19 December 2022

No matter whether you’re hosting or visiting family or friends this year, make the most of waste and recycling services by following some of our top tips within our dedicated waste and recycling guide.

The latest information on Christmas waste collections is available here.

Make sure that you keep an eye on our social media channels for a special message on how you can help us to spread this message and pass it on.

The latest information on the opening times of Council offices, libraries and household waste and recycling centres can be found on this dedicated page.

This time of year can be difficult for some, there is help and support available throughout Christmas. We have created a wellbeing guide for residents which includes local and national services.

There are help and resources on our cost of living page, please check with organisations for information on their Christmas opening times and service availability.

Wishing all of our residents and communities a happy New Year.

20 December 2022

Christmas is around the corner and top of the list on most of our minds is the annual Christmas dinner.

No one wants to be spending this festive season unwell because of poorly prepped or stored food.

Add these steps to your Christmas checklist to make sure your food is properly stored, prepared and cooked.

Step one – who’s coming?

• Confirm the number of people you’re cooking for – check for any allergies or dietary needs
• Plan out your food to make the most of what you’re cooking and avoid waste

Step two – storing and buying food

• Store food in the right places, checking labels for storage instructions – make the most of fridge and freezers and store raw meat at the bottom of your fridge
• Check your fridge’s temperature, because the temperature of your fridge can rise when it's full, increasing the chance of food poising. Your fridge should be between 0-5°C. Be sure to check the temperature regularly
• Check for use by dates and stick to these, as tempting as it might be to go over a day or so

Step three – preparing food

• Check food labels for safety information before preparing
• Take meat out of the freezer and defrost it on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Avoid juices dripping on to ready-to-eat food as this could spread harmful germs. Allow 10-12 hours of defrost time per kg
• It could take around 3 days to safely defrost a 6kg turkey in a 4°C fridge so allow plenty of time

Step four – time to cook

• Wash your hands before and throughout dinner preparations, especially after handling raw meat
• Use different chopping boards and utensils for raw and ready to eat/cooked food. Wash any equipment thoroughly in hot, soapy water between uses
• Make sure any meat is cooked through – there should be no visible pink meat, juices are running clear and use a food thermometer to check meat reaches 75°C in the thickest part
• Put leftovers in a sealed container inside the fridge within two hours of cooking, to be used within two days
• Split food into smaller portions to help speed up the cooling time

Step five – enjoying leftovers

• Keep chilled foods out of fridge for no longer than four hours
• Eat food within two days of cooking or defrosting.
• When reheating, only reheat once and ensure the food is steaming hot

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service took part in a training exercise today (December 16) to test their response to a high-rise flat fire.

Three crews, from Moulton, Mereway and The Mounts, simulated a rescue of two casualties from a third floor flat in The Pinnacle building, on Woolmonger Street in Northampton town centre. It also saw NFRS Protection officers mimic their real life response, such as checking alarms, sprinklers and fire doors.

The exercise was planned and facilitated by Watch Manager Lee Vanderhoeven in partnership with NHCA (Nottingham Community Housing Association) – the owners of The Pinnacle  – and lasted from 11am until noon and involved the use of cosmetic smoke to replicate a real-life incident.

Chris Bridgewater, Station Manager at The Mounts (pictured above), was acting as Incident Commander for the exercise. He said: “This exercise was designed to allow us to train and replicate an incident in a tall building within Northamptonshire. It culminated in a successful conclusion and reinforced the procedures we have in place to keep the residents of Northamptonshire safe.

“It has demonstrated the hard work and competence of the firefighters that are here to support our public, and I would like to thank Watch Manager Lee Vanderhoeven and the owners and residents of The Pinnacle for their support.”

Allan Fisher, Director of Development and Assets of NCHA, said: “Thanks to Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service for running such a successful exercise. We’re continuingly grateful to them for our partnership working over the past few years.

“Our customer safety is paramount, and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has been instrumental in supporting and informing recent fire safety works at the Pinnacle. We’re happy to have been able to offer the flats as a training venue and look forward to future collaborations.”

Residents who live in a high-rise building can do the following to improve their safety:

• Fit at least one smoke alarm in your flat and test it once a week
• Keep all exits clear, both in communal corridors and in your home
• Keep your door and window keys accessible

More advice from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service can be found in our high-rise living document here: Guidance for residents living in high rise premises (northantsfire.gov.uk)

19 December 2022

A new £14 million hub for creative businesses is gearing up to open its doors in Northampton.

Vulcan Works has been created by transforming a Grade II listed ironworks factory in the heart of Northampton’s Cultural Quarter into a space that will support start-up businesses in the creative industries through the provision of lettable office space, workshops, meeting rooms and co-working spaces.

The construction and refurbishment works have been funded by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), who facilitated a Local Growth Fund contribution of £6.3 million, together with £3.06 million from the European Regional Development Fund.

