The move by the NHS will result in about 8 per cent of call-outs getting the quickest response. At the moment half of medic responses are classed as lif-threatening, but many are not serious or could wait longer for paramedics to arrive.

NHS bosses - including those behind the encouraging pilot and our own EMAS - say it frees up crews to reach the most needy more quickly.

Dr Bob Winter, East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) medical director said: “The changes have been called for by paramedics and ambulance crews, the people that care for and treat the most seriously ill in our communities, and the evidence from a trial involving over 14 million calls handled shows that the change gives the opportunity to save more lives.

“We welcome the announcement. It is clear that patient safety and patient care is at the heart of this change."

The changes have been backed by medical experts after being carefully piloted on 14m 999 calls over the past 18 months.

In one of the pilot sites, cardiac arrest patients received a response 30 seconds quicker than they did previously, the evaluation by Sheffield University found. If this was repeated across the country, it could save 250 lives.

A five-year-old boy from Daventry who called 999 to help his mum who fell unconscious has been presented with an award for his bravery and quick-thinking.

Kyran Duff leapt into action when his mum Nikki collapsed at home.

He immediately called 999 as he had been taught by his mum, and gave his full address, explained what had happened and followed instructions to unlock the front door to let the ambulance crew in.

On the call Kyran, who celebrated his sixth birthday this month, can be heard reaching above the door to get the key to unlock it telling he audibly cheers when he’s reached it telling our control Nurse ‘I’ve got it down, yes, I’ve unlocked it’. He made sure his mum was comfortable and told us he was worried that now he’d be late for school.

Nikki said: “I am so proud of my little boy. He got me a teddy bear because he thought I might be scared and covered me in a blanket so I didn’t get cold. I was so surprised when I gained consciousness and heard him on the phone to the emergency services. He’s my hero.”

Kyran’s Dad had already gone to work when the fall happened so Kryan’s bravery meant paramedics were able to arrive within minutes.

“It is so important that parents prepare their children for what to do in an emergency situation. I’ve always taught Kyran how to call 999 and more importantly when. I was relieved to know help was on its way to support Kyran and help me.”

He will be presented with a prestigious Laverick Award presented by Paramedics at East Midlands Ambulance Service for his quick thinking and bravery.

The Laverick Award recognises children and young adults who have gone above and beyond to help another and is in memory of Nick Laverick – a paramedic team leader who died of cancer on his 37th birthday in September 2013.

Paramedic Anya Donald, who is part of the Laverick Team, was full of praise for Kyran.

She said: "Kyran remained so calm and brave during what would have been a really scary time. He is truly deserving of this award and we are proud to present it.

The man who died in a crash on the M45 near Dunchurch has been named and his family said he will be ‘truly missed’ in a tribute released today (Friday, July 14).

Peter Mark Folwell, 55, from Northampton, died after his car crashed on the motorway’s eastbound carriageway at around 4.30am on Thursday, July 6.

A police spokesman said Peter’s family said he will be truly missed by each and every person that was lucky enough to have known him.

The family would like to thank everyone for their kind words and messages of sympathy at this sad time, and has asked for privacy and to give them time to come to terms with their loss, the spokesman added.

Man dies in ‘serious’ crash on M45 near Dunchurch

Budget supermarket Aldi has launched what could be Britain’s cheapest school uniform - which will see children fully-kitted out for only £3.75.

Savvy shoppers can get two polo shirts, a skirt or trousers and a sweatshirt for the knock-down price after the chain revealed it was slashing the original £5 ticket price.

The retailer says the back to school range is durable, great value and does not compromise on quality.

Parents can also pick up PE kit, shoes and stationery as part of the range but, warns the retailer, they will have to be quick - once they’re gone, they’re gone!

A spokesperson for Aldi said: “We understand that sending the kids back to school is an expensive time for families and we make it our mission to ensure that we aren’t beaten on quality or on price.

“That’s why we’re reducing the price of our package; two polo shirts, a sweater and a skirt or a pair of trousers - to £3.75.”

Daventry District Council has announced a programme of family-friendly summer events aimed at keeping children active and entertained through until August.

The wide range of activites for children aged five to 12 include weekly Mini-Adventures at Daventry Country Park, and Wicked Wednesday sessions at Daventry Leisure Centre.

The Mini-Adventures take place at the Country Park on Tuesdays, July 25 and August 1, 8, 15 and 22.

Councillor Alan Hills, Daventry District Council’s community, culture and leisure portfolio holder, said: “Finding affordable ways to keep children entertained during the summer holidays can be a difficult job for parents, which is why we work hard, alongside our partners at Everyone Active, to put this summer programme together.

