The Fifty Shades of Grey film is being shown more than 30 times in cinemas in Northampton today.

The film, based on the erotic romance novel by EL James, is expected to be hugely popular with cinemagoers and Vue Cinema, in Sol Central, is showing it 18 times on its first day of release while Cineworld in Sixfields is showing it 16 times.

‎At Cineworld, the film is showing every hour from 11am and at Vue from 10am, with two showings an hour from 6pm to 11pm.

The film is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and stars Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, a college graduate who begins a sadomasochistic relationship with young business magnate Christian Grey, played by Jamie Dornan.

A large haul of computer equipment has been stolen from a primary school in Northamptonshire.

In total ten 10 ipads, seven laptop computers and a digital camera were all taken from East Haddon Primary School.

The items which were stolen had ‘East Haddon Primary School’ engraved on them.

The school was broken into sometime between 12.30am and 1am on Saturday, February 7.

Anyone who is offered devices featuring the distinctive engraving should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or the independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555111 or use the anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Nationwide building society, which has headquarters in Moulton Park, doubled its profit in the first nine months of its financial year, figures released today show.

Nationwide also said it is attracting customers from banks, some of who were implicated in the mis-selling of loan insurance and the rigging of interest rates.

Nationwide said its statutory profit increased to 946 million pounds (105 per cent rise) in the nine months up to the end of December 2014. The bulding society’s underlying profit was up almost 80 percent to £963 million.

It said 339,000 new current accounts were opened between April and December and its share of the market grew.

Graham Beale, Nationwide’s chief executive, said: “Our performance in the third quarter reflects a continuation of the strong trends disclosed in our half year results.”

Northamptonshire’s police and crime commissioner says he would like to increase the budget of a new faith based community office to £500,000 a year.

More than 100 people met at Highgate House today to celebrate the work completed by the new Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) since it was launched by Northants Police at the start of last year.

The office currently has an annual budget of £70,000, which is funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and used to provide support for faith-based as well as secular community organisations in the county.

In the past 12 months, OFBCI has provided funding and support for 17 organisations including the New Ark Foundation, a Northampton-based youth outreach programme, a social behaviour project run by the Umbrella Fair at the Racecourse pavilion and Crime2Christ, a family intervention project in the county.

Adam Simmonds, police and crime commissioner, said he would like to increase the budget to £500,000 and wanted the office to became a long term project that would last 25 years.

Mr Simmonds, who is a Christian, said it was “not about promoting his faith” as money would be provided to any secular organisation that helped make Northamptonshire a safer place.

He said: “Faith-based and community initiatives have extensive reach into their communities. They have networks of volunteers and resources.

“They are the people in the communities that we serve and are key players in community safety. Working closer with these organisations enables them and us to tackle crime better and create safer communities.

“The work of this office isn’t exclusively about faith. It is about any community group or initiative that we can support, whether that is with funding or advice, to move them closer towards a safer community.”

Helen Boardman, director of the OFBCI, said she had been reaching out to the Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish communities in the county to help raise awareness of the office’s work.

She said: “Faith-based and community leaders are champions of public safety, they are an invaluable asset to our county and we need to work alongside them to harness their experience.

“The OFBCI wants to capitalise on these valuable and unique contributions so that together we can create innovative approaches to helping Northamptonshire to become the safest place in England.”

An allergy alert has been issued by Thorntons after a batch of chocolate was supplied to Tesco stores without a nut warning on it.

The Food Standards Agency has officially issued the warning to tell customers that Thorntons is recalling its Praline Melts due to the presence of nuts which has not been declared on the label.

It means the product is a possible health risk to anyone with an allergy to nuts, according to the agency.

The 200g Thorntons Praline Melts have a best before date of November 30 2015 and the batch affected was supplied to Tesco.

The chocolate may have an incorrect ingredients label on the back of the pack making a “may contain nuts” rather than “contains nuts” statement.

Customers who have bought to chocolate and have an allergy to nuts are advised not to eat it and should return it to the store where it was purchased for a refund.

The customer notice from Thorntons said: “Thorntons takes food safety very seriously and apologises that, in this instance, the product did not pass its quality standards and assurance procedures.

“No other products are affected.”

Road lanes next to the former Greyfriars bus station in Northampton will be closed to traffic from Monday to allow experts to ready the building for demolition.

