The mother of a Northampton drag artist who took his own life last year has paid tribute to her "beautiful" son.

Adam Richards - also known as his persona Candie Van Cartier - passed away in October last year despite the efforts of police officers who rushed to save his life.

But at his inquest yesterday (May 10), the coroner heard how Adam's mother believes mental health centre Campbell House "failed" to help her son with his depression and "gender issues".

In a statement read out by the coroner, Adam's mother Sandra Gilbert said: "My son was beautiful inside and out whether he was Adam or Candie.

"I had a close relationship with my son... When he was Candie he was happy and outgoing. When he was Adam, he could be sad and insular but still have his good days."

The inquest heard how Adam discovered a talent for make-up when he was 16 and was "always fabulous" as his persona Candie.

But he also suffered from periods of very low moods. On one occasion months before his death, Adam was verbally abused at a costume party he attended as Candie that led to him calling a crisis team with thoughts of hurting himself.

Then, in October last year, his mother received a text reading: "It's not your fault, sorry".

Mrs Gilbert rang the police, who rushed to his home and found him hanged in his bedroom.

Despite receiving immediate CPR and being rushed to hospital, Adam died four days later.

A charity cabaret evening held in Candie's memory at Northampton nightclub the Boston raised over £1,000 for mental health and gender dysphoria charities.

But in her statement, Mrs Gilbert also told the coroner: "I feel Campbell House [who was treating Adam] failed my son... [they did not help him with] his depression and his gender issues. If they had, I feel I would still have by beautiful with me today."

Adam's psychiatrist, Dr Farhana Omer, told the inquest Adam's death was "a tragic loss".

A worker who claimed her treatment by Northamptonshire Police amounted to constructive dismissal has lost her case and been ordered to pay the force £10,000.

Yvonne Mason was employed as the assurance manager at Wootton Hall within the Professional Standards Department.

However, she resigned in September 2016, shortly after being served notice that she was under investigation for gross misconduct.

Northamptonshire Police alleged the employee, who first started work with the force in 2002, knew her friend in the force was having a relationship with a known criminal.

The force also alleged she discussed aspects of her son's misconduct case with a colleague in the hope of discrediting a witness.

Her son, a former Special with the police, was later fired and handed 100 hours of community service.

Taken together both incidents, the force said, amounted to gross misconduct and an investigation was launched.

Ms Mason resigned on September 7, 2016, stating that the way she had been treated was 'unbearable'.

She said the allegations against her were unclear and unfounded and vowed to make a claim for constructive dismissal.

However, a tribunal judge has now found in favour of Northamptonshire Police.

Judge Jean Laidler ruled that Ms Mason was fully aware of what she had been accused of in 2016.

The force served notice on Ms Mason on June 6, 2016, to which she responded.

Ms Mason's written response was "five pages long" and showed that she "she understood completely" what she was accused of, the judge said.

During a taped interview on June 9, the judge formed the opinion that Ms Mason: "Understood the allegations against her" and concluded the interviewing officers showed "absolutely no evidence of any overbearing or oppressive conduct."

Ms Mason was ordered to pay £10,000 to Northamptonshire Police for legal costs incurred.

Re:store Northampton is a charity run by Central Vineyard Church, in Sheep Street, to serve those most in need within our town.

Every week charity staff host projects, which range from crisis support - providing food and necessities to those living in poverty - to longer-term support work in the form of educational workshops and emotional and practical support.

But now, the food bank, which saw an influx of donations around Harvest Festival time, is desperately appealing for more donations as it is extremely low on stock, and some items have completely run out.

Occupational therapist Hannah Osbourne of Re:store Northampton thanked previous donators but said the charity, now more than ever, needs help.

"Whilst in previous years this food has kept the food bank well stocked for many months.

“Due to the increase in referals to the food bank we are finding this food isn’t lasting as long as we had hoped, and as a result, our store is currently very low of food stock.

"Some items we have run completely out of and Re:store is finding more frequently that we are having to purchase extra food to meet the high demands for food parcels."

Bosses say the items the charity is most in need of is tinned hotdogs, men's deodorant, rice pudding, biscuits, rice, pasta and pasta sauces.

As well as giving out food parcels, volunteers and staff also cook-up a hot lunchtime meal for those who cannot afford to buy one.

She added: "It is of great concern that reports continue to show that there are thousands of vulnerable people within the borough of Northampton requiring support - figures that are borne out by our own experience.

"Whilst this remains the case, the work of Re:store is vital. Often the people who visit us have suffered prolonged poverty and isolation and are in a current financial crisis.”

The people who access the service may also suffer from a multitude of other issues, which are often related, such as fuel poverty, debt, homelessness, addictions, criminal behaviour, mental health issues and poor physical health.

"We offer people a hand-up rather than just a handout, by equipping individuals and families with skills for independent living, often providing additional support, which statutory services cannot.

"Issues such as changes to Universal Credit and the resulting difficulties have meant that people who have not previously accessed our services now have need to do so, thereby increasing the importance of Re:store and its work.

“It is a sad fact that 65 per cent of families in the county are one paycheck away from financial crisis, particularly at a time where food prices are increasing."

To donate food, volunteer your time or pledge cash visit: www.restorenorthampton.org.uk/get-involved.html

Horne has been forced to retire after suffering career-ending nerve damage to his arm while skippering the team during the derby-day win at Leicester Tigers last month.

But he had a huge impact on Saints prior to that, scoring eight tries in 21 appearances after joining from Super Rugby side the Waratahs last summer.

He said goodbye to the Gardens during the leavers shirt presentation last Saturday and then claimed both big awards at the dinner on Thursday night.

“The support from the club and people of Northampton has been phenomenal," Horne said. "It’s been overwhelming and incredibly humbling.”

James Grayson was named young player of the year after making 11 first-team appearances this season, while Api Ratuniyawara was named breakthrough player of the year.

Ben Foden's blistering score in the Champions Cup clash with Clermont Auvergne was named try of the season.

The moment of the season was the scrums that helped Saints to defeat Leicester on derby day last month.

Clubman of the season went to head of operations, Andy Tresias, and there was an emotive montage to say goodbye to the 17 players who will be leaving Saints this summer.

Saints' award winners 2017/18

Supporters' player of the season: Rob Horne

Players' player of the season: Rob Horne

Young player of the season: James Grayson

Breakthrough player of the season: Api Rayuniyarawa

Try of the season: Ben Foden (against Clermont Auvergne)

Moment of the season: The scrums in the win at Leicester Tigers

Clubman of the year: Andy Tresias (head of operations)

Rugby spirit award: Ian Baggott

The event is taking place today (May 12) and Sunday (May 13) at Althorp Park, which will see a selection of food stalls, including indulgent sweet treats, British cheeses and meats and beverages, as well as culinary events and experiences.

The hundreds of exhibitors include My Meze BBQ, Gin Tasters, OMG Streetfood, The Little Rum company, Sisters Indian Veg, Saxby's Cider and many more.

Althorp, the Spencer family’s historic home for more than five centuries, is renowned for its picturesque views, architecture, and its world-famous art collection.

Alongside the numerous shopping and tasting opportunities, guests can also become acquainted with top names in food and drink, through our generous programme of demonstrations, masterclasses, and workshops.

Ticket prices to this weekend family-friendly festival - between 10am - 5pm - are £8 for adults and children aged 12 and under go free.

For more information, visit: spencerofalthorp.com/festival/food-drink-festival

Mikhail Dron, 22, of Cordwainer House, off St James Road, was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (May 10) for the "pre-meditated, persistent and violent attack".

The court heard how Dron rampaged through the woman's flat smashing her television, a mirror, and the bathroom sink.

He the grabbed her by the hair, dragged her through the flat and beat her with a broken piece of wood from a bedframe.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, the woman said: "He laughed at me and gloated about what he had done.

