The nation’s most loved independents have a chance to be put on the map, as the Small Business Saturday campaign announces plans to mark its ten-year anniversary with a special celebratory roadshow.Business owners across the country are being encouraged to sign up to get involved, as the campaign gears up to shine a massive spotlight on small firms in every corner of the UK, by visiting over 20 towns and cities this autumn, alongside a digital programme of support and mentoring.Supported by BT, ‘The Tour’ will kick-off in Glasgow, going on to visit small businesses in locations including Fife, York,...

01 November, 2022

North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) have teamed up with partners for a wellbeing event for HGV drivers who use the Welcome Break Rothwell Truck Stop.The event, held on Thursday 27 October, tied in with National Lorry Week and followed on from a successful event earlier in the year.At the previous event, Officers from NNC’s Public Health, Community Wellbeing and Environmental Health teams worked in partnership with Welcome Break and the Road Haulage Association to support the wellbeing of the drivers. During the session, drivers could come and chat to the team, have their blood pressure check and use the body composition...

01 November, 2022

Around 20,000 people facing debt difficulties will be invited to receive free early-stage legal advice through a new pilot launched by the government on 31 October 2022.The pilot in Middlesbrough and Manchester expands the scope of legal aid funding to more people who previously would not have been eligible for free legal advice, to help them address issues before they become more complex or costly.The aim is to ensure people have a better chance of swiftly resolving legal problems, stopping them from spiralling into further difficulties.Currently, many people do not access legal advice until too late, causing further problems, such...

01 November, 2022

Fruit and vegetables are being grown from seed and distributed to local food banks and people in need – all part of a new project being co-ordinated by Groundwork Northamptonshire.Fresh, locally grown produce is being sown in a trio of Victorian glass houses, based in Delapré Abbey’s Walled Garden, to create row upon row of  ‘plug plants’ – young plants which can then be transplanted to containers or gardens.Food is also being grown in the vegetable beds inside the Abbey’s Walled Gardens, with volunteers from local businesses and community groups helping to sow, seed, water and distribute.Nathan Wearn-Hutter, Green Manager at...

31 October, 2022

From Monday 31 October, those wanting to build their own property in North Northamptonshire will be able to easily register their interest in a serviced plot of land for a custom or self-build property via a new online system.Custom and self-build housing covers housing built by individuals or groups for their own use, either by building the home on their own or by working with builders. They can offer a real alternative to buying ‘off the peg’ houses that may not fully meet a household’s requirements, including budget restraints and the desire for a more innovative, green design.Custom and self-build...

31 October, 2022

John Henderson from Sara Penrose writes: In the summer of 1990, I found myself well ‘tall’. I had grown to a height of 6 ft 4 inches (1.93 meters in new money). Returning to school, I stood out amongst all my friends, and regularly heard ‘what’s the weather like up there?’ Ooh, the delights of school japery, what wags!Oddly though this spurt, (can we use that?) was not without its problems. Back pain, clumsiness and looking older than I was. Mentally and in many ways physically I was still my old height, I was not prepared for the changes that suddenly...

31 October, 2022

Simon Davey from Simon Davey Consulting writes: Nobody likes change is a widely spread consensus and generalisation which people believe. If you repeat something enough times it then becomes believable and is assumed as fact. That fact is then accepted as the truth. Which becomes a valid excuse for people to use.I disagree with the statement that nobody likes change.Change is organic and subconscious. We make multiple changes every day. Changes are made because we chose to make them. The changes are accepted as we are involved in the decision making process. The change benefits us. We like change.Social media and...

31 October, 2022

Alison is a Mindset Coach who specialises in Resilience and Transformational Coaching.Her journey to coaching began in 1992 when her Doctor gave her a diagnosis of ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia. She then went on to spend the following twenty-four years predominantly bed-bound, often in a wheelchair and living daily with chronic bone, muscle and joint pain, extreme fatigue and cognitive processing struggles.Her transformational journey however, began in 2016 when she attended an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) based training program. From the very first day of attending that course she never sat in a wheelchair again and has spent the last five years...

24 October, 2022

Desborough based Marie Baker and Simon Cox were recognised for their hard work in the community at the BBC Radio Northampton Make a Difference Awards on Friday evening at Northampton Saints’ Franklin’s Gardens.The couple were amongst several inspirational people and groups from across Northamptonshire and were in “The Together Award” category which is awarded to an individual or group of people who create real change by breaking down barriers and bringing together people from different walks of life for a common cause – “moving forwards”.Throughout the pandemic and in the last year, the duo has helped local charities engage with...

24 October, 2022

NNBN Director Simon Cox is one of 13 members of a national organisation who have come together to form a new Member Council focussing on the future.The Organisation for Responsible Businesses (ORB) is a national membership organisation with a vision of a better way of doing business: a way that is good for business and a better world and will work alongside the newly formed council to focus on a series of specific initiatives.ORB believes that micro and small businesses are not only the powerhouse of the British economy but they also, collectively, have the power to make a real difference to...

13 October, 2022

NNBN is proud to announce that we’ve become a member of the SME Climate Hub, a global initiative that empowers small to medium sized companies to take climate action and build more resilient businesses.Through the SME Climate Hub, we commit to lowering our impact on the environment through authentic action, halving our emissions by 2030.In making the commitment, we have joined the United Nations Race to Zero campaign.Director Simon Cox said “We all have a responsibility to the future of our planet and we are delighted to have pledged our commitment to the SME Climate Hub to take action and...

14 September, 2022