Our photographers have been out and about taking a pictures in the area.

Here are a selection of some of them

A 63-YEAR-OLD man from Daventry died yesterday (Thursday) after a road traffic accident died a month ago.

Peter Crocker from The Cherwell was involved in the collision on the Waterloo/Tavern Lane roundabout, at 12.15pm on Monday November 4.

He died at 7.10pm at the University Hospital in Coventry.

THE Heyford Singers are preparing for their Christmas concert.

Christmas Wonders will be performed at Nether Heyford Village Hall on December 13 and 14 at 7.30pm each night.

It will be a mix of songs and carols at the event. The group has prepared with a celebration of long-standing choir member Hugh Adams. Tickets for the concert cost £5.

Call 01327 340852 for Friday tickets and 01327 340661 for Saturday tickets.

OFFICERS from the Daventry Safer Community Team visited the Lang Farm estate in Daventry on Saturday.

Based at the mobile police station, near Newbury Drive, officers were on hand to give out crime prevention advice.

Police will also be making door to door calls to speak to people in the local area and give them the chance to discuss any issues.

Pictured are PCSO Duncan Cumming and Sgt Tania Ash at the police unit.

A company could be set up to try to secure grants to restore the historic Weedon Depot.

The depot has recently been acquired by Weedon Garrison Ltd (WGL), and the proposal is for WGL to have control over parts of the site which have commercial income potential, while the rest is the responsibility of a trust company with DDC as one of the partners.

Daventry District Council will tonight (Thursday) discuss the plans. DDC leader Chris Millar said: “The issue of Weedon Depot has been on the agenda for as long as I have been a councillor, and probably longer.

“It is a huge site that is of national historical significance, and is therefore a major heritage asset in the district.

“What is being proposed is that DDC and other partners – perhaps for example the parish council – form this partnership.

“It would mean the partners have no liabilities. That’s important as we have a duty to taxpayers not to put their money at risk. We also have a duty to taxpayers to look after our historic heritage.

“There’s no definite timescale but we want to get it started as soon as possible.”

The first stage would be to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund for start up funds of up to £10,000, followed by an 
application for money to 
draw up plans of work, and then a third application to carry out the work.

Cllr Millar said: “The priority is to stop the site deteriorating further and save it for the future. That long term view will need to look at the depot and how it can be made to work for the local community. There are no plans as yet for what it could be used for. But anything we propose needs to be carefully examined against a range of different measures to make it sustainable.”

SUPERFAST broadband could be rolled out across the Daventry District by 2017.

The announcement has been made by Northamptonshire County Council.

The local authority is offering secured loans to businesses to enable them to provide broadband infrastructure, and provide access speeds of at least 30Mbps.

The initiative was developed in response to feedback from a survey undertaken by the county council.

One of the questions asked of businesses was asked about the barriers that industry leaders face with commercial investment.

This initiative involves the offer of secured loans on a commercial basis, which means any loans would be secured and repayable with interest.

The county council has already partnered with BT to extend roll out to around 90 per cent of the county by 2015. A report will be presented to cabinet in February.

For further information, call the county council on 0300 126 1000.

A dance school raised thousands of pounds for a local charity. Pupils at The Kate Fisher Dance Academy performed at Daventry Leisure Centre with a Toontastic Dance Show.

Pupil s at The Kate Fisher Dance Academy performed at Daventry Leisure Centre on Saturday and Sunday with a Toontastic Dance Show. A total of £1,220 was made for the national cerebral palsy charity, Support4SDR.

Kate Fisher said: “This was certainly the best show the pupils have ever performed proud of them all. Cartoon characters were portrayed performing a mixture of Latin, ballroom and street dance.”

MP Chris Heaton-Harris will be on hand to cut the ribbon at the official opening of the new Jobcentre Plus office in Daventry town centre later this week.

Benefits services for Daventry district residents are now all under one roof following Jobcentre Plus’s recent relocation from Oxford Street to new facilities on the ground floor of Daventry District Council’s offices in Lodge Road.

The move will help to improve residents’ access to services by housing them under one roof. The newly refurbished offices, which became operational late last month, will be officially opened on Friday, 13 December by Daventry MP Mr Heaton-Harris, alongside representatives from Jobcentre Plus, DDC and other partner organisations.

