The Grafton Races and Family Fun Day sponsored by Michael Graham comes to the area on Sunday May 20.

The event will take place at a new venue of Edgcote Racecourse north east of Banbury having been forced from the previous venue at Whitfield Race Course due to the HS2 development.

Equestrian loving hearts are racing as the track is renowned for its incredible gallops. If you know your horses, world-class thoroughbreds Royal Relief and Spanish Steps
were trained there.
Michael Graham is delighted to be a sponsor of the Grafton for the eleventh consecutive year, and if you’re a new-comer to point-to- pointing, you’re in for a treat.
Described as amateur horse racing over fences, at the Grafton gates open at 11am with the first of three pony races at 1pm, followed by the first horse race at 2pm.
Seven horse races will be run over the afternoon.

Away from the track there is entertainment guaranteed to keep everyone amused, whatever their age or inclination. A children’s corner with rides and activities, a vintage car display, birds
of prey, a licensed bar, artisan food market and shopping opportunities galore mean you certainly don’t have to be a point-to- point purist to enjoy the day.

Entry is £10 per adult (children under 16 go free) an visitors can get 20 per cent off the ticket price if booked in advance. For more details visit www.edgcoteraces.co.uk.

Bosses at gift shop Mooch, in St Giles Street, have spoken of their excitement ahead of opening their new shop in September this year, as part of Bell's £250k expansion.

Upon completion, the new 20,000sq ft project at Bell will play host to a deli, a 110-seat restaurant and will see the introduction of a large Christmas and gift department.

Husband and wife Mooch bosses, Rachel and Paul Roberts, both used to have top jobs with multi-national retailers in London before leaving they upped and left their demanding jobs.

The pair, who live in Billing Road, started up Mooch online in November 2016 - as part of their hobby - and they were handed the keys to the shop last year with a ten-year lease.

Rachel said: "We live on the Billing Road got in our car and drove to Market Harborough without even a thought of coming into Northampton.

"We had a bit of a laugh about it but thought, actually, this is a real thing there isn’t somewhere to get a nice quality gift.

"Literally from day one, there are two things that we hear all day. 'God this is really lovely, this is exactly what Northampton needs', and the second thing that we hear all day, which is less fun to listen to, is 'I never come into town anymore'.

She believes the town needs more independent traders, like Mooch, to give shoppers the opportunity to go out for the afternoon and spend time leisurely looking around different shops.

She added: "Our experience of trading in Northampton is really positive and we’d encourage anyone with a good idea to invest in the town.

"Feedback from customers is overwhelmingly positive every day, and they tell us they’d love to see more good quality independent businesses."

Mooch, which will create two new jobs in Bell, open seven days a week, including Bank Holidays, and offers customers a whole host of 'industrial' themed furniture, candles and gift cards - with some lines made in Northamptonshire.

"We are so excited about it. It's an amazing opportunity to open another shop in Northampton, and also to introduce Mooch to a whole new audience. We think it's a perfect partnership," Rachel added.

Back for its third year running, the festival is expected to draw over 65,000 people for a day of funfair, fireworks and live music on July 7 and 8 (Saturday and Sunday).

The Northampton Town Festival is a free event that pays homage to the former Balloon Festival.

Event organiser David Bailey said: “We were absolutely thrilled with the turnout for 2016 and 2017. With so much achieved in such a short space of time, it needed to be re-arranged for 2018.

"As a free event, we expected a great turnout and we were not disappointed. We can only expect bigger crowds for 2018. There will be more entertainment, more arenas and some surprise acts."

The annual festival is organised by Showtime Events Group and will feature Motorcycle stuntsman Jamie Squibb, the Vander brothers' Wheel of Death and a human cannon ball.

The iconic hot air balloons will also return to the Racecourse for the festival, and if the weather is on their side they could take to the skies over Northampton.

Families are invited to get involved in the activities on Saturday, May 19 and enjoy entertainment, which aims to highlight everything Northampton Market has to offer.

A free ‘Design your own Market Stall’ workshop will help keep little shoppers busy. Running between 11am and 3pm, the drop-in workshop will give children the chance to find out more about Northampton Market during a quick tour of the stalls, before they set to work, designing and painting their own stall.

Councillor Phil Larratt, the Deputy Leader of the Borough Council, said: “Northampton Market is a great asset to the town and we are looking forward to celebrating what it has to offer during Love Your Local Market fortnight.

