The duo, who live in Great Doddington, will start south of the Thames in Greenwich and then continue on a route past some of London’s famous landmarks such as the Cutty Sark and London Eye, leading to the finishing line in front of Buckingham Palace.

This race will be particularly poignant as it marks the one-year anniversary of Sarah’s breast cancer diagnosis.

One year ago Sarah, 42, was cheering on her dad who was running the marathon for his loved ones who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

But while Sarah was watching on she knew she was suffering from the disease and made the decision to keep it a secret until her dad had finished the race.

She told him about the diagnosis the week after.

Running this marathon will be a “rare treat,” the pair said.

They are aiming to finish in four-and-a-half hours, and have already surpassed their target of £5,000 for life-saving research.

Sarah had a lumpectomy and removal of her lymph nodes, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Running is a big part of Sarah’s life – she and Tim met at a running club, and have now been happily married for nine years.

Sarah continued to run throughout the duration of her treatment when she felt well enough, and regularly runs with her 8-year-old old daughter.

Sarah and Tim are running the London Marathon for Breast Cancer Now. You can support their fundraising here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=Sarah_Tim_Ellwood&pageUrl=4 –

Fundraisers from Northamptonshire are making their final preparations to run the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday, April 23, with more than 50,000 people expected to take part.

Marathon runners will start south of the Thames in Greenwich and then continue on a route past some of London’s famous landmarks such as the Cutty Sark and London Eye, leading to the finishing line in front of Buckingham Palace.

Tim Richardson, an architect from Astcote, 32, is helping to support the NSPCC including the NSPCC’s Speak Out as well as the charities Stay Safe Schools Service, which delivers

safeguarding assemblies and workshops to teach children the tools needed to keep them safe from abuse.

Tim said: “The idea of helping the charity to continue its vital work in keeping children and young people safe from abuse will encourage me to keep going, all the way to the finish line.”

Adele Knott, 27, from Kingsthorpe, is running to raise money for a different cause.

The fundraiser will join thousands of runners at the UK’s largest marathon as she negotiates the 26.2-mile course in a bid to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.

Adele is taking part on behalf of the charity because she was once a former patient at Great Ormond Street Hospital. At just a few weeks old she required emergency open heart surgery for a rare heart condition she was born with.

She said: “It is without a doubt that the emergency care provided by the specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital saved my life when I was a baby. My heart is strong enough to make it possible for me to complete a marathon and that is only because of the treatment I received from the hospital.

“Training has been a lot more demanding than I had anticipated - I think the only part of me that hasn't hurt throughout has been my heart.

"I am just so pleased I can do this small thing to say thank you to Great Ormond Street Hospital, a cause I am very passionate about. It's going to be a long, slow run on the day but so worth it to cross the finish line for this charity. There is also the added motivation from my family who went through so much when I was admitted to hospital as a baby and I know they will just be so proud.”

Simon Turner, Sam Cullinane and Nick Blackmore from Daventry, are also preparing to pound the pavements of the nation’s capital.

Simon, who lives in Newnham, should have competed in last year’s marathon but deferred because his wife was due to give birth. He is running for the Silver Star Society at John Radcliffe Hospital, which is where she was looked after.

“Thankfully I deferred because my wife developed pre-eclampsia,” said Simon. “She ended up in the hospital for four weeks."

The Silver Star Society offers special care to mothers with medical complications during pregnancy.

First-time marathon runner, Sam, 26, from Middlemore estate, is hoping to complete the race in under five hours for mental health charity, Mind and Nick, 47, from Middleton Cheney, is raising money for Spurgeon's Children’s Charity in Rushden after coming across them through his work.

To sponsor Adele please visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/adeleisrunningthemarathon
To find out more about fundraising for the NSPCC, visit: www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/do-your-own-fundraising
To sponsor Simon visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/simonturner20
To sponsor Sam visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/SamCullinanesLondonMarathon
To sponsor Nick visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/NickBlackmore

It will be a slight departure for television presenter Laura Whitmore when she appears in Not Dead Enough coming to Northampton at the beginning of next month.