"I've got nothing left. He destroyed my home... he put me in hospital and I was so afraid that he would come back for me."

In his mitigation, Dron claimed he could not remember the attack. He pleaded guilty to all charges later in court.

Judge Fowler told Dron: "You've got to address your violent tendencies or you're going to find yourself leaving a trail of damaged people behind you and facing longer periods in custody."

Dron was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Kings Heath ABC twins Johnny and Felix Fitzharris pulled off two fine wins against the odds in the pre-quarter-finals held at the Donnington Club in Shropshire.

Johnny accounted for highly-touted Muhammad Sulamen (Eastside) by way of a unanimous decision.

Sulamen, who had three times the experience of four-bout fighter Johnny, could not handle the sustained pressure of the small, aggressive Kings Heath boxer, who dominated each round from the opening bell and forced the pace with a very impressive performance.

Felix was also conceding a wealth of experience and he was pushed in each round by Ethan Rutter (Second City ABC).

But it was the slick moves of Felix who captured the eye of the judges and this 4-1 split decision win kept the unbeaten records of both brothers intact.

“We took a chance with entering both these lads through their lack of experience and now both have captured area titles so the decision has been justified,” said Kings Heath head coach Arthur Daly.

“This was very satisfying against the quality of opposition, who represented very strong clubs.

“We now have four through to the last eight which is equally pleasing.”

Multi-junior title champion Ben Vaughan makes 
his senior debut this weekend.

He will be up against a British Army boxer in a bill that will also see the talented Jag Briah taking on another member of the Army team over three three-minute rounds.

“We have been nurturing both for longevity in the Seniors and we are looking forward to these bouts,” Daly said.

“The Army are always fit and durable and this is the perfect challenge at this stage for them.”

What a Bank Holiday that was...blazing sunshine and carp, carp and more carp coming out all over the place!

And there can’t have been many places where they were feeding harder than at Tofts, scene of White Hart Flore’s mega baggin’ session.

The club’s top 10 netted close to half-a-ton, and the top three – separated by just 8lb – had more than 200lb apiece as Dave Chapman won with 213-8, Trevor Griffiths had 211-8 and Courtney Hewlett 205-8.

BIG-fish seekers found Stanwick still on form, producing three 30s and a shoal of 20s as Gary Poole led with eight to 32-10 from Mallard, Mike Wray had seven to 32-2 (Elsons) and James Ford a 30.

ROYAL Oak hit Shearsby Valley where Grant Merritt had 128-4, Pete Caton 123-10 and Carl Mullen 94-10.

TOVE Valley, Lakeside: Rob Dzialak 88-8, Shaun Smart 82-4, Terry Davis 78-12.

ANNUAL ‘Derby v Northampton’ do, Peatling Parva: Top fours, Derby 196lb, ‘Town 145lb. Paul Latter, second with 58-8, was top Northampton weight.

IF the hot weather was a godsend to carpers, it was the opposite for those relying on bream...and Ferry Meadows fished dire for the 50 peg two-day annual Ringers Classic – with few catching on both days.

But it was good money – and Mike Hightower-Reeves won £1,000 for top-spot with a two-day 36-6, followed by Phil Ringer 32-11, and Emma Pickering 21-2. Tenth place (£250) fell to a two-fish 10-8...

WHITE Hart Flore oldies, midweek, Tofts: Ron Collins 122lb, Glen Tilson 110-15, John Tee 100lb.

FLORE & Brockhall, Barby Mill: Terry Smith 62lb, Steve Smith 41lb Rob Rawlins 33lb.

CASTLE Ashby: midweek, Chris Camplin 38lb, Alan West 19-8, Ron Coles 19-4; Sat., Mick and Courtney Hewlett both 48lb, Frank Pizamenti 17-12; Sun., Grendon, Gary Underwood 31-4, Andy Jones 17-12, Kevin Folwell 14-8.

CASTLE, silverfish league, Canons: Jeff Rice 23-8, Colin Bradbury 14-6, John Lewis 14-4.

NENE/Towcester, Heyford canal: Bream dominated a fair sprinkling of small silvers. Dave Brench 18-5, John Balhatchett 12-2, Dave Gibbins 10-6.

ABINGTON, Rysons: Dave Clawley 15-10, Alan Lee 14-10, John Gamble 7-3 (85 fish).

IT IS quite common this time of year to see small quantities of dead fish, usually small silvers, floating in windward margins. Usually its a combination of natural factors and a sad fact of life. If you do, please call the EA 0800 807060 in case it is something more serious.

Shannon Swift is celebrating after she was selected for the England team for the forthcoming Mixed Under 18 International Series.

The Northampton & District bowler has won a place in the 12-strong squad for the series, which will be held on October 13 and 14 at Newport IBC in South Wales

England has entered two teams in the event, which will consist of a singles, pairs, triples and fours for each team.

Swift is a travelling reserve for her team, which also includes Ajay Morphett of Egerton Park IBC, Bexhill-on-Sea, Joseph Vandepeer of Oyster IBC, Kent, Matthew Bell of Scarborough IBC, Danielle Wild of Spalding IBC and Devon Cooper of Riverain IBC, Herts.

Swift has had success in the past few months, winning the NBYDS Pairs, the Women’s County Fours, and qualifying for the National Championships in the National Fours.

Ladies squad is named for Berkshire friendly

THE following ladies have been selected to represent Northants Ladies in a friendly against Berkshire at at Woodley BC in Woodley on Friday (1.30pm).

Travel is by coach picking up at Kettering Leisure Village at 10am and Billing Road in Northampton at 10.30am.

Rink 1: Marion Mackie, Kettering Lodge BC/Pat Starsmore, Kettering Lodge BC/Celia Morris, Kingsthorpe BC/Di Brumwell, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 2: Maggie Edwards, Kingsthorpe BC/Dawn Owen, Desborough Town BC/Jill Welch, Heyford BC/Brenda Bishop, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 3: Trish Basford, Geddington & Newton BC/Denise Carlin, Desborough Town BC/Val Betts, Higham Ferrers Town BC/Barbara Haseldine, Finedon Town BC

Rink 4: Debbie Cox, Finedon Town BC/Margaret Cave, Thrapston BC/Liz Keeney, Corby Seagrave House BC/Hilary Sharpe, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 5: Marlene Armitage, Wellingborough BC/Audrey Height, Kettering Lodge BC/Wilma Walker, Corby Forest BC/Sharon Tansley, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 6: Velda Cooper, Irchester BC/Sian Hughes-Jones, Kettering Lodge BC/Eleanor Winters, Corby Forest BC/Alison Dring, Burton Latimer Town BC

Reserves: Wen Hill, Desborough Town BC/Jo Johns, Geddington & Newton BC/Sandra Mawson, Kingsthorpe BC

Reeve readies squad for Middleton Cup

NORTHANTS Men have started the new outdoor season in earnest, with manager Phil Reeve holding a Middleton Cup trial last Saturday at Kingsthorpe BC.

In glorious sunny weather, he was able to see 40 players in action, all bidding for a place in his team.

The trial was of five rinks versus five rinks, with each rink having a marker to judge the players’ performance, and in addition to many regular Middleton Cup players, on show were a number of emerging players, such as Simon Coles of Northampton Express and Dave Jones of Abington.

Following the trial, the following players have been selected for a Middleton Cup practice match against Oxfordshire BA to be played this Saturday (May 12) at Oxford City & County BC in Oxford (2pm).

Included in the squad is a player of proven ability from Cumbria, who has just moved to the county – Gavin Taylor, This match gives Reeve another opportunity to look at more players who did not play in the trial.

