A NEW martial arts centre will be officially opening its doors on Saturday.

G Force Martial Arts Centre, based on Alvis Way on the Royal Oak Industrial Estate, will be hosting the fun packed day for the whole family.

It was due to be officially opened in March but the bad weather saw the event was postponed.

Guests joining the grand opening on Saturday include The Bruce Sistaz who were semi-finalists on the ITV series Britain’s Got Talent in 2011.

Owner Gordon Burcham said: “What a great day this will be, we have some exciting special guests including the Bruce Sistaz from the renowned TV show Britain’s Got Talent where they will be performing some kicks and tricks on centre stage at noon.”

Engineering firm Cummins has revealed that up to 150 jobs are at risk at its plant on the Royal Oak Industrial Estate in Daventry.

One of the biggest employers in the town, Cummins based on the Royal Oak industrial estate, confirmed the plans yesterday afternoon (Wednesday).

It comes just six months after another wave of redundancies at the firm when 98 people lost their jobs.

Jon Mills from the company said: “We’re doing everything we can to mitigate the impact on employees.”

Mr Mills said staff were being consulted about the proposed job cuts, which would be made in June, but added that compulsory redundancies were “more than likely”.

The councillor in charge of employment in the district, Cllr Chris Over, was shocked to hear the news.

Cllr Over, econonomic, regeneration and employment portfolio holder for Daventry District Council, said: “My thoughts are with the families of those people affected by the news. This is will be a blow to them and the local economy.

“Cummins is an important part of the town because of the manufacturing side of things and we have put a lot of emphasis on the future of the town based around manufacturing.

“This is very bad news for the people of Daventry.”

He hoped Cummins would soon be in a position to start taking on staff again soon.

Cllr Over added: “In previous years when Cummins has announced job losses, it has been in a position to take on staff and I would hope this would happen again.”

Back in October last year, Cummins revealed that 98 people were made redundant due to reductions in demand across all key business sectors including mining and power generation.

Four years ago a total 330 jobs were also lost following two rounds of redundancies.

However, Cummins, which manufactures industrial-sized diesel engines, had seemed to be bucking the trend in the current recession when announcing, in April this year, they were creating 70 new jobs.

Cummins opened in 1973 and currently employs 1,100 in the town.

TWO planning applications for wind turbines will be discussed by Daventry District Council planners on Wednesday evening.

The first application is for two turbines standing 71 metres to the tip of the blades on land south of Banbury Road at Canons Ashby.

Objections have been raised by Preston Capes Parish Council and English Heritage who highlighted the impact on the nearby listed Canons Ashby House and its church St Mary’s.

The opinion is backed by DDC’s own conservation officer who says: “What contribution will the scheme make to renewable energy targets? Are there real and significant public benefits that would outweigh the harm to the designated heritage assets?”

The second scheme is for Long Furlong Farm near Catesby where a 45-dmetre turbine is proposed.

Both applications have been recommended for approval by officers.

Community groups can find out more about funding opportunities available to them at a funding fair later this month.

The Daventry District Funding Fair is on Monday, April 29, in the Saxon Suite at Daventry Leisure Centre from noon to 2pm.

Organised by Daventry District Council and supported by Daventry District Housing, the free event will enable groups looking to raise funds to speak to the funding bodies to find out what funding and support is available.

Agencies attending the fair so far include Daventry Volunteer Centre, The Big Lottery Fund, Northamptonshire Community Foundation, Northants ACRE and Daventry Town Council. For more information, contact Katie Arnold at DDC on 01327 871100 or email karnold@daventrydc.gov.uk

A new website and social media presence mark the official launch of the Daventry Business Forum this week.

A handful of people have been working to create a platform for communication and promotion of their businesses in the town, lead by managing director of Market New Media Ben Lloyd.

He said: “For me personally this is a new project that holds a lot of challenges but I’m willing to give it a shot, I hope others will be too.”

He added: “The biggest challenge will be to get enough of the town centre business owners involved in the forum to ensure it acts for the best interests of the entire town and helps promote Daventry as a pro-active town centre that people can shop in and enjoy spending time around.”

Business owners are being encouraged to attend upcoming meetings where the forum can establish their main common goals and objectives.

Mr Lloyd is also asking anyone interested in joining the forum to go to the new website and register their interest and interact with the forum on Twitter and Facebook.

Daventry Town Council and leader of DDC Cllr Chris Millar have already pledged their support and offered advice and guidance to businesses. Mr Lloyd said: “I am a little apprehensive following some comments from town centre business owners about the concept but I am willing to give it a go for the benefit of those that are willing to input and promoting their business along with the town centre.”

To register your interest in the forum, visit {http://www.daventrybusinessforum.co.uk|daventrybusinessforum.co.uk|Daventry Business Forum}.

