Three influential figures in the art world will be bringing a bit of Cuban magic to the University of Northampton this month as they talk about their work and how they create art in very different and often contested circumstances.

Artists Luis Camejo and Adislen Reyes, along with curator Chrislie Perez will be visiting the university on Monday, October 10, as part of a 10-day visit to the UK as part of a major Cuban art exhibition.

The event at Avenue Campus runs from 10am to 12pm.

To book a place, email Catriona.leahy@northampton.ac.uk with Cuba in the email subject.

Two hundred years since Mary Shelley penned her Gothic horror masterpiece, a new stage adaptation of Frankenstein has embarked on a five month tour.

Set in Geneva 1816, Victor Frankenstein is obsessive in his pursuit of nature’s secret - the elixir of life. But nothing can prepare him for what he creates and so begins a gripping life or death adventure taking him to the ends of the earth and beyond.

Adapted by John Ginman, this world premiere production by Blackeyed Theatre fuses bold ensemble storytelling, live music, puppetry and stunning theatricality to create a fresh telling of what has become a landmark work of literature.

A unique feature of the production is the use of puppetry to portray the creature. Designed by puppet maker Yvonne Stone, whose credits include the National Theatre’s Warhorse, the full size (six foot, four inch high) creature needs to be operated by up to three actors at any one time.

Mr Ginman said: “Working on this has left me full of admiration for the achievement of the 19-year-old novice writer, who responded to the challenge of inventing a ghost story to ‘curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart’. This version is inspired by Shelley’s keen interest in some of the most advanced scientific thinking of the day. She was living through a time in which the pace of scientific discovery was rapid and science seemed able to empower mankind in super human ways.”

Frankenstein will be performed in the Roxburgh Hall at Stowe School at 8pm on Friday, October 14.

Tickets £12, concessions available. Box office 01280 825710 or book online at www.artsatstowe.co.uk
Running time is two hours including an interval. Age suitability 11-plus.

Artists in venues including Eydon and Upper Stowe will be opening up their galleries for a nine day event starting on Saturday, October 8.

The South Northamptonshire Art Trail 2016 runs until Sunday, October 16.

For the third year of this event, there will be more than 40 local artists giving people a glimpse of the creative process when they open their doors to the public or exhibit their work at various venues across the south of the county.

During the trail, as well as viewing the wide range of work, people will have the opportunity to meet the artists, and in many cases watch them at work.

Painters, sculptors, jewellers, textile artists, photographers, ceramicists, glass artists, wood-turners and more will be happy to answer questions about their work as visitors explore the studios and creative spaces throughout the district.

Work on display is often for sale and the Art Trail is a chance for artists to take commissions.

Particular highlights include Roy Holding’s huge Tuscan landscapes in his Towcester studio, and in contrast, Penny German’s still-life daily paintings in Caldecote.

At Blisworth, Ruth Lyne will be showing glass jewellery inspired by the sea alongside a variety of 2D work by members of Blisworth Art Group.

While at Silverstone, Linda John’s ethereal sculptures will be on display in Rookery Farm Studios and garden.

There will be seven other artists at the studios and eight at Silverstone Methodist Chapel.

Other venues taking part in the trail include Brackley, Potterspury, Greatworth, Milton Malsor and Hartwell.

For further information, or to download an Art Trail leaflet with a map of the venues, visit www.arts-sn.org.uk.

An investigation has been launched after a 12-year-old boy ‘died’ for five minutes at a Northampton swimming pool.

Joshua Smith was on a swimming trip to Danes Camp with his carer and friends two weeks ago when he got into difficulty in deep water and stopped breathing.

He was helped out of the pool by a member of the public and resuscitated by lifeguards on duty at the time and has since made a recovery.

But his mother has called for the leisure centre to release CCTV of the incident, which happened on September 21, after her son’s carer raised concerns about how the incident was initially dealt with.

Northampton Leisure Trust, which runs the centre, said its staff had acted in accordance with their procedures and that there was a positive outcome as a result of their actions.

