A 10-year-old girl from Northampton who is unable to smile held a cake sale to raise awareness of facial palsy.

Abbie Callen from Duston, took part in the first ever Global Facial Palsy Awareness Week.

Abbie, 10 has bilateral facial paralysis due to muscular dystrophy. Abbie wanted to raise awareness as people who do not know her, thinks she looks very serious or even upset as she is unable to smile.

Abbie held a cake sale at school, thanks to donations of cakes from Morrison’s and Tesco’s.

Players from Northampton Town Football Club had their photograph taken with Abbie, which was then posted on social media sites.

If anyone would like to find out more or, is affected by Facial Paralysis, please visit www.facialpalsy.org.uk

A probe into the suspected failings of a 2002 murder investigation has revealed Northamptonshire Chief Constable Adrian Lee has ‘no case to answer’, according to his boss.

Over the past four years the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been conducting an inquiry into the handling of the murder of Kevin Nunes in 2002 by Staffordshire Police.

Mr Nunes, a 20-year-old who had been on the books of Tottenham Hotspur, was found dead in a country lane in Staffordshire on September 19, 2002.

Five men were found guilty of an alleged ‘execution-style’ murder, but in 2012 they were cleared at the Court of Appeal in 2012 after a damning report exposed errors by Staffordshire Police, where Adrian Lee held a senior position at the time.

The successful appeal prompted an IPCC investigation into the handling of the case called Operation Kalmia.

Today his current boss, Police and Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds, confirmed via a video message that, having reviewed the final IPCC report on Operation Kalmia and having taken ‘expert legal advice’, Mr Lee has ‘no case to answer’.

Mr Simmonds said: “As far as I am concerned this matter is now closed.

“Adrian Lee has faced three years of investigations where his entire career and integrity has been held up to the microscope.

“He has had to live his life, reassure his wife, colleagues, friends and families of his innocence, while all the time knowing there were people investigating him and around the community making judgements about him.”

In total, 14 past and serving Staffordshire Police officers were questioned by the IPCC as part of Operation Kalmia.

Following the successful appeal of the convicted men, complaints had been made in connection with the handling of the Kevin Nunes murder inquiry.

It was alleged that Staffordshire Police had received a complaint from the ‘main witness’ relating to a senior officer of the Sensitive Policing Unit there in November 2006.

The second matter was the force’s alleged failure to disclose the results of an internal review of the sensitive policing unit.

The Crown Prosecution dropped criminal charges against Mr Lee in November.

Following the news that he will face no further action in relation to Operation Kalmia today, Mr Lee, said: “This has been a difficult time for me personally, coming as it did during a highly challenging period for Northamptonshire Police, in which we have seen enormous transformational change against a background of continuing austerity.

“Throughout this long investigation, however, I have received nothing but support from colleagues the length and breadth of the Force – not least a concern for my welfare from the Police and Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds.

“You have placed your trust in me since the allegations first became public.”

And he added: “Today we have reached a point where it is now clear that there was no substance to the allegations made against me.

“I have always known this - it is regrettable that it has taken others over three years to reach the same conclusion.”

Five Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Northampton have been given bicycles worth £2,750 after they received funding from Northampton Borough councillors empowerment fund.

Tony Ansell (Con, Abington), David Mackintosh (Con, Rectory Farm), Steven Hibbert (Con, Riverside), Lee Mason (Lab, Brookside) and Sally Beardsworth (Lib Dem, Kingsthorpe),

Sergeant Steve Bedford said: “These new bikes, which will be easily identified as police bikes, will be a great help to our PCSOs and a big support to local policing, and we are very grateful to the councillors for providing the funding.

“The bikes will be particularly useful in helping our PCSOs cover larger areas of their beat as well as patrolling along cycle paths and in some of the less accessible areas, such as the back alleys in Abington and areas of Kingsthorpe village.

“As well as being able to get around their beat quicker, the PCSOs will remain very visible to the public and will still able to stop easily to talk to people and respond to any enquiries.”

A planning application for a large commercial development in Northampton, which could create 450 new jobs, has been approved by South Northamptonshire Council (SNC).

