Daniel Quinn took the stand at Northampton crown court yesterday (February 12) to say he was the one who stabbed Daniel Fitzjohn, 34, to death on June 14 in 2018.

He told the jury he was 'truly sorry' for what he had done and said he 'wished he had had more time to think it over'.

But prosecutor Miss Mary Loram QC attacked Quinn's account and claimed he 'hunted' Mr Fitzjohn down to get revenge for a punch his victim gave him in a scuffle earlier that evening.

Quinn's defence is that after Quinn caught up to Mr Fitzjohn after a foot chase onto Randall Road, Mr Fitzjohn went to hit him with a beer can he was holding. Quinn says he then stabbed Mr Fitzjohn in self-defence before Mr Fitzjohn could 'get him'.

"That, I make clear, is a blinding lie," said Miss Loram QC. "You are lying when you say that. You tracked him down. You stabbed him because you were angry that this man had dared to punch you earlier."

Quinn said: "That's not true. He turned around and that caught me by surprise. I thought he was armed.

"It was true that I was angry but I didn't track him down.

"I'm not a murderer."

The prosecutor said: "You may not think of yourself as a murderer but that is what you are, Mr Quinn. You may regret it now but you are a murderer."

"I'm not a murderer," said Quinn.

Miss Loram QC asked Quinn: "Is any of this your fault?"

Quinn said: "Obviously I know it's my fault what happened. But I didn't mean to do any of that [seriously harm or kill Mr Fitzjohn]."

Mr Fitzjohn died of two fatal stab wounds to the chest. Giving evidence earlier, Quinn had said he "stabbed him once on Randall Road".

In court, Quinn accepted that he must have stabbed Mr Fitzjohn a second time at some point "by accident" while "waving the knife around".

The trial continues.

East Midlands Housing Association, which is the landlord for thousands of people in Northampton, has made the changes for people who have shared ownership of their home. The rental part of the monthly charge is to rise by 3.2 per cent.

Service charges are also set to rise at the same time.

One resident who lives in a Northampton town flat owned by EMH said the large increases went against the ethos of a housing association.

He said: "My own rent will go up more than £40 a month. Service charges are going up nearly £30 - and we get nothing extra.

"It's supposed to be not for profit. i don't see how they can justify those increases.

"It's adding insult to injury.I don't feel comfortable having them as a landlord now."

A spokesman for EMH said: "I can confirm that shared ownership rents have increased by 3.2% under the terms of the shared ownership lease and the Retail Price Index.

"We wrote to all shared owners in early January explaining the increase and that the change would be effective from 1 April."

Councillors on South Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee granted approval for Woodcote House, in Church Lane, Stoke Bruerne, to be demolished and replaced with a two-storey home and separate pool and gym building.

But ward councillor Sandra Barnes feared the scheme would be an ‘overdevelopment of the site’, formerly known as Happylands, and is ‘out of keeping with the character of the area’. She believes it will impact on the setting and significance of the Grade II listed St. Mary’s Church nearby, which dates back to the 14th century.

But a heritage assessment by Cotswold Archaeology outlined that the ‘proposed development will enhance the character and appearance of these views’.

Planning officers at South Northamptonshire Council had recommended the scheme be approved, but a decision was deferred at the last planning meeting (January 3) in order to carry out a site visit.

Having carried out the site visit on January 22, councillors ultimately decided to grant it planning permission at its latest planning committee on February 7.

Councillor Steven Hollowell said: “I think the decision to send this back to committee, and then for us to look at the site, were both right to do. For me, having visited the site, the main consideration is the protection of the setting for the listed building. If the committee are minded to approve this, then I think there are a number of conditions to protect the buffer zone between the site and the church. Anything to enhance that area would be welcomed.”

Neither Councillor Barnes or the applicant, Anthony Mallock, were allowed to speak as it was considered that the debate had already taken place. Councillor Barnes did however interject briefly to state her belief that the site visit had been ‘inadequate’.

But statutory organisations, including Stoke Bruerne Parish Council and Historic England, had raised no objections over the application

Owner Mr Mallock said following the approval: “I’m delighted that the site visit has resulted in the councillors seeing the benefit to the local environment and the area.

“It will be much more economically viable and closer to zero emissions. We’re looking forward to it being our forever home and incorporating the improvements that we have shown in the application.”

Alan Dickens says there was a lot of 'disappointment' in the Saints dressing room last Saturday - despite the semi-final success against Newcastle Falcons.

The defence coach believes his players felt they had let themselves down during a sluggish start to the game that saw Falcons fly into a 21-0 lead.

It wasn't until Saints went 28-7 down that the comeback really started, with the black, green and gold eventually racking up nine tries in a 59-33 success.

It set up a Premiership Rugby Cup clash with Saracens at Franklin's Gardens on March 17.

