THREE pubs from the Daventry area are among six shortlisted for a county award.

The finalists for the pub of bar restaurant of the year category of the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards have been announced.

Locally The Olde Red Lion at Kislinbury, The Royal Oak @ Eydon, and The Saracen’s Head in Little Brington are shortlisted, along with the Hopping Hare in Duston, The Red Lion in Culworth, and The White Swan in Woodnewton.

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership, is now in its fourth year and is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The finalists will now be ‘mystery shopped’ again by a panel of regional expert judges, and the public can have their say too by visiting the {http://www.letyourselfgrow.com/foodanddrinkawards|Food and Drink Awards|Northants Food and Drink Awards} website. Voting closes on Sunday, September 30.

MONKEY bars, swings and a water play area are among some of the equipment children want for the proposed new play area in Daventry.

Hundreds of youngsters were asked by Daventry District Council (DDC) what form the play area should take that will be built on the New Street Recreation Ground in the town.

The new play area will be built to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee along with a new concrete skate park to replace the existing ramps on the Rec.

DDC has described the response to the consultation as “fantastic” with more than 1,500 comments by children.

People also wanted to see climbing and spinning play equipment with the majority of people wanting the playground to have a natural look to it.

Cllr Alan Hills, community, culture and leisure portfolio holder for DDC, said: “We are delighted with the great response we have had and we will now ask a number of companies to tender for the design and build of the playground.

“The results of the consultation will be used to prepare designs and the local community will be given the opportunity to vote for the final design in due course.”

Adults also commented on the need to ensure the safety of children using the playground with appropriate fencing and gates and also expressed the wish for things like shading and seats.

Other concerns included ensuring separation from the skate park to ensure the playground is a comfortable environment for younger children and their families and providing play equipment to suit a wide range of ages.

DDC undertook a consultation on the new skate park last month and is currently looking at securing extra funding for the project which is on-going.

This will determine what the skate park will look like and a planning application is likely to be submitted before the end of the year.

The aim is for the new skate park to be on site by next summer.

The total project for the play area and skate park is expected to cost £242,000, and will be funded with contributions from organisations, including DDC, Daventry Town Council, the Daventry District and South Northamptonshire Community Safety Partnership, Daventry and District Housing, and Money For Youth.

A DAVENTRY couple are living the sweet life with their new business.

Alan and Linda Terry, who live in The Willows, set up Vintage Sweet Stalls after an idea from their daughter.

They hire out traditional sweet carts to weddings and other events.

Mr Terry said: “Earlier this summer our daughter got married.

“Knowing how much I enjoy woodwork she asked me if I could make an old fashioned sweet cart so they could offer their guests an old fashioned/traditional pick and mix, as part of their evening buffet.

“This went down really well, not only with all of the guests but even the hotel were keen to take us onto their books saying how well it would fit in with not only their wedding packages but also conference and corporate events.

“To be honest we thought the kids would enjoy it but we were overwhelmed by how much the adults enjoyed and got excited about it, this gave us the idea to take it forward as a business.

“They make such a fun talking point, creating a real wow factor for guests as everyone has their own favourite. With the carts we aim to cater for a mixture of traditional, retro and childhood favourites.

“And we’ve also had a lot of interest online and done a few more parties as well.”

The pair offer a full-sized, homemade sweet cart laden with your choice of vintage sweets which is enough for 120-150 guests.

Mrs Terry said: “We can get all sorts of sweets for people.

“The favourites are things like Love Hearts and Flying Saucers.

“But people also ask for all sorts of things we haven’t heard of, and then we look and they’re available – just about any vintage sweet you can think of, we can find!”

Go to www.vinagesweetstalls.com or call 07722 404403 for more information.

A CHURCH undergoing major repair work has been struck by metal thieves.

The Friends of St Margaret’s Church in Crick have been fundraising for years to help pay for major repairs to the village church.

Work is well underway on the building to the point where some of the scaffolding is beginning to be taken down.

But on Thursday night last week the historic building was hit by metal thieves.

Sue Milne, one of the friends, said: “We think it might have been lead flashing paid for by the parochial church council to make sure the good parts of the roof didn’t suffer damage.

“I think that cost between £4,000 and £6,000 originally.

