- Details
27 November 2023
In September this year, fragments of medieval shoes, textiles, pot fragments, dating back to the 13th-14th century, animal bones and wood, and the remnants of several structures were uncovered underneath Northampton Market Square. Since these discoveries the Museum of London Archaeology has been monitoring the historical finds that have been taking place on the site of the Market Square regeneration.
On 26 October MOLA made an incredible and exciting discovery whilst proceeding with the groundworks for the surface renovation program of the Market Square. During the surface works an underground cellar was exposed at the site and with archaeological supervision of the excavation of a shallow trench for electrical cables along the western perimeter of the site, the structure was revealed. The unearthed cellar is part of the wider cellar network.
The row of buildings between the Market Square and the Drapery, including the cellar, was constructed after the Great Fire of Northampton in 1675, possibly during the 18th and 19th centuries. During the excavation, several post-medieval sherds also were found, providing valuable insights for dating purposes.
While opening the trench, one of the blocks was damaged, allowing a rare peek inside this piece of Northampton’s history. To much surprise, the entire cellar was filled with concrete almost up to its ceiling. The only visible feature beyond the concrete layer was a small fragment of a possible door frame leading into the Market Square building.
Fragments of the textile material, sometimes used to stop spillage during the concreting process, were also found on the opposite wall, suggesting that some relatively recent work on this cellar was undertaken, possibly dating back to the 1970s when parts of Market Square were redeveloped.
The discovery of this hidden cellar not only adds a new chapter to Northampton's history but also underscores the intricate layers of the Town’s past waiting to be uncovered.
It is incredible to see even more historical artefacts and structures being uncovered during the regeneration of the Market Square. MOLA continue to unearth and study Northampton’s rich and mysterious history and we welcome any more discoveries they make.Cllr Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth at WNCThe continued effort to bring a new and energised public space to Northampton Town Centre will make such a difference to the town’s future and will be a new entry in our history books.
The Market Square regeneration is just one part of the Northampton Forward Town Investment Plan to transform Northampton town centre. The works on Market Square will create an accessible space for everybody including families, tourists, young professionals, and the elderly. The newly rejuvenated area, opening in the summer of 2024, will offer new permanent market stalls for traders, high-quality seating and planting, a flexible event space, and a new water feature to activate the area. To find out more about this exciting regeneration project and other transformation projects happening across Northampton visit the We are Northampton Website.
Want the latest Council news delivered straight to your inbox?
- Details
27 November 2023
People in West Northamptonshire are being asked to help spread comfort and joy this Christmas by donating items to those in need.
Organised by the Community Safety team at West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), the Comfort and Joy campaign aims to provide gifts, treats and essential items such as food and toiletries to help vulnerable families and those staying in refuges.
Many women, men and children who flee domestic abuse do so quickly and may have no personal items with them at all. The campaign is asking for donations to bring comfort and joy to those vulnerable families this Christmas.
Donations can be made at West Northamptonshire Council’s offices at the Abbey Centre in Daventry, The Forum in Towcester, and the receptions at The Guildhall and One Angel Square, as well as at Daventry Police Station.
The deadline to donate items is 12pm on Friday, 16 December.
All of the items donated will go directly to local people living in refuges and other vulnerable families in West Northamptonshire this Christmas.
These donations will be distributed between Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service (NDAS), Eve and Home Start.
It’s a really sad reality that not everyone is going to have a merry Christmas. In fact, the season can heighten the anguish of domestic abuse or trauma.Cllr David Smith, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory ServicesThe donations can be practical, they can be whimsical, but most of all we want them to send a message that your community wants to support you at this special time of year. Please get involved and help to spread a little comfort and joy this Christmas.
