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16 August 2022
![Firemen and visitors standing next to a fire engine at Daventry Emergency Services Fun Day](https://cms.westnorthants.gov.uk/sites/default/files/styles/responsive/public/144/81/0/2022-08/Emergency%20Services%20Fun%20Day_0.jpg)
More than 4,000 visitors of all ages enjoyed a day of entertainment and demonstrations in Daventry last week.
The Emergency Services Fun Day took place at Danetre and Southbrook Learning Village in Hawke Road between 10am and 2pm on Wednesday 10 August.
Visitors enjoyed a range of activities, from battling in sumo suits and having a go at hockey, to viewing demonstrations by emergency services. There were stalls and games, free refreshments, and a chance to see police and fire vehicles up-close.
The event was organised by West Northants Community Safety Partnership under the Daventry Operation Unite banner, which includes Northamptonshire Police, West Northamptonshire Council, Daventry Town Council, Cummins, DSLV and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.
There were also stands offering information on Northamptonshire Police's Blue Butterfly project and bike marking scheme, as well as from a range of other organisations, including RE-Solve, the Emergency Service Cadets, GYM (Guiding Young Minds), Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service, Mind, Daventry Leisure Centre, Community First Responders, local housing associations and many more.
Councillor David Smith, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services on West Northamptonshire Council, said:
“The aim of the event was to provide members of the community with an opportunity to find out more about the work of our Community Safety Partnership and chat to members of our emergency services.
“It was a tremendous success. There were 1,000 people through the gates within the first 45 minutes and event staff counted up to 4,000 during the whole day.
“I would like to extend a special thanks to all representatives from the emergency services - Northants fire and EMAS for great demos, Daventry Ukulele group for their performance, Cummins Daventry for all of their support and their apprentices helping out marshalling during the day. Also, a big thank you to DSLV for the venue and RRT Rapid Relief Team providing free burgers and drinks. All who attended with stalls and activities were absolutely fantastic and a great time was had by all.”
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Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service attended almost five times as many fires over the last week as this time last year – and received three times as many calls to its control room during the heatwave.
From 6am on August 7 until 9pm on August 13, NFRS received more than 800 calls to its Control Room concerning 328 different incidents. This is significantly more than the almost 250 calls that it fielded in the week commencing August 9 in 2021, while crews dealt with just over 200 different incidents last year.
The big difference this year however is in the number of ‘secondary fires’ the Service has dealt with – which is effectively fires out in the open. There has been a steep increase on this front, with just 20 registered this week last year compared to more than 100 over the last seven days.
The hot and dry temperatures have undoubtedly played a part in this, with the conditions making fires easier to spread.
The figures have not been helped however by the number of fires that have been started deliberately, with Northants Fire attending more than 50 incidents last week where fires had been deliberately and recklessly started.
Chief Fire Officer Darren Dovey said: “It’s been an incredibly busy week for us in Northamptonshire and our Control Room staff have had to deal with a lot more calls than they usually would have, and our crews have been dealing with regular largescale incidents in incredibly tough working conditions.
“When you have as many fires as this we need to plan as best as we can to ensure we have sufficient cover across the whole county, and unfortunately this is not being helped by the number of deliberate fires we are having to attend.
“Because everything is so dry at the moment, it means that the fires are becoming larger than usual and taking up more of our resources.
“In this week last year we only had three incidents that required more than one fire engine. This week we’ve had 31 incidents that have required more than one appliance, and the maximum we’ve had at one incident is ten engines.
“We would urge people to seriously think about the repercussions of deliberately starting fires – you are putting not only your own life at risk but also those of our firefighters and the communities in which you live.
“Thankfully we’ve not had too many incidents relating to things like fires started through disposable barbecues or bonfires, so we’re glad to see that most people are taking our warnings seriously and acting sensibly and we would like to thank everyone for their co-operation.”