“Unfortunately, in getting to the lead the thieves did significant damage to one of the copper roofs.

“They stuffed the metal into one of the wheelie bins and then dragged it out through the back gate so few people would hear or see them.

“We don’t know how much that is going to cost to repair.

“I’ve heard the insurance firm is capping payouts for metal thefts from churches to £5,000 because there are just so many.

“It’s just another setback for us.

“First our original builder went bust, then we found we couldn’t claim the VAT back on the work, and now this. It’s just been one issue after the next.

“It is frustrating. We did everything right – we had Smartwater on the metal so it can be traced, and we had signs up telling people that.

“I think whoever it was saw the building work was coming along and that the scaffolding would be coming down and thought ‘it’s now or never’.

“We think we’re now about £13,000 or £14,000 short of the total.”

The repairs to the stonework and tower are estimated to cost £500,000. The church also had its organ restored at a cost of £150,000.

The friends are continuing their fundraising efforts on Saturday.

Between 10am and noon they are holding a market at the church with various stalls, and a visit from Crick resident and Olympic torch bearer Ollie Cartwright.

Then in September there will be a pudding night – a simple healthy meal followed by as many puddings as you can eat. Tickets for that can be booked on 01788 822415 or 01788 824670.

A MOTHER from Daventry has been sentenced to 8 weeks in prison after admitting that she fraudulently claimed over £18,000 in benefits.

Kerry Hanna, 35, of The Roundway in Daventry, fraudulently claimed £18,433.13 in Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit, and Income Support between December 2008 and September 2011.

The fraud came to light following an investigation by Daventry District Council and the Department for Works and Pensions, which revealed that Hanna had failed to declare that she was living with her partner David Barrett and was claiming as a single parent.

After pleading guilty to the offences, Hanna was sentenced to 8 weeks in prison on August 24 at Northampton Magistrates Court and will also have to repay all of the money she stole.

Councillor Ken Melling, Portfolio Holder for Resources at Daventry District Council, said: “This case serves as a reminder that we will not allow people who dishonestly claim benefits to get away with it, and reiterates our determination to bring anyone who is cheating the public purse to justice.”

If anyone suspects someone may be committing benefit fraud they can call Daventry District Council’s dedicated fraud hotline anonymously on 01327 302385. All calls will be treated in confidence.

Anyone who would like to discuss their possible entitlement to benefits can contact Daventry District Council on 01327 871100.

THE triumphs and mishaps of running Edward’s restaurant in Crick are revealed in the self published book ‘Who’s The Fool?’

Hermione Ainley tells the humorous story of her days creating and running the restaurant with her husband Richard until 2002.

The story starts in 1984 as Hermione, her husband and his colleague Richard realise their ambition to open a restaurant.

After collecting memories of Edward’s with friends since 2005, and with the help of her daughter Frances, Hermione has put the book together and published it herself through amazon.

Hermione said: “The feedback from people so far has been good and I’m hoping that if enough people enjoy it it will attract the attention of a publisher.

‘Who’s the Fool?’ is available from amazon.co.uk for £7.50 as well as digitally on the Kindle Store for £2.06.

THE new University Technical College (UTC) is likely to move a step closer to being completed following a meeting next week.

A planning application for the UTC, to be built on Ashby Road in Daventry has been submitted and will be determined at a meeting of Daventry District Council’s (DDC) planning committee on Wednesday.

Council officers have recommended the plans for approval and one of the councillors believe that it will be of major benefit to the town.

Cllr Chris Over, DDCs economic, employment and regeneration portfolio holder, said: “This is a new era for education in the town and I think it is great news for the people of the town.

“I think this is going to extend the educational options available for children between the ages of 14 and 19.

“There are a lot of people who have raised concerns about the standards of education and I hope this will go some way to allay those fears.”

He also paid tribute to the people who have worked to bring the UTC to Daventry.

Cllr Over added: “There has been a lot of work carried out by directors and officials to bring this to Daventry and I hope it will go smoothly through the planning process.”

However the Highways Authority has thrown a spanner into the works by advising that there are 35 extra parking spaces for the site which will bring the total to 75.

This is expected to be resolved after planning permission has been granted.

The UTC is expected to be ready for September 2013 and will cater for up to 600 students giving them the chance to take up full-time technically-orientated courses.