The show is performed from Tuesday May 2 to Saturday May 6.

She swaps a studio for the stage when she appears in the stage adaptation of the Peter James novel.Most actors have to do some background research when they take on a part.

Laura said: “I don’t think there’s much difference between the two. When you are on a show presenting it, there can be times when you are tired and you have to find the energy to be a different version of yourself rather than being the tired one.

“I have been an actor when I was in my early 20s and then I did years of presenting with MTV, ITV and Eurovision. I like to learn by doing and to get the chance to work alongside the likes of Ant and Dec – who are the best in the business for doing live television – and to work alongside them was incredible.

“I think that was part of the reason why I wanted to do this because what better experience to get back into acting than to do live theatre as it is such a challenge.”

Laura plays Cleo Morley in the show which starts on the night that Brian Bishop murdered his wife.

But he claims he was 60 miles away, asleep in bed.

And she took real life inspiration in her interpretation of the character.

She said: “I studied journalism and did was crime reporting. There was a pathologist by the name of Marie Cassidy, and I got always very excited whenever I saw her because she was always quite glamourous. So it is nice to be able to use that little bit of my past in preparing for this part.

“But it is a very gory part, it’s a million miles away from the styles of red carpet which I have been used to.”

And Laura is delighted to appear in the show.

She said: “I had met Peter about two years ago to talk about one of the other books adapted as a play, Dead Simple, and I was well aware of his work.

“I’m in airports a lot and whenever I see a bookshop I always see one of Peter’s books in the top 10 and end up picking them up.

“It is quite overwhelming being in the rehearsal process and working with all these wonderful people but it is such a great team.”

For tickets call the box office on 01604 624811 or visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk

For an actress who has done many musical theatre productions, Samantha Womack admitted that a role in another one wasn’t top of her to do list after Eastenders.

Having previously done South Pacific and Guys and Dolls, she now plays the the of Morticia in The Addams Family musical coming to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate from Tuesday May 9 to Saturday May 13.

“I agreed to go to the initial meeting, but I wasn’t convinced,” she told me.

But preparing for that meeting entailed a certain amount of research, during which Samantha found her mind being changed.

“Immediately I got a very clear sense of how I should play the role. I’d never played a character that was so deadpan before and as I read the script I really started to enjoy it.

“I also really liked the character-style of singing, which was different to me. Suddenly I couldn’t stop thinking about it; I was being seduced!”

For those of us who are new to The Addams Family, how would she sum up Morticia?

Samantha said: “Morticia is the matriarch of the family and she tends to everyone carefully. She believes in truth and is a good home maker. She believes in everything to do with herfamily and that’s her religion really.

“If an untruth is told then it really will break her heart.”

“The whole thing about the Addams Family is they are supposed to co-exist in this perfect world for them.

“Which is dark and strange but they don’t argue.”

Telling the story of Wednesday Addams, a princess of darkness with a shocking secret, when her father Gomez learns that she has fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family, he must do something he’s never done before — keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia.

Inviting Wednesday’s ‘normal’ boyfriend and family to dinner, meeting Lurch, Pugsley Uncle Fester and the rest of the clan will ensure that it’s a night that nobody will forget in a hurry.

There have been films and TV series but does she have a preference.

Samantha said: “I liked the series in the 60s and for me, that is the closest to my Morticia in thatshe’s kind of warmer, less arch, less knowing. Almost as if she is fascinated with the old movie sstars of the time.

“I enjoyed that series and the comedy in that was just brilliant. The casting was phenomenal.

“I probably know that more than the film though my daughter knows the films.”

And what challenges does playing the part of Morticia entail?

She said. “My biggest challenge is not moving so facially trying to stay interesting but being very devoid and trying to be economical with it. It is hard to keep that interesting. There is a lot of bird like movements but not moving the face.

“It is quite hard not to laugh as well as we have Cameron Blakely, who plays Gomez, who is making everyone laugh.”

Samantha is particularly looking forward to the Northampton date as it will be a chance to be close to her home.

“Touring is exciting and each theatre gets a slightly different production, because architecturally and acoustically every theatre is a different experience.