“Many of the sessions prove extremely popular so I would recommend booking the Wicked Wednesday and Activity Camp sessions in good time to ensure your children don’t miss out.”

Running from 10am to midday, each session costs £1.50 per person, with different activities each week including nature trails, story-telling sessions and crafts.

There is no need to book the Mini-Adventures, participants need only turn up at the Visitor Centre wearing clothing and footwear suitable for the outdoors.

Wicked Wednesdays at Daventry Leisure Centre offer fun inflatable sessions in the pool at 12.30pm and 2pm on July 26 and August 16; roller discos in the hall at 1pm and 2.40pm on August 9 and 23; and a Mad Science Workshop at 1pm and 2.30pm on August 2.

They cost £2 per person per session and bookings and payment must be made in advance on 01327 871100.

Children must be accompanied by an adult during the Mini-Adventure and Wicked Wednesday sessions. For the inflatables sessions, all children aged 7 and under and non-swimmers must be supervised in the pool at a ratio of one adult to two children. Children aged 8 and over must be supervised by an adult at the poolside.

The council’s leisure partner Everyone Active is also offering a range of Activity Camps at the Leisure Centre throughout the holidays.

The camps offer sports, team challenges and competitions delivered by qualified sports leader professionals at a cost of £14 per day, with reduced rates available for people booking five days.

For more information about Mini-Adventures and Wicked Wednesdays visit www.daventrydc.gov.uk/summer

More information about the Activity Camps can be found at www.everyoneactive.com/Daventry or on 01327 871144.

This group of foot-tapping Daventry folk turned back their 1982 clocks by starting a revival of their favourite pastime... tap-dancing.

The dozen or so local dancers were attempting to recapture the magical steps of the old Hollywood musicals, which featured the likes of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Debbie Reynolds and Ginger Rogers.

All the amateur dancers pictured 
were members of the first tap class 
run by Daventry’s education department.

At the time they were eagerly 
anticipating the results of their first test – the bronze examinations of the International Dance Teachers’ Association.

One of the students, Lynn Bailham, told the paper she had been going to the classes for a year and found them to be very fun.

The classmates, who were 
self-described beginners, all took the exam though one, Joseph Hart, opted out.

“The rest of us are keeping our fingers crossed that we have passed the test,” said Miss Bailham.

Police at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone say they’ve dealt with just eight crimes since 7am on Thursday.

More than 100,000 fans are expected at the qualifying stages of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone today and Northamptonshire Police say the security operation continues to run smoothly with racegoers enjoying another great day at the circuit.

Officers have dealt with missing persons, public disorder, drunkenness, and theft, however officers have mainly encountered well-behaved, excited racegoers.

Event commander, Supt Chris Hillery, said: “Our aim is to ensure everyone visiting the circuit has a safe and enjoyable experience.

“The traffic management system is working well and there’s a great atmosphere at the circuit with huge crowds looking forward to another great day of racing.

“A further 100,000 fans are expected to pass through the gates tomorrow for the main race and I am confident they will all have a fantastic day.

“We have a prepared a very comprehensive security operation for this event, but we would urge anyone who thinks they see something suspicious to report it immediately to police or circuit security so we can react quickly and appropriately.”

Sand play pits harbour the emerging superbug C. diff that causes stomach upsets and diarrhoea and in rare cases damages the gut, a new study found.

More than half of all sandpits for children and pets tested were swarming with the bacteria Clostridium difficile, also known as C. diff.

And worryingly scientists found genetically diverse strains of C. diff including certain strains displaying increased toxin production, and in some cases multidrug resistance.

C. Diff causes watery diarrhoea, painful tummy cramps, nausea, dehydration, a fever and a loss of appetite and weight.

Serious infections may require surgery to remove a damaged section of the bowel.

The latest finding was over double the amount of found in soil in public parks, gardens, playgrounds and other locations around Cardiff in 1996 where it was found in a fifth of samples.

Professor Prof José Blanco of the Complutense University of Madrid said: “The soil of playgrounds is a reservoir of diverse parasites and infectious agents.

“Furthermore, free access of domestic and wild animals to recreational areas can increase the burden of microbiological contamination.

“Children are generally regarded as the main group at risk for environmental exposure to pathogens, not only because they are frequent users of playgrounds, but also due to the high prevalence of geophagia in that consumption of sand within this group, and the immaturity of their immunological, neurological and digestive

systems.

“Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, anaerobic bacterium of widespread distribution in the environment, where it can survive under adverse conditions through the production of spores.

“This bacterial species was traditionally regarded as a primarily nosocomial pathogen,

but this view has been challenged as the incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) in people outside hospitals started to increase.

