Queen Edith’s news 2022 vol.10 – October

 

 

Queen Edith’s News

Issue 213 • Friday 28 October 2022
Emailed to over 1,750 local homes

Catalytic converter theft information appeal

Addenbrooke’s Hospital car parks are among the list of hotspots for catalytic converter thefts named in a Cambridgeshire Constabulary bulletin this week. However, even vehicles parked on the street or in driveways can be vulnerable to this growing trend. Since the start of the year, there have been 400 catalytic converter thefts in the south of the county. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Page said: “These offences are taking place in broad daylight. If you are using a public car park, business car park or a Park and Ride site please be aware of people jacking up vehicles or laying underneath them with a running vehicle parked nearby. Call us on 999 with descriptions of those involved and the make/model and registration number of the vehicle they are using.” You can read more about the problem here, including tips on how to prevent it.

Countdown to A Greener Queen Edith’s Day

The Community Forum’s A Greener Queen Edith’s Day has been rearranged for a week on Saturday (5 November), so get thinking if you’ve got anything you might like to bring down to the ‘Take It Or Leave It’ stall, and make a date in your diary. There’s more information about the event here, and we’ll be bringing you full details next week.

Don’t drive straight through the Biomedical Campus

The Addenbrooke’s Link Road between the Biomedical Campus and Trumpington has always been designated as being for access to the Campus only, and has ANPR cameras on it to detect through traffic. We understand that the police may be once more about to start fining people who use it to drive straight through the Campus, so we’d advise against doing that.

Help keep a playground pleasant

Queen Edith’s City Councillor Sam Davies has had several reports of anti-social behaviour in the small playground between Godwin Close and Gunhild Close. Sam is trying to collate evidence for ASB officers and the police. If you are aware of problems in this location, please email sam.davies@cambridge.gov.uk

North African street food tonight

Wandering Yak will be visiting Cherry Hinton Road tonight (Friday 28 Oct) from 6pm, near Cambridge Wine Merchants. Enjoy award-winning, Middle Eastern and North African-inspired street food, which can also be brought to the CWM Wine Bar. See the menu and even order online if you wish here.

Bring & Buy Sale at St James

St James Church on Wulfstan Way has another of its popular Bring & Buy Sales tomorrow (Saturday 29 October) from 10am to 12noon. There’ll be books, cakes, bric-a-brac and a raffle. All welcome.

Friendship café now open for longer

The Friendship Café at St James Church on Wulfstan Way welcomes everyone, and the next event on Tuesday (1 November) features extended opening times. Just drop by for a cuppa, a bowl of soup and a roll, or just a friendly chat, any time between 11am and 3pm.

Interested in volunteering?

Whether you are thinking about volunteering but aren’t sure how to go about it, or maybe you’ve been helping out locally but you’d like to do more, find out about more opportunities at an online lunchtime fair run by the Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service. It’s next Wednesday (2 November) and includes representation from at least one Queen Edith’s area organisation. Groups will give a short presentation about the volunteering they have on offer and you can ask questions. More information here.

All you need to know about port

Cambridge Wine Merchants on Cherry Hinton Road has a Port tasting event coming up on Wednesday 9 November. Taste and explore from Ruby to LBV, through to Tawny and Vintage Port. Some light nibbles will be included. Cost is £40 per person – to book, email cherry@cambridgewine.com and please include your name, contact number and address.

Free folk music double bill

The String Section and Karen Macwhinnie and Friends will be performing in a folk music double bill on Saturday 12 November. at St John the Evangelist church, Hills Road. The String Section is a Cambridge-based trio of musicians that play a mix of fiddle tunes, folk, country, blues and Americana.  Karen Macwhinnie and Friends are a trio performing American Country, jazz, folk and blues music, including well-known songs and fine harmonies. Entry is free, although there’ll be a chance to make a donation for the church. Just turn up on the night.

  • A reminder that The Great Bowden Recital Trust will be returning to St John’s for a charity concert tomorrow (Saturday 29 October) at 7.30pm, with A Night At The Musicals.  Entry is free, and a collection will be made for the church and the DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal. No booking required, see you on the night!
Featured Queen Edith’s magazine supporter

Host a student and earn up to £259 a week

Beat the cost of living crisis by giving an international student a home away from home! Turn your spare room into extra income with prompt payment – earn up to £183 per week for a single room with shared bathroom, or up to £259 per week for a room with private bathroom. To find out more, register your interest with the Bell Cambridge School here.

Cambridge Science Centre moves

From now until Christmas, the Cambridge Science Centre will be located at a pop-up site in the Grand Arcade, on weekends only. This weekend is all about having some some Halloween fun, with four different spookily good activities running each day. The event calendar can be seen here.