“I also like to know where I am at, so I do excursions where I can and I do endless walking,” smiled Samantha, who is particularly looking forward to visiting Northampton.

“It’s a week that gives me the best of both worlds because I get to live at home and commute to the theatre to do the show.

“That’s a real treat when you’re touring, especially when the theatre and its staff are so lovely. The Royal & Derngate is a fantastic venue.”

Tickets for the show cpst between £14 and £37.

These can be booked by calling the box office on 01604 624811 or visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk where more details are available.

The eight-year-old victim is currently receiving hospital treatment after the collision in an alleyway between Entwood Drive and Dell Crescent yesterday (April 19).

The motorbike was seen circling the Goldings area between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.

The rider was not wearing a helmet and did not stop at the scene.

Anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident 430 of today, or call Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.

Three fire engines were called to the BestPol Supermarket in Queen's Road, off Kettering Road, Northampton, at around 4am today (April 20).

Queen's Road has been closed and fire engines are still at the scene.

Updates to follow.

Two teenagers, one armed with a knife, tried to rob a Corby shop.

Just after 8pm on Sunday, April 16, the teenagers went into the One Stop store in Studfall Avenue.

One stood at the door while the other threatened a staff member and pulled out a carving knife.

When the staff member shouted for help, both men ran away across the green area in front of the shop.

The first offender is described as white, slim and wearing a face covering and grey tracksuit top and bottoms and the second is described as about 5ft 6in, with a medium build, white, in his early teens and wearing a grey hooded top.

Witnesses can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A national rise in assaults against police officers has prompted the move by Northamptonshire Police to train a further 100 officers to use the electric shock devices.

Now, for the first time in Northamptonshire, Tasers will be given to officers in local policing, frontline response officers and the proactive team.

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Swann said: “Extending our Taser capability will enable us to respond more quickly and effectively with the appropriate resources needed for a given incident.

“Nationally, 64 police officers are assaulted every day. By extending our Taser capability, we will better placed to protect police officers and the wider community in general, from harm.”

Tasers subdue their targets with an electric current and are considered non-lethal.

Currently, there are 388 specialist officers that carry Tasers who work in the tactical support team, the dog section and the roads team.

In 2016, Northamptonshire Police deployed Taser 105 times, but only fired on eight occasions.

ACC Swann said: “On many occasions, simply the presence of a Taser can calm and resolve a situation without it necessarily being used to combat a violent situation.”

"The Police Federation has been consulted and fully supports the decision to extend the use of Taser to local response officers.

“Evidence elsewhere in the country does not suggest that by simply equipping more officers there is an inevitable and automatic increase in the number of times Tasers are used."

Figures released last week by the Home Office showed that, nationally, there was a fall in the number of times Tasers were discharged.

Sergio Bucher, who took over as chief executive of Debenhams last October, outlined an overhaul that will see the group shut its Lodge Farm Industrial Estate distribution centre run by DHL, 10 smaller in-house warehouses and potentially axe up to 10 of its 176 stores over the next five years.

The DHL warehouse employs 220 staff and will shut in two years’ time, but Debenhams hopes to be able to redeploy many staff affected by the smaller warehouse closures.

Details of his plans came as the group announced a 6.4% drop in pre-tax profits to £87.8 million for the six months to March 4.

It is hoped that DHL will also seek to redeploy many employees affected by the closure of the Lodge Farm distribution centre in Northamptonshire.

Mr Bucher’s turnaround will also see the group cull in-house brands and leave some international markets, while also shifting around 2,000 staff to customer-facing roles as part of a drive to lure shoppers back to its stores.

This will see the group offer customers experiences as it battles against a wider trend to switch spending away from clothes towards eating out and holidays.

Mr Bucher said: "Our customers are changing the way they shop and we are changing too.

“Shopping with Debenhams should be effortless, reliable and fun, whichever channel our customers use. We will be a destination for ‘social shopping’ with mobile the unifying platform for interacting with our customers.”

Current Saint Harry Mallinder and future Saint Piers Francis are among 31 players named in England's squad for this summer's tour of Argentina.