“In this context, diverse animal species, food products and environmental sources have been suggested to play a role in the transmission of the C. difficile and, in particular, of some epidemic genotypes such as ribotype 078.

“However, to the best of our knowledge, the presence of C. difficile in sandboxes of playgrounds has only been explored in a limited number of studies.”

So the researchers tested 20 pairs of recreational sandboxes for children and dogs in different playgrounds within Madrid.

Overall, 52.5 per cent or 21out of 40 samples were positive for the presence of C. difficile.

Eight of the 20 available isolates belonged to the toxigenic ribotypes 014 and 106, both regarded as epidemic, and CD047.

Prof Blanco added: “The growing number of pets and other animals leaving excrements in the sandboxes of playgrounds and other recreational areas constitutes

a serious epidemiological threat.

“Current tests for assessing the sanitary conditions of sandboxes focus on detecting some select pathogenic parasites and bacterial indicators of faecal contamination, but mostly neglect the possible presence of other emerging pathogens such as C. difficile.

“In this study, we demonstrated that C. difficile is widely distributed in soils samples from both children’s and dog’s sandboxes located within the metropolitan area of Madrid.

“Furthermore, our results revealed that recovered isolates were genetically diverse and displayed resistance to several antibiotics, more than two drugs, including in all cases imipenem and levofloxacin.

“Our results are just a call to action.

“Due to the zoonotic potential attributed to some ribotypes of C. difficile, the possible presence of this emerging pathogen should be considered in any environmental risk assessment.”

The study was published in the journal Zoonoses and Public Health.

Kids born to mums who smoke are more likely to be an antisocial teen and their loutish behaviour increases the more their mums puff away.

They are more at risk of getting a criminal record for violence, theft or vandalism than those who were not exposed to tobacco toxins in the womb.

Although the numbers of mums who smoke has dropped those who do tend to be teenage mums and the poorest in society.

The study compared mums who admit to smoking during pregnancy and the criminal records of their children.

It found mothers of nearly three fifths of anti-social teens - 59 per cent - had smoked while pregnant with them, and in just over a third of cases, their mothers had smoked at least one pack of cigarettes a day.

Smoking an extra pack of cigarettes a day was associated with 30 per cent greater odds of her child exhibiting three or more symptoms of conduct disorder as a teen and a more than tripling in the odds of three or more symptoms of antisocial personality disorder as an adult.

And it was linked to a more than doubling in the odds of her child having a record of non-violent offences as a juvenile and of committing a violent offence as an adult.

Previous studies had suggested a link between maternal smoking during pregnancy and the antisocial behaviour of their offspring but it is still not clear whether this association is causal or influenced by genetic and environmental factors.

So scientist from Brown University and the University of Maryland used a particular statistical approach known as between-within decomposition, that can tease out any differences between families and within the same family.

The study involved 3,443 children now aged aged 18 to 33 of women who took part in the Boston and Providence centres of the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP) between 1959 and 1966.

The CPP looked at factors before and around birth that might influence the mental, neurological, and physical capabilities of that child.

Of these 1,684 adults from 1,248 families in Boston and Providence were formally interviewed when they were 39, on average, about their behaviour as a teen and as an adult.

The study published in the BMJ’s Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health said the findings were independent of other factors often linked to smoking in pregnancy.

This suggested smoking while pregnant may have a small to moderate causal effect on the risk of antisocial behaviour in the offspring.

Dr Angela Paradis at the Department of Epidemiology at Brown University School of Public Health said: “Maternal smoking during pregnancy was found to be associated with a range of antisocial behaviours measured by self-report and official records.

“Associations were not specific to antisocial behaviour characterised by violence or aggression.

“Our findings, particularly those based on within-mother estimates, suggest that the elevated risk of antisocial behaviour is independent of other family attributes more

common among women who smoke during pregnancy, such as a history of mental illness and lower y socioeconomic status, and may be directly attributable to smoking exposure.

“The current work also highlights, based on our more precise total estimated effects, that any potential causal effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on offspring antisocial behaviour is most likely small to moderate in magnitude

“In summary, findings from this study support a causal association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring antisocial behaviour.

“Many important risk factors for antisocial behaviour are not modifiable for example sex or family history, but maternal smoking during pregnancy is potentially modifiable and remains prevalent among particular subgroups of women, including teenage mothers and mothers with less than a high school education..

“So although maternal smoking during pregnancy may result in only slight-to-moderate increases in an offspring’s risk of antisocial behaviour , removing this exposure may have substantial impacts at the population level.”

