Police have released images of two men they believe may have information about the theft of a purse in Kettering.
The theft happened at about 1.40pm on Saturday, January 5, when a woman’s purse was taken from within her handbag while she was in a Kettering supermarket.
Officers investigating the incident believe it is linked to a similar offence in Corby on the same day.
Anyone with information is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
And the Chron was lucky enough to get a peek behind the scenes as the final shots were added to the Abington writer’s first ever feature film being shot entirely here in the town.
Moore has seen his comics V for Vendetta, From Hell and Watchmen adapted into box office hits at the hands of others – even though he has been scathing of all the adaptations.
But The Show has seen him and director Mitch Jenkins embrace film like never before having spent years shunning offers to write scripts for Hollywood.
And Northampton, its spirit, its ‘oddness’ and its brutal history, is at its very centre.
The Chron met Moore in the abandoned corridors of County Hall, which has acted as the base for The Show’s crew and cast since November.
Speaking in the same room once used by the county council to deliver budget meetings to the press, the writer, 65, said the film aimed to “lift the veil of anonymity” over Northampton.
“I have a sense that Northampton is in some ways a parallel world capital,” he said.
The film, incidentally, will see characters flick between Northampton and its parallel world alternative, Nighthampton.
“This is where both the internal wars were settled,” he continued, “where two kings were captured.
“There is a sense Northampton has been punished for that for centuries.”
He added: “This is about putting Northampton back on some sort of map.”
The movie, led by Musketeers and War and Peace star Tom Burke, centres around the exploits of man-of-mystery Fletcher Dennis and his mission to track down a stolen artefact in Northampton.
It follows on from a short series of films released by Moore and acclaimed photographer Jenkins, released in 2014, called Show Pieces.
That mini-series charted the lives of characters inhabiting the ‘underworld’ of Jimmy’s End Working Men’s Club in Nighthampton.
But Moore – who describes the film as sitting somewhere between a flatshare sitcom, a brutal British crime drama and a ‘caper’ – believes The Show could even be expanded into a television series in its own right.
“It is not something to run forever, but I think we could get a few seasons of very interesting drama out of this – of a kind no one else has seen,” he said.
“As long as I know how many seasons a potential series if going to run for, then I know what the last scene in the episode of the last season is going to be.
“That is how I would like to conclude this.”
With almost every scene from The Show shot on location in Northampton, the prospect of Moore and Jenkins’ labour of love bringing a legion of fans to the town is very real indeed.
Promotion shots for the film show protagonist Burke skulking in front of the Guildhall, while another shows the mist settling across Salcey Forest.
Exterior shots depict the general hospital, Moore says, and while the Chron met the writer and the cast, scenes were being filmed in the rain-soaked gardens of County Hall itself.
“These days there are a lot of places doing well based on the fantasies that are set in those places,” said Moore.
“I believe the Washington state town where Twin Peaks is set is doing very well.
“In Ireland, where Game of Thrones is filmed, that is doing well.”
And the cast, who have spent two months on location here in Northampton, have begun to get into the spirit of the town too.
Siobhan Hewlett, who plays journalist Faith in the film, said: “Northampton is quite a strange place in the best possible way – I mean that from a place of absolute love, because I love Northampton.
“It’s quite easy to get into the zone for Alan’s script just being here, because it is a weird, other-worldly place.”
“This is documentary realism,” chipped in Moore. “Although there is a surreal element.”
The film, due for release in autumn, is being funded to the tune of £3 million by the British Film Institute, the National Lottery and Lipsync, a relatively modest budget considering the hundreds of millions of pounds spent creating Hollywood blockbusters.
Local set designers and production crew have been drafted in to complete the project, which, Moore jokes, is held together by “smoke and knicker wire” – but has the look of a “$90 million film.”
Like his novel Jerusalem, the Abington writer is hoping his first feature film stands as a striking testimony to his beloved hometown – a ‘failed state’ that he says has been the first to collapse under austerity.
“I want to show that even in this collapsed mess that the imagination can make something rise out of this dreadful situation that might possibly alleviate it,” he said.
“If it doesn’t it will be a glorious representation of what this town and what it is.”
More than 30 skilled builders are set to show their latest creations at the Hilton hotel in Watering Lane, on March 30, when the Cobblers Bricks event returns.
