This newspaper reported last month that Daniel Darkes, from Daventry, a diabetic for the past seven years, had ceased taking his insulin injections after his blood sugar levels returned to below average/average to low levels, suggesting that his pancreas had started functioning again.

Daniel has since travelled to the United States last week where doctors in St Louis, Missouri, performed numerous tests in an effort to ascertain what had happened.

And a first round of tests seem to suggest that his diabetes has indeed disappeared, with scientists putting the probability of his potentially miraculous recovery being genuine at 80 per cent.

Daniel, who has been branded 'Miracle Dan' by his friends said: “I had numerous tests, about four or five, to confirm the main reason why my pancreas had started producing insulin again.

“One of the tests involved me running on a treadmill. They starved me for a good six hours before, and I spent about 30 minutes running at a constant speed to see if my brain went into a kind of shock mode, or starvation mode, to see if it would send signals down to the organs, i.e. my pancreas, which it did.”

Other tests included the insertion of a microchip into Daniel’s lower back to measure his protein levels, and shining of a UV light to detect cells in his pancreas, which scientists found.

The tests could hold the key to finding a cure for the disease in the future, and it is hoped Daniel’s trip to America could be looked back on in years to come as the first step. About 1.5 million people die of all types of diabetes each year and it drastically affects the lives of millions more every day.

It is thought that the reason behind Daniel’s apparent recovery is a specific signal sent by his brain to his organ, and figuring out why and how it did that may hold the key to the cure.

Daniel has covered many miles as a long-distance runner and scientists believe this might hold the key.

The results of the various tests are being processed in Northampton and they are expected to be published next week. Daniel hopes that they will confirm that he is free of prescriptions and has no need for insulin injections.

He will need to undergo regular check-ups and perhaps further tests, but should Daniel be indefinitely cured of the disease it would be an extremely rare case, with no such cases on record.

“There’s not a lot of awareness about diabetes at the minute. People think that diabetes is you eat too much sugar, you put on weight and you’ve got it,” said Daniel.

“But with type 1 you’re just unlucky to get it, and to reverse that... I was not expecting it - it’s a rare case. You can reverse type 2 through dieting and exercise but type 1 is not something that happens every day.

“I think it’s a big breakthrough. With type 1, your pancras is completely dead, while with type 2 you have insulin but not enough for your body.

“So if the pancreas is able to recharge itself in some way then that is a big step.”

The Friends of Daventry Country Park group are hosting a free community event this weekend.

The canal side walk will begin at 10am on Saturday, with anyone wishing to join asked to meet at the Daventry Country Park visitors’ centre.

The walk will follow the canal with participants hoping to spot a few signs of spring along the way, as well as any evidence of canals past.

Proceedings will finish at the Gongoozlers Rest Café at Braunston marin. There will be a café menu at the visitors centre so if anyone wishes to stop for refreshments, they can pre-order before setting off.

Call 01327 877193 or 01788 814911 for more information or email friendsofdcp@gmail.com.

The Women’s Tour was officially launched on Monday as Daventry prepares to play host as the event’s starting line.

The Grand Depart will take place on Wednesday, June 7, and is set to boost not only the local economy but also participation in cycling in Northamptonshire and in the rest of the country.

Speaking at the launch was Peter Hodges, the tour’s PR director, who talked of the wider impact the event will have.

He said: “There’s obviously a strong healthy living and sporting agenda around the Women’s Tour.

“It’s not just about elite sport, it’s getting people into sport, especially women and young women, persuading them that they don’t have to give up sport.

“It’s not unglamorous, they too can be someone like Alice or Hannah Barnes, and a superstar.”

Alice Barnes, the Northamptonshire-based cyclist, will take her position on the start line at the tour’s Grand Depart.

She could hold an advantage over her rivals considering her familiarity with the roads of the first stage, but above all she is excited at the prospect of racing in her home county.

She said: “To be racing on home roads is pretty special, we don’t get to race in Britain very much, let alone the county I grew up riding around.

“The Women’s Tour is massive so to have it in the calendar as a Women’s World Tour race and be able to ride it in my home county is all very special.”

The tour has steadily grown since it began in 2014 and is now part of the UCI Women’s World Tour, which has heightened its status as a global event.

Last year the tour generated £1.6m in revenue for the Northamptonshire economy and it was watched by a record 80,000 people.