Women feel more betrayed by ‘emotional’ rather than ‘sexual’ infidelity when they catch a cheating partner on Facebook, according to new research.

But it is the other way around for men, who are more upset when an unfaithful wife or girlfriend goes to bed with a rival, rather than develops a close friendship.

And, irrespective of the contents, women overall were more upset than men when they had to imagine discovering an infidelity-related message.

Scientists say it shows both sexes display the same type of jealousy when they read compromising messages as if they had caught out a lover offline.

Females were most distressed in response to discovering a close friendship, rather than a physical relationship.

Meanwhile, males felt worst when they found social media accounts revealing their partner had been to bed with another man.

Dr Michael Dunn, of Cardiff Metropolitan University, said: “Currently, most snooping research is predominantly concerned with the exploration and understanding of snooping on a romantic partner’s mobile phone.

“However, with Facebook playing such a pre-eminent role in modern society, snooping has rapidly moved online as well.”

This is according to Dr Dunn and Colleague Gemma Billett who investigated how jealousy manifests between the sexes when people find compromising messages on their partner’s social media accounts.

In the study 21 male and 23 female undergraduates were shown a selection of eight imaginary Facebook-style messages portraying either emotional or sexual infidelity.

The former were along the lines of: “You must be my soulmate! Feel so bloody connected to you, even though we haven’t slept together.”

An example of the latter was: “You must be the best one-night stand I’ve ever had. Last night was out of this world sexy bum!”

The ‘discovered’ note was either composed and sent by the partner, or came from someone else.

Participants had to rate how distressed they would have felt if they had come across such messages while accessing their partner’s Facebook messaging service without permission.

Men felt more distressed when they read social media messages that revealed their partners’ sexual rather than emotional infidelity.

However, women were more upset than men in response to emotional messages.

Dr Dunn and co author Gemma Billet also found women were significantly more upset when a potential rival had written the message, compared to when it was composed by their own partners.

For men, the opposite seemed to be true and they appeared to be more upset by imagining their partner sending rather than receiving an infidelity-revealing message.

The study supports evolutionary theories suggesting there are differences in what triggers jealousy among men and women - and in how they subsequently direct such feelings towards a cheating partner or potential rival.

According to the researchers, it is important to understand the mechanisms underlying jealousy, and how it plays out in the digital age.

Real or suspected partner infidelity that causes sexual or emotional jealousy is often given as the reason for domestic abuse and violence.

Dr Dunn said applying an evolutionary perspective to understanding the manifestation of jealous behaviour may help combat domestic abuse triggered by infidelity-related anger.

A rise in these is inevitable in an “age where clandestine extra-marital relationships are facilitated by modern forms of media technology.”

He said the heightened use of social network platforms including Facebook has been associated with damaging romantic relationships, with a significant increase online infidelity.

Dr Dunn added: “With online infidelity increasing partner paranoia, inevitably, actions implemented to counteract such behaviours are also on the rise.

“This increased paranoia can help explain the growth of certain mistrusting behaviours, such as ‘snooping’.

“The modern concept of snooping can be defined as checking one’s partner’s private possessions and personal communications including private Facebook messages.

“Snooping has been found to be a reliable and widely used method of determining infidelity within modern relationships.

“With regard to snooping prevalence, it has previously been demonstrated 66 per cent of an undergraduate sample admitted to snooping on their partner’s private messages without permission and at least another fifth admitting they were patiently waiting for the appropriate opportunity to snoop.”

The study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science follows US research last year that found women feel just as betrayed if their husband or boyfriend has a close friendship with another woman as an affair.

Becoming close to another woman was considered ‘cheating’ - even if there was no physical intimacy.

But men were less concerned about this but more so if their wife or girlfriend had sex with another man.

The findings were based on a sample of more than 400 people.

If you’re still feeling the effects of a night out this weekend, it may be because you’re now “too old” to go to a nightclub.

New research has revealed 37 is the age we are officially “too old” to be seen a nightclub.

Researchers took a look into the nation’s social lives and revealed over half (46 percent) of us dread nights out, preferring to cosy up in front of the telly, no matter what the weather.

And according to the respondents, 37 is the age it becomes tragic to go to nightclubs, with 31 emerging as the age we officially prefer staying in to going out.

Nights out being too expensive was the main excuse for six in ten unsociable Brits and a further 29 percent said they simply can’t face a hangover the next day.

Nearly half said evenings out were no longer “their scene” and a further 14 percent moaned about the unpredictable weather when hitting the town.

Having to get dressed-up (22 percent), the laborious process of arranging babysitters (12 percent) and the hassle of booking taxis (21 percent) were also among the reasons adults are shunning evenings out.