“We hope that lots of people will come along to enjoy the activities and shop for excellent, fresh produce and products that are available from stalls.”

Continuing the celebrations on the day is Northampton BID’s Street Circus. Acts including Elton Wrong, Team BeeGee and Musical Ruth will be performing between 11am and 4pm, on the Market Square, Abington Street and All Saints Plaza.

Rob Purdie, BID executive director said: “Our Street Circus last year created masses of fun, excitement and energy and pulled hundreds of families into the town centre so we are very excited about doing it all again.

"This year it is all about the royals, our chance to celebrate the Royal Wedding. So, join us for this celebration event, with the town centre set to be packed with outdoor acts and entertainment on the day Harry and Meghan say ‘I do’.”

The Cobblers have confirmed they have 22 players under contract for next season - while talks are ongoing with regards to securing the services of three other current squad members.

Cobblers caretaker manager Dean Austin met with the players on Tuesday at Sixfields, with the club only definitely releasing three players from the squad which suffered relegation from Sky Bet League One.

The three leaving Sixfields are fringe players Kevin Luckassen, Raheem Hanley and Leon Lobjoit, who between them made just four starts and four substitute appearances in league one last season.

Hanley has been on loan at Halifax FC since January, while Lobjoit, who was signed last summer from UCL outfit Buckingham Town by Justin Edinburgh, has been playing on loan at non-League side Banbury United.

Also departing are loan players Chris Long, Regan Poole and Matt Grimes, who return to Burnley, Manchester United and Swansea City respectively.

The trio whose deals have ended, or have clauses, and are in talks about the possibility of staying with the club are Brendan Moloney, Leon Barnett and Aaron Phillips, who has been out injured since August and will be offered the chance to complete his rehabilitation.

The club has also revealed that goalkeeper David Cornell has put pen to paper on a new two-year contract, and will be staying at Sixfields until the summer of 2020.

Caretaker boss Austin said: “We had meetings with the players at Sixfields on Tuesday and I would like to extend the thanks and best wishes of the club to those who are leaving us.

“With Aaron Phillips, we think it is only right and proper that because he was injured playing for the club, we extend an offer to continue his rehab here to get him fully fit.

“Talks have begun with Brendan and also Leon.

“Leon’s second year has clauses and options linked to it, and with both Brendan and Leon we are looking to see if an agreement can be reached that suits both the club and the player.

“David Cornell has extended his contract and will be staying with the club, while Leon Lobjoit, Raheem Hanley and Kevin Luckassen will depart and we wish them well.

“Chris Long, Regan Poole and Matt Grimes will be returning to parent clubs, we thank all three for their efforts and wish them well for the future.”

There is still no news on Austin’s situation at the club, and whether or not he is going to get the chance to take on the manager’s role on a permanent basis.

Austin took charge of five games following the sacking of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at the beginning of April, winning two, losing two and drawing one.

Town wrapped up their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Oldham at Sixfields on Saturday.

Players under contract for the 2018/19 season: David Buchanan, Yaser Kasim, Ash Taylor, Billy Waters, Sam Foley, Kevin van Veen, Daniel Powell, Richard O’Donnell, Sam Hoskins, Dean Bowditch, Aaron Pierre, Shaun McWilliams, John-Joe O’Toole, Matt Crooks, Joe Iaciofano, Shay Facey, James Goff, Luke Coddington, Jack Bridge, Jordan Turnbull, Joe Bunney, David Cornell.

Players out of contract and leaving the club: Leon Lobjoit, Raheem Hanley, Kevin Luckassen

Players out of contract, but in talks with the club: Brendan Moloney, Leon Barnett, Aaron Phillips

Pictures of littered pitches and overstuffed bins on the Racecourse have been shared on Twitter after the three-day weekend saw thousands turn out to enjoy the sun and visit a travelling funfair.

The borough council and environmental contractors Enterprise have been criticised for not arranging to have more bins on the park available ahead of the weekend.

It comes after the Racecourse was the centre of a "week of action" at the end of April involving community volunteering and litter-picking.

The Northampton's Rubbish Twitter account posted: "This town can never be a city of culture with all this mess and mismanagement... Bank holiday weekend with the fair on the park? This should have been planned for.

"Will VeoliaUK be more proactive?"

Veolia UK has been awarded the contract for Northampton's environmental health services - including bin collection, recycling and disposing of hazards - and will take over from current contractors Enterprise in June.

