Welcoming Spaces are free, warm venues open all winter across West Northamptonshire: 129 last year, with every library in Northampton, Daventry and Towcester.

If you need somewhere warm and free to sit this winter, West Northamptonshire Council’s Welcoming Spaces network is the answer. It ran at 129 venues last winter, with a public library in every town and community centres and churches across Northampton, Daventry and Towcester. Nobody is asked why they have come. The council’s own line, on its Welcoming Spaces page, is that these are “warm, free places where people can relax, enjoy a hot drink or food, meet others and get support during the winter”.

The quick answer

  • The surest bet is a library. Northampton Central, Weston Favell, Daventry and Towcester libraries are all listed as Welcoming Spaces and open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturday.
  • Find the full list in the council’s Welcoming Spaces directory, or ring 0300 126 7000.
  • Free, no referral, no questions. Ages and days vary by venue; the community-run ones often open one or two days a week.

What a Welcoming Space is

The scheme is run by the council with voluntary, community and faith groups. The council describes the venues as “non-judgemental, safe and welcoming places where people in West Northamptonshire can come together to stay warm, and perhaps enjoy a hot meal or a cup of tea and a biscuit”. The stated aim is to tackle social isolation and the cost of living as much as cold homes, and the venues double as a route to advice: last winter the council said many hosted pop-up Money and Wellbeing roadshows on debt, housing, energy and health, and pointed people to the Household Support Fund for winter warm packs.

The network has grown each winter. The council counted 112 spaces during Warm Welcome Week in January 2025 and 129 when it launched the 2025/26 season on 28 November 2025, across libraries, community centres and faith venues. Cllr Laura Couse, the cabinet member for adult care and public health, said then that the spaces “play a vital role in supporting our communities, especially during the colder months when many residents may be facing difficult circumstances”.

The libraries

Every council library we checked is registered in the directory as a Welcoming Space, and the libraries are the venues with long, fixed hours. The hours below are from each library’s own council page.

Library Address Hours
Northampton Central Library Abington Street, Northampton, NN1 2BA Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 5pm
Weston Favell Library Weston Favell Centre, Northampton, NN3 8JZ Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 5pm
Daventry Library The Abbey, St John’s Square, Daventry, NN11 4XG Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 5pm
Towcester Library The Forum, Moat Lane, Towcester, NN12 6AD Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 5pm

All four are closed on Sundays. The Central Library’s directory entry lists free wifi, computers, phone charging, refreshments and workstations. Library hours over Christmas and New Year are not yet published; the council’s bank holiday closures are 25 and 28 December and 1 January.

Community and church venues

These are the Northampton, Daventry and Towcester entries we found in the council’s directory. Most were registered in October 2024 and not all give their opening days, so ring before a first visit.

Northampton

  • Abington Community Centre, 2 Wheatfield Road South, NN3 2HH. Its “Natter with Neighbours” Welcoming Space session is on Tuesdays, 11am to 2pm; the centre itself is open 8am to 10pm daily. Directory entry.
  • Re:store Northampton, 42 Sheep Street, NN1 2LZ. 01604 328046. Directory entry.
  • The Lab, 95 to 97 Charles Street, NN1 3BG. 01604 636254. Directory entry.
  • Emmanuel Church warm space, Weston Favell Shopping Centre, NN3 8JR. 01604 402150. Directory entry.
  • Space to Talk, Abbey Cottage, Delapré Abbey, London Road, NN4 8AW. Adults only, with walks and peer support for mental health. Directory entry.
  • Blackthorn Youth Space, Blackthorn Community Centre, Longmead Court, NN3 8QD. For 11 to 18 year olds. Directory entry.

Daventry

  • Southbrook Community Centre, Hood Road, NN11 4JS, which also lists food support and youth groups. Directory entry.
  • Daventry Volunteer Centre, The New Street Centre, 13 New Street, NN11 4BT. 01327 300614. Directory entry.
  • Daventry Methodist Church, Golding Close, NN11 4FB. 01327 702343. Directory entry.

Towcester

  • Towcester Library, above. No community-run Welcoming Space in Towcester or Brackley showed in the directory when we checked; the directory is the place to look as venues sign up through the autumn.

Other winter help

  • The council helpline for cost of living support is 0300 126 7000.
  • Winter night shelter: the council and the Northampton Hope Centre run a shelter for rough sleepers each winter. Our rough sleeping funding page has the background.
  • Bins and roads in a cold snap: the gritting routes page shows which roads are salted, and the bin collection days page explains what happens to collections in snow.

Still to be confirmed

The council’s 2026/27 launch announcement, with this winter’s venue count. Last year it came on 28 November; the year before, the network was publicised in a January “Warm Welcome Week”. This page will be updated when the council publishes the new list, and again for the libraries’ Christmas hours.

Sources