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01 August 2022
Northampton’s Youth Forum is inviting local young people to a free event at Northampton Racecourse on Friday 12 August in celebration of International Youth Day.
A range of information and advice, entertainment and activities will be available throughout the day, as the Youth Forum promotes this year’s theme of Intergenerational solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages.
Activities and discussions will take place between midday and 4pm, giving attendees the chance to get involved in a range of events including three by three basketball, outdoor games and a ‘Lemon Pop,' or creative self-development, workshop.
The Youth Forum will also take over West Northants’ Council’s social media channels on the day so they will be putting out content and key messages throughout proceedings.
The event will also offer the opportunity for discussions around creating a Youth Parliament for West Northamptonshire with proposals explored as to how exactly young people across the area can have a voice in deciding what they want to see and happen in the town. Further Youth Parliament engagement sessions with take place at Daventry Council Chamber on Monday 15 August and at Towcester Council Chamber on Tuesday 16 August between 10 and 2pm.
Local organisations such as Free 2 Talk, Northants Police, Northampton Association of Youth Clubs, Lowdown, CIRV and the Northampton Basketball Association will also be on hand to provide information and advice about education, careers, health, drugs and alcohol and personal safety.
“International Youth Days are held across the globe and are designed to empower young people to participate in public life so that they are prepared and equipped to contribute to society.Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Engagement, and Regulatory Services“This year’s theme is ‘Intergenerational solidarity’ so we will be trying to provide opportunities for young people to have conversations/skill swap with people from older generations during the event with a human library courtesy of ‘The Northamptonshire Black History Association’.
“This year we have also focused on working with partners to provide a safe space for our local young people to come together and engage in a range of activities related to their diverse needs and interests. And we encourage everyone to come along and take part in the day.”
Endorsed by the United Nations in 1999 after a recommendation was made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, the first International Youth Day took place in the summer of 2000.
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01 August 2022
An extensive programme of ‘surface dressing’ road repairs are set to get underway across West Northamptonshire.
The work - which runs from today (Monday 1 August) through to Friday 9 September, weather dependant – is being carried out on behalf of West Northamptonshire Council and provides a cost-effective way of preserving and extending the life of highways in the area.
Surface dressing involves bitumen being sprayed on to the road surface and overlaid by chippings which are rolled on to the surface. When the bitumen cools it sets and holds the chippings to the surface of the road.
The carriageway is safe to drive on following application of the chippings. A mandatory speed limit of 20mph is put in place for the first few days, whilst the chippings bed in and to, reduce the risk of damage from loose chippings and for the safety of the public.
People are advised to drive slowly, keeping their distance, and to avoid turning or braking sharply. Motorists should also not overtake at any time.
Loose chippings are swept away within 24 hours of the initial dressing, and again within five days.
A heavy roller is used after initial treatment and the surface is usually fully embedded after around a week, due to the action of traffic moving across it.
Although the programme runs through into September the surface dressing treatment will take please in August. Following the treatment roads will be swept twice and road studs and markings will be reinstated.
Where surface dressing is scheduled in residential areas, people will receive a letter through their door notifying them of when the work will take place at least two days in advance and asking them to move their vehicles off roads and paths. Advisory signs will also be placed in the streets giving times and dates of the work.
Vehicles whose presence is preventing or hindering the works taking place may be relocated to a nearby street. This will be carried out by an approved contractor and vehicles will be moved within the vicinity, with signs located on the street providing information.
Weather can impact the programme and dates may change, with people advised to check the on-site signs for the latest information and also go online at kierwsp.co.uk/news where updates will be published.
The latest information about highway works on the network can also be found at the One Network website.
More information about the surface dressing programme, the process and who to contact see the Kier website.
Updates will also be posted on Twitter @nnhighways
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29 July 2022
Last week’s messaging focused on young people getting out and about and active so we thought that this week we would focus on supporting our young people to have a safe summer break.
As well as physical health and activity it’s really important to talk about mental health. Our young people have dealt with a series of changes for over two years - to their education, leisure time, to their ability to socialise with their peers or see extended family. Many have shown amazing resilience, but others have understandably struggled and may need additional support over the summer holidays.
