BBC Northampton will be covering the multicultural festival event with presenter John Griff as host.
Radio Inspiration and Northampton Chronicle and Echo will also be covering the event. 

Please visit the multicultural festival page to purchase your ticket for the evening at the Deco Theatre.

We will have entertainment from people of Greek, African, Bangladeshi heritage as well as performances from local gymnastics group Gymnastricks and many more.

There will Thai, Caribbean, Chinese, Indian, Polish & other cuisines.

There will be craft stalls from a variety of cultures.

Fashion shows will feature African, Indian, Chinese, Greek and other costumes.

If you are interested in participating in the multicultural festival and show please contact us asap.

You may be thinking about contacting a money adviser to help sort out your financial difficulties but the fear of the unknown is stopping you. Here's an outline of what you can expect at your first meeting.

You will have been asked in advance to bring information about  ALL of your debts, your latest statement or letter from the creditor will be enough. You might have court paperwork or bailiff information as well....the golden rule is just to bring everything together with details of your income.

The adviser will sort the debts into an order of importance and deal with any looming emergencies by contacting the creditor to ask for time to set things in motion. You will then work together on a preliminary financial statement. This is simple a budget sheet that shows your income on one side and your essential spending on the other. There are agreed amounts for housekeeping depending on family size and ages of children but don't be too worried if these appear low for you adjustments can be made. All payments to priority creditors will be included in this.

Spending is then deducted from income and if anything is left it will be shared out amongst the non-priority creditors. If there is zero income left then token offers of £1 per month will be made. The interest will be frozen. Creditors rarely disagree because if they went for court action, the courts work from the same figures as the advice agencies.

As the first bills following the festive excesses begin to land on the mat, many people will be wondering just how to go about making the repayments. Often people can be up close to their credit limits before December but still feel inclined to " have a good time, buy the children expensive presents" and worry about repaying later.

Well, later has now arrived! Tactics are important here.
Debts fall into two categories, priority and non-priority. The priority ones are , as the name suggests, the most important and include rent, mortgages, council tax, utilities, hire purchase and any loans secured on your property. These must be paid in full first ( unless you have negotiated reduced payments temporarily). What you mustn't do is pay the credit and store cards first and miss priority payments. Those two along with Payday loans, mail order and Shopacheck etc  have less serious consequences if a payment is missed or only a part payment is made. These are the non-priority debts.

Do not start using your credit card to make rent and mortgage payments. If you are having difficulties seek advice from the links on this site. The sooner you do so, the sooner you will regain control over your finances. Don't be put under pressure by creditors either by letter of often on the phone. They all put themselves at the top of the pile for importance, but as I've indicated , there is a strict distinction regarding the importance of debts. Finally, if you do miss a payment or payments and you receive a letter from the creditor, don't ignore it, seek advice.

Kevin Armstrong, Debt Adviser

People can encounter debt problems at any stage of their lives and for a variety of reasons. The most important thing to remember is that it is never too late to seek help. The worst thing to do is to bury your head in the sand and hope that it will go away. It won't! Delaying asking for help will only make the debt become increasingly unmanageable and the strain on relationships will get greater and greater.
Ignore debt management companies when seeking help. They will charge a fee, thus increasing your indebtedness. Look for organisations like Stepchange, Citizens' Advice or the Money Advice Service. All are free and all are non-judgemental. No-one is going to ask why you got into debt or question what you spend your income on. They will deal with your creditors on your behalf thus removing the pressure of answering phone calls or replying to letters. Both of those, at times can be quite threatening.

Give it a try. Arrange an interview and see how you feel about what is on offer.

Kevin Armstrong, Debt Adviser