‘Shoe Town’ is ready for the music

It is being anticipated as a “love song for Northampton”. Northampton Music Festival is set to put Shoe Town on the music map as it returns to the town centre.

Founded by local musician and businessman John Richardson, the festival is now in its 15th year and attracts around 10,000 music lovers to the town. This year’s festival, on June 19, is celebrating the town’s architectural heritage through music of all genres across five stages, culminating in a homecoming headline set on the main stage in Market Square from Northampton-based band Sarpa Salpa.

In all more than 500 artists will take to the five stages, including a world music stage hosted in the courtyard of The Guildhall. Northampton Museum & Art Gallery will play host to the classical and choral stage. Students from the University of Northampton and Northampton College will perform in the courtyard of Element in George Row, while the courtyard of the Guildhall Hotel will host the jazz stage.

The market square hosts the main stage for the last time before its refurbishment.

“The festival is essentially a love song to Northampton and comes from the heart of a group of dedicated volunteers involved in the local music scene,” says festival music director Graham Roberts. “We cannot wait to put Shoe Town on the music map with this year’s line-up and we are thrilled that Sarpa Salpa will be headlining the main stage and bringing the festival to a close.”

Sarpa Salpa released their new single Dreaming last month. Their two previous releases saw support from BBC Radio One and BBC Introducing.

“I am delighted that the festival continues to grow year on year with increased footfall,” says Graham “It has established itself as an integral part of the town centre’s future vision for arts and culture.”

The main sponsors of this year’s festival are Northampton Town Council, Avery Healthcare, University of Northampton, Northampton Town Centre BID and The Wilson Foundation.

Northampton Music Festival will run from noon until 9pm on Sunday 19 June. Entry is free.

Staff put focus on mental health

Building products manufacturer Forterra is highlighting the importance of mental health in the workplace through a new corporate partnership with the mental health charity Mind.

The charity was selected by Forterra staff as the company’s official corporate charity. Mind will be supported through fundraising activities and events throughout the year, including a family fun day this summer.

The partnership will also support employees by raising awareness and promoting understanding of mental health in the workplace.

Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. It provides advice and support and campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. Mind has a network of more than 140 branches across England and Wales.

“While health and safety has long been our number one priority here at Forterra, we have been increasing our focus on mental health too,” says Forterra chief executive Stephen Harrison. The company has recruited and trained 60 volunteer mental health first aiders across the business, he added. Sarpa Salpa: The Northampton band are the headline act at this year’s Northampton Music Festival

Music festival aims to get Shoe Town’s feet tapping

Philip Bettles (left) on behalf of Rushden Transport Museum with Davidsons Homes sales manager Alan Hames and area sales manager Alison Humber.

Full steam ahead for museum after donation

Rushden Transport Museum has been able to buy a customised donation box thanks to the help of a housebuilder. Davidsons Homes, which is building at its nearby Sanders Fields development, gifted £250 to the museum to help with the purchase.

The museum and railway, off Station Approach in the restored Victorian Rushden Station is owned by Rushden Historical Transport Society. “We have been hoping to purchase a customised donation box for a while, so we were really pleased when Davidsons Homes reached out to offer support,” says society president Richard Lewis.

“As we do not charge admission fees, we rely heavily on the generosity of people making donations so to have this new feature is a great way of encouraging this.”

Adds Simon Tyler, sales director of Davidsons Homes South Midlands: “Rushden Historical Transport Society is a focal part of the local community that celebrates the town’s rich heritage, which is why we were keen to show our support. The new donation box looks great and we hope it helps to boost donations so that visitors can continue to enjoy the museum and its facilities.”

Grants boost plans for Jubilee

Grants totalling just over £63,000 have been awarded to voluntary and community organisations across the county by Northamptonshire Community Foundation.

The Let’s Create Jubilee Fund, set up by the Arts Council and administered by UK Community Foundations, will ensure that thousands of people from communities all across England will have the opportunity to take part in creative events this month in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee.

Outside In Theatre is one of the Northamptonshire organisations to receive funding. It will work in partnership with Cafe Track, a social enterprise that supports people with autism. Other projects include Kings Cliffe & Area Community Sports Project, Masque Theatre, Northampton Hope Centre, Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, Laugh Out Loud Theatre, Groundwork Northamptonshire, Power of the Minds Network and Corbybased Late Developers Photographic Group.

Make a splash for hospice

Cransley Hospice Trust is hosting the inaugural Cransley Hospice Trust Open Water Swim – SWIM SYWELL event on June 19 in association with Northamptonshire Sport and raising funds to support and develop specialist end of life care in North Northamptonshire.

The sport has been growing in popularity and Northamptonshire has some of the best open water swimming venues in the country. Find out more at www.cransleyhospice. org.uk/why-try-openwater-swimming-innorthamptonshire

Owner gets creative in his firm’s year of giving back

Abusiness owner has pledged ten days of volunteering to Northamptonshire charities to mark a decade of trading.