It will mark the second Lego exhibition in Northampton organised by 42-year-old Neil Burgess of Kingsthorpe.
The groundsman has spent the past seven months recreating Disneyland Florida's Main Street USA, complete with a rendering of the iconic Cinderella's Castle, especially for the event.
He said: "All the builders at the event will be custom builders - there will be no Lego sets.
"We will have everything from Star Trek models to roller coasters and racing tracks.
"We hope it's going to be bigger and better than last year."
Neil has been a self-confessed Lego addict since childhood and over the past seven months has spent two to three hours a night in the shed at the bottom of his garden he calls his 'man cave'.
His recreation of Main Street USA stretches 9ft in length and features a 'hidden' railway track.
The event will take place at the Hilton hotel on March 30 between 10am and 4pm. Tickets are £3 for an adult and £2 for a child and are available via the Eventbrite website.
"There will be something there for all ages really," said Neil, who works as a groundsman during the day. "There are some builders that are recreating things from the 1970s and 80s, which the adults will like.
"Anyone that likes Lego will like to see what it's possible to do with the bricks."
Some 200 people from Kingsthorpe, Spring Park and Boothville responded to the written surveys delivered to homes by Labour candidate Sally Keeble.
The poll asked residents whether they would prefer the country to leave the European Union with no deal, whether they wanted to delay or cancel Brexit, whether a second referendum was required - or simply whether they were in favour of Theresa May's proposed Brexit deal.
Only 20 per cent of respondents took the latter option - while 42 per cent said they would prefer to leave the EU with no deal, making that the most popular answer.
Sally Keeble says: “Theresa May is a roadblock to Brexit. She’s had over two years to bring the country together around a way forward.
"Rather than build a consensus she’s cobbled together a terrible deal that would damage the country and leave us in Brexit limbo.”
Respondents to the survey, who expressed a political preference were divided 31 per cent for Labour and 35 per cent for the Conservatives.
When asked for their views on the progress of Brexit, 46 per cent said it had been too slow, 22 per cent said Brexit presented a risk to their living standards, and 34
per cent said they were against Brexit altogether.
When asked what they thought should happen now, here is how they replied:
- Leave with no deal - 42 per cent
- Brexit should be delayed or cancelled - 28 per cent
- Let the public decide and go to a people’s vote - 25 per cent
- I support Theresa May’s compromise - 20 per cent
- I don’t know/am not concerned - 4 per cent
Ofsted found serious breaches in health and safety at Moulton College in April 2018, including a number of 'unsafe and sloppy' slip-ups in management.
The school was told to make immediate improvements to bring the college's standards back up to scratch.
In a report published on this week (January 9), the school was told they were making 'reasonable progress' in several places to turn things around - but were also failing to help their students achieve better grades or make progress in their learning.
However, it also mentioned it was 'too early' to tell if systems put in place since the April inspection were tackling the ongoing problems they found.
Ofsted has pointed to how the number of students achieving in English and maths has shrunk in the last academic year [before the results of the report in April] and that 'significant problems remain' this year.
The report reads: "The proportion of students achieving their qualifications was low in 2016/17 and decreased in 2017/18.
"Students’ motivation for attending [English and maths] is low. The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is significantly poorer than in other subjects. Teachers do not encourage students to practice and improve their skills through frequent homework.
"It is too soon to determine whether students beginning their studies in 2018 are making suitable progress in these subjects, but early indications are that significant problems remain."
However, the report noted 'reasonable progress' in improving the quality of teaching and addressing the safety issues found in the last inspection.
In particular, a strengthened student behaviour policy has cracked down on bullying and has led to the expulsion of five students for anti-social behaviour.
The school was reinspected in November as part of a series of spot-check monitoring visits following the 'inadequate' rating. The visit does not affect their overall rating.
Moulton College has been approached for a comment.
OCTOBER 15
Marous Abell, aged 26, of Eastern Avenue, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, cost £85.
Shaun Barlow, aged 32, of Playdell Gardens, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Thelma Billingham, aged 67, of Richmond Terrace, Northampton; fined £220, srucharge £30, costs £85.
Steven Brown, of Froxhill Crescent, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge 30, costs £85.
