Residents are being asked to come up with ideas to support local armed forces. The council is accepting applications for the third round of the Community Covenant Grant Scheme. Applications close on August 15.

The scheme aims to support members of the armed forces and strengthens its ties with the wider community.

Local groups and projects can apply for grants from £100 to £250,000.

To be eligible to bid, an application must be able to demonstrate a connection to the armed forces and encourage greater understanding of the issues affecting them and the sacrifices they have made.

Councillor Khtija Malik said: “Whether you are part of a charity or community group; or even if you an individual with a great idea, please get in touch and let us know how it will raise awareness or improve the lives of our returning heroes.”

For more information, or to download an application form go to www.luton.gov.uk/community or call 01582 548777.

Shoppers were joined by veterans from the Armed Forces, sea cadets and the Mayor at The Mall for the unveiling of the poppy sculpture on Friday, August 1. Kate Staniforth, The Mall’s marketing manager, said: “It was great to see such a mix of the community come together in order to commemorate those that had fought in the First World War.

Active Luton have teamed up with the council to organise Nordic Walking sessions at Stockwood Park. They take place every Friday at 9.30am for one hour, people walk with ski poles to propel themselves along.

The exercise burns up to 46 per cent more calories than ordinary walking and is one of the fastest growing activities in the world.

The sessions have been organised as a result of feedback from the Your Say, Your Way programme, residents identified health and wellbeing as a major concern.

Helen Barnett, chief executive of Active Luton, said: “Nordic Walking is great exercise for people of all ages and fitness abilities. It is simple to learn and does not require expensive clothing or equipment like other sports and exercises. I encourage as many people as possible to come along and give it a go.”

Active Luton are offering an introductory price of £1 per session.

For more information visit www.activeluton.co.uk

Are there enough polling stations in Luton, are they in the right place and do they have adequate facilities for the disabled? The council would like your input for a review. Call 01582 546781 to find out how to make your feelings known.

Former Luton pharmacist and psychologist Gerald Fox – who’s just penned his first psychological thriller - says his next work may well be a Carry On style comedy.

Gerald, who started with a small chemist shop in Upper George Street and went on to buy Herington Pharmacies in Dunstable, claims he has enough material from his early career to sustain an entire scipt.

The grandfather-of-five said: “I’ve got literally dozens of anecdotes.

“One of my first prescriptions was for several gallons of cough mixture. I thought it was either a practical joke, an error or the result of drink – until I rang the prescriber, Whipsnade vet Martin Senior.

“‘It’s for an elephant,’ he told me.

“Then there was the junior I overheard advising a customer to rub warts with raw steak then bury it in the garden . . . you can imagine my response. But a month later the lady returned to say thank you, it had worked.”

Another zealous young trainee – keen to use her marketing skills – asked her first customer what size he needed when he popped in for some condoms.

Gerald, who now lives in Whipsnade with Hilary, his wife of 40 years, retired in 2005.

He read pharmacy in London but took up psychotherapy after being concerned that medication was not the answer to many patients’ psychological problems.

He also researched fingerprints as genetic factors and wrote a well-received paper about how they could be used to indicate personality.

In addition he was asked to write a report on rapist and armed robber Malcolm Fairley – alias The Fox.

Gerald recalled: “I spent a whole day assessing him inside Gartree maximum security prison in Leicester and made a full report to his court trial.”

So is The Fox one of the characters in Gerald’s debut offering A Bird Stuck on the Sky? All he will reveal is the story is based on real-life cases.

The one-time director of Dunstable Football Club enjoys reading autobiographies and is a fan of Dickens and P G Wodehouse: “But my all-time favourite is Joseph Heller’s Catch 22.”

He finds writing “utterly absorbing” and is already planning another, very different, book.

A Luton man and woman have been charged with offences concerning the supply of drugs after being arrested by Beds Police on direction of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Roshaan Malcolm, 20, and Rebecca Kirkby, 23, both of Spear Close Luton, have been charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin), one count of possession with intent to supply class B drugs (cannabis).

Malcolm is also charged with being in possession of a

bladed article – namely an axe - in a public place.

