Looking Forward: Our Partnership Vision

A New Model for 2025-26 – a message from Jessica Pilkington (Chair as of April 2025)

Firstly, may I take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

The end of a year prompts a period of reflection and I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who supports, works with and is involved with Community Spaces Northampton.

We have had a challenging year, but as we get set to move into 2026 we are stronger and focused on the sustainability of Community Spaces Northampton, a charity we all rightly proud of and committed to.

Rather than trying to deliver everything ourselves, in 2026 we will look to focus on what we do best – providing excellent community spaces and working in partnership with organisations across Northamptonshire to ensure those spaces are filled with activities and services that meet local needs. Where we work in partnership, this will usually involve us making our centres available at a cost-effective and transparent rate, rather than offering space free of charge. This approach enables us to keep the buildings open, well maintained and available to the wider community.

We will report more on this in our 2025/2026 Annual Review. In the meantime we are actively seeking partners to deliver community cafés, advice services, activities, and outreach services from our centres. Interested organisations should contact: bookings@communityspacesnn.org

Thank You …

To Our Staff and Trustees
Thank you to our dedicated staff team who have shown remarkable professionalism and resilience during the year of significant change. And thank you to our committed board of trustees who volunteer their time and expertise to guide and support CSN.

To Our Partners
Thank you to West Northamptonshire Council, Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, local councillors and parish councils, and all community organisations and statutory partners who work with us.

To Our Funders
Thank you to West Northamptonshire Council, WNSET Build It Up Investment Fund, Northampton Town Council, LAGDENMJ Jamathon 24, and all our other donors.

To Our Centre Users
Most importantly, thank you to all the community groups, organisations and individuals who use our centres. You bring our spaces to life and demonstrate every day why community spaces matter. Thank you for choosing CSN centres, for your feedback and partnership, and for being part of building stronger communities across Northampton.