Rink 1: Chris Gray, Burton Latimer Town BC/Simon Cole, Northampton Express BC/Gavin Taylor, Northampton Express/Darren Childs, Northampton West End BC

Rink 2: David Iddles, Kingsthorpe BC/Andy Burrows, Oundle BC/Ben Sharpe, Kingsthorpe BC/Andrew Manton, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 3: Malcolm Paul, Corby Forest BC/Michael Moulton, Heyford BC/Matt Pownall, Burton Latimer Town BC/Vernon Gearey, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 4: David Walker, Northampton West End BC/Alan Dunkley, Abington BC/Alan Ashby, Northampton West End BC/Chris Bland, Northampton Express BC

Rink 5: David Love, Wellingborough BC/John Freeman, Abington BC/Jonathan Brown, Abington BC/Roger Tansley, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 6: Tony O’Leary, Abington BC/Mick Spear, Kingsthorpe BC/Richard Lemon, Northampton Express BC/John Haines, Desborough Town BC

Reserves: Ashley Linnell, Northampton West End BC/Neil Rolfe, Kingsthorpe BC/Tom Wellburn, Kingsthorpe BC

Northants name team to face Oxfordshire

THE following players have been selected to represent the Northants Men in a friendly against Oxfordshire next Tuesday (May 15) at Brackley BC in (2pm).

Rink 1: Colin Barnes, Abington BC/John Chester, Executive/Tim Robinson, Retired Police BA/Richard Somerton, Executive

Rink 2: Alan Ashby, Northampton West End BC/John Davies, Brackley BC/Peter Kitchener, Irchester BC/John Church, Executive

Rink 3: Don Scott, Brackley BC/David Francis, Bugbrooke BC/Geoff Hayter, Bugbrooke BC/Terry James, Thrapston BC

Rink 4: Stuart Lowe, Brackley BC/Bob Brogden, Northampton Express BC/Bob Tingle, Kettering Midland Band BC/Geoff Hunt, Wellingborough BC

Rink 5: Peter Court, Brackley BC/A.N Other/Paul Green, Northampton Express BC/Michael Moulton, Heyford BC

Rink 6: Dave Lovell, Irchester BC/Tony Warren, Northampton Express BC/Keith Thatcher, Rushden Town BC/Malc Mattinson, Thrapston BC

Reserve; Laurie Harrison, Executive

Latest results

LATEST results from national competitions.

Inter-Club Two Fours: Preliminary round: Northampton Express BC A beat Abington BC A 40-19.

Rink details as follows, Express names first:

Rink 1: Rob White, Ian Bland, Wayne Stanley & Dominic Graham 19 shots – Phil Boseley, Reg Jones, Peter Kneeshaw & Mick Taylor 10 shots

Rink 2: Neil Rolfe, Richard White, Simon Coles & Chris Bland 21 shots – Alan Mann, Bill Roberts, Trevor Aston & Peter Milburn 9 shots

Mixed Pairs preliminary round: Connor Cinato & partner, Kingsthorpe BC beat Emma Exley & partner, Burton Latimer Town BC 21-17; Michael Moulton & partner, Heyford BC given walkover by Chris Bland & partner, Northampton Express BC

Northampton’s Claire Lindsay begins the defence of her NGL County Ladies Championships crown on Friday with 36-hole strokeplay qualifying at Wellingborough GC.

Lindsay, who won the title for the first time at Northants County 12 months ago, has been paired with former champion and home club member Carl Gibbs.

With the leading eight ladies from the 25-player field progressing into the knockout stages over the weekend, last year’s runner-up Ellie Darnell will be one of the favourites on her home course.

Previous winners Mary MacLaren and Karen Lobb will hope to use all their experience in a competition that includes County Girls team members Hattie Billson, Ashleigh Critchley, Baylie Pyke and Leah Ribano.

NGL County Girls

NORTHANTS’ Girls team will go into their 2018 East Midlands League campaign in fine fettle after they inflicted a 9-3 friendly defeat on Warwickshire at Kenilworth GC.

County Girls champion Ellie Darnell and Charlotte Gilkes set the tone with a couple of 8&7 wins, County captain Hattie Billson added a 6&4 victory, before Katie Amos, Jade Roberts and Leah Ribano completed a cleansweep of the gross ties.

Northants also won three of the remaining six Handicap and Experience matches as Sophie Copson, Hannah Talbot, Shivani Sundaram, Elise Warden, Chelsey Sharp and Amy Nunn represented their county with distinction.

Anglian League

Callum Farr and Luis Witherall will provide the spearhead for Northants’ first team as they start their Anglian League campaign against Leicestershire & Rutland at Wellingborough GC on Sunday.

Both players will be full of confidence after Farr won the prestigious Selborne Salver recently, while 15-year-old Witherall received his first England call-up to face Spain in an Under-16s international later this month.

The Northants second team also has a strong look for the reverse fixture at Cosby GC as the experienced Fraser Carnihan, Richard Dalton and James Barker are joined by some of the best up-and-coming golfers in the county.

European Tour Sixes

Charley Hull says the 2018 GolfSixes was a big success for the women’s game after being part of one of the two female teams to reach the quarter-finals at Centurion Club.

Competing alongside Georgie Hall in a mixed European Tour event, the Kettering golfer helped the English Ladies finished second in their group, before losing to eventual winners Ireland Men in the last eight.

With teams of two competing over six holes in a greensomes matchplay format, the GolfSixes is aimed at attracting a new, younger golf audience in the UK - something Hull believes is needed.

The 22-year-old said: “It was good. Especially coming from the range to the first tee, the young children, it was very nice to see out there.”

Fellow Northamptonshire pro Ryan Evans meanwhile has an opportunity to show his skills to the UK audience later this month after gaining an entry to play in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth from May 24.

NGL Hollingsworth Trophy

Group A

Farthingstone got their first victory of the season as Sam Bird and Richard Marsh won a vital point on the 18th hole in a 3-2 home success against Brampton Heath.

Ian Donald and Adam Smith (6&4) and Simon Nightingale and David Summerfield (6&5) both enjoyed big home wins.

But with points difference possibly being crucial in a group where no team has won away, Brampton took both of the last two ties on the 17th hole.

Group C

Kettering B have set a target of six points at the summit of Group C after completing their campaign with a 3-2 home success against Whittlebury Park.

The visitors took games one and three, but Kettering veteran Mick Reed combined with Graham Jones to keep the match alive on the 18th, before in-form Lee Smith and Keith Althorpe (5&4) and Jim Campbell and Dave Draper (3&2) secured the win.

Despite being the only team with an away victory, Kettering’s relatively poor points difference means they will probably be overtaken if Whittlebury, Daventry or Peterborough Milton can match their record of three wins from four outings.

Group D

Staverton Park moved above Northants County to the top of the Group D table after a 5-0 home whitewash of Overstone Park.

Michael Franklin and Paul Hammond (6&4), Stuart Trigwell and Andrew Swain (4&3) and Russell Brown and Michael Christie (7&6) confirmed the victory, before two wins on the closing hole completed the perfect day.

Staverton and County, who have both recorded one home win and one away win, will meet in the last match of the season.

NGL Ladies Cecil Leitch

Group A

Wellingborough displayed their ruthless streak against Kettering as they backed up their 7-0 away victory against the same opponents with a 6-1 home success.

Ida Huggins, Emma Maziak, Liz Rees, Pat Briggs, Marianne Price and Susan Sharp were all on the scoresheet for the hosts, after Kathryn Stronach had clinched the first point for Kettering.

Staverton Park joined Wellingborough on maximum points after securing their second victory of 2018 with a 5-2 home success against Northampton - Denise Aitchison, Ann Cox, Tracy Lane, Jane Clifford and Jane Hall earning the wins.

Group B

Rushden are still searching for their first victory of the campaign after losing 5-2 at Delapre Park.