A long-suffering 13 percent of women said their feet hurt too much wearing high heels, so it just wasn’t worth the effort. 46 percent said they love nothing more than changing into comfortable clothes for a night-in - and 44 percent said they like to kick back and slouch on the sofa for hours on end.

Three in ten of the adults polled said a perfect night-in would be devouring a boxset and nearly a quarter like to spend an evening in whiling away the time on social media the poll found.

Eight in ten adults polled said they feel relieved when having a night in and they see friends posting pictures on social media of raucous, boozy gatherings.

The survey also found that on a typical night out, Brits will fork out £35, however the perfect night in with a take-away, drinks and snacks will only set you back £17, according to the results.

Matt Walburn, Brand and Communications Director, Currys PC World commented: “The Great Indoors study recognises the fact that there comes a time when we appreciate our home comforts more than a hectic social life and it can often be a drag to play the social butterfly at parties and nights out.

He added: “Technology is a big lure of staying in and our findings show how it’s transformed home habits, with Brits proudly investing in their households more than ever before. “It’s now almost impossible to get bored at home, with endless box sets and the latest technology, such as 4K TV, enhancing the in-house experience, so much, that it often surpasses its ‘outdoor’ equivalent.

“That coupled with social media, online shopping, and gaming with pals often means more pleasure can be had on a night IN than a night out.”

37 percent of respondents said there is nothing more tragic than seeing adults in their 40s and 50s surrounded by twenty somethings in pubs and bars.

Of those polled, nearly 7 in ten said they were relieved when they met ‘the one’ as it meant they no longer had to trawl the local haunts for a suitor and could finally embrace cosy nights in.

But 29 percent said they still have an active social life, preferring to have big nights in, where they order in food, watch films or cook big curries.

In fact, 14 percent said when they invite friends round, their favourite pastime is to stalk people on Facebook and 28 percent play computer games.

A lively 17 percent crank up the karaoke machine and 18 percent watch box-sets or streaming binges as a group.

The secret to a long life might be three cups of coffee as a landmark study reveals it reduces the risk of death from all disease.

Scientists at Imperial College London have found that people who drink coffee may live longer than non-coffee drinkers.

And even decaffeinated coffee had a similar effect, though there is a hint of caution as researchers could not exclude that decaffeinated coffee drinkers may have been consuming caffeinated coffee as well in different periods of their life.

The findings come from the largest study of its kind, in which scientists analysed data from more than half a million people across 10 European countries, including the UK, to explore the effect of coffee consumption on risk of mortality.

Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and Imperial College London found that higher levels of coffee consumption were associated with a reduced risk of death, particularly from circulatory diseases and diseases related to the digestive tract.

Coffee is one of the world’s most commonly consumed beverages, with an estimated 2.25 billion cups drank around the world each day.

It contains a number of compounds which can interact with the body, including caffeine, diterpenes and antioxidants, and the ratios of these compounds can be affected by the variety of methods used to prepare coffee.

Previous studies looking for a link between coffee consumption and health outcomes have revealed conflicting results, however, large studies in both the US and Japan have since revealed the potential beneficial effect of drinking coffee.

In the latest study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers carried out the largest analysis of the effects of coffee-drinking in a European population - where coffee consumption and preparation methods vary, from an espresso in Italy, to a cappuccino in the UK.

Dr Marc Gunter, of the IARC, said: “We found that higher coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of death, and specifically for circulatory diseases, and digestive diseases.

“Importantly, these results were similar across all of the 10 European countries, with variable coffee drinking habits and customs.

“Our study also offers important insights into the possible mechanisms for the beneficial health effects of coffee.”

Using data from the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), the group analysed data from 521,330 people from over the age of 35 from 10 EU countries, including the UK, France, Denmark and Italy.

People’s diets were assessed using questionnaires and interviews, with the highest level of coffee consumption (by volume) reported in Denmark (900 mL per day) and lowest in Italy (approximately 92 mL per day).

Those who drank more coffee were also more likely to be younger, to be smokers, drinkers, eat more meat and less fruit and veg.

After 16 years of follow up, almost 42,000 people in the study had died from a range of conditions including cancer, circulatory diseases, heart failure and stroke.

Following careful statistical adjustments for lifestyle factors such as diet and smoking, the researchers found that the group with the highest consumption of coffee had a lower risk for all-causes of death, compared to those who did not drink coffee.

In a subset of 14,000 people, they also analysed metabolic biomarkers, and found that coffee drinkers may have healthier livers overall and better glucose control than non-coffee drinkers.

Dr Gunter added: “We found that drinking more coffee was associated with a more favourable liver function profile and immune response.

