A supermarket is proposing to set up shop in a former village pub to double the size of its existing store.

The Co-op is in talks with the owner of the former Red Lion public house on Harborough Road in Brixworth to revamp the former site into a supermarket.

The new store is proposed to be more than double the size of its existing Hunters Way store, enabling the Co-op 'to better serve members and customers in the community'.

Planning papers are likely to be submitted to Daventry District Council 'soon' and subject to approval, the new store could open in late 2019.

It is proposed that Post Office services will be retained, with the new site also offering customer car parking.

Bosses say colleagues will be transferred from the existing store in Hunters Way, and it is expected that additional jobs would be created.

Paresh Pancholi acquisition manager for the Co-op in Northamptonshire said: “The Co-op is committed to investing in its communities, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to explore plans to carry out further investment in Northamptonshire.

"We are proud to be part of the community, and are looking at an opportunity to open a new, purpose-designed, store in order to better serve our members and customers locally.”

Police are urging Northamptonshire parents and carers to be aware of the risk of grooming by criminal gangs as schools break up for the summer holidays.

Last week the force launched Operation Viper, a crackdown on gangs who are involved in drugs, firearms and violence offences.

Many of the gangs involved in this type of criminality prey on children to work for them as drug runners or to conceal weapons.

Today (Friday) the force is calling on parents to speak to their children about the dangers of getting involved in gangs and to be aware of who their children are mixing with during the school holidays.

Detective Inspector Emma Nealon from the Serious and Organised Crime Team, said: “The summer holidays are a great chance for children to unwind from school and relax with their friends and family, however, we are urging parents and carers to be aware of the potential grooming that could take place.

“We know that gang members, some still in their teens, are approaching children as young as eight and nine and grooming them with the intention of getting them involved in drug activity.

“In recent cases we have seen gang members giving young children money while out playing games or running small errands to the shop.

“This can quickly escalate to being asked to deliver parcels for money that contain drugs.

“Appropriate safeguards have been put in place around these cases, however we don’t want any others to fall into this trap.”

Parents and carers are advised to speak to their children about what to do should they be approached by strangers, no matter who they are.

Det Insp Nealon added: “The school holidays are an ideal time for parents to speak to their children about stranger danger and what they should do if they are approached by someone they don’t know.

“Advice for children includes never go off with a stranger, take things from them or get in a car with them, even if they seem familiar to you.

“Make sure you tell parents where you are and if someone scares you, or makes you feel uncomfortable, asks you to do something or gives you gifts or money, go somewhere safe and remember to tell someone what has happened straight away.”

Anyone who is worried about a child who they think may be being groomed by a gang is urged to contact the police for advice.

Det Insp Nealon said: “I understand that contacting the police may be scary, however I want to stress that our priority is to help keep any child who has been approached by a gang safe.

“If any child is concerned about a friend I urge them to speak to a trusted adult and ask for their advice, whether that’s a parent, friend’s parent, youth worker or police officer.

“It is vitally important that parents and carers are aware of the dangers that their children could face and know what to do if they are worried.

“All you have to do is call us on 101. Further advice and information about gangs is available on our website.”

This video from the NSPCC also contains some useful advice for anyone concerned about a young person’s involvement in a gang: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/staying-safe-away-from-home/gangs-young-people/.

Most teenagers don’t commit crimes or get involved in gangs but it’s important to be aware of the signs that someone you know might be.

These can include: not hanging around with their usual friends, coming home late or staying out more than usual, being secretive and withdrawn, hanging around with different people, having unexplained injuries, taking drugs, carrying weapons, skipping school, talking differently such as using new slang words, suddenly having a lot of money and being able to afford expensive things like phones and watches, or wearing different and more expensive clothes.

Two teenagers suspected of drug dealing have been arrested in Northampton as part of a major county crackdown operation.

A drugs warrant was executed in Arthur Street yesterday (July 19) resulting in the arrest of the two teenagers.

They are due to appear at Northampton Magistrates' Court today (July 20) charged with drugs offences.

Relly Moukoko, aged 19, of Hackney, London, has been charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug, namely cocaine and crack cocaine, and two counts of offering to supply a controlled drug, namely heroin and crack cocaine.

A 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug, namely cocaine and crack cocaine.

The arrest comes as part of part of Operation Viper - a Northamptonshire Police crackdown on those involved in gang and drug-related crime - using information from Northampton Borough Council.

Parents and carers are being urged to watch for the signs of children being groomed by criminal gangs this summer.

Last week, Northamptonshire Police launched Operation Viper, a crackdown on gangs who are involved in drugs, firearms and violence offences.

Many of the gangs involved in this type of criminality prey on children to work for them as drug runners or to conceal weapons.

Today (July 20), the force is calling on parents to speak to their children about the dangers of getting involved in gangs and to be aware of who their children are mixing with during the school holidays.

Detective Inspector Emma Nealon from the Serious and Organised Crime Team, said: “The summer holidays are a great chance for children to unwind from school and relax with their friends and family, however, we are urging parents and carers to be aware of the potential grooming that could take place.

“We know that gang members, some still in their teens, are approaching children as young as eight and nine and grooming them with the intention of getting them involved in drug activity.

“In recent cases we have seen gang members giving young children money while out playing games or running small errands to the shop. This can quickly escalate to being asked to deliver parcels for money that contain drugs. Appropriate safeguards have been put in place around these cases, however we don’t want any others to fall into this trap.”

Parents and carers are advised to speak to their children about what to do should they be approached by strangers, no matter who they are.

DI Nealon added: “The school holidays are an ideal time for parents to speak to their children about stranger danger and what they should do if they are approached by someone they don’t know.

“Advice for children includes, never go off with a stranger, take things from them or get in a car with them, even if they seem familiar to you. Make sure you tell parents where you are and if someone scares you, or makes you feel uncomfortable, asks you to do something or gives you gifts or money, go somewhere safe and remember to tell someone what has happened straight away.”

Anyone who is worried about a child who they think may be being groomed by a gang is urged to contact the police for advice.