Grants for home energy efficiency

There are various grant schemes currently available to increase the energy efficiency of your home. The City Council has a list here.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s huge lineup of films this week includes Barbarian; Black Adam; Bros; Coldplay Music Of The Spheres Live Broadcast From Buenos Aires; DC League of Super-Pets; Decision to Leave; Don’t Worry Darling; Hopper; Grateful Dead Meet-Up At The Movies 2022; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (20th Anniversary); Hocus Pocus; Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile; Minions: The Rise of Gru; Mrs Harris Goes to Paris; My Policeman; Nothing Compares; NT Live 2022: The Seagull; ParaNorman (10th Anniversary); Prey For The Devil; Ram Setu (Hindi); Room on the Broom; Smile; Tad the Lost Explorer and the Mummy’s Curse; The Banshees of Inisherin; The Lost King; The Rocky Horror Picture Show; The Seagull; The Thing (40th Anniversary); The Woman King; The Wonder; and Ticket To Paradise

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes: #Thebabyquestion (Online); Aoife O’donovan; Coco And The Butterfields; Corduroy + Shake Your Tail Feather; Grandad Anansi; Henge; Jerry Sadowitz: Not For Anyone; Jesterlarf Comedy Club: November; Joe Black: Club Cataclysm; Marcel Lucont: Le “Best Of”; Midlake; Neon Moon Halloween • The Undead Disco; New Routes: Christina Alden & Alex Patterson And Mr Griff; Pussy Riot: Riot Days; Rich Hall: Shot From Cannons; Skid Row + Enuff Znuff + Collateral; The Belgrave House Band: Rumours Re-Imagined; and The Democratic Set

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub is open tomorrow (Saturday) as usual, from 10.30am to 12noon at St James Church on Wulfstan Way. All in need are welcome, no questions asked. The Coffee Chat is open too.

Food donations may be brought to the church on Saturday mornings from 10.00am to 10.30am. The team tells us it’s usually particularly in need of items like tinned beans (although not baked beans), tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. More details on food donations here.

Financial donations are also more welcome than ever. The project continues only through the generosity of local residents and businesses.

Thank You!

A huge thank you goes out from the Food Hub team to the organisers of the two ‘pop-up fruit stands’ which have run again this year, and to their many customers. The profits have made a huge contribution to the funding targets, and will directly help to feed dozens of local families and residents in need. Thank you so much.

Coronavirus Update

The government’s recommended steps to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 are as follows: get vaccinated; let fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meet outside; and consider wearing a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces.

You can find more information here on:

  • Staying safe;
  • Testing and staying at home;
  • International travel;
  • Long COVID; and
  • Work, self-employment and business support.

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations, please visit The Vaccinators website and click on your age group.

Green Tips

Nearly 40 million pumpkins will be bought this Halloween, and of these, a whopping 22 million pumpkins will go to waste. Award-winning charity Hubbub is on a mission to make pumpkin eating as popular as pumpkin carving. Will you join in and Eat Your Pumpkin this year? They’ve produced a great website full of ideas, which you can find here.

Eating out offers

Everyone likes an occasional meal out or takeaway, but it can be expensive. In this new spot, we thought we’d feature any great eating out offers locally, so if you know of any, let us hear about it! This week: Bella Italia at Cambridge Leisure is offering 2–11 year old children three courses and a Cawston Pressed Fruit Water for just £1, alongside the purchase of every adult main course. The offer is available from 4pm to 6pm on Monday to Thursday. Find out more here.

Bin collections

Check when your bins will be emptied here.

Consultations

The local councils, through the Greater Cambridge Partnership, have launched the consultation on their dramatic proposals to change transport in the city over the next 5–10 years. From as early as next year, they’re proposing to transform the bus network with more services to more locations, and cheaper fares set at £1 or £2. They’re planning to invest more in new sustainable travel schemes, such as better walking and cycling links, and possibly controversially, they’re proposing the eventual introduction of a ‘Sustainable Travel Zone’ in the form of a road user charge. You’ll want to know all about this. Find out how to have your say here.

Health and Education job vacancies

Links to the jobs and careers pages at all of our local hospitals, schools and colleges can be found here.

Adult Learning and Evening Classes

There’s a wide range of educational and recreational classes and courses for adults available locally, this autumn and into next year. Find out more details here:

Traffic disruption

One.network is the website which shows current and forthcoming road works. You can see the map here. Click the ‘Today’ box and select ‘Next two weeks’ for future works.

Local police and crime information

Find out data and information from Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s City south and east team here.

Help with cost of living

Cambridge City Council maintains a web page listing various forms of help that are available to anyone struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. These range from additional payments from the council or discounts on things like your Council Tax, to support from partners such as food vouchers, energy grants and help managing debt. The page can be found here.

How to contact our local councillors

The Queen Edith’s Community Forum guide to our local councillors will ensure you contact the right one depending on your issue and the street where you live. Find it here.

Queen Edith’s city councillor Sam Davies writes a weekly email discussing what she’s been doing and what issues have come up in the area. You can add yourself to the circulation of Sam’s free email here. If our other councillors produce anything similar we will also highlight it here.