But despite that, the Saints players were far from overjoyed.

"There is a lot of confidence that can come from it but a work-on for us is how we started the game last weekend," Dickens said.

"With and without the ball we weren't good enough for the first 20 minutes.

"From my point of view as a defence coach, we were soft last weekend and we allowed three or four easy tries in that first half.

"The pleasing thing was that in the second half we tightened up and controlled the game.

"The lads are honest professionals and there was almost a sense of disappointment in the changing room after the game last weekend.

"A lot of supporters will read that and think 'what does he mean by that?', but it was their personal pride of that first 20 minutes not being good enough on both sides of the ball.

"We leaked too many points and mentally we weren't there at quarter past 12 last Saturday.

"It's something we've talked about and something we've got to improve on this week."

Ninth-placed Saints will be back in Gallagher Premiership action this Saturday as fifth-placed Sale Sharks come calling at the Gardens on Saturday.

And Dickens said: "Sale are a team that have showed you can put a run together in this league. It's that tight that they've gone from being bottom when we played them away (in November) up to fifth now.

"They're a team that have been in form and they're certainly a team we're not going to take lightly.

"They've got Faf de Klerk at scrum-half and he's the heartbeat of their team and their back three are dangerous with people like (Denny) Solomona and Chris Ashton, who we know from his time here in terms of his ability to score tries.

"They're a team who have got threats across the board, not just in the backs.

"People like Rob Webber offer themselves up all game to carry, Jonno Ross in the back row and the Curry brothers.

"We certainly will not be taking them lightly."

A. This is a popular question where Brexit is concerned.

The answer is that there's no need to do anything until your current passport is ready for renewal. British passports will change after we leave the EU, with blue and gold passports making a return from October 2019, but you'll still be able to travel on your old burgundy passport until it runs out.

You will need to have at least six months left on your passport to travel to an EU country although this won't apply to you for some time. If you renewed your passport before it expired, then any extra months won't count either. In other words, your passport should not be any older than nine years and six months when you travel. This is only applicable if we leave with no deal. If we leave with a deal, then current travel rules will still apply, at least during the transition period.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

NOVEMBER 15:

Claudia Stubbins, aged 40, of Kenilworth Close, Daventry, assaulted a police officer; jailed for four weeks suspended for 12 months, compensation £100, surcharge £115, costs £85.

Joshua Evans, aged 21, of Sidebrook Court, Northampton, daamged hair straighteners and an iPhone 6S; community order made, compensation £460, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Carl Denney, aged 51, of Balfour Close, Northampton, assault; jailed for eight weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, compensation£ 120, surcharge £115, costs £500.

James Hamill, aged 68, of Cardigan Close, Northampton, used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour; community order made to carry out 70 hours of unpaid work, compensation £100, surcharge £85, costs £200.

Liam Norris, aged 25, of Pursor Road, Northampton, failed to surrender to custody; fined £50. Found in an outhouse for unlawful purpose; fined £70, surcharge £30, costs £85.

NOVEMBER 16

Alvis Jermacans, aged 55, of Leyside Court, Northampton, stole a car; community order made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £85, costs £85, banned from driving for 24 months. Drink-driving with a breath test reading of 95mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Jason Brittain, aged 36, of Hinton Road, Northampton, stole a wallet and keys; community order made, surcharge £85. Stole food worth £25 from BP petrol station; community order, compensation £25. Stole food worth £88 from BP petrol station; community order made, compensation £88.

Michelle Gibbons, aged 47, of St Andrew’s Road, Northampton, assaulted a police officer; fined £80, compensation £50, surcharge £30, costs £150.

NOVEMBER 17

Dionne Dunne, aged 47, of Wallbeck Close, Northampton, failed to surrender to custody; fined £80. Possession of a class A drug; fined £120, surchage £30 and costs £50.

NOVEMBER 19

Craig Ahearn, aged 23, of Firbank Close, Northampton, made a threatening phone call; fined £123, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Joshua Bradley, aged 18, of Ironstone Lane, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 101mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £85, costs £85, banned from driving for 26 months.

Andrew Fox, aged 32, of Orchard Green, Northampton, assaulted a police officer; community order made to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work, compensation £100, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Declan Franklin, aged 21, of Broadmead Court, Northampton, possession of cannabis; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Taulant Hazizaj, aged 40, of Queen’s Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £92, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £61.

James Lambert, aged 28, of Pikemead Court, Northampton, drink-driving with 53mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £244, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for 14 months.

Liam Molloy, age 19, of Woodlands, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 93mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £303, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Gerald Uzoigwe, aged 30, of Flaxwell Court, Northampton, possession of cannabis; fined £230, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Samantha Kiff, aged 50, of Pembroke Road, Northampton, drunk and disorderly; no separate penalty. Damaged a vehicle; community order made, compensation £100. Stole a can of drink belonging to Martin McColl newsagents; community order made. Stole chicken worth £3 belonging to Morrisons; community order made. Stole a coat worth £285.95 belonging to Berties; community order made.