DI Nealon said: “I understand that contacting the police may be scary, however I want to stress that our priority is to help keep any child who has been approached by a gang safe. If any child is concerned about a friend I urge them to speak to a trusted adult and ask for their advice, whether that’s a parent, friend’s parent, youth worker or police officer.

“It is vitally important that parents and carers are aware of the dangers that their children could face and know what to do if they are worried. All you have to do is call us on 101. Further advice and information about gangs is available on our website.”

This video from the NSPCC also contains some useful advice for anyone concerned about a young person’s involvement in a gang.
Most teenagers don’t commit crimes or get involved in gangs but it’s important to be aware of the signs that someone you know might be. These can include…

- Not hanging around with their usual friends

- Coming home late or staying out more than usual

- Being secretive and withdrawn

- Hanging around with different people

- Having unexplained injuries

- Taking drugs

- Carrying weapons

- Skipping school

- Talking differently – for example using new slang words

- Suddenly has a lot of money and can afford expensive things like phones and watches

- Is wearing different and more expensive clothes

Paul Weston, 49, made the decision to rethink his health when he tipped the scales at over 20 stone and watched his friend succumb to diabetes.

He said: “My mate had developed type-2 diabetes. He was told to look after his health and lose some weight or become permanently diabetic and go on insulin, and that’s exactly what happened.

"I am 49 and a builder by trade, and I consider myself quite fit. But I knew I was very heavy.

"I have two daughters and I want to be around for weddings and grandchildren. I want to share their future.”

The combination was the push Paul needed to start looking at his own health.

He said: “Because of my trade, I knew it was only a matter of time before my knees and hips started playing up. And watching what happened to my mate, I knew that I was also at risk of diabetes. I didn’t want to wait five or 10 years to do something about it and find that the damage was already done.”

Paul visited his local surgery for a health check and was offered a Northampton weight watchers healthcare subscription for three months.

He said: “It was what I needed and came just at the right time for me. It was my moment. I think that emotionally and mentally you must be ready to change. I felt that I was now ready.

"Even though I work in the open most days, I do not rely on fast foods to get me by, I eat quite healthily. Joining the local weight watchers group helped me to see that the problem was in my portion sizes. I was eating a healthy breakfast every morning but eating three or four times the recommended amount. So, I reduced the portion size of everything I ate and watched as the weight came off.

"I shrank my plate and my waist began to shrink too. It was that simple."

Labour have held their seat in the St George by-election after Anjona Roy won the vacant position on Northamptonshire County Council.

The by-election took place yesterday following the resignation of previous Labour councillor Rachel Cooley in May, but Labour held off the challenge of the Liberal Democrats to retain the ward.

Mrs Roy, who returns to public office after a spell as a borough councillor in the Spencer ward from 1999 to 2003, won 839 votes to Lib Dem Martin Sawyer’s 564 votes.

And she says she hopes to bring more ‘transparency’ to the authority, after an election campaign in which she says residents vented their fury at the performance of the county council.

Speaking after her victory was declared at The Guildhall today (July 20), she said: “I’m very thrilled and privileged that the people of Semilong, Trinity, Kingsley and Links View have given me their confidence.

“It’s an extraordinary time in politics both locally and nationally, but particularly locally as people feel angry with what’s happening with the county council.

“At the moment we have a whole host of new reports critiquing the county council on its culture, transparency and openness, and I feel I can that I can be a champion for more open transparency.”

Mrs Roy increased Labour’s share of the vote from 40.30 per cent last May to 44.55 per cent this time around.

And she says that she will be going to work straight away for her new ward residents, and would be championing their views on the upcoming re-organisation of local government in the area - with two new unitary authorities set to be created for the county in 2020.

Mrs Roy said she would be backing calls for Northampton to have its own unitary authority.

She added: “People feel that they are paying more council tax for less services. They have seen the county council go bust with devastating effects.

“It’s a very challenging time for us, and local representatives must be seen to be working hard.

“St George is a very diverse division, but they feel very strongly about preserving a council just for Northampton, and having decisions made for them by people in their town.”

RESULTS IN FULL:

Scott Mabbutt (Green Party) - 83

Anjona Roy (Labour) - 839

Martin Sawyer (Liberal Democrats) - 564

Andy Smiles (UKIP) - 111

Ausra Uzukauskaite (Conservative) - 285

Turnout: 21.4 per cent

Votes cast: 1,883 (one spoiled)

Dean Bowditch admitted he was delighted to get out on the pitch and playing for the Cobblers again after enduring a ‘difficult time’ over the summer.

The 32-year-old played for the first time since the end of March on Thursday night, coming on for the second half of Town’s pre-season friendly win over Hull City Under-23s in Spain.

It was his first football of any kind since damaging a knee in training while on loan at Stevenage in March, and his first run-out for the Cobblers since December 2 last year.

Bowditch had to undergo an operation following the injury, and spent time at St George’s Park doing his rehabilitation, but he returned to training with the Cobblers a fortnight ago, and has taken a full part in sessions at the squad’s training base in Alicante.

Frozen out of the Cobblers first team picture by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, it seems Bowditch is very much part of Dean Austin’s plans, with the Town boss saying this week the former Milton Keynes Dons man is his ‘type of footballer’.

That will be another boost for the forward, who has only started five times for the Cobblers since joining a year ago, and following his run-out against Hull, he said: “”I feel really good.

“I was unlucky when I went out on loan to get injured the way I did.

“You don’t expect to get injured in training and then have an operation a few weeks later, and it has been a difficult time for me over the summer.

“I have been working hard, and it is nice to get back out on the pitch and back in with the lads, because at the end of the day I just want to play football.”

Bowditch felt the match against the Tigers youngsters was a worthwhile exercise for the Cobblers, with goals from Sam Hoskins, Aaron Pierre and Shaun McWilliams sealing a 3-1 win after Hull had gone 1-0 up at the start of the second half.

“It was a good runout for the boys, good for the fitness as well because it has been tough out here with the heat,” said Bowditch.

“Hull’s young lads did very well against us, and obviously going in front as well and putting us under a bit of pressure.

“They had loads of energy which meant the lads had to put the work in which was great to see.