Northampton resident Paula Cullinan tweeted: "And this just days after our week of action. Many of us doing our bit, shame Northampton Borough Council/ Enterprise aren't reciprocating."

The borough council said they had made Enterprise aware of the rubbish on the park.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

MARCH 28:

Daniel Lee, aged 31, of Berrywood Drive, Northampton, destroyed a passenger window; fined £404, compensation of £50, surcharge of £40 and costs of £85.

Teresa Eccleston, aged 37, of Napier Close, Southbook, Daventry, fraud; community order made, surcharge of £85 and costs of£400. Possession of counterfeit vouchers; community order made.

Tyler Allanson, aged 19, of Mitchell Close, Northampton, driving without due care and attention; fined £220, costs of £85, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge of £66, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £220.

Christopher Bland, aged 35, of Spring Gardens, Earls Barton, driving at 40mph in a 30mph zone; fined £138, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

David Cooper, aged 60, of Chesham Rise, Northampton, driving at 36mph in a 30mph zone; fined £115, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Nigel Harris, aged 52, of Woodpecker Way, Northampton, driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone; fined £145, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Jordan Welford, aged 24, of Weggs Farm Road, Duston, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £346, surcharge of £34 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Daniel Farrent, aged 22, of Harborough Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, banned from driving for six months. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £220.

Romans Tumasevics, aged 20, of Raymond Road, Northampton, faulty rear light; fined £220. Faulty indicator; fined £220. No insurance; fined £660, surcharge of £66, costs of £85, banned from driving for six months. Failed to produce a test certificate; fined £220.

MARCH 29:

Peter Cronin, aged 38, of Flintcomb Rise, Northampton, damaged a mirror; no separate penalty; compensation of £40. Assault; fined £150, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Sajin Panakel, aged 30,

of Melville Street, Northampton, drink-driving with

a breath test reading of

70mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £400, surcharge of £40 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 20 months.

Aaron Archer, aged 23, of Collyweston Road, Northampton, assault; community order made, compensation of £200, surcharge of £85 and costs of £85.

Arturas Utibirddenovas, aged 30, of Purser Road, Northampton, drunk and disorderly; fined £50, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85. Posession of cannabis; fined £100. Assault on a detention officer; fined £50, compensation of £100.

Mantas Dumbrava, aged 19, of Ashburnham Road, Northampton, possession of cannabis; community order made to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work, surcharge of £85 and costs of £85.

Nicolae Trendafilov, aged 38, of Derby Road, Northampton, possession of cannabis; fined £140, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Joseph Barton , aged 29, of Exeter Place, Northampton, possession of cannabis; fined £120, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Brett Moore, aged 46, of Stanley Road, Northampton, stole five pairs of jeans worth £212; conditional discharge for 24 months, surcharge of £20 and costs of £85.

Shay Rowlands, aged 19, of St James Road, Northampton, possession of cocaine, possession of cannabis; pleaded guilty, sent to Crown Court for sentence.

Salek Ahmed, aged 30, of East Butterfield Court, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge of £66, costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Edward Amoko, aged 18, of Chalcombe Avenue, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

Felix Bentum, aged 21, of Maidencastle, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge of £66, costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

Lukasz Bereza, aged 35, of Birchfield Road East, Northampton, driving at 43mph in a 30mph zone; fined £440, surcharge of £44 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with four points.

Pavels Bobrovs, aged 31, of Greenwood Road, Northampton, driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone; fined £91, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Andzej Burinskij, aged 22, of Pinetrees, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £660, surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

David Buzzard, aged 41, of Rillwood Court, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. No insurance; fined £660, surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Craig Collins, aged 28, of Kingsmead, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Martin Davies, aged 54, of Kings Park, Weedon, driving at 86mph in a 60mph zone; fined £333, surcharge of £33 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with five points.

William Garibaldi, aged 57, of Greenfield Avenue, Northampton, driving at 40mph in a 30mph zone; fined £220, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Vidal Graham, aged 41, of Beech Avenue, Northampton, driving at 53mph in a 30mph zone; fined £480, surcharge of £48, costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Sharni Hughes, aged 26, of Freemans Way, Greens Norton, driving at 36mph in a 30mph zone; fined £220, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Andra-Elaena Hutanu, aged 29, of Priory Close, Daventry, faulty tyre; fined £440, surcharge of £44, costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

A science teacher at Northampton School for Boys says she is "delighted and honoured" at having won a Royal Society of Chemistry Schools Education award.

