Reclaim town's emerald heart

The Chronicle & Echo has launched a campaign to 'Reclaim The Racecourse' for the people of Northampton.

"We want to support the efforts of residents in the area, the Friends of Northampton Racecourse group (FONR), police and other bodies to tackle problems with anti-social behaviour, vandalism and the facilities available at the park.
For a number of years, despite being the largest recreation area in the county and the home of Northampton's famous Balloon Festival, The Racecourse has suffered from problems.
And many of the current facilities have come under attack from vandals and graffiti artists. The development of new facilities has been hampered by a lack of funding.
However a new era is dawning for The Racecourse. Thanks to the work of The Friends of Northampton Racecourse working alongside police and local authorities, improvements are already under way with new lighting and other schemes.
In the coming weeks the Chron will be spotlighting some of the issues and backing the campaign to tackle them.
We will be highlighting many of the good things going on there and helping to encourage the public to support to make more use of one of the jewels in Northampton's crown.
Most importantly, we also want to hear your opinions about what is needed to improve the park.
We will publicise the good and the bad, and we want the public to support the campaign.
Whether it be by lobbying authorities to push for improvements or simply taking the family there to enjoy this first-class facility, we want everyone to join in and Reclaim the Racecourse, so that it can be a facility to be proud of once again.

DO you have a view on Northampton's Racecourse and what could be done to improve it? Do you use it for sports or community activities and want to have your activities put in the spotlight?
Contact the Chron's Reclaim Racecourse reporter Melissa Lee on Northampton 467036 or email melissa.lee@northantsnews.co.uk"