A proposal has been put forward by Goodman Real Estate Ltd to provide two large storage and distribution facilities with ancillary offices on 465,000 square feet of land off Saxon Avenue in Grange Park.

The land, known as Zone C, has stood vacant for more than 17 years since its first allocation for development in 1998.

Planning permission could be formally issued in the next few weeks, subject to confirmation of no objection from the Environment Agency, Anglian Water and Northamptonshire County Council Archaeology.

The applicants then anticipate development would commence this year and ultimately create 450 new jobs for the local area.

Councillor Rebecca Breese, SNC’s portfolio holder for planning and environment, said: “Good living standards and housing growth are attracting people to the area in large numbers. It is therefore important we complete the circle by providing opportunities for employment growth.

“SNC identified the potential of this site as a good place for a business to make its home, and we are glad a developer is willing to back that vision with plans that could be a significant boost for the local economy and local jobs.”

About 15 per cent of young people in Northamptonshire feel depressed ‘most of the time’, a study suggests.

Between September 2014 and January 2015, Healthwatch Northamptonshire asked 527 young people, between the ages of 11 and 25, about any mental health issues that affect them.

The findings showed that 42 per cent of the respondents said the thing that most negatively affected their daily lives was ‘stress’.

A total of 25 per cent said ‘fitting in’ was the most negative thing in their lives and 24 per cent cited ‘anxiety’.

But Healthwatch Northamptonshire said the most concerning result showed that 36 per cent of young people considered themselves to be in a ‘negative’ mood most of the time.

About 15 per cent of young people said they were mainly ‘depressed’.

The report stated: “This seems a concerning amount to feel that way most of the time.

“The results of this survey are useful for local health and social care decision makers in planning, delivering and promoting local services for young people.”

The findings of the Young Person’s Wellbeing Report are to be discussed at the full Northamptonshire County Council meeting on Thursday, March 19.

Other concerning issues found in the report showed that nine per cent of young people said ‘suicide’ most negatively affected them, whereas eight per cent said it was ‘self-harm’ and a further eight per cent said ‘eating orders’.

The Healthwatch study also found that 35 per cent of the young people questioned did not know where to go “if they needed help”.

The organisation has made four recommendations in light of the report’s findings.

It said health and social care partners needed to “share evidence on the causes of stress for young people” and it said Healthwatch Northamptonshire should work with Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to “radically improve the quality of child and adolescent mental health services.”

Paralympic champion David Weir is set to join a host of celebrities and about 7,000 runners in Northamptonshire tomorrow for the Silverstone Half Marathon.

TV and sports presenter Charlie Webster is set to drop the chequered flag to start the race at noon before joining the mass of runners for her fifth run at the Formula One circuit in the county.

Six-time Paralympic champion David Weir will be joined on the start line by a variety of soap stars including Casualty and Call the Midwife actor George Rainsford, Doc Martin star Jessica Ransom and Doctors regular Matt Kennard.

They are all running for the charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research along with thousands of others raising money for charitable causes.

Race director Hugh Brasher, said: “The Silverstone Half has established itself as an important race for many charity and club runners to assess their spring marathon training progress and is a key indicator of their training ahead of the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon.”

Weir, nicknamed ‘the Weirwolf’, retained the Silverstone wheelchair title last year in a time of 49:44, more than five minutes faster than second-placed Simon Lawson, and will be targeting a fourth successive win.

Lawson will compete with Weir once again in 2015 after coming second to the ‘Weirwolf’ two years running.

Joining them will be 19-year-old Paralympic athlete Jade Jones who is set to compete at Silverstone for the third time.

Jones finished 30 minutes ahead of her nearest rival in her inaugural Silverstone Half to win the 2013 race in a time of 1:02:09.

She followed this up with an impressive second-place finish behind fellow Team GB member Shelly Woods in 2014.

The adidas Silverstone Half Marathon starts at noon on Sunday, March 15.

A family is hoping to use the power of social media to help locate a set of First World War medals that were stolen in a burglary in Northampton more than 30 years ago.

Medals belonging to the family of Ernest Wilson Howlett, a First World War soldier who served in Gallipoli, were stolen after thieves broke into a house in Harlestone Road in the early 1980s.