“We started to get the ball down and play in the second half and began to control the game a bit more with our shape and got the goals we wanted in the end, but’s not about the result.

“t’s about reacting as well, and not getting too down when you go a goal behind, even in games like this.

“You could see boys when Hull scored, they were disappointed and you have to react to that and the lads did really to do that. It was a good runout, and it’s been a good week.”

The Cobblers were put through their paces in Spain for a final time on Friday morning, before flying back to the UK.

The team will be given Saturday off before returning to duty at the club’s open day at the PTS Academy Stadium on Sunday (start 10am), and they then have home friendlies against Barnet (Tuesday) and a Manchester United XI (Friday) next week.

So was the trip to Alicante worthwhile? Bowditch certainly thinks so.

“It has been great facilities, they have everything here, the pitches have been fantastic,” he said.

“The heat helps with your fitness and stuff like that, and there has been a good bit of team bonding as well, so it has been a great week.”

A man who burgled multiple Northampton homes has today had his sentence increased after it was referred to the Court of Appeal by the attorney general’s office for being too low.

Darren Barry Williams, 39, was caught after he broke into a house on Prescott Close in Northampton in April.

He damaged a window and door, as well as attempting to steal jewellery.

Before he could make his escape, two neighbours apprehended him, having been alerted to his crime by an alarm.

Pensioners in their 70s detain thief on front lawn of Northampton house he had just burgled
Once in police custody, Williams pleaded guilty to this burglary, as well as five other home burglaries.

Williams was originally sentenced at Northampton Crown Court in May, where he was given two years six months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge.

Today, after the attorney general’s referral, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to three years eight months’ imprisonment.

Attorney general Geoffrey Cox QC MP said: "Burglaries leave owners feeling unsafe within their own homes, and can cause a wider sense of disquiet in the community.

"Williams had an extensive criminal history, including multiple burglaries.

"I therefore welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision today to agree to increase his sentence."

To the locals it's the 'The Sunniest Place in Denmark' yet the Danish island of Bornholm, with its picture-postcard fishing villages, dense beech and conifer forests, stunning beaches and rugged granite cliffs, is little known to us in Britain.

Landing at the island's small airport close to its west coast capital Rønne – which is by far the largest town – we were met by Destination Bornholm guide Helle Mogensen following our short 25 minute flight aboard a turbo-prop ATR72 from Copenhagen which is operated several times a day by Danish Air Transport (DAT).

Our visit was timed to coincide with the Summer Solstice and also with Denmark’s largest culinary competition, ‘Sol over Gudhjem’. It's a competition which marks the beginning of a week in celebration of the island's produce and one which features no fewer than 65 food, drink, farm and agriculture-based businesses.

From its humble beginnings in 2009, the whole competition came about following a somewhat derigatory comment from the island's only Michelin-starred chef, Mikkel Marschall... and it went something like "nobody on the island knows how to cook!"

Today Mikkel is not only the ‘Sol over Gudhjem’ competition's instigator, but he has remained in charge of proceedings and has also managed to attract a host of big named sponsors.

With a handful of Denmark's top celebrity chefs invited to take part annually, they create menus using local Bornholm produce and products, the results being judged by some of the Europe's best known culinary experts and for the 2018 competition, top English chef James Lowe from Lyle's in London was on the invited panel.

Now in its 10th year, ‘Sol over Gudhjem’ – it roughly translates as 'Sun above God's Home' – it all seems very casual and is a bit like Masterchef in flip-flops! It's held alongside the town of Gudhjem's picturesque harbour, the annual competition now attracts up to 10,000 spectators to its quayside home while it has now become something of a Danish institution.

At a shade larger than the Isle of Man at 588 sq kms (227 sq miles) – as against 572 sq kms – and with a population of almost 40,000, Bornholm sits in the middle of the Baltic Sea, some 210 kms (130 miles) to the east of Denmark's capital Copenhagen.

At just 20 miles from the south-eastern coast of its Scandinavian neighbour Sweden and approximately half as much again from the north Poland coastal town of Kolobrzeg, the island of Bornholm is well know to the Danes, many of whom enjoyed their first encounter with it on a school trip.

We were staying on the opposite side of the island some 30 minutes drive from the airport at the impressive Stammershalle Badehotel – www.stammershalle-badehotel.dk – with its views out to Denmark's easternmost archipelago of Christiansø and Frederiksø which are around 20 kms distance. The islands can easily be reached by ferry from Gudhjem's quayside in a little over an hour... but be warned, it can be extremely rough!

The Stammershalle Badehotel was built in 1911 in classical Scandinavian style and is perched high up on the craggy northern coastal cliffs. The hotel has 16 comfortable ensuite bedrooms – strangely I was in No19! – and all are decorated in traditional Nordic style. There's a very comfortable lounge area and superb dining room which is accessed down some extremely steep steps.

On arrival at the hotel, Helle, the Destination Bornholm (www.bornholm.info) press manager, had arranged for coffee and some delicious strawberry-topped cakes in the lounge as we learned about our pre-planned four-day itinerary.

With the Baltic Sea just yards away, we decided on a pre-dinner dip from the wooden jetty opposite the hotel and while the sea temperature was well below what I call ideal – probably less than 15 degrees! – it mattered not as we quickly headed for the hotel's luxury sauna!

Like most Bornholm hotels, the Stammershalle Badehotel prides itself on its food and it certainly doesn't disappoint on that score as head chef and gold medal winner Marcus and waiters Isolde and Magnus ensured that we were soon tucking into a fabulous six course dinner following a glass of Champagne.

First it was Norway lobster and cauliflower served with red currants, before more courses consisting of smoked mackerel, calf's tongue, Guinea fowl, elderflower ice cream and then cherries in chocolate with macarons and all this accompanied by a variety of wines from around the world… and all absolutely delicious!

From its Baltic fishing village heritage, Bornholm has reinvented itself as an eco-friendly, foodie destination and it is also keen to become 100% green and carbon-neutral by 2025.

With so little traffic, the island is said to be a cycling paradise on pretty flat terrain. With more than 170 miles of dedicated cycle tracks which both criss-cross and circumnavigate the island, we actually borrowed bikes from the hotel although I must admit I struggled and gave up after half an hour… I clearly prefer horsepower over pedal power!