Alan Hills, Daventry District Council’s community, culture and leisure portfolio holder, hopes the race will once again bring numerous benefits to the area.

He said: “It’s a prestigious event, a global event, and I’m very pleased we managed to negotiate and get it here in Daventry. It certainly puts Daventry on the map once again.

“It’s something that I think, not only from a spectator’s point of view, but from a business point of view, creates opportunities.

“I hope that the businesses in the district will take the full opportunity to get the benefit from it.”

Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas has issued a statement regarding the development of the east stand at Sixfields.

Work on the stand has stalled over the past 12 months due to complicated legal issues, but Thomas has revealed that things could at last now be set to move forward.

Thomas revealed that extensive talks have been going on behind the scenes between the involved parites that are the football club, the Borough Council, building group Buckingham as well as CDNL.

After a meeting on Wednesday, all parties agreed to a proposed CVA petition, which should pave the way for work to restart on the east stand development.

Thomas explained: “As has been pretty well documented the east stand development was a lot more complicated than we would have liked and first thought when we bought the club.

“It has been very frustrating for us all, however, today was a big step in the right direction.

“The unfortunate situation we found was that some of the same parcel of land had two leases attached to it, one owned by the football club and one by the company CDNL.

“For over a year now CDNL has been subject to insolvency proceedings with various creditors including Northampton Borough Council and the Buckingham Group, who were the largest of the creditors.

“The potential liquidation of CDNL generated three very serious problems for the football club which included firstly a £291,000 claim by CDNL for money owed by the club dating back prior to our ownership, secondly a retention to title claim by Buckingham Group on the existing stand for unpaid work and thirdly a lack of clarity on which lease actually controlled the land.

“All of these issues together could have cost the club well in excess of £1.2 million and much more time and expense fighting the potential outcomes. Whilst these issues were outstanding completion of the stand was impossible in a sensible cost effective way.

“However, David Bower and I on behalf of the football club purchased the shareholding of CDNL and have been working very hard in the background with the various stakeholders in the insolvency to find a better solution to liquidation for all the creditors, while improving the position for the football club, and today a proposed CVA petition which we funded was agreed by Mazars and voted through by the majority of the creditors.

“What this did was to solve the three major problems the club were facing.

“Through this CVA, Buckingham’s have agreed that they will waive their retention to title claim in the stand, David and I on behalf of CDNL will waive the £291,000 debt owed by the Football Club and the Council have agreed to regularise the lease and land position.

“We feel that this is as much of a win as it can be for the parties involved as the creditors get more money in the pound than in a liquidation and the football club is much better positioned moving forward.

“Now there are still some steps to take before we are able to start work again as with any title and land issues it will still take time to regularise the position and agree the legal documentation, however we are a lot closer than we were yesterday and we will try and push the legal teams to complete this work as quickly as possible.

“It has been a very frustrating process which has taken a lot longer than we would have liked especially as most of it has been out of our control and every day the stand isn’t finished, it’s income the football club is missing out on.

“It has also been hard during this process that we have been unable to provide regular updates due to the various legal ramifications, however hopefully today gives some insight into the complexities of the situation.

“The club itself is a victim of this loan situation, along with the Council and other creditors like Buckingham’s.

“It is quite obvious that the club has not benefitted from the loan monies like it should have and we are all now just trying to pick up the pieces.

“Today as a football club we can hopefully look forward to moving ahead with much more clarity on the east stand development and we expect to be able to provide further updates on the progress in the near future.”

Chris Heaton-Harris visited the Henry Ford Academy last Friday as part of the National Apprenticeship Week initiative.

The MP for Daventry was joined by the academy’s principal and representatives from Skillnet, who run the apprenticeship programme, before speaking with current apprentices about the work they do.

Mr Heaton-Harris then donned his overalls to try his hand at some automotive skills.

He said: “We have this amazing facility in Daventry and I’m hoping that a few students from the town will come through here in their time on the way to success.

“The academy helps to remind people in the town that there is another route to success, and that it is vocational.”

The facility was opened in March last year with Ford investing £12m in it.

With 20,000 people passing through the doors each year the benefits to the area are evident.

Mr Heaton-Harris said: “It’s a big factor in the local economy.

“If you think about 20,000 people coming through here a year, albeit not all of them stay overnight, but that benefits hotels, restaurants and so on in the area.