Fen Chen, aged 40, of Kingfisher Close, Woodford Halse, Daventry; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Oleg Cociu, aged 33, of Euston Road, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Lourentiu Constantin, of Bruce Street, Borthampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Maria Douglas, aged 40, of Chadwick Gardens, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Larnce Harper, of St George’s Street, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Laura Harvey, aged 35, of Dent Close, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Shezan Husseyn, of West Cotton Close, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Ivan Icone, aged 31, of Artizan Road, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Todoriu Ionel, of Saxford Meadow, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
David Johns, aged 60, of Kelmscott Close, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Anthony Johnson, of St George’s Avenue, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Bartlomeij Kowalski, aged 25, of Loyd Road, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Sean Sibley,,aged 25, of Clee Rise, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Jacek Suwala, aged 51, of Alliston Gardens, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Tomayz Tinewiski, of St James Road, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Christopher Warner, aged 55, of Main Road, Duston; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
John Wright, aged 72, of Berkeley House, Northampton; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85.
Steffans Jewellers, in Abington Square, is giving away a free platinum engagement ring worth £1,000 to one lucky client to propose to their soul mate ahead of Valentine's Day.
There's no strings attached to this competition - just post your name and number into the in-store letterbox in either Northampton or their Market Harborough store for a chance to have your golden ticket plucked from the lucky dip.
You don't have to buy anything from the store either or be a previous customer to win.
Steffans owner Wes Suter said: "I wanted to show some love this Valentines and what better way than to give someone the opportunity to get engaged.
"The news is often filled with bad news so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share something fantastic with our local community."
The competition officially launched yesterday (Monday) and the winner will be announced live on Facebook on February 13.
Stroke sufferers in Northampton have to wait nearly an hour and a half to get to hospital by ambulance, new NHS data has revealed.
Health experts say the priority in a stroke situation is to get the patient to a specialist stroke centre, even if that is further away than the nearest standard hospital.
After calling 999, Northampton-area patients had to wait on average an hour and 29 minutes to get to an acute stroke centre in August.
Northampton is served by the East Midlands Ambulance Service trust.
The trust’s ambulances helped 663 patients who had an initial diagnosis of stroke.
One in 10 had to wait two hours and 18 minutes to reach hospital.
A stroke happens when a blood vessel to the brain gets clogged or bursts, and cuts off blood and oxygen.
Nationally, patients waited on average an hour and 11 minutes to get to hospital.
Alexis Kolodziej, of the Stroke Association, said: “The faster a stroke patient can receive specialist treatment the more likely they will survive and recover.
“Evidence shows that patients get better treatment and have better outcomes when they can be taken by ambulance to a larger, comprehensive stroke centres of excellence.
“In most cases, it is better for patients to travel slightly further to reach these centres than to go to a closer hospital that doesn’t offer specialist and comprehensive stroke care.”
Once at the stroke centre, patients had to wait up to two hours and 27 minutes for an X-ray scan.
This is crucial to determining the cause of the stroke and decide on the treatment.
Professor Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Stroke is the third biggest killer in the UK and causes over 36,000 deaths each year.
“Pioneering treatments are increasingly available for people who have had a stroke, which have been proven to save lives and reduce disability.
“They are most effective, however, when patients are treated at an early stage, and this underlines the need for strokes to be treated as swiftly as possible. For emergency services, stroke should have the same priority as heart attacks.”
A 28-year-old man has appeared before magistrates charged with the murder of Juozas Meilunas in Kettering.
Mindaugas Kaminskas, of no fixed address, appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Monday, January 14) and has been remanded in custody.
He is due to appear at Northampton Crown Court tomorrow (Wednesday, January 16).
Detectives launched a murder investigation after Mr Meilunas, 51, was found dead in a flat in Woodlands Court, Wood Street, just before 6.30pm on Boxing Day.
Anyone with information is still encouraged to contact detectives working on the case and they can do so by calling Northamptonshire Police on 101.
Alternatively, if they wish to remain anonymous, they can contact independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Police have confirmed a missing woman was found last night (Monday).
Grace Elderton, 24, was reported missing after leaving her Northampton home on Saturday.
A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: "We're happy to confirm Grace Elderton has now been found.
"Thank you to all who shared our appeal or got in touch."