Accompanied by local guide Ross Culiner, a jovial Canadian who married a Bornholm lass, we headed north to one of the island's best-known tourist attractions on our second day, the magnificent early 12th century ruins of Hammershus. Said to be northern Europe's largest castle, it is perched atop a huge granite outcrop offering magnificent views along the coast.

Originally built for a Danish bishop, it's actually 74 metres (243ft) above sea level and dates back to around 1255. Over the next few centuries, it grew to include a great stonewall stretching 750 metres (2,460ft) around its grounds and it was also strategically important to the Hanseatic League, a northern European trading confederation which was still in operation some 300 years later. With views over to southern Sweden clearly visible to the north, a brand new Hammershus Visitor Centre was finally opened in March this year.

We then drove inland, passing through the Almindingen forest which is home to a herd of secretive and shy European bison which were brought to the island several years ago from central Poland. Close by there is also a trotting track which is very popular with the local equestrian fraternity.

Stopping off to visit the largest of Bornholm's four unique round churches at Østerlars – they also served as Baltic fortresses besides being a place of worship – it was then on to Svaneke, the island’s (and Denmark's) most easterly and probably prettiest town with its red-roofed houses and equally attractive harbour.

Svaneke is well known for its liquorice while it also has an excellent brewery (Svaneke Bryghus) and a traditional boiled sweetmaker (Svaneke Bolcher) while glass blowing and ceramics are also regular attractions for visitors.

"The locals all agreed that the town should remain as it is today and not allow any development which goes against the look of the place," said Ross as we walked past so many colourful merchants' houses. We also visited the town's impressive Lutheran church which was being repainted in the traditional red-oche colour following our lunch stop at Svaneke Røgeriet – www.roegerietsvaneke.dk – an impressive five chimney stack smokehouse known locally as the 'Five Sisters'.

And it was at Røgeriet where we were finally introduce to Bornholm's specialist iconic dish 'Sol Over Gudhjem'. It consists of smoked herring on fresh rye bread topped with a raw egg yoke and is accompanied by chives and radishes. Besides that we tucked into smoked cod, mackerel, salmon, prawns and shrimps accompanied by one of the many local brews.

Local fishermen take their herring catches to be smoked at the smokehouse for around five hours in the traditional way, with no artificial smoke flavourings being added… and judging by the huge piles of chopped wood, they are kept pretty busy!

Following an afternoon tour of the Copenhagen Distillery with its deep fresh spring water well, we were introduced to the micro-brewery's sales manager Jesper Mathiesen… and we were more than happy to sample the various flavoured gins designed by fellow owner Sune Urth who is also responsible for research and development of the product.

En route to the distillery we called in at Plantation near the village of Rø where a series of glasshouses are looked after by both the physical and mentally disabled. They grow cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, etc alongside fields of delicious strawberries which we were allowed to pick ourselves.

We also sampled Sea Buckthorn cocktails at Høstet (it means harvested in Danish) – www.høstet.dk – owned by Mads and Camilla Meisner who explained the process of turning bright orange berries into jams, marmalades and delicious juices which can be added to spirits… especially Copenhagen Distillery's gin!

Mads explained: "We planted the Sea Buckthorn bushes back in 2010 and it took three years before we had results. Buckthorn is rich in nutrition and is regarded as a super food. In order to get the berries, you need male and female plants. To collect them, we cut off the branches and freeze them with the berries still on them. We then defrost everything and the berries fall off. They are then pressed. It's a very exotic taste which can be used as a juice or made into preserves which chefs seem to love."

That evening we were invited to meet the following day's seven 'Sol Over Gudhjem' competition contestants who were introduced to a large crowd at the farming museum close to Gudhjem at nearby Melsted. And that's where we enjoyed another meal – I loved the sausages and pork dumplings! – while one of the sweet courses was actually one of the winning desserts from the previous year's competition.

For the competition itself, three of the celebrity chefs would be preparing desserts for a prize of 10,000 Danish krone – around £110, one krone is worth around 12p – while the top main course dish prize for the other four was 50,000 krone (£550) plus the use of a brand new 12 cylinder, bi-turbo Mercedes Benz coupé for up to four weeks!

The dessert competition the following day was won by a man who never takes his hat off, Brian Mark Hansen. He's from the Michelin-starred Søllerød Kro restaurant in Copenhagen. "Naturally I'm delighted that the judges liked my creation while my kids seem just as excited as I am," grinned Brian while standing on a table holding a giant-sized cheque.

Meanwhile there were huge cheers when the 2018 'Sol Over Gudhjem' champion was declared, for the diminutive Thai-born Dak Laddaporn Wichangoen, head chef at the Michelin-starred Kiin Kiin Copenhagen restaurant, became the first ever female winner of the competition.

While the crowds gathered around her in celebration, I finally had the chance to briefly chat with her the following morning, as she – like most of the competitors – was also staying at Stammershalle Badehotel. "I still can't believe I've won," she said.

"It was such an honour to be judged the best against three other top chefs who are also friends. My only worry now is that I've got the Mercedes for four weeks as part of my prize but I'm not sure where in Copenhagen I'm going to park it."

I also bumped into Mads from Høstet shortly after the competition had ended and he was holding a special award. "I'm really thrilled that we've won the best product award for our Sea Buckthorn juice," he said. "In a previous year our marmalade got the same award."

Having lunched at a former twin-chimneyed smokehouse called Norresan close to Gudhjem harbour, we then drove to the south of the island close to the village of Dueodde where we spent time on one of the best beaches I've ever seen. Covered in glistening white sand so fine that it's used in egg timers and hour glasses, it seems to go on for miles while a short distance away is a wonderful camp site set among the pine trees.

With no appreciable tide in the Baltic and a gently sloping beach, the area is clearly safe for bathing and popular with families with young children. It also offers miles of easy walks with hardly any traffic… and that also applies to the rest of the island.