Sam Sayer, founder of Ketteringbased brand, web and video specialists DeType, will celebrate ten years in business by giving back to local organisations Northants Community Aid, Northamptonshire Community Foundation, The Lewis Foundation, Kids Aid, and Shack Food Project.

“I have always been keen to give back and have recently had the privilege of being welcomed on to the board of trustees at Northants Community Aid which has contributed a lot to small charities over the last few years,” he says.

“A lot has changed since I started out from my home office ten years ago and I feel very proud to have grown DeType to become the innovative international creative business it is today.”

Most of that growth taking place in the last three years, he adds.

The DeType company name was inspired by Sam’s engineer grandfather, the chief designer of Jaguar’s C-Type, D-Type and E-Type sports racing cars. The company works with clients include high-growth brands and emerging businesses. It also plants trees in the National Forest for new client projects.

Sam pictured and his 11 colleagues will be fundraising, marshalling, decorating and offering any other support as needed. “We have long embraced remote working so while our primary efforts will be focused in Northamptonshire, each of the team has the opportunity to make a difference in their local area,” he says. “It is the year of giving back. Whether it is help to fundraise, giving our time to work on a particular project or providing our professional expertise in some capacity, we have made a commitment to ensure that we play a part in supporting organisations that are doing incredible work. We are in an extremely fortunate position to be able to donate our time in this way.”

Steve Adams, chair of trustees at Northants Community Aid, called on other businesses in the county to follow Sam’s lead. “Sam’s idea to support local charities to mark his company’s business birthday is really fantastic. We are so grateful to business owners like Sam who generously give up their time and enable us to carry out our work.”

Northampton Saints Foundation managing director Catherine Deans (left) with Emma Speirs, managing director of Ballyhoo PR Dave Officer and Trudie Avery have used their design expertise to raise more than £1,900 for the Ukraine crisis appeal

Saints score with PR firm link-up

Northampton Saints Foundation is the chosen charity partner of public relations firm Ballyhoo PR for the coming year.

It is the agency’s inaugural charity partner and will receive free PR and communications support for its work using the values of rugby and the power of sport to inspire, support and educate young people.

The foundation was chosen from a list of 13 potential partners. “All those who applied were hugely worthy causes and we were amazed and humbled by the incredible work taking place locally,” says Ballyhoo managing director Emma Speirs. “We only wish we could offer this opportunity to them all but there could only be one winner.”

She was swayed by the difference PR support could make to the charity and the number of young people it helps. “They have such great ideas for the future but, like a lot of charities, are doing these wonderful things with limited resources,” says Emma.

Its need to fundraise has increased due to the pandemic, said the foundation’s managing director Catherine Deans. “Ballyhoo’s expertise will be invaluable as we accelerate our growth to meet the demand for the work we do to inspire, support and educate young people.”

Designers dream up boost for Ukraine appeal

Using their skills to solve a common business branding issue has enabled two Northamptonshire-based graphic designers to raise almost £2,000 for the Ukraine crisis appeal.

Trudie Avery, of Avery Creative, and illustrator and graphic designer Dave Officer, of Doodle Juice Design, to ‘fix’ business logos in return for donations to Ukraine Crisis Charities.

They put out a one-time offer to create a vector version of company logos to their LinkedIn connections. More than 30 companies took up the offer, each donating £25 or more to

I am delighted that the money we have raised will make some difference, however small

the cause. One business pledged £1,000 for the service.

“We have all sat in absolute horror watching the events in the Ukraine unfold,” says Dave. “The feeling of sadness and helplessness is a little overwhelming but I was keen to do a little something to help.

“Although the gesture of fixing logos is tiny in the grand scheme of things, I am delighted that the money we have raised will make some difference, however small.”

Trudie adds: “Dave is a fabulous designer and illustrator and came to me with this idea and I jumped at the chance to do something so worthwhile.

“What is going on in the Ukraine is so tragic and I was glad to be able to do something to help in this awful situation.”

Cheers... Landlords raise a glass to success at pub operator’s annual awards

Pubs in Wellingborough and Great Houghton have been recognised in their parent company Wells & Co’s annual awards ceremony.

The Ranelagh Arms in Wellingborough was named Fundraiser of the Year for the second year in a row, while The Old Cherry Tree in Great Houghton has been crowned Best Presented Pub.

At the annual Pub Partners Awards 2022, the 140-strong pub company recognised the work undertaken by the teams.

Fundraising at The Ranelagh Arms is headed up by landlord Chris O’Reilly pictured above centre, who has collectively raised more than £160,000 for charity, including last year for Macmillan, since taking on the pub 18 years ago. “It was a great team effort, and we raised an amazing amount of money,” he says. “To get through to the finals again and go and win is a massive achievement.”

The Best Presented Pub award showcases the best of the best in presentation. The Old Cherry Tree co-landlords Alan Edge and Andy Pye pictured left have been in situ for just a year.

“When we first visited The Old Cherry we immediately fell in love with its character and old-world charm,” says Alan of the 16th-century buildings. “We were therefore keen to retain its history and authenticity. Our vision was to create a traditional ‘old fashioned’ English pub fit for the 21st century, which we think we have managed to achieve.”