The pair were remanded in custody on Tuesday night and appeared before Luton Magistrates Court yesterday morning.

Luton Borough Council are planning to improve day services for adults with a learning disability. A new multi-purpose building will be built in Stopsley to assist people who need specialist care and a new respite building for carers will be built on the same site.

Poignant personal stories and artefacts are brought together with the brutal realities of war in a new display at Wardown Park Museum.

Opening yesterday, the display is a combination of personal items, including poems, letters and diaries alongside the museum’s own collection of war memorablia.

Earlier this year the museum launched its website encouraging people to upload their own stories of family members caught up in the 1914-18 World War One.

Since then, stories, artefacts and pictures have been included, with extra information often researched by museum staff and volunteers.

More than 2,000 men from Luton and the surrounding villages were killed in the conflict.

A census taken in 1918 to find how many men were unavailable to vote in the forthcoming General Election because they were fighting, has more than 8,000 names on it.

The display at Wardown is particularly poignant. It was here during the war that men came to convalesce before being discharged and often sent back to the front. Around 23 men are believed to have died at the hospital.

The display hosts a replica of a trench at Gallipoli where the 5th Bedfordshire Regiment was sent in 1915. There are also uniforms, weapons and a scale model of what life would have been like in the trenches.

Display boards set out just some of the hundreds of personal stories of people either at the front, or working on the home front.

Many women worked in munitions factories in Luton supplying vital supplies to the armed forces.

All the stories on show can also be seen in more detail on the website at http://www.worldwar1luton.com/

The exhibition will be open at the museum until January.

Dunstable road roundabout will be closed from 10pm till 5am, from Monday, August 11, till Friday, August 15, to carry out resurfacing work.

Diversions will be in place on the roundabout at the junction of Dunstable road, Oakley road and Chaul End Lane.

Councillor Dave Taylor, said: “Resurfacing work is essential to ensure that our roads are kept in good condition and are safe for drivers.

“We’ve planned the works overnight to ensure that we keep disruption to an absolute minimum but do apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

For more information call 01582 54 7178.

Sainsbury’s in Bury Park Luton has announced that Happy Days Children’s Charity will receive a year’s worth of fundraising and awareness support.

The charity, who support disadvantaged children experience the best of what life has to offer, will be the new Local Charity for the Sainsbury’s store. To celebrate the announcement, a launch day will be taking place at the store on Friday (August 8) with representatives from Happy Days on hand to greet customers throughout the day.

The retailer’s Local Charity scheme is now in its sixth year and gives customers the chance to vote for their favourite cause to receive a year’s worth of support from their supermarket. The scheme has raised over £6 million to support local charities since 2009.

Customers had a huge say in this year’s choice and voted in-store and online between May 28 and June 8.

Store manager, Mark Jacklin said: “We’ve had a great response from our customers this year, both through in-store and online votes. We’re delighted to have chosen a charity which touched many of our colleagues’ hearts.

“We will now be working closely with the charity to ensure they really benefit from being our Local Charity for the next 12 months”.

Two Beds Police officers will appear in court over the assault of an autistic man from Luton.

Faruk Ali, 33, was allegedly beaten while watching bin collectors outside his Whitby Road home on February 20.

His sister Husna Begum said she was woken by the sound of Faruk screaming and says she saw a man dragging him across the floor and punching him.

Christopher Thomas, 33, from Welwyn Garden City, will be attending court to answer charges of with racially aggravated assault, assault, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office.

Christopher Pitts, 39, from Bedford, will be attending court to answer charges of perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office.

Both constables will appear at Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court on September 1.

The charges have been brought forward as Leicestershire Police carries out a thorough investigation into the incident, under the supervision of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Beds Police said it is “continuing to do all it can to support this investigation”.

The amount of fines for Luton parents whose children have had unauthorised absences from school is one of the highest in the country.

Over the last year 2,249 fines were doled out by Luton Borough Council for unauthorised absences– a 61% rise from 2012-13.