Tony Thomas, aged 53, of Harefield Road, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 90mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; jailed for 18 weeks, surcharge £115, costs £85, banned from driving for 52 months.

Jerome Noel, aged 35, of Berrywood Drive, Northampton, stole three hairdryers from Boots; conditional discharge for 12 months, compensation £86. Stole hair rollers from Boots; conditional discharge for 12 months, compensation £35. Stole face masks, moisturiser and a skin cocktail from Boots; conditional discharge for 12 months, compensation £178.50. Stole L’Oreal products from Superdrug; conditional discharge for 12 months.

Tracey Purr, aged 45, of Towcester Road, Litchborough, assaulted a police officer; fined £100, compensation £50, surcharge £30, costs £85. Assaulted another police officer; fined £100, compensation £50.

Bartlomiej Urbaniak, aged 41, of Somerset Street, Northampton, had a knife in a public place; jailed for 16 weeks suspended for 12 months, surcharge £115, costs £85.

Sian Sewell, aged 25, of Billing Road, Northampton, assault; conditional discharge for 12 months, compensation £100, surcharge £20, costs £85.

Warren England, aged 18, of Rounding Street, Northampton, threatened a police officer with a machete and a samuri sword; pleaded guilty, sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

Lee Baker, aged 45, of Churchill Road, Welton, driving without reasonable consideration to others; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Cory Barnes, aged 26, of Greenside, Northampton, no insurance; fined £110, surcharge £30, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £18, costs £85.

Troy David, aged 18, of Danefield Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £375, surcharge £37, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £125, costs £85.

Paolo de Chiara, aged 30, of Hawthorn Road, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £177, surcharge £30, cost £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Joseph Ellis, aged 32, of Forfar Street, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Terence Gocool, aged 31, of King Street, Earls Barton, driving without due care and attention; fined £143, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Andreus Grizas, aged 21, of Melbury Lane, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with eight points.

Connor Hambleton, aged 23, of Wappenham Road, Abthorpe, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Nicholas Harbottle, aged 32, of High Street, Ecton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Jason Hobson, aged 20, of Aberdare Road, Northampton, failed to stop for a police officer; fined £200, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Barmir Kamberi, aged 24, of Wellington Street, Northampton, no insurance; fined £100, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Andrejs Kursits, aged 56, of Stafford Place, Northampton, driving at 77mph in a 50mph zone; fined £100, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Anthony Mead, aged 52, of Kingscroft Court, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66, licence endorsed with six points.

Agartha Mensah, aged 46, of Lower Adelaide Street, Northampton, driving without due care and attention; fined £357, surcharge £35, licence endorsed with eight points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £119, costs £85.

Florence Nyangwechi, aged 34, of Hamsterly Park, Northampton, no insurance; fined £225, surcharge £30, licence endorsed with six points.

Sergejus Petrovas, aged 29, of Gray Street, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Douglas Ross, aged 52,

of Keepers Close, Northampton, driving at 50mph in a 30mph zone; fined £216,

surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with four points.

Christian Tombling-Peart, aged 29, of Kerrfield Estate, Northampton, child in car with booster seat; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Harry Wilkinson, aged

26, of Roberson Close, Towcester, driving at 37mph in a 30mph zone; fined £120,

surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Heather Wilson, aged 61, of Preston Capes, Daventry, failed to give information relating to the identity of ad river; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Emmanuel Amoda, aged 23, of Castilian Terrace, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Nasreen Babar, aged 55, of Russet Drive, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66, licence endorsed with six points.

Zaheer Babar, aged 52, of Russet Drive, Northampton, faield to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, surcharge £66, licence endorsed with six points.

Brenda Barritt, aged 62, of The Medway, Daventry, no insurance; fined £100, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Paul Duffy, aged 31, of South View, Brixworth,

driving without due care and attention; fined £175,

surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Kelly Howarth, aged 41, of Stoneyhurst, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Ionut Ilie, aged 23, of Stoneyhurst, Northampton, not wearing an adult seat belt; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Darren Marwaha, aged 38, of Bush Hill, Northampton, not wearing a seatbelt;

fined £138, surcharge £30, costs £85.

A large amount of jewellery was stolen from a property in Brackley with police appealing for witnesses.

The unknown offenders forced entry into a property in Valley Crescent by smashing a back window sometime between January 19 and 28.

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101, or call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Here - we take a look at EVERY Football League clubs' record signing based on the information publicly provided to us - ranking them in order from lowest to highest. Please note, given the increased amount of undisclosed fees, each figure will be a rough estimation as it is difficult to judge whether they are completely accurate. Think we've missed anyone? Then do let us know!