From Monday, February 16, Lady’s Lane and Greyfriars will both be reduced to a single lane of traffic, so ‘special matting’ can be laid next to the building.

The matting will protect the roads when the 1976-opened bus station is brought down on Sunday, March 15.

Both Lady’s Lane and Greyfriars will remain open to traffic during the works on Monday and any disruption will be kept to a minimum.

Leader of Northampton Borough Council, Councillor David Mackintosh, (Con, Rectory Farm) said: “The demolition of the former Greyfriars bus station is creating a huge development opportunity in the heart of Northampton.

“We will soon have four acres of prime land ready to be transformed with another exciting Northampton Alive project.

“Working closely with our contractors we are making sure everything is in place ready for the demolition.

“At every stage we are looking to complete this complex project with the minimum level of disruption. In just a few weeks Greyfriars will be demolished and we can look forward to a bright future for the site.”

More information about the demolition of Greyfriars, plans for the new development and other Northampton Alive projects can be found online www.northampton.gov.uk/alive

A Northampton man who was the subject of a two-week police hunt has admitted raping and sexually assaulting a woman in October.

Gary Murton, of Milton Street, Northampton, appeared at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (Friday) to plead guilty to two charges of rape and one of sexual assault, relating to an incident last year.

Police eventually tracked the 32-year-old down on October 22, after an appeal was launched to trace him.

Yesterday he also pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnap and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

But Gary Short, prosecuting, said the Crown Prosecution Service would not pursue these matters to a trial as Murton had pleaded guilty to the rape and sexual assault charges on an ‘all facts basis’.

Murton was remanded in custody until his sentencing on sentencing March 6.

Recorder Oscar Del Fabbro asked that Murton be subject to a psychiatric assessment before then.

He said: “As you are aware these are serious offences that carry with them terms of imprisonment. But given what is known about your mental state there could be alternatives.”

A three-day music and meat festival due to be held in Northamptonshire in June has been cancelled.

Organisers of Grillstock Woodlands, which had been advertised to take place near Silverstone from June 12 to 14, has since been cancelled due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

Tickets for the festival, which was supposed to feature 70 music acts and a barbecue competition, went on sale in November but three weeks later organisers cancelled the event.

The Chron has only just been made aware that the event has been cancelled.

A spokesman for Grillstock said: “We cancelled the event three weeks after tickets went on sale due to a culmination of unforeseen circumstances.

“We hadn’t sold that many tickets in those three weeks and everyone was given a full refund and offered tickets for another Grillstock event.”

Although the Northamptonshire Grillstock has been cancelled, other festivals in London, Manchester and Bristol will still take place throughout the year.

The festival is designed to attract music and barbecue lovers alike.

The spokesman for Grillstock said organisers were keen to bring the festival to Northamptonshire in future times.

For tickets to Grillstock in London, Manchester or Bristol visit www.grillstock.co.uk.

A mother-of-two who knocked over a woman in Sixfields Retail Park in Northampton, having first reversed into a parked car, has been banned from driving.

Sharrell Griffiths, 26, of Henry Bird Way, Northampton, pleaded guilty at Northampton Crown Court yesterday to charges of dangerous driving, failing to stop after a road accident and failing to report an accident.

She was given a 12–month community order and was disqualified from driving for 12 months – though she will have to re-take her driving test if she is to own a licence again.

The charges related to an incident which took place on July 19 last year.

Prosecuting, Jenna Allen said Griffiths had been out shopping on that day with her newborn child and on leaving the public car park in a courtesy car, reversed into another parked vehicle.

A man was sat in that vehicle and Griffiths offered him her mobile number by way of exchanging details as she did not want to take the matter through her insurance company.

However the owner of the damaged car was ‘not happy with this’, Miss Allen said.

After a brief exchange of words Griffiths tried to leave in her car - but the man’s wife stood in front of her vehicle as she tried to drive away.

Miss Allen said: “(The woman) stood in front of the vehicle - but the defendant continued to mover her vehicle forwards.

Witnesses said she ‘kangarooed the car’ forwards slowly and it knocked the woman to the floor.

“The defendant did drive off but later called police to tell them what happened.”

Defending for Griffiths, James McLernon said the driving disqualification could cause her to lose her job as she travelled to work at Brackmills.

“This is not a woman who displays a pattern of this sort of thinking,” he said. “This is really just a one-off.”

