Towcester dentistry, cricket and MotoGP traffic

Morning Towcester.

This week is more practical than dramatic: Towcester's NHS dentistry gap is now here, cricket has moved on from previews to results, and Silverstone's MotoGP weekend is about to put more pressure on the A43.

There is also a Family Hub drop-in, a Towcester Forum consultation, a cleared Dr Bike venue and a few bits of household admin. If this would help one NN12 person, please forward it on.

Right. Let's get into it.

Towcester Town Council closed the Town Hall offices on Wednesday 29 July after a grid issue caused intermittent power, or loss of power, for several three-phase-supply businesses around the Town Hall.

National Grid was on site to investigate and fix the fault. Council staff were working from home and able to access emails for urgent queries.

It is a small item, but it is the sort of small item that tells you why a phone call, office visit or bit of Watling Street business might have gone sideways this week.

Bridge Dental Practice's NHS contract was due to finish at the end of July, which means Towcester has now hit the date Sarah Bool raised in Parliament back in April: the withdrawal of the town's last NHS dental provision.

The practice's own site still says its NHS waiting list is closed while it works through existing patients, with new patients directed to private appointments. The BBC-syndicated report said Northamptonshire ICB was trying to find a viable solution for NHS dentistry in the Towcester area.

That is a real household problem, not a Westminster talking point. If you were relying on affordable check-ups close to home, "call 111 if urgent" is not the same as having routine NHS care in town.

Towcestrians' 1 August results are in, and it was a mixed afternoon rather than a clean set of scorecards.

The 1st XI were awarded the game after Desborough Town 2nd XI conceded.

The 2nd XI were bowled out for 163 chasing Northampton Saints 3rd XI's 177 for 6, a 14-run defeat at Greens Norton Road.

The 3rd XI lost by 87 runs at Byfield, with Byfield 2nd XI making 244 for 8 before Towcestrians were all out for 157. After last weekend's two wins and one narrow defeat, this was a reminder that local cricket can turn quickly.

The Towcestrians autumn warm-up diary is starting to fill in.

Towcestrians RFC's 1st XV fixtures page now shows home friendlies on Thursday 20 August at 7pm and Saturday 29 August at 3pm, with Buckingham due at Greens Norton Road on Wednesday 2 September.

Not quite match-report season yet, but close enough to start checking boots and calendars.

West Northamptonshire Council has a Support in Education drop-in at Towcester Family Hub on Thursday 6 August, 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

It is for parents and carers dealing with attendance barriers, home education questions, unidentified or unmet needs, or repeated suspensions. It is at The Forum on Moat Lane, and WNC asks new Family Hub users to register before arriving.

West Northamptonshire Council's adult social-care consultation runs until 9 September and includes day services at Towcester Forum.

This is not the same as the short adult-care survey that closed on 30 July. It is a longer look at council-run services, including how buildings and support are used, modernised and kept sustainable. If your family uses Towcester Forum, or could be affected by changes to day services, this is the one still worth answering.

SNVB's July/August Stay Connected newsletter pulls low-cost and free school-holiday activities into one regularly updated document.

That is useful for parents and carers who do not want to chase six different pages every time the weather turns. SNVB says more August events will be added through the holidays, so it is worth checking again rather than treating it as a one-and-done list.

Community Action Northants has a Renew169 Wellbeing Cafe garden volunteer role at the Tove Valley Centre allotments on Northampton Road.

The ask is practical: help with growing, weeding and sharing basic gardening knowledge on Tuesday or Thursday mornings, once or twice a month. If you like the idea of a community garden that also gives people a calmer place to be, this is a local way to put that instinct to work.

British Grand Prix MotoGP - Fri 7 to Sun 9 Aug, Silverstone. Silverstone's own travel advice says A43 roadworks between Towcester and Silverstone may add time. Northamptonshire Police says event traffic plans are managed with National Highways and advises drivers to allow extra time, follow signs and diversions, and use Silverstone Radio on 87.7FM or 1602MW for live traffic updates. Translation for NN12: expect the A43 and the Towcester-Silverstone approaches to feel busier than a normal August weekend.

Folk at the Mill - Sun 9 Aug, 2pm, Towcester Mill. Afternoon folk session with Towcester-based duo Jenkinson's Folly.

Summer Dr Bike Safety Event - Fri 14 Aug, 12.30pm to 2.30pm, Volunteer Centre, Riverside, Islington Road. Free quick bike checks and repairs for young people, hosted with SNYE.

750 Motor Club International - Sat 15 to Sun 16 Aug, Silverstone. Club racing on the International Circuit, with paddock access and family entertainment.

Summer of Sport roadshow - Fri 21 Aug, 1pm to 5pm, Towcester Recreation Ground. Free family sports afternoon; no booking required. Activities include cycling, fitness, martial arts, padel demos, Salcey Forest activities, creative arts and more.

Let's talk about Watling Street.

Towcester Museum puts it neatly: the road the town is built on has been a military route, a border, and a coaching road. Which is a very grand way of saying Towcester has spent a couple of thousand years being somewhere people pass through and locals have to live with.

That explains quite a lot, really.

The A5 is not just a line on a traffic map. It is part of why the town exists, why coaching inns mattered, why Roman history keeps popping up under modern plans, and why a blocked junction can still make everyone oddly philosophical and furious at the same time.

So if this week's MotoGP traffic makes the A43 grumble and Watling Street feel a bit too historic, there is your consolation: Towcester has been doing road drama since before most towns had roads worth dramatizing.

Not useful in a queue, admittedly. But it does make the queue feel slightly more on brand.

If you found this useful, please forward it to one person in Towcester or NN12 who would use it.

And if you've spotted a wrong date, missing event, local result, closure, reopening, grant, planning wrinkle or small thing that everyone on your street is talking about, hit reply.

See you next week.

-- Atlas & Lee, somewhere in NN12