Engineering firm Cummins has revealed this morning (Friday) the reasons for job losses announced earlier this week.

The firm announced on Wednesday that up to 150 jobs could be lost at the plant on the Royal Oak Industrial Estate which currently employs 1,100 employees.

A Cummins spokesman said: “Economic uncertainty is expected to continue into 2013 and the weak global markets continue to impact all Cummins business units. In an effort to respond to the weak demand, we are taking actions to manage costs, which includes workforce reductions.

“This is difficult for Cummins and difficult for our employees and we are taking a careful and thoughtful approach.

“By taking action now Cummins will be prepared to emerge stronger and more quickly from the economic downturn.”

Cummins has also revealed it is still committed to the town.

The workers will be lost from the shop floor and the office. The statement also said it hoped to keep the job losses lower than 150.

A man was arrested on Thursday, April 18, in Daventry after a joint police operation on Daventry’s Southbrook estate.

Following concerns about nuisance raised by local residents, officers from Daventry Safer Community Team together with Daventry District Housing (DDH) carried out a joint operation in Beatty Close yesterday. Twelve constables and PCSOs, joined by three officials from DDH forced entry to four garages on Beatty Close.

The garages, which were currently not being let, showed signs of being in use.

The wall between two garages had been knocked down and appeared to be in use as a makeshift garage.

A car and a motorbike were seized from the garage.

A 35-year-old man from Daventry was arrested in connection with the use of the garage.

Cara Wilkinson, from Daventry District Housing, said: “We carried out a joint operation with local officers following concerns by local residents about use of the garages.

“We have now boarded up the garages and will decide whether to repair or demolish them.”

Sergeant Sam Dobbs, from Daventry Safer Community Team, said: “We have a close working relationship with Daventry District Council and, where we identify local issue or concerns, we will continue to work with the relevant authorities to ensure Daventry remains a safe and friendly place to live and work.”

Students aged 16 to 23 are being offered free apprenticeships as part of an initiative to improve employment rates in the area.

The decision comes after financial costs were found to be the main barrier for young people and employers considering apprenticeships in a recent consultation. This new strategy will cover Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships.

Speaking on behalf of the college, Simon Stewart said: “Apprenticeships are a fantastic way of building a career in today’s world.

“More and more employers are seeing apprenticeships as a strategic method of developing their business.”

Northampton College has a number of initiatives that are already proving succesful in encouraging young people back to work.

Outreach with local businesses and schools, CV workshops and tailored job clubs have arguably been behind the 25 per cent rise in apprenticeship applications to the college over the past year.

Chris Boland, who completed an apprenticeship with the college, now runs his own company.

He said: “The apprenticeship is key to giving me the work experience I need to get me to where I am now. I couldn’t have done it without it.”

For more information on the apprenticeships available, visit www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk/business

Staff at St James Infant School are inviting ex-pupils back in May to celebrate the school’s centenary.

Anyone with old school photographs or memorabilia is invited to get in touch with Debbie Tucker on 07815 914827. Celebrations will begin on Thursday, May 16 and continue to Saturday, May 18 when the school will host a summer fair.

A Daventry teenager has fulfilled a lifelong ambition after making his professional football debut.

Seventeen-year-old Ryan Haynes made his first start for Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday by playing left back in the Sky Blues’ 1-1 draw with Brentford.

He has progressed through the academy since the age of 8 and was delighted to play the full 90 minutes with the League One side.

Former William Parker student, Ryan, said: “I really enjoyed it and it was a great experience to get out on the pitch. I was told a few days before that I would be starting the game so I had plenty of time to get myself ready for it.

“I was quite pleased with my performance. There were a few little things that I could have done differently but everyone makes mistakes and the important thing is to learn from them.”

Ryan is now working on further developing his talents.

He added: “It has been really encouraging as the manager has been wanting to give the youngsters a chance.

“It would be nice to get some more games but the first choice left back has just come back from injury.

“At the moment, all I want to do is play football, it’s all I have ever wanted to do so I’m just happy to have made my debut.

“A big thank you to my mum and dad and to everyone at the academy, I wouldn’t have been here without them.”

His mum, Debbie, said: “We are really proud of him. We had a text to say he was going to start so we hadsome time to get excited and nervous for him.

“Both Bryan (Ryan’s dad) and I were able to get to the game and cheer him on. It was an amazing feeling .

“The academy at Coventry has been fantastic in helping him and it has been really positive. He has wanted to be a professional footballer for a long time and we are all delighted for him.”

Plans for a new building in Daventry for the mental health service MIND have been given approval following a meeting.

Daventry District Council’s (DDC) strategy group met on Thursday last week to approve the proposal which will see it developed in Jubilee Road.

The service is currently based near to the library which is due to be demolished under plans for the town centre vision drawn up by DDC.

