Settling in · Scraptoft
Landing in Scraptoft? Start here.
The first fortnight in Scraptoft, in order: the paperwork that has to happen, then the places that make it feel like somewhere you could stay.
Week one and two
The order to do things in
1
Ring your Sama contact when you land
Whoever placed you. Tell them you arrived and that you are all right.
2
Apply for your National Insurance number
You can start work before it arrives, but do not leave it: your tax will be wrong until you have it.
3
Open a bank account
Passport, visa or share code, and proof of address. A letter from your employer usually does it.
4
Get a UK SIM
A local number makes the bank and the GP straightforward.
5
Register with a GP
Free at the point of use. Do it in your first week.
6
Check your tax code with HMRC
Get on the right code early or you will be paying too much for months.
7
Save your share code
You will be asked to prove your right to work and rent more than once.
8
Find the nearest shop, place of worship and club
The part that decides whether you stay, and the part no handbook covers.
Official, and free
Official finders
Run by the State, so they stay current. Search each one for your own town.
Find a GPThe NHS list of GP surgeries, searchable by postcode.Apply for a National Insurance numberYou need one to be taxed correctly. Apply once you are in the UK.Find an NHS dentistHarder than the GP. Start early and ring around.Check your visa and BRP or eVisaView and prove your immigration status online.Find your local police stationEmergency is 999 or 112. Non-emergency is 101.Understand your tax codeCheck what HMRC thinks you earn, so you are not overtaxed for months.Driving on a foreign licenceHow long you may drive on it, and whether it can be exchanged.Renting: know the rulesYour rights as a tenant, deposit protection and what a landlord may and may not do.Citizens AdviceFree, independent help with anything at all.Public transportNational rail and bus times and tickets.
Near you
87 places in Scraptoft worth knowing in week one
From OpenStreetMap, the map that locals build, plus places our team knows. Every card has a map link. If one has closed or moved, WhatsApp us and it comes down.
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Places of worship
Every faith near you, listed so people can find a community when they arrive. Sama Talent Group is not affiliated with any religion or religious organisation.
Churches
Carley Evangelical Baptist Church
Christian, Baptist
Upper George Street, Leicester, LE1 2AB
About 5 km away
Central Baptist Church
Christian, Baptist
Charles Street, Leicester, LE1 1LA
About 6 km away
The Salvation Army - Leicester West
Christian, Salvation army
330 Aikman Avenue, Leicester, LE3 9PW
About 9 km away
Mosques and prayer rooms
Al Furqan Islamic Da'wah Association (FIDA)
Muslim, Sunni
33 Rowsley Street, Leicester, LE5 5JN
About 5 km away
Furqan
Muslim, Sunni. Hours: "All Salah Hours"
298 East Park Road, Leicester, LE5 5AY
About 4 km away
Masjid Tabuk & Evington Muslim Centre
Muslim
59 Stoughton Drive North, Leicester, LE5 5UD
About 5 km away
Hindu temples
Gurdwaras
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo, Nottingham
About 33 km away
Leyton Crescent Beeston, Nottingham NG9 1PR
Worship services: Tue 7:00pm · Fri 7:00pm
Addresses and worship service times from the Iglesia ni Cristo directory, checked October 2026. Times can change, so check the locale's own page before you go. directory.iglesianicristo.net
Shops from home
Tai Fat Chinese Supermarket
Supermarket. Hours: Mo-We 10:15-17:00; Th off; Fr-Sa 10:15-17:00; Su 10:30-16:30
5 Melton Street, Leicester, LE1 3NB
About 5 km away
Knighton Fields Convenience Store & Post Office
Convenience
485-487 Welford Road, Leicester, LE2 6BL
About 6 km away
European Superstore
Supermarket. Hours: Mo-Su 08:00-23:00
Tudor Road, Leicester, LE3 5HU
About 7 km away
Food and takeaways
Feast India
Italian,india,chinese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Fr 18:00-23:00; Sa 17:00-23:00; Su 12:30-15:00,16:00-22:00
411 Melton Road, Leicester, LE4 7PA
About 5 km away
Port and Nata
Portuguese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-We 08:00-17:00; Th-Sa 08:00-23:00; Su 10:00-17:00
93 Queens Road, Leicester, LE2 1TT
About 6 km away
Bombay bites
Asian. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Su 09:00-10:00
Evington Road, Leicester, LE2 1QN
About 5 km away
Swagat
Asian. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-09:00; Su 09:00-08:00
Doncaster Road, Leicester, LE4 6JL
About 5 km away
Sports and clubs
Oadby Town Football Club
Soccer. Sports centre
Wigston Road, Oadby and Wigston, LE2 5JD
About 6 km away
Braunstone Leisure Centre
Swimming, badminton, gymnastics, trampoline, fitness. Sports centre
Erdyngton Road, Leicester, LE3 1JF
About 9 km away
Oadby Owls Football Club
Soccer. Sports centre
Coombe Rise, Oadby and Wigston, LE2 5TW
About 7 km away
Leicester City Women's Training Ground
Soccer. Sports centre
Middlesex Road, Leicester, LE2 8HH