Despite a 4-3 home reverse to Oundle in their opening match of the year, Rushden started brightly as Karen Findlay and Ali Thornhill bagged two of the opening three ties.

A narrow defeat for Elizabeth Hall in the second game was the closest Rushden came to grabbing another point however as Delapre enjoyed good wins in the last four matches.

Group C

Northants County edged a tight away contest at Overstone Park as Andrea Alston won on the first extra hole against Shirley Morton to secure a narrow team victory.

NGL Ladies Scratch League

Whittlebury Park’s title defence got off to a losing start as they went down 2-1 against Northants County at Overstone Park.

Wellingborough quickly emerged as the team to beat this season as they defeated Northampton 3-0, thanks to convincing wins from Ellie Darnell and Carol Gibbs, plus another point from Mary MacLaren.

Nigel Carr, who was elected to Daventry District Council in 2014 as a UKIP candidate, was handing out leaflets on May 3 when he says he was knocked to the floor and injured by a Rottweiler.

He suffered bite marks to his leg and arm, his fingertips were marked and his tracksuit was ripped.

"I stretched out my arm, I must've been about one metre away, and as I passed the man the leaflet his dog leapt at me and knocked me to the ground and started attacking me," recounted Mr Carr.

At this point, the owner, he said, had lost control of the dog's leash, which was "flapping about everywhere".

Eventually, the man grabbed the lead and pulled the Rottweiler off Mr Carr after a minute-long tussle.

"All the time I was on the floor I was thinking 'I hope it doesn't go for my face'," said 61-year-old Mr Carr.

"When I stood up my legs were really wobbly, they felt like jelly."

The incident was reported to Northamptonshire Police the same day and the force says it has launched an investigation.

After leaving the man's house, Mr Carr received treatment at Abbey House Surgery where he was given a tetanus jab and antibiotics to prevent infection.

Mr Carr, who was standing as an independent in the Abbey North ward in this year's local elections, could not attend the count because of his injuries and said incidents like these were common among campaigning councillors.

"Every year councillors get attacked by dogs while canvassing and people should be aware of dogs roaming free in homes to attack people's fingers when leaflets or letters go through letterboxes," he said.

"People should know how dangerous it is."

He added: "Why do they still have letterboxes in front doors? Can't they them on the wall or at the end of the footpath?"

A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Police said: "We are investigating an incident where a man was bitten by a dog in Highfield Road, Daventry, at some point between 10am and 11am on Thursday, May 3.

"The dog believed to have been involved in the incident has been taken to kennels while the investigation continues."

He appears in The Case of the Frightened Lady coming to Milton Keynes Theatre from Monday to Saturday May 21 to 26.
Gray said: “We’ve all got an opinion. There are people who don’t want to voice their opinion on religion or politics, but we all want to get involved in stuff like this.
“And we’re big quizzers. We love to quiz and work things out. Audiences are going to puzzle their way through The Case of The Frightened Lady and it will keep them guessing. That’s why you go and see a thriller, isn’t it?
He plays Inspector Tanner in the show entirely set within a country mansion.
Gray added: “The police are called because there’s been a suspicious death. Rather than get in the local constabulary, they bring in the big guns from London because they want to keep it quiet.
“It’s a bit of a pressure cooker situation. We’re all stuck in the reception hallway of this grand house. There are lots of shenanigans going on. So you don’t know exactly what’s happening and everyone’s doing the cloak and dagger thing.
“It’s set at a politically interesting time in 1932. It’s just after the Depression and employment has all changed. Service is about to stop and all these stately homes will become a thing of the past. So there’s a lot about class in there too.”
He also says there is a little bit more about his detective than the usual copper.
Gray said: “In the classic films of the period, the coppers were always a bit thick. We’re trying to get away from that.
“Tanner and his colleague Totti are smart guys. They’re educated. They’re old school coppers but with a modern attitude.
Gray added that the chance to reunite with producer Bill Kenwright persuaded him to work on this show.
He explained: “I did Sleuth for him in 2001, and he’s always come back and offered me work. This came up and I was available. I loved the script. I thought it was something exciting and new from a different writer, because we’ve seen all the Agatha Christies, haven’t we?”
He’s also excited to be out on tour.
Gray said: “You get to see absolutely fantastic places. I’m quite interested in cathedrals, so I always make a point of visiting those. And I’m a very keen cyclist, so I’ll be taking a road bike. I’ll be one of those lycra-bottomed chaps. I think it’s important to keep fit and healthy.
“I’m also a big afternoon tea fan. I do like visiting tea rooms and testing their Victoria Sponge. I don’t really do Twitter very much, but I will tweet a nice afternoon tea. You’ve got to be careful of the cakes, but if you cycle 40 miles you can work off a slice of Victoria Sponge.”
And despite it being eight years since leaving the cobbles and said his time on the show was stressful.
Gray said: “I don’t really remember Coronation Street because the work was so solid. It was three years. I think in one year I did 196 episodes, another 197, out of the 252 that were filmed. You just don’t have any time off. It just becomes crazy. It’s wonderful at the time, but you don’t get the chance to enjoy it.
“The guest artists like me are brought in to facilitate the regulars. You’re never going to be there forever, but you’re extremely busy while you are. I burned out.
“But I’m very grateful for the past television opportunities like Coronation Street, Peak Practice and Casualty. They allow me to be in something like this. I’ve been doing this job for 28 years now, and I’m in it for the long haul.”

For tickets call 0844 871 7652 or visit www.atgtickets.co.uk/miltonkeynes to book.

The sun shone at last and the Hevey Building Supplies Northants Cricket League finally got underway last weekend.

After the first day washout the previous weekend, clubs across the county were relieved to at last get their whites on and get out and play.

In the premier division, reigning champions Old Northamptonians were held to a draw by Brixworth as they began the defence of their crown, while there were wins for Saints, Petereborough, Geddington and Finedon Dolben.

Below are all the details from all of last Saturday’s games, plus the full list of this weekend’s fixtures, and pictures of last weekend’s games between Saints and Rushden in the premier division, and Overstone Park and Burton Latimer in division one.

The pictures were taken by Chron photographer Dave Ikin.

Results

Premier Division

Rushton 217 all out (Marcus Steed 82no, Ben Parker 43, Ethan Delargy 5-48) winning draw versus Brigstock 173-9 (Archie Odgen 56, George Parker 5-55)

Oundle Town 162 all out (Mark Hodgson 32, Ben Smith 69, Mark Edwards 3-21, Rob Sayer 4-45) lost to Peterborough Town 163-4 (David Clarke 48, Rob Sayer 61, Harrison Craig 4-35) by 6 wkts

Northampton Saints 217 all out (Saif Zaib 31, Jack Mousley 48, Charlie Home 47, Mark Wolstenholme 45, Tom Firm 4-44, Oliver Warwick 4-30) beat Rushden Town 207 all out (Charlie Thurston 119, Jack Higginbotham 3-41, Saif Zaib 3-32) by 10 runs

Geddington 201-8 (Tiann Raubenheimer 33, Andrew Reynoldson 69, Adil Arif 29) beat Horton House 187 all out (Ben Wall 55, Andrew Neate 36, Jack Carroll 32, Jamie Kay 3-31, Chris Murdoch 3-28) by 14 runs

Wollaston 57 all out (Jack Chopping 5-32) lost to Finedon Dolben 58-0 by 10 wkts

Old Northamptonians 168-9 (Admrit Basra 41, Rob white 47, Ashley Starmer 4-61, Callum Guest 3-27) winning draw versus Brixworth 147-9 (John Brewers 43, Richard Kaufman 3-47, Rob White 4-39)

Division One

Loddington & Mawsley 259-9 (Jaymesh Patel 48, Andrew Flint 66, Martin Prowse 55, Ben Roberts 38, Damian Reid 3-58) winning draw versus Isham 198-7 (Simon Court 109no)