Have you been forwarded this email?
Click here to request your own copy each week. It’s free!

Queen Edith’s News

Issue 212 • Friday 21 October 2022
Emailed to over 1,750 local homes

Sustainable Travel Zone consultation begins

The local councils, through the Greater Cambridge Partnership, have launched the consultation on their dramatic proposals to change transport in the city over the next 5–10 years. From as early as next year, they’re proposing to transform the bus network with more services to more locations, and cheaper fares set at £1 or £2. They’re planning to invest more in new sustainable travel schemes, such as better walking and cycling links, and possibly controversially, they’re proposing the eventual introduction of a ‘Sustainable Travel Zone’ in the form of a road user charge. You’ll want to know all about this.

Harvest Festival donations support Food Hub

The Community Food Hub team have been in touch to express their huge thanks to Morley Memorial Primary School and to St James Church for their recent Harvest Festival donations. These were in addition to other food donations, including from St Johns Church, and many recent new financial donors large and small. Every contribution helps. According to the Food Foundation charity, nearly one in five low-income families nationally experienced food insecurity in September, meaning more people went hungry than during the first weeks of the Covid lockdown. If you’d like to help out too, there’s more information about how to do so here.

Roadworks updates

The closure of Worts Causeway to enable a water main to be installed has been deferred until after Christmas. Meanwhile, down the road, the Greater Cambridge Partnership is about to begin construction of an extension to the Babraham Road Park & Ride site. The works will take approximately 4 months to complete. For safety reasons there will be traffic, pedestrian and cyclist controls in place whilst these works are carried out. No traffic management arrangements are envisaged on the A1307, but traffic control measures while vehicles enter and leave the construction site will be undertaken. The project web page is here.

Countdown to A Greener Queen Edith’s Day

The Community Forum’s A Greener Queen Edith’s Day has been rearranged for a week on Saturday (5 November), so get thinking if you’ve got anything you might like to bring down to the ‘Take It Or Leave It’ stall, and make a date in your diary. There’s more information about the event here, and we’ll be bringing you full details next week.

New exhibition at local art gallery

The neighbourhood’s new art gallery AKA contemporary is opening an exhibition of works by Tim Gresham (aka ‘Penfold’) and the late Peter Denmark tomorrow (Saturday 22 October). Both artists are self taught and began their careers in the commercial world and remain responsible for designs which have shaped the brands of many household names like BT and Microsoft. There’s lots more information here.

Flat Wraps available tonight

Nomadough food van (which is new to Cambridge!) will be visiting Cherry Hinton Road tonight (Friday 21 Oct) from 6pm, near Cambridge Wine Merchants. They will be serving their signature ‘flat wraps’ – a sourdough flatbread wrapped around a delicious variety of local ingredients. Food can be brought to the CWM Wine Bar.

Pumpkin Picnic at St James

St James Church on Wulfstan Way has a Pumpkin Picnic with ‘Bring & Share’ lunch on Tuesday (25 October) from 12noon to 2pm. There are games and craft activities, pumpkin carving and more. Free entry, all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Another Community Lunch at St Johns

The next Community Lunch at St Johns Church on Hills Road takes place on Wednesday (26 October) from 12.30 to 2pm. The popular event offers two courses for £5, and there’s no booking necessary – come any time during the period and feel free to bring a friend!

Come and see one of our local care homes

It’s an Open Day at TLC Cherry Hinton Care Home on Thursday (27 October) from 10am to 6pm. Explore the facilities and see first-hand the care on offer at the home on Cherry Hinton Road. Experience the wide variety of activities designed for the wellbeing of residents. For more information please email bdm@cherryhintoncarehome.co.uk

Free concert brings us the musicals

The Great Bowden Recital Trust will be returning to St John’s for a charity concert next Saturday (29 October) at 7.30pm, with A Night At The Musicals.  Entry is free, and a collection will be made for the church and the DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal. No booking required, see you on the night!
Featured Queen Edith’s magazine supporter

Property Management made easy

If you have a property to let, Bush Lettings has been described as the “best agency in Cambridge. Quick to reply, always solving any problem super quickly, very nice and polite people. By far, the best one we dealt with so far, and highly recommended.” Find out more here.

Local author’s Trollope biography

Locating Anthony Trollope: A Life in View is a new book by Queen Edith’s resident Pamela Barrell, who calls it a ‘pictorial biography’ as it contains 74 of her own paintings. This labour of love for Pamela aims to show how Anthony Trollope’s life experiences inspired many of his plots, locations and characters. There’s more information here, and there will also be copies for sale at the forthcoming Cambridge Drawing Society autumn exhibition at the Leys School, starting this Saturday (23 October) – details on that here.