Captain Aaron Pierre says the Cobblers are determined to ‘redeem’ themselves in front of their own supporters when they return home for this Saturday’s visit of Crawley Town.

Beaten 4-0 by Colchester United on their last out at the PTS, Northampton have responded by collecting four points from back-to-back away games at Tranmere and Lincoln over the past week.

But this Saturday will be their first return to home soil since they were booed off after losing to Colchester, and Pierre says his team are keen to make amends against Crawley, who currently sit one place and two points beneath the Cobblers in League Two.

“We have to redeem ourselves on our own turf in front of our fans after what happened in the Colchester game,” admitted the centre-back. “And we’re fully prepared to do that.

“It’s been a very good week for us and we’ve got more confidence now - we’ve got to take that into the next game. We’ll give our all and make sure we put things right.”

Fellow defender Jordan Turnbull, who’s been playing in midfield lately, missed the Colchester game through injury but he too feels a sense of responsibility to put things right and give Cobblers fans something to cheer with an ‘attacking’ and hopefully winning home performance.

He added: “I think everyone was very disappointed after last week’s performance and result at home, so to come away with four points from Tuesday night and Saturday is very positive.

“I think these past two games have been a fight and a battle but hopefully at home we’ll make it more of a footballing game, get the ball down and be exciting to watch. We want to be attacking and score some goals.

“We also want another clean sheet because we haven’t had one in a while. We’re just looking forward to getting back home and the boys are excited to push on and build on the result at Lincoln.”

To mark the milestone, centenarian Maud Butler and her daughter Jean knitted more than 100 wool hats for premature babies, which will be donated to Northampton General Hospital.

Maud was treated to a surprise party and a generous buffet at St Anne's residential care home in Kettering on Monday.

"I knitted the hats with my mum after the home was asked if they would make them for the hospital," said Jean.

"But no-one knew how to knit except my mother and we decided to make one hat for each year."

Together the pair have made about 120 hats since starting in November.

As is customary when turning 100, the Queen sent her regards to Maud in a birthday card.

"When she opened the Queen's letter she was beaming from ear-to-ear," said St Anne's Debbie Soper.

Kyle Smith, of Rillwood Court, Northampton is wanted for breaching his bail conditions and other alleged offences.

Anyone with any information relating to his whereabouts should contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Northampton Borough Council will be reopening the winter shelter and expanding its street outreach service from Thursday 14 February, following the successful delivery of the Severe Winter Emergency Protocol (SWEP) in January.

Enough staff have now been recruited and trained for the shelter to open in Oasis House for the rest of February and the whole of March, as an all-weather winter shelter, regardless of the overnight temperatures. In addition, the street outreach team will be engaging with rough sleepers every day of the week to help them off the streets.

Councillor Stephen Hibbert, Cabinet member for housing and wellbeing, said: “First and foremost the council wants to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all of the volunteers who generously gave up their spare time to help and support homeless people during two very cold snaps in January and February.

“Although one in five of the 102 people referred did not use the winter shelter, it was still very busy and the volunteers were fantastic.

"Communication between the winter shelter and the Street Outreach Team was so much better than last year and, as a result, a total of 14 people were offered the opportunity to move into alternative accommodation during January and February.

“We hope the extension of our services over the next seven weeks means we will be able to help even more rough sleepers leave the streets.”

The street outreach workers will be talking to rough sleepers on the street and in the day centres, social centres, support groups and churches that they visit. Between them, they will be working three shifts every day: 6am to 10am, 12pm to 4pm and 8pm to midnight.

A grant of up to £60,000 from central Government’s Cold Weather Fund will help to support the extension of the services over the next seven weeks, after the shelter provided a safe place for 80 rough sleepers and homeless people for 14 nights, between 17 January and 2 February.

The winter shelter opened its doors for the first time in 2019 between 17 and 23 January. Throughout this period, 47 men and 11 women stayed at least one night; 14 of the 58 stayed six or seven nights.

During the second period that the winter shelter was open (between 27 January and 2 February), 46 men and six women stayed at least one night; six of the 52 stayed six or seven nights.

Unfortunately, of the 80 people who stayed at the winter shelter, the council said it was necessary to exclude six people for reasons that included threats to kill staff, racial abuse and threatening behaviour, use of Class A drugs on the premises, and criminal damage to the building.

A team of 52 dedicated winter shelter volunteers donated nearly 400 hours of their own time to support the smooth running of the winter shelter, helping to welcome people into the shelter, serve food and drink, and disseminate support information.

Apply to become a Winter Shelter volunteer here.

Evening charges, for leaving a vehicle from 5pm to midnight, are set to rise from £1 to £3 across all borough council-owned car parks.