“It has a number of spin-offs into the local economy which are all positive.”

The number of apprentices who achieve their qualifications at the Henry Ford Academy, according to Skillnet’s Eugene Lowry, is more than 80 per cent which is higher than the national average for the industry.

But it’s not only apprentices who pass through the Daventry facility.

Salespeople and technicians will also learn their trade in the academy and later go on to find employment in a Ford dealership.

The apprentices themselves will spend considerable time with one another, living and working together for weeks at a time.

“It’s good for team spirit,” said James Kesterton, operations manager at Skillnet.

“It helps in the classroom and in the garages.

“We’ve had some guys hired in the same dealerships as each other as a result of this.”

The final chapter of Mr Heaton-Harris’ visit saw him greet a number of new apprentices who had taken their seats in a nearby classroom.

When quizzed about their experience so far in the Henry Ford Academy, one young man described it as “better than school,” and with an above national average achievement rate perhaps it’s hard to argue with him.

The latest employment figures have been released with Daventry once again ranking above the national average.

National employment is at a record rate of 74.6 per cent which means 31.85 million people are in work.

Daventry’s employment rate sits at 82.3 per cent, up 4.1 percentage points on last year.

With regards to the national unemployment rate, it fell by 34,000 this quarter, and by 106,000 on the year to 1.58 million. The rate is at its lowest for more than a decade at 4.7 per cent.

There was a national increase of 2.2 per cent on the year for average pay, including bonuses, and a 2.3 per cent increase over the year for average pay before bonuses.

However, real pay growth adjusted for inflation was 0.7 per cent which is the weakest in more than two years.

The claimant count for Daventry remains in a healthy position and although it has increased slightly on last year, the Government says this is down to the rolling out of Universal Credit.

Because the new benefit covers a broader span of claimants than just Jobseekers Allowance, an increase in the number of claims was expected.

Elsewhere in Daventry the Jobcentre held a work academy with B2W for Amazon.

Eight people went for interviews, resulting in a 75 per cent success rate as six people were hired.

The Jobcentre ran an IT course with Skillsmax as part of an initiative to help claimants who have had very little or no IT experience.

As Silvertree Environmental prepares for the opening of its plant in May or June, the Jobcentre is hoping to help with the recruitment process.

The development will comprise a biomass energy facility and a waste water treatment plant.

It will process waste food and water, and the renewable electricity produced will be used to power the treatment plant and feed into the national grid.

Two easter eggs, made by a hugely popular premium chocolate brand have been recalled after it was revealed that they could pose a health risk to some customers.

Lindt & Sprungli Ltd has recalled two batches of eggs following revelations that the packaging fails to list an ingredient which could pose a risk to allergy sufferers.

Both eggs contain barley, which is not included in the list of ingredients.

Lindt Excellence Dark Extra Fine Shell Egg (batch code LS7018) and Lindor Strawberry & Cream Shell Egg (Batch code L6334) are affected by this issue.

No other Lindt & Sprungli Ltd products are known to be affected.

A release from the company advised: “Lindt & Sprungli Ltd is recalling the above products from customers and has been advised to contact the relevant allergy support organisations, which will tell their members about the recall. The company has also issued a point-of-sale notice to its customers.”

“If you have bought any of the above products and have an allergy to barley, do not eat them. Instead return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.”

Oakman Inns, the operators of The Navigation at Thrupp Wharf, Cosgrove, has scooped another pair of gongs at the Publican Awards 2017.

Still basking in their recent Top 10 recognition in the coveted Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, Oakman Inns & Restaurants, which operate pubs across the Home Counties and Midlands, were celebrating into the small hours after winning two further awards at Tuesday’s Publican Awards in London.

Oakman was named Best Community Pub Operator – where the winning company has demonstrated that it has a successful pub estate of community focused pubs - an award they have won for a third time in four years.

Their pubs have supported local charities, sport and development programmes for the young, and in many cases sponsored their local rugby club teams, for which they have created and sponsored the annual Oakman Cup, a Mini’s rugby festival for 400 primary school children.

In the aftermath of the Italian earthquake that destroyed much of Amatrice last year, the pubs held a 72 hour #EatForItaly fundraiser donating the net price of pizza and pasta dishes to the Italian Red Cross raising a total of over £20K. Each pub donates 25 pence per dish from each pork belly dish sold from their menu to help the Woodland Trust continue their conservation projects for future generations.