New times for RNLI gift shop

The RNLI Gift Shop run by local resident Geoff Heathcock will be open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm until Christmas. Lots of great presents for a good cause. The shop is at 52 Queen Edith’s Way, or call 01223 244901 if you need Geoff to open at a different time.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s huge lineup of films this week includes Barbie: Mermaid Power; Black Adam; DC League of Super-Pets; Decision to Leave; Don’t Worry Darling; Emily; Halloween Ends; La La Land; Lyle Lyle Crocodile; Mia and Me: The Hero of Centopia; Minions: The Rise of Gru; Monster; Mrs Harris Goes to Paris; My Policeman; Pip and Posy: Cinema Show; Poltergeist (40th Anniversary); Prey For The Devil; Ram Setu; Raymond & Ray; Smile; Tad the Lost Explorer and the Mummy’s Curse; The Banshees of Inisherin; The Woman King and Ticket To Paradise.

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes 24 Italian Songs And Arias; Alfie Templeman; Arts & Minds: Creative Café; Can’t Stop Can’t Stop; Corduroy + Shake Your Tail Feather; Dnb Allstars: Caged; Harriet Kemsley: Honeysuckle Island; Jason Byrne: Unblocked; Lightning Seeds + Badly Drawn Boy; Marcel Lucont: Le “Best Of”; Morgan & West: Unbelievable Science; Morganway; Porridge Radio; Rich Hall: Shot From Cannons; Sea Power; Shôn Dale-Jones: Still Floating; The Fiver – October; Wifi Wars Halloween Special; and Woman Life Freedom.

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub is open tomorrow (Saturday) as usual, from 10.30am to 12noon at St James Church on Wulfstan Way. All in need are welcome, no questions asked. The Coffee Chat is open too.

Food donations may be brought to the church on Saturday mornings from 10.00am to 10.30am. The team tells us it’s usually particularly in need of items like tinned beans (although not baked beans), tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. Egg boxes are also always needed, especially half-dozen sized. You can drop these off at any time in the St James Church porch. More details on food donations here.

Financial donations are also more welcome than ever. The project continues only through the generosity of local residents and businesses.

Coronavirus Update

The government’s recommended steps to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 are as follows: get vaccinated; let fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meet outside; and consider wearing a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces.

You can find more information here on:

  • Staying safe;
  • Testing and staying at home;
  • International travel;
  • Long COVID; and
  • Work, self-employment and business support.

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations, please visit The Vaccinators website and click on your age group.

12–16 year olds needed for vaccine trial

The Cambridge Clinical Research Centre at Addenbrookes needs participants aged 12 to 16 who have received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to take part in a third dose COVID-19 vaccine trial, looking at the best options for a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The study involves 4 or 5 visits at the CCRC at Addenbrookes over approximately 6 or 7 months. There’s more information here.

Green Tips

The City Council’s urban canopy team is building an online map of all 240,000 (!) trees in the city and needs your support. By adding your garden trees, you’ll help highlight the important contribution trees make to our urban environment, as well as assessing potential threats from pests and diseases. You can find more information here.

Eating out offers

Everyone likes an occasional meal out or takeaway, but it can be expensive. In this new spot, we thought we’d feature any great eating out offers locally, so if you know of any, let us hear about it! This week: Cherry Hinton Road based Fish’n’chick’n has some midweek “show-stopping savings”, including £4.99 Half Chicken and Chips on Wednesdays. That’s a seriously good value offer. The shop can be called on 01223 247612.

Bin collections

Check when your bins will be emptied here.

Local police and crime information

Find out data and information from Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s City south and east team here.

Health and Education job vacancies

Links to the jobs and careers pages at all of our local hospitals, schools and colleges can be found here.

Adult Learning and Evening Classes

There’s a wide range of educational and recreational classes and courses for adults available locally, this autumn and into next year. Find out more details here:

Traffic disruption

One.network is the website which shows current and forthcoming road works. You can see the map here. Click the ‘Today’ box and select ‘Next two weeks’ for future works.

Help with cost of living

Cambridge City Council maintains a web page listing various forms of help that are available to anyone struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. These range from additional payments from the council or discounts on things like your Council Tax, to support from partners such as food vouchers, energy grants and help managing debt. The page can be found here.

How to contact our local councillors

The Queen Edith’s Community Forum guide to our local councillors will ensure you contact the right one depending on your issue and the street where you live. Find it here.

Queen Edith’s city councillor Sam Davies writes a weekly email discussing what she’s been doing and what issues have come up in the area. You can add yourself to the circulation of Sam’s free email here. If our other councillors produce anything similar we will also highlight it here.

Have you been forwarded this email?
Click here to request your own copy each week. It’s free!

Queen Edith’s News

Issue 211 • Friday 14 October 2022
Emailed to over 1,750 local homes

Come down to the Dog Show with a difference!

You can bring your real dog, your invisible dog, your cuddly dog, or no dog at all …just come on down to Nightingale Recreation Ground tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 15 October) for Dog Show! Organised by the Queen Edith’s Community Forum, Cambridge Junction and artists Hunt & Darton, the event is guaranteed to be a lot of fun …and your dog will love it. Expect fast paced agility courses, some serious grooming competition and dogs uncannily like their owners. Dog Show is completely free, no booking required, and runs from 2pm to 4pm. See you there!

