Elevate Northampton September 30, 2024

Issue 3: September 30, 2024

Author

Damian Smyth
September 30, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Inspirational quote of the week

"All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking” – Friedrich Nietzsche.

If you get stuck, go for a walk. Simples.

Useful business events happening this week

This section is popular, but we need your events. We’ll keep them in a spreadsheet for the year ahead so we won’t miss a thing! Get in touch and share your events, send them to: [email protected]

Monday, 30 September

Tuesday, 1 October 

Wednesday, 2 October 

Thursday, 3 October 

Saturday, 5 October 

  • Gin & Rum Festival The County Ground, Abington Avenue, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN1 4PR £20 (OK, so this isn’t really a business event, but I thought you might want to know anyway…)

If you have an upcoming event or run one of the above meetings and the details are incorrect, please do let us know.

Northampton Weather

If you thought last week was a turn for the winter worst, grab a snorkel and a wetsuit (or a boat)… as the biblical weather keeps coming! Oh, but there’s some sun next Saturday.

Sporting Fixtures

Weekly Fun Fact About Northampton

Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; the population of its overall urban area was recorded as 249,093 in the 2021 census.

Local Success Story

Northampton Psychologist's Kindness Calendar Goes Global

Peter Harper, a consultant clinical psychologist from Northampton, has achieved remarkable success by creating a Kindness Calendar that has touched millions of lives worldwide.

Inspired by his passion for creating a kinder, more compassionate society, Harper initially designed the calendar to share with his local church community in Northampton. The calendar suggests a kind action for each day of December, encouraging people to find different ways of being generous during the festive season.

Harper's initiative caught the attention of Dr. Mark Williamson, Director of Action for Happiness, who saw its potential to create a happier, more caring society. The organisation produced graphics for the calendar and uploaded them to its website, expecting limited circulation.

However, the response was exponential. Thanks to social media, nearly 2 million people worldwide downloaded the calendar, which has been translated into several languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, Lithuanian, and Icelandic.

"I've been amazed and delighted by how my original small action seems to have inspired so many," Harper shared. "I hope it has contributed to a kinder, happier, and more caring world."

The success of the December calendar led to the creation of a Happy New Year calendar for January, which more than 150,000 people have already downloaded. These calendars cover the Ten Keys to Happier Living, a concept Harper actively promotes as a member of Action for Happiness.

Harper's work is grounded in research showing that practising kindness can decrease stress, improve mood, and increase energy. "Starting each day to be kind has resulted in a decrease in my negative assumptions and an increase in my kind and compassionate behaviours," he explained.

The Northampton psychologist's simple idea has potentially sparked millions of acts of kindness worldwide. If only half of those downloading the calendar undertook acts of kindness for half the days in December, that's approximately 15 million acts of kindness worldwide!

Harper's Kindness Calendar is a shining example of how one person's idea can have a global impact. It showcases the incredible talents and compassionate spirit found within Northamptonshire, inspiring people worldwide to create a happier, more caring society.

Congratulations, Peter Harper! Your work continues to spread kindness and positivity from Northampton to the world.

West Northamptonshire Council

Welcome to West Northamptonshire Council, the single unitary council covering the areas of Northampton, Daventry and South Northamptonshire

www.westnorthants.gov.uk

About Us | Vulcan Works | Creative Workspaces Northampton

Bring your ideas to life with the support of a community of like-minded creatives in the centre of Northampton. Learn more about our new workspaces.

vulcanworks.co.uk/about-us

Where Northampton Businesses Go To Grow! | Northampton Local Meetings | Entrepreneurs Circle

eclocal.co.uk/Northampton

The Purpose of the Newsletter

We’re connecting Northampton businesses to get them working together to make this incredible town a UK business powerhouse. Please share it with your friends and colleagues, and let’s do this and get some great freebies for doing so:

Refer a business to sign up for this newsletter, and let’s Elevate Northampton!

Or share on social media and spread the love…