Welcome to the Village Link website. We’re a small not for profit organisation staffed by volunteers.

Take a little time to browse our pages and discover what goes on where and when in our area. Within our pages you can also find out who does what locally. If you would like to contribute anything to any of our pages, including your favourite picture from where you live in our area, please follow the links on the Contact Us page. We would love to carry all the info for your local club or association and best of all, it’s all for free!

The map on the left is fully navigable plus you can zoom in and out by using the controls in the top left corner and if you view the larger map you can enter street view by dragging the little yellow person onto the map to where you want to view and go for a virtual walk around our streets and lanes.

Highlights from Hollowell, Guilsborough’s Garden Stage and Creaton’s Blooming Boost

Recent weeks have offered plenty to talk about in and around Hollowell. Parish Clerk, Gill Greaves (top centre), enjoyed a memorable trip to Buckingham Palace for one of this Spring’s Royal Garden Parties, while St James’ Church hosted a touching birthday-day baptism when the Reverend George Frost baptised his mother, Jane -

both reports can be found here. Early July also brought the familiar sight of heavy horses and gleaming engines as the Hollowell Steam Rally filled the village with its usual mix of noise, nostalgia and good humour (report and more photos can be found here).

In other villages, Creaton reported a fantastic result for its annual 'Creaton in Bloom' event - see Creaton’s page to find out how much they raised for local

causes, while having a lovely day out. And Guilsborough thespians young and old charmed audiences in a stunning garden setting (see photo below) to bring to life a tongue-in-cheek retelling of English history, but perhaps not as you know it! See page 14 for the report and more photos.

Did You Know? Cold Ashby Open Gardens has raised over £120,000 for church funds since it began in 1991!

Get to know …

…Hollowell Sailing Club

Founded: 1966

Location: Hollowell Reservoir, between Guilsborough and Hollowell

Affiliation: Royal Yachting Association (RYA)

What they offer

▪ Race sailing, casual sailing, adult learn to sail and re-learning to sail. Junior start sailing, youth squad training.

▪ Dinghy hire

▪ Paddleboarding

▪ Canoeing & kayaking

▪ Model yachting

▪ Sculling

▪ Powerboat courses

▪ A welcoming, volunteer-run community with year-round membership

Facilities

▪ Clubhouse with galley, changing rooms and hot showers

▪ Boat park with space for members’ dinghies

▪ Dedicated training fleet for beginners

▪ Ample lakeside space for rigging and launching

Membership snapshot

▪ Open to individuals, families and juniors (learn to sail from aged 8).

▪ New members welcome at any time of year

▪ All membership enquiries email membership@hollowellsc.org.uk

Last 'learn to sail' training dates for 2026:

Juniors:

Beginner course 20 & 21 August

Beginner and improver course 12 & 13 September

Adults:

15 & 16 August

26 & 27 September

For more information visit: www.hollowellsc.org.uk

50 for 50 in the anniversary edition of C4C

Popular cycling challenge Cycle4Cynthia, organised by

Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity, is urging cyclists to

raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship to mark the hospice’s 50th anniversary in 2026.

Since its launch 23 years ago, the charity bike ride has raised more than £800,000 for Cynthia Spencer Hospice care and this year, organisers hope to have a record-breaking year to mark the milestone birthday with the Big 50 support.

Cycle4Cynthia 2026 will see cyclists bike through the Northamptonshire countryside, from 8am on Sunday 27th September, starting and finishing at Holdenby House.

Whether you’re riding for fun, fitness or a personal challenge, it’s a fantastic way to support local hospice care.

Participants can choose from 10 miles, 25 miles or the Big50-mile anniversary route, meaning that there’s something for everyone, from first-time riders to seasoned cyclists.

A fundraising page will be set up automatically for each cyclist upon registration, however you can also download a printable sponsorship form on the Cynthia Spencer website.

And the event isn’t just for cyclists, there are plenty of family friendly activities in the Charity Village at Holdenby House and at the finish line on the day for spectators and cheerleaders to enjoy.

In 2023, Kate Stamp completed the 10-mile course in memory of her friend Rachel who was a patient at the hospice.

She said: “My friend Rachel passed away a couple of years ago from cancer and she was at Cynthia Spencer Hospice. Events like this are a good thing to do to give back.”

