Mechanics at a Northampton garage are celebrating after scooping a prestigious business award.Service MOT Repairs won the Gold Award in the Family Business of the Year category at the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards in a glittering gala ceremony.The garage, based on the Round Spinney Industrial Estate in Northampton, as the name suggests, offers services, MOTs and repairs on vehicles of all makes and models.Set up by Alex Isherwood 10 years ago, the family run business is renowned for being a knowledgeable, open and transparent company.The judges praised Alex and his team for how he has grown the business while still...

25 July, 2023

One of Britain's leading broadcasters will be the focus of attention at an event being organised by Corby based charity The Mintridge Foundation.Clare Balding CBE & her wife, actress and radio newsreader, Alice Arnold became the Patrons of the Mintridge Foundation in December 2022 to help bridge the gap between sports stars and youth, and in turn, help more young people to have a positive relationship with sport and Clare will be the special guest and speaker at An Evening With Clare Balding CBE in August.Clare is spending time with the Mintridge Foundation Ambassadors from across the UK to help shape their...

25 July, 2023

A new town centre manager has been appointed to improve the appeal of Brackley and Towcester Town Centres to visitors and businesses.Samantha Hosking took up her post a month ago and will be the key point of contact working for West Northamptonshire Council in partnership with Brackley Town Council and Towcester Town Council.Her new role, which is funded as part of a Section 106 financial contribution made by local developers as part of their planning permission, will include establishing relationships with local businesses, the community and voluntary organisations.Samantha, who lives locally, will coordinate and lead on a programme of improvements...

24 July, 2023

On Wednesday 19 July, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) partnered with West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and Acorn Training Ltd to run their largest recruitment event to date.The event aimed to help residents access the vast range of free employment support available and enable local employers to fill vacancies by engaging with the local labour market.Over 150 jobseekers attended the free event and over 30 exhibitors were on hand to showcase local jobs, training and support which included Kew Green Hotels, Moulton College, Northampton College, Whittlebury Hall and many more.Attendees on the day benefitted from CV advice, tips on...

24 July, 2023

The British Independent Retailers Association has joined forces with seven other leading associations to sign an open letter urging Ofgem, the energy regulator, to take immediate action on hidden charges imposed by energy brokers.The associations argue that businesses they represent, particularly those heavily impacted by the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, are being taken advantage of in the face of escalating energy costs.The open letter, organised by not-for-profit energy consultancy Box Power CIC, includes signatures from prominent groups such as UKHospitality, Care England, the British Retail Consortium, the Federation of Independent Retailers, the Association of Convenience Stores, the Independent Care Group,...

24 July, 2023

Introducing Vulcan Works… A state-of-the-art £14 million hub is offering support to creative and digital start-up businesses in Northampton.Vulcan Works, which opened its doors in the Cultural Quarter area of the town centre in February, provides lettable office space, workshops, meeting rooms and coworking spaces and holds a range of business support events.The centre was created through transforming a Grade II listed former ironworks factory on the corner of Angel Street and Fetter Street as part of a £14 million project funded by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), who facilitated a Local Growth Fund...

24 July, 2023

Everyone is invited to explore West Northamptonshire’s historical heritage this September with the two-week Heritage Open Days festival taking place between 8 and 17 of September.Dozens of stately homes, including Sulgrave Manor, Lamport Hall and Canons Ashby, buildings of historic interest, including 78 Derngate and Weedon Royal Ordnance Depot, and museums and places of worship across the county will all be taking part in England’s largest annual festival of history and culture.As well as opening up buildings or parts of buildings not normally accessible to the public, there will also be individual events on offer including guided tours, walks and...

24 July, 2023

A local charity which is helping Northamptonshire people grow, cook and eat healthily has pledged its support for the county’s food and drink sector.Groundwork Northamptonshire, which manages a host of green, environmental and food-based projects and supports more than 1,000 young people every year through its youth work programme, is supporting this year’s Northamptonshire NNBN Business Awards and sponsoring its Food and Drink Category.Kate Williams, CEO of Groundwork Northamptonshire, said: “We promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles and earlier this year launched our ‘Grow, Cook, Eat’ project, for food-based community projects in Northamptonshire. That is why it felt like the...

24 July, 2023

Today (Monday 24 July) sees the launch of a creative new campaign delivered by North Northamptonshire Council in collaboration with a variety of independent businesses operating from local high streets and the surrounding areas, to put them in the spotlight and encourage people to shop local, eat local and support local.Funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which invests in communities and place, the summer phase of the Hi Street campaign is a rallying call to residents to help them rediscover and use the many high streets that North Northamptonshire is home to, and asks them to actively...

24 July, 2023

Hairdresser Jade-Lawri Jones is proving herself a cut above the rest – returning to the Philippines to help young adults escape a life of poverty.Jade-Lawri, who works at Daniel Granger Hairdressing in Northampton town centre, is jetting out to the capital Manilla in August and then driving to the ‘Hermann Gmeiner Training Centre’ in Lipa City – where she is volunteering for two weeks to teach wannabe hairdressers from surrounding villages how to colour, cut and style hair.This is the second year Jade-Lawri has been invited to the Philippines and her first year as Ambassador for the charity at the...

24 July, 2023

Five Knife Amnesty bins and Emergency Bleed Control cabinets have been installed in communities across West Northamptonshire as part of a partnership approach to tackle knife crime and serious violence.The amnesty bins allow people to discard knives or harmful weapons without fear of being prosecuted. The bins are securely bolted to walls with a letter box design to allow knife deposits whilst stopping people from reaching inside and are emptied regularly.West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) in partnership with Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Partnership Homes, and anti-knife crime charity Off The Streets NN have installed the bins over the past 12 months in...

24 July, 2023