It will cost £10 million to build and has been spearheaded by Moulton College in conjunction with several partners, including DDC and both the town’s secondary schools.

Last month, David Edmondson, 47, was appointed as the principal for the town’s new college.

The college is one of only 13 in the country to be given the green light after the Department for Education confirmed Daventry as a successful bidder.

Parents and carers of children moving into Year 10 or 12 in September 2013 who are interested in applying to the Daventry UTC can fill in a form online at www.
daventryutc.com/admissions.

COMPENSATION totalling £350,000 was paid out over five years to workers of Northamptonshire County Council.

Payments included £200 for a ‘large splinter in hand causing injury’ and £5,500 for a ‘spinal injury’ caused by a ‘poorly fitting uniform.’

They paid out £32,010.96 for a worker who slipped on food in a dining hall while carrying a table causing a ‘contusion or bruise’, and the biggest claim was £90,517.86 for a fireman who was injured during a fire drill.

The figures, released under a Freedom of Information request cover July 2006 to July 2011.

TV and film star Patsy Kensit will be opening a village’s annual fete on Saturday, September 8.

The actress, who has appeared in various shows and films, including Holby City, Emmerdale and Lethal Weapon 2 will be at the fete in Priors Marston at 2pm to get the event off to a start.

The fete will be held in the gardens of Priors Marston Manor and is in aid of the village church.

Ms Kensit will open the event at 2pm and is expected for remain for around an hour.

This year’s theme for the fete is land, sea and air. A light aircraft kit plane, vintage cars and boats will be exhibited.

The activities will include pony rides, a fancy dress parade, boat trips, crazy bikes, and rides on a model traction engine combined with all the traditional fun and games of a village fete.

The Dunchurch Band will be playing, and there will be homemade cakes, teas, ice cream, Pimm’s, and a wide variety of stalls including a nearly new and vintage clothing ‘boutique’, bric a brac, and a giant bottle stall, plus raffle.

Entry is £2 for adults nd 50p for children.

THE Rotary Club of Daventry held its annual garden party on Sunday, August 19 to raise funds for charity.

A total of 150 people attended the event, held at the home of club member Dr Pound in Charwelton.

Guests enjoyed good food, and weather and the musical stylings of John Dunsmore New Orleans Jazz Band.

The lunchtime club, who meet every Wednesday, aim to give charitable support to people and organisations within the community both in the country and abroad.

The group have some interesting guest speakers over a lunch period and are encouraging new memebers to get involved.

Councillor and public relations officer at the Rotary Club of Daventry, Alan Hills, appealed to anyone who has retired and is looking for an interest, or anyone with time on their hands, to come along to meetings.

He can be contacted on 01327 871898.

THERE was standing room only at a meeting where scores of villagers objected to a proposed 84-bed extension at a care home in the countryside.

The planning meeting at Spratton Village Hall last night was held to discuss St Matthews Healthcare’s plan to expand the site at Broomhill, in Holdenby Road, Spratton, from 15 beds to 99.

Spratton Parish Council unanimously voted to object to the plans at the meeting, which ran to more than two-and-a-half hours.

Among the residents objecting were former Northamptonshire and England cricketer Devon Malcolm, and Northampton Saints boss Jim Mallinder.

Objections from the public included the size of the building, its sustainability, its impact on the landscape, whether the plan offers any local benefit and the amount of traffic which would access it.

But Sean Sidhu-Brar, director of Kingsley-based St Matthews Healthcare, told the meeting he facility would not be a secure mental institution, and would primarily cater for elderly people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

He said he wanted to be a part of the village for many years to come.

Resident Paul Honeywell, aged 58, of Spratton Lodge, lives next door to Broomhill, and gave a presentation to the meeting.

He said: “Out of 166 letters which have gone in to Daventry District Council, two per cent are mildly in favour and 98 per cent are against.

“This dwarfs a historic building and will be permanent, not only for us but for our children.

“For a local population of 2,000, which is twice the size of the village, a maximum of 20 beds would be needed. A development of that size - I would welcome it.”

Speaking on a video which was played at the meeting, Mr Malcolm said: “I am fully up to speed with the application and totally object to it. This project is massively out of proportion to the village.”