Weekley & Warkton 112 all out (Chirag Mandaviya 28, Theo Brooks 6-21, Guven Kooner 3-23) lost to Kettering Town 113-4 (Guven Kooner 36) by 6 wkts

Old Northamptonians IIs 128 all out (Oliver Forskitt-Brown 3-16, Jon Gibson 3-16) beat East Haddon 85 all out (Ed Smith 28, Toby Mitchell 5-20) by 43 runs

Burton Latimer 235 all out (Scott Sanders 39, Aiden Cunningham 62, Luke O’dell 42, Guy Sunter 5-76) winning draw versus Overstone Park 233-9 (Ryan Arnold 37, Vikesh Patel 57, Marc Bliss 49, David Shelford 4-34)

Irthlingborough Town 195 all out (Kieran Fowler 73, Simon Denton 34, Alex Strong 3-36) beat Stony Stratford 144 all out (Sainath Ravikumar 30, Ben Parsons 3-35, Simon Denton 3-34, Craig Fowler 3-23) by 51 runs

Desborough Town 159 all out (Craig Burger 50, Kyle Awbery 3-30, Sam Owen 4-50) beat Wellingborough Town 122 all out (James Howes 48, Jack Bilson 3-42, Simon Renshaw 3-12) by 37 runs

Division Two

Peterborough Town IIs 229-6 (Danyaal Malik 49, Dhaanyaal Iqbal 86, Connor Parnell 41) lost to Earls Barton 233-8 (Thomas Mills 108, George Brooks 35, Matt Milner 3-41) by 2 wkts

Kislingbury Temperance 256-8 (Wendell Pemberton 28, Pieter Pretorius 108, Eddie Fowler 32, Jamie Forrest 38, Varun Parmar 3-57) beat Finedon Dolben IIs 187 all out (Elliott West 81, Eddie Fowler 5-29) by 69 runs

Northampton Saints IIs 127 all out (Elliott Patterson 29, Rohin Thapar 4-32, Mehul Adatia 4-29) lost to Rothwell Town 131-6 (Faraz Ulhaq 42, Rohin Thapar 27, Dave Prophet 4-38) by 4 wkts

St Crispin & Ryelands 271-6 (Thomas Robotham 125, Dan Wood 67, Jack Fuller 4-63) beat Long Buckby 96 all out (Warren Courtney 43, Jake Spencer 3-25, Ben Harris 4-23) by 175 runs

Thrapston 126 all out (William Cade 29, Greg Pearce 5-46, Matthew Afford 3-13) lost to Great Houghton 130-0 (Ben Mousley 74no, Kieran Lane 32no) by 6 wkts

Wellingborough Indians 174-8 (Bhavin Patel 27, Jignesh Patel 56, Romey Patel 52) tied with Old 174-9 (Ben Street 45, Sam Street 38, Priyadatt Joshi 4-38)

Division Three

Great Oakley conceded against Geddington

Stony Stratford IIs 172 all out (Joel Coxon 45, Devang Shah 5-46) lost to Horton House IIs 175-4 (John Wolstenholme 51no, Sean Mulvey 30, Ryan Turner 63) by 6 wkts

Oundle Town IIs 261-5 (Matthew Ingram 79, Peter Wilson 49, Jonathan Dalley 47) lost to Weldon 265 all out (Thomas Chenery 28, Connor McAlinden 106no, Jonathan Freeman 65no) by 5 wkts

Rushden Town IIs 105 all out (Jamie Souster 4-20) tied with Irchester 105 all out (Brendon Tate 27, James Rawlins 3-28, William Liptrot 3-16)

Wellingborough OGs 217-9 (Mauro Saracino 74, Anthony Shepherdson 32, Tyler Richards 36no, Dave Marlow 3-61, Robert Dow 3-41) beat Brixworth IIs 165-7 (Robert Dow 34, Tom Chapman 38no) by 52 runs

Wollaston IIs 255-7 (Andy Luck 34, Simon Driver 29, Steve Musgrave 65, Darren Laughton 37no) beat Heyford 183 all out (James Edwards 37, Joshua Steggles 3-49, John Pike 4-25) by 3 wkts

Division Four

Bowden 256 all out (Anthony Paton 128, Karl Pollard 43, Karl Tapp 3-55) lost to Wellingborough Town IIs 257-5 (Alex Bendon 103, Sam Coleman 47, Daniel Boughton 3-45) by wkts

St Crispin & Ryelands IIs 222 all out (Noorullah Alozi 34, Mark Richardson 57, Lawrence Knowles 67, Owen West 6-42) beat Finedon Dolben IIIs 110 all out (Oliver Webb 44, Tejas Patel 28no, Brian Motetzu 6-31) by 112 runs

ONs IIIs 214-7 (Sam Hawkins 68, Dave Watkin 68, Toby Webbley 3-61) lost to Higham Ferrers Town 210 all out (Dean Czyz 72, Steven Materna 29, Kishor Patel 35, Rory Seymour 3-62, Tom White 3-38) by 3 wkts

Rushton IIs 86 all out (Geoff Thompson 35, Daniel Denton 3-19, Richard Darwin 5-3) lost to Kempston Hammers 87-6 (Gary Callaghan 5-52) by 4 wkts

Raunds Town 255-9 (Ben Simpson 28, Lewis Gates 30, Lee Morgan 47, Ollie Bates 76, Hitesh Patel 3-65) beat Overstone Park IIs 159 all out (Ben Hartley 73, Lee Morgan 3-9) by 96 runs

Podington 265 all out (Adam Tee 33, John Humphreys 39, Joshua Ozier 60, Tom Hart 30, Archie Houghton 3-27) beat West Haddon & Guilsborough 163 all out (Zander Smith 30, Olly Marriott 51, Liam Souster 3-41) by 102 runs

Division Five

Bedford 273-9 (Thomas Blythman 38, Dom Mawdsley 103, Thomas Carr 30, Martin Wall 5-65) beat Bold Dragoon 242 all out (Marcus Bates 46, Martin Wall 85, Rohan Mehmi 3-15, Jonathan Dove 5-43) by 31 runs

Carrib United 225-9 (Abid Zia 33, Ming Hestic 88, Faisal Hanif 40, Fletcher Callaghan 3-19, Matt Morrissey 4-43) beat Cogenhoe 177 all out (Ryan Knight 46, Ben Garratt 32, Alex Harvey-Jones 41, Wilf Paris 4-37) by 48 runs

Stony Stratford IIIs 83 all out (Michael Allen 3-21) lost to Harlestone 84-1 (Fahad Ahmed 45no) by 9 wkts

Northampton Saints IIIs versus Kettering Town IIs was abandoned

S & L Corby 153 all out (Owen Dunn 49, Umer Abbasi 50, Martin Lewis 4-38) lost to Yelvertoft 154-3 (James Martin 69, Daniel Mcllhiney 36no) by 7 wkts

Division Six

Burton Latimer IIs 245-2 (Alan Sewell 109no, Liam Sayles 67, Mark Wittering 44no) beat Rothwell Town IIs 96 all out (Bill Craddock 4-26) by 149 runs

Earls Barton IIs 151 all out (Jack Pickering 39, Chris Smart 32no, Ben Kennedy 4-18, Jon Clough 4-35) beat East Haddon 115 all out (George Crisp 4-23) by 36 runs

Irthlingborough Town IIs 193-6 (Ben Potkins 102, Paul Parsons 33, Ryan Simpson 27) beat St Michael’s 74 63 all out (Mario Wickremasinghe 32, Lee Parsons 6-6) by 130 runs

Spencer Bruerne 177 all out (Alex Holmes 79, Ashley Morris 65) beat Wellingborough Indians IIs 64 all out (Matthew Law 4-3) by 113 runs

