Rural buses, 128 new Towcester Vale homes and circus week

Happy Wednesday, NN12 👋

Living in and around Towcester, you shouldn't need to spend your week decoding council minutes, combing separate fixture lists, or guessing why transport links in your village have stalled just to stay connected to your own community. That is why we are here: to do the legwork, cut through the noise, and give you a sharp, five-minute guide to what actually matters on your doorstep.

This week, we're looking at the five-month wait for a rural bus replacement across South Northants, tracking the approval of 128 new homes at Towcester Vale, following the Bank Holiday circus and CarFest diary, backing Tows' winning cricket run, and flagging school meals support plus upcoming roadworks on Taunton Way.

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.

Five months after Towcester-based Ability CIC ceased trading, elderly and vulnerable residents across South Northamptonshire remain without a dedicated community bus service.

Ability provided vital transport links connecting Towcester with surrounding villages like Greens Norton, Potterspury, Roade, and Silverstone before shutting its doors in April with just 37 days' notice. While West Northamptonshire Council launched a £172,000 grant fund to find a successor, the council confirmed in its 18 August update that no single provider has yet come forward with a viable replacement proposal.

The situation has prompted South Northamptonshire MP Sarah Bool to intervene, warning that prospective community transport providers urgently need funding certainty to keep operating. In response, WNC says its grants panel has awarded £72,000 to existing voluntary car schemes, while retaining £101,000 and the former Ability minibuses while it surveys parish councils across the district to map exact community demand.

For rural residents who rely on community transport for GP appointments, weekly shopping, and social connections, an evidence-led review makes sense on paper—but an empty bus stop is a cold reality when you are stranded without wheels.

West Northamptonshire Council's Strategic Planning Committee approved reserved matters on Tuesday 18 August for 128 dwellings on parcels H21 and H22 at Towcester Vale.

The scheme, from Persimmon Homes Midlands under application 2026/2100/MAR, covers part of phase 6 of the Towcester South Sustainable Urban Extension—the overarching mixed-use development planned for up to 2,750 homes. The approved layout features a mix of one- to four-bedroom houses, including 17 affordable homes (13%). Both Towcester Town Council and WNC Highways supported the application.

A public right of way, bridleway SB18, will require a separate formal diversion order to align with the new bridle path, which is handled separately from this planning consent.

Another parcel of Vale housing is no surprise to anyone watching the town grow. The real test for neighbours is ensuring local roads, school places, and health services keep pace as each phase arrives.

West Northamptonshire Council is encouraging eligible families to check whether they qualify for free school meals ahead of the start of the new academic year next week.

From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, all school children whose households receive Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals. If you applied before 1 June, WNC says you need to submit a new application under the updated criteria; applications made on or after that date have already been assessed against the new rules. It takes a few minutes to check online via the council portal and ensures support is active for the first day of term.

West Northamptonshire Council's roadworks list shows 278 works and a closure affecting Taunton Way and Wood Burcote from Tuesday 1 to Monday 7 September. A separate temporary one-way and footpath restriction is currently listed through Friday 2 October.

It is not the biggest road notice in the world, but it is exactly the sort of thing that turns a simple school-run, commute, or trip across Wood Burcote into a small local faff if you miss it. If Taunton Way is part of your regular route, check the live roadworks map before heading out next week.

Towcestrians CC 1st XI made it three league wins in a row on Saturday, beating St Crispin & Harlestone 2nd XI by 36 runs in Division 6 to collect maximum league points.

Tows put 191 for 6 on the board, propelled by a brisk 43 off 29 balls from Sam Turner (including four sixes) and an unbeaten 37 from Quintin Allen, before Wesley Steenkamp produced a devastating spell with the ball, taking 5 for 55 to bowl the hosts out for 155. It follows wins over Irthlingborough Town 2nd XI and Thrapston 2nd XI earlier in August, which is exactly the sort of late-season run you want when the nights start nibbling at cricket teas.

Towcestrians CC return to Greens Norton Road this Saturday, 29 August, with the 1st XI hosting Finedon Dolben 3rd XI from 12pm.

Following a productive late-summer campaign in Division 6, Tows will be looking to capitalise on home conditions and secure valuable league points as the league season enters its final stretch. If you fancy catching an afternoon of competitive local cricket in the Bank Holiday sunshine, the boundary at Greens Norton Road is open to spectators.

Northampton Saints are heading to Colombo for their historic pre-season fixture against the Asia Pacific Lions on Friday 28 August.

The tour also includes community activity in the subcontinent, including a charity cricket match against Sri Lanka legends, before the new Gallagher Premiership season starts in September.