One parent contacted the Chronicle & Echo to raise a complaint over the state, and lack, of baby changing facilities in the shopping centre - citing how hard it has been for her to change her little one.
The mum, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the Chronicle & Echo: "Has anyone noticed it has become harder and harder to find baby changing facilities in town?
"The ones in the ladies toilets in the Grosvenor have been broken for about a year and the main ones have been out of order since before Christmas.
She added: "Is it any wonder no one wants to go into town?"
The Grosvenor Centre Manager, James Roberts, said the situation is not perfect but plans are in the pipeline to create more facilities once the existing changing rooms have been repaired.
He said: “We are aware of the ongoing issues around the toilets and baby changing facilities in the Grosvenor Centre.
"Recently we’ve seen a 14 per cent increase in the usage of our toilets [since the closure of M&S] that has added strain to them on top of the historic problems.
"I’d like to assure the people of Northampton that we’re working hard with our contractors to not only make repairs but improvements to the facilities."
“I’m delighted to say that in the near future we’ll be creating more baby changing facilities once the repairs have been completed, as we know how important they are to families and parents when visiting the centre.
"We know that the current situation isn’t ideal, but we’re extremely grateful for the patience shown by visitors to the Grosvenor Centre.”
Police officers in Corby and Kettering are warning the public about a recent spate of daytime burglaries in both towns.
Last Friday (January 11), seven houses were hit by burglars with five in Corby – Cecil Drive, Seaton Crescent, Ennerdale road, Willowbrook Road and Shire Road, and two in Kettering – Dickens Drive and Tresham Street.
In all seven cases, the offenders gained entry into the property by smashing the back window.
PC Paul Franks said: “I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has any information about these burglaries or who witnessed anything suspicious in the areas during the daytime last Friday.
“I would also encourage people to take a look at our crime prevention tips to give your home the best chance of not being burgled.”
Witnesses, or anyone with information, are asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
A team of 27 special constables was deployed across Northamptonshire on Sunday as part of a day of action that resulted in the arrests of four wanted men.
The officers visited more than 70 addresses to collect intelligence, detain offenders and reassure the community.
Four wanted men, two in Northampton aged 69 and 34, and two 31-year-olds in Kettering were found and arrested for various offences.
Chief officer for the Special Constabulary Mike Maywood said: “Our specials worked over 220 hours between them on Sunday and took part in a very successful Op Viper operation to help keep the public in Northamptonshire safe.
“Not only did they arrest four people, they collected a lot of vital intelligence from a number of areas across the county.
“Specials are an absolutely vital part of Northamptonshire Police and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them, not only for their work this weekend, but for all the work they do for us and for the people of Northamptonshire.”
Far Cotton residents hope there is a ‘compromise’ that can be reached with the borough council over how the Queen Eleanor Cross is protected until repair works can start.
This week the council announced it had gone out to tender for a contractor to carry out repairs to the 13th century cross, of which only three remain in the country.
But more than 1,500 people have already signed an e-petition to the council calling on them to erect scaffolding to protect the cross during the harsh weather conditions and until the repair works begin, which the council has said will start in spring.
The London Road cross marks one of the nightly resting places of the funeral procession of King Edward I’s wife, Queen Eleanor of Castile, between Harby, near Lincoln, and London.
Last autumn, experts brought in to assess the monument advised that there are iron cramps in some locations. These are thought to be corroding, and causing damage to the masonry.
The issue was hotly debated at full council last night (January 14), where Ron Fitzhugh, vice-chairman of the Far Cotton Residents’ Association, called on councillors to ‘inspire confidence’ in residents that they cared about the cross.
He said: “I think that we are very unlucky to have a council in power who do not have the desire to look after our beautiful Queen Eleanor.
“She must be turning in her tomb at Westminster Abbey unable to understand why Northampton Borough Council is being irresponsible in allowing her to disintegrate.
“Every one of you sitting here in this chamber will be remembered by name as one of those councillors who allowed, through procrastination, a national monument to slide into the ground before your very eyes.”
And resident Daniel Soan asked council leader Jonathan Nunn whether a temporary cover would be possible.
But the leader responded that Historic England had advised the council that putting temporary covers over the cross could lead to condensation, which would in turn lead to further problems.