For youngsters aged 11-18 needing support with their mental health drop-in services are available across Northamptonshire through the Espresso Yourself Cafes. They provide a listening ear for young people who find themselves needing support with services including support and advice, wellbeing activities and peer support.
Young people can book an appointment by calling the numbers provided or just drop in during the opening times. For those who cannot attend remote options are available too.
Monday & Friday 4pm - 8pm the lowdown, 3 Kingswell Street, Northampton, NN1 1PP - 01604 634385
Tuesday 4pm - 8pm Youth Works at Corby Mind, 18 Argyll St, Corby, NN17 1RU - 01536 518339
Wednesday 4pm - 8pm CHAT Youth Counselling, Souster Youth Building, 30 Market Road, Thrapston, NN14 4JU - 01832 274422
Thursday 4pm - 8pm Youth Works, 97 Rockingham Rd, Kettering, NN16 9HX - 01536 518339
Saturday 10am - 2pm Service Six, 15 Sassoon Mews, Wellingborough NN8 3LT - 01933 277520
Saturday 12pm - 4pm Time 2 Talk, The Abbey, Market Square, Daventry, NN11 4XG - 01327 706706
There is also a drop in for 19–25-year-olds offering a confidential, non-judgemental space for young people to gain mental health advice, coping strategies and support.
This support is either face-to-face at the lowdown, 3 Kingswell Street, Northampton NN1 1PP or young people in Northamptonshire can connect remotely via video call or phone. Drop in between 4-8pm on Mondays or call 01604 634385 to book an appointment.
We also support our young Northamptonshire residents who are going out with friends this summer, heading to festivals with their mates, or on holiday with them. Aquarius, who run our drug and alcohol services for children and young people in Northamptonshire (from 10-18 years) is running a special summer campaign where they’re sharing advice and guidance about staying safe, so young people can find out information about different types of drugs, what their influence is on the body, and about who to go to for support.
The campaign, running on their social media channels Aquarius Young People Instagram, Aquarius Twitter and Aquarius Facebook is aimed at providing advice so that young people know what to do if they find themselves in a situation this Summer, so they know who to call for help calling 999 in an emergency and how to support mates if they’re in danger.
There are also Aquarius Summer Guides on Getting Help, Staying Safe and Taking Drugs as well as a Summer Top Tips Guide.
Their Young People Services in Northamptonshire – NGAGE also provides a free and confidential space to talk if youngsters have questions about the impact of alcohol or drugs, or if they’re worried about a family member or carers substance use. NGAGE covers the whole county, and has dedicated workers for Northampton, Kettering, Corby, Daventry, Wellingborough, South Northamptonshire and East Northamptonshire.
As well as ensuring our young people have access to information and support around drugs and alcohol we must also talk about water safety.
We know that young people in Northamptonshire have been out and about having fun in water, particularly during the recent heatwave. Sadly accidents, often fatal, happen in water at this time of year and they often involve young people. That’s why we’re asking parents to please supervise their children in and around water and to make sure they know the risks.
It can be great fun to cool off in water, however structures such as bridges, locks and flood channels, as well as reservoirs and quarries, should be avoided. Unexpectedly cold water or strong currents can catch even experienced swimmers off guard so we’re asking again that parents and guardians make sure that their youngsters are aware of the RNLI’s Float to Live so they know what to do if they get into difficulty in the water. Watching the video has already saved lives.
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27 July 2022
COVID-19 rates are rising both in North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire and we are particularly concerned about rates in the over 60s population and pressures on our health services.
As it’s the Summer holidays there is likely to be increased mixing which unfortunately translates to additional COVID-19 cases when it is in high circulation in the local population.
This means that when outbreaks occur now, and they are increasing, they are generally driven by cases originally in the community.
We call this community transmission driven rather than being location based such as hospitals, care homes, or workplaces as was frequently seen earlier in the pandemic.
So we need you all to be extra careful around others, particularly those who are vulnerable.
Although we are in period of the Government’s Living Safely with Covid we do need to take sensible precautions to ensure that rates can be controlled.
We have a duty to advise Northamptonshire residents of these measures, including a strong recommendation as directors of public health to return to mask wearing for those who have stopped doing so.