Oakman’s CEO and founder, Peter Borg-Neal, was also awarded Business Leader of the Year 2017 which was voted for by the Publican Awards’ finalists and judges from a shortlist of six of the most admired senior business executives in the pub trade.

Peter said: “To win the Best Community Pub Operator for the third time is a tremendous reflection of the commitment we show as our business to the communities we operate in and everybody in Oakman Inns should be incredibly proud. Whilst we thought we had a good chance of repeating our victories of 2014 and 2015 in this category I had no idea that I was in the running for Business Leader of the Year. The last winners of this award are Mike Tye, Ian Payne and Rooney Anand. To be even mentioned in the same breath as leaders like these is deeply flattering. I am surprised, delighted and humbled in equal measure.”

The company, which started with its first pub in Tring, Herts, in 2007, and now operates multiple sites across eight counties in the Home Counties and the Midlands, employing over 600 people, was also nominated for Best Pub Employer for 500+ employees – a category they have won twice before.

In their 26th year, The Morning Advertiser’s Publican Awards are the pre-eminent accolades of the UK Pub industry, and it was appropriate, therefore that the event took place at the Evolution in Battersea, the venue that hosted the 2016 Team GB Olympic Ball. They were hosted by Jonathan Ross, and recognise the best in every aspect of the pub industry – from the smallest, family-owned pubs, to the best brewing pub companies and late­night operators – and this year saw a record number of entries.

A total of 73 finalists were shortlisted in the 18 award categories, and each finalist went through a rigorous – and often secret - judging process, which included headquarter and site visits by judges, mystery shoppers, research and finally a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style grilling from a panel of leading industry experts.

Oakman’s Roll Call of Honour at the Publican Awards

Best Pub Employer of the Year 2014

Best Community Pub Operator 2014

Best New Pub/Bar 2015 – The Beech House, St Albans

Best Community Pub Operator 2015

Best Pub Employer of the Year 2015 (2-50 sites)

Best Community Pub Operator 2017

Business Leader of the Year 2017 – CEO, Peter Borg-Neal

Performance-related pay WILL return At Northamptonshire County Council next year - despite a debacle that saw hundreds miss out on a £600 Christmas pay-rise in 2016.

In November wage increments worth a total of about £1 million were withheld by council bosses when its staff performed better than expected.

After working hard in 2015 / 2016, 61 per cent of council employees hit challenging performance targets and were told they would be entitled to a £600 pay-rise.

But as the authority only forecast 25 per cent would reach the mark no-one received the rise, just weeks before Christmas.

Chief executive Paul Blantern said redundancies would have had to be made in order to honour the year-on-year pay-rise “in a time of austerity”.

Some told the Chron they were in uproar at the move - but Mr Blantern has confirmed performance-related pay will return in the 2016/17 year.

He said: “What we have said is we will pay it (performance pay) but not as we did last year.

“We accept this year it didn’t work properly and I take responsibility for that totally.

Mr Blantern said any performance pay scheme would have to be capped so only the top 25 per cent of staff received an uplift.

There had been hope Unison and the council could scratch out a compensation deal for the 2015/16.

The council offered the high-performing staff two days leave to compensate for not getting their £600 rise.

But papers for today’s full council meeting show Unison and the council have not reached an agreement.

Penny Smith, Unison branch secretary, said she could not speak about the discussions at this stage.

But she did say last year’s pay debacle left many staff feeling “betrayed.”

She said: “A lot of our lower paid staff thought that money would take care of Christmas.

“People had worked really hard for that.”

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After three decades serving the community, the owner of Jaff’s Grocery & Off Licence retired last week.

Jaff and his family were treated to a get-together on Sunday outside the shop, in Hood Road, Daventry, as residents from Southbrook came out to show their gratitude.

Jaff said: “After 30 years, my family and I are moving on to pastures anew.

“We want to thank our past and present customers including the Danetre school students and we hold a special thought for those customers that are no longer with us.

“We feel honoured to have been part of such a wonderful community.”

Alongside Jaff on his last day were his wife Nazira and family members Rumina, Zulekha, Nimat and Imran.

The store is now under new ownership with opening hours remaining the same as before.

Councillor Diana Osborne has resigned from her seat on Daventry District Council, triggering a by-election due to be held in May.

