Popular channel 4 television programme Come Dine With Me is casting in Daventry.
The show sees four strangers from the same area cook a three course meal for each other while being scored in secret.
At the end of the four days the person with the highest score wins a £1,000 prize.
To apply to be on the show email cdwm@itv.com and contact us if you get chosen.
AN OPEN day to raise funds for the charity Help For Heroes will be held at a newly-opened salon in Daventry.
Medusa Touch, which is based at the Abbey Retail Park, will be holding the fun day as part of its official opening on tomorrow (Saturday) from 2pm. There will be a tombola, face painting, braiding and a name the teddy competition.
There will also be a raffle with prizes including a hamper worth £100, a colour and cut at the salon worth £80 and a month’s membership at Everyone Active’s Daventry Leisure Centre. These will be given away alongside meals and supermarket vouchers.
Funds will be donated to Help for Heroes as the owner Shirley Tebbutt’s son Aidan James O’Brien, a sergeant for the First Battalion of Grenadiers Guards, will be returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
She said: “I was hoping he would be back for the open day but there will be a friend of his in military uniform.
“It is a fantastic cause and does a lot of good work in supporting the servicemen who have been injured during combat. People don’t hear about all of the good work that the charity do.”
TALKS of bringing tennis courts to the New Street Recreation Ground in the town are now underway.
A Daventry District Councillor told the Daventry Express discussions were taking place with the Lawn Tennis Association to try to agree some funding for the site.
Economic, regeneration and employment portfolio holder for DDC, Cllr Chris Over, said: “Talks are taking place and it is possible that we might benefit from grant aid from the LTA.
“I think tennis courts would be a wonderful addition to the recreation ground, a really positive attribute, and if the LTA come on board it would be a lovely way to celebrate Olympic season and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.”
The New Street Recreational Ground Project Team, a group set up to lead the Rec development project, have been meeting to secure site funding and solidify plans for the area.
In August, DDC opened a public consultation to ask Daventry residents what they would like to see on the Rec.
More than 1,500 children responded telling DDC they wanted monkey bars, swings, a skateboard ramp and a water play area, among other things.
Adults also expressed a wish for facilities like shading and seats as well as wanting high fencing and gates to ensure child safety.
Member of the NSRGPT, Cllr Lynne Taylor, said: “Designs for the site will be based on responses from the consultation as well as our own ideas. It will be about what children and families want.”
As yet there is no date for the completion of the play area and skate park project but Cllr Over said DDC expected to see a report on plans next year.
The total cost of the project is predicted to be £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.
POLICE are stepping up patrols in targeted areas of the town in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour over the Halloween and Bonfire Night weekends.
An increased number of patrols will be out in the Southbrook and Ashby Fields areas as well as the town centre.
The more visible police presence comes alongside warnings to the public to be extra careful during the autumn events.
Temporary inspector for the Daventry Safer Community Team, Paul Valentine, said: “We will be deploying more officers than usual in the areas where there has been problems in the past. This is work which is designed to be preventative but we’ll be ready to step in should anything serious happen.”
Police have also issued cautionary advice for people to heed over the next two weekends.
Insp Valentine added: “If you are a young child and thinking of going out trick or treating, then I would encourage people to go out with someone responsible.
“Please be aware there are some people who do not want to participate in the events so be responsible and treat others with respect.
“I would urge teenagers to not go out trick or treating because, especially for older people, it can be intimidating having a group of teenagers knocking on the door.
“Also go to an organised fireworks display rather than having one at home. And if you do, don’t drink alcohol at the same time.”
A GOVERNMENT decision to grant planning permission for 132 homes in Long Buckby has left villagers feeling devastated.
The proposal for the homes on the west side of Station Road was given approval following a decision made by the Government’s planning inspectorate on Friday (October 19).
The application, by Hallam Land Management, had gone to appeal after the proposal was turned down by Daventry District Council earlier this year. The developers have been told that, following a planning inquiry heard at the beginning of September, they had won the appeal and homes would now be built.
The controversial scheme, and another for the opposite side of the road, had led to a campaign group, Buckby Residents Against Controversial Estates (BRACE), being set up.
BRACE leader Liz Barnard said: “Everyone I have spoken to in the village is absolutely devastated by the decision. There is a lot of unhappiness among people I have heard from.
“Everything in the village will inconceivably change from what we have right now.
“The laws are in the middle of changing and there is a vacuum out there at the moment.
