Cambridge Festival begins today

Starting today (Friday 26 March) and running for 10 days, the extraordinary Cambridge Festival has over 350 events and activities from panel discussions, film premieres and self-guided walking tours, to ‘try this at home’ activities for the whole family. The event replaces the Cambridge Science Festival and the Cambridge Festival of Ideas. Topics cover the breadth of Cambridge research and will be presented across four themes of Society, Health, Environment and “Explore!”. There’s so much to watch and participate in, it’s hard to know where to start.

• See the full schedule of events here. We recommend using the ‘filter’ tick-boxes on the right or at the bottom of the page to make the lists manageable.

What does levelling up mean for Cambridge?

One Cambridge Festival event which we’d like to single out is a panel discussion on Monday (29 March) on What does levelling up mean for Cambridge and the wider region? This features Queen Edith’s Community Forum chair Sam Davies, along with Lawrence Morris of Cambridge Ahead, Councillor Anna Smith, and Rehema Msulwa of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy. What is the role of social and physical infrastructure in addressing the issues that will ensure a more equal future for Cambridge people? Dr Julian Huppert will be keeping proceedings in order. More details here.

Making Joy’s Garden even more enjoyable

Thanks to the imagination and hard work of local residents Nihal and John, Joy’s Garden in Baldock Way now has two substantial handmade planters, ready for sunny days ahead. They’re being planted with pollinator-friendly herbs which should also smell great to human visitors! We know that many of you have been enjoying it all year round and as lockdown restrictions lift, we hope to start to be able to organise more activities in the garden.

Public Rights of Way now online

Cambridgeshire County Council has produced a map of the county’s extensive Rights of Way network which contains over 3,000 km of footpaths, bridleways and byways. Not much around here, unfortunately, but now that we can all travel a bit further afield, it should provide some ideas of places to explore. You can find the map here.

Roadworks to close Granhams Road

The Greater Cambridge Partnership will be starting construction on Tuesday 6 April on a new junction layout where Granham’s Road meets the A1307. The works will take about three months to complete. Granham’s Road will closed to traffic for the duration of the works. A diversion route will be signposted via Hinton Way. On the A1307 narrow lanes with an extension to the existing 30mph speed limit will be put in place, and temporary off-peak traffic signals might occasionally be necessary. More details here.

Help keep Queen Edith’s tidy

As the verge mowing season approaches again, we would urge all local residents to join in the effort to keep our neighbourhood tidy. We have many informal volunteer litter pickers, such as Rose (above), and if you’d like to join in the effort, the Queen Edith’s Community Forum does have a few litter picking sticks available. Please email us if you’d like to borrow one.

Find out about the new Children’s Hospital

The Cambridge Children’s Hospital has launched an excellent website to follow the next phase of its development to build a children’s hospital for the east of England – currently the only region in the UK without one. Sign up for the Cambridge Children’s Network, track the project’s progress and find out more about fundraising and donations. It’s all here.

Last chance for Queen Edith’s magazine

The next Queen Edith’s magazine is just being put together, and it’s the last one until the end of the summer, so it’s also your last chance for a while to advertise to every home in the area – all 5,500 of them. Adverts start at just £80, and all you need to do is to provide some words and a photo. Space needs to be reserved over this weekend however! Full details here.

Bring and take books at Wulfstan Way

A colourful new addition to Wulfstan Way was installed this week, in the shape of a free book exchange! Huge thanks to Flora and Lukasz for making this possible and Marina, who donated the chairs. A separate book box at Joy’s Garden has been well used throughout the last year, and with any luck, this one will be just as popular. All donations of adult and children’s books are welcome. You can find out more about Flora’s upcycling and natural products business Natuflo here.

John o’ Groats to Land’s End… virtually!

Join Cambridge Junction from this Monday (29 March) to 4 July to venture across Great Britain, covering 1,115 miles …without leaving the local area. The venue is inviting you take on the challenge of covering the miles yourself, or team up with a group of friends to complete the challenge collectively. Entry is just £10 per person with no minimum fundraising target, so why not give it a go and raise money for your local venue whilst keeping fit this spring. Use your feet, your bike, your wheelchair, it’s up to you. More details here.

Online royal visit to Cambridge

HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, met families who had been helped by Cambridge’s Red Hen Project on a video call this week. She spoke to three parents and a grandmother about their experiences. Also on the call were Cambridge Fruit Company’s local founder Neil Bharadwa and his sister and co-owner Nisha. During the pandemic, the company has delivered more than 1000 boxes of fruit, vegetables, milk and eggs to families in need, as well as supporting the Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub. Its Christmas box appeal meant families in need were able to cook and enjoy 1000 traditional turkey dinners. After a mention on social media, Neil said: “Never in a million years did I ever think the Royal Family’s Twitter account would tag my little family business. I’m framing this!”

