Northants Telegraph Sunday Extra - shop refurb, top awards and Beano competition

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.

Staff at Tata Steel in Corby have marked the company’s Founder’s Day with fundraising for local charities.

To mark the birthday of founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata (March 3) employees in Corby joined in the annual celebration, this year themed ‘Life@TataSteel – Build the tomorrow you deserve’.

Founder's Day fundraising in aid of Corby Mind totalled £1,332.80 - the £666.40 donated match-funded by the firm.

Leanne McMullen, lead HR advisor, said: “I would like to thank everybody who donated cakes, bought cakes and made monetary donations. Special thanks also go to our Mental Health First Aiders. The day was a huge success.”.

Employees Claudette Nicholls and Leanne McMullen presented a cheque to Mind’s fundraising and communications lead, Nick Tite.

Nick Tite said: “At the moment, the services we provide in Corby are peer support groups, Wellbeing Education Network courses and emotional support.

“The donation from Tata Steel will go towards increasing Corby’s peer support groups which increase community involvement, decrease isolation and build mental wellbeing skills, leading to an increase in resilience.

“The money will also go towards the activities we facilitate such as art, baking and creative groups and help us to increase their delivery. Alongside this, it will help towards decreasing the emotional support waiting list, by enabling more support staff to deliver sessions in Corby.

“The support offered by Tata Steel in Corby is invaluable as we strive to work to improve mental well-being in our communities. The company’s work in promoting good mental health amongst its workforce and in raising money for us here at Corby’s Mind is inspiring.”

Barnwell residents have the chance to have their say on future development in their area.

North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) is inviting residents and stakeholders to submit views on the Barnwell Neighbourhood Plan.

A public consultation for the plan launched on Monday, March 21, running for six weeks.

The Neighbourhood Plan for Barnwell will be a key document in the determination of planning applications within the District. It provides local detail to support the strategic policies of the North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy 2011-2031 and the emerging Local Plan Part 2.

The Neighbourhood Plan, supporting documents and details of how to respond are available on the Barnwell Neighbourhood Plan page.

Cllr David Brackenbury, the council’s executive member for growth and regeneration, said: “It is important that local, rural communities across North Northamptonshire help shape where they live as they have a keen understanding of their area.

“With this in mind, I would encourage residents to come forward and have their say to help the Barnwell community and us to shape the Plan.”

The public consultation will run until Tuesday, May 3.

Oundle’s Central England Co-op is being transformed with a major investment to create a more modern and sustainable food store for the local community.

The food store in St Osyths Lane is being completely refreshed with a brand new look and a whole host of new features following on from the relaunch of the retailer’s Thrapston store earlier this month.

Work is progressing on site, and it is planned that the Oundle store will relaunch on Thursday, April 14, with changes set to include:

- A zero-waste refill station offering products such as cereals, coffee, pasta, rice and dried fruit as part of long-term efforts to cut down on plastic packaging and waste

- All new eco-friendly refrigeration and lighting, a recycle station and free water refills

- New features including self-checkout tills, a revamped food to go section and a customer toilet with baby changing facilities

- A free bicycle repair station and new external sign outside

Oundle store manager Jonathan Quinn said: “We’re delighted to have seen our store chosen for such a significant transformation which will make a huge difference to the shopping experience for our customers and members and create a store fit for the future we can all be proud of.

“We’re really excited about the new features which are being added to the store, as well as some fantastic new ranges which I’m sure will be really popular with our shoppers.

“Unfortunately, there has had to be some disruption taking place due to the scale of the works including a short closure and I would like to thank our wonderful community in Oundle for their patience. I’m sure once they see the result of the transformation, they will agree with us that it will have all been worth it.”

A North Northants PR agency has been shortlisted for an award in recognition of its commitment to wellbeing in the workplace.

Ballyhoo PR has been announced as a finalist in the East Midlands round of the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards 2022 in the Wellbeing Award category. If successful at the East Midlands regional final in Leicester on Wednesday, April 6, the company will go through to a national UK final.

The Wellbeing Award recognises businesses who have demonstrated their commitment to the health and wellbeing of their workforce by developing and implementing an effective, holistic strategy which has had a proven and significant positive impact on its workforce.

Ballyhoo PR has been recognised for creating a flexible and supportive place to work for its small team by offering a truly flexible way of working, particularly during school holidays, and by offering emotional support through regular workshops and training and one-to-one meetings.

Formerly based in Corby, Ballyhoo PR moved to its current premises at Lamport Manor in July 2021 after a period of remote working during the pandemic, and credits this move with also being a massive boost to team wellbeing.