In Northamptonshire we are seeing a system wide return to mask wearing within all NHS hospitals, GP practices, dentists and other health settings.
Staff, outpatients and visitors are requested to wear masks in response to the high levels in the county, to protect inpatients and help control staff sickness rates while COVID-19 is in such wide community circulation.
This is a decision which has been taken by many healthcare systems elsewhere in the UK.
Our advice is that face coverings be worn by care home visitors as we need to particularly protect this vulnerable part of our population. Care home staff have been wearing masks throughout the pandemic so far and will continue to do so.
We are also strongly recommending face coverings are worn in all crowded places where distance cannot be easily kept.
This is because in times where there is a high case rate, such as the present, mutations to COVID-19 are more likely to occur with the potential of even more variants in circulation.
Although not likely to be popular we believe that this is sensible and proportionate behaviour to strongly recommend and hope that Northamptonshire residents can understand and support this stance.
Other important measures include ventilation of spaces or meeting up outdoors, staying at home if unwell, and regular handwashing.
It’s vitally important to remember the basics of good hygiene. Following these rules will help protect you and others too from COVID-19 as well as many other common infections.
Coughing and sneezing increase the number of particles released by a person as well as the distance those particles travel and the time they stay in the air. An infected person who coughs or sneezes without covering their mouth or nose significantly increases the risk of infecting others around them.
Covering nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing reduces the spread of particles carrying a virus.
So cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough using a disposable tissue Dispose of the used tissue in a bin as soon as you can and wash your hands thoroughly or use a hand sanitiser.
If you don’t have a tissue sneeze or cough into the crook of your elbow not into your hand.
Sanitising your hands is a good temporary measure after coughing or sneezing but should only be used as a short-term alternative to thoroughly washing your hands.
Washing your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds kills most germs, including those responsible for sickness bugs like norovirus which aren’t killed by sanitiser. How to wash your hands - NHS (www.nhs.uk).
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26 July 2022
Artist and comedian Jim Moir was in Northampton on Friday to open his exclusive new art exhibition entitled ‘Daisies, Romans, Ones and Twos.’
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, the home of the largest collection of shoes in the world, hosted Jim, AKA Vic Reeves, and his wife Nancy Sorrell as they welcomed guests to experience a unique preview. As well as the works created specifically for Northampton, focusing on shoes, the exhibition also features his well-regarded bird artworks as well as more surreal and humorous pieces.
The free exhibition, ‘Daisies, Romans, Ones and Twos’, is named as such because Jim, loves cockney rhyming slang. He explained that his wife and in laws are from the East end of London and they often talk in the dialect. He said: “Daisies is for ‘Daisy roots or boots, Romans for Roman candles or sandals and ones and twos for shoes.”
At the newly refurbished Central Hall, the accomplished artist and well-known comedian, who has loved shoes since he was a boy and whose favourite shoe is a working man’s boot or a brothel creeper, talked through various pieces, including a number of different types of shoes in watercolours. He explained how he and his agent approached the museum to host his collection because of his love of shoes and his fascination with the large collection housed there.
The gallery welcomed the suggestion and turned around the idea to exhibition in a matter of weeks.
Jim Moir said: “It’s absolutely magnificent that the museum has set up and hung the art so brilliantly and quickly. It’s a dream come true. I have always wanted to come to the shoe museum. I was talking to my agent and said I have been painting shoes and I fancy going to the shoe museum to have a look for some more ideas.
“We then said why don’t we do a show or put up a few paintings there, and bingo! As quick as you like here we are in! It’s fantastic and it’s a great place.”
His message to potential visitors to the museum was: “Come and have a look at this fantastic shoe collection here and when you have done that, have a look at some of the shoes I have painted. Everyone wears shoes. Most people have a car and there is not a lot of difference between a car and a pair of shoes. You get in it and you travel and then look good. If it’s a good looking car or a bad looking car you can reinterpret it as a shoe.”
Councillor Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of West Northamptonshire Council and Cabinet Member for housing, culture and leisure
"We are absolutely delighted that Jim Moir chose the museum to exhibit his work and we would encourage other artists to come forward with ideas if they have an exhibition in mind. We want to put Northampton on the map; in the minds of artists and art lovers alike.”
All of the works in the exhibition are for sale.
