Northants Telegraph Sunday Extra - work on new school begins, Christmas concert announced and parks consultation launched

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.

Cransley Hospice Community Choir has announced details of their Christmas concert.

‘The Spirit of Christmas’ will be held on Monday, December 6, at the Salvation Army Citadel in Rockingham Road.

Doors will open at 7pm with the concert beginning at 7.30pm. Tickets, costing £5, can be purchased from the fundraising office on 01536 452423 or from the hospice shop.

Construction has started on a new Wellingborough primary school in Irthlingborough Road at the Stanton Cross development, with the first intake of pupils expected in September 2022.

The two-storey building will accommodate 420 pupils between the ages of four and 11. The school will feature classrooms, a main hall and kitchen, along with a playground, soft play area and a dedicated children’s centre for younger pupils.

About 100 people will be employed on site at peak construction.

Lee Barrett, divisional operations director for Vistry Group and a representative of Stanton Cross Developments LLP, promoters of the Stanton Cross project, said: “As the new community at Stanton Cross continues to grow and go from strength to strength, we are delighted that construction is now under way on the new primary school.

“The provision of high quality community facilities such as this is absolutely key to our vision for Stanton Cross and we are looking forward to seeing the school take shape over the coming months.”

KGH Radio, the hospital radio service for Kettering General Hospital, is inviting people to support it when shopping on Amazon.

The charity has recently registered with Amazon Smile, which donates 0.5 per cent of the purchase total to the selected charity. Shoppers can visit https://smile.amazon.co.uk and then select Kettering General Hospital Radio at the checkout.

KGH Radio has recently announced its winter 2021 schedule with a wide variety of live shows for listeners to choose from each week. The radio station is run entirely by volunteers and is dedicated to improving the wellbeing of Kettering General Hospital’s patients and staff.

KGH Radio trustee Ash Davies said: “KGH Radio is pleased to partner with Amazon Smile which we hope will complement our annual fundraising activities. We would be most grateful for people’s support when they are next shopping on Amazon Smile.”

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is supporting Black History Month by launching their own inspiring ‘Proud to be’ campaign and sharing poignant stories from staff to promote diversity and inclusion across the trust.

Carol Verner, interim head of equality diversity and inclusion at KGH, said: “During Black History Month, we are sharing stories as a way of highlighting our diverse workforce and showing people what a great place Kettering is to work. The aim is to inspire and promote a better understanding of some of the issues and challenges people face.

“We believe each and every one of us is special and brings their own unique experiences to their role. By showcasing some truly inspirational people within our workforce we hope to break down barriers and encourage people to learn from each other, whatever their race or background.”

People are being asked for their views on North Northamptonshire Council’s parks and leisure facilities.

The surveys, which are available at the parks and leisure centres can be completed online, via QR code readers, though paper copies are also available.

Additionally the questionnaires can also be accessed from social media posts, which have been promoted since October 18.

Questions include how helpful the staff were, the range of programme offered, car parking and cleanliness. Each survey is specific to the facility, so slightly different but they will all be used to assess how the services are performing.

Cllr Helen Howell, the Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: “Our parks and leisure facilities provide a very important service to the people of North Northants and beyond and while we’re very proud of what we have to offer it’s important that we make sure that we’re getting things right.

The surveys are open until 9pm on Friday, November 12 with a prize draw taking place shortly after once all surveys have been collected to encourage customers to take part.

The prize is a £100 food hamper from Foxy’s Woodland Shop at East Carlton Countryside Park.

Corby

East Carlton Countryside Park https://forms.office.com/r/HTi0bgt8Ds

Hazelwood Neighbourhood Centre https://forms.office.com/r/tgQyPbAiv6

West Glebe Park Pavilion https://forms.office.com/r/vJhne0vCff

Lodge Park Sports Centre https://forms.office.com/r/TZdAHKni2E

Priors Halls Golf Course https://forms.office.com/r/KdaicaDUJ0

Corby East Midlands Pool https://forms.office.com/r/XzGwvHAPa6

Corby Heritage Centre https://forms.office.com/r/sHvyvRU3pt

Wellingborough

Waendel Leisure Centre https://forms.office.com/r/Gnt2sGFWvN

Redwell Leisure Centre https://forms.office.com/r/X8uPvMsG9N

East Northants

Nene Leisure Centre https://forms.office.com/r/4fZeup8NEK

Pemberton Leisure Centre https://forms.office.com/r/LJrXiNZMJy

Splash Leisure Pool https://forms.office.com/r/8e92s2zQWA

Kettering

Kettering Swimming Pool & Expressions Gym https://forms.office.com/r/ZhhyJYbvMe

Corn Market Hall – Kettering https://forms.office.com/r/D5Ngfx5MDz

Desborough Leisure Centre https://forms.office.com/r/P4S5387ArS

Kettering Athletics Track https://forms.office.com/r/22CZ8ZMtLv

Country Parks

Barnwell Country Park https://forms.office.com/r/aEhyz3Y1kA

Fermyn Woods Country Park https://forms.office.com/r/miwGa7iRDG

Irchester Country Park https://forms.office.com/r/Cie1CHDKuA

Sywell Country Park https://forms.office.com/r/SzsaLiSu8G