Before heading to the airport for our transfer back to Copenhagen, we visited another new venture accompanied by Elisebeth Falk from the Danish Agriculture & Food Council and Destination Bornholm's cruise coordinator Peter Juhl who, just days earlier, had walked to Santiago de Compostela in Spain having taken 33 days to complete the 800 kilometres of the Camino Way.

Meeting Kasper Rasmussen who claims he's not a real farmer, he certainly has his sights set on producing what is usually extremely expensive Japanese Wagyu beef. Although officially a schoolteacher, as his brother runs the family farm, Kasper has taken the bold step of inseminating some of the farm's black and white Holstein cattle with foetuses imported from Japan... and so far since December last year, the Holsteins have delivered seven healthy dark brown Wagyu calves which are all looked after by three very friendly Jersey cows.

The previous evening we dined at Nordlandet - www.hotelnordlandet.com - a clifftop restaurant close to the conjoined villages of Allinge-Sandvig offering views all the way back down the coast towards Gudhjem. The restaurant offers true Nordic gourmet cuisine with much of the contents being foraged in the Bornholm countryside.... and it was all absolutely delicious!

Meanwhile our final lunch was at an equally attractive location set high above the tiny steep-hilled hamlet of Vang where there are just a dozen fishermen's cottages plus an old watermill. Once again the Le Port Restaurant – www.leport.dk – had wonderful views from its terraces perched high above the tiny harbour… and as expected, the food and its presentation was absolutely exquisite.

From what I saw (and tasted), the island offers a truly wonderful gastronomic experience while our only disappointment regarding the whole trip was that the planned Summer Solstice beach party celebrations – which were due to have been held on Saturday 23 June – had to be cancelled.

The island – which is absolutely perfect for a weekend break – has had just a few drops of rain since early April and that means that everywhere is tinder dry. It would be a disaster should a spark from just one of the bonfires get out of hand so everyone agreed that calling off the beach parties was the sensible thing to do… that common sense approach clearly being very Danish!

BORNHOLM FACT FILE

Where to stay:

Alan Wooding was the guest of VisitDenmark – www.visitdenmark.co.uk and https://bornholm.info/en/ – and stayed at the Stammershalle Badehotel http://stammershalle-badehotel.dk/en/ which offers double rooms from £107 including breakfast.

Where to eat:

Nordlandet https://hotelnordlandet.com/en/ – a Nordlandet Evening includes 4 courses, 3 wines, water, coffee and petit four and costs £112. A two course meal starts at £41.

Stammershalle Badehotel Restaurant http://stammershalle-badehotel.dk/en/the-restaurant/. A menu based on seasonal produce starts at £53 and wine pairing can be added for an additional £41.

Nørresan in Gudhjem offers light sandwiches in a refurbished smokehouse. Prices start at £12. https://da-dk.facebook.com/norresand/

A ‘smoke duet’ shared platter for two people at Svaneke Røgeri is £36 and the classic ‘Sol over Svaneke’ open faced sandwich is £8.

Restaurant Le Port offers lobster bisque with leeks and turbot at £15 – https://leport.dk/?lang=en

What to do:

Hammershus https://bornholm.info/en/hammershus/. Admission to the Visitor Centre is free.

Bornholm Food Festival in June where food producers open their doors to the public. Prices vary.

Visit the strawberry farm for free, visit the beekeeper for £18 or take a trip to Svaneke Brewery and sample a selection of craft beers for £6. https://bornholm.info/en/event/bornholms-madfestival/

Visit one of Bornholm’s four round churches. Most of them have free entrance, some will have a small entrance fee around £1.2. https://www.visitdenmark.com/bornholm/activities/bornholms-round-churches

How to get there:

There are 155 weekly flights from London (Luton, Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick) to Copenhagen. Flights with SAS from London Heathrow start at £108 return. Flights from Copenhagen to Bornholm with DAT (Danish Air Traffic) start at £96 return and take around 30 minutes.

Island Bus Tour:

Plantagen vegetable & berries – organic gardening, beekeeping, production of jam, apple juice, and vinegar. Bertil Ekstrøm Bertil.ekstroem@brk.dk and Stig Westermann Stig.westermann@brk.dk

Bornholms Kildevand/Copenhagen Distillery www.copenhagendistillery.com

Høstet https://xn--hstet-vua.dk/shop/cms-english.htm

Food market:

Guide Hans Jørgen Jensen from LAG – an independent Bornholm organisation that supports the development of local projects hjj@lag-bornholm.dk and +4520423370.

Lehnsgaard Rapeseed Oil – Hans Kai Hansen www.lehnsgaard.dk and mail@lehnsgaard.dk

Bornholm’s Ismejeri http://www.bornholms-ismejeri.dk/ – Jonas Bohn & Vibeke Bengtson +45 56493740 info@bornholms-ismejeri.dk

Vandkefir Perler https://vandkefirperler.dk/ - Paulie Melnyk info@vandkefirperler.dk +45 22 58 91 35

Bornholm Hemp https://www.bornholmerhampen.dk/en/hampe/ - Signe Anker info@bornholmerhampen.d

Kasper, WagyuBornholm http://wagyubornholm.dk/ and kontakt@wagyubornholm.dk

More details:

For more details, see www.visitdenmark.co.uk and https://bornholm.info/en/

The number of officers in Northamptonshire Police has increased over the last year - bucking the national trend - new figures from the Home Office show.

Across England and Wales, the reduction in police officers to the lowest level since 1996 has led the Police Federation to warn that “policing in the UK is on the critical list”.

However, in March, there were the equivalent of 1,215 full-time officers in Northamptonshire – an increase of 27 on March 2017.

But more than 700 officers were lost across the 43 police forces in England and Wales.

The latest figures show an 11% rise in recorded crime across England and Wales, and a 19% increase in violent crimes.

In Northamptonshire, recorded crime was up by 1%. Violent crime saw a 9% increase.

Addressing the national picture, Ché Donald of the Police Federation of England and Wales said: “These new figures are proof, as if we even needed it, that policing in the UK is on the critical list.

“Thanks to government funding cuts, we now have the lowest number of police officers since 1996. The figures show we have lost more than 21,300 officers since 2010 – that’s a drop of 15% and the numbers keep going down every year.

