Northants Telegraph Sunday Extra - pancakes, World Book Day and chip shop award

We've got so much news these days that we can't always squeeze everything into the working week. So every Sunday we'll bring you updates on recent stories, some news-in-brief and other things you need to know from across Corby, Wellingborough, East Northamptonshire and Kettering.

Higham Ferrers pre-schoolers will go head-to-head in a pancake race on Wednesday, March 2, to mark the start of Lent.

St Mary’s Church’s Tiny Tots group meet every Wednesday during term time and members will take part in the special race around the church.

Organiser Ria Jefferies said: “We are having a special Pancake Day toddle at the church.

“Who will make it around the church and through the pews without dropping their pancakes?”

The event is free to all. The group meets inside St Mary’s Church in the children's corner at 1.30pm.

After the pancake toddle, the group will move over to Bede House for play and refreshments - including eating any pancakes that survive.

For more details contact Ria Jefferies on 07771 884120.

This year marks 25 years of World Book Day, and to celebrate Raunds Community Library is holding a special book character-inspired fashion show.

On Thursday, March 3, library volunteers have invited children to come down to show off their costumes of their favourite book characters.

The fashion show will start at 4pm when 'Mary Poppins' will be overseeing proceedings and the winner will be awarded a special anniversary badge.

Throughout opening hours - 2pm to 6pm - free activities based on the world’s biggest bookworm, Matilda, will be available. It is a free event with no booking required.

For more information email [email protected] or call 01933 623747.

Fundraisers in Wellingborough have raised more than £13,000 for sight loss charity Guide Dogs.

Thanks to these hard-working volunteers, guide dog Clyde is now fully funded to support someone with sight loss for their working dog career.

It costs about £55,000 to breed, train and support a guide dog throughout their life. Guide Dogs continues to support the dogs during their time working as a guide, so the £13,000 figure covers the cost of food, vets’ bills and ongoing training after the dog is partnered with someone with sight loss.

Community fundraising relationship manager Felicity Stratton said: “We are so proud of our volunteers and would like to thank them for everything they do. We also wish to recognise the fantastic support that the group receives from individuals and businesses within the local community.”

The charity is looking for more volunteers to support in a number of roles, from fundraising to helping raise puppies. To find out about volunteering for Guide Dogs, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/volunteer or call 0800 781 1444.

Agatha's of Wellingborough has gained its place amongst the UK’s top fish and chip shops by achieving the prestigious NFFF Quality Accreditation, becoming the only chip shop in Northamptonshire to currently hold the accreditation.

The Farm Road chip shop won the accreditation after a virtual inspection by an NFFF approved assessor who assessed the shop’s presentation, hygiene and cleanliness, staff training, equipment, frying and sales skills and most importantly the quality of the cooked product.

Agatha's owner Michael Damianou said: “We are delighted to gain our place in the scheme. To be recognised as one of the top fish and chip shops by the NFFF is indeed an honour and a credit to our hardworking staff, who I would like to offer my sincere thanks for the continued hard work and efforts to maintain our excellent reputation.”

Thoughtful staff at Wellingborough print, design and sourcing company Print Data Solutions (PDS) have teamed up with mental health charity Northamptonshire Mind to help raise awareness of its support services.

PDS has not only raised money for Northamptonshire Mind but has also supplied the charity with a suite of merchandising products worth more than £2,000 to help spread the word on services and activities.

The charity’s fundraising and communications lead Nick Tite said: “I first met with PDS a year or so ago and from the start, it was clear the management there was determined to do whatever it could to help with the mental well-being of its staff. All this at the time the pandemic was putting a great strain on many people.

“It has been a pleasure to work with the company and quite apart from its generous fundraising, it has also supplied us with banners, stationery, tote bags, banners and T-shirts for us to proudly show off at our events.”

A Christian charity with outdoor adventure centres in Northamptonshire, Kent, Wales and Scotland is celebrating 100 years since it first opened its doors to young people.

Rock UK (formerly the Belgrave Trust) started in 1922 when some visionary Sunday school teachers decided to take children, who had never been out of London, to the coast to enjoy the countryside and get some fresh sea air. The teachers managed to purchase Belgrave House in Littlehampton which became the home of the charity for many years and saw a large number of children visit.

The charity now has four centres around the UK, one of which is Irthlingborough’s Frontier Centre.

Spring 2022 will see the planting of a new wood near the river Nene in Oundle, as well as improvements to the wetland area.

About 3,000 English trees across three acres will be planted in the wood which will be located just off New Road, opposite the Recreation Ground. The trees will consist of beech, wild cherry, silver birch, alder, willow and conifer, as well as English oak saplings which have been nurtured from acorns by an Oundle School pupil as part of an ambitious Remembrance initiative.

The currently unused land belongs to The Worshipful Company of Grocers, one of the oldest and most prestigious companies in London. The Grocers’ Company, as it is commonly known, has supported Oundle School since its foundation in 1556.

The project is being spearheaded by the current Master of the Grocers, Tim Coleridge, who is passionate about preserving the environment and increasing biodiversity. Costing about £35,000, it is being funded through a mixture of fundraising and grants, with pupils and staff at both Oundle School and Laxton Junior School helping with the first acre of planting on March 20.

The remaining two acres will be planted later in the year. A path with open access will be maintained through the wood and along to the riverside, enabling a potential link up with Oundle Town Council’s Snipe Meadow Boardwalk.

The wood will be named the Grocers’ Jubilee Wood and is being put forward as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.