Belfast-born Naomi Hennah was recognised for her work done in developing and promoting the importance of language and literacy approaches in chemistry education practical work.

She receives £2,000 and a medal, as well as £1,000 for her school science department.

“I am delighted and honoured. I am an ordinary teacher who enjoys what they do and seeks to do it better.

"I have a particular passion for chemistry and try to share its wonder with my students,” said Mrs Hennah.

The award recognises the originality and impact of the teachers' research, or for their contributions to the chemical sciences industry or chemistry education.

It also acknowledges the importance of teamwork across the chemical sciences, and the abilities of individuals to develop successful collaborations.

Dr Robert Parker, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry said: “The chemical sciences are vital for the wellbeing of our world and chemical scientists help to change people’s lives for the better. That’s why we’re so proud to celebrate the innovation and expertise of our community through our prizes and awards.

“This year’s inspiring and influential winners come from a range of specialisms, backgrounds, countries and communities. Each has done their bit to advance excellence in the chemical sciences – to improve the lives of people around the world now and in the future.”

Fifty previous winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s awards have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including 2016 Nobel laureates Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart and Ben Feringa.

Actor Stephen Tompkinson’s career is all about long standing relationships at the moment.

For he appears alongside Nigel Havers and Denis Lawson in the Yasmin Reza comedy ART coming to Northampton next week at the same time he appears in the new BBC drama series Split.

Both are about long standing friendships and relationships falling apart.

Stephen said of ART: “It is about three Parisian friends who have known each other for 25 years when one of them, Serge, decides to spend an a lot of money on a white painting, and Marc hates it.

“My character Yvan essentially mediates between the two and tries to keep the peace.”

This is a return for Stephen to a role he played 18 years ago and he says that a lot more is at stake than when he first did the play.

Stephen said: “We have changed it from 15 years to this new version, and there is a lot heavier odds with it now being a friendship that has lasted for 25 years.

“These men are all of a certain age and for all of them, they are not going to get another friendship that lasts as long as that ever again.

“But because of the nature of the play, it is one that looks at the world of art and the painting has a very polarising effect on the audience, there are some quite fierce debates around it.”

And while on the surface the show might not appear to be the most taxing as three men discuss the pro and cons of modern art, Stephen says the show has other challenges.

He said: “As there is only the three of us on stage for the entire time and the way the material needs to be performed, it becomes very much a mental workout. You come off after each performance exhausted. I was told this by the original director and I thought I would be okay but he was definitely right.”

He is also enjoying going out on tour for the first time in eight years.

“It is nice as it is a lovely way to see the country, you essentially have the day to yourself to have a look around,” said Stephen.

“I’ve never performed at Northampton before so am looking forward to going there.”

For a career packed with television and film highlights from Ballykissangel and Brassed Off to Wild at Heart and DCI Banks, Stephen says that variety is the spice of life.

He said: “I like the different challenges and opportunities that have been presented and as long as they still come up, I’ll carry on doing different things.”

It might be nearly 30 years since it was first broadcast, but Stephen still gets asked about one of his first roles, reckless reporter Damien Day in the sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey.

Stephen said: “A lot of the script was written in the build up to the record so 25 per cent of the material wasn’t written when we started rehearsals. The writers were very clever. You didn’t have a lot of that kind of satire around except for Spitting Image at the time.

“He was a dream of a character to play, he would have sold his own grandmother up the Zambezi for a good story.”

Stephen can currently be seen going through marital difficulties in the drama series Split, on BBC One.

He said: “It is an honour to be in an Abi Morgan show. It is about divorce lawyers and my character is currently going through difficulties with his on-screen wife, played by Meera Syal.”

However, as we chatted just after episode one was broadcast, he was careful to avoid spoilers.

ART is at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton from Monday to Saturday, May 14 to 19.

For tickets call 01604 624811 or visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

Last month, we ran a poll asking Cobblers fans who they want as next manager and Graham Alexander was the comfortable winner with 27% of the vote, well clear of next favourite Kevin Wilkin.

Since then, though, things have changed. The Cobblers, despite relegation to League Two, improved under Dean Austin during his five-game stint as caretaker boss, so much so he’s emerged as a serious contender for the full-time job and is now the odds-on favourite. Do you still want the same man as before or has your mind been swayed? Vote below...