The drama unfolded after Joshua was 15 minutes into the session. In a report on the incident, his carer said he got into difficulty and “began to panic, flailing his arms and legs and splashing a lot”.

The carer believes that the lifeguards thought he was “just messing about” and did not initially react to the incident. She also believes that the music in the leisure centre made it difficult for the lifeguards to hear what was happening. “Another woman in the pool had spotted Josh and called for the lifeguards as well, finally they got up and ran around the pool,” she said.

“By this time, Josh had stopped struggling and had gone limp. I got to the edge by Josh as the life guards reached where they were and they pulled him out of the water.

“He wasn’t breathing and had gone blue around his face,” she said.

The carer claims she was stopped from performing CPR as lifeguards waited for a first aider to arrive and carried out initial checks.

She added: “A different Danes Camp staff member performed CPR on Josh and he started breathing again but was still unconscious.

“Staff at Danes Camp then emptied the pool of swimmers and called an ambulance. They then put a foil blanket on him and rolled him onto his side. When I got back to Josh, he was conscious and I was made to leave the poolside.”

Paramedics arrived at the scene to take Joshua to Northampton General Hospital and his mother, Katie Smith, accompanied her son while he was taken for a CT scan.

Joshua has ADHD, dyslexia and language and communication difficulties.

His mother, Katie said: “When I got the phone call I started to panic, I thought he might have only swallowed a bit of water, but the doctor told me that he had gone blue around his face and lost his pulse for five minutes. I burst into tears at the thought of all that. Joshua now has flashbacks about that day and is suffering with a chest infection. He doesn’t want the light being turned off when he goes to bed and refuses to have a bath.”

Katie is now calling for Danes Camp to issue her with CCTV footage of the incident so she can see for herself what happened that day.

A spokesman for Northampton Leisure Trust said: “As the child went under the water, there was a swimmer passing by who helped him to the side of the pool where our lifeguard pulled him from the water.

“The lifeguard checked for breathing and, by the time he had been assessed the child wasn’t breathing. The second lifeguard on duty started the recovery process.

“The breathing recommenced and he was put into the recovery position. The lifeguards’ response resulted in a positive outcome. We are aware an investigation has been launched by the local authorities into the circumstances of this event and we have also reviewed what happened.

“It is a well-run centre that has external accreditation for the lifeguarding procedures and the staff have full training. We acted in accordance with these procedures.”

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Drivers are being urged to take care when parking to ensure emergency service vehicles have enough room to get through residential streets.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is asking people to ensure they leave access space for vehicles such as fire engines when they park their cars.

The appeal follows a fire in Leicester Close, Kettering, last month when access to the street proved difficult due to the level of parking on either side of the road and close to the junction.

Station manager Mick Berry said: “The recent fire in Leicester Close is far from the only time the fire service has encountered issues with accessibility; particularly in older, terraced streets where parking can prove difficult for local people.

“Fire crews and other emergency services need to be able to respond rapidly, at any given time of day, to situations as and when they arise.

“Often the emergency situation could be a matter of life and death.

“I do acknowledge that parking can be more challenging in some areas more than others, but I would encourage the public to please consider, when they park their vehicle, if a major fire or other incident happened in this street, how easy would it be for crews to reach the people who need that help?”

Fire engines can measure as long as eight metres and as wide as 2.5 metres so it is vital that motorists think about this when considering where to leave their vehicles.

The engines require space to safely negotiate junctions as well as to drive along main thoroughfares.

Problems can be caused in areas where the width of the fire engine is too wide to fit between rows of parked cars and when corners cannot be negotiated due to vehicles parked too close to junctions.

The Highway Code currently states: “Do not stop or park anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services…and do not stop or park opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space.”

For more information about parking, go to www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk.

A taxi driver in Northampton, who was robbed by his customers, was grabbed around the neck while the other offender stole his cash.

The 40-year-old motorist picked up two men in Fraser Road and drove to Witham Way between 8.50pm and 9.05pm on Sunday evening

The driver, who was working for a private firm, was taking his clients to Kings Heath.

On arrival one of the passengers grabbed the victim around the neck, while the other offender stole money.