Don’t miss the Census this weekend

Census day is this Sunday (21 March) and you should have had a letter with details on how to take part. Don’t forget that every household is required by law to complete the Census! Lewis Herbert, Leader of Cambridge City Council, said: “Achieving as complete a census as possible will help us to get the funding for schools, health, policing and all the local services that our residents need and value, and enable us to better target our services.” If you haven’t got the letter with your access codes, don’t worry, you can get a new one. Everything you need to know is here. If you have any relatives or neighbours who might not have completed their form, why not ask, and perhaps see if you can help them?

Holy Week and Easter at St James

St James Church in Wulfstan Way has announced that it hopes to be able to offer some small-scale services inside the church building this Easter. Please email Rev’d Steve Rothwell if you would like to attend any of the services in church. The full list of services and more details can be found here.

Food and activity support for children at Easter

Applications are now open for the Easter Holidays provision funding as part of the government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. This is aimed at providing healthy food and enriching activities for primary and secondary school aged children who are eligible for benefit related free school meals. If your child is eligible and would like to attend, find out more here.

Coverage of May’s local elections

The Queen Edith’s magazine team are busy compiling lists of candidates for the four local elections we have in May, and will be running print and online (video) previews. We hope to bring you the first in our own series of previews next week. Meanwhile, if you’re not sure if you’re registered to vote, or have any other information about the election, take a look at the City Council’s Elections and Voting webpage here. You can vote if you’re 18 and are either a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen or are a citizen of a European Union country living in the area.

Development at Ventress Close complete

Cambridge City Council has completed its building work at Ventress Close, where four existing maisonettes were demolished to provide 15 brand new energy efficient council homes, including 12 apartments and 3 three-bedroom homes. This marks the council’s handover of 90 new council homes to local communities across the city. There are PV solar panels and a green roof included in the design of the apartments, and even a ‘bug hotel’ in the project to provide shelter for insects. There are 21 new trees and also seeded wildflower gardens which will grow when the warmer weather arrives.

Great new directory of support services

An amazing new service directory website and app has been launched by the Arthur Rank Hospice. Although designed for its patients and their carers, it can also accessed by any of us in the local community. There are details of everything from exercise classes to wellbeing support groups, telephone helplines to mental health services and much more! Details of the Help@Hand app can be found here.

The City Centre delivered

You’ve probably seen the Click It Local cargo bikes out delivering to the neighbourhood, but have you looked to see what they’re bringing people? It’s a lineup of products from some of the city’s best independent stores, including the Cambridge Cheese Company, Norfolk Street Bakery, Malloy’s Craft Butchery, Guerrilla Kitchen, The Sea Tree, Steak & Honour and many more. How about an Easter Sunday heat at Home dinner from Cambridge Chop House, or a dark chocolate Easter egg from Signorelli’s Deli? All straight to your door by bike – have a browse here.

Gourmet meals at home booking ahead

Cambridge Cookery’s ‘Gourmet meals to order’ are sold out for this weekend, but they’re now taking orders for next weekend (26/27/28 March). Some dishes will require heating with full instructions included. Home delivery is available. Take a look at the menu here.

The world beneath our feet

Aimed at children aged 4 to 7, but probably everyone really, Sunny Days and Insect Hands will inspire anyone to look a little more closely at the world around you, get moving, get outside and play. The films are being streamed by Cambridge Junction this Sunday and Monday (21/22 March) and are accompanied by interactive activities. Tickets are ‘pay what you feel’. More details here.

Mothering Sunday Flowers from St James

Just like last year, St James’ Church on Wulfstan Way won’t be holding a public service for Mothering Sunday, and so can’t hand out the usual posies of flowers. However, the church tells us: “We will be leaving a bucket of posies by the church noticeboard for children to take for their mothers or others who care for us.” Please only take one each! Last Mothers’ Day was the Sunday when the 10am service first switched onto Zoom, and the congregation is still meeting there – all are most welcome to join in. Email Revd Steve Rothwell to be sent the link.

Resident-led campaign tackling new-build problems

Residents at new developments such as Ninewells will be very interested in a new campaign called Southern Fringe Housing Accountability. This aims to resolve and eliminate leasehold and freehold abuses within all Cambridge Southern Fringe estates, encourage collaboration between those dealing with problems and educate members. Find out more here.

