Hundreds flock to activity-filled day at Northstowe

Hundreds of residents and visitors have tried out Northstowe’s brand-new sports facilities - and joined in with the planting of flower beds at the new town.

All images on this page: davidjohnsonphotographic.co.uk

To celebrate the newly built Pavilion which has been delivered by South Cambridgeshire District Council. Elite Sports UK hosted an open day for locals on Saturday (18 May) with a day of free sports sessions including karate, netball, dance classes, football and a climbing wall with support from Northstowe Sports and Wellbeing Group and Longstanton Bowls Club.

The climbing wall was fully booked before the day even begun. The morning was filled with activities such as park play, fitness classes, preschool dance and netball. The sports day carried on into the late afternoon where football, badminton and bowls were available to residents and visitors.

The pavilion on Peppercorn Drive serves the Western Park sport pitches, bowling green and hard surface games area. It provides team and referee changing, a fully accessible changing places facility, and a large clubroom area including a commercial kitchen and servery. The pavilion meets the specifications suggested by Sport England, the Football Association and Rugby Football Union – whilst the 4G astroturf pitch is designed for rugby – as well as football – matches. The pavilion’s green design includes an air source heat pump to provide heating and hot water, electric vehicle charging points, plus solar panels on the roof. Several changing rooms also benefit from waste-water heat recovery.

Last year, the Council selected Elite Sports UK as the partner to run the pavilion and Northstowe’s Western Park sports facility. Elite Sports UK operate several community sports facilities elsewhere.

Joe Harper from Elite Sports UK, said: “Elite Sports UK were delighted to welcome a number of the community to Western Park Pavilion for the first time. The activation day allowed Elite Sports UK, and clubs from the local community, to showcase a wide range of activities that are available to Northstowe residents. On the day we saw residents participate in climbing, football sessions, dance classes, bowls sessions and coaching in netball and badminton and there was a lot of positive feedback on what activities will be coming shortly to Western Park Pavilion. We have also received positive comments from the local clubs with one of them having a lot of interest from players and even finding a new coach during the day.

We are looking forward to welcoming the community back to Western Park as we continue to add activities to our activity program during the upcoming weeks.”

District Councillor for Northstowe, Cllr Natalie Warren Green, said: “The Sports Activation Day at Western Park Pavilion was very exciting for residents of Northstowe and the surrounding villages too. It’s great to see so much activity on offer, and for the ramblers to have planned their walk to take a look, sports teams being fully engaged, and planting of the garden beds all being part of the event. It really represents the trend of Northstowe itself growing into a vibrant and inclusive community.”

District Councillor for Northstowe, Cllr Tom Bygott, said: “It was brilliant to see so many people turn up to the Sports Activation Day at Northstowe and make full use of the facilities available. The community rallied together to get involved in all the sports sessions that were on offer and the event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the buzz of Northstowe!”

Around 500 people turned up to the open day where children took part in a wide range of fun and games and see all that Northstowe has to offer in terms of sporting activities.Also on Saturday, members of Northstowe’s community and youth groups helped to plant raised flower beds in the garden at The Cabin, Northstowe’s community centre. The new flowerbeds have been funded by Keepmoat, one of the developers at Northstowe.

Also on Saturday, members of Northstowe’s community and youth groups helped to plant raised flower beds in the garden at The Cabin, Northstowe’s community centre. The new flowerbeds have been funded by Keepmoat, one of the developers at Northstowe.

Two raised bed creative sessions for planting designs were organised by Northstowe Hub before the planting day, where participants were able to discuss which flowers they wished to see in the garden.

Participants learnt about sun positioning, soil types, annual and perennial flower types and measured the flower beds.

The design ideas were shared with Lindy Blake, a professional garden designer at Tapestry Garden Design, who created a planting scheme and helped to host the garden planting day.

Emma Davis, Social Value Manager at Keepmoat, said: “Keepmoat has been active on the Stirling Fields development in Northstowe for more than a year, with the first resident moving in on site in October 2023. Providing an inviting and engaging space for our residents and the local community to live, work and play in is one of our core values here at Keepmoat. 

Collaborating with the local groups to create the flower bed project is a wonderful way to engage with the community. It’s been a joy to witness residents bring their ideas to life, designing and planting their own flora. We all look forward to seeing the area blossom and Keepmoat is proud to have played a part in its creation.”

South Cambridgeshire District Council's Lead Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Bill Handley, said: "Northstowe now has a fantastic sense of community spirit with residents coming together for community events and sports. 

The Western Park Pavilion and The Cabin are open to all and are facilities where people can come together and participate in a wide range of activities. It's brilliant to see these local facilities being used by so many residents."

Bringing social value to life within the community, the initiative is an example of how Northstowe is being developed with wellbeing and sustainability in mind. Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, is a master developer for the remaining phases of the new community. Supporting community wellbeing, cohesion, and sustainability, Homes England actively encourages partners and contractors to deliver social value through various tender processes.

To find out more about Northstowe and upcoming events, visit: South Cambs District Council (scambs.gov.uk)