Care for creation has been part of our life in Northstowe from the beginning, and we love joining with others to care for the place we share.

We helped organise Northstowe’s first Sustainability Day in 2019 and, for many years, coordinated regular community litter picks alongside residents, local councils, Sustainable Northstowe and Plastic Free Northstowe.

Northstowe is now too large for one monthly litter pick — and, wonderfully, there is also much less litter than in the town’s earliest years. Today we concentrate on larger shared events, often alongside national initiatives such as Great Big Green Week.

We also try to change our own habits. As a Plastic Free Ally, we have reduced single-use plastics by using washable cups and plates, plastic-free teabags, reusable poster displays and other practical alternatives.

Since 2022 our regular coffee has come from Kickstart Coffee: ethically sourced Ugandan speciality coffee, roasted in Cambridge, whose profits support children’s health and education in Uganda.

And we are delighted to have achieved Silver Eco Church status as we continue asking how our worship, everyday choices and future buildings can care well for creation.

[Explore our Eco Church work →]

You’ll often find us working alongside other Northstowe organisations on environmental projects rather than running them alone — because looking after our town is something we can do better together.

Check What’s On for future community litter picks and other opportunities to get involved.

We want Northstowe to be a place where young people of every background can belong, build friendships, try new things and help shape the community they are growing up in.

Our close relationship with The Pathfinder Church of England Primary School is part of that commitment. Church, school and households work together to explore faith, wellbeing, community and what helps children and families flourish.

We are one of the Growing Faith Foundation’s Learning Hubs, part of a national Church of England movement exploring what becomes possible when church, school and households work together with children and young people at the centre.

That learning shapes Pathfinder Church, Collective Worship, our work with families and even the developing vision for the Chapel by the Lake and its surrounding landscape.

We also helped establish Northstowe Youth Hive, an independent local charity created in response to what young people themselves were telling us they needed.

Youth Hive brings together young people from different cultures, faiths, genders and backgrounds to:

have fun · develop · make a difference

It works particularly closely with Romsey Mill, and members of the Network continue to volunteer and serve alongside people from many religious and non-religious backgrounds. The Youth Hive supports youth provision across the town by working in partnership with young people, volunteers, schools, community organisations and specialist youth-work partners. Its work includes open youth activities, creative projects, volunteering, youth voice and opportunities for young people to influence the places and community around them.

The Church Network continues to be a member organisation of the Youth Hive, and Revd Beth currently serves as Chair of Trustees.

Find out more on the Northstowe Youth Hive website: youthhive.co.uk

Free Wednesday youth drop-ins

Romsey Mill, one of Youth Hive’s key partners, provides free open-access youth sessions in Northstowe. They are relaxed spaces where young people can meet friends, take part in activities, learn new skills and spend time with trusted youth workers.

Wednesdays at Unity Centre during Term 

• Years 6–8: 4.00–5.30pm

• Year 9+: 6.00–7.30pm

Sessions are free and young people can usually simply come along and be signed in by the youth-work team.

Find out more on the Northstowe Youth Hive website: youthhive.co.uk

Anyone can face a crisis. There is no shame in asking for help.

Northstowe Church Network is a referral partner for Cambridge City Foodbank, and Revd Beth is a registered Foodbank voucher distributor. If you are struggling to afford food, please contact us and we can help you request an emergency food voucher.

A voucher distributor will first have a conversation with you about your situation. This helps us understand what has led to the crisis and whether there is other support that may help alongside emergency food, such as advice, practical assistance or connections with other local services.

The Foodbank uses the voucher to prepare an emergency food parcel appropriate for your household. Parcels usually contain around three days of nutritionally balanced emergency food, with particular needs taken into account where possible.

Food can usually be collected from the Cambridge City Foodbank Welcome Centre at Unity Centre in Northstowe on Wednesday afternoons. Other Welcome Centres in and around Cambridge are available on different days.

If possible, contact us during office hours and preferably the day before you need to collect a parcel, so that we have time to arrange the voucher.

Need food support?

Email: hello@northstowe.church or Phone: 01954 261 181 during office hours (or leave a message)

Want to help?

Cambridge City Foodbank welcomes donations of food, money and volunteer time. Financial gifts help provide fresh items, fill gaps in food donations, support volunteers and sustain both emergency food provision and Fairbite Food Clubs.

For the most up-to-date information about emergency food, Welcome Centres, donations and volunteering, visit the Cambridge City Foodbank website.

Some moments in the life of a town are best marked together.

Each year we work with Northstowe Town Council, local faith communities, schools, youth and uniformed organisations, musicians and community groups to help Northstowe mark Remembrance in a way that brings the town together.

We also love working with local musicians and singers on celebrations throughout the year. These have included Hot Chocolate, Beer and Carols with Northstowe Chorus and local brass musicians, alongside community festivals and seasonal events.

These occasions are deliberately bigger than the life of the church. They create space for people of different beliefs and backgrounds to gather alongside one another — sometimes to remember and reflect, sometimes to sing and celebrate, and often simply to enjoy being neighbours.

You’ll also find us joining wider town events such as Midsummer, helping with hospitality and activities alongside our community partners.

Because individual dates change from year to year, we keep the current details in What’s On.

See upcoming community celebrations →

We believe helping a new town flourish includes encouraging people to participate in its civic life.

Northstowe Church Network is part of the national Voter Registration Champion scheme, helping people in our growing town find clear and trustworthy information about registering to vote.

Registering means you can take part in elections and referendums. It is particularly easy for registration to get missed in a place like Northstowe, where people are frequently moving home, changing address or becoming eligible to vote for the first time.

Our role is not to tell anyone how to vote. We simply want to help make sure that everyone who is eligible has the opportunity to participate, knows where to find reliable information and can get support if the process feels confusing or inaccessible.

This sits alongside our wider involvement in Northstowe’s civic life: working constructively with local councils, community forums, schools, voluntary organisations and other partners as the new town develops.

Register to vote → GOV.UK