All donations must be brand new and unwrapped. Suggested donations include:
Comfort donations
- soap
- body wash
- shampoo and conditioner (for adults, children and babies)
- deodorant
- sanitary products
- nappies and wipes
- toothbrush/paste for adults and children
Joy donations
- perfume/aftershave
- hats and scarves
- make-up
- toys
- books
- arts and crafts
Food donations
- mince pies
- tea and coffee
- chocolates
- cereal
- dry pasta
- baby food
Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service 24 hour helpline - 0300 0120 154.
Eve – 01604 230311
Voice – 0300 303 1965
In an emergency please call the police on 999.
Want the latest Council news delivered straight to your inbox?
- Details
27 November 2023
A joint operation between Northamptonshire Police and West Northamptonshire Trading Standards saw more than £9000 worth of illicit vapes seized in Northampton last week.
On Thursday, November 23, the teams visited two stores in Wellingborough Road and Abington Square, seizing £4650 worth of illicit vapes from one and £4570 worth from the other.
Whilst licensed, regulated vapes can be a useful tool to help adults quit smoking, the illicit vape trade is exceptionally dangerous - often containing harmful, psychoactive substances that can have serious health issues.Aaron Dilley, Neighbourhood Policing SergeantThese vapes often make their way into the hands of young people who have no idea how dangerous they really are.
Protecting people from harm is one of the core roles of the police and this comes in many forms.
By taking these items off our streets, we are not only safeguarding people from consuming dangerous substances, but also disrupting serious and organised crime, which is often associated with these types of seizures.
I’d like to thank our partners at Trading Standards and know there are many operations of a similar nature to come.
Last week’s operation follows one in Kettering at the beginning of the month which saw three stores visited and £80,000 worth of illicit tobacco, cigarettes and vapes found and seized.
We are committed to working collaboratively with Northamptonshire Police to prevent illegal vapes and cigarettes from being sold to young people and residents across the area illegally. Our trading standards team are working proactively with the police to tackle this head on, and I am pleased that together we’ve prevented £9000 worth of illegal vapes being sold to our residents.Cllr David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Engagement and Regulatory Services at WNC
Want the latest Council news delivered straight to your inbox?
- Details
27 November 2023
“The team is really cemented and comfortable with each other. It’s just day to day now because we are one big family.”
The Turn Furlong Recovering Independence Bed Unit team recently celebrated their first birthday having had a busy yet incredibly successful year working as one team with NHFT providing clinical staff and West Northamptonshire Council providing social care staff at the Northampton site.
The residential rehabilitation centre was formally a specialist care centre and delivers short-term care for people who are not quite ready to return home after a hospital stay.
Combining WNC social care and NHFT clinical teams as a joint workforce was a new concept but has been fully embraced by both teams and the 51-bed unit is continuously occupied with patients, with 336 admissions between Nov 22 to Oct 23 and 328 discharges.
Turn Furlong’s joint leadership team had a vision to build a great overall team culture. This has been achieved with the team now working incredibly well together and even hosting social events including a summer fete and having meals out together.
Because of the unique staffing model, an MDT meeting takes place once a week, which is a holistic discussion with health and social care teams all in one room. This way of working is incredibly effective and allows individual care plans to be looked at and reviewed. In addition, the changes has enabled a supported discharge of people back into the community with Reablement WEST, where they benefit from further rehabilitation from the team and therapists in their own familiar surroundings.
An important team development activity that has taken place over the past year is staff training. Training that teams are taking part in has included wound and pressure care, stoma care, mental capacity act (MCA), delirium, and falls training. The team of reablement support workers from WNC have been upskilled as well.
All the training that the team has undertaken has meant that as well as the day-to-day efficiencies and camaraderie, when there have been emergencies in the unit – the team has handled them well through working and learning from each other. Friendships have formed and there is a sense that you can ask anyone anything.
“We adapt, and we are good at embracing change, and keeping this going with the enthusiasm to improve.”
A great example of how the RIBU provides the right care at the right time was recently with a patient who had a recent dementia diagnosis. They had been discharged, but after they returned home it became apparent that being at home was not going to be sustainable as they needed more support.