The £12.7 million borrowed from the reserves of Northamptonshire County Council to balance its books will need to be repaid this financial year, with a plan of how to do it announced in the coming months.

More cuts to services could be on the way as the county’s chief finance officer Mark McLaughlin has the job of setting out a plan for how to pay back the multi-million pound raid of its reserves.

Without taking the funds from the depleted savings account the council would have been declared bankrupt.

Yesterday (May 8) the authority’s leading politicians were remaining tight-lipped about where the axe could fall next as they met at a cabinet meeting at One Angel Square.

Cllr Michael Clarke, cabinet member with responsibility for finance, said: “No decisions have been taken yet but we will be having to look at how to repay the £12.7 million. The finance officer has this very high on his agenda and the plan on how we are going to do this will be brought back to the cabinet in June or July.”

The councillor said new systems had been introduced which would mean budget overspends would not take place in the future.

He said: “The council has to live within its means which is a position which has been unfamiliar to NCC in recent years.

“There will now be a forensic emphasis on cost control and new management reporting systems in place to identify small cost variances at an early stage and ask why they have happened.”

The county authority is set to be abolished by 2020 after government inspector Max Caller deemed it to be failing and severely mismanaged.

The ‘next generation’ model which involved moving all services into four separate mutual companies was heavily criticised and has now been abandoned by the local authority.

Over the past few months many of the leading councillors and officers who took charge of the authority over the past few years, such as former leaders Jim Harker and Heather Smith have left. Long-serving chief executive Paul Blantern departed the authority last autumn and his replacement Damon Lawrenson resigned in March after the damning government report.

Speaking at the meeting, recently appointed council leader Matt Golby said he expected to hear imminently from the Secretary of State about plans to send in commissioners to oversee the running of the council.

An improvement board set to be established to oversee financial management and governance at NCC was criticised by opposition councillors who called  it “too prescriptive and too late.”

Since relocating to London, Lockett has signed with Warner, headlined the city's iconic Union Chapel and gigged in the UK and Europe.

Having previously played at Royal & Derngate supporting KT Tunstall, Lockett is back in town following a run of festival shows including Live at Leeds and Liverpool's Sound City.

Looking ahead to next Saturday's show, Lockett said: "Weirdly the last place I played was Derngate.

"It was the last show my dad ever saw me play. There's a lot of emotion and memories from it.

"I always dreamed of being able to come back to my home town and play as someone who isn't living there anymore.

"My team are a bit London centric but they know how much this gig means to me.

"I was born here and lived here until I was 23, all my early shows were here.

"This town, whether I like it or not, is part of me and always will be."

Talking about his move to London, Lockett explained things started to 'fall into place' for him once he was in the capital.

"The whole London move was crucial” he explains. “Once you're in London it's so much easier to build up a fan base mainly because there's so many more people there.

"It relatively easy to sell a thousand tickets for a show somewhere where there's nine million people.

"We did King's Cross which 100, The Forge which was 300, Bush Hall which was 400 and then Union Chapel which was 1,000.

"London has been the most amazing life choice I've ever made.

"I remember walking into Union Chapel in the morning and thinking, 'wow, this is big', it's got a balcony and even that's sold out.

"It was incredible to able to experience it with people and an amazing moment to be able to announce I'd signed to Warner on stage."

Lockett's deal with Warner will see him release a debut album, with optional follow ups if all parties agree.

"We're currently in the studio between touring," explains Lockett.

"However, because I've got music already out there, I have to be touring.

"A lot of artists get signed, spend two years in the studio and then gig but I can't do that.

"I'll be writing and recording in between touring and hopefully, sometime within the next year to year and half, we should be releasing my debut album.

"It's still nice to cling onto the album as a format, it's nice to find someone on Spotify, press play, and let it run.

"There's something special in hearing a body of work like reading a novel.

"At the same time, we will be releasing singles because it's what you have to do. You have to keep releasing music.

"There is no downtime, my next day off isn't until sometime in July, but this is my dream job."

Lockett's latest single Empty House is likely to be one of his existing songs which features on his debut.

He explains the song is a better representation of where he wants to head musically and while “dark piano ballads” have previously been the cornerstone of his output, things are moving in a more optimistic direction.

He said: "I've been doing ballads for two years which was great. I was a bit depressed at the time and that reflected my music.