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12 August 2022
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Green Flags have been raised above four parks managed by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) this month after they retained the international mark of quality.
Daventry Country Park, Abington Park, Bradlaugh Fields and Delapre Park have all retained their Green Flag Awards - recognised as the benchmark for the management of recreational outdoor spaces around the world.
Cllr Phil Larratt Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste, said: “The connection between good open spaces and wellbeing is clear and we state the desire for high-quality parks plainly in our corporate priorities.
“On behalf of residents I’d like to thank all the people working hard to maintain our parks including council officers, park rangers, contractors, the Community Payback team and the many community volunteers who show real passion and love for their cherished green spaces.”
Bradlaugh Fields in Northampton was first given the award in 2006 and again in 2020 and 2021, following a community effort to introduce measures to improve biodiversity and conservation practices at the former golf course. Abington and Delapre parks, also in Northampton, have retained their awards for the ninth and tenth years in a row respectively, recognition of their consistently high standards of upkeep and community involvement. Daventry Country Park has seen extensive improvements to its paths, pier, play area and visitor centre in recent years.
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12 August 2022
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The 75th anniversary of Indian Independence Day will be celebrated with a flag raising ceremony on Monday, 15th August at 9am, outside the Guildhall on St Giles’ Square in Northampton.
The Chairman of West Northamptonshire Council, the Mayor of Northampton and representatives of the Northampton Indian-Hindu Welfare Organisation, will be joined by Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, Professor Simon Gregory and Neelam Aggarwal-Singh MBE to raise the Indian flag and commemorate the proclamation of Indian independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947.
Councillor André González De Savage, the Chairman of West Northamptonshire Council, said: “West Northamptonshire Council is proud to mark this important anniversary in Indian history and all are welcome to join us in observing the flag raising ceremony and celebrating the country’s heritage.”
Independence Day is celebrated on 15 August each year as a national holiday in India, to commemorate the nation's independence with flag raising ceremonies, parades and cultural events.
Mrs Aggarwal-Singh, who is also the Chair of the Northampton Indian Hindu Welfare Organisation, said: “On behalf of the IHWO, I am delighted that this flag raising is taking place in West Northamptonshire.
“This will be the first time that the Indian flag is raised in Northampton to mark the country’s Independence Day. It is a moment of great significance for us to be able to do this for our community and a time to celebrate.”
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Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) and Northamptonshire Police are urging people to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to help curb the spate of deliberate fires after a spike in the number of incidents in Northamptonshire over the last few days.
Deliberate fires are dangerous at the best of times, but the county’s Fire Service is warning that in the current conditions, and when firefighters are stretched to the limit, it is “potentially putting lives at risk”.
NFRS attended 18 deliberate fires over the weekend (August 5-7) and that total has now increased to 51. This anti-social behaviour is reckless, potentially life threatening and is causing widespread damage to land across the county.
In this extremely dry, hot weather, what may start as a small fire could rapidly spread causing acres of damage and the potential to affect homes and people’s lives.
Andy Evans, Arson Reduction Officer for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are seeing multiple fires being set across the county and we are spending hours attending these reckless incidents. Many of the fires we have already attended have been lit in open spaces, but there is a real risk that these could spread to urban areas and this could have horrific consequences.
“Eight fire engines were required at one single incident yesterday which meant we had to move appliances and resources around the county to keep other people safe. Resources are being stretched unnecessarily and these deliberate fires are potentially putting lives at risk.
“We are working with police colleagues to prevent deliberate fires being lit and to identify those people responsible. Arson is a crime, and the penalties can be severe for those involved.”
If an incident requires an emergency response, please call 999.
FireStoppers provides an anonymous way to report anything you know about deliberate firesetting. It’s managed by the independent charity CrimeStoppers. Reports of arson passed to FireStoppers will be investigated.
Call 0800 169 5558 or complete the online form at www.firestoppersreport.co.uk if you have any information about deliberate fire setting.