“There are a lot of opportunistic proposals that are going in at the moment and these are developments which will change places like Long Buckby, not just now but for the future generations of the village.”
Another villager Matthew Kinross, said: “It is, to say the least, ironic that the public notice for the district council’s settlements and countryside local plan was published on the Thursday of last week.
“It is tempting to say ‘why bother?’ as, by the time it is complete, our fields will be full of unplanned houses, and the roads overloaded with traffic – none of which will have been planned for.”
The planning inspector said in his report that a shortage of housing supply over the next five years had led to his decision.
A second housing scheme, consisting of 107 homes on the opposite side of the road, will be subject of a planning inquiry next month.
It is due to be held at the iCon building on Tuesday, November 6.
THE East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has responded to calls for a public meeting in Daventry to discuss the future of its service.
Last week two Daventry District councillors criticised the decision of EMAS to hold public meetings in Northampton. Now EMAS chiefs have announced they will hold a meeting for Daventry residents on December 3 to discuss its ‘Being the Best’ proposals package.
East Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive Phil Milligan said: “We are keen to give as many people as possible the chance to come and hear about proposals, tell us what they think and provide feedback which will help us to shape the future of EMAS so that we offer the very best service.”
EMAS say their proposals to create 131 community ambulance posts, standby points and purpose-built hubs, or ‘super stations,’ are designed to make the service more efficient.
These hubs and standby points will replace the existing 66 ambulance stations based across the East Midlands, which includes the one in Staverton Road Daventry.
Under the new proposals Daventry’s nearest ‘hub’, where staff can collect their equipment and clean their vehicles, would be based in Northampton.
The plans show two community ambulance posts/standby points in the Daventry area which are areas for crews to wait at for calls but which have no rest facilities for paramedics.
These plans have come under scrutiny by Cllr Wendy Randall who feels Daventry will not be served well enough without an ambulance hub in the area.
She said: “I am concerned that there are more standby points on the map drawn up by EMAS than ambulances and this could lead to delays in responding to Daventry calls.
“What I would like to see is a hub in Daventry.”
You can share your views on the consultation until December 17 at a meeting held at the Saints Rugby Ground, Northampton, on Friday, November 9, at 10am and The Abbey, Daventry, on December 3, from 6.30pm until 8pm.
Anyone wishing to attend the Northampton meeting should confirm their attendance on 0116 286 9378 or by email on gulnaz.katchi@emas.nhs.uk.
CREATING a wildflower meadow in Daventry has been put forward by a councillor.
Chris Over, who sits on Daventry District Council, has proposed the project saying it could help wildlife, provide a pleasant place for people to go, and could involve schools and the wider community.
Cllr Over said: “Concern has been expressed nationally about the decrease in bees, moths and butterflies, the impact of modern farming, intense cultivation and Northamptonshire is far from being an exception.
“As a significant land owner, we [DDC] might be able to do our bit to address this issue.
“Land on Borough Hill – perhaps a little remote – or an area of pasture within Daventry Country Park conservation area might be earmarked for such a project.
“An area of pasture within Daventry Country Park conservation area might be earmarked for such a project.”
Daventry Country Park is a designated ‘local nature reserve’ and has a green flag for its conservation work.
In the past four years a campaign, also championed by Cllr Over and the Daventry Express, led to the park and the land between it and the Grand Union Canal being declared a conservation area to help protect it from insensitive development.
Borough Hill is also a renowned site for wild plants, a local wildlife site and scheduled ancient monument.
The hill is characterised as ‘lowland dry acid grassland’ and is one of the few undeveloped or farmed areas of such a type in the county.
Cllr Over said: “An area for wildflowers not only provides a place for those plants, some of which are in decline across the area, but it also provides a habitat for insects like butterflies and bees.
“In turn that can help other animals like birds, dormice, voles and bats.
“I feel certain that such an ecological project would be popular, particularly with our schools and young citizens.
“If we can get schoolchildren, other groups and the community involved in creating the meadow they will also feel they have a stake in it as well.
“Three or four acres, but a small part of either site, set aside for this project preferably at the country park should be ample, and go some way to providing habitat for endangered species and become an area of public interest, not least for our budding ecologists.”
A DAVENTRY school has set up an innovative scheme to help ease the transition for youngsters from primary to secondary education.
The new student ambassadors programme has been launched by the Parker E-ACT Academy (formerly William Parker School).
It will see specially trained academy students heading out to primary schools to help organise events and lessons, while primary school children get the chance to visit the secondary school for special taster sessions.