Dylan Hartley will lead Eddie Jones' men in two Tests against Los Pumas in June, with Paul Hill and Tom Wood also making the trip.

It means there will be five Saints representatives with England to add to the two - Courtney Lawes and George North - with the Lions in New Zealand.

Hooker Hartley had been overlooked by the Lions, but having skippered England to back-to-back Six Nations titles and a series win in Australia, he was always likely to captain his country again.

Flanker Wood was a part of this year's successful Six Nations squad, while prop Hill has also been part of the group during Jones's tenure.

But Mallinder, who captained the England Under 20s to World Rugby Under 20 Championship glory last summer, is uncapped.

And so is Francis, who will join Saints from Super Rugby side Blues ahead of the start of next season.

Both Mallinder and Francis can play at fly-half or centre, adding extra options to the England group.

Francis was due to face the Lions for the Blues, but he will now have to miss that tour match as he travels to Argentina.

England face Los Pumas in San Juan and Santa Fe on June 10 and June 17 respectively.

England’s 31-man squad for Argentina tour: Forwards: Will Collier (Harlequins, uncapped), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 4 caps), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, uncapped), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, uncapped), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 3 caps), Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 1 cap), Dylan Hartley – captain ( Saints, 84 caps), James Haskell (Wasps, 75 caps), Paul Hill (Saints, 5 caps), Nathan Hughes (Wasps, 8 caps), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens, uncapped), Joe Launchbury (Wasps, 42 caps), Matt Mullan (Wasps, 15 caps), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, 55 caps), Sam Underhill (Ospreys/Bath Rugby, uncapped), Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped), Tom Wood (Saints, 50 caps): Backs: Mike Brown – vice-captain (Harlequins, 60 caps), Danny Care – vice captain (Harlequins, 71 caps), Joe Cokanasiga (London Irish, uncapped), Nathan Earle (Saracens, uncapped), George Ford – vice captain (Bath Rugby, 35 caps), Piers Francis (Auckland Blues/Saints, uncapped), Sam James (Sale Sharks, uncapped), Alex Lozowski (Saracens, uncapped), Harry Mallinder (Saints, uncapped), Joe Marchant (Harlequins, uncapped), Jack Maunder (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 25 caps), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 4 caps), Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks, uncapped)

Nicholas Woodeson will take over the part of Willy Loman in the production of the Arthur Miller's play directed by Abigail Graham.

In a joint statement, Royal & Derngate’s artistic director James Dacre and chief executive Martin Sutherland said: "Following the tragic death of Tim Pigott-Smith OBE on April 7, and after close consultation with the acting company, creative team and our touring partners we have decided to proceed with our production and tour of Death of a Salesman.

"Whilst rehearsals resume, all scheduled Northampton performances will be postponed. The tour will start at Cambridge Arts Theatre before visiting Bath, Malvern, Exeter, Edinburgh, Truro, Guildford and Oxford and returning to Royal & Derngate, Northampton in June.

"We are grateful to all our colleagues and partners for their ongoing support and to our audiences for their patience and understanding as the team here has worked hard, under such difficult circumstances, to achieve this outcome.

"Given the situation the organisation now faces, with enormous regret we are also announcing the postponement of our production of Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare's An Iliad.”

Nicholas Woodeson is an Olivier Award nominee who has recently been seen on stage in The Audience, The Homecoming and Rocket to the Moon.

Ticket holders for the Northampton run of Death of a Salesman and An Iliad are all being contacted and offered refunds or tickets for the re-scheduled run.

A national watchdog has today released its findings following an inspection of the work currently being carried out by the National Probation Service (NPS) and the Community Rehabilitation Company in Northamptonshire.

But Chief Inspector for probation, Dame Glenys Stacey said there were flaws in the work of the two organisations.

Namely, the report found work to reduce reoffending by the CRC was not up to scratch.

Dame Glenys, said: "We found that the CRC’s work was simply not good enough. Too little is being done to reduce the risk of someone committing a further offence, or to minimise risk to the public.

"Local leaders are committed, but stretched, and don’t have a good enough grasp on the quality of work actually being delivered to turn people away from crime.