About 8 km away
Beaumont Park Football Foundation
Soccer. Sports centre
Pinewood Close, Leicester, LE4 1ER
About 9 km away
Roundhill Tennis Club
Tennis. Sports centre
24-26 Homeway Road, Leicester, LE5 5RG
About 4 km away
Leicester Leys Leisure Centre
Swimming. Sports centre
Beaumont Way, Leicester, LE4 1DS
About 9 km away
Community and support groups
Evington Community Centre
Community centre
2 Hollington Road, Leicester, LE5 5HS
About 4 km away
Highfields Youth & Community Centre
Community centre
96 Melbourne Road, Leicester, LE2 0DS
About 5 km away
Furqan Centre
Community centre. Hours: Tu 19:00; Su 10:30-13:30
East Park Road, Leicester, LE5 5AY
About 4 km away
Barbers and hair specialists
Barbers and salons
Morelli's
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 08:00-17:00
61 Queens Road, Leicester, LE2 3FS
About 6 km away
Elliott Reeve
Hairdresser
27 Fletcher Mall, Leicester, LE4 1DF
About 8 km away
Andrew Leonards Hairdressing
Hairdresser
52 Belgrave Gate, Leicester, LE1 3GQ
About 6 km away
Golden Barber
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 10:00-16:00
1215 Melton Road, LE7 2JT
About 6 km away
Cinemas and libraries
Phoenix
Cinema. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-23:00, Sa,Su,PH 10:00-23:00
4 Midland Street, Leicester, LE1 1TG
About 5 km away
David Wilson Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: 24/7
University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH
About 6 km away
Beaumont Leys Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Th 09:00-18:30; Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 09:30-13:00; Su off; PH off
Beaumont Way, Leicester, LE4 1DS
About 8 km away
Evington Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Th 10:00-18:30; Fr 10:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-16:00; Su off; PH off
200 Evington Lane, Leicester, LE5 6DH
About 3 km away
Knighton Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Th 10:00-18:30; Fr 10:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-16:00
165 Clarendon Park Road, Leicester, LE2 3AJ
About 6 km away
Westcotes Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-We 10:00-19:00; Th-Fr 10:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-16:00; Su 12:00-16:00
38-40 Narborough Road, Leicester, LE3 0BQ
About 7 km away
Eyres Monsell Self-Service Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; PH off
Hillsborough Road, Leicester, LE2 9PQ
About 9 km away
Thurnby Lodge Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Roborough Green, Leicester, LE5 2NB
Hamilton Library & Learning Centre
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Kestrel Lane, Leicester, LE5 1BL
About 2 km away
Rushey Mead Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi
Dunblane Avenue, Leicester, LE4 7ZW
About 4 km away
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. We do not make places up: if the map has it wrong, fix it on openstreetmap.org and it comes through at the next refresh.
Saving money
What locals use to spend less
The shops and sites people here use for cheap clothes, second-hand furniture, a car, and the weekly shop. We are not paid to list any of them.
Facebook Marketplace and GumtreeSecond-hand furniture, bikes, tools and cars, often for very little. Meet in public, and never pay before you see it.Freecycle and OlioThings people give away for free, and food from neighbours and shops that would otherwise go in the bin.Too Good To GoSurprise bags of food from cafes, bakeries and supermarkets at the end of the day, at a fraction of the price.PrimarkCheap everyday clothes, work basics and bedding.Aldi and LidlThe cheapest big supermarkets for the weekly shop.B&M and Home BargainsCleaning products, kitchen kit and household bits for less.Charity shopsClothes, coats and furniture, and the money goes to a good cause.MoneySavingExpertFree guides to cheaper phones, energy, bank accounts and sending money.
Getting around
Getting around from Scraptoft
TravelineBus, coach and train times for the whole of Great Britain.National RailTrain times, tickets and railcards.Transport for LondonThe Tube, buses and the Oyster and contactless fares.
Driving here on your licence
Once you live in Great Britain you can drive a car or motorcycle on your full, valid licence for 12 months. After that, a licence from a designated country can be exchanged for a GB licence; from other countries you apply for a provisional licence and pass the theory and practical tests. Lorries, minibuses and buses have stricter rules: check before you drive one.
Check your licence on GOV.UK Exchange a licence
Hiring a car
Each rental company sets its own rules on age, how long you have held your licence and which licences it accepts, and young drivers often pay more. Check those rules before you book, and bring your licence and passport to the desk.
Driving rules taken from the official pages linked above, checked October 2026. They change, so the official page is the one to rely on.
While you are here