The patient was assessed and then referred to the RIBU where an individualised care plan was promptly arranged.
The RIBU provides rehabilitation with a personalised care plan that is goal-led for individuals. For this patient, their main goal was to get home and be able to use the stairs safely. With this in mind, and having on-site therapy team members, daily physio was introduced as well as carrying out stairs assessments and focussing on functional activities with the Occupational Therapist. Ensuring the patient walked to get breakfast and lunch and to sit in the lounge and walk around the garden were other everyday activities that were carried out as part of the rehabilitation plan.
As a result of the quick assessment and the subsequent rehabilitation plan, the patient progressed from being immobile to walking with a walking stick in less than 35 days.
If the patient had not been able to have the personalised rehabilitation care that the RIBU offered, the alternative would have been a care package at home which would have taken longer to achieve the patient’s goals and there would have been no rehabilitation input.
Recent implementations and innovations
- The team has been working with local GPs to look at Venous thrombosis assessment and the team is looking at what they can do in terms of VTE assessment and protocol to prevent this from happening.
- What patients eat and drink is also being continuously reviewed and working with the kitchen to develop menus with more protein to encourage tissue healing in them is one such innovation. There has also been a hydration drive – with hydration stations set up to keep this at the top of the staff members’ minds.
- New mattresses have been introduced to help with pressure ulcers and wooden floors have replaced carpets in patients’ bedrooms which are much more efficient to clean. There is also lots of new equipment on site such as, floor beds and falls alarms, lifting equipment. Both teams have worked together to identify what is needed and to train each other on how to use it when it arrives.
- Running a 51-bedroom facility is busy, and so volunteers from NHFT have been introduced to help with capacity and further help patients with dementia by reminiscing about their lives and walking in the garden. These activities make a huge difference to patients and using volunteers helps the team a great deal.
- Champions have been introduced in specific areas such as end of life and Infection Prevention Control - with staff taking on an extra responsibility by volunteering to do this.
- There has also been engagement and fundraising with the local Northamptonshire Health Charity and plans to connect with local schools.
Want the latest Council news delivered straight to your inbox?
- Details
Northamptonshire residents are being urged to make sure that they check their chimneys and maintain them properly after a growing number of fires in recent days.
As temperatures get colder during winter, the use of chimneys increases as families relax in front of the fire – but this also makes it one of the busiest times of the year for firefighters to be called out.
Over an eight-day period between November 11-19, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to five chimney related incidents. This is a much higher rate than usual, where on average we are called to between 50-60 chimney fires over the course of 12 months.
One of the recent incidents included a fire last week in Towcester, where a blaze started in a chimney flue that had not been cleaned in over a year. Fire crews from Towcester and Mereway managed to contain the fire to the flue before extinguishing it and recommending that the homeowners get their chimney professionally swept before its next use.
Chimneys should be cleaned four times a year if you are using wood, twice a year if you are using coal, and at least once a year if you are using smokeless fuels, oil or gas.
Tina Collett, a Prevention Team Leader at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We know during winter that people start to consider using the fireplace for the first time in a while, but it is important that chimneys are well swept before using them for the first time this winter.
“Getting a professional chimney sweep to clean it will be a worthwhile investment and help to keep your home safe. Chimney fires can end up being absolutely devastating if they spread to the rest of your home, and during winter and ahead of Christmas we want to make sure that those risks are not ignored.”
Here are some top tips for avoiding a chimney fire:
- Keep your chimney and flue clean and well maintained
- Ensure any fire is extinguished properly before leaving the house or going to bed
- Never interrupt the air supply by blocking air vents or air bricks
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your house and test them regularly
If you have a chimney fire, remember the following:
- Your first option should be to get out, stay out and ring 999
- If it is safe for you to do so however, shut all air vents and flue dampers to reduce oxygen supply
- Move flammable materials such as furniture away from the fireplace
- For more tips on how to stay safe for Christmas, visit our winter safety page