This has meant DDC needed to find a new building for Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) in which to host MIND.

One of the leaders of MIND in the town believes the new building can have a number of benefits to the clients.

Mary Doyle, service manager for Daventry and District MIND, said: “We are very pleased that the new building has now been given the go-ahead.

“It will make a lot of difference to the people in Daventry.

“Because we are dealing with people with mental health problems, we wanted somewhere quite centrally near to all of the amenities the town has to offer, but also somewhere where our people who visit us feel safe.

“This new building means we are near the leisure centre which we use for activities.

“It was also key for us to be near a bus stop as a lot of 
our clients come in from villages around the district and it is very important to us that they can still access the service.”

Mrs Doyle said she hoped the move would come in the near future.

She added: “We are not quite sure when it is going to be built because it ties into the redevelopment of the town. But we are looking forward to being able to use it when it is finished.”

A report seen by councillors prior to determining the application stated the building is set to be constructed starting in the summer and into January 2014 to enable staff to be transferred to the new site.

The report also state s that work on site 1, where the current MIND building is located, will start in May 2014 subject to planning permission. This development, known as Mulbery Place, will see a new library, cinema and shopping area. It says: “Relocation of NCC’s mental health service provider is an essential component in enabling the development of the site.”

Costs for the MIND building have not yet been revealed by DDC.

The reduction of a carriageway on the Stefen Hill Estate should help to prevent speeding on the road.

County Highways engineers plan to reline the cycle ways and central white line on Christchurch Drive after residents expressed their concerns about the road to Cllr Chris Long. The plans should reduce the road width from three lanes to two, forcing vehicles to slow down. Once these measures have been introduced the speed of vehicles will be monitored to judge the effectiveness of the changes.

Residents also expressed concerns regarding low visibility on the road’s bend. It is hoped these new measures should encourage vehicles into the centre of the road providing better visibility for those emerging from Merton Road and Pembroke Way.

As a final improvement several potholes have already been repaired on the road.

Tackling anti-social behaviour in Daventry is the top priority for the new police inspector Helen Pritchett.

Inspector Pritchett, who has taken on the role of sector commander for the district, warned lighter nights can mean more crime.

She said: “We are starting to get light longer into the evenings and this is traditionally a time when anti-social behaviour becomes a problem, especially when the schools break up.”

“We will be having officers door knocking to speak to them about their concerns and worries. We will be asking for residents’ help.

“We are very aware that we can take all of the enforcement action that we like, however, that will not change everyone’s behaviour. We will look to try to affect this change.”

She will be looking to build on the figures released last week by Northamptonshire Police that showed that of the seven policing sectors, Daventry had cut its anti-social behaviour by the most.

Insp Pritchett added: “The figures show it was down 20 per cent year on year.

“There has been a lot of good work carried out by previous officers in the town but we want to build on those figures and hopefully improve them.”

It has been a return to her routes for Insp Pritchett, who grew up in the town and still lives in the district.

She has worked at Northamptonshire Police for the last 27 years and previously served as a uniform officer in Towcester and Northampton. Her last job in the force was as sector commander for Towcester where spent the last 12 months.

Insp Pritchett added: “There are different challenges to policing Daventry and South Northants.

“In somewhere like Northampton, there are clearer targets in crime and areas to crack down.

“In the rural areas, there is more of an emphasis on community policing and you have to take a different approach.”

She has been in the job for the past three weeks and already believes she can make a difference to the area.

Insp Pritchett added: “There is a chance to do a lot of positive partnership work in Daventry and make a real difference to the wider community.

“It has been a very busy few weeks but it is a very different challenge and one that I am looking forward to.”

Crime in Daventry fell by 15.5 per cent between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013 according to statistics released by Northamptonshire Police this week but the town saw a spike in incidents of sexual offences.

Daventry saw the biggest reduction in criminal damage across the county, which was down by 23.3 per cent, however the town saw an 18.2 per cent increase in the number of sexual offences. The increase was second only to South Northants which increased by 25 per cent.

Overall the results for the town are generally positive with the 15.5 per cent decrease in crime equating to 687 fewer victims and the town seeing a 15.8 per cent reduction in drug offences and 8.7 per cent reduction in robbery. This compares with a 8.1 per cent decrease in drug offences across the county as a whole and a 12.4 per cent decrease in robbery.

Across Northamptonshire there have been a 2,593 fewer victims of crime, a reduction in crime of 5.2 per cent.

A last-minute Easter Egg tombola by the Alzheimer’s Society managed to raise £200 recently.

Money from the Alzheimer’s Society Easter Eggstravaganza will go towards providing help and support for both carers and people with dementia in the local area.

The tombola, which was originally cancelled due to the snow, was held at the Daventry Leisure Centre at very short notice.