The appeal for the medals has been triggered by centenary celebrations of the start of the Great War and the memories of Mr Howlett’s daughter Elsie Eastwood, aged 93, of Duston.

Andrew Chapman, Elsie’s grandson, said: “With the centenary of the war last week she started reminiscing a lot and told us stories from her childhood about how her father used to sing to her. She would be absolutely over the moon to have those medals back.

“I have been working on putting together the family history for six years now and I would be thrilled to bits to be able to find them.

“We’ve tried many appeals recently but have had no luck so far. But we thought that with the things people come up with over Facebook etc, you never know.”

Mr Howlett served in the 1/4th Battalion of the Territorial Force Northamptonshire Regiment and the medals awarded included the ‘Victory Medal’ and the ‘British War Medal’.

He was one of five brothers that went to war in France but, sadly, only three of them returned.

Mr Howlett’s family are appealing for any information about the medals that may now be included in a private collection or a dealer’s collection.

If anyone does have any information about the medals call Mr Chapman on 01858 432914.

A specialist photographer has captured some dramatic views of Greyfriars Bus Station in Northampton ahead of Blowdown Day on Sunday.

Jamie Cooper, from HiOptic Photography, took these images on Saturday afternoon ahead of the demilition of one of the town’s most iconic buildings.

The bus station will be demolished at some point on Sunday. Northampton Borough Council has advised that public access to the site is not allowed but you can watch it live on the Chron’s webcam.

Northampton’s most famous son, comedian Alan Carr, says he has mixed feelings about the demolition of Greyfriars Bus Station in Northampton.

Tweeting last night, Carr looked back on his time growing back in the town.

“Don’t know how I feel about the demolition of Greyfriars bus station - I used to drink cider in there before I went to Roadmenders. #sobs,” he said.

Later, he added: “What are they replacing Greyfriars with? A trendy wine bar? *rolls eyes and shuffles off in slippers*.”

And then, he quipped: “Is that smelly cafe still there in the basement in Greyfriars bus station? You’d see people dry heaving before they got on their buses.”

Three streets in Nortampton remained closed on Sunday night after the demolition of Greyfriars Bus Station.

Northampton Borough Council said Greyfriars, Lady’s Lane and Abington Street in Northampton were still shut as crews worked to clear debris from the blowdown.

A spokeswoman for NBC said: “Good progress was made in clearing both roads but there is some minor surface damage to Greyfriars and Lady’s Lane and work to repair the carriageway will take place early on Monday morning.

“The Grosvenor Centre and Abington Street will be able to trade as normal and arrangements have been made for businesses to receive deliveries.

“The Grosvenor Centre car park will remain closed until Greyfriars and Lady’s Lane are repaired but the Mayorhold car park, Victoria Street car park and Newlands car park will all open as usual.

“North Gate bus station will open as normal and buses will follow the slight diversion route they took on Sunday.

“The roads will be open to traffic as soon as the repairs are complete and we will keep you updated during the day,” the spokeswoman added.

Cars are now able to drive along Abington Street after it was closed during the demolition of the bus station.

Stewards are on hand to ensure drivers can safely exit out of the top of Wellington Street and across onto Lady’s Lane.

A spokesman for Northampton Borough Council said: “Lady’s Lane and Greyfriars otherwise remain closed to traffic while the clear up continues following yesterday’s demolition of the Greyfriars building.

“The Grosvenor Centre car park also remains closed. We’ll keep you updated throughout today.”

Shop closures outweighed store openings in Northampton last year according to a new survey, which has revealed a further decline in the region’s high street.

The healthcheck of town centres in the East Midlands by professional services network PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), shows that far more outlets shut across the region than opened in 2014.

In Northampton 26 retail units closed, while only 17 opened.

Partner and retail expert at PwC in the East Midlands, Andy Lyon, said the decline in retail outlets is likely to continue over the coming years as more people choose to buy their goods on the internet.

He said: “We’re again seeing the continued effects of the digital revolution and consequent change in customer behaviour play out on the high street – these trends have been with us for some time and we should expect the rate of closures to continue.

“As customers are embracing new digital and mobile technologies, traditional retail channels to market are being forced to integrate with online channels to respond to this change in behaviour.