Division Seven

Bugbrooke 116 all out (Damien Baines 3-24, Ian Ward 4-28) lost to Gretton 119-9 (Jamie Cross 5-37) by 1 wkt

Desborough Town IIs 127 all out (Christopher Barton 30, Alan Steed 37no, Ben Thorpe 5-2, Lewis Hunt 3-26) lost to Old 130-3 (Alex Culverhouse 64no, Gareth Tighe 30, Daniel Barton 3-20) by 7 wkts

Great Oakley conceded against Loddington & Mawsley

Division Eight

Horton House IIIs 102 all out (Harry Wilford 4-20) beat Bowden IIs 62 all out (Kevin Taylor 4-13) by 40 runs

Long Buckby IIs 101 all out (Michael Dicks 3-22, Lewis Pretty 3-9) lost to Raunds Town IIs 103-9 (Max Harris 3-17) by 1 wkt

Mears Ashby 125 all out (Stuart Gray 47no, Gary Ray 3-18, Anup Patel 4-31) lost to Old Northamptonians IVs 128-9 (Sam Gilkes 31, Chris Locke 32, Anthony Fragola 3-19, Jamie Burrows 3-38) by 1 wkt

Wellingborough OGs IIs 219-8 (Lahkan Trivedi 55, Vikram Mazumdar 62, Sam Gerry 4-43, Stuart Fox 3-20) beat Oundle Town IIIs 152 all out (Sam Gerry 41, Matthew Ward 4-48) by 67 runs

Barton Seagrave 187 all out (Tony Clampin 85, James Loader 31, Ben Miller 4-41) lost to Sun Hardingstone 188-4 (Jack Larkin 84, Lee Bennett 39, Phillip Monkman 37) by 6 wkts

Division Nine

Brixworth IIIs 116-2 (Keith Halford 45no) beat Wollaston IIIs 114 all out (Lewis North-Row 31, Charlie Lloyd 3-24, Matthew Cox 3-12) by 8 wkts

Wellingborough Town IIIs 133 all out (James Westley 58, Andy Usher 4-41) lost to Great Houghton IIs 135-5 (Alex Osborn 47no) by 5 wkts

Irchester IIs 146 all out (Jordan Everitt 29) lost to Heyford IIs 148-0 (Joshua Bastin 66no, Connor Robson 71no) by 10 wkts

St Crispin & Ryelands IIIs 103 all out (Thomas Ray 5-21, Brian Mitcham 3-14) lost to Little Harrowden 104-5 (Matthew Roberts 42no) by 5 wkts

Weldon IIs 105 all out (Matthew Hay 32, Malcolm Swann 4-18, Geoff Lambert 3-20) beat St Michael’s 87 all out (Dave Freebody 5-17) by 18 runs

Division 10

Brigstock IIs 213-5 (Oliver Day 41, Jamie Mills 50, Harry Howell 50no, Henry Spencer 32) beat Kislingbury Temperance IIs 211 all out (Danny Mackintosh 39, Stuart Gill 39, Kyle Dufty 80no, Matt Howell 3-69) by 5 wkts

Geddington IIIs 185-7 (Mark Thomas 30, Brodie Biddle 39, James Bye 34no, Harry Spence 29, Harjit Kang 3-9) beat Kettering Town IIIs 60 all out (Mark Pearson 4-21, Matthew Knight 3-17) by 125 runs

Overstone Park IVs versus Finedon Dolben IVs was abandoned

Rushden Town IIIs 95-6 (Russell Eady 33, Syed Naqvi 3-16) beat Harlestone IIs 87 all out (Russell Eady 3-29, Roy Eady 3-10) by 8 runs

Weekley & Warkton IIIs 97-9 (Stephen Turner 27, Mark Bird 4-20) beat Cogenhoe IIs 71 all out (Mark Bird 28, Lee Walton 3-20, Luke Peasnall 5-8) by 26 runs

Division 11

Burton Latimer IIIs 142-2 (Hashan Ramanadanpulle 60, Adam Boss 3-22, Sean O’Sullivan 3-34) beat Stony Stratford IVs 140 all out (Ian Watson 55no, Tyler Jolley 35, Michael Gardner 32) by 8 wkts

Bold Dragoon IIs 179-8 (Russell Heyworth 70, Ahmed Shah 42, Cadie Cabey 3-32) beat St Crispin & Ryelands IVs 92 all out by 87 runs

Sun Hardingstone IIs 336-4 (Matthew Ward 81, Robert Anderson 139, Andrew Boot 38no) beat Thrapston IIIs 116 all out by 220 runs

Division 12

Barby IIIs 123 all out (Alex Watson 27, Robert Kennedy 3-16, Harry Wright 3-32, Charles Wright 3-19) lost to Obelisk IIs 127-2 (Ryan Rayment 54, Michael Charnley 30no) by 8 wkts

Brixworth IVs 140-9 (Max Cilfton 65no, Thomas Brett 3-32, Charlie Bridgeford 3-20) lost to Wellingborough OGs IIIs 141-2 (Pritul Khagram 64no, Peter Wills 40) by 9 wkts

Mears Ashby IIs 238-7 (Liam Goodall 29, Ben Cole 94, Timothy Shea 29no) beat Bugbrooke IIs 147 all out (Ed Trafford 30, George Biddon 28, Ben Cole 4-3) by 91 runs

Spencer Bruerne IIs 199-9 (Keith Finson 71, Richard Muscutt 51) beat Old IIIs 170-9 (Timothy Keeber 55, Cai Mackman 38, Richard Muscutt 4-36) by 29 runs

St Michael’s 74 IIs versus Grange Park was cancelled

Division 13

Weldon IIIs 53 all out (Dean Gardner 4-22) lost to Barton Seagrave IIs 54-0 (Derek Goodwin 35no) by 10 wkts

Geddington IVs 66 all out (Ben Rae 3-9, Steven Rolf 4-15) lost to Kettering Town IVs 68-3 by 7

wkts

S & L Corby IIIs 112 all out (Kieran Lawman 44, Jack Walton 3-7) lost to Northampton Saints IVs 113-9 (Dave Shardlow 36, Rylee Wilkinson 3-16) by 1 wkt

Isham Zingari 49 all out (Ketan Kadakia 3-5) lost to Stony Stratford Vs 50-5 by 5 wkts

Thrapston IVs 129 all out beat West Haddon IIs 112-8 by 17 runs

Fixtures

Saturday, May 12

Hevey Building Supplies Northamptonshire League

Premier Division: Brigstock v Geddington, Horton House v Brixworth, Old Northamptonians v Peterborough, Oundle v Northampton Saints, Rushden v Finedon Dolben, Wollaston v Rushton.

Division One: Burton Latimer v Old Northamptonians IIs, Desborough v Overstone Park, East Haddon v Stony Stratford, Irthlingborough Town v Isham, Loddington v Kettering, Weekley & Warkton v Wellingborough Town.

Division Two: Finedon Dolben IIs v Wellingborough Indians, Great Houghton v Kislingbury, Long Buckby v Thrapston, Northampton Saints IIs v Earls Barton, Old v Rothwell, Peterborough IIs v St Crispin & Ryelands.

Division Three: Brixworth IIs v Great Oakley, Geddington IIs v Horton House IIs, Heyford v Rushden IIs, Irchester v Oundle IIs, Stony Stratford IIs v Wollaston IIs, Weldon v Old Grammarians.

Division Four: Old Northamptonians IIIs v West Haddon & Guilsborough, Overstone Park IIs v Bowden, Podington v Kempston, Rushton IIs v Finedon Dolben IIIs, St Crispin & Ryelands IIs v Raunds, Wellingborough Town IIs v Higham Ferrers.