Registering and restoring bikes

Following more local bike thefts, the police have asked that if anyone sees something that may be a crime occurring to please call 999 immediately. This ensures that the crime is reported. Once again, they recommend that everyone registers their bikes on the Immobilise or BikeRegister national databases. The police have a huge store of recovered stolen bikes, but because most people do not register their bikes (or even notify the police when they have been stolen), it can be difficult to reunite them with their owners. A reminder too that if you have an old bike gathering dust, you can apply to the Government for a voucher of up to £50 to get it repaired. More details here.

Smart traffic signals on the way

The Greater Cambridge Partnership is to trial a new traffic signal control method in our area, with the aim of reducing congestion and improving air quality. The 12-month trial will use camera-based sensors and machine learning at the Hills Road/Brooklands Avenue junction, the Hills Road/Cherry Hinton Road junction, the Clifton Road junction and the Robin Hood crossroads. There’s some more background here.

Ultimate honour for the kitchen at Taj  🏆

Most of us will be aware of how Cherry Hinton Road is Cambridge’s top food destination, with three of the city’s top five TripAdvisor restaurants. This week Taj Tandoori got yet another accolade, with chef Jools winning the national “Best Chef” belt from the Asian Restaurant Owners Network. Watch the announcement and the team’s reaction here on Facebook (scroll to 1 hour 25 minutes in), where Jools and Syed talk about the “immense” support from the local community that has enabled the restaurant to continue. Want to taste what the fuss is all about? The restaurant is open for takeaway collection or delivery six nights a week – order here.

Coverage of May’s local elections

This year’s local elections are less than eight weeks away. The Queen Edith’s magazine team tell us that they will be publishing a full preview, introducing all the City Council and County Council candidates, just as they have in the past. In addition, the Queen Edith’s Community Forum has set up a project to run an online replacement for the traditional ‘hustings’ event, which will invite every candidate to provide readers with an introductory video about themselves. We’ll bring you more details starting next week.

Police sort out Cambridge Leisure problems

Cambridgeshire Constabulary tells us that it is addressing recent issues at Cambridge Leisure. Cambridge City Inspector Ed McNeil said: “In recent weeks we’ve seen an increase in anti-social behaviour and reports of violence within the area with people gathering in groups.” Dispersal Orders have been put in place which will prevent those responsible from returning within a specific period, and incidents have now significantly reduced.

Latest news from our MPs

South Cambridgeshire MP Anthony Browne (the MP for most Queen Edith’s residents south of Cherry Hinton Road) has published his March newsletter. It includes campaigning for South Cambridgeshire to be classed as ‘water-stressed’ to help save our chalk streams, and details of a bi-annual forum for constituents to meet and talk about environmental issues. Find out more here. Readers in the Cambridge constituency can find out the latest from MP Daniel Zeichner here.

Become a Governor at the hospitals

The Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust is holding elections for its Council of Governors soon, and there’s a briefing session for those who might be interested next Tuesday (16 March). Governors tend to be patients or local people who have an interest in the NHS as a whole but who also care about improving healthcare for their local community. Find out more here. Register for the briefing session here.

Project boxes for craft-y families

A new local business has been set up called Treasure Seasons, offering seasonal ‘project boxes’ that are suitable for families with children of different ages as well as adults. The first one, the one for Spring, has just gone on sale on Etsy. It’s described by creator Julia Leong as “a lifestyle project box designed to appeal to eco-conscious families to enrich their family life and help them bond by creating together.” The boxes featured in this week’s Cambridge Independent and look lovely. Find out more and order here.

It’s time for Nod to tidy up and go to bed

Byteback Theatre’s The Land of Nod is “a beautiful sensory storytelling show for ages 0-5 and their families, exploring the magic of bedtime and the beauty of children’s imagination.” The Cambridge Junction show takes place this Sunday morning to watch at home, with ‘Pay What You Feel’ tickets (suggested £5 per screen). Watch the trailer and book here.

Local Council Committee on Monday

The last local council South Area Committee meeting before the elections takes place this Monday (8 March). This will be online, of course, but will be broadcast freely for anyone to watch at home. (We just thought the photo of a physical meeting a couple of years ago was nicer). The deadline to address the committee has passed, but if you have any questions for our councillors, these can be submitted at any time, including throughout the meeting, by email to the City Council’s Democratic Services team. The main two items on the agenda are a Policing and Safer Neighbourhoods report, and the announcement of the recommended grants to community organisations through the annual Area Committee Community Grants Scheme. Full details on the meeting, including a link to the broadcast, can be found here.

