Following a hugely successful run in the West End, the smash hit Pretty Woman: The Musical is now out on tour, coming to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate from Monday 9 to Saturday 14 September, kicking off the theatre’s autumn season.  Amber Davies, most recently seen in Back to the Future in the West End, stars as Vivian Ward, with Strictly champion and 2023 Royal & Derngate panto star Ore Oduba as Happy Man/Mr Thompson, Oliver Savile (Wicked and Les Miserables in the West End) as Edward Lewis and Natalie Paris, the original Jane Seymour in the West End production of...

24 July, 2024

Northampton General Hospital’s Oncology treatment department has recently opened a new café, thanks to the generous funding from Northamptonshire Health Charity. This new facility aims to provide comfort and respite to patients and their carers during their visits for treatment.Patients and carers often find themselves spending considerable time in the waiting room between treatments. Having a welcoming space where they can relax, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, and engage in friendly conversation can make a significant difference. Tracey, a carer, said "To have someone come over to you, say ‘hello’, talk to you, lift your spirits, and take...

24 July, 2024

Six finalists have been revealed today in the Artisan Local Vegetarian / Vegan Product of the Year category, at the home of category sponsor, Daily Bread Cooperative.They will now compete for Gold, Silver and Bronze awards and announced at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards celebrations in October.The ‘Artisan’ classification includes products from local companies that make a high quality or distinctive product in small quantities, usually by hand or using traditional methods.Rachel Mallows MBE DL, Awards Director, said: “As ever it’s an honour to celebrate the incredible talent and innovation of our brilliant local producers. Congratulations to all...

24 July, 2024

NNBN Member Alexina Cassidy from ActNow Consulting and a member of the Sustainable Business Alliance takes us through an A to Z of sustainability to help you understand more about what's involved and to explain a number of key terms when it comes to sustainability. A to Z of SustainabilityAn inexhaustive list of essential sustainability terms to help organisations understand the fundamentals.Air/Atmosphere Our air is made up of mainly nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%). The balance is made up of other gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons, neon and hydrogen as well as particles such as soot and microorganisms.Adaptation Adapting...

24 July, 2024

Corby estate agency Belvoir has reassured local landlords following the announcement of new proposed bills in the King’s Speech last week, which will have significant impact on the housing market.The newly elected Labour government has promised to overhaul the British private rental sector and the suggested laws – including the Renters’ Rights Bill - could mean huge changes for both landlords and tenants.The legislation will improve tenants’ rights, giving them the opportunity to challenge rent increases, request a pet, avoid bidding wars and abolish no fault evictions.Belvoir, in George Street, has dispelled fears that the rental market will become tricky...

24 July, 2024

Over 100 colleagues from global law firm Kennedys, swapped their desks for gardening gear, to enjoy a day of volunteering and team building at two Groundwork Northamptonshire projects.Colleagues from the firm’s healthcare teams in the Cambridge, Birmingham, London, Newcastle and Sheffield offices, split their time between the charity’s Green Patch community garden in Kettering, and East Northamptonshire’s Twywell Hills & Dales Country Park as part of their annual healthcare team community day.Christopher Malla, partner and global head of healthcare at Kennedys, said: “This is our third community day, and we loved the ruggedness of the Twywell Hills & Dales Country...

24 July, 2024

An additional £10 million will be invested into improving roads across West Northamptonshire.The extra funding will allow WNC and its highways partner Kier to extend the surface dressing programme for roads and paths across the area as well as carrying out bridge maintenance schemes and work to resolve drainage issues across the area.This will also provide the opportunity to trial an innovative road surfacing technique (called in-situ recycling) that produces a long-lasting repair and reuses existing material to reduce costs and carbon emissions, resulting in more sustainable repairs across our rural network.The additional funding (which was approved at Council on...

23 July, 2024

Join this free webinar on August 5th at 2pm from the Sustainable Business Alliance to find out how a materiality assessment can help your business to prioritise action on sustainability.In the rapidly evolving landscape of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations, understanding materiality is crucial for businesses aiming to create sustainable and impactful strategies. Materiality, in the context of ESG, refers to the identification and prioritization of the issues that are most relevant and significant to a business and its stakeholders. Conducting a materiality assessment helps businesses focus on the key areas that will have the greatest impact on their...

23 July, 2024

"The planet that we are on is falling apart at high speed," warned acclaimed author and academic Mike Berners-Lee, highlighting the urgency for businesses to "create the conditions under which humanity can undergo the systemic change it so urgently needs." Speaking at the launch of the Sustainable Business Alliance (SBA) earlier this month, Berners-Lee emphasized the critical role of businesses in addressing the interconnected crises we face, urging leaders to take transformative action towards sustainability and resilience.Also speaking at the event was Adrian Pryce DL, Associate Professor at the University of Northampton and founder of a new sustainability consultancy called...

23 July, 2024

A restaurant in Northampton is the toast of the town having been named the best in the country at a national awards ceremony.Saffron in Castilian Street was crowned the winner of the Restaurant of the Year category at the 2024 The Bengal’s Pride Awards, held at the House of Commons in London on Wednesday, July 17.It is the sixth year of The Bengal’s Pride Awards, dedicated to celebrating the achievements of the Bengali ethnic community from India and Bangladesh.As the global Bengali community grows, numerous Bengalis have made significant contributions to every professional area, including healthcare, banking, politics, education, arts among others.The...

23 July, 2024

North Northamptonshire Council has launched two grant schemes to help businesses increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.The NNDecarb business grant scheme is offering grants of up to £5,000 to support businesses and funds are to cover up to 50% of project costs for the installation of low carbon and energy efficient measures. Applications for this scheme can be made online via the NNC website.Also available are capital grants of between £5,000 and £50,000 to help businesses become more resilient and support growth, under the NN2NZ Green Transition Grant scheme. A particular target for this scheme is decarbonisation or green...

23 July, 2024