Councillor Nunn replied: “The heritage of Northampton is very important to me. But Historic England have advised us that it can’t be done, and I would be hung if I went against the advice of Historic England.
“I heard there was heated debate at the recent residents’ association, and we will try and arrange a meeting with them and heritage officers to discuss things further.”
Asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting if he was satisfied with the response from the leader, Mr Soan said: “I don’t think we were looking for a response this evening, rather we wanted to make a point that we are concerned about this. We wanted to put a suggestion forward, and perhaps we could meet somewhere in the middle.”
The repair works, funded by the council and matched by Historic England, include the reinstatement of loose stonework, conservation repairs to the fragile 13th century stonework, and carefully selected shelter coatings to some more vulnerable areas. In several limited areas new pieces of stone might be required.
The borough council had faced criticism for delaying the 'urgent' works from autumn last year. But earlier this week, speaking about the contract tender process, Councillor Tim Hadland, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said: “We’re looking forward to appointing a contractor for this work, which will start in the spring.
“Our specialists have advised that temperatures from April onwards should be sufficient for lime mortar to cure properly.
“Our approach, agreed to standards set by Historic England, should offer the best chance of ensuring the monument is protected for future generations to enjoy.”
Two teenage boys left a man with a "small stab wound" after trying to rob him of his phone in a field in Kettering.
Between 12.30pm and 1pm yesterday (Monday, January 14) the victim, a 28-year-old man, was walking across a field next to the River Ise, between Valley Walk and Deeble Road.
As he was walking towards Deeble Road, past the footbridge that crosses the river, he was approached by two teenage boys who commented on his mobile phone, which he was using at the time, and demanded he hand it over.
He refused and one of the boys then punched him in the stomach.
Both teenagers then ran off empty-handed, away from Deeble Road towards the allotments on Elizabeth Road.
A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: "When the victim got home and called the police, he realised he had sustained a small stab wound to the stomach and attended hospital for treatment.
"The suspects are described as being about 14 or 15 years old and were wearing dark clothing and baseball caps. They had local accents."
Officers are appealing for information and anyone who was in the area yesterday lunchtime and witnessed the incident or believes they may have seen the suspects or have any information about them, is asked to contact police as soon as possible.
Anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Long range forecasters are predicting snowfall in Northamptonshire on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
Temperatures across the county are currently sitting at a mild 10 degrees today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednedsay) ahead of a cold snap set to kick later this week.
On Thursday temperatures will plummet to around 3 degrees during the day and below freezing overnight.
Forecasters are predicting that on Monday night next week sleet will kick in at around 8pm and light snow is forecast the next morning for around four hours.
Snow is also forecast between 7 and 11am on Wednesday January 23.
The Met Office UK outlook for next week says: "Overnight frost and freezing fog patches are likely overnight into Monday. Cold weather is likely to continue through mid-week, remaining unsettled and at times windy with fronts spreading southeast across the UK bringing rain, sleet and snow."
Cold conditions are likely to remain until the end of January with interspersed wintry showers.
Fitness fanatics now have a fast food outlet that won't undo all their hard work in the gym.
That is according to the co-owner of Barber and Bistro, Alex Moisii, 30, who opened the doors of the eatery last week.
The fast food venue in Alexandra Terrace offers a selection of speedily prepared, lean dishes on a rotating menu prepared by nutritionist Mohammed Rahman - and it sits next to a barbershop so customers can have a trim while they wait.
Alex, who opened the business with three other friends last week, said: "We are all gym fanatics here and we enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
"This is about food that makes you feel better and gives you more energy.
"There's nowhere really in Kingsthorpe or Northampton that does this sort of thing - it is populated with fast food places that are unhealthy or fried - there is nothing really that is nutritional and fast."
The new bistro has seen the four business owners Alex, Mohammed, Oli Maitland and Jake Hillery converted a back room of the Barber Shop in Alexandra Terrace, which opened last year.
The menu is divided into proteins, 'carbs' and vegetables, and diners can select an item from each category to form a mealbox for £5.50 (or £6.50 for a large). Smoothies, coffees and vegan options are also available.
Staff are currently being trained to tailor meals to customers' needs if they are training for a particular purpose, such as losing weight or gaining muscle.