Rob Cooper, district manager for Jobcentre Plus in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire said:

“One of the advantages of moving to Lodge Road is that it will allow many of the local services that people require to be under one roof. It will save taxpayer’s money and allow us to concentrate on finding jobs for the people of Daventry.”

Councillor Chris Millar, DDC leader, said: “We are delighted to welcome Jobcentre Plus to Lodge Road. By sharing our premises we hope to be able to offer residents a more efficient and joined-up approach to services such as benefits alongside employment and training opportunities.”

This partnership initiative is not the first time that Daventry District Council has joined forces with other organisations. In 2010 it welcomed Northamptonshire County Council’s Daventry and South Northamptonshire social care teams to work from its building.

The teams had previously been working from offices annexed to Daventry Library in North Street, which are scheduled to be replaced with a new library and shops as part of Daventry District Council’s proposed Mulberry Place development.

A 10-year old boy was badly injured in a BMX incident in Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire.

The boy suffered a serious leg fracture after coming off his bike at high speed. An off duty paramedic was first on the scene and requested the attendance of an air ambulance.

Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) received the call shortly after 13:50 on Sunday 8th December and landed at the scene of the incident at approximately 14:05.

The boy was in a significant amount of pain and required advanced pain relief, which was given by the WNAA doctor. His fracture was splinted before he was immobilised and flown to University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire for further treatment.

UKIP has chosen its prospective candidate for the Daventry constituency.

Nigel Wickens, 53, was selected by the party’s Daventry and South Northamptonshire Branch at a hustings in Nether Heyford on Thursday, December 5.

He will now prepare to contest the 2015 general election and challenge Daventry’s sitting Conservative MP Chris Heaton-Harris.

Mr Wickens has three sons who are working adults and a partner who is fully supportive of his political ambitions.

He said he wishes to serve his country and the British people by dedicating himself to the UKIP cause of leaving the EU and driving government policy to putting the needs of the British people first in all aspects of life in the country.

He has been a qualified football referee at local level and says his core interests are the environment and sustainability. A UKIP spokesman said: “Nigel recognises that some natural resources, particularly fossil fuels are finite and that renewable sources of energy as pursued today are inefficient. Nigel is a supporter of nuclear power generation and other sustainable forms of energy use. He supports the wider use of economical means of harnessing solar energy in new industrial and housing developments, and efficient insulation.”

A 26-year-old man from Nottingham has been arrested in connection with the recent spate of burglaries and attempted burglaries in the village of Kislingbury.

Northamptonshire Police say the man was taken into custody at the Criminal Justice Centre in Northampton but has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

The force is urging people to be on guard against cold callers – the advice is that if you do not know the person at your door, and are not expecting them, do not open the door to them.

The police also say anyone with any doubts or suspicions about a caller should call 999 straight away.

Campaigners against the controversial HS2 plan say documents about the rail link may not be published.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin along with Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude have written to David Cameron to demand a veto on Freedom of Information rulings should be used to prevent the publication of documents relating to HS2. It has been previously used in connection with documents about the Iraq war.

The link connects Birmingham to London and cuts through the villages of Boddington, Aston le Walls and Chipping Warden.

Stop HS2 Campaign Manager Joe Rukin said: “It is absolutely disgraceful that the Government doesn’t want MPs, who should be fully informed before voting on the colossal expenditure HS2 entails, to actually have all the information about the project. This just proves that there has been, and continues to be, an agenda from Government to deceive MPs and the public with spin and dismiss any independent information. showing just how bad the HS2 project is.

Celebrations are taking place at St Faith’s Church in Kilsby to mark the success of an appeal to get water facilities at the venue.

Kilsby Church Water Fund was launched in May last year to install mains water and drainage, a toilet to accommodate wheelchairs, a servery and kitchen sink and an open area created for social events.

The church said that it used to have to direct visitors to a toilet at a nearby hotel in the village.

Money was to be raised by applying for grants as the 13th century listed church itself had no spare money.

The target of £30,000 was raised in just over a year and building work has just been completed.

A number of pews have been removed at the back of the church to make room for the open area which were then reused to create the servery.

A celebration of all that has been achieved will take place on Saturday, December 14, from 10am to 2pm. There will be coffee, tea and cakes.