Among the criticisms responsible officers "did too little to understand what led to offending behaviour," the report found, "and therefore couldn’t put plans in place to turn people’s lives around."

Dame Glenys found too many cases were assigned to staff "without the skills and support needed" to put criminals back on the right track.

Inspectors were also concerned at the lack of privacy in open booths used for confidential interviews, and at the prospect that some people would be supervised solely by telephone contact or biometric reporting.

"Without meaningful contact, people are less likely to develop the will to change their attitudes and behaviour," the report continued.

Generally, the work of the National Probation Service in Northamptonshire was found to be "good" however.

NPS’s work to protect the public was Inspectors found probation officers worked effectively with the police but could do more to tackle substance misuse.

The NPS did not always provide the CRC with enough information at the beginning of sentences also, causing extra work for the CRC in order to be able to manage its cases effectively.

“The public can be assured that the NPS are managing high-risk cases well overall, but I was disappointed to see that the quality of work varied across the area.

"We have found this elsewhere, and the NPS now has the opportunity to make sure offices perform consistently well in future.”

Northants are on their best run of four-day wins since 2003 - and they will look to continue their hot streak at Worcestershire this week.

David Ripley’s men have started the season in style, winning their first two championship matches for the first time since 1987.

Those triumphs add to the three they finished the previous campaign with, lifting hopes ever higher at the County Ground.

And with last season’s T20 champions showing they can win in pretty much any circumstances, Worcestershire should be worried ahead of the division two clash which starts at New Road on Friday (11am).

Northants completed a thrilling three-wicket victory at Derbyshire on Monday, with Rory Kleinveldt’s six from the penultimate ball of the match getting the job done.

Skipper Alex Wakely had engineered the win, approaching Derbyshire counterpart Billy Godleman in a bid to set up a run chase.

Godleman agreed, with Northants’ buffet bowling leading their hosts to declare on 351 for one, setting Wakely’s men 326 to win.

And with Rob Newton rifling 98 and Richard Levi a quickfire 99, Northants got home, as Steven Crook and Kleinveldt held their nerve with their team seven wickets down in the final over.

The enthralling victory backed up the opening-game success against Glamorgan, which came by an innings and 22 runs.

And Northants head coach David Ripley said: “We’ve talked about being positive in our outlook on the championship, how we apporach it and how we view it.

“We have a collective belief that we’re prepared to try to win those games and Alex (Wakely) went into the negotiations to get something we felt was fair.

“We knew we would have to play very well to get those runs but we knew if we lost our way we could block it out and it would be up to Derbyshire to try to bowl us out.

“All results were possible in the last 10 minutes of the match.

“We could easily have lost those three wickets because having got so close to the score, we were always going to keep going for the win.

“It was a bit heavy watching in the morning. I didn’t really enjoy that and I’d rather they’d pushed the button without us giving everyone a bowl, but the game turned out the way we all wanted it.”

Despite winning their final three matches of last season, Northants could only finish fifth in County Championship Division Two.

And they are clearly determined to put themselves in a much better position this time round.

“A lot of our chat has been about how we finished the season last year and we wanted to play a lot of good cricket in the first half of this season,” Ripley said.

“Coming out on top in four-day matches was great at the end of last season, but it didn’t really mean a lot because we weren’t in position for promotion.

“This time, we wanted to start as we finished last season so that come the end of this campaign we can have some really big games to be involved in.

“That was our plan and it’s one thing to talk about it but it’s another to come out and win our first two games.

“I don’t think we’ve won our first two games for 30 years so that’s a pretty impressive start.”

But Northants know that a start is all it is.

And they would love to make it three wins in a row at Worcestershire, who beat Glamorgan by eight wickets last weekend.

“They had a really good win themselves,” Ripley said.

“We’ve had some good games against those and we’re pretty well matched so we’re expecting much the same.

“We’ve got a couple of lads whose niggles we want to settle down and hopefully we’ll have a similar team and put in a good performance.”

Northants begin their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign with a home game against holders Warwickshire next Thursday.

And Ripley has been handed a double injury boost.