Mr Mallinder was one of several residents who asked to speak but was unable to due to time constraints.

Other residents gave presentations to the meeting.

Lucille Knapp said: “It is six times the original size. It will not enhance it, but will be intrusive into the beautiful countryside.”

Peter Hunt said: “I have lived in Spratton for most of my life and I was born less than half a mile from Broomhill. This development will change the village that we love.

“I am trying to unravel how a local authority would allow such a monstrosity on our beautiful landscape.”

But the one person who spoke in favour of the plans was repeatedly interrupted and heckled, and the hecklers were told they would have to leave if they continued.

Former builder Terry Broughton said it was up to the private sector to provide these facilities as the Government cannot cope with the demand.

Talking about the people speaking against the plans, he said: “Those involved are void of any compassion and I would urge them to reconsider their position. “

Parish council chairman Barry Frenchman said: “I have spent a lot of time going through the planning documents for reasons to refuse this and I think I have found many.

“I have a list of things which I think we can invoke to raise our village’s objection to the application. I think the sheer scale of it, the design of it and the way it treats Broomhill as a historic building is to my mind very poor indeed.”

People can still make representations to Daventry District Council on the plans. The deadline is Tuesday, September 11, and the plans can be seen on the council’s planning portal by searching for reference DA/2012/0514.

POLICE officers and a PCSO teamed up with the RSPCA to rescue a swan stranded in the middle of a roundabout.

A motorist called the police after seeing the swan in Dockhay Way in Crick at 9.45am.

Officers attended and found the bird swanning about on the road. They cornered the female swan, who was initially uncooperative with officers, before an officer from the RSPCA arrived and brought the bird to safety.

Thankfully the missing swan had not strayed far from home and she was swiftly returned to her partner nearby and, other than a few ruffled feathers and a hissy fit, was safe and well.

PC Susan King said: “The swan hissed at us when we arrived but we fetched some water for her from a nearby building and managed to corner her before the RSPCA officer arrived.

“Thankfully we were able to reunite her with her partner who was waiting on a nearby stretch of water.

“As an officer you never know what you might get called to next and this is certainly one of those unusual incidents!”

MACHINE guns and medals were among the military exhibits on display at the Town Council Museum on Saturday.

Roger Money’s WW2 Vickers machine gun was among the highlights as people aged nine to 90 came along to the free event from 10am to 4pm.

Around 140 visitors looked over the military weapons and collectables dating from 1750 to 1980.

Mr Money, 73 of Daventry, who exhibited his collection, said: “It is my hobby of a lifetime and I have been collecting for 60 years now.”

Museum curator Rod Viveash, also of Daventry, added: “It was a very successful day and a lot of interest from families and children.”

A CONTROVERSIAL planning meeting left school campaigners fuming and saw the risk of a major employer pulling 400 jobs out of the town.

Daventry District Council approved two planning applications – one for 147 homes and one for 45 homes – on the 
Middlemore estate.

Residents say the 45 homes DDC wants to built on a site previously earmarked for educational puts their plans for a Free School at risk.

The application for 147 homes on the other side of the estate meanwhile saw a warning that DHL, one of the largest employers in the town, could withdraw from Daventry.

FIREFIGHTERS were called to a farm machinery ablaze in Aston le Walls.

A crew from Daventry and another two from Oxfordshire went to Appletree Farm in the village at 5.30pm yesterday (Thursday) with a bailer on fire.

It was extinguished and crews left the scene at 8.30pm.

WORK has started on the second phase of a purpose-built manufacturing and office headquarters in Daventry.

In 2010 a state-of-the-art £4.5million manufacturing base was built and opened in the Royal Oak Industrial Estate in Daventry by Daventry District Council (DDC) and immediately leased to international company Hi-Force Ltd for use as their head office.

Hi-Force, a leading supplier of hydraulic tools who have been based in Daventry for 40 years, now needs more space to expand their production and so a new large unit is being built next to the current one.

Four old units in Morris Road are being demolished to make way for the £2million development, which will be built to high environmental standards and is expected to be completed in March 2013.

The development has been substantially funded by DDC with a contribution from Hi-Force for its own specific fit-out, and is being built by contractor Morgan Sindall plc.