The volunteer fundraisers would like to thank the management for their help and assistance and allowing them to borrow tables and other equipment for the event.

A TELEVISION film crew was spotted in the area this week compiling footage for part of a new travel series.

The show, which is as yet untitled, visited Fawsley Hall and Daventry’s Evergreen Art Cafe.

Evergreen Art Cafe owner Simon Williams said: “It is a show based around the Trip Advisor idea.

“We had a phone call from the production team who said they were looking for somewhere where they could do some filming indoors.

“I was happy to help them out and they were in the basement doing some filming for most of the day.

“It was nice to have them here, it is something a little different.”

However, there is no date confirmed for screening the show.

Mr Williams added: “It has gone to a full series, so it will be hitting the screens at some point in the near future.

“The show could be on either Channel 4 or Channel 5. We are not entirely certain.

“There’s no transmission date yet confirmed for the episode they filmed here.

“It will be great to see Evergreen Art Cafe on national television.”

MP for Daventry Chris Heaton-Harris has been named as the new chariman of trustees for the Royal and Derngate in Northampton.

The Northampton Theatres Trust, the charity which runs the Royal and Derngate theatres made the announcement last week saying he will take up this voluntary position from end of May.

Mr Heaton-Harris takes over the role of chair from Paul Southworth, who is stepping down after six years and over 20 years involvement with the theatres.

Scouts, cubs and beavers from across the Daventry district will be in the town centre on Saturday for their St George parade.

The parade will start at the Old Swimming Pool car park at 2pm and will be led by the Northamptonshire Scout Band and the Mayor of Daventry.

They will walk up North Street, along High St, Sheaf St, Bowen Square and then to the New St Rec for about 2.30pm.

From 3pm onwards the beavers, cubs, scouts and explorers will be taking part in activities.

A Daventry opticians have this week announced the arrival of their revolutionary eye equipment which they hope will go a long way to prevent sight loss.

Anstee & Proctor Opticians in Sheaf Street are among the first across the county to conduct OCT scans which detect sight-threatening eye conditions before they become apparent in a normal eye test.

They purchased the new OCT machine two weeks ago and have since conducted several of the non-invasive and painless scans.

Opticians owner Claire Anstee said: “I believe we are among the first in the town to use this software which can compare past scans and highlight any subtle changes to the back of the eye. This can give the patient an invaluable ongoing record of the health of the eye which we think is really important.

She added: “If you were to need a scan on the NHS you may have to wait a rather long time so having a scanner in Daventry means problems can be diagnosed much earlier and patients can take preventative action to prevent potential sight loss. And of the scans we have conducted so far we have had good feedback from our customers about how quick and painless it is.”

Anstee & Proctor charge £35 to carry out the scan and believe private treatments can cost up to £150 to the patient.

Mrs Anstee said: “We are doing the scans at a fraction of the cost because this will allow people to have it done and then take action if they need to to prevent any potential loss of sight in their eyes.

“We want people to know about it and get in touch because it really could make a difference to them.”

For more information about OCT scans visit www.ansteeandproctor.co.uk/services/oct/ or call 01327 702289.

Daventry-based company B-Tech International have recruited a new addition to their growing sales team.

Andy Allen brings more than 15 years’ sales experience to the company as he says goodbye to his most recent role as UK sales manager for OmniMount, a leading US AV Mounts manufacturer. Mr Allen has also worked for companies including Belkin and The Path Group. At B-Tech he will help increase the company’s presence in the UK.

CEO B-Tech Matt Bennett said: “I am very happy that Andy has agreed to join us as he has many years of direct experience from top-class manufacturers which will bring added quality to our expanding operations.”

Mr Allen said: “I am delighted to join the team at this exciting time with the new challenges in the professional market and the opportunities with Digital Signage. I am looking forward to becoming acquainted with the customer base and expanding it.”

PLANS for the expansion of Daventry International Rail and Freight Terminal (DIRFT) are currently on display.

DIRFT III will be located on the former Rugby Radio Station site, on land to the east of the A5 near to the villages of Lilbourne and Crick.

It is being brought forward by Prologis and the Rugby Radio Station Limited Partnership (RRSLP) – a joint venture between BT and Aviva Investors.

The proposal has now been examined by the planning inspectorate, who will eventually determine the application, and it is currently looking for feedback from members of the public.

If the application is accepted, it could see a total of 9,000 jobs bought to the area.

The development will consist of 731,000 square metres of warehouse space and will take around 15 years to build.

The plans can be seen by visiting Daventry District Council offices in Lodge Road or Long Buckby Library. They can also be viewed at the offices of Rugby Borough Council and the library in the town. The last chance to view and comment on the plans is Monday, May 20.

For more information on the plans, visit www.dirftiii.com. Anyone with comments can either visit this website or alternatively call 0303 444 5000.