“This, along with the consistency of the results with other studies in the US and Japan gives us greater confidence that coffee may have beneficial health effects.”

According to the group, more research is needed to find out which of the compounds in coffee may be giving a protective effect or potentially benefiting health.

Professor Elio Riboli, head of the School of Public Health at Imperial, who established the EPIC study, said: “These findings add to a growing body of evidence which indicates that drinking coffee not only is safe, but it may actually have a protective health effect for people.

“While further research is needed, we can be confident that the results from a large European study confirm previous findings seen around the world.”

Dr Gunter added: “Due to the limitations of observational research, we are not at the stage of recommending people to drink more or less coffee.

“That said, our results suggest that moderate coffee drinking - up to around three cups per day - is not detrimental to your health, and that incorporating coffee into your diet could have health benefits.”

So-called ‘paedophile hunters’ should be recruited to work alongside police forces to help tackle child sexual exploitation says a leading police and crime commissioner.

The controversial and unregulated groups, which pose as under age children in online chat rooms to snare potential child abusers, have had success in catching paedophiles over the years, however, their vigilante approach to justice has been condemned by the Home Office and police in the past.

But a leading police and crime commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert, believes having the police and such groups working alongside each other could take the pressure off the forces,

‘Let’s work together’

“I understand in this and many other aspects of crime or anti-social behaviour that there is often an impatience and I can understand that when people want to get on with things,” said Cuthbert on BBC Wales’ Week In Week Out programme.

“What we don’t know of course is how many potential perpetrators have got away with it because it’s not been done properly or walked away because it’s not stood up in court, so it’s a question of balance.”

‘Paedophile hunting’ is legal in the UK and most recently in April a judge ruled that a Newcastle based group, Dark Justice, could continue posing as children to catch sexual predators.

Cuthbert added, “The message is let’s work together.”

“Of course there are training implications, it would have to be done in a planned way - the right way - but I think in terms of the principle, it’s the right way forward.”

The number of children getting just 60 minutes of daily physical activity has dropped by almost half, Public Health England has revealed.

A shocking 43 per cent of kids aged between five and 12 are no longer getting their recommended 60 minutes of physical activity to maintain a healthy weight.

Experts warned the activity levels are “alarmingly low” and may impact heavily on development as well as mental and physical health in adulthood.

The latest figures show that just 23 per cent of boys and 20 per cent of girls meet recommended levels of activity while one in five kids start primary school overweight or obese, rising to more than a third by the time they leave.

Eustace de Sousa, National Lead for Children, Young People and Families, Public Health England said: “Children’s physical activity levels in England are alarmingly low, and the drop in activity from the ages of five to 12 is concerning.

“Children who get enough physical activity are mentally and physically healthier, and have all round better development into adulthood, getting into the habit of doing short bursts of activity early can deliver lifelong benefits.

“This programme is part of our work to help children get the right amount of physical activity, both in school and out, as set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan.”

More than one in five (29 per cent) of 11-year-olds say a worry of “not being very good” prevents them from taking part in physical activity.

But kids are motivated to be active by having friends join in and having a wide selection of activities to choose from.

Despite a drop in physical activities, the majority (79 per cent) of five to 11-year-olds said being active made them feel more confident and sociable and 93 per cent said they liked being active.

In an effort to make exercise appealing Disney, Sport England and Change4Life has launched a ten minute ‘Shake Ups’ programme, backed by Team GB Olympians.

The selection of ten minute activities for kids features favourite characters from Disney’s Cars, Beauty and the Beast, Moana, Frozen and stars from The Lodge.

Last year the ten minute Shake Ups helped more than a million children get more active.

Mike Diaper, Sport England’s Executive Director of Children and Young People added: “Tackling inactivity is a key part of Sport England’s strategy Towards An Active Nation, and we’re supporting families and children to get active together, using National Lottery funding.

“We know that parents can find getting their kids to be active a challenge.

“That’s why we’re proud to be supporting the Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Ups with Disney, which uses storytelling to create a fun, and imaginative way for children and their parents to get moving, perfectly timed for the summer holidays.”

A classroom game which teaches children to confront the issues of cultural misunderstanding, has led to a Daventry student winning a competition.

Culture Towers is the brainchild of Antonia Lowe, who is in the final year of the BA (Hons) Interior Design course.

She had input from more than 60 students at Falconers Hill Academy on Daventry.

It’s a collaborative game that lets children work together to construct a sculptural tower with question cards so they end up creating a visual collage to help them understand the different cultures we have in our society.

Antonia won the Marketing Trust Award, which is part of the RSA Student Design Awards.