Emma Speirs, director at Ballyhoo PR, said: “The new office has been a massive boost to the team and their mental health and wellbeing.

“Aside from the obvious benefits of moving into an office after working remotely for several months and thriving from being able to see each other and work more collaboratively in person, our new office is one of a few small, converted farm buildings in a courtyard and is in a lovely rural setting where our neighbours include a beauty salon, gym, Pilates studio and lots of horses!

The team also have an office dog in Molly, Emma’s cockapoo who joins the team most days.

“Supporting working parents is something that I have always been hugely passionate about,” adds Emma.

“When I set up Ballyhoo PR in 2016, my children were six and three and I still hadn’t got that balance right between carrying on with my career and being there for my family. Personally, I wanted a job where I could develop and progress up the career ladder just as I had pre having kids but be there to take them to school, pick them up and have dinner with them and put them to bed.

“Starting my own business was a way of doing both. As the business has grown and I have taken on employees who also happen to be parents, I wanted to create a supportive but productive working environment that allows everyone to work hard and use their hard won skills and knowledge but still be there for the sports days, school plays, drop-offs and pick-ups.

“We want to be part of, if not driving the change, to make being a working parent much easier and we are absolutely over the moon to have been shortlisted for this award.”

Cando Care’s St Patrick's night fundraiser at Rushden & Higham Rugby Club raised a fantastic £502.

Sixty people paid for a two-course Irish dinner with tea and coffee by KB Catering and together enjoyed the music from Dubliner Jed McCoy

Cando Care is a not for profit wellbeing centre based in Irthlingborough and fundraising events help them give clients days out. Their next is The Towers, a five-piece covers band, at Higham Ferrers WMC on May 7 with tickets costing £10.

Corby Technical School hosted The Trust Network’s ‘Greening the Estate’ National Conference 2022 – the organisation’s first face to face event in almost two years.

The Trust Network is a network for all independently run, state-funded schools providing its members with an opportunity to share best practice and exchange knowledge. Founded by Brooke Weston Trust and Ormiston Academies Trust in 2014, the network has grown to represent around 500 Trusts nationwide.

Over 175 delegates from schools and MATs across the country attended the ‘Greening the Estate’ conference, which aimed to support schools to implement efficient and cost-effective estates management. The group also participated in workshop sessions, with topics covering ‘getting to net carbon zero’, ‘getting buy-in from personnel on your environmental policy’, ‘estates strategy for trusts’, ‘assurance and risk management as a responsible body’, and ‘getting the most from your school estate’.

Director of estates at Brooke Weston Trust, Matt Isherwood, delivered a workshop alongside Jonathan Coyles from EO Consulting and highlighted the strategy and tactics a trust could employ to achieve the 2035 carbon reduction targets.

He said: “We were thrilled to welcome back nearly 200 delegates, exhibitors and presenters to Corby Technical School for The Trust Network Conference 2022. The workshop sessions provided attendees with how to case-studies and insight into the art of the possible, as well as motivation to work toward decarbonisation.

“Thank you to everyone who attended. The enthusiasm of the delegates, the commitment of the exhibitors and the time given by the experts made the conference such a success. We all look forward to the 2023 conference.”

Wellingborough Bowling Club’s president, Marlene Armitage, presented a cheque for £1,000 to Jenny Standen of Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

This was the result of Marlene’s fundraising during her term of office over the last two years.

Kids and grown-ups who visit AMF Bowling Wellingborough this Easter school holidays will be in the frame to have their own family portrait illustrated by one of the artists behind the nation’s favourite comic.

To celebrate its partnership with Beano, AMF Bowling, part of Hollywood Bowl Group, is launching a competition which will realise every kid’s dream of becoming a comic character by giving one lucky family the chance to be reimagined by a comic artist more familiar for drawing characters such as Minnie the Minx and Dennis and Gnasher.

With red and black stripes at the ready, families who visit the centre during the holidays simply need to capture a selfie of themselves bowling, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #Beanogoesbowling and tag @HollywoodBowlUK to enter.

Leigh Elmore, centre manager at AMF Bowling Wellingborough, said: “Beano is one of the most loved comics amongst kids and grown-ups who visit our centre, so what better way to celebrate the Easter school holidays than to be bowled over by winning your family portrait drawn by one of the comic’s talented artists.

“Families who visit during the holidays can enjoy Beanotown with lots of games and activities and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to have some fun when the school bell rings for the end of term.”