"I'm over the death of my dad and happier now. Your songs should reflect how you feel.

"Things are going to be more upbeat and I think more hopeful."

While Lockett recently performed at Liverpool's Sound City festival solo, he will be joined by backing musicians when he headlines the Royal, with a line up including keys, drums, guitar, bass and potentially strings.

He explained: "I think it gets to a point when if there's hundreds of people spending money on a ticket, they want to her a track exactly like it is. If there's drums on it, we get drums in.

"I want everyone who comes to the shows to be blown away.

"I want to keep growing it and hopefully as the live set up has changed, it will keep getting bigger and better.

"It's been nice to have people congratulating me on how things are going and it feels like there's a buzz - but this is not just me, there's a team of people helping from management, to A&R, to lighting and social.

"I'm just the face of it. I don't know how to write proper statuses on Facebook or make a kick drum sound amazing. A lot of artists need help and it's a team effort.

"However, it all starts from having good songs and having people believe in you.

"You can't get anywhere until you sit at a piano or guitar and write those songs."

Billy Lockett headlines Royal & Derngate on Saturday, May 19.

Tickets cost £17 before fees, doors 7.30pm.

The annual event sees bands from Northampton’s twinned towns Marburg in Germany and Poitiers in France joining local bands for gigs at across the town.

The opening on Thursday, July 26, will be at the Great Hall at the Guildhall in St Giles Street, with The Lamplighter, The Pomfret Arms, and The Black Price all hosting gigs on consecutive days through until Sunday, July 29.

On the opening night in the Great Hall, The Films and Hyll from Marburg and Mantras from Poitiers will be joined by Sarpa Salpa, The Barratts, Drinsipa and Keiron Farrow.

Organisers are still to reveal details of the following night at the Lamplighter, but on the Saturday, Twinfest moves to The Pomfrest Arms with music from 1pm. Joining the visiting bands will be Michael Kinder, Duncan Bisatt, Kilamojo, Deaf Trap, Deep Sea Mountains, Crybb, Kenneth Nash and Straw Horses. For its Sunday finale, Twinfest moves to The Black Prince in Abington Square with bands playing from 1pm, throughout the afternoon and into the evening. The line-up will include the Tom Rose And The Heathen Orchestra, Pieces, Yodaclub, The Keepers, Monarchs, King Purple and Skirt, with all three visiting bands again playing. Wristbands for Twinfest cost £6 and allow admission into all gigs. fb.com/twinfest.northampton

The Bologna-based band design atmospheric layers of sound with a dark edge, a massive beat, a twitching melancholy and inventiveness that makes them hypnotic in their power and imagination.

They combine dark atmospheric layers of music, weaving sound from a mass of electronics and two drum kits, orchestral breathings, cinematic saturations, tribal drumming and industrial percussion. They are currently working on the follow up to their 2013 album PiecesOfUsWereLeftOnTheGround.

JoyCut will play a headline gig at the Southbank Centre in June as part of Robert Smith’s Meltdown series. Support is by synth infused post-punk duo Circuit Braker who released their latest album in January and Indian Queens.Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets £6 in advance, before fees.
www.thecraufurdarms.com

Originally forming in 2007, the band released their debut in 2009, going onto support the likes of Oasis, Kasabian and Paul Weller.

Constant touring across the UK, Europe and Japan led to a solid fanbase despite the dramatic trajectory of its frontman Jonny Brown.

Twisted Wheel rocked and rolled, were smashed up, fell off the wagon, run solo and were kicked to the kerb. However, they're now back on their groove and getting back to business. The line up now comprises Adam Clarke, guitarist Richard Allsopp, bassist Harry Lavin and singer and guitarist Brown. The quartet have been busy recording material for a new album which is due out this autumn.

Support at The Old White Hart is by The Jangles and Skirt. Doors 7.30pm. Tickets £8.

Police have released images of man they want to speak to after a theft in Corby.

The window of a taxi was smashed and cash stolen during the incident in Rockingham Road, near the Royal Tandoori restaurant, between 12.50pm and 1pm on Thursday, April 26.

Officers would like to speak to the man pictured as it’s believed he may be able to assist with their enquiries.

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

And the England boss has backed the Saints skipper to come back with 'intent and dedication' following his spell on the sidelines with concussion.

Hartley has not played since the Six Nations clash with Ireland on March 17.

