Chancellor Jeremy Hunt yesterday set out his vision for long-term prosperity in the UK, calling on businesses in key growth areas to invest in the UK and expressing his desire to make the UK an attractive site for innovators and entrepreneurs.Speaking at Bloomberg’s European headquarters in London, the Chancellor opened his speech on the economy by highlighting one of the UK’s major growth sectors – technology – before revealing that the opening section of his speech had been written by ChatGPT, the AI software that was released late last year.Getting the economy growing faster is one of the government’s five...

28 January, 2023

Throughout February 2023, visitors to Northampton’s Market at its temporary home of Commercial St Car Park, will be eligible for one hour’s free parking.From Tuesday, 31 January stall holders at Northampton’s Market will be trading at Commercial St Car Park, while the historic Market Square is redeveloped to make way for new stalls, new paving and an interactive water feature to name a few of the improvements.Visitors who spend £5 or more at one market stall throughout February 2023 will be eligible for one hour’s free car parking at Commercial St Car Park. All they will need to do is...

27 January, 2023

The British Independent Retailers Association has urged shoppers to support the high street as the online retailer Amazon is hit by strikes.Hundreds of staff at the Coventry warehouse have been the first to strike over pay, which has marked the retail giant's first experience of industrial action in the UK.However BIRA, which works with over 6,000 independent businesses of all sizes across the UK, has said that although they support fair pay for workers, it has also highlighted where buyers should be thinking about spending their cash.BIRA CEO Andrew Goodacre said: "We do believe that workers should get reasonable pay for the...

25 January, 2023

Landowners across West Northamptonshire can apply for funding to clear and prevent fly-tipping on their land under a scheme delivered by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.When fly-tipping takes place on public land, the taxpayer pays for the removal and disposal of the waste. However, if a fly-tip occurs on private land, the landowner pays for the clean up and removal.The scheme was initially launched as a pilot last year by Stephen Mold, the Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire (PFCC), and was extended in October 2022 for a further 12 months.Private landowners are able to apply for a...

25 January, 2023

PLAYERS at a newly-formed youth football team in Blisworth have taken to the pitch in a smart new kit thanks to support from award-winning asbestos consultancy, Acorn Analytical Services.Blisworth U7 Greens was formed last year and the team is already going from strength to strength, helping to develop the skills of young players across the region.Thanks to sponsorship from the team at Acorn Analytical Services, this promising new side has been able to play in a new kit and the team at Blisworth U7s Greens couldn’t be more grateful.Club secretary, Gary Edwards said: “Without Acorn’s support this team wouldn’t have...

25 January, 2023

2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of Cransley Hospice at St Mary’s Hospital in Kettering.  In it’s 25 years the hospice has cared for many hundreds of loved ones in our community – mother’s, daughters, father’s, sons and grandparents.  Each person receiving free, specialist, individualised care to support them and their families through the most challenging and difficult time.Before the hospice opened on the ground floor of Sunley Court building in November 1988, hospital patients who were approaching the end of their life had been cared for by Dr John Smith in the “Cransley Ward” at St Mary’s...

25 January, 2023

Northampton Market will open for business on the Commercial Street carpark on Tuesday, 31 January while its permanent home receives a multi-million-pound makeover.Only a seven-minute walk from the Market Square, the temporary home for the Market in Commercial Street is connected to the St Peters Way carpark providing easy access and visibility for the Market.When traders return to the Market Square, they will have 18 high-quality and bespoke fixed stalls which are larger and more structured, along with a number of pop-up stalls.The Market Square revamp by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) also includes an interactive water feature, seating, lighting, and...

25 January, 2023

AM Labels Limited has relocated to a larger premises to expand its business operations. The new premises, located in Kettering, Northamptonshire, features an impressive footprint that is over twice the size of the company’s previous facilities. The relocation comes after several years of continued and steady growth for AM Labels, particularly across its colour label printer offering and demand for its in-house label production services.The larger premises will enable AM Labels to further develop and expand its portfolio, increase its operations and boost production capacity for its customers. The new building is located approximately a mile away from its previous...

25 January, 2023

Wicksteed Park is excited to announce the first of this year’s new additions – a fantastic new 25-metre high Ferris wheel.The wheel, named The Garden Wheel, will be one of the largest in the region and will offer breathtaking views over the park and its surroundings.The new attraction is suitable for the whole family and is part of the park’s commitment to add even more fun and exciting things for families to enjoy together.In the last two years the park has introduced the new Galaxy Invaders ride, Meerkat Manor, Wicky Bear’s Theatre and Wicky’s Farmyard, providing even more value for...

25 January, 2023

Thousands of motor racing fans flocked to Silverstone Museum’s exclusive exhibition at this year’s Autosport International.The immersive display showcased the history of Formula 1 featuring racing cars spanning the decades, which were on show together for the first time at the event, staged at the NEC, Birmingham in January.The exciting exhibition gave motorsport fans an opportunity to see some of the iconic cars that are part of the extensive collection on display at Silverstone Museum.Visitors to the popular pop-up Silverstone Museum exhibition at Autosport International were able to get up close to multimillion pound racing cars, including Formula 1 cars...

25 January, 2023

An expedition to Africa has helped to raised £10,000 for Northampton Saints Foundation which will be put towards the cost of a new vehicle to transport students.In May, Northampton-based travel company, Africa Exclusive, celebrated its 30th anniversary with an expedition to Africa which saw holiday makers travel the entire length of the Zambezi River, more than 1,600 miles.The non-profit expedition saw all of the proceeds divided between three charities, Tusk, Send a Cow and Northampton Saints Foundation, who each received £10,000.As part of the expedition, Northampton Saints Foundation ambassador Jack Fleckney, joined the holiday makers on behalf of the Foundation and spent time...

24 January, 2023