At surface car parks such as Upper Mounts, the 60p for an hour tariff and £1.20 for two hours will be replaced with a new minimum charge of £2.

Anyone staying at surface car parks for between three and four hours will have to pay £4 - as opposed to £2.40 for three hours or £3.20 for four hours.

Councillor Brian Markham alerted the public to upcoming increases a week ago when the Liberal Democrats asked how the Conservatives planned to increase parking income by £625,000, as stated in their budget.

Today he said residents would struggle to understand why car parking charges are being increased when they could have a "devastating effect" on the town centre.

He said “I cannot believe that the proposed increases include a large increase in evening parking.

"The future of the town centre will rely on residents visiting restaurants and supporting the Royal & Derngate and this increase will do exactly the opposite”

The reports to cabinet also reveal that only 21 people participated in the budget consultation, which the Lib Dems say was because there was no indication of changes of this sort.

Papers to go before cabinet members at the Guildhall on February 20 say the aim of the changes is to encourage people to stay longer in Northampton town centre. If people have to pay £4 because they intend to stay for three hours, for example, they may decide to stay for five hours because the price is the same.

Council officer Rick O'Farrell said: "An important aspect is increasing the dwell time for visitors and minimising the public’s perception of receiving a parking enforcement ticket.

"It is important the council’s car parking provision supports the economic prosperity of the town centre and its parking tariffs are not only fit for purpose but they reflect market forces and are in line with regional pricing.

"The proposals contained within this report support the councils budgetary proposals and reflect the value of the parking service, while at the same time minimise the overall impact on car park customers."

The proposed charges are:

Surface car park changes

Monday to Friday

1hour 60p - £2

2hr £1.20 - £2

3hr £2.40 -£4

4hr £3.20 - £4

5hr still £4

All Day still £8

Evening £1 - £3

Overnight £2.50 - £3

Sunday

still £2

Multi-storey car park changes

Monday - Friday

1hour still free

2hr still free

3hr £2.40 -£4

4hr £3.20 -£4

5hr still £4

All Day still £8

Evening £1 - £3

Saturday

still £2

Sunday

still £2

No - if there is no deal there's no transition period.

The transition period was set up as part of the EU Withdrawal Agreement. If this goes ahead, then the transition period would run from March 29 when we officially leave the EU up until December 2020 (although the European Union has already said it would be willing to extend the period to 2021 or 2022).

During this period, the UK would trade with the EU in the same way we do now while the two parties agree a new and permanent relationship. It would help businesses, individuals and the government to prepare for new arrangements and minimise the disruption from any changes.

If the withdrawal is rejected, then this is what is being called a no deal Brexit, and there will be no transition period. If this happens, all changes would happen immediately on March 29.

We're getting to the bottom of all your Brexit-related questions. Email gemma.jimmison@jpimedia.co.uk

1 THEATRE
Avenue Q, Royal & Derngate, Northampton, February 18 to 23
The naughtiest puppets in theatre return next week following five years in the West End, sell-out runs worldwide and smash hit tours packed with mischief, bad behaviour and political incorrectness. The Tony Award-winning musical is a charming tale of the lovable characters on a downtown New York street trying to make sense of life.
Details: royalandderngate.co.uk

2 THEATRE
Chinese New Year Extravaganza, Lighthouse Theatre, Kettering, February 21
This spectacle welcomes the start of the year and features an array of Chinese performing arts including the cheerful and spirited Lion Dance, awe-inspiring contortion and daring stunts of Chinese acrobatics.
Details: thelighthousetheatre.co.uk

3 MUSIC
Barry Steele and Friends: The Roy Orbison Story, The Core at Corby Cube, February 15
Barry Steele is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading vocalists playing homage to the legendary Roy Orbison. The show takes audiences on a musical journey in time, in which he celebrates the musical legacy of Roy Orbison and The Traveling Wilburys.
Details: thecorecorby.com

4 MUSIC
The Rocket Man – A Tribute to Elton John, Lighthouse Theatre, Kettering, February 16
Combining striking vocal and piano performances, flamboyant costumes, a dazzling light show and a talented band, be treated to hits such as Crocodile Rock, Are You Ready for Love, I’m Still Standing, I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues, Tiny Dancer, Your Song and, of course, Rocket Man.
Details: lighthousetheatre.co.uk

5 PANTO
Jack and the Beanstalk, Thrapston Plaza, February 15 and 16
Panto with a difference is on its way to Thrapston – thanks to the talents of the cast and backstage crew of more than 50 young people for this production by Thrapston Dreamers.
Details: thrapstondreamers.com

6 MUSIC
Roni Size, Roadmender, Northampton, February 15
In 1997, The Mercury Prize win for the Roni Size & Reprazent album New Forms brought drum’n’bass to the forefront of music news, making the industry pay attention. Catch one of the genre’s most acclaimed and enduring acts.
Details: theroadmender.com

