Discover St Neots, represents the town on two important regional working groups established by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, helping to ensure St Neots has a voice in shaping the future of heritage, tourism, and culture across the region.

Heritage and tourism working group

Discover St Neots is a member of the Heritage and Tourism Working Group, which was set up to support the Mayoral pledge of creating a strong sense of place and cultural identity across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The group brings together stakeholders from the cultural, creative, and heritage sectors to align strategies, share knowledge, and foster collaboration across the region.

Discover St Neots’s role involves contributing insight into local cultural and creative sector needs, supporting cross-regional partnerships, and providing input into policy discussions and strategy development. Crucially, he represents the interests of St Neots within the group — ensuring that the town’s voice is heard and that there is effective communication between the regional agenda and local networks.

LVEP working group

Discover St Neots also sits on the LVEP Working Group, which is applying for local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) status through Arts Council England. Achieving LVEP status would formally establish Cambridgeshire and Peterborough as a destination of choice on both the national and international stage — unlocking support, investment, and profile that benefits towns like St Neots across the whole region.

LVEPs are a nationally recognised framework championed by VisitEngland, designed to bring together local authorities, destination management organisations, and tourism businesses to develop joined-up strategies that sustainably grow the visitor economy.

What this means for St Neots

“St Neots has a compelling story to tell,” said Discover St Neots. “Our history, our riverside, our independent businesses — these are exactly the kinds of assets that make a destination worth visiting. Being part of these working groups means we can make sure St Neots is properly represented as the region builds its cultural and tourism vision.”

This work is at the heart of what Discover St Neots is all about—championing the town, connecting it to wider opportunities, and making sure it stands alongside the region’s larger destinations.

We’ll keep you updated as both initiatives develop. If you’re a local business or organisation and would like to find out more, please get in touch.

Some businesses become part of the fabric of a town, and Pierre Hair Fashions was one of them. For years, Peter Wix built a reputation in St Neots not just for his excellent hairdressing, but for the warmth and welcome that made his salon a place people genuinely loved to visit.

Now, his daughter Zee has taken on that legacy. After a significant refurbishment, the salon has reopened on Cambridge Street as Wixy’z Hair & Beauty Lounge — a fresh new space that honours everything her father built while bringing its own personality and energy.

Zee and stylist Gemma offer high-quality hairdressing in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, and the team is completed by nail technician Shara, who specialises in gel, BIAB, hard gel and gel manicures.

The salon opened officially on Valentine’s Day 2025, with the Mayor of St Neots cutting the ribbon — a moment that felt particularly meaningful given Peter’s long-standing place in the community, and Zee’s determination to keep the Wixy name alive in the town where she grew up.

Whether you’re a long-standing customer of Pierre Hair Fashions or discovering Wixy’z for the first time, the team would love to welcome you on  Cambridge Street, St Neots. To book an appointment, get in touch directly via their social media or pop in to the salon.

The Mayor of St Neots officially opened PureGym St Neots this week, bringing new life to a building that has stood empty for several years on the town’s high street.

Located next to M&S and Pizza Express, the gym occupies a prominent position in the town centre and it’s encouraging to see a national retailer supporting the growth of St Neots’ high street. The arrival of PureGym demonstrates confidence in our town and helps fill a key site that has been vacant for too long.

PureGym St Neots offers state-of-the-art equipment including free weights, fixed resistance machines and cardio equipment, alongside a full timetable of group exercise classes – all included in a flexible, no-contract membership. Free parking is available in the gym’s dedicated car park, making it easily accessible for members.

The gym has already begun building strong connections within the community, with all 12 spaces on their member benefit board filled by partnerships with local businesses. These partnerships add extra value to PureGym memberships while supporting other St Neots businesses – a great example of collaboration that benefits everyone.

It’s fantastic to see this high street building back in use and contributing to the vitality of our town centre. Welcome to St Neots, PureGym.

For membership information and opening hours, visit puregym.com or contact the gym directly.

St Neots welcomes a delicious new addition to the town centre today with the opening of COOK on Priory Lane.

The new store, located near Waitrose at PE19 2BH, officially opened its doors with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony that honoured the town’s proud firefighting heritage.

Hayley Housden did the honours of cutting the ribbon, supported by her daughter-in-law Angel and members of the local fire service. The choice of ribbon-cutter was particularly poignant – Hayley was married to Mervyn Housden, a dedicated local firefighter who served the community for 40 years. Mervyn’s legacy lives on through a street named in his honour and a plaque at the fire station, which pays tribute to him, his brother and his father, all of whom were long-serving firefighters.

COOK is inviting everyone to pop in and experience their range of handmade frozen food, with plenty of tasters available for visitors to try.

Universal Studios has announced plans to build its first European theme park just over 20 miles from St Neots, on the former brickworks site at Kempston Hardwick in Bedfordshire. The development, which is now moving through the planning and engagement stages, represents one of the largest tourism investments the region has seen in decades. We are following progress closely and fully support the project.

A multi-billion-pound partnership with the government bringing the resort to the Bedfordshire area is an exciting and fantastic opportunity for our local economy. Early proposals include a world-class theme park featuring immersive themed lands, a 500-room hotel, and a wide range of dining and entertainment spaces. If the plans receive approval, construction could begin in 2026, with the resort expected to open in 2031.

The project is forecast to create around 28,000 jobs, including 20,000 during construction and approximately 8,000 permanent roles once the park opens. Universal has stated that it expects the vast majority of its workforce to come from surrounding communities, which means significant opportunities for local residents, apprentices, and suppliers. The scheme is also projected to deliver a substantial economic boost nationally and regionally.

The resort is expected to attract millions of visitors in its first year. As one of the closest towns to the proposed site, we are well-positioned to benefit from increased visitor footfall. This may include overnight stays, additional spending in local businesses, and greater visibility for our own attractions and events. Improved transport links form part of Universal’s proposals, including enhancements to rail capacity and local infrastructure, which would support both the resort and nearby communities.

We will be posting regular updates about the development, including timelines and engagement in the planning process. Universal is also inviting early expressions of interest from people who may wish to work at the resort or from businesses interested in potential supply-chain partnerships.

This is a major opportunity for St Neots and the region, and we look forward to the positive impact it could bring to our community.