Both offenders are said to be aged between 30 to 40-years-old and ran away from the scene.

The males were both white men, around 5ft 7ins in height and wearing blue jeans and dark coloured shirts.

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

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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A set of walkways joining two apartment blocks in Northampton is set to be bulldozed in a bid to curb anti-social behaviour on an estate.

Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) has applied to demolish the three-tier walkways that join St John's House and St Mark's House at St Andrew's Street, Spring Boroughs.

The decision to knock down the run-down walkways, which one resident described as a "rat run" for "undesirables," was taken following a public consultation.

A spokesman for NPH, said: "Following extensive consultation with residents, community safety officers and the local police we have issued a notice to advise interested parties that NPH has submitted a prior notification requesting permission to remove the pedestrian walkway linking St John’s House and St Mark’s House at St Andrews Street, Northampton.

"This is one of a number of proposed developments to reduce anti-social behaviour in the area."

However one resident has concerns the removed walkways will impact unfairly on elderly people who use them to visit neighbours.

Responding to the planning application, the unnamed resident wrote: "I understand the removal is backed by police to remove the 'rat runs' that undesirables are using.

"Those bridges have been there for forty years.

"A lot of elderly people living on the third fourth and fifth floors have been glad to be able to walk over to St John's."

The resident adds that NPH should consider locking off the walkways first for a "trial period" to see if that would be a better option and has questioned whether there are figures of the number of people in favour of the demolition.

The works are part of NPH's wider plans for St Andrew’s Street, which include demolishing a set of garages and building 14 new homes.

A man was punched in the face by two men wearing knuckledusters as he walked down a Wellingborough road.

The victim was walking along Berrymoor Road at about 5.30pm yesterday (Wednesday) when he was approached by two men who got out of a 2015 plate black Ford Fiesta.

The men had knuckledusters on and punched him in the face several times causing bleeding.

Officers are urging anyone who witnessed this incident, in particular a bystander who alerted a local shopkeeper, to come forward.

The first offender is described white, around 6ft tall, 29 years of age and of medium build.

He had short, shaven hair and was wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans.

The second offender is described as mixed race, around 5ft 11ins tall, 23 years of age and of skinny build.

He had black afro hair in short plaits and was wearing a black top and black jogging bottoms.

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Amazon has announced it will open a new warehouse in Daventry, creating 300 permanent jobs.

The new ‘Fulfilment Centre’ is part of Amazon’s project to expand its network in the UK which the online retailer says will meet customer demand, increase its product selection and support more third party Marketplace sellers.

The firm has not yet said where in town the new centre is, but it is understood to be in an existing unit that the company will re-fit to suit its needs.

“We look forward to welcoming 300 new recruits to the Amazon team with competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one,” said John Tagawa, Amazon’s vice president of UK operations.

“The new site in Daventry will enable us to continue to expand our product selection, support more third party sellers including small businesses with our fulfilment expertise and meet growing customer demand in the UK.”

Amazon will later this autumn begin recruiting for a range of positions for the Daventry fulfilment centre, from operations managers to engineers, HR and IT roles to people who will handle customer orders. People interested in applying should visit www.myamazonjob.com/opportunities.

Councillor Colin Poole, Daventry District Council’s economic, regeneration and employment portfolio holder, said: “Amazon’s announcement today for a new fulfilment centre in Daventry and more than 300 permanent jobs is fantastic news for our local area.

“Once again another major global company has chosen to base itself in our district thanks to its excellent location and transport links. We look forward to welcoming Amazon to our town and the further boost it will bring to our local economy and employment.”

Mobile phone company O2 says it will be launching its 4G service in Earls Barton.

Today, the mobile phone network has announced it has started work to bring its 4G service to Earls Barton as well as improving its 2G and 3G network.

Work is scheduled to start the week commencing Monday October 17. Subject to successful implementation and testing, customers will see the new and improved service in the following weeks.

During the work, there may be times when a customer’s signal experiences intermittent service.