Division Five: Bedford Town v Cogenhoe, Caribbean United v S&L Corby, Kettering IIs v Weekley & Warkton IIs, Stony Stratford IIIs v Bold Dragoon, Thrapston IIs v Harlestone, Yelvertoft v Northampton Saints Grendon IIIs.

Division Six: Earls Barton IIs v Burton Latimer IIs, Isham IIs v Irthlingborough Town IIs, Rothwell IIs v Spencer Bruerne, St Michaels 74 v East Haddon IIs, Wellingborough Indians IIs v Podington IIs.

Division Seven: Gretton v Desborough IIs, Overstone Park IIIs v Bugbrooke, S&L Corby IIs v Obelisk Kingsthorpe.

Division Eight: Barton Seagrave v Oundle IIIs, Bowden IIs v Long Buckby IIs, Mears Ashby v Hardingstone, Old Grammarians IIs v Horton House IIIs, Raunds IIs v Old Northamptonians IVs.

Division Nine: Brixworth IIIs v Great Houghton IIs, St Crispin & Ryelands IIIs v Weldon IIs, St Michaels (N) v Irchester IIs, Wellingborough Town IIIs v Little Harrowden.

Division 10: Cogenhoe IIs v Overstone Park IVs, Finedon Dolben IVs v Rushden IIIs, Geddington IIIs v Weekley & Warkton IIIs, Harlestone IIs v Brigstock IIs, Kislingbury IIs v Kettering IIIs.

Division 11: Bold Dragoon IIs v Burton Latimer IIIs, Hardingstone IIs v Irthlingborough Town IIIs, Horton House IVs v Stony Stratford IVs, Old Northamptonians Vs v St Crispin & Ryelands IVs.

Division 12: Bugbrooke IIs v Barby IIIs, Grange Park v Brixworth IVs, Obelisk Kingsthorpe IIs v St Michaels 74 IIs, Old Grammarians IIIs v Old IIIs, Spencer Bruerne IIs v Mears Ashby IIs.

Division 13: Isham Zingari v Geddington IVs, Kettering IVs v S&L Corby IIIs, Northampton Saints Grendon IVs v Barton Seagrave IIs, Thrapston IVs v Stony Stratford Vs, Weldon IIIs v West Haddon and Guilsborough IIs.

It's believed the men pictured may be able to help officers investigating the burglary at a flooring company in Rothersthorpe Road, Northampton.

The break-in took place sometime between 9.50pm and 11.45pm on Sunday, May 6, when offenders broke into the property and stole items.

Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have any information regarding it.

Witnesses or anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Channel Four programme requires participants to host faultless dinner parties in the hope of gaining a good rating from their guests.

And show producers Shiver have announced they want to film an episode here in Northampton.

The casting call says: "Over three days of filming, three couples, from all walks of life, take turns to host the perfect dinner party.

"A the end of the week the best couple wins £1,000."

All applicants need to be 18 or above and be able to shoot the episode between July 25 and 27.

Anyone interested in taking part should email cdwm@itv.com.

The daytime show was first broadcast in January 2005, pitting four or five amateur chefs against each other to host the best dinner party.

Each competitor then rates the host's performance with the winner winning a £1,000 cash prize.

The programme is known for its dry sense of wit, provided by the biting narration of comedian Dave Lamb.

Yesterday, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Brokenshire MP brought in Tony McArdle and Brian Roberts to work at One Angel Square overseeing finance and governance.

With the largest part of county council budgets devoted to adult and children's services Dr David Jones - the newly appointed chair of Healthwatch Northamptonshire - is keen to ensure the needs of communities and the county's residents are kept in mind by the commissioners.

“Any developments in Northamptonshire which affect the delivery and quality of these council services will have a direct impact on the most vulnerable people in the community”, said Dr Jones.

“One of the main duties of the new commissioners is therefore to ensure effective support and protection for vulnerable people in the county and we will remind them of this responsibility.

“This is a troubling time for the people of Northamptonshire.

“Change always brings both opportunity and anxiety. People expect to be consulted and are seeking reassurance that the problems in the county will not result in even more problems for individuals and families.

“Healthwatch Northamptonshire works to help local people get the best out of their local health and social care services, whether it's improving them today or helping to shape them for tomorrow. We are determined to provide a channel for Northamptonshire people to comment on these changes.

"We are all about enabling local voices to influence the delivery and design of local services. And we want to hear not just from people who use the services, but anyone who might need to in future.

“The council changes alongside the financial pressures in health services present a very real challenge for council and health service leaders.

"We know they are committed to doing their best. As chair of Healthwatch, I will do my best to make sure that the newly appointed commissioners and local leaders always put the needs of local communities and people at the centre of their thinking and their decisions."

Sandy Lane, which links Berrywood Road and Weedon Road, west of Upton, has been shut in both directions throughout the day while emergency teams carry out repairs.

The closure was first reported at around 10.30am today (May 11) and initially there was confusion as to why diversions had been put in place.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council has now confirmed the closure is a result of the state of the road.

In the last few minutes Derice Wright, of Abington, has entered a guilty plea to the manslaughter of the 17-year-old.

Wright was originally charged with murder, but at Northampton Crown Court this afternoon that charge was dropped and the defendant was re-arraigned on a manslaughter charge.

Jurors in the 13-week trial at Northampton Crown Court found three other young men guilty of manslaughter when it concluded a fortnight ago.

They were Lee Warren, aged 18, of Queens Park, Northampton, Aaron Joseph, aged 21, of Waltham Forest, London and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Kane Allaban-Hamilton, aged 18, of Camp Hill, Northampton, was the only person out of seven defendants found guilty of murder.

This afternoon, another 17-year-old who was among the gang that attacked Liam Hunt on the night of February 14, 2017, had all charges against him dropped.

James Dodd, aged 19, of Camp Hill, Northampton, was found not guilty of all charges.

The sentencing of Wright, Warren, Joseph and Allaban-Hamilton is expected to take place in four weeks' time.

Companies House papers reveal that ten academy trusts last year paid some members of staff more money than the Prime Minister.

Among them, the former CEO at David Ross Education Trust (DRET), Wendy Marshall – who managed a number of schools including Malcolm Arnold Academy – last year earned £190,000, prompting teaching union, NASUWT, to call for justification. The trust says its salaries are regularly reviewed.

Northamptonshire county secretary for NASUWT, Richard Kempa, is calling on the trusts to put more money back into the classrooms.

He said: “The NASUWT is very concerned with the fat cat salaries that too many academy trust employees are earning. This money should be going into classrooms, for teachers, teaching assistants and resources.

“Too much money is being diverted towards excessively high salaries...salaries that are more than the Prime Minister.”

What is an academy?

Academy schools are state-funded schools in England, which are directly funded by the Department for Education (DoE) and do not have to answer to the local authority. The schools can set their own term times and don’t have to follow the national curriculum.

Academies may receive additional support from sponsors, such as businesses, to help boost performance levels.

Academy trusts are free to set their own salaries for staff. But the DoE expect their pay to reflect the complexity and size of the leadership task, as they must deliver value for money.

During the 2016/17 school year eight members of staff were paid more than £100,000 at DRET, according to figures at Companies House.

In this school year, a spokeswoman for the trust said the figure had since reduced to five members of staff out of 1,900 colleagues across 34 schools in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and London.

Three of those five members of staff are senior educational staff.

The trust keeps remuneration under regular review and, since the beginning of this academic year, has reduced senior director posts and seen its leaders waive pay rises, eligible bonuses and accept reductions in pay, she confirmed.

Back in February this year the Academies Minister, Lord Agnew, challenged 88 multi-academy trusts across the country that pay a salary of more than £150,000 – and a further 47 multi-academy trusts paying two or more people between £100,000 and £150,000 – to prove their salaries are justifiable and that there is clear evidence for paying them.