That rate is the fifth highest in 118 surveyed councils across England, putting it ahead of Manchester, East Sussex and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Lancashire attributed for the highest amount of fines at 3,106, with Kent, Leicester and West Sussex the only other local authorities ahead of Luton.

Figures show that nationally fines have spiralled since the government introduced a ban on term-time holidays.

One parent who contacted the Luton News said: “Last year when we went away for a week there was no fine as they both my children had excellent attendance records at their primary school and were doing very well in their lessons.

“Now the rules have changed and headteachers appear to have less discretion about issuing fines.

“It may be a fine of £240, but the holiday was £1,200 cheaper than going a few weeks later in August which would have avoided the penalty.

“If my kids had SATS on the horizon then it would have been different, but at their age taking them out wasn’t going to harm their education, especially as they don’t seem to do much in the final weeks before term ends.

“We shouldn’t be fined in the same way as parents whose children are persistent truants.”

A council spokesperson said the figures were high as the authority takes school attendance ‘very seriously’.

He added: “Recent changes to guidance mean that schools are advised that they should only authorise term-time in exceptional circumstances.

“Luton schools apply this guidance rigorously and consistently.

“Whilst it is at a headteacher’s discretion whether or not to grant term-time, heads in Luton take a firm line in discouraging term-time leave in order to maximise the educational benefits to their students and pupils.”

The spokesperson added that the council’s rules are reviewed regularly.

He said: “Whilst LBC advises schools to authorise leave sparingly, we, together with schools, try to recognise the effects of these decisions on families.

“This is why schools look at each case individually before making a decision.

“And we ensure that we review our policies and their effects regularly.

“This is in order to action the right balance between supporting individual families with their particular circumstances and preventing children form missing valuable school time unnecessarily.”

Latest Department for Education stats puts attendance in Luton schools at 94.9%, joint best in the eastern region.

As advance work on the A5-M1 link Dunstable Northern Bypass progresses there will be road closures in the area over the weekend.

The works, which start on August 9, will be a continuation of the re-routing of two overhead high powered electricity cables by UK Power Networks in advance of the main construction work of the A5-M1 Link Dunstable Northern Bypass, which is currently programmed for spring 2015.

Highways Agency Project Manager, Karen Green, said: “It’s important that this work is done now, as it will help us stay on target for our planned start of the main construction work in spring 2015.

“We have worked with UKPN and local partners to ensure that the impact on road users is minimised, which is why the work will be carried out at weekends, when traffic levels are lower.”

During the work, Houghton Road in Dunstable will be closed from its junction with Luton Road down to Windy Willows Nursery on Sundon Road.

The road will be closed from Saturday 9 August, 00:01, and will reopen on Monday 11 August, 00:01.

There will be a second closure from Saturday 16 August at 00:01, re-opening Monday 18 August, 00:01.

Traffic will be diverted from Luton Road (B579) towards Toddington, turning right onto Fancott Bridleway (B530) to the A5120, then left, to continue through Toddington.

Diverted traffic will then continue to the mini roundabout in Houghton Regis, taking the first exit onto the High Street, continuing on East End to Chequers roundabout and taking the first exit onto Sundon Road to continue onto Houghton Road.

Traffic travelling from Sundon Road will be diverted on the reverse route.

Access for local residents will be maintained subject to possible delays, and through traffic will be prohibited. There will be further weekend local road closures later in the year, which will be announced at a later date.

Advance work on the much anticipated A5-M1 Link Dunstable Northern Bypass started on May 27 following approval of the scheme by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

The main construction work on the A5-M1 Link Dunstable Northern Bypass improvement scheme is due to start by spring 2015 subject to the completion of the statutory process.

>To keep up to date with site preparation work and closures on roads around the scheme, visit http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/A5-M1-Link-Dunstable-Northern-Bypass.

Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is inviting nature lovers to take part in the final weekend of the world’s largest butterfly survey.

A butterfly walk is taking place on Saturday August 9 at Sharpenhoe Clappers, a stunning National Trust Reserve which forms part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Butterfly-lovers can look for Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells, Commas and other Big Butterfly Count species.