His most recent game for Saints was at Saracens on January 20 as he was forced to sit out the closing stages of the season due to concussion.

He will also miss England's tour of South Africa this summer.

But Hartley has more than contributed for the Red Rose in recent years, captaining them to successive Six Nations titles in 2016 and 2017.

"You never know - nature decides when the player can come back, he just needs to wait and see," said Jones when asked about a possible return for Hartley.

"If he's right to play, he'll play. He'll come back with intent and dedication, and he's got to fight to get his place back in the England side.

"If he doesn't come back, he'll be remembered as the most successful captain England's ever had. Look at his winning percentage, it's higher than any other Test captain.

"It's extraordinary what he's done for this country, and it's extraordinary the criticism he attracts."

Jones added that Hartley was not sure when he would be back in action.

"He doesn't know - he's relying on the doctors to give him the all-clear," Jones said.

"He's got the best medical care, and he'll have to fight for his place when he's back.

"He's okay, he understands. He can't control injury. He's just got to keep his focus on staying as fit as he can. He's 100 per cent determined to be back."

A circular email sent to parents of pupils at the Duston School yesterday described an incident involving two students on Thursday, May 3 last week.

According to the email, the girls were followed "near the Long Boat public house area and Errington Park in the Duston area" on their way to school.

The male was described as black, between 40 and 50 years old and around 6ft tall.

He had black hair, which was short at the side with a lot of hair on top.

At the time he was wearing white trainers and an Adidas jumper with black or blue baggy trousers.

The school in Berrywood Road has reported the indecent to Northamptonshire Police.

The circular email, from child protection officer Mr L Martin, states: "Should any student feel they are at risk of harm when in a public place, at any time, they should contact police straight away on 999.

"We also encourage our students to report any such incidences with us at The Duston School or to an adult they trust."

The camp of 12 caravans moved onto Abington Park at the start of the bank holiday weekend but have now been moved on.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council's Countywide Traveller Unit (CTU), said: "We have removed an unauthorised encampment of 12 caravans from Abington Park, Northampton.

"Legal direction was served, ordering the encampment to vacate the area, which is being monitored by authorities."

Over the course of the weekend, the encampment gathered a number of complaints as thousands of people flocked to Abington Park in the scorching weather.

Eyewitnesses claimed to have seen cars driving through an organised football match and performing "doughnuts" in vehicles.

A traveller camp was given notice to leave Abington Park in August last year after a number of complaints of quad bikes and motorcycles being used.

Plans by a cash-strapped council to spend an extra £2.2 million on a Roman heritage project in Irchester have been challenged, with local politicians saying the funds would be better spent on the county’s crumbling roads.

Northamptonshire County Council has decided to put in the £2.2 million additional funding needed to finish the behind-schedule Chester Farm project, which will see a heritage centre created at the site off the A45.

Five years ago the council pledged £4.9 million to the project after being awarded just under £4 million of Heritage Lottery funding.

It had hoped to secure the additional £2.2 million needed to complete the project from other agencies, but these plans have not been realised and now the financially troubled council is picking up the shortfall.

The 17th century farmhouse is thought to be of national importance as it was built on the site of a Roman walled town which has human activity dating back 10,000 years.

Speaking at yesterday’s cabinet meeting held at One Angel Square (May 8) Cllr Winston Strachan, who represents the Castle ward in Northampton, said the money would be better diverted to fill the holes in the county’s crumbling roads.

He said: “Considering the financial mess the council finds itself in, why are we continuing to fund the Chester Farm project when we could use some of that money to repair the potholes?”

But cabinet member for transport, highways and environment, Ian Morris said if NCC decided to pull out of the project it would lose the Lottery funding.

He said: “Chester Farm is a very interesting project that is of huge archaeological importance to the county.

“A lot of money has been provided by the Heritage Lottery and if we stop the project now the money would have to be repaid.

“So we have to continue and what we do with Chester Farm when it is is finished can be decided then.

“There are some commercial opportunities.”

The 45-acre farm site was bought by NCC in 2004 and six years later the 17th century farmhouse was partially destroyed by fire.

The heritage project was first started five years ago in 2013 and the centre was due to open in March this year.

It is hoped it will become a major visitor attraction for the county and when complete will feature a cafe; community, conference and training venue; offices and classrooms for school visits.

Two years ago the county council launched a website to tell people more about the history of the site.