He said: “We’ve got one or two lads who are not even in the team and who are chomping at the bit.

“Richard Gleeson and Azharullah have been playing second-team cricket this week and we’re getting back to almost a full-strength squad.

“It will be good if we get into that situation and we’ve got everyone fit.

“Games come thick and fast and in three weeks, you’re either in or you’re out.

“To have everyone fit would be is really important.”

The Preston Hedge’s Academy Trust today announced the addition of a new school in the community of Buckton Fields in Kingsthorpe to serve the 1,000 homes that will be eventually built on the land.

A spokesman for Preston Hedges Academy Trust said: "We are very much looking forward to working with the new community of Buckton Fields, to deliver exceptional school experiences for the local children and their families.

"We will work tirelessly to ensure that the all our schools are prepared to deliver an 'outstanding' primary education'."

The new school, set to be called Buckton Fields Primary School is part of the expansion of the trust, alongside Preston Hedge’s Primary School in Wootton Fields, which was rated "Outstanding" in all areas by Ofsted.

Buckton Fields Primary School will be set-up on the trust’s key ethos of "fun, creativity and achievement' while having its own unique curriculum, values and leadership.

Pineham Barns Primary School - another Preston Hedges Academy Trust school - is set to open in September 2017.

Police are appealing for information after a woman was assaulted and left unconscious on a footpath in Finedon.

She was assaulted by two men as she was walking her dog along the path, which leads off Station Road towards the River Ise.

Officers investigating the incident are asking anyone who walked along the path, which is opposite J&S Accessories, on the morning of Tuesday, April 11, between 10.30am and 1pm, to contact them on 101.

The men are both described as white, with dark hair, aged 30 to 40 and wore green wellingtons and shorts.

One of the men had a tattoo.

They also had a dog, described as black, medium-sized, with brown fur on its face by its jaw.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A Northampton-based charity that helps mothers who face a financial struggle after giving birth has been given a boost thanks to a donation from a distribution centre.

Baby Basics Northampton, a volunteer-led project aimed at supporting new mothers with the financial and practical burden of looking after a new baby, were presented £1,000 by the team from the Amazon Fulfilment Centre in Daventry.

The money will be used to help provide baskets of supplies including clothing, toiletries and essential baby equipment like mattresses.

Since its launch in 2013, the charity has already helped mothers in the area with more than 600 baskets.

The donation forms part of the Amazon in the Community programme whereby the company supports the communities around its operating locations across the UK.

After visiting the charity, Amazon Daventry’s Site Lead David Tindal, said: “Baby Basics is a lifeline for some of the new mums in our community and we’re happy to help them continue their great work with this donation.

“At Amazon in Daventry, we’re keen to support important organisations in our community like Baby Basics and when we heard we might be able to lend a helping hand, we jumped at the chance.”

Angie Kennedy from Baby Basics Northampton added: “On behalf of everyone at Baby Basics I’d like to thank David and his team for this donation it will make a big difference to mums and babies.

A group of Northamptonshire volunteers, who have collectively raised more than £1.8m for Macmillan Cancer Support, are celebrating another fundraising extravaganza.

This time, working as a team, the charity supporters jointly raised a massive £27,000.

Billed as the highlight of the Northants social calendar, the Macmillan Northamptonshire County Ball was the brainchild of the Northampton and Wellingborough & Rushden Macmillan fundraising committees, who decided to join forces and raise as much money as possible for people affected by cancer in Northamptonshire.

Hosted by Wicksteed Park in March and attracting more than 300 guests from as far afield as London and beyond, the inaugural ball was a complete sell-out.

Macmillan Fundraising Manager for Northants, Ellen Finn said: “To sell so many tickets and to raise nearly £30,000 is incredible, especially when it was the first event of its kind organised by the committees.

“Its success is a real credit to both committees for coming together.

“Together the Northampton and Wellingborough & Rushden committees have raised more than £1.8m for Macmillan Cancer Support.”

Ellen added: “This is a staggering amount of money and I am extremely proud to have the pleasure of working alongside them.”