Butterfly Conservation’s President, Sir David Attenborough, said: “Butterflies fought back last year after a terrible 2012 but despite this, butterfly numbers were still below average. Three-quarters of the UK’s butterflies are in decline and one-third are in danger of extinction.

“This is bad news for butterflies and it is bad news for the UK’s birds, bees, bats and other wildlife. This is because butterflies are a key indicator species of the health of our environment – if they are struggling, then many other species are struggling also.

“Every single person taking part in the Big Butterfly Count this summer can produce a statistic that is of real value as their records help build a picture of how butterflies are faring and how we can best conserve them.”

The event will begin from 10.30am at the National Trust car park on Sharpenhoe Road, between Streatley and Sharpenhoe.

David Chandler from the Butterfly Conservation said: “This is the perfect opportunity to take part in some final counts.

“It’s a beautiful place to see butterflies, with breath-taking views and we’ve already spotted plenty of the Big Butterfly Count species here, like the Marbled White.”

No need to book, you can just turn up on the day

“I’ll also be on the lookout for the Chalk Hill Blue butterfly, which has a breeding colony on the chalk downland of the reserve.”

Unlike the two blue butterflies on this year’s Big Butterfly Count ID chart - the Common Blue and Holly Blue - the Chalk Hill Blue is larger in size and the males are paler, with almost silvery coloured upper wings.

If you’d like to attend the Sharpenhoe Clappers event, please just turn up on the day or for more information, email David Chandler: branch-liason@bedsnorthants-butterflies.org.uk

A woman punched a victim as she and an accomplice attempted to rob him in Luton this morning,

The incident happened at approximately 9am as the victim, a 26-year-old man, was walking along Rothesay Road.

One woman stopped the victim asking for change and when the victim checked his wallet a second woman appeared.

The second offender demanded the victim hand over his wallet and then tried to grab it from his grasp before the first offender punched him in the face.

Both women ran from the scene empty handed.

The first offender is described as a black woman, mid to late 30s, 5’6” tall with a slight build and her hair tied back. She wore a dark jacket or coat and trousers.

The second offender is described as a mixed race woman with freckles, approximately 5’7” tall with a slight build and fuzzy hair which was tied up. She wore a light coloured t-shirt and jogging bottoms.

DC Lucy Arnold, investigating, would like to urge anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone who may have been approached by these women to come forward and contact the police.

DC Arnold said: “This area of the town is busy during the morning and it is possible that other pedestrians or road users may have noticed the two women.

“I would urge these people to come forward as they may hold vital information that could help identify the women responsible.”

Anyone with information relating to the incident can contact DC Arnold, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394285, or Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Police have released CCTV images of a man that they would like to speak with after a 33-year-old woman was robbed in Luton last Saturday (August 2).

The incident took place at around 2pm as the woman was walking along Ashton Road, Luton.

The offender approached the woman from behind and tried to grab the purse that she was carrying.

The victim refused to let go and grappled with the offender before biting him on the arm in an attempt to get him to release her purse but she finally let go and the offender fled the area.

Detective Constable Lucy Arnold, who is investigating the robbery, would like to hear from anyone who may recognise the man pictured or may have information relating to the robbery.

The offender was a black man, in his mid-20s, around 5ft 9ins tall, of average build and wearing a dark coloured hood top.

If you have information relating to this incident, contact DC Arnold, in confidence, on 01582 394285, the non-emergency number 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Beds Police are appealing for witnesses after a 62-year-old driver was assaulted in the car park of the Co-operative store in Barton Le Clay.

The incident happened on Saturday, August 2 between 4pm and 5pm as the victim was parking in the Bedford Road car park.

A very tall, stocky white man got out of a white van and approached the victim shouting abuse.

He then hit the victim several times before getting back in to the van and driving off.

The victim was left with bruising to his arm and face and a twisted knee joint.

PC Barry Smith, investigating, is keen to trace other motorists and shoppers in the area at the time of the incident.

PC Smith said: “This incident happened during daylight hours in a busy car park.