COUNCILLOR NEWS - News from Cllr Christine Ware

Hello everyone

The role of a West Northants Councillor is full of variety. I have responsibilities that are council wide, for example sitting on one of the planning committees, contributing to full council meetings and my appointment by council as a trustee of Spratton Town and Charity Land.

The work I enjoy most is working within the parishes that fall into the Naseby ward. I have eleven parishes that I represent and my case work covers a range of different things. At the moment I am working on a number of highways issues and yes, this does include potholes, white lines and rumble strips! It also covers some safety concerns and the ongoing work around the traffic survey on the A5199 to find out the impact of the North West Relief Road on traffic travelling along the A5199 through Spratton, Creaton and Thornby to the A14. Planning concerns include issues raised about the site at the junction of A5199 and A14 as well as several specific applications. I have been supporting residents who need a little help to get things done by the council as not everyone uses the internet. I like that I never know what the day will bring and I always enjoy a challenge.   

Back to WNC news, we have a number of full council meetings coming up including an extraordinary one on 13 August when council will be asked to approve the appointment of a new Chief Executive for the council. Planning meetings will continue and work towards the new Local Plan is progressing. In my ward, Creaton and Naseby are working on their Neighbourhood Development Plans and these will be an important contribution to planning policies. Planning processes are changing as a result of Government policy but more of that in the next issue of The Village Link.

Please do get in touch if you have issues to raise or if I can help at all - my contact details are below.

With kind regards

Christine

Christine Ware

Ward Councillor for Naseby

e: christine.ware@westnorthants.gov.uk

e: christine@wnld.org.uk

Tel: 07836 368888

BIRDING NOTES - Tree Sparrows in Northamptonshire

I usually write on here about a rare or scarce migratory bird that I’ve found on the local patch. This spring and summer have been very quiet on that front: the “something will turn up” mantra that I repeat to myself has been tested and found wanting! There have been some summer highlights: we still have reasonable numbers of Swifts around Hollowell village, and Spotted Flycatchers returned to the area around our garden for a second year, visible from the patio and kitchen window as they visit an apparent nest site in a neighbour’s hydrangea.  I’ve written about ‘Spotflies’ already on here, so this piece isn’t about them, but an increasingly scarce resident bird: the Tree Sparrow.

In Northamptonshire, Tree Sparrow is a scarce and declining resident, a continuation of a trend that began several decades ago and one which mirrors the national picture. They are one of the UK’s 67 most vulnerable ‘Red-listed’ species. In the 1996 Northants Annual Bird Report, Tree Sparrows were reported from 52 localities, with large counts including c80 birds at Pitsford Reservoir and 49 at Earls Barton Gravel Pits. That report also mentioned a recent decline in this species. Sadly, this has continued: my most recent complete annual master file contains records from just 7 locations in 2024, with a maximum count of 6-20 birds. One of these locations was Pitsford Reservoir: in recent years I’ve seen Tree Sparrows regularly around the feeding station there, where a colony has been sustained by provision of food and nest boxes. Away from Pitsford, the last Tree Sparrow I saw in Northamptonshire was one near Holdenby Mill in 2002. While walking along the Jurassic Way near Sibbertoft recently, I was therefore delighted to hear one calling from a nearby ash tree. I paused to watch it for a few minutes as it perched on branches and explored cavities; it could also be seen carrying sheep’s wool in its bill, suggesting that it may be nesting nearby. I was unable to see more than one bird, but since then I have seen a report of a group of Tree Sparrows near Naseby, so it’s possible that there is a breeding population remaining in this part of the county.

Tree Sparrows are rather similar to House Sparrows but can be identified by certain features and by some general characteristics, including size: they are slightly smaller than House Sparrows. Adult birds often seem to be more neatly marked: the chestnut-coloured cap and black cheek patch are particularly distinctive. Tree Sparrows are, like House Sparrows, rather vocal: to my ear their calls sound ‘brighter’ and slightly more musical. While they may breed around farm buildings and dwellings, they are more likely to be encountered in mature hedgerow trees in open farmland, so if you hear or see sparrows in this type of habitat you may have discovered another undiscovered local colony. If so, I’d be delighted to hear about it.

Jon Cook

joncooknorthantsbirds@gmail.com

@jcbirder.bsky.social