Towcestrians Hockey Club's Ladies First Team fixtures are now visible for the new season, starting with an away friendly at Bedford 2 on Saturday 29 August at 2.30pm.

The first Greens Norton Road run-out follows a week later on Saturday 5 September, when Tows host Towcester Ladies 2 at 10am and Khalsa Leamington 2 at 11.45am. After several weeks of empty public fixture pages, that is a useful sign that the hockey calendar is finally waking up.

With late-August friendlies reshuffled, Towcestrians RFC's 1st XV fixture page now points to September for the senior restart.

The visible card has a home friendly on Thursday 10 September at 7pm, then the Counties 1 Midlands East (South) opener at home to Leicester Forest on Friday 11 September. It is a slightly odd-looking launchpad, but at least the public fixture list is beginning to settle.

Northamptonshire Police is asking Towcester and South Northants residents to help shape neighbourhood policing priorities for the next six months.

The survey runs every six months and lets residents tell the force what matters where they live and work. You can complete it online via Northamptonshire Talking, then enter your postcode to see the current priorities for your area.

SNVB is bringing its volunteer-sector networking lunch to the Riverside Centre on Wednesday 23 September, from 11.30am to 1.30pm.

It is not this week's diary pick, but it is worth an early note for trustees, organisers, and community-group volunteers who spend half their lives trying to find the right contact for funding, safeguarding, insurance, or shared projects. Sometimes the useful local infrastructure is a room full of people who know who to ask.

South Northants Youth Engagement (SNYE) is running free drop-in activity sessions for young people aged 9 and over across two local village halls:

All sessions are free of charge, with no prior booking required.

SNYE Youth Activity Session (Greens Norton) - Wed 26 Aug, 1pm to 3pm, Greens Norton Community Centre. Free activities and games for ages 9+ run by South Northants Youth Engagement (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).

Vinyl Night at Towcester Mill - Wed 26 Aug, from 6pm, Towcester Mill Brewery. Community turntable takeover with DJ Mister Trevor. Bring your favourite vinyl, free entry.

SEND Stay and Play - Thu 27 Aug, 1pm to 2.30pm, Towcester Family Hub, The Forum, Moat Lane. Sensory play and qualified early-years advice for children aged 0 to 5 with additional needs; families need to register with Family Hubs first.

John Lawson's Circus - Thu 27 to Mon 31 Aug, The Recreation Ground, Islington Road. First Towcester visit in two years. Showtimes: Thu 27 Aug at 7pm; Fri 28 Aug at 3pm & 7pm; Sat 29 Aug at 2pm & 5pm; Sun 30 Aug at 2pm & 5pm; Mon 31 Aug at 2pm.

CarFest 2026 - Fri 28 to Sun 30 Aug, Silverstone Circuit. Three-day festival of cars, music, food, and family entertainment in aid of UK children's charities.

🏏 Towcestrians Cricket Home Match - Sat 29 Aug, 12pm, Greens Norton Road. Towcestrians 1st XI take on Finedon Dolben CC 3rd XI

The Met Office Towcester forecast brings a split picture for late August. Mid-week stays warm with highs of 24–25°C, but expect light rain and early downpours on Wednesday, followed by scattered showers on Thursday.

The good news for Bank Holiday plans: Friday and Saturday look largely dry with pleasant sunny intervals around 21–22°C—ideal for CarFest, cricket at Greens Norton Road, and circus shows on the Rec. Showers return on Sunday, so make Friday and Saturday your priority for outdoor plans and keep a waterproof handy for the rest of the week.

A rural bus route is easily reduced to a spreadsheet line, but in reality it is somebody's independence.

When Ability CIC stopped running in April, it wasn't just a commercial transport contract expiring. For older residents across Greens Norton, Potterspury, and Roade, it meant the difference between doing your own grocery run in Towcester or having to rely on a neighbour's goodwill. It meant getting to a doctor's appointment without an eye-watering taxi bill.

West Northamptonshire Council is right to ensure public money isn't poured into short-lived schemes that fold in six months. But five months of consultant reviews, surveys, and data disputes is a painful stretch when you are the one sitting at home without wheels.

Towcester only truly functions because of the network of villages wrapped around it. When rural links vanish, town-centre footfall dips, village life becomes more isolated, and the community frays at the edges.

Let's hope WNC's parish survey brings swift, decisive action. Because keeping our older and vulnerable neighbours connected isn't just about spreadsheets—it is the basic social fabric of a market town.

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See you next Wednesday.

-- Atlas & Lee, somewhere in NN12