Worts Causeway closed

Worts Causeway is closed, just beyond the last housing, to enable a water main to be installed for the new Eddeva Park housing development. Emergency access will be maintained at all times. This is a long-term closure which will remain until 27 November.

Fancy yourself as a writer?

The closing date for the Friends or Rock Road Library’s first flash fiction writing competition organised by the writer-in-residence, Jane Wilson-Howarth, is next Monday, 17 October. This weekend, why not put pen to paper to write just 250 words on the theme of Autumn Colour or Halloween? You may win a prize! Full details here.

Cycle servicing extends opening hours

The cycle repair service on the Biomedical Campus has extended its opening hours as more staff, patients and visitors are choosing sustainable transport. The Campus Cycle Hub is now open seven days per week, 8am to 5pm. Based in a hut on Richard Howe Way, opposite the Deakin Centre, the Hub is open to anyone, including local residents. You can contact the hub on 07414 113948.

Apple Day at Rock Road Library

We hope you’ve been collecting apples and empty bottles or containers! Now bring them down to Rock Road Library for Apple Day, tomorrow morning (Saturday 15 October) between 10am and 12.30pm. The Friends of Rock Road Library have an apple press and will turn them into juice for you, free of charge. There are also games and refreshments – the family will love it. All are welcome, no charge.

It’s Big Biology Day!

Tomorrow (Saturday 15 October) sees the return of Big Biology Day, its ninth at Hills Road Sixth Form College. It’s a great day of hands-on biology for all the family and is now one of the largest free-to-attend festivals in the UK that has a sole focus on the biological sciences. Big Biology Day has annually welcomed over 2000 visitors of all ages through the doors for a full day of hands-on biology activities, providing entertainment alongside education and careers advice. The event focuses on getting close-up and personal with biology and meeting scientists from a wide range of backgrounds. It runs from 10am to 4pm and is suitable for all the family, especially budding young scientists! More details at the Facebook page here.

Find out about the hospitals’ Green Plan

Richard Hales, Energy & Sustainability Manager at Cambridge University NHS Foundation Hospital Trust, will share the hospitals’ new “Green Plan” for rapid decarbonisation as part of Carbon Neutral Cambridge’s 2022 AGM, to be held online from 12noon to 1pm on Monday (17 October). Impressively, this Green Plan aims to reduce emissions by 10% a year, and halve them by 2032. More details of how to watch here.

Donate your unwanted clothes

There’s a clothes collection at Morley Memorial Primary School next Tuesday (18 October). Why not have a sort through your cupboards and dig out your unwanted good quality adult and children’s clothing, paired shoes, hats, belts, handbags, soft toys, bed sheets and pillow cases, curtains and towels? There’s a list of what can and can’t be collected here. Please bring your bagged up donations to the school’s community room entrance before 9am on the Tuesday.

Local historian at lunch club

Local historical researcher Mike Petty is the guest speaker at the next Cambs Older People’s Enterprise (COPE) Evelyn Charnley Memorial Lunch Club. This will be held at the Queen Edith Chapel on Wulfstan Way, next Wednesday (19 October) from 12noon to 2pm. Tea and Biscuits are provided, or bring your own lunch if required. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call Peter Murfitt on 01223 364303.

A trip round ‘bird islands’

The RSPB Cambridge group will be at St Johns Church next Wednesday (19 October). This meeting will feature an illustrated talk by Nick Williams on the subject of “Bird Islands” – taking us on a trip around the Cape Verde Islands, the Falklands, North Norway, West Scotland and the Farne Islands. It’ll be an inspiring and dramatic pictorial spectacle. The meeting starts at 7.30pm, all are welcome and there is a charge of £3 on the door for non-members.

Does Chocolate and Wine sound nice?

Join local chocolatier, Mama Bombon, who will guide you through a journey of discovering which wines and other drinks work with chocolate, at 7pm next Wednesday (19 October) at Cambridge Wine Merchants on Cherry Hinton Road. Chocolates will range from the straightforward to fillings laced with flavours derived from herbs, spices, Gin & Tonic, truffle, garlic, etc. Cost is £25 per person and places can be booked by emailing cherry@cambridgewine.com to book –please include your contact number.

Holiday Bushcraft for 5-12 year olds

Holiday Bushcraft at Wandlebury is designed for children aged 5-12 and is run by experienced qualified teachers from Wild Thyme & Embers, who will inspire children and share their knowledge and skills of surviving in the wild. The sessions focus on practical bushcraft and survival skills and follow a forest school approach encouraging self-confidence and sense of achievement. The next sessions take place from Monday 24 to Friday 28 October, from 8.30am to 4pm, at Wandlebury Country Park. More details here.
Queen Edith’s magazine supporter of the week

The No.1 restaurant in the city

It’s not just Queen Edith’s favourite restaurant, but it’s Cambridge’s too – and it’s just around the corner! Taj Tandoori on Cherry Hinton Road is No.1 of 399 restaurants in the whole city on TripAdvisor, from over 1,000 real reviews. Open for dining in, collection or home delivery, 6 days a week. Bring your own wine or beer.
Order your home delivery here
Reserve a table here

News from our MP

South Cambs MP Anthony Browne has another of his newsletters out, and you can read it here. Anthony reports back on his party conference, and gives his views on the proposed congestion charge, local bus cuts and protecting chalk streams.

