Nicky Kingsnorth, a local head teacher with 14 years of experience working in schools serving the Queensway estate, has been appointed as the voluntary chair of the new Queensway Neighbourhood Board in Wellingborough. The appointment, announced on 14 May 2026, marks a significant step in the local rollout of the government’s Pride in Place programme.
The Queensway estate is set to receive £20 million in funding over the next 10 years to support community-led regeneration. The area was identified as a left behind community in 2021 and is considered doubly disadvantaged due to high deprivation levels and weak social infrastructure.
As chair, Kingsnorth will lead a board tasked with shaping a long-term vision for the estate and deciding how the investment is used to address local priorities. The board includes residents, local businesses, councillors, and Wellingborough and Rushden MP Gen Kitchen. The initiative is overseen by North Northamptonshire Council, which is responsible for the financial management of the project.
Similar community regeneration schemes are also running in Avondale Grange in Kettering and Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter in Corby, with leadership appointments for those areas expected shortly. According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the national programme aims to support up to 250 places across the UK with a total investment of up to £5 billion over a decade.
The first regeneration plans for the programme are due for submission in Winter 2026/27, with the delivery phase anticipated to begin in Spring 2027.
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