Dawn Petch is head of transitions at the academy and in charge of helping new pupils adjust.
She said: “We relaunched as an academy in September and I’m new here as well so it’s a new idea and a new approach.
“We want to change perceptions of what was William Parker and is now Parker E-ACT.
“I decided the students would have to apply to these positions, with forms countersigned by parents. There are 34 ambassadors, but we had more than 200 applications.”
To prepare for their role, the new ambassadors underwent two days of training on Thursday and Friday last week.
They will then be heading out to primary schools in the Daventry area to help develop and lead younger pupils in various activities designed to help ease the transition between junior and secondary education.
Mrs Petch said: “The ambassadors will be able to teach certain lessons such as those titled ‘My Amazing Body’ or ‘I’m An Amazing Learner’.
“The idea is to stimulate the learning of pupils in years three, four and five.
“Pupils at primary schools also won’t have had a lot of experiences you expect at secondary school.
“Things like doing a science experiment in a lab that causes a little explosion, or doing drama in a proper drama studio.”
POLICE officers have started work at Wimborne Place on the Ashby Fields estate in Daventry to bring an end to antisocial behaviour.
Members of the Daventry Safer Community Team are working with Daventry District Council and Enterprise to bring an end to the problems which has seen broken glass left on a playground.
Temporary inspector for the Daventry Safer Community Team Paul Valentine said: “We are pooling all our resources and seeing if we can come up with a solution.
“For instance, we have heard there is broken glass and anecdotally from people, that there are needles up there, we want to make sure that is cleared up as quickly as possible.
“This is not a big problem for us at the moment but we want to prevent it from becoming a major issue for us in the future.
“We will also look to work with some of the young people to find out why they are doing this and also make them aware of their actions.”
THE standard of bin collections in the Daventry district has been slammed following a report.
Enterprise Management Services (EMS) gained the contact to carry out the management of the environmental services, including bin collections and maintaining grass verges and open spaces, from Daventry District Council (DDC) and Northampton Borough Council (NBC).
NBC has made public the findings of an independent report into the performance of EMS and data released by the council has shown the target of 240 missed bins per month was exceeded from April to September 2012.
Reacting to the report’s findings, DDC deputy chief executive Simon Bovey said: “We are supportive of NBC commissioning this independent review.
“We are also carrying out our own review of the environmental services contract via our scrutiny and improvement committee and work on this is well under way.
“While there are different performance issues for Daventry District and Northampton Borough, we expect the contract to deliver the expected level of service for all residents in both areas.
“We have established direct links with the management of EMS to address performance issues, in addition to the partnership unit hosted by NBC.”
Other key issues identified in the report include the number of missed bin collections, a lack of training of staff and a failure to maintain grass verges and open spaces to an acceptable standard.
Councillor David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council, said he accepted there had been some ‘failings’ in the way the council had managed the contract.
He said: “We have acted immediately to put better controls in place and now I am expecting Enterprise to do what needs to be done to provide the quality of service that we expect for people in Northampton.
“We will be monitoring the contract very closely in future and I will be expecting Enterprise to tackle the issues identified and their causes immediately.”
“The penalties should show Enterprise that we mean business. All we want is for people to see an improvement in services.
“We now know what we need to do to improve on our side. We will be expecting Enterprise to do the same.”
The report, which was carried out by the waste firm Beasley Associates Ltd, concluded the biggest issue was the failure to hit monthly targets for “missed bins”.
YOUNGSTERS can enjoy a free spooky Hallowe’en at the town’s country park on Wednesday (October 31).
There will be scavenger hunts and a terrifying ghost walk.
People can register at the visitors’ centre from 3.15pm to 3.45pm. The walk will start at 4.45pm and end at 6.30pm.
All children must be accompanied by an adult and are advised to take torches with them.
Cllr Alan Hills said: “These activities are certain to be a thrilling affair and will give youngsters something to do during the half-term holiday, completely for free.
“Daventry Country Park is a wonderful location as well so I would encourage mums and dads to take their children along and enjoy the fun.”
Travis Perkins has sponsored the event and the 4th Daventry Cub Scout group will be helping with the campfire and donating their time free of charge.
To take part you need to print out and fill in a form from {http://www.daventrydc.gov.uk/daventrycalling|Daventry District Council|DDC} and take it along on the day.
RESIDENTS are being warned about cold-callers following complaints received by Northamptonshire County Council’s trading standards service.