7 THEATRE
Caroline’s Kitchen
Royal & Derngate, Northampton, until February 16
Caroline Mortimer, the nation’s favourite TV cook, has it all: a sparkling career, a big house in fashionable north London, a (golf) loving husband, smart kids and the best kitchen money can buy. But beneath the immaculate furnishings and studio lighting, Caroline must face the looming collision of living a private life in the public eye.
Details: royalandderngate.co.uk

8 ART
2019 Graduate Show, NN Contemporary Art, Guildhall Road, Northampton, until March 23
See striking work from potential future stars of the art world.
Details: nncontemporaryart.org

9 THEATRE
Five Minutes Fast, Castle Studio Theatre, Wellingborough, until February 15
There can’t be many amateur dramatic societies that have produced two world premieres of plays by the same author and with the same director – but Wellingborough Cooperative Amateur Dramatic Society is doing just that. Five Minutes Fast, by Ian Townsend and directed by Jane Cox, is a witty comedy about making the most of time, discovering who you are and helping people, set in the lost property office of a Manchester station.
Details: castletheatre.co.uk

10 THEATRE
Camelot
Parson’s Hall, High Street, Irchester, until February 16
The Irchester Players present their annual panto. Follow the adventures of three teenage friends as they fight monstrous knights, discover great dragons and defeat evil sorceresses. It’s all set to the music of Queen.
Details: www.irchesterplayers.co.uk

Ambitious young movie-makers from Northampton have been set the ultimate challenge - make a film in 48 hours.

Budding Steven Spielbergs will be given a ‘theme, line of dialogue and a prop’ to use just two days before they have to hand in their cinematic masterpiece.

The competition has been launched by Screen Northants to promote the new Northampton Film Festival 2019: Coming of Age.

The social enterprise company is holding an information session tomorrow (Thursday, February 14) from 5pm at its plush new shop on the ground floor of the Grosvenor Centre.

Spokeswoman Becky Adams said: “We want to help residents make films, showcase their work and discover new things about Northampton and the county.

“There’s free support and events to help people meet other filmmakers, learn new skills and make films.

“The festival is free to enter and if you have a film with a connection to Northampton or Northamptonshire it’s almost guaranteed you can enter it! Did I mention it’s free?”

Judges for the festival confirmed so far include legendary Northampton writer Alan Moore (Hell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Jerusalem, The Show), director and photographer Mitch Jenkins (Show Pieces, The Show), and editor Colin Goudie (Rogue One, Monsters).

Fee workshops and advice and networking sessions at the Grosvenor Centre include:

● Thursday, Feb 14, 5pm-7pm: Festival Information session and networking

● Monday, Feb 18, 5.30pm-7.30pm: Put a film-making team together

● Tuesday, Feb 19, 5.30pm-7.30pm: Film festival surgery – drop in

● Wednesday, Feb 20, 5.30pm-7.30pm: Story clinic

● Thursday, Feb 21, 5.30pm-7.30pm: Practical stuff session

For more visit northamptonfilmfestival.wordpress.com

EastEnders star Danny Dyer has become the latest celebrity to sign up to play in April's charity celebrity match at Northampton Town Football Club.

Dyer has joined fellow actors Tom Rosenthal, who plays Jonny from Friday Night Dinner, and Aaron Sidwell, best known as Steven Beale in Eastenders, in signing up for the game on Sunday April 28th 2019 with the proceeds split between Archie's Fund and the Cobblers’ own Community Trust.

The game is following the success of last April's Sellebrity Soccer match at the PTS Academy Stadium, which saw the likes of Alan Carr, Katie Price, Kerry Katona and Calum Best help raise funds for local charity Niamh's Next Step.

READ MORE: Celebrity football match will return to Northampton to raise money for Duston charity Archie's Army
Other celebrities taking part this year include Love Island's Alex Bowen and Jack Fowler, Calum Best, Eastender's Jake Wood and Dean Gaffney.

Cobblers fan Archie Kambanis, from Duston, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type II, has lost strength in his muscles since birth and as a result requires the use of an electric wheelchair.

SMA is a life-shortening condition where the motor nerve cells in the spinal chord become diseased, which causes a decline in physical strength. As a result, walking and eating become difficult and a simple chest infection could be fatal.

Although there is medication abroad available to treat Archie’s disease, overseas one injection of the drug Spinraza would cost his family about £75,000 every four months for the rest of his life. Archie’s friends and family are campaigning for this drug to be made available on the NHS.

Other funds will go towards Northampton Town Community Trust, which currently deliver projects covering four themes of work: education, disability and inclusion, health and sports participation.