The brief was called ‘Beyond Borders’ and students were tasked to design a way to promote engagement between people of diverse backgrounds in ways that recognise a difference, create connections and cultivate respect.

Northampton University student Antonia said: “The legacy of Culture Tower is to provide children with positive messages about cultural difference and diversity.

“The child becomes the conduit through which positive messages are transmitted to the home and wider community. The game aims to promote cultural understanding in the hope to change or influence the views of people who have never played the game.

“I am very happy to have won the award, especially with a project that feels very special to me.

“Being selected to enter the competition was a wonderful opportunity.”

An artist is encouraging children to get colourful and creative in a landmark drawing competition that will see the winning design on the side of a coach.

Paul Parkin launched the Colour the Coach competition in Daventry on behalf of National Express.

The contest is aimed at kids aged 5-15 who are asked to draw their favourite local landmark and the winning design - as chosen by Paul - will be turned into a special one off livery to go on the side of a National Express coach. The winner will also get a £50 cheque as prize money.

To kick start the competition Paul, who is judging entries from the Midlands for the third year running, drew one of his favourite Midlands landmarks – the impressive Frank Whittle arches.

Paul, whose trademark portraits made with a special coffee paint can be seen on display in his gallery is a passionate believer in getting kids to show off their artistic talents.

He said: “I’m calling on all kids in Daventry aged 5-15 to enter the Colour the Coach competition.”

Entrants have until July 28 to submit their creations.

Entries to the competition must be landscape designs on A4 paper with: name, address, age, phone number and email address, written on the back.

They should be sent to National Express Coach Art Competition, National Express House, Mill Lane, Birmingham, B5 6DD

Race organiser Chris Barlow said: "It was incredible, it just gets better and better every year. We saw so many different carts and there is very little repetition and lots of teams have reinvented themselves year on year." The race attracted entrants from the Isle of Wight who drove to Welton early on Saturday morning and returned home on the day. Planning for next year's edition is already underway with Chris confirming the 2018 edition will take place on June 30.

Daventry District Council is seeking the public's opinion during consultations on the introduction of tighter controls on future construction plans in the town centre and in Brixworth.

The plans would see Brixworth and Daventry town centre become part of the district's conservation areas, that is to say areas considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of their special architectural or historic interest.

It means tighter planning controls for anyone seeking permission to alter or demolish a building or carry out work to trees, in order to maintain the special interest of the area.

The review aims to ensure that the district’s conservation areas are still fit for purpose. It will look at whether their boundaries should be changed and whether further controls should be introduced within them. The case for new conservation areas will also be considered as part of the process.

The Daventry town centre and Brixworth conservation areas are the latest to come under review, and draft Appraisal and Management Plans have been produced for each area with the help of feedback received during public displays held earlier this year. The Daventry town centre document also includes a brief appraisal of the former hamlet of Drayton, now part of Daventry town.

People now have until 5pm on Monday, September 4 to comment on the drafts, with any feedback received being used to help shape the final documents.

It is intended that the final versions would be adopted by the council as supplementary planning documents, giving them an official status to help in the making of planning decisions.

The draft Appraisal and Management Plan for the Daventry town centre conservation area proposes an extension of the boundary to take in part of Badby Road and removal of certain areas consisting solely of modern buildings.

In Brixworth, it is proposed to extend the conservation area to include the former estate land at Brixworth Hall Park and the four Swedish Houses on Froghall.

Both plans make proposals for introducing a number of ‘Article 4’ directions to protect historic features in specific locations, as well as for protecting a number of properties by designating them as locally-listed buildings.

The draft appraisal and management plans and details of how to comment on them can be found here.

They are also available for inspection at DDC’s offices in Lodge Road, Daventry as well as at the libraries in Daventry, Moulton, Brixworth, Long Buckby and Woodford Halse.

There will be an opportunity to discuss the draft Appraisal and Management Plan for the Daventry town centre conservation area at Daventry Museum, in New Street, from 4pm to 5pm on Monday, July 24.

A meeting to discuss the proposals for the Brixworth conservation area will take place at Brixworth Community Centre in Spratton Road on Tuesday, July 25 from 6pm to 7pm.

Specialist counsellors on its 24-hour Helpline made 84 referrals to local agencies in Northamptonshire over the last two years.

There were also 15 calls and emails from people in the county seeking advice about children being left home alone.

Although the law does not give a minimum age at which children can be left on their own, parents and carers can be prosecuted for neglect if children are put at risk of suffering or injury.

Worried callers to the NSPCC Helpline have reported children being left alone overnight and young children left to feed themselves and use dangerous kitchen equipment.