Over 40 and under 75? Get a free health check

Free NHS health checks are being offered to residents aged 40 to 74 years to help detect early health issues before they do real damage. The 30 minute checks, which are funded by Cambridgeshire County Council, will include monitoring blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and lifestyle factors that influence health. By booking a check, residents could find out their risks for getting heart or kidney disease, diabetes or stroke in the future and they will be given advice on how to reduce their risk. Those aged over 65 are also told about the signs and symptoms of dementia. There’s more information here.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s lineup of films this week include Amsterdam; Barbie: Mermaid Power; Bros; DC League of Super-Pets; Don’t Worry Darling; Emily; Exhibition On Screen: Hopper; Gruffalo; Halloween Ends; LFF Closing Night Gala: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; LFF Preview: Decision to Leave 15; Lost Boys; Lyle Lyle Crocodile; Minions: The Rise of Gru; Moulin Rouge!; Mrs Harris Goes to Paris; NT Live: Prima Facie 15; Ponniyin Selvan; Rorschach; See How They Run; Smile; Tad The Lost Explorer And The Curse Of The Mummy; The Lost Boys (35th Anniversary); The Lost King; The Woman King; Ticket To Paradise; and Top Gun: Maverick.

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes Arthur Smith: My First 75 Years In Comedy; Can’t Stop Can’t Stop ; Cats In Space; Channel One Sound System; Club Urania: October; Emily Mae Winters; Grace Petrie; Hayseed Dixie; Helen Bauer: Madam Good Tit; Jason Byrne: Unblocked ; John Mccusker; Maisie Adam: Buzzed; Newton Faulkner; Sofie Hagen: Fat Jokes; The Fiver – October; and Ye Vagabonds.

Christmas Family Show – see the video

★ The Cambridge Junction Christmas Show is The Nutcracker, a brand-new family show bursting with joy, dance and music. Created by a company of disabled and non-disabled performers this high energy, all-inclusive show takes inspiration from the original story from 1816 and cranks it up to 2022!

Help make a new film

★ Cambridge Junction is working with award-winning Australian company Back to Back Theatre to make a new film called The Democratic Set, and would love you to have your moving portrait taken for this alongside people from across Cambridge. You are invited to spend time with the company at the Guildhall, between 1–3 November, to be filmed on your own, or in couples/duets or groups, using movement, sound, costumes or props. On the day you’ll have 20 mins with the company to capture your 15 secs of fame (longer for big groups). More details here.

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub is open tomorrow (Saturday) as usual, from 10.30am to 12noon at St James Church on Wulfstan Way. All in need are welcome, no questions asked. The Coffee Chat is open too.

A huge thanks to St John’s Church for donating their Harvest Festival collection to the hub. It made a big difference last weekend!

Food donations may be brought to the church on Saturday mornings from 10.00am to 10.30am. The team tells us it’s usually particularly in need of items like tinned beans (although not baked beans), tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. Egg boxes are also always needed, especially half-dozen sized. You can drop these off at any time in the St James Church porch.

Financial donations are also more welcome than ever. The project continues only through the generosity of local residents and businesses.

Coronavirus Update

The government’s recommended steps to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 are as follows: get vaccinated; let fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meet outside; and consider wearing a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces.

You can find more information here on:

  • Staying safe;
  • Testing and staying at home;
  • International travel;
  • Long COVID; and
  • Work, self-employment and business support.

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations, please visit The Vaccinators website and click on your age group.

Green Tips

The food sharing app Olio generated a lot of interest last week, so here’s another app – quite different but just as interesting. Too Good to Go enables customers buy and collect ‘Magic Bags’ of food – at significantly reduced prices – directly from businesses. Find out more here, then get the app and see what’s available.

Greener Queen Edith’s Day rearranged

The postponed A Greener Queen Edith’s Day has been rearranged for Saturday 5 November. We’ll bring you full details of what’s happening as soon as we have them.

Consultation on enforcing traffic regulations

Cambridgeshire County Council is applying to the Secretary of State for new powers to enforce ‘moving traffic offences’ and is proposing the site for initial enforcement using these powers is Downing Street, Cambridge. The council wants our views about this proposed site – more details can be found here, and there’s a short two-question survey.

Bin collections

Check when your bins will be emptied here.

Local police and crime information

Find out data and information from Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s City south and east team here.