However recorder Oscar Del Fabbro, said: “This wasn’t just a moment of madness it was a dangerous moment - if you had hit that woman harder you could have been facing entirely different consequences.”

Griffiths was also ordered to pay costs of £580.

A litter campaigner who collected more than 50 bottles of alcohol from a small area of Northampton says more needs to be done to reduce the amount of rubbish left on the streets in the town.

Thomas Appleyard, who last month gave a presentation to a Keep Northampton Tidy meeting, said he was shocked by the amount of litter he found when he walked round Round Spinney Industrial estate.

He said: “I collected the bottles shown in the photo from an area no bigger than 25 metres by 10 metres.

“It’s not just unsightly it is also dangerous to wildlife, I would have expected to find human waste and bottles of urine around our town 100 years ago, not in the 21st century.”

Mr Appleyard said he was disappointed with the attendance at the Keep Northampton Tidy meetings.

He said: “This review will have implications for Northampton for several years, yet the attendance did not reflect the importance and consequences for the people of Northampton.

“Over the six meetings and two site visits, there were a potential attendance of 72 members, however the number was actually 30.

“It also came as a disappointment evidence was not taken from witnesses with eyes on the ground, for instance, Ramblers Association, RSPCA to name a few. Some witnesses did not answer the core questions, instead they chose to focus on what they are doing now.

“It came as a surprise to learn the council had no generic litter plan I therefore carried out my own litter reviews over many areas of Northampton then submitted a draft litter plan but I never received any acknowledgment.

“It was this negative attitude which convinced me I had to try to make an effort to clear up our town.”

Images of the how the university campus near Nunn Mills could look have been revealed.

The artist’s impressions show a foot bridge over the Nene between the future campus and Becket’s Park as well as four new buildings.

A building called the Learning Hub will be the main focus of the campus and will be six stories high, using combined heat and power generation and solar cells.

A five-storey Creative Hub would be used in various academic ways and also contain a cafe that the designers hope will attract people from the wider area. The design features ‘a number of curved elevations.. to represent the erosion of materials by water. Visible from Bedford Road, the five-storey Research and Enterprise Hub will feature a line of columns to mark the the entrance.

Sports facilities will also include two multi-use games areas and a floodlit sports pitch as well as building containing a fitness centre and exercise/dance studio.

Steven Boyes, director of planning at Northampton Borough Council, said in his recommendations to the Guildhall planning committee: “It is acknowledged that the approach by the developer has been to give each of the buildings a distinct identity rather than seek a homogeneous design solution for the entirety of the development.

“This variety of uses will naturally result in buildings of varying form, rendering differing design approaches acceptable.

“This approach can be further justified by the presence of existing buildings within the site and its environs, which are of varied and distinct architecture.

“This includes the modern Avon buildings and the Grade II listed engine shed, which dates from the 1870s.”

A specialist x-ray machine used by Northampton General Hospital​ ​is to be upgraded​ by the Open University so academics can use it to see if particles of gold can kill cancer.

​​The Gulmay machine uses superficial x-ray targeting​, making it​ ideal for treating a range of cancers affecting the skin or the delicate areas of the face, head and neck.

Towards the end of last year, it became apparent that the machine not only needed a new x-ray tube but a complete upgrade.​

Researchers at The Open University in Milton Keynes considered the machine so important to their ongoing studies into cancer cells, they have now offered to help fund the upgrade.

​Jon Golding, senior lecturer at The Open University, said the equipment was some of the set in the country for what they wanted to achieve.

He said: “What we’re trying to do with this technology is use very tiny gold particles that get selectively into the cancer cells​,​ which​,​ in the presence of radiation​,​ destroys the cancer tissue.

​“​That allows us to treat the cancer cells specifically and spare the surrounding tissue. It also allows us to potentially use much lower doses of radiation to do the same job​.”​.

Because of the proximity of Northampton and Milton Keynes, cell cultures do not need to be out of the incubator for very long when they undergo experiments and all the radiotherapy can be done within an hour.

Dr Craig Knighton, consultant clinical oncologist at Northampton General Hospital, said: “We’re very grateful for their financial contribution which not only helps to ensure their research can continue but ensures we continue to have a range of treatment options for patients appropriate to their needs.”

“Unlike the more conventional linear accelerator machines,​ i​t’s also very helpful when we treat patients with restricted mobility because we can treat them in a seated positon; we can’t do that with the more powerful machines which require patients to be lying down.”