One caller who phoned the NSPCC Helpline said: “They’re leaving the kids alone at all hours of the day, from early in the morning until late at night.

They have to fend for themselves and make their own meals and use the cooker and other dangerous kitchen equipment. When I go round to check on them they pretend that their mum is in the house, but I don’t believe she is. I never see her.”

The NSPCC is warning that although a child may seem responsible enough to be left alone without supervision, parents and carers should think carefully whether they would be able to cope with unexpected situations such as an emergency, a stranger calling at the house, being hungry or if the parent is away for longer than they thought.

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said: “Deciding if a child is ready to be left on their own can be a very difficult decision and the summer holidays can be a difficult time for parents and carers as they face increasing childcare pressures.

“Although there is no minimum age, no child should be left on their own if there is any risk they will come to harm."

To help parents and carers who may be considering whether or not to leave their child on their own for the first time this summer, the NSPCC is issuing guidance on leaving children home alone on its website.”

Key advice includes:

 Babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone.

 Children under the age of 12 are rarely mature enough to cope in an emergency and should

not be left at home alone for a long period of time.

 Children under the age of 16 should not be left alone overnight.

 Parents and carers can be prosecuted for neglect if it is judged that they placed a child at risk by leaving them at home alone.

 A child should never be left at home alone if they do not feel comfortable with it, regardless of their age.

 If a child has additional needs, these should be considered when leaving them at home alone or with an older sibling.

 When leaving a younger child with an older sibling think about what may happen if they were to have a falling out - would they both be safe?

There were 41 referrals last year (2016/17) to local agencies in Northamptonshire and 43 referrals made in 2015/16.

There were eight calls and emails from people in Northamptonshire last year (2016/17) seeking advice about children being left home alone following seven received in 2015/16.

Mr Wanless said: “Children mature at their own rate so it’s really important parents think carefully about what is right for their child.

“Children shouldn’t be left on their own if they are not happy with being left, or if they don’t know what to do in an emergency.”
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Complaints from worried members of the public in Northamptonshire included:

“My neighbour has gone away overnight and left their 10 year old home alone. This isn’t the first time this has happened. They have an older brother but he doesn’t live there. The child comes to my house when their mum goes away because they don’t want to be on their own.”

“There’s somebody who lives around the corner who keeps leaving their two children at home on their own. When their dad is not there the children fight and shout. One is a lot older and bigger than the other and I’m worried that they’re being hurt. I feel like someone should be there to intervene and stop them”

“Their dad is going away for work for days at a time, leaving the three children on their own. He comes back at weekends, even though the children are teenagers I don’t think it’s fair or responsible for them to be left for so long on their own. It’s been going on for about six months now”

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The NSPCC’s Childline service provides a safe, confidential place for children with no one else to turn to, whatever their worry, whenever they need help. Children can contact Childline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0800 1111 or by visiting www.childline.org.uk.

Another free helpline provides adults with a place they can get advice and support, share their concerns about a child or get general information about child protection. Adults can contact the helpline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0808 800 5000, by texting 88858 or visiting www.nspcc.org.uk.

A Daventry school has received double the praise in the space of three working days from two different inspectors.

Staverton CE Primary School was deemed 'good' in an Ofsted report days after a separate inspection had found the school to be "outstanding."

The Ofsted inspector said the school provides a good quality of education and that it is "is extremely well led and managed"

The report recognised that the present headteacher took rapid action to raise standards on her appointment and that leaders and governors are "aspirational for the pupils."

Staff were described as being "overwhelmingly positive about the school" while pupils are proud of it and appreciate the array of opportunities provided for them.

The inspector found that "parents hold the school and its staff in high esteem" with all parents stating they would recommend the school to others.

Headteacher, Ruth Walker-Green said: "It is a privilege to work with such a committed group of staff and governors, fantastic children and extremely supportive parents.

"The whole school community is delighted that the strengths of the school have been recognised."

Prior to the Ofsted visit, Staverton CE Primary School was adjudged to be an outstanding church school after an inspection carried out under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005.

The inspector found Staverton to be a school where Christian values ensure a commitment to "the all-round development of each child with a focus on ensuring all pupils achieve."

These values are extended by religious education and strengthened by "vibrant and inspirational worship."

"Pupils grow as confident, compassionate and responsible people who have due regard to care for self and care for others," read the report.

To celebrate the end of their successful academic year the school hosted its summer show, Aladdin Trouble.

"All the children and staff in Key Stage 2 have worked tremendously hard to stage such a superb pantomime," said Mrs Walker-Green.

"I am extremely proud of them all."