A new electric powered lorry will be used to collect waste in the local area as North Northamptonshire Council continues its work to become carbon neutral.The all-electric vehicle has been tried and tested on routes and will carry out the same role as the previous diesel vehicle and residents shouldn’t see much difference, apart from a quieter vehicle doing the rounds.Over the vehicle’s lifetime, it will save 60,000 litres of diesel and £75,000 in fuel costs.Cllr Matt Binley, the council’s Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, said:“The arrival of this new electric vehicle is a step towards a cleaner...

17 July, 2024

For more than 15 years, Corby Radio - “The Voice of Corby” - has been at the centre of a unique community in North Northamptonshire. From its launch on 96.3FM it has embraced new digital technologies through online streaming (at https://corby.radio/player/ ) and recently through “smart speakers” (“Alexa, play Corby Radio”). It was also an early-adopter of remote live presentation, enabling it to maintain a full service including vital local news even during lockdowns. However, until recently Digital Audio Broadcasting “DAB” was the preserve of national and regional stations, but OFCOM’s new small-scale DAB licences enable local stations to be on DAB...

16 July, 2024

An award-winning recruitment consultancy which prides itself on supporting the UK military was part of an exclusive list of handpicked forces-friendly employers to join the inaugural Regional Engagement with Defence (RED) conference.Wills Consultants, who recently publicly pledged its support of UK defence by signing the Armed Forces Covenant, was chosen to participate in the first-of-its-kind event last month in the East Midlands.The event was aimed specifically at business leaders who are already engaged in championing people in the Defence community.In the opening keynote, General Sir Richard Barrons KCB CBE set the pace for the day, illustrating the increasingly dangerous world...

16 July, 2024

Business support hub Vulcan Works has a new charity initiative for the summer to support two Northamptonshire charities.Charity Tuesdays sees the serviced workspace offer free hotdesking in the coworking space every Tuesday, in exchange for a nominal charity donation.In July, the charity of choice is Cynthia Spencer Hospice, which provides specialist palliative care services, and during August, all donations will be in aid of the Northamptonshire Community Foundations’ Family Food Aid Appeal which tackles food poverty in the county.There is no minimum suggested contribution, it can be any amount in cash.Vulcan Works, which can be found in the Cultural Quarter...

15 July, 2024

The Business & IP Centre Northamptonshire are launching a programme of business support in Northamptonshire.​Build Your Business is a new programme aimed at small businesses, entrepreneurs and anyone thinking of starting their own business.The programme consists of:1:1s webinars workshops access to specialist business databases mentoring networking start-up grants of up to £2,000​Start-up business grantsPart of the Build Your Business programme is the opportunity to apply for a grant. Successful applicants will receive a £2,000 grant for business expenses and ongoing support from the BIPC Northamptonshire team.The eligibility criteria and terms and conditions include:The business must be registered in...

12 July, 2024

A kindhearted volunteer at Corby Foodbank has marked a decade of service helping people in crisis.Donna Sumpter is the first person that local people meet when visiting the foodbank, sitting on the welcome desk just inside the door at St Peter and St Andrew’s Church in Beanfield Avenue.She has dedicated two days a week to the charity for the past 10 years.“This is like a job for me,” said Donna. “I volunteer on Monday and Friday every week and I love talking and welcoming people.”Donna began volunteering after going through hard times herself. She experienced a difficult relationship, poor mental...

10 July, 2024

West Northamptonshire will welcome Britain’s biggest professional cycle this September, as Northampton plays host to the start and finish of the penultimate stage of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men on Saturday 7 September.Northampton is no stranger to professional cycling, having held women’s Tours of Britain in 2014 and 2016, but this will mark the first occasion that the men’s event has come to Northamptonshire.After starting in Northampton town centre, the stage will take in a route through West Northamptonshire of around 150 kilometres (93 miles), before heading back to the finish line in Northampton.Commenting on the announcement, British Cycling...

10 July, 2024

Grants of £5,000 and £50,000 are now available for rural businesses across North Northamptonshire.Using monies received from the Rural England Prosperity Fund, North Northamptonshire Council has re-launched a grant scheme to support existing rural businesses, with applications now open.Following on from earlier rounds of the grant schemes, applications are now being accepted for projects that can start quickly and be delivered in full by 28 February 2025. A particular target for this round is rural diversification, including business diversification and projects which support the visitor economy.Examples of projects supported in earlier rounds include:New Lodge Farm in Bulwick who extended...

10 July, 2024

Through the autumn to Christmas, Royal & Derngate brings a diverse programme of drama, musicals, comedy, music, dance and family entertainment to Northampton.The theatre’s season kicks off with the smash-hit production of Pretty Woman The Musical, featuring a blazing rock score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and all the iconic moments from the movie. The cast for this ultimate rom-com includes last year’s panto star and former Strictly Come Dancing champion Ore Oduba. Other musicals to look forward to include the Olivier, Tony and Grammy Award-winning show Dear Evan Hansen in January, and West End musical comedy Only Fools...

09 July, 2024

Just two years after taking the complete production of its campervan range in-house, leading VW and Ford campervan conversion company, Redline Campers, has gained prestigious approval from the National Caravan Council (NCC).On Monday 1st July 2024, Redline Campers’ campervans were recognised by the NCC’s Manufacturers Approval Scheme. This means the company’s campervan conversions exceed BS EN 1646 European Health & Safety Standards, and have been subject to the NCC’s comprehensive inspections and safety checks.In receiving NCC approval, Redline Campers joins just 15 other companies and only four other VW campervan converters in the UK that are licensed to carry the...

09 July, 2024

North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will discuss the results of a consultation on changes to taxi zones across the area at a meeting this week before deciding how taxi zones should operate going forward.In late 2023 - early 2024, the council consulted on whether the four current zones should be retained or replaced with one zone covering the whole of North Northamptonshire.Executive will be asked to consider the consultation responses received, alongside the recommendations of the Licensing and Appeals Committee and the Place and Environment Scrutiny Committee.It is proposed that the four zones are replaced with one zone from 1 April...

09 July, 2024