Trading standards have received several complaints from worried consumers who have been quoted a price to have moss removed from their roof, then found that the price has increased or they felt that they have been pressured into having unnecessary work done.
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) Ltd, the UK’s oldest roofing trade association, has been receiving an unprecedented number of calls from members of the public, who have been approached about moss removal, which is usually followed up with the tiles being painted in order, so it is claimed, to prolong the life of the roof.
While NFRC is a dedicated roofing trade association that has been around for over 120 years they have never recognised the practice of moss removal or roof painting as a true roofing discipline. The reason being, in most instances, moss on roof tiles is rarely a problem and only needs to be removed if it is blocking gutters, outlets and other drainage points on the roof. Most techniques that they have come across to remove moss, are often achieved by violent means such as power-washing, which may cause damage to the roof, especially when combined with unnecessary foot traffic often leading to cracked or broken roof tiles.
The removal of the moss is often followed up by painting the roof tiles. There are claims that this can increase the thermal efficiency of roofs as well as extending the life of the roof tiles, but unless the products carry credible UK based, third party accreditation we would urge members of the public to view any claims with extreme caution.
Councillor Ben Smith, cabinet member for environment said: “Our advice is always very clear – don’t buy goods or services from someone who cold calls at your door. Our simple message, which is supported by Northamptonshire Police, is IF YOU’RE NOT SURE DON’T OPEN THE DOOR.
“If you do wish to have work done on your property, we recommend you use the Buy With Confidence scheme, which is operated by trading standards. Traders who are part of the scheme are stringently vetted and continuously monitored for legal compliance.”
To find a trader who is a member of the Buy With Confidence scheme visit the {www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/approvedtraders|approved traders|NCC} website.
Trading standards can supply a double-sided ‘No Cold Calling’ sticker so that residents can send a message that they don’t cold callers. For a sticker or a leaflet about doorstep crime please e-mail tradestd@northamptonshire.gov.uk.
A DAVENTRY charity that helps to rehabilitate people who have suffered strokes and brain injuries has received a grant of over £4,000 from Daventry District Council to help pay for specialist gym equipment.
Reach for Help is a registered charity that provides support for people with physical and mental disabilities to help improve their lifestyle through regular exercise, rehabilitation and nutrition advice.
As part of their falls prevention scheme to reduce the incidence and impact of falls among the older population, the charity wanted to buy eight items of specialist gym equipment.
They applied to Daventry District Council (DDC) for some capital grant funding and have been awarded £4,452 towards the cost of the new equipment.
Voluntary and community organisations can apply to DDC for capital grant funding of up to £15,000 for up to 50% of the total project cost for things like equipment and refurbishment costs.
DDC chief executive Ian Vincent said: “It’s great that we have been able to assist this charity through our capital grants scheme and I hope that the new gym equipment makes a real difference to its users.”
Any organisations that want more information about the capital grants scheme can contact Katie Arnold at Daventry District Council on 01327 871100.
AN environmental crime campaign targeting littering and dog fouling is being held in Daventry town centre during November.
Daventry District Council (DDC ) is launching the campaign after feedback from residents in the district who say that litter and dog fouling is one of their biggest concerns.
Officers from DDC, Northamptonshire Police and the Council’s environmental services contractor Enterprise will be patrolling the town centre intermittently throughout November to help educate and raise awareness of the issues to members of the public, and also enforce the law when necessary.
Anyone who is identified being caught littering or allowing their dogs to foul illegally will then have to pay a fixed penalty notice or face the possibility of being taken to court.
The campaign will eventually be taken to other villages within the Daventry District including planned patrols in known hotspot areas.
Ian Vincent, Chief Executive at Daventry District Council, said: “This multi-agency campaign in Daventry will see us proactively working to promote and educate the public with regard to dog fouling and littering in the district.
“The campaign will hopefully raise awareness and encourage people to take a shared responsibility and positive action on these issues, and help communities to keep their area clean.”
Any money raised from enforcement fines are ring-fenced and go back towards the cost of enforcement at the Council.
Anyone can report incidents of littering or dog fouling by contacting Daventry District Council on 01327 871100 or email environmentalimprovement@daventrydc.gov.uk.
AS THOUSANDS of concessionary bus passes approach their expiration date, Northamptonshire County Council is asking passengers to plan ahead to avoid any delay on re-issues.
Following the introduction of the over 60s national concessionary bus pass scheme back in 2008, around 50,000 passes will be due to expire on the same date – March 31, 2012.