Did you miss the Craig Bennett talk?

Over 60 people watched Craig Bennett’s inspirational talk to the Queen Edith’s Community Forum following the AGM last night. If you missed it, “Local Solutions to Global Problems” is now available to watch on YouTube. The Wildlife Trusts’ CEO, a local resident, talked about creating a “wild fringe” to the south of Queen Edith’s, and answered some great questions too. You can watch the video here.

The Census is coming

It only takes place every ten years: the survey that gives the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. Census Day is in a fortnight’s time, on Sunday 21 March. Any day now the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will send you a letter in the post with an access code and instructions if you wish to complete it online. Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years. A help area on the census website covers everything from who to include on the questionnaire to how to answer each question.

Delays on Long Road

Roadworks begin near the bridges on Long Road next Monday for two weeks. There will be two-way traffic signals in operation. Details here.

‘Stay In Speak Out’ campaign launched

Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s new ‘Stay In, Speak Out’ campaign is attempting to take advantage of people changing where they work and spending increasing amounts of time in their local communities. Residents are being encouraged to report any concerns or suspicious behaviour which may have previously gone unnoticed. You can read more – and how to report issues – here.

EU citizen living here? You can vote in May

Despite the UK leaving the European Union, citizens of any EU country living here are very much still local residents and retain their right to vote in the important local elections coming up in May 2021. If this is you, and you’re not registered to vote, you can do so online here at the government’s website. The deadline for May’s elections is 6 weeks away but we’d recommend doing it now. The easiest way for anyone to check if you’re on the electoral register is to call the City Council’s election office on 01223 457048.

Walk to support The Arthur Rank Hospice in May

Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is inviting anyone to walk in memory of someone special on the weekend of 22 and 23 May. The thirteenth annual Star Shine Walk will raise much needed funds for hospice care across Cambridgeshire. This will be the second outing for the Star Shine Walk as a ‘virtual’ event. Participants get to choose the time, location and method to suit them. They are challenged with completing a 5, 10 or 20 mile distance over the event weekend, and can chose to walk, skip, wheel, trundle, scoot, walk the dog or even dance their way around: whatever suits them most! In 2020 the memory walk raised more than £40,000. More details and a registration form are here.

Interactive game theatre from Cambridge Junction

Cambridge Junction’s programme of online events continues next week with the return of Kill The Cat Theatre’s The House Never Wins following its hugely popular run in October. This exciting hands-on experience asks audience members to be actively involved in the journey of the piece. Receiving information through both zoom and their phones, audiences will play what seems to be a simple game of blackjack. However, there’s a catch. Whilst trying to pit your luck against the dealer, you also must keep The House alive, messages appear on your phone: sea levels rising, mass extinctions, the burning Amazon, The House goes bust, the casino collapses. But surely you are only here to win a real cash prize? More information and tickets here.

Hear about the creation of the COVID-19 App

The latest Perse Community Lecture will take place on Wednesday 24 March at 7:30pm, given by Professor Wolfgang Emmerich, a professor at UCL and the CEO of Zühlke UK, who were behind the design and creation of the COVID-19 App. “Mobile Phone Apps become Medical Devices – the tale of the COVID-19 App” will be a topical and engaging look at how technological advances turned our phones into a tool for tackling a major medical challenge. Details can be found here. The lecture is free to attend but any donations to NHS Charities Together are welcome.

News from the Biomedical Campus

A packed news digest from the Cambridge Biomedical Campus this week includes details of COVID-19 cases, transplant awards and a whole list of events. Well worth a read. Find it here.

Did you miss the AGM?

The Queen Edith’s Community Forum held its AGM last night. There were reports on activities from Sam Davies, Chair, Chris Rand, Communications Manager, Risa Sorkin, Community Food Hub Co-ordinator, and Bronwen Aken, retiring Treasurer.

Officers elected for the next year at the meeting were:
Chair:
Sam Davies – proposed by Geoff Heathcock, seconded by Rachel Pogar
Secretary:
Claire Adler – proposed by Nicki Marrian, seconded by Brenda Purkiss
Communications Manager:
Chris Rand – proposed by James Shakespeare, seconded by Barrie Hunt
Treasurer:
Fiona Goodwille – proposed by Bronwen Aken, seconded by Sam Davies

• If you want to find out what the organisation has been doing over the last year, you can watch the 30-minute meeting on YouTube here.