Yvonne Rose, chair of The Macmillan Northamptonshire County Ball Committee, said: “When the ball committee first discussed the viability of organising such an event, it was hoped it would raise between £10,000 and £15,000.

“However, through the generosity of local sponsors and a very positive response from the public in purchasing tickets, the target was exceeded and almost £27,000 was raised, with donations still arriving.

“Well over 300 people attended the black tie event, enjoying a four course meal, live band and disco, casino and silent auction and with the extremely positive feedback given, the committee are pleased to announce that this will now become a two-yearly event with the Ball of 2019 being an even bigger and better event.”

To support Macmillan Cancer Support, which relies on donations, contact Ellen Finn via email efinn@macmillan.org.uk

Northampton is to host an evening festival devoted to celebrating the teachings and lifestyle of the Hare Krishna movement.

The free festival, with its message of universal, non-sectarian love, simple living, service and spiritual connections, offers music and food - and happiness.

Festival-goers will be able to sample a vegetarian feast, join in discussions and browse a small market offers fascinating books, incense many colourful items.

Whether the food, music, wisdom or meditation, we hope everyone finds something to enhance their path towards peace and happiness.

Well known all over the world for their shaven heads, bright saffron robes, for giving out free food and their famous mantra, the event is expected to see hundreds attend.

ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and local members of the Hare Krishna movement have teamed up to invite the public to the festivities.

Giridhari Das, a Hare Krishna monk who heads up the UK festival team, said: “Probably best known from the Glastonbury Festival or for singing in the streets of London, as the Hare Krishna Festival team we tend to appear all over the place -at carnivals, theatres or town halls we like to be with the people.”

The Hare Krishna Movement follows ancient teachings of devotional yoga with roots in the Vedic culture of India, dating back over 5,000 years.

Narada Das, PR & Communications at ISKCON Festivals officer, added: “The Krishna Consciousness message is for everyone. It’s a non-sectarian message of love, connecting the self with the original spiritual source, Krishna.”

Northampton’s Hare Krishna festival is free, and includes music, dance, and free vegetarian food.

The event will be held at Northampton’s Doddridge Centre, 109 St James’ Road, at 7pm on Friday May 5.

For more details visit www.harekrishnafestivals.com, follow @HKFestivalsUK on Twitter, or go to ‘Hare Krishna Festivals UK’ on Facebook.

A Bollywood-themed dinner at a town centre curry house raised funds for Guide Dogs for the Blind at the final charity event for the outgoing Mayor of Northampton.

The event, held at Saffron in Castilian Street, Northampton, saw dozens of VIPs, David Mackintosh MP Northampton South and invited guests come together to enjoy dishes from award-winning curry chef Bodrul Islam.

A raffle and prize auction, including a bottle of champagne personally signed by Prime Minister Theresa May, helped raise £854 for Guide Dogs for the Blind, the chosen charity of Mayor of Northampton, Councillor Christopher Malpas.

Saffron owner Naz Islam, who has helped raise more than £21,000 for local charities in the past two decades, said: “To raise so much money in one evening is incredible and we are absolutely thrilled we were able to help support such a fabulous cause.

“We had several guide dogs in the restaurant for the event and they are truly amazing animals.

“To be able to contribute towards the training of a dog which will a life-changing impact on its owner is a huge honour.”

The Mayor has already raised more than £20,000 during his 12-month tenure, enough to sponsor four Guide Dog puppies.

The first one, Tilly, is already in training while a second puppy, Spencer, will start later in the year.

Cllr Malpas said: “The evening was a huge success and it was fabulous to raise so much money for a cause close to my heart.

“It’s hugely appreciated and will make a huge difference.”

Other raffle and auction prizes on the evening included items donated by Northampton Saints, Silverstone, the Cobblers, Rockingham International Speedway and Broughton Wines.

A man suffered facial injuries after a brick was thrown at him as he slept on a bench in Kettering.

The victim was sleeping on the bench in Mill Road Park at about 4.45pm yesterday (Wednesday, April 19) when he was assaulted by a group of people, one of whom threw a brick at him.

One wore a red peaked cap and blue jacket.

Witnesses should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.