Derek McManus, chief operating officer at O2’s parent company Telefónica UK, said: “O2 customers in Earls Barton will soon be able to experience faster mobile internet on their devices such as streaming high definition TV, shopping on the go, and video calling.

“For our business customers, 4G is all about working more effectively. They can work remotely, access cloud services, collaborate using apps and so on. 4G will make everything easier for them.”

A musician say he will be completely out of his comfort zone when he takes part in Strictly Northampton later this year.

Tommy Gardner will be taking part in the annual event, organised by Step By Step Dance School, to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Tommy said: “I am one of the organisers of the ongoing “VOICES” charity album project.

“This is an album which features only local artists with a mixture of originals and covers all for charity. For this album I have gained the support from local comedian Alan Carr; I was recently invited down to the filming of Chatty Man where I met with him backstage. The final song of the album is a huge collaboration of a well known Take That song.

“I am also in the local pop band Lost No More.

“I wanted to do something completely out of my comfort zone and I am not known to be a very good dancer so Strictly Northampton is going to be a huge challenge for me. But I love a challenge!”

To donate in support of Tommy, visit www.justgiving.com/tommygardnerstrictly.

This year’s Strictly Northampton takes place on November 19 at the Royal & Derngate Theatre.

Now in its seventh year, the contestants have just eight weeks to learn Ballroom and Latin American dance routines, before dancing in front of a packed auditorium. The dancers will perform before a judging panel and a live audience, with the winner on the night taking home the coveted Strictly Northampton glitterball trophy.

Tickets for the show are available from the Royal & Derngate website.

A Northampton based male grooming salon has bagged its second national award in three months.

Christian Wiles in St Edmunds Street has recently been named by the British Hairdressing Business Awards as the Male Grooming Salon of the Year 2016.

The Northampton-based salon, which also offers experiences for women, stood tall over a vast industry of 245,745 professional UK hairdressers who work in just 35,000 hairdressing salons.

The owner, Christian Wiles, said: “Winning this award feels amazing. We saw men’s services were on an incline in terms of popularity, and the male grooming industry is massive so we developed it in the salon.”

The ceremony, which took place on 12 September, awarded Christian Wiles for their amazing dedication to male grooming.

The judges were impressed by the salon’s décor, services and products and the way they market these to their loyal male client base.

Mr Wiles added: “We separated the boys from the girls and it’s worked wonders. The way we are in the salon now is incredible, it’s constantly evolving and we want to take it to the next level, so winning this award is proof that we’re heading in the right direction.”

The salon was also voted the UK’s Best Male Grooming Salon 2016 at the hairdressing industry’s prestigious Salon Business Awards in June.

Hairdressers Journal International’s executive director, Jayne Lewis-Orr said: “It is a great honour to have salons like Christian Wiles within the industry as they are setting a new benchmark for other salons to follow.

“It is because of businesses like this that the UK hairdressing industry retains its position as the most highly esteemed in the world. British hairdressing is one of this country’s most positive business messages and of that, we are incredibly proud.

“The future looks incredibly bright as this recession-resistant sector forecasts women’s hair care product sales alone to grow 9% to reach £1.51 billion by 2020. In the hands of these phenomenal business thinkers, we can see why.”

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Royal Mail has launched a drive to recruit over 200 temporary workers in Northampton to help sort the Christmas post as well as the increasing amount of online Christmas shopping.

The firm said that temporary positions across a variety of shifts will be available between mid-November through to early January 2016. The peak of the additional temporary work will be in December.

The majority of seasonal positions will support Royal Mail’s 120,000 permanent postmen and women, who sort and deliver the mail all year round. Parcelforce Worldwide is also looking for drivers and indoor workers as the whole organisation gears up to deliver at Christmas.

Royal Mail has set up a dedicated website for people to apply for the Christmas positions www.royalmailgroup.com/xmasjobs or by calling the helpline on 0345 600 1785.

Royal Mail’s operations director Tony Fox said: “Christmas is our busiest time of year. We plan all year round to help ensure we deliver the best possible service for consumers and businesses in the UK at Christmas.