Members of the church look forward to welcoming visitors to the new-look building.

Work on the M1 Junction 19 Improvement Scheme near Catthorpe will start in January, Roads Minster Robert Goodwill has announced.

The £190.7 million scheme will reduce congestion and improve journey time reliability and safety by replacing the existing junction with a three-level junction.

It will improve the roads between the villages of Catthorpe and Swinford so local traffic can avoid the junction.

Mr Goodwill said: “The 142,000 vehicles that pass through Catthorpe junction every day demonstrate how important this route is.

“I am delighted to announce that construction will start in January, showing our commitment to deliver much-need improvements to England’s infrastructure.”

Classic Cutz in Sheaf Street, Daventry will be holding a Christmas shopping evening on Tuesday December 17 from 6pm to 9pm,

There will be many local stalls with lots of ideas for Christmas presents, plus the salon will be offering 20 per cent off all products and all appointments booked for January on the night.

There will be a raffle, tombola and refreshment stall with all proceeds going to the local charity ‘the Ellie fund’

A counterfeit-battery seller from Daventry who traded on eBay has been given a four-month suspended sentence following an investigation by Northamptonshire County Council’s trading standards team.

On Tuesday December 10 at Northampton Crown Court, Jason Lindley, 41, of Jubilee Road, Daventry was sentenced to four-months imprisonment (suspended for two years) and ordered to carry out 120 hours of community work.

At an earlier hearing, he had pleaded guilty to three offences of selling/possessing for sale batteries bearing the trade mark Canon contrary to the Trade Marks Act 1994. A similar offence relating to Nikon batteries was also taken into consideration.

Lindley had been selling the batteries on eBay from 2008 until January 2013 when trading standards seized counterfeit batteries and packaging from his home. This followed test purchases made during 2012 in which his eBay adverts described the batteries as genuine.

A financial investigation is now being conducted by trading standards to determine whether Lindley will have to pay back the proceeds of his offending.

County council cabinet member for public protection, strategic infrastructure and economic growth Cllr Andre Gonzalez de Savage said: “The sale of counterfeit goods can attract a jail term of up to ten years and damages the business of reputable manufacturers and retailers.

“The safety of counterfeit products cannot be guaranteed and consumers should avoid buying them. Anyone with information about such activities or any other rogue trading can inform trading standards by contacting the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 040506”

Footballing legends from 
Aston Villa visited the town 
on Saturday for another 
fundraising match.

About 200 people attended the game at Communications Park, home of Daventry Town Football Club, which saw a Villa Lions and Legends line up against a team made up of local players.

Among the players who took part were Nigel Spink, Ken McNaught, Tony Morley and Gordon Cowans, all of whom had a hand in Aston Villa winning the European Cup against Bayern Munich in 1982.

There was also an appearance from former Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton and support from Shaun Teale. Local players Ryan Bishop, Jack Wise and Jack Creaney turned out for the Villa Lions and Legends games.

The Legends were 9-1 winners against the Daventry Villa XI. Dave Robinson scored the solitary goal. Ryan Amoo scored a first half hat-trick, Bryan Small grabbed two while there was a goal each from Tony Morley, John Capaldi, Steve Staunton and Jack Creaney.

The game was held to raise funds for the Gary Barton Memorial Trust which donates money to the Cawthorne Ward at Danetre Hospital and Talbot Butler Ward at Northampton General Hospital.

Terry O’Neill, who organised the match, said: “There was two man of the matches given. Ken McNaught picked out Peter Aldridge as the local team Man of the Match which was awarded to him by Shaun Teale, and the organiser’s Man of the Match was awarded to Des Pratt, given to him because of his ethic towards the game.

“Nigel Spink signed his gloves for the auction, and Jason O’Farrell booked the whole team and so we also had a yellow card full of the players’ signatures. It was a great day.”

Daventry McDonald’s franchisee, Glyn Pashley and his team are celebrating after reaching the national finals of the McDonald’s Love Where You Live competition.

The annual McDonald’s competition celebrates the hard work and commitment restaurants have made to tackle litter in local communities throughout the UK.

Glyn Pashley and his team were nominated for the award after organising a series of seven events held across Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Leicestershire.