Health and Education job vacancies

Links to the jobs and careers pages at all of our local hospitals, schools and colleges can be found here.

Adult Learning and Evening Classes

There’s a wide range of educational and recreational classes and courses for adults available locally, this autumn and into next year. Find out more details here:

Traffic disruption

One.network is the website which shows current and forthcoming road works. You can see the map here. Click the ‘Today’ box and select ‘Next two weeks’ for future works.

Help with cost of living

Cambridge City Council maintains a web page listing various forms of help that are available to anyone struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. These range from additional payments from the council or discounts on things like your Council Tax, to support from partners such as food vouchers, energy grants and help managing debt. The page can be found here.

How to contact our local councillors

The Queen Edith’s Community Forum guide to our local councillors will ensure you contact the right one depending on your issue and the street where you live. Find it here.

Queen Edith’s city councillor Sam Davies writes a weekly email discussing what she’s been doing and what issues have come up in the area. You can add yourself to the circulation of Sam’s free email here. If our other councillors produce anything similar we will also highlight it here.

Have you been forwarded this email?
Click here to request your own copy each week. It’s free!

Queen Edith’s News

Issue 210 • Friday 7 October 2022
Emailed to over 1,750 local homes

Calling all home bakers!

The Saturday morning Coffee Chat running alongside the Community Food Hub is proving popular, and the organisers would like to offer visitors home-baked goodies each week – could you bake something from time to time and drop it off? If so, send us an email to hello@queen-ediths.info and we can arrange things. Thanks from the Food Hub this week go to the Queen Emma School for its Harvest Festival collection (above), which was greatly appreciated.

Change at Wulfstan Way Pharmacy

Thanks to the Queen Edith Medical Practice Patients Group for the information that the pharmacy on Wulfstan Way has changed from Kays to the Polaris Pharmacy. It is now run by husband and wife pharmacists Loh and Gina Liu, and although standard NHS services will remain the backbone of the pharmacy, their intention is to add extra services such as sleep and travel clinics, and various tests and inoculations on a private basis. If you have difficulties in obtaining a flu jab, the Polaris Pharmacy may be able to assist. The pharmacy’s opening hours will remain as at present.

Greener Queen Edith’s Day rearranged

The postponed A Greener Queen Edith’s Day has been rearranged for Saturday 5 November. We’ll bring you full details of what’s happening as soon as we have them.

Neighbourhood Watch Scheme expands

The Red Cross Lane Area Neighbourhood Watch Scheme is expanding after interest was shown by residents on Hills Road slip road, as they too want to build a safer, stronger and more active community. At the October AGM for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Neighbourhood Watch at Police Headquarters in Huntingdon, Keith Mookai of the RedCross Areas Residents Association (above) presented a Commendation Award to Superintendent Laura Hunt, whose Neighbourhood Teams have transformed the area’s streets over the past few years.

Volunteer Work at Wandlebury

There’s another chance to help the team at Wandlebury care for our green spaces and wildlife next Tuesday morning (11 October). Get active, meet others and enjoy learning! All instruction, equipment and tools provided. Wear tough clothes and footwear and bring a packed lunch. No need to book, just turn up. More details here.

Quiz Night at the Wine Bar

There’s another Quiz Night on Tuesday (11 October) at Cambridge Wine Merchants’ Cherry Hinton Road branch, from 7pm. It’s £10 for a team of up to 4 people. Topics are “loosely wine-based and general knowledge, but mostly just a lot of fun!” There will be prizes. You’re welcome to bring your own food
Email cherry@cambridgewine.com to book, and please include your contact number.

Free lunchtime music recital

The first of a new regular recital series by Perse School music scholars at the St Johns Centre on Hills Road is next Wednesday (12 October) at 1.15pm. There’ll be a varied programme of music. Free admission and all welcome! More here.

Readings on Loss, Love and Living Well

Join Cambridgeshire Libraries for a contemplative evening via Zoom next Wednesday (12 October) in celebration of Hospice Care Week. Listen to Cambridgeshire Libraries volunteers and staff members reading extracts from a selection of books and poetry under the heading With the End in Mind – Readings on Loss, Love and Living Well. Book your free ticket here.

Drama at the Perse

The Perse Middle School production of The Blood on the Bannisters, by Elif Cektir (Year 12), which is longlisted for the 2022 National Theatre New Views competition, is being staged next Wednesday/Thursday 12/13 October. The production is suitable for year 9 and above. Tickets are free and can be booked here.

Meet friends at afternoon tea

TLC Cherry Hinton Care Home has its monthly “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” Club on Thursday (13 October) from 2.30pm. It’s a free afternoon tea event for anyone locally feeling a little isolated at the moment. Come and meet some friends! Email bdm@cherryhintoncarehome.co.uk to let them know you’re coming.

