News
Pop-Up Wellbeing Cafés
Due to ongoing problems with our building at 169 Watling St. Towcester, we will be temporarily relocating, with a series of pop-up locations around town this summer.
We will be open Mondays to Thursdays, from 10am -3pm as usual, and you will find us at the following locations:
Mondays – The Sawpits Centre on Towbury Lane (off Richmond Rd)
Tuesdays – The Chantry House on Watling St. (between the post office and the town hall)
Wednesdays – The Sawpits Centre
Thursdays – The Chantry House
All the usual staff and volunteers will be there and we look forward to welcoming you!
St. Lawrence Church Fete
We had a great day at the St. Lawrence Church Fete and raised £192.22 from our plant stall. Our thanks to the garden team, especially Paul & Judy, for all their hard work and to everyone who came along and bought plants.
Do these belong to you?
A pair of glasses left behind at the Community Garden Open Day at the Tove Valley Centre on 13th June. We would love to reunite them with their owner, so if they’re yours or you know who may have lost them please get in touch!
Community Garden Open Day
Our inaugural Community Garden Open Day was a great event and raised just over £1500 to enable us to continue supporting people in our local community.
Our thanks to the fund raising team, the community gardeners and all the staff and volunteers at renew169 who helped to make the day such a success, as well as everyone who supported the event: Tove Valley Baptist Fellowship, JAM – Helping Out, Bell Plantation Garden Centre & Café, Towcester Town Mayor, Val Goldfinch Designs, Caroline Swan Art, Rocco & Co Hair and Beauty, Tropic Skincare with Helena, Cheese on Towcest’, The Craft Fantastic, Laurel Leaves, Mosaic Angels, Heart Felt Fancies, Towcester Woodcraft and Calico face painting.
Last but not least, thank you to everyone who came along to enjoy the day with us – we could not do what we do without your generous support.
(Pictured: The community gardeners with renew169 manager, Jemma Campanaro and Towcester town mayor, Cllr Maggie Clubley)
Thank you Greens Norton 50+ Club
We would like to thank Greens Norton 50 Plus Club for inviting us along on Monday 1st June to talk about renew169. Anita gave a presentation to the group and we also took along some cakes and other bits & bobs to sell, as well as various leaflets about the charity itself, volunteering with us and the different activities we offer. We had a lovely morning and were made very welcome. Thanks to a donation from the club and the generosity of its members, we made £150.00, which will go towards our work supporting the local community in Towcester and surrounding villages.
Renew for Youth start date postponed
Renew for Youth
We are very excited to announce that, in partnership with Sponne School and West Northamptonshire Council, a new wellbeing café for young people, called Renew for Youth, will start on Friday 15th May. It will be held at the renew169 Wellbeing Café at 169 Watling St. Towcester and will run weekly during term time, from 3.15-4.45pm. It is free of charge and there is no need to book, just drop in!
If you know of any young people who might be interested in this please pass the message on.
Interview with Bernie Keith (Radio Northampton)
Today, Jemma Campanaro (Charity Manager) and Paul Saxton (Trustee) went along to BBC Radio Northampton to be interviewed by Bernie Keith. They had a lovely chat about the work renew169 does, the café, the community garden and the partnership with Bell Plantation Garden Centre & Café. To hear the interview in full, please visit our Facebook page (renew169 Wellbeing Café) to find the link to the broadcast, which will be available for 29 days from today’s date.
Our thanks to Bernie Keith for the opportunity to talk about our work and to all the team at BBC Northamptonshire.
Bell Plantation Garden Centre enters new partnership with Towcester Community Garden
This article, by Paul Saxton, is taken from the Northamptonshire Chronicle & Echo.
Published 24th Mar 2026, 09:26 GMT
Updated 24th Mar 2026, 09:40 GMT
The community garden, run by the Renew169 Wellbeing Café, provides a welcoming outdoor space where local residents can connect with nature, learn gardening skills, and support their mental and physical wellbeing. Through this new partnership, Bell Plantation Garden Centre will provide support to help sustain and develop the garden for the benefit of the wider Towcester community.
The support from Bell Plantation Garden Centre will contribute toward plants, materials, and resources needed to maintain and expand the garden. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to encouraging community engagement, promoting wellbeing through nature, and supporting local initiatives that make a positive difference.
Towcester Community Garden has become an important local resource, offering opportunities for volunteers, social groups, and individuals to spend time outdoors in a supportive environment. The garden is closely connected to the Renew169 Wellbeing Café, which focuses on providing a safe and inclusive space for people seeking connection, support, and improved wellbeing.
“We are incredibly grateful to Bell Plantation Garden Centre for their support,” said Paul Saxton, Trustee at Renew169 Wellbeing Café. “Partnerships like this help ensure the community garden can continue to grow and provide a meaningful space for people to come together, learn new skills, and experience the wellbeing benefits of gardening.”
Amanda Mickley, Marketing Manager at Bell Plantation Garden Centre added: “We’re proud to support the Towcester Community Garden and the fantastic work being done by Renew169. Community spaces like this play an important role in bringing people together and helping people reconnect with nature.”
The partnership marks an exciting step forward for the Towcester Community Garden as it continues to develop new planting areas, expand volunteer opportunities, and host community-focused activities throughout the year.
Thank you Silverstone Community Café
A big thank you to the team at Silverstone Community Café (Silverstone Methodist Chapel) for hosting a coffee morning in aid of renew 169 and to all those who came along and supported the event. It was a great morning by all accounts, the cakes were absolutely delicious and they raised an incredible total of £440.00 for us.