“We make a substantial commitment in additional resources including the recruitment of thousands of temporary workers to handle the festive mailbag and the growing market of online Christmas shopping.”

Royal Mail also has a year-round recruitment drive. More information is available at www.royalmail.com/jobs.

Northamptonshire Police have today released an image showing the moments before a cyclist was hit in a fatal collision.

Aaron Leggett, aged 25 and of Timken Way, Daventry, was given a nine month prison sentence, suspended for two years earlier this week, after pleading guilty to causing the death of 28-year-old cyclist Dumitru Gonta by careless driving.

The fatal crash happened shortly before 4pm on May 7 2015. Dumitru, who had just left work, was cycling across Prospect Way in Daventry when Leggett , who was driving a Nissan Skyline at 48mph in a 30mph zone, collided with him. At the point of impact he was driving 42mph.

Leggett, who was a mechanic, had been working on the car and had taken it out for a test drive.

Dumitru was airlifted to University Hospital Coventry, but on May 18 2015 he died as a result of his injuries.

Leggett was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for two years, given an 18 month driving disqualification and ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work. He was also instructed to pay £600 towards prosecution costs, and a £100 victim surcharge.

Eighties boy band Bros are getting back together - more than 20 years after they called it a day.

Twin brothers Matt and Luke Goss - who enjoyed a huge hit with the track When Will I Be Famous? - will play London’s O2 Arena on 19 August next year.

The pair, who are now 48, inspired teenagers to wear bottle caps on the shoes in their heyday.

Matt, who has enjoyed a solo career since they split, said: “As the lead singer of the band, my musical connection has always been with Luke. Bros is Matt and Luke.”

Bros last played together in 1989 and split in 1992.

Matt recently dismissed speculation about a reunion, saying: “Bros is always surrounded by rumours. I think if it was going to happen it would come out of my mouth and my brother’s mouth.”

The band will perform their old hits. Luke said he is excited about the reunion, and a little nervous.

“I’m like a big kid right now. I’m pinching myself,” he said.

He said he always wanted to reunite with his brother and “didn’t want to resist it any more. I have always wanted it to happen in my heart but wanted it to be at the right time,” he said.

“This is a dream come true. It’s always something I’ve wanted to do but at the right level.”

Matt promised the concert would be a “spectacle” and the best show Bros have ever performed.

He said he and his brother “were in a good place together.”

Matt said Craig Logan - who left the band in 1989 - was welcome to join them, but he was focused on his career as a music executive. Asked whether there would be more gigs, Luke said the duo would “see how it goes”.

A teenager who refused to hand over his bike to two older boys was shot in the eye with a pellet gun.

The 13-year-old boy was on his pedal bike, passing over the stream on Quinton Road in Grange Park, close to the allotments, when he was approached by two older boys who demanded he give them his bike.

When he refused one of them produced a pistol-shaped BB gun and shot him in the eye, at which point he fell to the floor.

The offenders ran off in an unknown direction, leaving the boy with an eye injury which needed hospital treatment.

They are described as black, in their late teens, about 6ft, one with an athletic build and the other a skinnier build.

They both had close-cropped hair, one styled into a ‘boxed’ afro. They were wearing black tracksuits and shoes with bandanas over the lower half of their faces. One had a deep voice and an English accent.

The incident happened on Friday, September 30 between 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

Anyone with information can contact Northamptonshire police on 101. Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Cobblers boss Rob Page and midfielder Matt Taylor have missed out on claiming the Sky Bet League One monthly awards for September.

The pair were nominated for manager and player of the month respectively, but missed out to Bury’s Dave Flitcroft and Scunthorpe United’s Josh Morris.

Flitcroft led Bury to five wins out of five in September, while Morris - who is set to line up against the Cobblers this weekend - scored five times as the Iron powered on at the top of the table.

And although a disappointment, Page felt the nominations are an indicator of the good progress the Cobblers are making following their promotion from league two in May, and reserved special praise for summer signing Taylor.

“It is a team effort,” said Page, who led the Cobblers to four wins and a defeat in the league in September.

“Matty has been outstanding since he comes into the football club, and not just what he brings on the pitch but off it as well.