Tickets are now on sale and are priced at adults: £10 and under 16s: £5. There are special “Around the Dug Out” seats also available at £20 adults, £10 under 16s and these can only be purchased at the club’s ticket office. These numbers are limited.

Hospitality tickets are also available at £40 per person - for more details please email julia.perry@ntfc.co.uk

Mascot and other pitch side packages are on sale, please email christine.clark@ntfc.co.uk.

To buy general match tickets please visit the shop at the PTS Academy Stadium or via ntfcdirect.co.uk

Back in November 2018, Europe marked the First World War armistice with numerous Centenary celebrations in and around Flanders Fields. Twelve months on, there will be further celebrations in both Belgium and the Netherlands as towns and villages mark the 75th anniversary of liberation from Nazi Germany.

I was fortunate enough to be invited by the Liberation Route Europe Foundation to view some of the sites that culminated in the Ardennes Offensive which history now refers to as the Battle of the Bulge.

Fought primarily in the area around the Ardennes Forests and the strategic Belgian town of Bastogne, both sides were to suffer enormous casualties in a six week battle that started in December 1944.

Having transferred from Brussels where I had attended a special Liberation Route Europe conference, I arrived in Bastogne with five fellow guests to stay overnight at the Melba Hotel.

The following morning we transferred to the nearby Bastogne Barracks run by the War Heritage Institute where we had a guided tour and presentation courtesy of Bruno Lacluyse.

It's a truly amazing museum, displaying simply dozens of British, US, Russian and German tanks together with all manner of military vehicles and weaponry. And it's no wonder that the barracks will feature strongly in the 75th celebrations later this year when it is expected to be visited by some of the surviving veterans who fought in the Battle of the Bulge who will be accompanied by their families.

"I love it when you see Battle of the Bulge veterans greet each other like old friends," said Bruno. "I remember watching these two," he smiled, pointing to one particular picture on a wall lined by thousands of portraits.

"It's Frank Hartzell of the US 11th Armoured Division greeting Gunther Fiehl of 15 Panzer Grenadier Division and it went something like 'I remember it was bitterly cold' with the German's reply being exactly the same. They were referring to the nighttime temperature which during the battle dropped as low as minus 20C degrees."

Bruno also gave us a tour of the whole barracks area including the restoration workshops where hundreds of military vehicles are being readied for a special parade this November when thousands of visitors are expected to join in the 75th anniversary celebrations.

Making the short trip north accompanied by tour guide Joël Lamberty, the snow-covered foxholes dotted around Belgium's Ardennes Forest were turned into shallow graves for so many Allied soldiers in December 1944 as they attempted to repel the last major German Wehrmacht offence of the Second World War.

With minimum weaponry and totally inappropriate clothing, the men were marched ten kilometres in freezing conditions and told to dig in alongside a road opposite the German front line.

The rapid Allied advance from Normandy had finally stalled in the Belgian Ardennes due to heavy German resistance and, while the south of Limburg had been liberated, the weather clearly played a huge part in what was to come.

With superior firepower, three huge armoured Panzer divisions were aided by some of the worst weather conditions of the Second World War and the Germans were to break through and surround the town of Bastogne in southern Belgium.

Of paramount importance to the Allies, the US 101st Airborne Division led by Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe was ordered to hold the town at all costs and, after setting up headquarters in Bastogne Barracks, they somehow held firm. The Germans sent a written request to seek a surrender, but McAuliffe entered the history books by sending back a one word answer - it read 'Nuts' in response to the request.

The Ardennes Offensive or Battle of the Bulge lasted for six weeks and proved to be the costliest operation ever fought by the US Army. It left 10,733 American soldiers dead and another 42,316 wounded while the German losses totalled 12,652 killed and 38,600 wounded. Added to that, around 2,500 civilians also lost their lives in Belgium while another 500 perished in the nearby Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Following Bastogne Barracks and Ardennes Forest encounter, we visited Bastogne War Museum where several hundred children were actively involved in school projects. My American colleague was intrigued and messaged her 22-year-old daughter back in the States asking: "What do you know about the Battle of the Bulge?" to which the response was: "It was a war, but it's no longer relevant to life!" Naturally my colleague was dumbstruck!

However she asked the same question of her two sons (aged 14 and 18) when she returned to Colorado and they also knew absolutely nothing about what had been a key battle for the American troops.

The museum has three multi-dimensional stage settings in which visitors relive the lives of four main characters – a child, a Belgian housewife, a German officer and an American soldier – all having been at the heart of the action.

Just a stone's throw from the museum is the huge Mardasson Memorial which the Belgian's erected in a four year period after the hostilities had ended to commemorate the sacrifices made by the Allied troops.

From Bastogne we travelled east into the Netherlands to the town of Norbeek, having stopped en route to visit the Mesch Memorial. The village of Mesch was the first in the Netherlands to be liberated on 12th September 1944 by the 30th American Infantry Division which was affectionately nicknamed 'Old Hickory'.