A notice of vacancy for the Long Buckby ward seat has been posted and the council has received the required number of elector requests to hold an election.

A notice of election is expected to be issued on March 24 and potential candidates will have until 4pm on April 4 to submit their nomination papers.

If the by-election is contested then it would be held on May 4, the same day that the Northamptonshire County Council elections.

Daventry District Council’s Long Buckby electoral ward covers Guilsborough, Watford and West Haddon as well as Long Buckby and Long Buckby Wharf.

People interested in standing in the by-election, as well as forthcoming county council elections, are welcome to attend a candidate and agents’ briefing on Tuesday, March 21 at 5pm at the Daventry District Council’s offices in Lodge Road, Daventry, NN11 4FP.

Mario Testino’s iconic collection of images of Princess Diana will be on display at Althorp in the summer.

Fifteen images taken in 1997 of the late Princess of Wales are going on show at the family home of the Spencers and the final resting place of the princess.

The photographs Testino initially shot for Vanity Fair turned out to be the last official portraits taken of the Princess before her untimely death the same year.

Twenty years later, the images will be on display in their entirety in the exhibition rooms located within Althorp’s glorious, Grade I-listed, Stables. Visitors will be able to browse the exhibition alongside a reminder of Diana’s legacy and charitable works.

Earl Spencer said: “I have always felt that Mario Testino captured the essence of Diana, quite brilliantly.

“These wonderful images made a huge impact on me when I saw them first, and revisiting them now, twenty years later, seems a fitting tribute to my beautiful, fabulous, sister.”

Previously shown at Kensington Palace in 2005, the original photographs now form part of the permanent exhibition at MATE – Museo Mario Testino - in Lima, Peru where a room is dedicated to a selection of images from the collection.

The exhibition at Althorp this year will be the first time in 12 years that the entire collection will be on display.

Entrance to the exhibition will be included in the regular Althorp admission ticket. Visit spencerofalthorp.com for more information.

Everyday Superhero Barry Purves has won the chance to unleash his inner superpower as part of #TeamDave in the Celebrity Superhero Tri.

Barry, from Daventry, will compete alongside some of the nation’s favourite celebrities and Paralympians as part of the Superhero Series, a new sporting challenge open to people with a disability.

Big, bold and gutsy, the Superhero Series takes place on August 19 at Dorney Lake and is the first event in the only sports series dedicated to the UK’s 12 million people with disabilities and long-term injuries – the Everyday Superhero.

Each team member will do one leg of the Tri, 150m swim, 3k bike, 1k push/rush.

Barry will be doing the 150m swim, Team Captain Dave Henson will do the 1k push/run and fellow Everyday Superhero competition winner David Langley from Guildford will be doing the 3k bike with Sidekick Rebecca.

Superhero Series founder and Paralympian Sophia Warner said; “I am thrilled that Barry is joining forces with Team Dave to make a super team.

“The Celebrity Superhero Tri is going to a fun fuelled start to the Superhero Series, I cannot wait for August.”

To find out more about Superhero Series or to register visit www.superheroseries.co.uk and @superherotri on twitter.

Eating at least three helpings of vegetables a day keeps the blues at bay... especially for women, according to new research.

A study of more than 60,000 adults found those who consumed the most were much less likely to suffer stress.

It is believed garden goodies like leafy greens and tomatoes boost feel good chemicals in the brain.

People who ate between three and four daily servings of vegetables had a 12 percent lower risk of stress than those who had just one or fewer.

Meanwhile, five to seven daily helpings reduced the risk by 14 percent.

But it was women who benefited most, which is particularly significant after recent research showed they suffer significantly higher levels of work-related stress than men, putting them at risk of anxiety and depression.

Those who ate three to four daily servings were 18 percent less likely to become stressed.

And this rose to 23 per cent for those who got through five to seven, compared with women who managed one or less.

The researchers also looked at fruit consumption, but found this had no effect on stress levels.

The findings published in the British Medical Journal Open add to evidence that vegetables improve the mind, as well as the body.

Dark, leafy greens like spinach, for instance, are rich in folate, helping to increase the production of serotonin and dopamine which improve mood.

One study suggested higher consumption cuts the odds of depression by as much as 62 per cent.

Dr Melody Ding, of the University of Sydney, said her latest research underlines the importance of vegetables for a healthy brain.

She said: “This study shows that moderate daily fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with lower rates of psychological stress.