DDCs economic, regeneration and employment portfolio holder Cllr Chris Over said: ““It’s good news that work has started on this project, which will provide Hi-Force with more space to expand their productions, creating more jobs and economic growth in the town.

“The units in the Royal Oak Industrial Estate that are being demolished date back to the 1960s so replacing them with a modern, purpose-built building will further help us to attract businesses and investment to the area, which is a priority for the Council in these difficult times.”

Kevin Brown, group managing director of Hi-Force, said: “When we moved into our new facilities in Prospect Way in October 2010, we never dreamt that just two years later we would have outgrown them.

“Having said that we are obviously delighted with the substantial ongoing growth of our business and the highly proactive approach of DDC to help us in these globally challenging times.

“In the past two years we have increased our employee numbers by 50% and today employ 65 people at our Daventry facilities. The new extended facility will house all of our UK logistical requirements, freeing up much-needed space in our existing facility for increased manufacturing areas. No doubt our employee count will further increase next year also!

“We eagerly await handover of this new extension to our facilities, in March 2013.”

IT HAS been all change at a secondary school in Daventry as pupils went back earlier this week.

The Parker E-ACT Academy, formerly William Parker School, in Ashby Road, has seen a new uniform and signs to go along with the new name.

The school is now looking to further build on from its successful GCSE results which saw 46 per cent of pupils get five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths, a nine per cent increase on the previous year.

Principal Krysia Butwilowksa said: “There has been a very positive atmosphere around the place among the staff, all very excited to get started with the new year.

“We had a respresentative from E-ACT, the sponsors of our academy, and he was delighted that so many members of staff came up to him and asked if there was anything they could do.”

A CANNABIS factory worth £200,000 and firearms have been discovered by police in East Haddon.

A raid took place yesterday (Thursday) at a farm premises in the village saw 450 plants seized by police alongside two illegally held and loaded firearms.

Officers also found three boxes of processed plants and a caravan believed to be stolen.

The warrants saw five men, aged 22, two aged 25, 47, 68, arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and they have since been released on police bail.

A 33-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and has been sent to court for failing to appear for a separate offence.

A second warrant, linked to the raid in East Haddon, was carried out at Southfield Avenue in Delapre, Northampton on the same day. This saw £10,000 in cash and three vehicles seized.

The warrant saw a 24-year-old man arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and the theft of a motor vehicle. He has been arrested on suspiction of drugs offences and the theft of a motor vehicle. He has since been released on bail. An 18-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with assault and obstructing a police officer.

Riders will take to their saddles this weekend for an annual charity cycle at Althorp.

Cycle 4 Cynthia 2012, in aid of the Friends of Cynthia Spencer Hospice and Macmillan, will take place at Althorp on Sunday.

The event has raised almost £200,000 since it started eight years ago and offers riders the chance to take part in a five-, 25- or 50-mile route.

BBC Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley will open the event and other big names taking part include Saints coach Jim Mallinder.

Entry is £20 for adults, £10 for children and £35 for a family. For details call 01604 678088.

ALMOST 90 Daventry women have put their heads together and their aprons on to create a recipe book.

Members of the Daventry Women’s Guild have contributed their own family recipes to create the ‘Family favourite recipes - fit for a Queen’ cook book.

The group have created and designed the books, with the help of designer Stephanie Thannhauser, to raise club funds.

Club member Sheila Baker said: “We felt the main problem with modern day recipes are they can be quite complicated and require tiny amounts of expensive ingredients.

“We realised most of our members had been cooking family meals for years, many of them using recipes handed down from their mothers and grandmothers.

“We began to collect these and decided to put them together into a book.”

The book contains over 100 recipes in total.

A grant from Daventry District Housing‘s Community Chest fund helped the Women’s Guild with printing costs and the book will be sold at £4.99 to make profits for the group.

The book is currently on sale at New Image hairdressers and the Hideout Cafe in Sheaf Street or directly from Daventry Townswomen’s Guild on 01327 705662 or emial daventry
townswomen@yahoo.co.uk.

The group also have a forthcoming open day event at the Daventry iCon on Saturday, October 20 from 10.30am until 4pm. The tickets for the informal event are £20 and include coffee on arrival, a light lunch, guest speaker Reverend Canon Roger Royle and a presentation from Lucy Adlington.