Staying at the delightful family-run Herberg Sint Brigida Hotel, our hosts were Brigitte and Frans van Wissen while we learned about the history of the enormous US War Cemetery at nearby Margraten where more than 20,000 Allied and German bodies were laid to rest. Then almost three years later, more than 10,000 US soldiers and over 3,000 Germans were exhumed by prisoners of war and repatriated back to America and to Germany.

That night Mieke Kirkels, a Dutch author and public historian, gave a talk about the establishment of Margraten where she discovered hundreds of African-American liberators were not officially recognised as they had only been used as transport drivers or for digging graves.

The following morning we visited Margraten itself were cemetery superintendent Shane Williams explained that following the exhumations, there are now just 8,301 American military graves.

Our Battle of the Bulge trip ended with a short visit to the Eyewitness War Museum at Beek (pronounced 'Back') where there are 13 dioramas depicting different war scenes thanks to 150 lifelike mannequins all correctly dressed in salvaged uniforms.

Guided round by the knowledgeable Merijn Bevers, the fictional main character of the museum is German parachutist August Segel who takes visitors along the most important fronts in Europe, one of them being the Battle of the Bulge.

You can follow his story through letters back to this family at home. These letters are based on true stories and thanks to the German angle, it gave us another perspective on the Battle of the Bulge.

FACT FILE

Motel One Brussels

Rue Royale 120, 1000 Brussels, Belgium – https://www.motel-one.com/en/hotels/brussels/hotel-brussels/
Hotel Melba

Avenue Mathieu 49-51, B-6600 Bastogne, Belgium – https://hotel-melba.eu/en/
Herberg Sint Brigida

Dorpstraat 36, 6255 AN Noorbeek, The Netherlands Hosts Brigitte en Frans van Wissen – http://www.herbergsintbrigida.nl/

PLACES VISITED

Liberation Route Europe Conference at the Claridge, Chaussée de Louvain 24, 1210 Brussels – https://b2b.liberationroute.com/conference/
Bastogne Barracks (War Heritage Institute) – http://www.bastogne-barracks.be/300-2/?lang=en
Bastogne War Museum – http://bastognewarmuseum.be/home.html
Mesch Memorial – audio spot ‘Welcome in Holland’ – https://liberationroute.com/the-netherlands/pois/w/welcome-in-holland
Margraten American War Cemetery – https://bit.ly/2roMfPp and https://bit.ly/2Tl9ypJ
War Museum Eyewitness, Beek, The Netherlands – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkg5eg0G-y8 and https://www.eyewitnesswo2.nl/https://liberationroute.com/the-netherlands/spots/e/eyewitness-museum
*** Many thanks to Gert-Jan Jacobs, Communications Manager for the Liberation Route Europe for the kind invitation and for arranging the visit.

A video taken by a neighbour in Southfield Avenue, Far Cotton shows how the party spilt out onto the street in the early hours of Sunday morning (February 10).

Neighbours say a DJ with a microphone and speakers was reportedly set up in the back garden, and some residents claim the number of people in the house on the night was in the hundreds.

The students living at the house reportedly went door to door the next day to apologise for the party that 'got out of hand'.

One resident said: "Fair play to them, they went door to door to say sorry for what happened. It sounds like it got out of hand and lots of people they didn't even know turned up.

"I don't expect them to not have parties. We all did it when we were younger. But that many people, at 4am with a bloke in the back garden shouting at the top of his voice on a microphone is a bit much."

The students declined to speak to the Chronicle & Echo about the party but neighbours say they had apologised and said it "wouldn't happen again".

The same house reportedly held a smaller party the weekend before.

However, county councillor for the Far Cotton area Julie Davenport [Con.] said she felt the University of Northampton needs to 'educate' students about how to be a considerate neighbour.

She said: "This is a quiet residential street and the residents there don't want this kind of trouble.

"These are people who have to go to work the next day. These are households with children who were scared by it all.

"I'm happy to hear they apologised for the noise but just because they are young we cannot just shrug it off and say students will be students. The university has got to be educating them on their behaviour."

A University of Northampton spokesperson said: "Following a complaint about noise levels at a private house rented by students during the weekend, the University has been in touch with the tenants to remind them of their responsibility to their neighbours, and that disciplinary action is possible if there are future occurrences. It is understood that the students have apologised to their neighbours in person, and we hope that will be an end to the matter."

A Kettering woman is on the run after failing to turn up at court.

Gemma Vickery, 29, skipped court when she was supposed to be sentenced for Class A drug-related offences.

Now police have circulated an image of her in an attempt to track her down.

A police spokesman said: “Anyone with any information relating to her whereabouts should contact Northamptonshire Police on 101.

“Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”