“The impact of this is that many retailers are choosing to invest in their online offering, rather than their store portfolio.”

Mr Lyon said high streets needed to ‘evolve’ to be relevant in the future as he said the younger generation had grown up with online shopping, mobile phones and wide-spread broadband and had ‘a very different relationship’ with traditional high streets than previous generations.

But leader of Northampton Borough Council, Councillor David Mackintosh (Con, Rectory Farm) said the PwC figures do not tally with the borough council’s own town centre healthcheck figures.

He said: “Every three months we complete a comprehensive survey of the town centre. We look at over 450 retail units and business premises.

“This gives us a large amount of detailed information about the health of our town centre that is regularly updated.

“In 2013 just over 16 per cent of premises in the town centre were vacant. Through free parking offers, Northampton Alive improvements and the success of the Business Incentive Scheme we have seen this figure drop to below 12 per cent.

“We have listened to our business community and worked with them to look at how the Borough Council can help to stimulate the local economy.

“Footfall figures are showing thousands of more people coming into Northampton, and a drop in the number of vacant units.”

Leader of the borough’s Labour group Councillor Les Marriott (Lab, Semilong) said, if the PwC figures are to be believed, the record of the town’s conservative administration could be called into question.

He said: “Seeing a decline in the number of overall shops in the town centre means you have to ask the question whether certain ‘Northampton Alive’ projects, such as North Gate Bus Station and the opening up of Abington Street, has actually been worthwhile.

“The number of shop closures must be very disappointing for Councillor Mackintosh having launched so many projects that don’t seem to have revitalised the town centre in the way he promised.”

Across the East Midlands the PwC figures show 446 outlets closed and 299 opened, a net reduction of 147 shops.

However Wellingborough Road in Northampton was one of only three areas in the PwC report to retain its number of shops - with one closure matched by a store opening.

Restructuring partner at PwC, Rob Hunt, said phone shops and money lending shops were hardest hit in the past year, though discount stores, charity shops and financial advisors ‘bucked the trend’ in the region by showing some growth.

He added that the insolvencies of Phones4U, Albemarle & Bond, and La Senza had also caused the 2014 figures to be so high.

“Despite the continuing problem of closures, new sub-sectors, such as discount shops and charity shops keep growing,” he said. “The strength of the restaurant and fast-food sectors is also a boost for the high street.”

A robber who claimed he had a gun stole cash from a Chinese takeaway in Northampton.

The man targeted the Golden Hill restaurant in Whitehills Crescent at about 9pm on Saturday, March 14.

Members of staff were behind the counter when a man entered with his face partially covered.

He implied he was armed with a gun and demanded cash.

The man, who is described as white, then left the restaurant with the money.

Officers investigating the case would like to speak to anyone who was in the area of the restaurant or who may know anything about this incident.

Witnesses, or anyone who knows anything about this incident, can 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.

CCTV stills have been released of a robber who stole cigarettes and cash from a Co-op in Northamptonshire while wearing a hooded top with the words ‘Criminal Damage’ on it.

The man, who is believed to be about 20, entered the Co-op in Ashby Road, Daventry, at about 8.25am on Saturday, March 14.

Inside the store he demanded cash and cigarettes from staff then fled on foot through the car park. He is described as white, about 5ft 10in, skinny and had a local accent.

He was wearing a distinctive red and white hooded top which may have featured a ‘Criminal Damage’ logo on the front and back.

He was also wearing either dark blue or black Adidas tracksuit bottoms.

Witnesses, or anyone who recognises the man from these pictures, can 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.

Lady’s Lane and Greyfriars in Northampton town centre remain closed today after being damaged during the Greyfriars bus station demolition.

Tumbling debris from the 20,000-tonne building caused some minor damage to the surface of the road in Lady’s Lane and a “larger depression” to the road in Greyfriars.

A Northamptonshire County Council spokesman said: “We believe that the space underneath Greyfriars may have been a former drain that has opened up, but both roads are being patched up now.

“It is hoped that both roads will be open by 6am tomorrow morning.”

The former bus station was demolished in six seconds yesterday morning in a “blowdown”.

Surrounding roads were closed but most have now been reopened.

Northamptonshire Police are trying to trace the owner of a racing bike that was recovered in Northampton town centre.