The hospital uses the Gulmay machine to treat 150 patients each year. The total cost of the replacement components combined with the upgrade was £42,000​.

Four staff members at two Northampton care homes took part in an eight-hour run to raise money for hospital cardiac units.

The four care providers: Kelly Kostova and Gemma Newell from Spencer House and Ellis Hopper and Caroline Fennell from Cliftonville Care Home - both on Cliftonville Road in the town centre - completed the marathon challenge on treadmills in the residential homes.

Mum-of-two, Mrs Kostova, aged 37, said: “It was tough, but the support we had from our friends, family and residents was absolutely amazing. They cheered us on and helped us to power on through, even at the points when we thought we would hit a wall.”

Both pairs completed their challenges between 10am-6pm yesterday (Friday), stopping only for toilet breaks, and each covered a distance of between 31-38km - just under the distance of a full marathon.

Also marking national Heart Month, they have so far raised around £1,000 with the event, both through their Just Giving page and own sponsors, as well as collection buckets on the day. The funds will go towards supporting cardiac units at Northampton General Hospital (NGH).

Mrs Kostova said: “The buckets were full at the end of the day, even with paper, which was really overwhelming to see. Visitors who came in more than once during the day said it was crazy that we were still going.

“We are still pinching ourselves at what we have achieved, but today I will be spending most of the day in my pyjamas with my kids.”

Miss Newell, aged 28, said: “It got quite emotional by the end, but we did it.

“It’s a cause very close to us because every day we work closely with the people who will benefit from this sort of funding. It really makes you want to push yourself, so it was a personal challenge for us as well.”

The four runners have been friends for more than three years and have already taken part in physical challenges to raise money for British Heart Foundation, the chosen charity of their employer, Avery Healthcare. To help raise their fundraising total further, visit: www.justgiving.com/teams/Cliftonspencer.

The M40 close to the Northamptonshire border has been closed after a crash involving more than 40 vehicles left one person dead.

The accident happened just before 8am on Saturday with drivers reporting thick fog in the area. Six people were seriously injured and between 35 and 45 people had minor injuries, according to Thames Valley Police.

The motorway was closed northbound between junction 9 at Bicester and junction 10 at Cherwell Valley services. It is expected to remain closed throughout the day.

Inspector Daren Courtenay, from the Joint Operations Unit for Roads Policing at Thames Valley Police, said: “Officers are currently on the scene attending the ongoing incident.

“The northbound carriageway is currently closed and is expected to remain closed for a number of hours. The southbound carriageway is open however restrictions are in place so delays should be expected.

The Fifty Shades of Grey film has been met with mixed reviews by Valentine’s viewers in Northampton today.

While one cinemagoer said it was like “a Walt Disney film,” and another said they were “disappointed by the ending,” more than one viewer said they “thoroughly enjoyed it” and some are already looking forward to a sequel.

Based on the erotic novel by E.L. James, ticket sales for the film, which was released yesterday (Friday) have already grossed more than £5 million across the UK.

It was screened more 30 times in Northampton yesterday: 18 times at Vue in Sol Central, and 16 times at Cineworld in Sixfields.

There was a mixture of opinion among cinemagoers who celebrated Valentine’s Day today watching the film at the Sol Central cinema.

Vicki Wright said: “It wasn’t as detailed as the book, but it was a good watch.”

Arooj Shah, who came from Portsmouth to see the film with her friend, Kobiha Jeevaratnam, said: “There were some funny bits to it, but I didn’t really like the ending.”

An unannounced inspection of Virgin Care’s Lings Brook GP practice by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found the service was run well, saying it was well-equipped to treat its patients.

The routine inspection, part of a new CQC regime of checks, took place because the practice had not been previously visited by its inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission is the Government watchdog set up to inspect NHS and social care services to check they are safe, effective, caring and responsive to patients’ needs.

Inspectors praised the care at the Lings Brook practice and stated: “Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in the care and treatment decisions.”

The report also complimented how accessible information about the care services on offer were in the practice, adding that they saw staff treating patients with kindness and respect.

They also said the practice had good facilities to treat patients well, and ensured patients’ needs were met.

Inspectors commended the management of the service, saying there was a ‘clear vision and strategy’ to ensure the practice is well-led and this had made sure that staff were clear about the vision and their responsibilities in relation to this.