“It also reveals that moderate daily vegetable intake alone is linked to a lower incidence of psychological stress.

“Moderate fruit intake alone appears to confer no significant benefit on people’s

psychological stress.”

Her researchers followed their Australian participants, aged 45 and above, over a long period, at two time points between 2006 and 2010 and during 2010, using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, a 10 item questionnaire measuring general anxiety and depression.

They compared the results with self reported fruit and vegetable consumption, along with other lifestyle factors.

At the start of the study characteristics associated with higher stress included being female, younger, having lower education and income, being overweight, a current smoker and being physically inactive.

Eating more than seven servings of vegetables a day did not reduce stress risk further.

Dr Ding said her findings are consistent with numerous studies showing fruit and vegetables, together and separately, are linked with a lower risk of depression and higher levels of well being assessed by several measures of mental health.

Added first author Binh Nguyen, a PhD student: “We found fruit and vegetables were more protective for women than men, suggesting that women may benefit more from fruit and vegetables.”

The researchers said further studies should investigate the possibility of a ‘threshold’ between medium and higher levels of fruit and vegetable intake and psychological stress.

The research was based on data from Sydney’s Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study, the largest ongoing study of healthy ageing in the Southern Hemisphere involving more than a quarter of a million people.

A £191 million remodelling of Catthorpe Interchange was officially opened yesterday (Thursday March 16).

The major upgrade to improve traffic at junction 19 of the M1, where it meets the M6 and A14, has revolutionised the journeys made by more than 150,000 vehicles through the area every day, Highways England claimed.

Highways England Chairman Colin Matthews said: “The £191 million new interchange has made a huge difference to people’s journeys by improving access to the A14 corridor and removing queueing traffic on the M1, M6 and A14 approaches.

“I know it has been talked about for many years and it’s easy to see benefits of smoother and more reliable journeys on these key routes.

“The improvement means journeys will be shorter and safer, with more vehicles able to pass through, and less congestion.

“This project has been delivered on time and on budget and is a great achievement for our own team and our contractors.”

Northamptonshire homeowners are being encouraged not to buy goods or services from cold-callers after a spate of complaints about suspected rogue traders.

The recent warmer weather has resulted in a number of calls to Northamptonshire County Council’s Trading Standards from people who have been offered maintenance work on their property by doorstep traders.

County council cabinet member for member for public protection, strategic infrastructure and economic growth Cllr André Gonzalez de Savage said: “Unfortunately the recent mild weather seems to have sparked a spate of suspected rogue traders who are cold-calling on elderly and vulnerable residents to try to pressure them into unnecessary work on their home at an inflated cost.

“All too often, this work is never completed or carried out to a poor standard.

“Our advice is clear – do not pay for goods or services from a doorstep trader. If you do need work carrying out, our Buy With Confidence scheme will help you to find a reputable tradesman who has been approved by Trading Standards.”

Some of the complaints received relate to cold-callers who have offered roofing work which has been unnecessary and over-priced, and the householders, who are often elderly, have said they felt pressured to hand over cash payments.

In one case, the elderly couple handed over £1,000 and no work has been completed. On a number of occasions, the rogue traders told the householders that they have been working on a neighbour’s roof and noticed that work needed doing on theirs, which was found to be untrue.

If you are concerned about a caller at your door or suspect that rogue traders or distraction burglars are operating in your community, contact the dedicated Doorstep crime Action Network (DAN) on 0345 23 07 702, or if a crime is in progress, dial 999.

This picture shows chess players deep in thought as they ponder their next moves during a competition hosted in a school in Daventry.

The event, which lasted a whole Saturday, was held at the Falconers Hill School in Ashby Road and was contested on March 16 1986.

The Mayor of Daventry, Councillor Ann Proctor, was on hand to open the proceedings.

She will have been pleased to learn that the hosts of the event won one of the prizes on offer by finishing first in one of the three sections.

The other two prizes went to schools from Stanion and Bozeat.

The first school in the Daventry district to enter the premier section of the jamboree was Kilsby, which ended the day in fourth.

Smyths Toys Stores has recalled a popular product amid safety fears.

The Safari Ball Pit - with product code 151650 - is to be removed from shelves from the company’s stores across the country.

A statement on the company’s website read: “We have recently found out that the Safari Ball Pit (151650) from Global Industry BV may present some safety concerns.