Richard Kempa added: “NASUWT members are sick and tired of excessive high salaries within trusts when there are jobs at risk and redundancies threatened.

“Academy trusts need to be far more accountable and transparent with our members and other stakeholders (all trade unions, parents, communities, students and elected councillors).
“Put this money back into classrooms where it belongs,” he said.

Other findings in the Companies House documents include J Herriman being paid up to £155,000 by The Duston Education Trust in 2016. She left her position in the same year.

A spokesperson for the trust said: 'We do not comment publicly on the individual salaries of employees, past or present. Mrs Herriman left The Duston School in Summer 2016."

Greenwood Academies Trust (GAT) – which runs a number of academies including Weston Favell Academy – paid one member of staff in 2017 £170,000.

A GAT spokeswoman said: “We are a national provider of 32 academies, proud to be delivering high-quality education to 17,000 children and young people, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, and it is essential we are able to recruit and retain excellent staff, at all levels, and reward them accordingly.

"Salaries across the Trust are set by the Trust board after benchmarking, taking into account DfE guidance and performance in all areas. Since our current senior team has been in place, they have worked with our schools to support them in raising standards, reflected in the high and increasing proportion of our academies rated Good or Outstanding. More than 80% of our schools inspected since joining the Trust are rated Good or Outstanding."

While teachers’ pay across the Trust has risen since September 2016, our chief executive and deputy chief executive have not accepted an increase in pay or conditions during this same period.”

Last year this newspaper reported that Victoria Bishop – who was described on Sir Christopher Hatton’s website as executive principle and CEO of Hatton Academies Trust – earns between £175,000 and £180,000.

This week, the trust has justified the spending.

William Thallon, chair of the board of directors at Hatton Academies Trust, which oversees four schools, said: "Pay levels within the Hatton Academies Trust are determined by a rigorous, fair performance management system, and by the overwhelming need to recruit and retain high-quality staff. This applies in particular to our most senior staff, and is the main way in which we can continue to provide the highest possible standard of education to our young people.

"The Board of Directors has approved and is supportive of, the Trust’s pay policy and its application. We do not believe it is right to comment publicly on the pay of any individual employee. However, it is worth noting that, as with all academy trusts, we are required to account openly for our pay policy and decisions to the ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency).

The Brooke Weston Trust employs 900 staff in 10 schools across North Northamptonshire – including the Brooke Weston Academy in Corby – and in Cambridgeshire. Their highest paid member of staff earned up to £170,000 last year.

A spokeswoman said neither the chief executive nor finance director were present during pay discussions.

"The Brooke Weston Trust operates schools with a combined pupil access number of nearly 7,000 and employs 900 staff across North Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. The Chief Executive’s salary is set by the Trust Board with consideration to market standards and the published figure includes salary, national insurance contributions, pension contributions and a performance-related element. The CEO receives no further benefits for the role.

"The Trust operates a Remuneration Committee comprising the Chair of the Trust Board, a lead Sponsor and an educational specialist Board member. The Committee uses benchmark data to help set salaries, annual pay awards and, in previous years, consider performance bonus payments for leaders. The Committee robustly challenges the recommendations of the Chief Executive and Finance Director on salaries and pay awards before approving or deferring decisions pending review. Neither the Chief Executive nor the Finance Director are present during discussions of their own pay, nor make any recommendations to the Committee in relation to their own pay.

"Since September 2014 the Board has made one pay award to our Chief Executive of 1%, which was in September 2017. During the same period it has made pay awards to teaching and support staff of 1% in 2014, 2015 and 2016. In 2017 teachers received a 2% pay award and the Trust introduced a revised pay scale for all support staff which has been welcomed by trade unions.

"Value for money - The Trust is proud of the difference it is making in locations with historically low levels of educational performance and in schools that struggled to find sponsors until they joined our Trust. For example, the improvements at Thomas Clarkson Academy in Wisbech are being secured against a complex set of social, financial and legal (PFI) constraints. Brooke Weston Academy in Corby is an outstanding school ranked in the top 10% nationally for its performance and with a strong track record of addressing disadvantage. Corby Technical School, our secondary free school in Corby, serves the town centre population and was one of the first secondary free schools to be judged outstanding. All primary schools that have been inspected since joining the Trust are now rated good."

The Education Fellowship Trust (TEFT) was asked to hand its 12 schools back to the Government in March 2017 as five of its schools were rated as Inadequate.

Papers shown to the Chron by NASUWT show that one worker earned up to £170,000.

A spokeswoman for TEFT said: "The Board of Trustees at TEFT passed a resolution to terminate its funding agreement and re-broker all of its academies. The figures referred to are relevant to a period when TEFT was still fully operational.

"During the re-brokering process, head office staffing costs have been dramatically reduced but key staff are still required to remain in post, in order to facilitate the ongoing process.

"Once all schools have been transferred to new trusts, the Department for Education will continue to work with TEFT to complete the wind-up of the trust. In the meantime, the CEO has tendered his notice, ensuring drawdown of his salary will cease."

United Learning Trust – which runs Northampton Academy – educates more than 40,000 children across the country in 65 schools that include independent schools and academies. Last year, two members of staff were paid up to £160,000.

A spokesman for United Learning said: “United Learning employs over 7,500 staff and educates over 40,000 children across the country in 65 schools that include independent schools and academies. We specialise in transforming local schools and raising attainment across the board as we have successfully demonstrated through our track record in Northamptonshire.

“Running an organisation of this size and scope requires a skilled workforce at all levels and, in a highly competitive market, we pay the going rate at all levels commensurate with the experience and expertise required. Our structure includes senior leaders who each oversee a number of schools and help drive improvement and performance.

“We aim to attract the best people to these big jobs, because excellent leadership is what makes the biggest difference to children in our schools. We make no apology for paying highly effective people well for very demanding and responsible jobs. They would earn far more in similarly accountable private sector jobs.

“It is hugely regrettable that NASUWT is attacking hardworking public servants in this way: they would be better off pointing out how far behind the private sector senior public sector pay has fallen. We do not support their ‘naming and shaming’ approach – they would strongly oppose the pay of their individual members being published and criticised, and the same principle applies to all our staff. We fully comply with all requirements on us and are transparent about the number of people earning at higher level, but do not think it appropriate to reveal pay of individual employees.”

Lion Academy Trust, which run six schools, paid one member of staff up to £170,000 last year. Similarly, The Creative Education Trust, operate 13 schools, and paid their top earner up to £180,000 and lastly E-Act, which run 25 schools, paid one boss up to £160,000. These three trusts had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.

Footage shows how in the half hour after the 17-year-old was stabbed in the neck his killers fled the scene, buried a knife in a planter and gleefully reenacted the attack in the restaurant in the Drapery.

Following a 12-week trial, five young men have been convicted for their part in the teenager's death in February last year.

Kane Allaban-Hamilton, aged 18, of Camp Hill, Northampton, was the only person out of seven defendants found guilty of murder.

Lee Warren, aged 18, of Queens Park, Northampton, Aaron Joseph, aged 21, of Waltham Forest, London, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons were all found guilty of manslaughter.

And earlier today (May 11), Derice Wright, 18, from Abington, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The footage, which was played to the jury, shows how the gang left the McDonald's in the Drapery and headed to St George's Street where Liam was smoking with his friends.

The fatal attack, in which Allaban-Hamilton inflicted a seven-centimetre neck wound on Liam, was not caught on camera. But it does show the group sprinting from the scene.

Wright was caught burying a knife in a planter as he and Allaban-Hamilton fled the scene.

The gang then regrouped in the same McDonald's - and can be seen graphically reenacting the attack on Liam, with the 17-year-old gesturing to his neck.

The five convicted young men will be sentenced in a month's time.

Two other teenagers - James Dodd, 18, from Northampton, and another 17-year-old - were found not guilty on all charges.