To help manage the renewal process the county council is asking those whose bus pass will expire at the end of March next year to plan ahead as part of a phased programme.
People should visit a library to renew their pass during the month allocated to their surname: November A-E; December F-J; January K-O; February P-T, March U-Z.
Cllr Heather Smith said: “It would be impossible for library staff to process that many applications at the same time.
“By taking this phased approach, we can help avoid any delays or disappointment for customers and make sure the renewal process runs as smoothly as possible.”
Northamptonshire County Council says it can maintain the road network to an “adequate standard”, in the wake of a Government watchdog’s report which says reduced funding risks worsening the quality of the highways.
A 28 per cent real-term drop in grants from the Department for Transport (DfT) to local authorities in the period up to 2014-15 will lead to poorer road and higher long-term costs, a report released by the National Audit Office (NAO) today has claimed.
But the county council says it now maintains roads through an initiative to keep them at an acceptable standard, rather than spending the “many millions of pounds” it would take to bring them up to a good standard.
The NAO report says: “Against the background of reduced and sometimes uncertain central government funding, the local authorities that we spoke to said that they are having to prioritise and reduce their expenditure on transport. Reduced overall funding for local authorities risks worsening highway quality.”
A county council spokesman said: “We are tackling our financial challenges through a new initiative that has changed the way we carry out maintenance works and ensures the service standards for road repairs are affordable.
“The strategy has helped the council keep roads to an adequate standard through clever use of the resources available.”
THE residents of Braunston and Welton have a more direct way of feeding their views back to Daventry District Council.
District councillor Abigail Campbell launched ‘street surgeries’ in June after being elected to her post in May and has since teamed up with others in the community to speak directly to villagers.
She said: “We tend to do a surgery every four to six weeks. I do it jointly with our PCSO and sometimes with our local Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator.”
The street surgeries team will be out on Tuesday, November 27 and Saturday, December 15.
THE MP for the Daventry district has welcomed comments made by the energy minister about wind turbines.
Tory energy minister John Hayes said the UK had {http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/9644558/Death-knell-for-wind-farms-Enough-is-Enough-says-minister.html|‘enough onshore wind turbines’|Telegraph} and also called for reviews into the noise they produce and their impact on the landscape.
Daventry MP Chris Heaton-Harris has been a vocal campaigner against onshore turbines.
He said: “Obviously I’m very pleased that the minister has and understanding that there are lots of issues around onshore turbines. The fact that we’re having a review into noise and public health issues connected to turbines is important because that’s what lots of people in the Daventry area have spoken to me about, and commented on during the planning process for these wind power stations. It really is a big deal for local people.
“Hopefully the reviews won’t take too long. I’d expect looking into turbine noise will take some time because it’s technical. But I’d like to think that early in the new year they’ll be some results.
“It’s important for local people and planning authorities to have this information – whether it shows there is a problem, or that there is not a problem. Either way people need to see the evidence.”
POLICE in Daventry have issued two Section 59 warnings to riders in relation to reports of motorcycle nuisance on a number of the town’s estates.
In the last week or so, bike riders have been causing a nuisance to residents on the Southbrook, Grange and Stefen Hill estates.
PCSO Adam Colton, of Daventry Safer Community Team, said: “We have issued two warnings and we will be looking to seize other bikes and prosecute for road traffic offences in the near future.
“These people have been riding the bikes around the school finish times and parents are worried that, because of the way the bikes are being ridden, somebody may get injured.
“Riding around the estates causes alarm, harassment and distress for a number of residents on these estates.
“We would ask members of the public to contact us with any reports of motorcycle nuisance and with any information as to who is riding the bikes.”
CCTV in Daventry town centre helped police and town centre wardens deal with 85 incidents in just six weeks – more than two per day.
The figures were presented to Daventry Town Council on Monday evening by Sgt Sam Dobbs from Daventry Police.
The figures show the cameras helped with the incidents between August 22 and October 1. Of those 76 per cent per cent were related to criminal and antisocial behaviour. Other incidents involved public safety and welfare, and community support.
Deborah Jewell, town clerk, said: “The figures are very positive and show we have a proactive system in place between the town council, police and Davenry Business Partnership.”
The town council took over running the CCTV network earlier this year after Daventry District Council pulled its funding.
The cameras monitored from a control room on one of the town’s industrial estates.
For more on this plus planned to expand CCTV monitoring over the festive period, see the Daventry Express.