“We have a Government who recently launched their Serious Violence Strategy – yet failed to make one single mention of the falling numbers of officers, which they were rightly criticised for. You would think that every time we have the same conversations about rising crime, particularly violent crime, it would be a wake-up call for the Government. But instead it just feels like we are sleepwalking into a nightmare.”

The figures show that more time is being spent on frontline policing – 1,098 officers were available for frontline duties in March this year, up 22 from 2017.

The total police staff in Northamptonshire, including police community support officers and administrative staff, increased by 2% over the last year.

The minister for Policing and the Fire Service, Nick Hurd, said: “The number of people joining police forces is at a 10-year high and demonstrates that policing is still a desirable and sought-after career.

“Decisions regarding the number of officers and how they are deployed are a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables. They are best placed to understand how to meet the needs of local communities.

“However, I’ve spoken to every force about the changing demand they face and we are helping with a £460m increase in overall funding 2018-19, including increased funding to tackle counter-terrorism and increased funding for local policing through council tax precept.”

Earlier this week, a Home Office report showed that government funding for Northamptonshire Police had decreased by 2% between the 2015-16 and 2018-19 financial years.

Overall funding, however, increased by 6%, as council tax payers picked up the bill with an 18% increase in the precept they paid.

A third of over 40s in Northamptonshire have not been offered a ‘health MOT’ in the past five years and hundreds of thousands of pounds given to the in crisis county council to spend on the vital check-up has not been spent.

Only 66.7 per cent of those eligible for the important health check have been invited to have a check since 2013 and last year £277,000 of the £869,000 grant from Public Health England to Northants County Council to spend on the scheme was not spent.

The authority is performing ‘significantly worse’ than the England average for its health check service.

The news comes after it has been revealed that the county authority misspent £8m of its £35m grant awarded last year and now has been ordered by Public Health England to replenish the funds.

It will be a tall order as the council is in the grip of a financial crisis and is struggling to keep afloat.

Conservative councillor Jason Smithers, who represents the Rushden North and Higham Ferrers ward, said: “This is disgraceful.

“If money is earmarked for public health then that is where it should be going.

“What we need to find out is where that money has gone.

“The director of public health Lucy Wightman will need to say something.

“Big salaries come with big responsibilities.

“As councillors we need to ask questions and we are morally obliged to find out what has gone on within the county council.”

It is thought most of the £8m money spent wrongly went into propping up adult social care services.

The free health check should be offered to everyone over 40 and should take place every five years until the age of 74.

The 20-minute check aims to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia.

Northamptonshire County Council and its director of public health is responsible for commissioning the health checks and making sure they happen.

Central government guidelines say that 100 per cent of those eligible should be checked.

In Northamptonshire the scheme has been co-ordinated by the county council’s First for Wellbeing service which then commissions GP federations, who then typically sub contract to GP surgeries.

Each health check costs £32.

In 2017/18 15,648 of the 43,461 over 40s eligible in Northants were checked.

This is 36 per cent of those entitled.

A cabinet report discussed at One Angel Square last week (July 10) said: “Nationally available data for 2016/17 show that 66.7 per cent of Northamptonshire’s eligible population were offered a health check in the five-year period between 2013/14 and 2017/18.

“This is significantly worse than the England average and is ranked 13th out of Northamptonshire’s 15 ‘nearest neighbours’, those local authorities that are statistically most similar to Northamptonshire.

“However of those offered a check, 51.3 per cent received a health check, significantly more than the England average of 48.9 per cent and ranked 7th out of our nearest neighbours.

“This shows that although we are not offering as many checks as we could do, when we do offer them a higher proportion receive a check than the England average.”

A review into the service is now being carried out and a new five-year contract is soon to be procured and will come into place from April next year.

Liberal Democrat county councillor Chris Stanbra, who represents the Oakley ward in Corby, said there was a tendency at the county council to act as ‘the banker’ and hand out the money and then not take responsibility for the service.

He said: “There is definitely an issue here.

“I think the check needs to be better resourced so that follow-up calls are made to people who are offered a health check and there could also be more publicity from the authority’s communication department.”

The annual health report for the county published earlier this month (July) painted a grim picture for Northamptonshire.

There is a nine year life expectancy difference between men living in deprived areas of the county and those living in richer areas.

Councillor Phil Larratt criticised the poor turnout from his peers in his latest cabinet report at full council on July 9, and said that such sessions were costing the council money.

Councillors have been offered recent training in data protection, advanced safeguarding, personal safety and local government finance to enhance their skills in public office.

And Councillor Larratt said: “Attendance has been very disappointing at some sessions.

“There were eight Members who failed to turn up for the personal safety training despite booking to attend and who neither cancelled nor offered apologies. This event was provided by an external organisation at cost to the Council. The session was well received by those who attended.”

He added that a briefing on procurement has also been postponed due to lack of attendance.

The sold-out Northampton Fun Colour Rush 2018 will now take place on the Racecourse this Sunday (July 22) from 9.30am.

The event consultant for the charity run, Christopher Dolan, has been busy for two days making the new arrangements.

"It's been a bit stressful, to say the least," he said.

"The last 48 hours have been a bit mad really with having to change the venue to the Racecourse.

"We've got a lot of young families so we needed to make sure it was a safe move for us first of all, then we needed to let everyone know because it's only a couple of days before the event."

He added: "It's been a case or resubmitting the plans with the council and getting the green light."

Despite the inconvenience, Christopher has viewed the rejig in a positive light particularly as he feels the Racecourse is sometimes overlooked for events.

"It's been a really positive reception from everybody and I guess with it being such a community-based event people have been pulling together and making the best of a bad situation," said the event consultant.

"We're looking forward to it. The Racecourse is sometimes overlooked - it's not necessarily the first-choice park but I think it's an opportunity to show off the park in a positive way.

"We've got loads of charities coming down and we've got 2,500 people that are expected to be there supporting over 100 charities so should be a great day."

The 5km race will consist of two 2.5km loops, and arrangements have been made to ensure all participants will be able to stay hydrated as temperatures are expected to rise above 20C.