“It’s how he conducts himself, how he leads from the front, and it is fantastic to see that from him, along with Revs (Alex Revell).

“He thoroughly deserved the nomination for the goals he has contributed as well, and I am really, really pleased that he got the recognition he deserves.”

Scunthorpe United boss Graham Alexander has warned his players they are in for ‘a competitive game’ against the Cobblers on Saturday.

The Iron have enjoyed a superb start to the season, losing just once, and are currently three points clear at the top of the table, having claimed an impressive 24 points from their 11 games.

Their Glanford Park ground is a fortress where they have yet to lose this season, although they have been held to draws in their past two home league matches, against Charlton Athletic (0-0) and Sheffield United (2-2).

And Alexander is expecting another tight encounter against fifth-placed Northampton.

“It’ll be a competitive game,” said the former Fleetwood boss.

“Northampton have been on a fantastic run for probably the last 14 months, if you go back to the start of last season.

“The group which won league two is mainly the same. They’ve continued that record into this season, so it’ll be a tough fixture.

“I’ve come up against Rob Page’s teams a couple of times, and they’re always competitive games, very hard-working outfits, but with very good players within them.”

One of the main reasons for Scunthorpe’s great start to the season has been the form of Josh Morris, who has scored 12 goals, with 11 coming in the league.

Morris has won the Sky Bet League One player of the month award in both August and September, and has scored five games in the past three matches - but he is an injury concern ahead of the Cobblers clash.

Morris missed Scunthorpe’s 2-0 Checkatrade Trophy win over Shrewsbury Town, and Alexander says his fitness is still a concern.

“Josh still hasn’t trained with us as of yet, so we’ll wait and see how he is,” said the Iron boss.

Boss Rob Page says the Cobblers won’t be making any special plans to keep Scunthorpe United goal machine Josh Morris quiet when the teams meet at Glanford Park on Saturday (ko 3pm).

Midfielder Morris has been on fire for the Iron this season, scoring 12 goals in 14 matches, and he is one of the the main reasons they sit three points clear at the top of Sky Bet League One.

Page is all too aware of the kind of impact Morris can have, but he says he is more concerned about the Scunthorpe team as a whole, and that he trusts his players to do their jobs and keep Morris quiet.

Asked if he will be making special plans, Page joked: “We can play two right-backs!”

Morris has won the Sky Bet League One player of the month award for both August and September, pipping the Cobblers’ own Matt Taylor to the latter one, and Page admitted: “He has been excellent.

“He has won player of the month and been recognised for what he has done, but he is one of a few players they have got that can hurt us, and they have individuals that can punish you if you switch off.

“But we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Morris is actually an injury concern for Scunthorpe having picked up a knock in last weekend’s win over Bury, but even if he does play Page is backing his defensive unit to be able to handle the former Bradford City and Fleetwood man.

“Like I have said before, I believe in what I have got in my changing room,” said the Cobblers boss.

“The lads we have got playing at the minute, we are where we are in the table because we have been consistent in more games than not.

“Of late we have let ourselves down a little bit, but it has been our own doing.

“We know that on our day, if we are all at it, we will be a match for anybody in this division.

“We respect that Josh Morris is a very good player and he can hurt you, but we have to go and impose ourselves on them.”

A Northamptonshire auctioneer has caught some rare Bob Church fishing items, which are due to go sale for an estimated £1,000 to £1,500 this month.

J P Humbert Auctioneers in Towcester have got their hands on reels, rods and other equipment used by the twice World and European Champion along with signed copies of his latest book.

Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert believes the ‘party piece’ is the three-tier ‘Bob Church & Co’ fly box, containing around 1,000 flies as tied and used by Bob Church over the last 60 years of fly fishing all over the world.

Mr Humbert said: “This is a singularly interesting and unrepeatable item and we are expecting widespread interest given Bob’s well-deserved fame and reputation in the angling world and his six-decade history in the sport.”

The lots are set to take place at the forthcoming Sporting & Country Pursuits Sale on Thursday October 20 at 11am.

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