Vulcan Works has already attracted lots of interest from prospective tenants and viewings have been planned for the new year. Key stakeholders joined representatives from WNC for a first look in August once construction was completed. This was followed in September by the announcement that Oxford Innovation Space would take over as the management company for the new hub.

Since Oxford Innovation Space started managing Vulcan Works in September, work has progressed and support staff and local suppliers are currently being appointed with a view to Vulcan Works officially opening in February.

Among the newest recruits are Commercial Manager Kelly Boosey, Centre Manager Garrick Hurter and Assistant Centre Manager Gail Haddon.

Kelly said: “I am thrilled to come on board and work on such an exciting project. Already we have received a great volume of enquiries from a range of businesses within the creative and digital industries and have planned to start showing people around the space in the New Year.

“We will host our first Open Day mid-January which is already fully booked with further dates planned, so that we can showcase this extraordinary space. We can’t wait to start building the community at Vulcan Works. We are more than just space. Along with the fantastic, specialised business support we offer, we are going to create a brilliant hub for start-ups and scale-ups in Northampton. We would encourage anyone wanting to find out more to get in touch.”

It is estimated that Vulcan Works will support around 150 start-up businesses in its first 10 years, creating around 500 jobs in the area. The centre has also pledged to work with local contractors and agencies, ploughing more money back into the local economy.

“We are thrilled with how Vulcan Works has turned out. The space has been finished to an exceptionally high standard, whilst retaining a number of period features which provide a nod to our local history here in Northampton.

“The project is really gaining momentum now and is close to opening its doors. I look forward to finding out more about the creative start-up businesses who will call this unique space home and seeing what they achieve through the dedicated support on offer.”

Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth

As part of the Vulcan Works’ unique offer, Oxford Innovation Space will also provide access to a programme of workshops, seminars, 1:1 coaching and networking.

“We have been managing Innovation Centres across the country for more than 30 years and each centre is different.

“We are hugely excited by Vulcan Works and it has been an honour to be part of such an inspiring regeneration project. We can’t wait to see some talented creative businesses move in and hope they feel just as inspired by this space as we are.”

Jo Stevens, Managing Director at Oxford Innovation Space

To find out more about Vulcan Works, request a show around or be added to the invitation list for an Open Day, email [email protected].

16 December 2022

A boxing academy which gives focus to challenging young people is fighting on thanks to a helping hand from West Northamptonshire Council.

The Weedon Boxing Academy based in the village’s historic Royal Ordnance Depot has a 20-year-long track record of providing young men and women a safe place to train and learn the discipline around boxing.

At the height of the Covid lock-down they received a £1,000 grant from Covid Recovery Grant which paid for much needed equipment.

Parent Damien said his son Freddie has ADHD and was finding it tough at school. Damien said: “He had quite low self-esteem. He's always been quite small for his age, but we brought him here and he really hit it off.

"He started coming three, four times a week, it’s been two years this month and he's a different child.

"School described him as more of a leader now, whereas before, he’d sort of take a step back from things."

Cllr David Smith explained why he chose to support the Academy: "The club has gone through a bit of a challenging time, like many sports clubs and other voluntary organisations with COVID when they were closed for so long and we've been able to bring forward a grant to provide some much-needed equipment into a really well-used and fantastic community facility."

Cllr Smith also paid tribute to Aaron Hill, head coach and Academy founder. He said: “The work that Aaron's doing here is just fantastic.

"He's here four days a week and often then it's weekends away for boxing tournaments.

"So, what a fantastic role model that we've got in Aaron. And in fact, he was a nominee for the West Northamptonshire's International Men's Day ‘Role Model of the Year’, which he was a finalist in only last month."

Cllr Smith added: “This is a rural facility that serves a wide area, it gives some challenging young people a safe place to stay healthy and learn to be disciplined.

"It really is a mine of potential which digs down deep to find the very best of the people who come here."

Aaron said: “Most kids nowadays, they've all got challenging backgrounds and I think they've all got a harder task than what we had when we were younger.

"And the public's too quick to put a label on them nowadays. So, what I hope is to provide is a safe space, somewhere they can come when it gets dark at night and know that they're in a safe space to get fitter, healthier and with a bit of luck, learn some boxing."

Weedon Boxing Academy takes places in Unit 7, Royal Ordnance Depot, Weedon, NN7 4Ps every weekday evening (except Thursday) from 6:45pm till 8:30pm. All walks of life are welcome from 10 years and above and in 2023 they will start a Parent-Toddler session for parents to train with their toddlers from 5-10 years.

Each WNC ward member was allocated £2,500 of a £232,500 Councillor Covid Support Fund. Any voluntary or community group that believes they are working on a project which benefits their community’s recovery from Covid and would like to see if a grant would be available to them, should contact their local WNC Ward Member.

When an appropriate funding round opens, community and voluntary groups in West Northants can apply for a Community Funding Grant. To find out more visit the WNC Community Grants page.

Watch a video of these interviews along with some of the young boxers sparring during a training night on the Council's Youtube channel.