Money raised will go to all the charities represented by their supporters, which include, among others, the Lewis Foundation and the Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

Christopher said: "Normally we have an official charity partner, however, we felt like it was a lot smaller charities in the community could get overlooked so this year we've essentially offered charity discounted tickets for charities who then offer that to their supporters for fundraising and sponsorship."

Northampton Gymnastics Academy was hit by a huge gap in its funding after missing out of a scheme in May and has been raising cash ever since.

It comes as the club is set to move from its tired home in Benham Sports Centre to a new 10,000 square foot facility in Round Spinney Industrial estate in August - but they have been short on money to afford any renovations or equipment for the new site.

Rebecca Walker, who along with other parents is leading the fundraising, said: "My son is at the academy 20 hours a week for training and it's done so much for him.

"It sadly has very limited facilities when you look at other gymnastics club but they still achieve so much and bring home medals.

"The director [James Kikta] has turned this place around and built it up massively. He is a local hero.

"As a parent, I wanted to help. These kids are representing the town at competitions and we can do so much more if we can update the gym with modern, safe high-tech equipment."

The academy is a non-profit organisation where profits are reinvested back into the academy to help maintain, replace and update the academy's equipment.

In its drive to make up the £50,000, the academy has opened a GoFundMe page asking parents to help and have written to businesses asking for sponsorship.

Over 120 young members also clubbed together £900 through a "Smarties tube" change donation to help their academy.

Among the expensive equipment needed is a £12,000 set of safety matting for its parallel bars and £30,000 safe-land raised pit system.

Northampton Gymnastics Academy's "elite squad" represented the town for the first time at the British Championships 2018 at the Echo Arena.

But without the funding, the new facilities will not even be able to install heating, basic toilets or a changing area.

Parents and supporters have also raised over £1,200 this year through tombolas and fundraising drives, while the GoFundMe page has raised over £3,000 in five months.

A Northampton McDonald's has reopened after a two month renovation.

The Sixfields restaurant, in Walter Tull Way, has been shut since May while builders carried out a 10-week "digital transformation" for the entire interior.

It has relaunched with a new "click and collect" mobile app service, self-service kiosks and table service.

Business manager Mayur Rajpara said:"We would like to thank our local customers for bearing with us while the transformation is taking place.

"We are confident the new restaurant will offer visitors more choice as to how they order, and we’re particularly excited to introduce the ‘click and collect’ app to customers.”

Other digital features in the restaurant include free to use tablets and mobile phone charging points.

The Steelbacks picked up their first point in this season's Vitality Blast campaign after an extraordinary encounter against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.

Northants smashed a stunning 231 for five, which is their record T20 score, before being pushed all the way by Ian Bell, who inspired the Bears with a brilliant 131 from 62 balls.

The home side looked set to provide a record T20 run chase, but, needing 10 from the final over, they could only tie with the Steelbacks.

Nathan Buck held his nerve with the Bears needing two from the final two balls, having Colin de Grandhomme caught by Steven Crook before giving Aaron Thomason just a single.

It was a surreal conclusion to a surreal clash, which for so long promised to give the Steelbacks their first win after a difficult start to the Blast.

After a short rain delay the Steelbacks started at a gallop with openers Richard Levi and Ben Duckett clobbering 40 from 19 balls.

Duckett edged behind at the start of a wicket-maiden from Boyd Rankin but Levi, reprieved on 22 when he was caught at deep square leg off a Thomason no ball, took particular relish to former team-mate Olly Stone.

Levi thrashed 18 from four balls in Stone's first over and 28, including four sixes, when the pace man returned to bowl the ninth.

Josh Cobb pulled Grant Elliott over the Hollies Stand and the second-wicket stand yielded 129 in 70 balls before Cobb lifted Thomason to deep mid-wicket.

Alex Wakely, who made 18 from nine balls, and Rory Kleinweldt, who smashed 28 from 10, kept the momentum high.

Levi began the last over needing 10 to reach his fourth T20 century. He found five runs and walked off unbeaten on 95, knowing his team were in a mighty position.

They strengthened that grip with two early wickets as Ed Pollock lifted Buck to mid-off and San Hain chipped a slower ball from Kleinveldt to extra cover.

Bell and Adam Hose batted steadily at first then gradually increased the tempo until they were parted by an unfortunate run out, with Wakely masterminding it to get rid of Hose for 64.

When Bell was coolly caught right on the extra-cover rope by Luke Procter the pendulum swung back the Steelbacks' way, but 21 needed from the last two overs became 10 from the last.

Buck kept his nerve to bowl a good final over and, rather cruelly after delivering such rich entertainment, both teams had to settle for a point which did their qualification hopes little good.

Batting star Richard Levi praised Nathan Buck for keeping his cool as the Steelbacks secured a tie at Edgbaston.

Birmingham Bears needed 10 runs from the final over after mounting a stunning comeback.

But Buck took the wicket of Colin de Grandhomme with the Bears requiring just two from two balls before only giving Aaron Thomason a single to ensure Northants at least left with a share of the spoils.

It was the first point of the Vitality Blast campaign for the Steelbacks, who had lost their first five games in the competition.

But they would have hoped to have left Birmingham with a win after racking up their record T20 score of 231 for five, in which Levi lashed an unbeaten 95.

It wasn't to be, and they needed Buck, who finished with figures of three for 38, to hold his nerve late in the day after Ian Bell had blasted an incredible 131 from just 62 balls.

"Ian Bell played an unbelievable knock," Levi said. "He played it very well and kept us under the pressure and big up to him.

"To almost chase down 230-odd is a great effort but also big credit to Nathan Buck for the last over.

"There are not many times a bowler defends 10 in the last over and to do it on a very good wicket with a short boundary and one of the biggest hitters in the world at the other end in De Grandhomme, he has done very, very well there.

"The boundary boards were peppered all game and it was very entertaining, though some of the boys were joking afterwards that it should have just carried on raining and we would have got the point anyway."

Bears star Bell was happy with his own performance, but disappointed his team couldn't quite finish the job.

"I feel like I have been playing well this year and you are always striving to get it spot on out there in the middle when it really matters and I felt that most things I tried tonight came off," Bell said.

