Burcote Road closure, cricket double win and A5 design watch

Welcome to your Wednesday Waffle, Towcester & NN12.

Living in and around Towcester, you shouldn't need to spend your week decoding council minutes, combing separate fixture lists, or guessing why road cones have appeared on your morning route just to stay connected to your own town. That is why we are here: to do the digging, filter out the noise, and give you a sharp, five-minute guide to what actually matters on your doorstep.

This week, we are helping you avoid a surprise Burcote Road closure, celebrating a 157-run cricket masterclass, watching the next moves on A5 town-centre designs, and flagging crucial care and policing deadlines.

Our mission is to ensure nobody in NN12 gets left out of the loop. If you value having a clear local guide in your inbox every Wednesday, please invite a neighbour, friend, or local colleague to subscribe to The Towcester Waffle. When more of us are informed, our whole community thrives.

Right. Let's get into it.

Towcester Town Council has issued notification that Burcote Road will close for a single off-peak day on Monday 24 August.

West Northamptonshire Council is carrying out gully-cleansing works along the stretch between the Burcote Wood mini-roundabout and Besses Lane. The closure and official diversion route are logged on one.network.

It is not major structural upheaval, but it is exactly the kind of routine daytime road closure that can ruin an afternoon school run or commute if you do not know it is happening.

National Highways' A5 Towcester improvements project is still preparing for its upcoming public information events.

The relief road is open and the 7.5-tonne weight limit through the centre of Towcester is firmly in place between Old Tiffield Road and Cowpastures Lane. The crucial next chapter is the detailed design work: where the new controlled pedestrian crossings sit, how shared cycling and walking paths are configured, and the timing of full carriageway resurfacing.

National Highways says the project team is refining these plans ahead of summer information sessions where residents and businesses can inspect the drawings in person. We will flag those dates as soon as they are announced.

West Northamptonshire Council has launched its annual voter registration canvass, with letters and forms landing through letterboxes across Towcester and surrounding villages over the coming weeks.

The annual canvass ensures the electoral register remains up to date ahead of next year's local council elections. If your household details are unchanged, many residents will not need to take any action, but the letter explains whether a response is legally required. It takes two minutes to check and prevents administrative headaches at polling stations later.

Towcestrians CC enjoyed a prolific Saturday, picking up two comprehensive senior victories on 15 August.

The 1st XI delivered a commanding performance against Thrapston 2nd XI, piling on 293 for 7 from their 45 overs before bowling out the visitors for 136 in 33.2 overs to seal a 157-run victory and 20 league points. The 2nd XI were equally sharp on the road against Heyford 2nd XI, dismissing their hosts for 133 in 36.5 overs and knocking off the target in just 26.3 overs for a comfortable six-wicket win (134 for 4).

Looking ahead to this Saturday, 22 August, the 1st XI travel to St. Crispin & Harlestone 2nd XI, while the 2nd XI host Bold Dragoon 2nd XI at Greens Norton Road from 12pm, and the 3rd XI visit MK Air 3rd XI at the Obelisk Centre.

Northampton Saints have appointed centre Fraser Dingwall as club captain ahead of the 2026/27 Gallagher Premiership title defence.

The 27-year-old, who has made 130 appearances for Saints since graduating through the academy, takes over the reins as the squad prepares for their historic pre-season tour fixture against the Asia Pacific Lions at the Racecourse Ground in Colombo on Friday 28 August.

West Northamptonshire Council has two active adult social-care consultations closing soon:

South Northants Youth Engagement (SNYE) is running free activity sessions for young people aged 9 and over across two surrounding villages in late August and early September.

The drop-in sessions take place at:

All sessions are free to attend. You can find full details on the SNYE website or follow South Northants Youth Engagement on Facebook for updates.

Northamptonshire Police has issued a fresh call for Towcester and South Northamptonshire residents to help set neighbourhood policing priorities for the coming months.

The current local focus (April to September) covers rural crime, road safety, and drug misuse, but officers want direct community feedback on the specific streets, parking issues, or anti-social behaviour hot spots causing concern in NN12. You can submit your feedback directly via Northamptonshire Talking.

Towcester Family Hub is hosting a SEND Stay and Play session on Thursday 27 August, 1pm to 2.30pm at The Riverside Centre on Islington Road.

Aimed at children aged 0 to 5 with additional needs, the session features sensory activities, messy play, and advice from qualified early-years staff. Free to attend, but families should register with Family Hubs before coming along.

Towcester Play & Activity Day - Fri 21 Aug, 1pm to 5pm, Towcester Recreation Ground (Islington Road). SNYE's annual free community play and activity day in partnership with the WNC Summer of Sport roadshow, featuring padel demos, martial arts, inflatables, and creative workshops. More info on SNYE and Facebook.

Craig Live at Towcester Mill - Fri 21 Aug, 7pm to 10pm, Steam Room & Beer Garden, Towcester Mill. Live acoustic covers, free entry, with food from The Hungry Trailer from 5pm.

🏏 Towcestrians Cricket Home Match - Sat 22 Aug, 12pm, Greens Norton Road. Towcestrians 2nd XI take on Bold Dragoon 2nd XI.

SNYE Youth Activity Session (Potterspury) - Mon 24 Aug, 3pm to 5pm, Potterspury Village Hall. Free activities for ages 9+ run by SNYE (repeats Wed 2 Sep, 4pm to 6pm).

SNYE Youth Activity Session (Greens Norton) - Wed 26 Aug, 1pm to 3pm, Greens Norton Community Centre. Free activities for ages 9+ run by SNYE (repeats Tue 1 Sep, 4pm to 6pm).

Towcester Police Beat Bus Visits - Wed 26 Aug. Drop in to speak to neighbourhood officers: Stoke Bruerne Canal Car Park (9.30am to 10.30am), Roade Library (11am to noon), and Islington Road Recreation Ground (2.30pm to 3.30pm).

John Lawson's Circus - Thu 27 to Mon 31 Aug, Recreation Ground, Islington Road. First Towcester visit for two years, with evening shows on Thursday and Friday plus afternoon Bank Holiday weekend slots.

Late August is always a curious fortnight in a market town.

The grand summer events - the Silverstone Grand Prix rush, music festivals and school sports days - are in the rear-view mirror. Autumn's full-throttle return to school, packed fixture cards, and civic debates hasn't quite arrived yet. We sit in that brief, useful pause where life ticks along at a slightly calmer pace.

Except it doesn't really pause at all.

Look closely at the noticeboards and fixture lists, and the town is busily quietly preparing itself. The cricket 1st XI is knocking out 293 runs in the August sun; volunteers are tending allotment beds on Northampton Road; and council highways teams are clearing drains before the autumn rains arrive.

This is the unheralded machinery of a community. Big headline projects like the A5 relief road change our geography, but it is the small, steady actions - the people who show up to answer a social-care consultation, the parents who take their kids down to the Rec for a sports taster, or the neighbour who reports a pothole - that give Towcester its actual rhythm.

So enjoy the late-summer lull while it lasts. But don't forget to fill in the surveys, check the road closures, and maybe catch an over or two down at Greens Norton Road this weekend.

If you found this issue useful, please pass it on to a friend or neighbour in Towcester or NN12.

If you have a local event, sport result, parish notice, business update or tip for next week's issue, simply hit reply to this email.

See you next Wednesday.

-- Atlas & Lee, somewhere in NN12