Police are appealing for the owner or anyone with information about the bicycle (pictured) to get in touch by calling 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.

Residents and businesses in Northampton are invited to take part in group litter picks across the town this weekend in celebration of Community Clear Up Day.

Events on Saturday, March 21, are taking place at the Dragon Mound in the Racecourse at 10am and at the stables in Delapre Park at 2pm.

Estate clear ups will be at Standens Barn at 12 noon, meeting at the community centre, and Bellinge at 1pm, meeting at the Community House.

Neighbourhood wardens will also be joining forces with representatives from Northampton Town Centre BID to clear litter in the town centre.

Community Clear Up Day, which was launched to mark the first day of spring this year, is an initiative intended to both bring communities together and clear up streets and public spaces.

Councillor Mike Hallam, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for the environment, said: “This national event is a great way to focus attention on the issue of littering.

“Keeping our town clean and tidy is something we can all help with. These clean ups will be going ahead and it will be great if volunteers can join us.”

A cyclist has died a day after he was involved in a collision with a car in Northamptonshire.

The man, who was in his 70s, was cycling along the A510 between Wellingborough and Finedon at about 11.05pm on Friday, March 13, when he was involved in a collision with a green Citroen Saxo close to Sidegate Lane.

The man died in hospital the following day.

Witnesses to this incident should call Northamptonshire Police’s Drivewatch hotline on 0800 174615.

A family from Northampton took part in the Silverstone Half Marathon to raise money in memory of their baby who lost her battle against a rare lung condition.

Hope Davey passed away last September at the John Radcliffe Hospital, barely a year after she was born with Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia (ACD).

Her mother, Kerry, has been fundraising for the David Ashwell Foundation, the charity that supported her family, ever since and on Sunday, Mother’s Day, ran the Half Marathon at Silverstone.

She said: “I’m a bit achey but it went very well. I did the race with my daughter, Regan, and our friends and we all wore orange t-shirts because that’s the colour Hope would always be drawn to.

“Hope was the only baby to live with this condition as all babies with ACD don’t live long after birth. But our daughter proved so many doctors and consultants wrong.

“I want to share my daughter’s story in the hope that it might in some way help other parents and families going through the heartache that we have and are still are going through.”

Since they began fundraising, the Davey family, from Scribers Drive in Upton, have generated £3,497 and have been promised further support by Tesco following Sunday’s race.

The David Ashwell Foundation supports research into the rare illness, which so far has no cure.

It is caused by an abnormal development of the capillary vascular system around the alveoli of the lungs and babies who have it may appear healthy but tend to develop fatal respiratory problems within hours.

The charity was set up in memory of David Fazlolla Upeska Ashwell who died of ACD in March 2011 only two weeks after he was born.

The efforts of the Davey family and their team have been mentioned in the USA-based Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia Association’s newsletter. In it Mrs Davey said: “I don’t think we will ever fully recover but, since losing Hope, I have found peace when I run. I put my earphones in and it’s me, the road ahead, and my baby girl.

“That brings me to where I am now, running the Half Marathon to help find a cure so other families won’t have to go through the heartache we have. I want people to see this and raise awareness and do their bit to bring hope into their family’s life around the world.”

The Daveys were among 7,000 who took part in the popular annual race at Silverstone, where runners gather to raise thousands for different charities every year.

Celebrity athletes this year included paralympic champion David Weir, TV and sports presenter Charlie Webster and Casualty actor George Rainsford, who all ran in support of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

To support them further, visit: www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Daveyfamily&isTeam=true

Permanent barriers have now been built along the pavement in Abington Street in Northampton.

The new metal rails are gradually replacing the temporary barriers and traffic cones put in place at the end of last year when work to open the upper part of the road to traffic was completed.

The one-way road goes from St Giles Terrace through to Wellington Street and has 30 parking bays and 17 disabled parking bays, free to use for up to two hours.

The project to depedestrianise the town’s main shopping street for the first time in 20 years took seven months to complete and was met with objection from people in the town blaming it for a drop in trade.

However, the road has been well-used and Northampton Borough Council leader David Mackintosh said at the time that there had been “great interest” from businesses keen to open in the street.