"It was a shame that we didn't quite get over the line but at the halfway point we knew we were chasing 231 and it was a tough ask.

"As a batting unit we have scored 200-plus in successive games so that gives us a bit of confidence.

"We have given a lot of people a lot of entertainment today, both Northamptonshire and ourselves, and hopefully there were a lot of youngsters watching who will look at that and want to come back in the future and play for Warwickshire and the Birmingham Bears.

"That's part of T20 but it was a shame for us not to get the win in the end."

The film, directed by Northampton-born Dan Wood and made with the help of his classmates, features interviews with residents of the villages affected by the two proposals to build 'strategic rail freight interchanges' (SRFI) on land between Milton Malsor, Collingtree, Roade and Blisworth.

Mr Wood first learned about the Stop Rail Central and Stop Roxhill campaigns when visiting his uncle in Blisworth.

"He told me about the plans," said 21-year-old Mr Wood, who grew up in Kingsthorpe.

"I decided it's about time I learned more about it and understood more about it.

"So we started talking to local residents and got in touch with Stop Rail Central."

One proposal, known as The Northampton Gateway SRFI, would comprise of a rail freight terminal with rail sidings, a gantry crane and container storage area, up to 468,000sq metres of warehousing with vehicle access via the A508, proposed highway works including a redesign of junction 15 of the M1 and a new A508 bypass for Roade.

Submitted by Roxhill Ltd, the proposal is separate from a similar one submitted by Ashfield Land Management for another rail freight terminal, known as Rail Central SRFI, on adjoining land at Arm Farm between Milton Malsor and Blisworth.

If both proposals are approved the Northamptonshire countryside would be drastically altered with residents facing the prospect of being confronted by huge warehouses metres away from their homes.
VIDEO AND PICTURES: Images show how rail depot in Northamptonshire countryside could measure up next to villages

Both sets of developers have justified their proposals as "significant national infrastructure" which support a policy of getting freight off the road and onto rail - rather than framing them as just another warehouse park.

As a result, their plans have been dealt with at a national level by the Planning Inspectorate - whose Infrastructure Planning Unit is responsible for nationally significant infrastructure projects.

Stop Rail Central campaigner Mark Redding, who features in the film, said: "The development of Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges is promoted by the Government with a view to helping to achieve their high-level aspirations of carbon reduction and of removing freight from our over-crowded roads.

"This admirable objective can only be achieved if such developments are located strategically across the regions (not all in one region) and on parts of the rail and road network that have the capacity to accommodate them.

"The policy guidance is also quite clear in stating that the location should have access to a sufficient pool of local labour (to reduce the miles travelled to work).

"None of these fundamental prerequisites exist in South Northants.

"The local community and industry professionals alike are of the opinion that the location chosen by both Northampton Gateway and Rail Central for the siting of their SRFIs does not possess the attributes that will facilitate the shift of freight onto the rail network nor reduce the miles travelled on the road network.

"The fact that most freight will travel by road is of no concern to either developer whose interest is merely in the generation of profit from warehouse development.

"The fact that there are two Developers competing to build concurrent and adjacent SRFIs is strong evidence that they do not have the national benefit as their primary objective.

"Notwithstanding the nonsense of their strategic arguments, there are many local residents whose lives would be destroyed should the proposals proceed."

Roxhill Ltd and Ashfield Land Management have been approached for comment.

On Tuesday evening (July 17) the Duston branch of the Labour party hosted a meeting to share their 'anger and frustration' over having to pay additional costs, known locally as the 'Timken Tax', for maintenance works on the Timken Estate.

In common with other local new developments the residents have to pay additional charges to management companies to maintain the estate but the chair of the Northampton Labour Party, Dale Willis, said residents are not getting value for money.

He said: "There was a real sense of anger and frustration in the room.

"Local residents are being taken for a ride. They are paying a lot of additional charges on top of their council tax but seeing absolutely nothing for it.

"We are going to be supporting the residents in setting up a community group to liaise with the managing agents and also join them up with other new developments where residents are experiencing similar problems."

The additional payments have been in operation since the estate was developed but many residents say they have seen the charges increase by 35 per cent in the last three years, with fees of up to £500 a year extra to pay for maintenance companies to come and cut the communal grass areas and maintain the car parking spaces.

Sandie Maitland chair of Duston Labour added: "Residents are angry that they have to pay the 'Timken Tax' for services that the rest of the area get delivered as part of their regular council tax.

"They are even angrier with the poor quality and high cost of the work being done. We will be contacting the developers and managing agents and asking them to take their responsibility to the community more seriously.

"We will also be helping residents to set up their own estate liaison groups so that they can hold the service deliverers to account."

Duston Labour will be hosting a further session for Timken residents in September.

A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes South Midlands said: “We are committed to supporting residents in and around the areas we build homes and take our responsibilities on our site very seriously.

“Before reserving a home at Arena Gate, all residents and their solicitors were made aware of the management fees involved, which go towards any ongoing works and upkeep of the communal areas.

“The amount of money charged is set by the management agency, but residents who do have queries about this are invited to contact us directly.”

Plans for a charity fun run booked for Sunday have been thrown into disarray once again after travellers moved from one Northampton Park to another.

The sold-out Northampton Fun Colour Rush 2018 have been disrupted again by the troupe of caravans which have moved from Abington Park to the Racecourse this afternoon (July 21).

The colour rush will now take place on its original venue on Abington Park from 9am tomorrow (July 22).

The fun run was originally booked to appear on Abington Park - until the convoy of over 15 motorhomes, vans and accompanying vehicles pitched up on the site on Wednesday.

In a last-minute reorganisation, the borough council allowed the run to be moved onto the Racecourse.

But now, with less than 24 hours to go, the same travellers have moved from Abington Park and driven onto the Racecourse.

Organisers have now reaffirmed in a Facebook post that the run will take place at its original venue on Abington Park.

Event consultant Christopher Dolan wrote on Facebook: "Northampton Borough Council is being very supportive and we would like to thank their team for working with us to ensure this event can take place.

"The event would not have been allowed to take place with all of their unauthorised vehicles in the park.

"Our team will always have your safety as our number one priority."