And later this year the business owners hope to begin a delivery service using a specially branded van.
Mohammed, who has worked as a personal trainer in gyms across the town, said: "I think there is a call for this sort of thing in Northampton.
"Being in all the different gyms I've worked from, I always have the same conversation. People say there's nothing good for them to eat that's convenient."
Barber and Bistro is open from noon until 8pm throughout the week and from 10am until 3pm on Saturdays.
For more information head to the buisiness Facebook page here.
A murder trial over the death of a teenager visiting Northampton has been halted again and will not resume until later this year.
The trial of a 17-year-old boy over the death of Louis-Ryan Menezes was due to start again today (January 15).
But at Northampton Crown Court this afternoon, the case was instead adjourned and a new date for it to begin has not been decided.
On January 8 - on what was set to be the first day of evidence in the case - the judge was forced to discharge the jury.
The case was due to resume today with a new jury.
However, His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo instead had to tell the jury to go home and that the case would have to be pushed back to later in the year.
The jury was discharged from reaching a verdict in the case.
The 17-year-old defendant in the case will remain in custody. A new trial date has not yet been determined.
Louis-Ryan Menezes, 17, was stabbed to death in Drayton Walk, Kingsthorpe, in May last year.
Andrew Lewer's piece for the Brexit Central website, which was published today, has labelled the Prime Minister's withdrawal agreement as 'fundamentally flawed'.
MPs are set to vote on the Brexit deal at around 8pm tonight following a day of debate.
Predictions are that Theresa May's 585-page agreement will lose out badly in the ballot - through the Prime Minister believes her deal will tackle border control while maintaining a close relationship with our European neighbours.
Mr Lewer, MP for Northampton South, states in the article: "The lesson is clear: we need to vote down the Withdrawal Agreement by as large a majority as possible.
"Only then can we move on and either negotiate a new agreement (as David Davis argued at the weekend) or leave without a deal on World Trade Organisation terms with a view to later negotiating a new relationship."
Mr Lewer said the agreement did not 'respect the result of the referendum' and failed to tackle issues around the Irish border. He also said that plans to remain in the Customs Union would be a breach of the 2017 Conservative Manifesto.
"The backstop drives a regulatory barrier down the Irish Sea, severely damaging the Union and moving Great Britain and Northern Ireland further apart," he added.
"This deal keeps the supremacy of the European Court over our own law and sells out the UK fishing industry, excluding them from any trade deal, and envisaging a deal where the Prime Minister trades away our fish in return for market access."
Northampton North MP Michael Ellis, on the other hand, is almost certain to vote with the embattled Prime Minister.
He spoke about his support for the deal in December.
He said: "We need to recognise this is a good deal. It delivers an end to the freedom of movement, it delivers an end to the European court rulings and it delivers an end to sending billions over to Brussels each year.
"It is up to people like me to sell what is on the table. We are here to explain that it does deliver."
A Northampton history group says the upcoming dissolution of the borough and county councils threatens to halt years of progress for projects across the town.
Friends of Northampton Castle have been campaigning since 2011 to create a heritage park near the Chalk Lane car park in an ambitious landscaping project.
They secured planning permission in 2018 - but now the group fear their work will be halted and delayed in the face of a complete overhaul in Northamptonshire's local government structure voted in August last year.
The county and borough council voted in August to dissolve themselves and form two unitary governments across Northamptonshire.
Now, the Friends say they are only one of many projects in the county that could be disrupted by the changes to local government.
Chairman of the Friends Dr Marie Dickie OBE said: "We are concerned that the very process of de-constructing local councils will result in a lack of focus such projects as ours.
"While the councils spend their time and energy on trying to manage these changes, there is likely to be even less interest shown in supporting the sense of identity and community pride which heritage projects such as ours can bring.
"In these circumstances, we cannot support the proposed reorganisation."
Early forecasts suggest that the county council is faced with making some £60million of savings in time for their budget in 2019-20.
Dr Dickie is concerned the reformation of the councils and challenges it could present to budgets could leaving community projects by the wayside.
The Friends voiced their concerns in a letter of response to an ongoing consultation over the unitary proposal.
The Friends' plan includes a new 'play maze' and heritage footpath based on the grounds and footprint of the historic medieval Northampton Castle.