“Please return this item to a Smyths Toys Superstore for the product to be inspected and a refund issued.”

Want to save £139 a year on your Sky TV subscription with a single click of a button?

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And why wouldn’t you? After all, getting a Sky subscription can be an expensive business.

If you’ve been a Sky customer for a year or longer you could be overpaying almost £140 each year.

Some Sky viewers are paying as much as £696 per year if they have the movies and sports package.

You might be paying too much, but if you’ve not already got a discounted subscription this trick could save you the difference.

Be warned, though – while this should work to get you a discount, you will also be signing up to a new contract.

So only do this if you’re happy to stay with Sky for another year.

Follow this easy guide.

Go to sky.com and log in to your account.

Find the bit that says “thinking of leaving sky” by clicking on this link .

At the bottom of the page at the right hand side is the subheading “Still looking to cancel?” Click on the SKY TV option underneath.

If you are eligible for a discount you should be directed to a questionnaire page, which will ask you the reasons for wanting to cancel your package. Click on “worried about the cost”.

Again, if you are eligible, you will be directed to a page offering you a discount on your bill depending on your account. This could be for as much as a 20% discount.

If you are happy with the terms and conditions (READ THEM FIRST) click confirm and you’ve just saved yourself some money.

New research has determined which sex gets more stressed over “every key life event” - from losing their smartphone to Brexit.

And the research shows it is women who suffer more stress than men in their lives.

The greatest difference between the sexes showed women are far more fearful of terrorism than men while the narrowest gap was over the birth of the first child.

The Physiological Society spoke to 2,000 Britons to discover the difference in the way the men and women react to the tensions of modern life and the impact on health.

The report ‘Stress In Modern Britain’ published by the Society showed London was the area most stressed about Brexit, but the controversial issue also had the greatest variety of responses.

Respondents were given 18 different life events, and asked to grade them on a scale of 0-10, with 0 meaning “not at all stressful”, and 10 meaning “Very stressful”.

People living in London and Scotland were most likely to get wound up about “the process of leaving the European Union” than those in Wales and most of the rest of England.

Those with degrees were almost more upset about leaving Europe than people with just GCSEs or A-Levels.

Not surprisingly, the most stressful event was the death of a spouse/relative with an average score of 9.43 out of 10, closely followed by fears of imprisonment, with an average score of 9.15.

The end of a long term relationship or losing a job, both scoring 8.47, appears to be less stressful than being flooded which scored 8.89.

But after terrorism the greatest differences between the sexes were over being seriously ill, moving house and money problems.

Becoming a parent was the issue the genders had the most similar rating towards, with particular prominence among those aged 25-34.

Scotland was found to be the the most stressed area in the UK, with the South East of England the least stressed.

The study also revealed stress levels increase with age, most notably over concerns over long-term problems such as illness or imprisonment.

However, an exception to this trend was over the loss of a smartphone, which was a more prominent cause of stress for younger respondents.

Overall, the most common responses concerned driving: car breakdowns, traffic, busy motorways, road rage, or being the passenger of a careless driver all featured.

One person replied writing “Being driven by my wife. This is a serious comment.”

Next on the list was work-related stresses, particularly job applications and

interviews.

Another set of common responses described caring for aged, ill, or disabled people. Illness and loss of pets also featured commonly, showing that those close to us need

not be human to cause emotional effects.

Some answers revealed concerns over more trivial matters such as “family arguments at Christmas” or “the scrutiny of social media”.

The Physiological Society conducted the study to raise awareness of the effect of stress and its impact on health.

During stress, the body responds by releasing hormones into the blood stream, which affects the heart as well as digestive and immune systems.

Frequent and prolonged stress can cause long term physiological problems in the body.

Dr Lucy Donaldson, Chair of The Physiological Society’s Policy Committee, said: “The modern world brings with it stresses we would not have imagined 50 years ago, such as social media and smartphones.

“It was striking that for every single event in this study, from money problems to Brexit, women reported greater stress levels than men.

“This could have a real impact on women’s health.

“While many people are aware of the effect of stress on mental well-being, it is also important to consider the impact on the body’s systems.

“Your brain, nervous and hormonal systems react to stress and it affects your heart, immune system and gastrointestinal system.

“When stress is prolonged, these effects on the whole body can result in illnesses such as ulcers or increased risk of heart attack.”