stevescoles

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Gothic Revival is asking Northampton if we know who we really are

Now that I think about it, even the address of the exhibition has a Gothic aftertaste: the Vulcan Works on Angel Square. When things just fall into place like that… I’m not a superstitious person, or a religious person but sometimes you get the impression that occasionally great unseen templates line up and the cold light of some universal truth can shine through. Welcome to Gothic Revival by…

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Mitchell relishing the build-up to the East Midlands derby

Northampton Saints scrum-half Alex Mitchell says he would like to bring his World Cup success back to the club ahead of “one of the biggest games of the season”.  Saints travel to Leicester Tigers in the East-Midlands derby this weekend as they make their early push into the top 4 of the Gallagher Premiership, writes James Logan.  The men in green, black, and gold will travel to their local…

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Full list of winners at Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards

The annual reveal of where to find the good stuff in Northamptonshire has taken place at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards. The judges have spent a year investigating restaurants, chefs and products from all over the county and the full list of medal winners is below. Scroll down for a report on the ceremony from the organisers. Artisan Local Drink of the Year, sponsored by J…

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Moving and powerful theatre for our troubled times. Review: I, Daniel Blake at Royal and Derngate, Northampton.

By Karin Johnstone “I am not a client, a customer, nor a service user. I am not a shirker, a scrounger, a beggar, nor a thief. I’m not a National Insurance Number or blip on a screen. I paid my dues, never a penny short, and proud to do so.” So states the eponymous Daniel Blake. Kathy and Daisy, played by Bryony Corrigan and Jodie Wild – All photography by Pamela Raith Seven years have passed…

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Book fair at Northampton Museum celebrates local writers

Calling all bibliophiles. Northampton Museum and Art Gallery is pleased to be hosting their first ever book fair! On Saturday 4th November, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery will be hosting its first ever Book Fair to the public. This will be a free event for visitors and will give them the opportunity to meet local authors, find out more about their books and perhaps pick up their next…

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More finalists revealed for the Weetabix Food and Drink Awards

As Autumn starts to show its face it means the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drinks Awards are on the final countdown to the Awards Dinner and revealing more category finalists.  This time it’s the turn of Healthy Food and Wellbeing, One to Watch, F&B Achiever, and Food & Drink College Student of the Year! The Food & Drink College Student of the Year Award is aimed at students aged between…

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How Northampton Bike Park will be celebrating a year of being open

It’s not dignified. I’m 55 and I’ve gone over the handlebars of a bike twice in the past year. Fortunately I roll like an 80kg medicine ball and didn’t land far from the track on either occasion. Somehow my injuries were only skin deep, more importantly my bike was fine and if I’m honest, I’ve got no-one but myself to blame. One incident was a simple error of judgment in terms of when to keep…

[stevescoles]

Four finalists announced for the Booker Young Chef of the Year

They wanted to find the best young chefs in Northamptonshire so they had a cook off...

‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’ is one of 18 categories in this year’s Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards. Sponsored by the ever supportive Booker, with an aim to encourage young talent and help to shine a light on the up and coming stalwarts of the kitchen.This year’s finalists, all under 25 years old, initially sold their potential on paper by describing their signature…

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'Big Aunty' got the Talawa

Alexia McIntosh, Keiren Hamilton-Amos, and Corey Campbell as Marcus (Credit: Nicola Young Photography) For me, the only issue with The Belgrade’s Big Aunty is that audiences never get to see Big Aunty AKA Vivienne Mavis Taylor. She is the title character who we get to know beyond the grave. With numerous people talking about her death, we then begin to understand her life. Of Jamaica, she was a…

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SOLD: Kuumba Nia Arts tells the story of Mary Prince

Source: Facebook (Kuumba Nia Arts) Born into enslavement on the Caribbean island of Bermuda in 1785, Mary Prince was the first woman to present an anti-slavery petition to Parliament. She also testified at two libel cases following the publication of her autobiography The History of Mary Prince (published in 1831). In its first year, it sold out three times. Mary Prince, after escaping…

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Obscured by quiche and coronation chicken? This must be Tory Glasto

“Just because they give you a seat at the table, doesn’t mean they want you to speak at the table” – Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, Postcolonial Banter Was the Coronation Simply Imperialist Tea on the Lawn? Introduction As Britain lies in the wake of a triage of royal propaganda since last summer – the Queen’s Jubilee in June, The Funeral in September, and more recently the Coronation of Charles and…

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Sometimes the way they talk about Saints is pure snobbery

Twenty minutes into Saints home victory over Saracens, just after Moon and Ludlam had crossed the line to score and perhaps three more scoring chances were lost to butterfingers, BT Sport had a touchline chat with one of the visiting coaches. He was asked to reflect on how well his side were controlling the game. To be fair, he did seem a bit wrongfooted by the question. A lot of Sarries’ most…

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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel welcomes you in Northampton this May

Tickets on sale for #Bestexoticmarigoldhotel which comes to #Northampton in May

The hugely popular adaptation of Deborah Moggach’s story of pensioners seeking a new life in India comes to Royal & Derngate with a star-studded cast. Based on the Sunday Times bestseller which inspired one of this century’s most treasured films, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel comes to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate this spring, from Tuesday May 9 to Saturday 13, with a cast including Paul…

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Weetabix pledges another three years of support for Northamptonshire food and drink awards

The Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is back for its fifteenth year with another sensational set of categories and sponsors.  The Awards are a celebration and recognition of excellence within the Northamptonshire food and drink sector. It is a toast to all that is great about local produce and drink and rewarding those who work so hard to achieve the best within the culinary…

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Forwards march for Saints and deliver the reaction we were waiting for

To some degree rugby operates in its own reality of outrageous expectations. Little guys bring down big guys. Un-kickable objects get booted through impossible gaps at unlikely angles. Players go forwards but the ball goes backwards. The team that got spanked last week will do the spanking this week. It’s the ‘reaction’ game. A team takes a shock result (like Bristol rugbying the bejesus out of…

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Review: Henry V, Royal and Derngate, Northampton - Once more into those ugly breeches, dear friends, once more...

Once more into those ugly breeches, dear friends, once more... Review #HenryV @RoyalDerngate #Northampton

Stripped back history play brings Shakepeare’s Globe and Headlong to Northampton stage Like this pared back, stark adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V, the audience was much reduced on Wednesday’s Press Night, due to heavy snowfall. But those of us who made it were tucked warmly into the Royal, watching the 20-something, newly-anointed King, bruised by his dying father’s distain, wreak havoc…

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Have we just seen Saints' try of the season? Maybe Netflix will tell us

Have we just seen Saints try of the season? #COYS #NORvGLO

The Netflix cameras are currently circling over rugby union in the hope of emulating the success of their Formula One fly on the wall hit Drive to Survive and this Gloucester game might have been ideal subject matter. It’s not a bad idea at all. Drive to Survive has helped me understand how the human element integrates with the technicalities of motorsport as the engineers of south…