Settling in · Walgrave
Landing in Walgrave? Start here.
The first fortnight in Walgrave, 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
74 places in Walgrave 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
Isham Independent Wesleyan Church
Christian, Methodist
Church Street, Kettering, NN14 1HD
About 9 km away
Wellingborough United Reform Church
Christian, United reformed
High Street, Wellingborough, NN8 4HW
About 10 km away
Kettering Salvation Army
Christian, Salvation army
66 Rockingham Road, Kettering, NN16 8JU
About 10 km away
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Christian, Latter day saints
Rothwell Road, Kettering, NN16 8XE
About 9 km away
Northampton Salvation Army
Christian, Salvation army
Penistone Road, Northampton, NN3 8EZ
About 9 km away
St. David's Church
Christian, Anglican
Eastern Avenue South, Northampton, NN2 7QB
About 10 km away
Moulton Evangelical Church
Christian, Evangelical
34 High Street, Northampton, NN3 7SR
About 6 km away
Mosques and prayer rooms
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo, Milton Keynes
About 39 km away
Fenny Stratford Community Centre, 13 George St., Milton Keynes, England, MK2 2NR
Worship services: Thu 7:00pm · Sat 6:00pm
Iglesia ni Cristo, Peterborough
About 41 km away
Colonel Dane Memorial Hall, Church Street, Alwalton, Peterborough, PE73UU
Worship services: Wed 7:45pm · Sat 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
Food and takeaways
Mandarin Buffet
Chinese. restaurant
Octagon Way, Northampton, NN3 8JL
About 9 km away
Yumeijin
Chinese. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Sa 12:00-14:30,17:00-23:00; Su 12:00-16:00,18:00-22:00
58a-59 Oxford Street, Wellingborough, NN8 4JJ
About 10 km away
Zara
Turkish. restaurant
41 Cambridge Street, Wellingborough, NN8 1DW
About 10 km away
Purple Ivy Indian Restaurant & Take Away
Indian. restaurant
2 Kennel Terrace, Northampton, NN6 9DL
About 6 km away
Mezbaan
Indian. restaurant. Hours: Mo-Th 17:00-22:30; Fr,Sa 17:00-23:00; Su 13:00-22:00
3 Newland Street, Kettering, NN16 8JH
About 9 km away
Good World Chinese
Chinese. takeaway. Hours: Tu-Th 17:00-23:00; Fr,Sa 17:00-23:30; Su 17:00-23:00
53 Field Street, Kettering, NN16 8EN
About 9 km away
Sports and clubs
Overstone Park Cricket Club
Cricket. Sports centre
134 Overstone Road, Northampton, NN6 0AW
About 5 km away
Kettering Rugby Football Club
Rugby union. Sports centre
Waverley Road, Kettering, NN15 6NT
About 9 km away
Burton Latimer Town Cricket Club
Cricket. Sports centre
Kettering Road, Kettering, NN15 5LW
About 10 km away
Kettering Swimming Pool
Swimming. Sports centre
London Road, Kettering, NN15 7QA
About 9 km away
Bodyworks Gym
Sports centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 06:30-21:30; Sa 10:00-16:00; Su 10:00-14:00
31 Alma Street, Wellingborough, NN8 4DH
About 10 km away
Fishing spots and tackle shops
Angling Direct
Tackle shop, and the place to ask where to fish and about permits. Hours: Mo-We 09:30-18:00; Th,Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 08:00-18:00; Su 10:00-15:30
1B Northall Street, Kettering
About 9 km away
Driving schools
CamRider Kettering
Driving school
Windmill Avenue, Kettering, NN15 6ER
About 9 km away
Wellingborough Driving Acadamy
Driving school
45 Broad Green, Wellingborough, NN8 5UZ
About 9 km away
Community and support groups
Woodcroft Scout Centre
Community centre
London Road, Kettering, NN15 6NQ
About 9 km away
Vicarage Farm Community Centre
Community centre
36 Grafton Close, Wellingborough, NN8 5WA
About 8 km away
Penrith Drive Childrens Centre
Community centre
Penrith Drive, Wellingborough, NN8 3XL
About 8 km away
Barbers and hair specialists
Barbers and salons
Nxtgen.co
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo,Tu 08:00-18:00; We 09:00-18:00; Th,Fr 08:00-19:00; Sa 07:30-19:00
52 Oxford Street, Wellingborough, NN8 4JH
About 10 km away
Salon 101
Hairdresser
101 Rockingham Road, Kettering, NN16 9HX
About 10 km away
Melanie C's Unisex Salon
Hairdresser
18 Park Road, Wellingborough, NN8 4PG
About 10 km away
Cinemas and libraries
Wellingborough Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 08:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-17:00; Su 13:00-16:00
Pebble Lane, Wellingborough, NN8 1AS
About 10 km away
Moulton Community Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00
Sandy Hill Lane, Northampton, NN3 7AX
About 6 km away
Brixworth Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-13:00; Su 11:00-14:00
Spratton Road, Northampton, NN6 9DS
About 6 km away
Kettering Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-17:00
Sheep Street, Kettering, NN16 0AY
About 9 km away
Rothwell Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo,We,Fr 10:00-16:00; Sa 10:00-13:00
Market Hill, Kettering, NN14 6EP
About 9 km away
Weston Favell Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-19:00; Sa 09:00-17:00; Su 11:00-14:00
Weston Favell Centre, Northampton, NN3 8JZ
About 9 km away
Earls Barton Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Tu-Fr 13:00-18:00; We 09:00-14:00; Sa 10:00-14:00; Su 11:00-14:00
Broad Street, Northampton, NN6 0ND
About 10 km away
Burton Latimer Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Tu-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-14:00; Su 11:00-14:00
High Street, Kettering, NN15 5RH
About 10 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 Walgrave
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