“There was a lot of shouting prior to the assault which would have drawn the attention of people in the area and I would urge these people to come forward and tell officers what they heard and saw.”

Anyone with information relating to the incident can contact PC Smith, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394217, or Bedfordshire Police on 101.

Alternatively you can contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A child has reportedly been hit by a bus on Dustable Road, Luton, this afternoon.

Police have cordoned off the road and motorists have been advised to avoid the area while collision investigation takes place.

An East of England spokesperson told Luton News: “We were alerted to the incident at 15:47 and sent two rapid response cars, two ambulances and a duty operations manager.

“We are still on the scene.”

Comic-book adventure sequel CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (12: Walt Disney) plays like an old-school political thriller.

Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers (aka star-spangled super-soldier Captain America) and grows into his role with supreme confidence.

When Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is left for dead, another threat to world security emerges. Rogers, who has been in cryogenic storage for 70 years, joins forces with fellow Avenger Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and newcomer to the franchise Anthony Mackie, who plays airborne wingman Falcon.

Following a battle with a mysterious cyborg assassin, Captain America and Black Widow become fugitives and try to bring down a sinister conspiracy.

The resulting action covers the full gamut of spectacular destruction, from highway car chases to heli-carrier sky battles. Yet it’s the characters’ interplay and the deviously well-constructed story that add weight to the film.

> A man on the brink of retirement discovers his pension has been stolen by his company’s crooked new owner in screwball caper THE LOVE PUNCH (12: Entertainment One).

Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson are like a pair of giddy schoolkids as the film tracks the divorced couple’s bumbling efforts to steal a diamond necklace from the fat cat who has squandered the fund.

Their mission takes them to the French Riviera, where they scale cliff-faces, get into car chases and fall in love with each other all over again.

It’s utterly silly and the plot’s a bit clumsy, yet that is also the movie’s charm.

Sheer exuberance more than makes up for its faults and Timothy Spall and Celia Imrie provide sterling support.

> Trying to turn a doorstep-sized novel into a film was several steps too far for fledgling director Akiva Goldsman with WINTER’S TALE (12: Warner).

A romantic fantasy is injected with heavy doses of realism as Colin Farrell plays a petty thief who falls in love with an ailing heiress (Downton Abbey’s Jessica Brown Findlay) he intended to rob in 1916. Untouched by the ageing process, he’s still walking the streets of New York 100 years later.

The supernatural repercussions are part of a much larger story of good and evil in which the lovers are beset by a hammy Russell Crowe as a demon with a broad ‘Oirish’ accent bent on spoiling their happiness.

Gaps in logic and emotional reasoning become gulf-sized towards the grand finale, which involves Jennifer Connelly. The scope of Goldman’s vision is to be admired, but despite the epic sweep, the story ends up feeling comparatively small.

> Solid sci-fi horror THE LAST DAYS ON MARS (15: Universal) sees a group of scientists at the end of a research mission preparing to leave the red planet when one of their number goes missing.

A rescue party led by the captain (Elias Koteas) and a senior engineer (Liev Schreiber) head out to search for their colleague, only to discover more than they bargained for.

The influences of Alien and The Thing are obvious and the cast are OK in stereotypical roles, but the spooks and shocks are telegraphed too far in advance.

Early years settings and practitioners who have gone the ‘extra mile’ were honoured at the annual The Ann Mason Making a Difference Conference.

The event, organised and hosted by Luton Borough Council’s early years special educational needs team, aimed to highlight achievement and best practice among service providers from the private and voluntary sectors who support young children with special needs.

Awards were presented by the leader of the council, councillor Hazel Simmons, to the practitioner who has undertaken exceptional work over the past year, the setting that has worked outstandingly together and the outstanding Portage practitioner.

Ghosia Akhtar, who has incorporated the Portage principles at Denbigh Pre-School, was praised for her instinctive and inspirational approach towards the children.

The Poppies Nursery Team, who deliver high levels of support to families, were praised for providing activities and support for throughout the school holidays.

Becki Thorne, an inclusion coordinator at Kids Unlimited, was awarded for her outstanding work ensuring the needs of families always come first.