a continued campaign and celebration of 5 years of broadcasting across the town as NLive Radio and being the station that loves Northampton.Station Manager Martin Steers said; “We are passionate about our local community and try and do what we can to support local charities and community organisations, but we want to do more and picking a Charity of the year to support and champion feels the...

10 January, 2023

The British Independent Retailers Association has said the government's new Energy Bills Relief Scheme (EBRS) which is replacing the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) a 'death slide' for indi retailers.The government's new scheme was released yesterday (January 9) and they have stated that the current offering is unaffordable.However they did accept that some price support would be needed after March, which is when the EBDS, which has wholesale gas and electricity prices are currently fixed until.The new EBRS scheme is designed to offer discounts to eligible businesses, based on usage, with some high energy usage industries will receive more support.However BIRA, which...

10 January, 2023

With construction complete and production lines set to start up within days, global can making company Ball Corporation has announced an Open Recruitment Day at its new Northamptonshire plant for later this month.The company’s cutting-edge, 56,000m² aluminium can-making plant in Barton Seagrave, near Kettering, has to-date recruited more than 120 new team members, with a further 60 new vacancies set to be filled over the coming months.People interested in finding out more about the company, the plant and local career opportunities are invited to attend Ball’s Northamptonshire Open Recruitment Day. The event is taking place on Tuesday, 24th January, from...

10 January, 2023

The government announces the new “Energy Bills Discount Scheme” for UK businesses, charities, and the public sector from April.Scheme will provide a discount on high energy costs to give businesses certainty while limiting taxpayers’ exposure to volatile energy markets Businesses in sectors with particularly high levels of energy use and trade intensity will receive a higher level of support.A new energy scheme for businesses, charities, and the public sector has been confirmed today (9th January), ahead of the current scheme ending in March. The new scheme will mean all eligible UK businesses and other non-domestic energy users will receive...

10 January, 2023

NNBN are working with Kettering's 4 star hotel, Kettering Park Hotel & Spa to bring the County's food and drink sector together this September.Northamptonshire's Good Food & Drink Festival was first launched in 2019 after a meeting with the hotel's General Manager Andrew Hollett, Kerry Bate from Polka Dot Events and Simon Cox who worked to pull the event together for the Northamptonshire's food and drink sector and brought a variety of local food producers together as well as food and drink lovers from across the region to enjoy a fun filled family event. The event continued to grow and...

08 January, 2023

Visitors to Northampton town centre are set to benefit from investment in car parking facilities, making visitors’ experience easier and more seamless.West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is investing in Northampton Town’s car parks to improve access and usage for customers. Work has started to install new ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) parking equipment in the following public car parks in Northampton:Grosvenor multi storey St Johns multi storey St Michaels multi storey Commercial Street The Ridings Upper MountsMayorhold multi-storey car park is ageing and in poor condition; these issues are currently being managed but eventually the car park will need major...

06 January, 2023

As you may be aware, the Government’s Skills for Jobs White Paper set out an ambitious employer-led approach aimed at making Further Education (FE) provision more responsive to local skills needs and ultimately local economic needs.As part of this approach, Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) were introduced as a key part of the Government’s vision of an adult skills system where businesses are given a much stronger voice in local skills planning by working closely with FE providers, engaging effectively with local leaders and other stakeholders and forging a stronger and more dynamic partnership that will enable provision to be...

06 January, 2023