Local councils, business managers and even the local Mayors were responsible for nominating the areas they wanted to see cleared of litter, before local residents and customers selected the final locations.

The litter parties were made up of almost 150 McDonald’s crew members and external volunteers, who between them collected over five tonnes of rubbish.

Glyn Pashley local McDonald’s franchisee said: “I’m extremely proud of my team for their hard work, helping generate awareness of the impact litter can have on the environment. Our litter initiatives have been a huge success this year and it’s really rewarding for everyone involved to be recognised by the business for the work we’re doing locally.”

Katie Parker, McDonald’s Head of Environment said: “Each year, we hold this competition to recognise the commitment our employees have made to tackling litter in their local community. The hard work our employees put into raising awareness of the issue of litter is inspiring and the calibre of entries we receive just gets better every year. Glyn and his team should be proud of what they’ve achieved as a result of their litter initiatives.”

Glyn’s project was one of many taking place across the UK as part of Keep Britain Tidy’s ‘Love Where You Live’ campaign and this year has seen McDonald’s restaurants hold over 400 community litter events, enlisting the help of over 13,000 volunteers nationally.

Aside from larger litter events such as these, staff at the Daventry restaurant patrol the streets at least three times a day to collect all litter that has been discarded, regardless of its origin. McDonald’s was the first restaurant to introduce ‘Litter Patrols’ in the UK.

A hotel near Daventry became the focus of a television documentary at the weekend.

Fawsley Hall was featured in Ruth Watson Means Business investigating businesses which have been subject to some bad online reviews and guest complaints.

In the Channel 4 show, Tripadvisor critics are invited to return to the hotel after previous criticisms have been addressed in an effort to turn their opinions around.

In this episode, one of 15, the critics were successfully won over.

The show was filmed over three days in May and June when TV crews visited the town. Among the scenes filmed, viewers will have recognised shots of Daventry’s High Street and inside The Evergreen Art Cafe in Sheaf Street.

Fawsley Hall is a Tudor manor house surrounded by 2,000 acres of formal landscaped gardens designed by Capability Brown in the 1760s. Today it boasts 4AA Red Stars and 2AA Rosettes and is famous for its Tudor Great Hall. It was bought by Hand Picked Hotels in August.

A spokesman for Hand Picked Hotels said: “Fawsley Hall Hotel was acquired by Hand Picked Hotels, an award-winning hotel collection.

“Fawsley Hall has been under Hand Picked Hotels management since this time, after the filming of Ruth Watson Means Business on Channel 4.”

An elderly woman from Woodford Halse had to spend two days in hospital after a dog attacked her during a routine morning walk.

Christine Gladwell, 70, was walking her 15-year-old dog Ross along Mallard Drive in Woodford Halse when they were both attacked by another dog.

A Staffordshire Bull Terrier sunk its teeth into Ross’ neck before biting Mrs Gladwell’s hand.

It took three people to try and stop the dog from continuing its attack.

Mrs Gladwell, who lives in Mallard Drive, said: “It all happened so quickly.

“I knelt down to try and stop the dog and it got hold of me and wouldn’t let go.

“I thought I’d lost my thumb and then I thought I’d lost my dog.”

Mrs Gladwell was taken to hospital in Banbury to treat the bite on her hand.

Bt it became infected and the pensioner ended up being hospitalised for two days during which she underwent an operation on her hand.

Mrs Gladwell was discharged shortly after the attack but has had to return to hospital to have her dressings changed.

She said: “I’m not having a good morning today. The trouble is every time I shut my eyes it comes back to me.

“At least my dog seems to be recovering well.”

Ross, who suffered bruising and shock, was taken to the vets after the attack to have his puncture wounds treated.

Mrs Gladwell’s son Nick said: “We didn’t think the dog would make it as he’s so old but he seems to be doing okay.

“This has ruined my mum. She won’t go out now.

“She was nervous enough as it was before but she’s terrible now. She’s lost her confidence now.

“That dog is always off its lead. We’re dog lovers but we’re responsible dog lovers.

“There’s lots of families that live around here.

“Thank goodness it wasn’t a child that was hurt.”

Northamptonshire Police confirmed they were called to Mallard Drive at 7.30am on Thursday, November 28.

The force said it was investigating the dog attack.