Stephen Inglis, practice manager said: “It was a good experience to work with the inspectors and I’m glad they’ve recognised the hard work of the team.”

Nominations are being sought for Northampton’s top community champions as part of an award scheme to honour the town’s unsung heroes.

Northampton Borough Council has launched the 2015 Heart of the Community Awards today to celebrate the people ‘at the very heart of Northampton’, it says.

The awards aim to will highlight groups and individuals who have made a difference in their local community.

Mayor of Northampton Councillor John Caswell (Con New Duston), said: “The Heart of the Community Awards is a time for Northampton Borough Council to say thank you on behalf of the town to all of the hardworking and dedicated people who strive to make the town a safer, better and happier place for us all.

“The awards are a very special event in Northampton’s calendar and I would encourage everyone to nominate the people going the extra mile and making a difference where they live.”

Last year’s Guildhall ceremony saw Nicolette Bench, Mick Reeve, Roger Adams, Patsy Gough and Abdul Halim Abdallad receive recognition for their outstanding work in the community.

Nicolette Bench, of Upton, was honoured for running a youth club and regularly helping vulnerable families in the area in need of extra support.

Mick Reeve and Roger Adams received their award for their 30 year involvement with St Crispin and Ryelands Cricket Club as volunteer umpires, scorers, committee members, groundsmen and fundraisers.

Retired nurse Patsy Gough was honoured for her work as a trustee and volunteer at ACES day care centre in Abington, which supports older people.

And Abdul Halim Abdallad was recognised for his volunteering as a football coach at a street football project alongside managing his full time studies at the University of Northampton and a part-time job.

Nominations are now being accepted until Tuesday, March 31, and can be submitted online at: www.northampton.gov.uk/heartofthecommunity

More information is also available from the mayor’s office by calling (Northampton) 837804 or emailing mayor@northampton.gov.uk

All nominations will be considered by a panel of independent judges and the winners will be invited to a celebration event at The Guildhall in April.

Thieves broke into a house in Northampton and stolen valuable items.

A Mulberry Messenger handbag, matching purse and a wallet were all stolen during the burglary at a house in Church Way, Weston Favell at the weekend.

Thieves broke into the house sometime between 11.30pm on Friday and 7am on Saturday.

Officers are appealing witnesses or anyone with any information about the stolen property to call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use the anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Police are trying to track down three bikes which were stolen from a garden in Northampton.

Two of the bikes stolen (pictured) were a black and green Carrera Vanquish racing bike and a green and white Trek Liquid mountain bike.

The third bike was a black and white Boardman MX Race bike.

All three bikes were stolen from a garden in Boughton Green Road in Kingsthorpe.

The theft happened sometime between 6pm on Wednesday February 4 and 2pm on Thursday February 5.

Officers are appealing witnesses or anyone with any information about the stolen bikes to call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use the anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

The owners of two mini quad bikes, an off-road motorbike and a bicycle are being sought after the items were recovered from police search warrants in Northampton.

The bikes are believed to be stolen; however, officers have been unable to trace their owners.

PC Chris Monday is urging anyone who has not yet reported the theft of a bike or motorcycle, to get in touch.

He said: “We have recovered four expensive bikes that we believe were stolen; however, we’ve been unable to cross-match them with any of the stolen property recorded on our systems.

“We currently have an unregistered full-sized off-road motorcycle, two mini quad bikes and an expensive road-style pedal cycle that we believe are stolen but cannot link to any crimes on our database.

“As such, I would urge anyone who hasn’t already reported theft of such an item to the police to contact us on 101.”

PC Monday is also encouraging people to record valuable property to help make it easier to reunite them with it in the event it is stolen and recovered.

“It’s not uncommon for us to seize valuable bikes that we believe are stolen,” he added. “Because their theft either hasn’t been reported to us or the owners haven’t noted the frame numbers or marked the property in some way, we find it extremely difficult to track down the rightful owner.

“For example, we keep an extensive database of stolen pedal cycle frame numbers and check every bike we come across against this, but it is only effective if we’re given the frame number by the victim.

“There are a number of other ways to help identify valuable property in the event of it being stolen and later recovered, such as using a forensic marking product that has a unique chemical ‘code’, or simply using an ultra-violet pen to mark items with your house number and postcode. You can also register your valuables for free at www.immobilise.com.”

For more information about how to help protect your property, visit www.northants.police/crimeprevention.