Climate Change Festival next weekend

The city-wide Cambridge Zero Climate Change Festival 2022 begins next Friday (14 October) and the lineup includes two events at our own Cambridge Science Centre on Clifton Way. The Lifeworks! shows are filled with demos and chances to join in. For details of this and the dozens of other events taking place all weekend, please see the festival website.

Get your dog ready…

It’s only a week until the Queen Edith’s Community Forum teams up with Cambridge Junction and artists Hunt & Darton to bring you “Dog Show” on Nightingale Recreation Ground. The event will take on the much loved format of the dog show – but much sillier. And you don’t even need a real dog! Bring your real pet, your invisible dog, your cuddly dog, your friend’s dog …or just yourself. More here.

The History of Cherry Hinton Road

Mary Burgess will be giving a talk on The History of Cherry Hinton Road at Rock Road Library on Thursday 20 October at 7.15pm. Mary is a Local Studies Assistant at the Cambridgeshire Collection, and the event is organised by the Friends of Rock Road Library. It should be a fascinating evening. No tickets, just turn up.
Queen Edith’s magazine supporter of the week

Light-speed internet to your home

As an independent platform, City Fibre’s full fibre network gives you a choice of who you want to provide your internet. In Queen Edith’s, many residents can already connect using Vodafone’s ‘Gigafast Broadband’ and services will soon be available from other ISPs such as TalkTalk, Zen, AirBroadband, Giganet and others. To find out if you can connect to full fibre with CityFibre and to see which service providers are available, check the postcode checker at cityfibre.com/queenedith

Learn how to oil paint on Saturdays

Local artist Susan Abbs is starting a 4-week Saturday oil painting course in her studio from 22 October. You will learn how to paint an oil painting with confidence: from colour mixing and glazing to imprimatura and alla prima. As in all her classes, you can expect practical demonstrations, lots of helpful tips and one to one support. Find out more information at Susan’s website here and contact her there for more details.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s lineup of films this week include Amsterdam; Billy Joel Live at Yankee Stadium; Bohemian Rhapsody; Bram Stoker’s Dracula (30th Anniversary); DC League of Super-Pets; Don’t Worry Darling; Halloween and Halloween Kills (Double Bill); Grease Sing-A-Long PG; Living; Lyle Lyle Crocodile; Main Hoon Moosa (Malayalam) 12A; Minions: The Rise of Gru; Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris; Niewidzialna Wojna; NT Live: Prima Facie; Ponniyin Selvan: I (Tamil); ROH: Aida; Smile; Tad The Lost Explorer And The Curse Of The Mummy; The Gruffalo; The Lost King; The Woman King; Ticket To Paradise; and Top Gun: Maverick.

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes After That; Blancmange; Cats In Space; Elf Lyons: Raven; Ellie Dixon; High Performance Packing Tape; Jessica Fostekew: Wench; Jesterlarf Comedy Club: October; Lau; Maisie Adam: Buzzed; Monster Truck; Neurodelicious Launch Pad; Short Scratchings; The Cambridge Pentacle Club: The Magic Show; and Warning X Breakin’ Science.

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub is open tomorrow (Saturday) as usual, from 10.30am to 12noon at St James Church on Wulfstan Way. All in need are welcome, no questions asked. The Coffee Chat is open too.

Food donations may be brought to the church on Saturday mornings from 10.00am to 10.30am. The team tells us it’s usually particularly in need of items like tinned beans (although not baked beans), tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. Egg boxes are also always needed, especially half-dozen sized. You can drop these off at any time in the St James Church porch.

Financial donations are also more welcome than ever. The project continues only through the generosity of local residents and businesses.

And don’t forget to watch our new video!

Coronavirus Update

The government’s recommended steps to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 are as follows: get vaccinated; let fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meet outside; and consider wearing a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces.

You can find more information here on:

  • Staying safe;
  • Testing and staying at home;
  • International travel;
  • Long COVID; and
  • Work, self-employment and business support.

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations, please visit The Vaccinators website and click on your age group.

Green Tips

Following on from last week’s item about cooking with leftovers, here’s the first of a couple of food sharing apps which might interest you. Olio is a very simple tool which enables you to connect with neighbours and with local businesses so that surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. Take a look.

Bin collections

Check when your bins will be emptied here.

Local police and crime information

Find out data and information from Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s City south and east team here.

Health and Education job vacancies

Links to the jobs and careers pages at all of our local hospitals, schools and colleges can be found here.

Adult Learning and Evening Classes

There’s a wide range of educational and recreational classes and courses for adults available locally, this autumn and into next year. Find out more details here:

Traffic disruption

One.network is the website which shows current and forthcoming road works. You can see the map here. Click the ‘Today’ box and select ‘Next two weeks’ for future works.

Help with cost of living

Cambridge City Council maintains a web page listing various forms of help that are available to anyone struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. These range from additional payments from the council or discounts on things like your Council Tax, to support from partners such as food vouchers, energy grants and help managing debt. The page can be found here.

How to contact our local councillors

The Queen Edith’s Community Forum guide to our local councillors will ensure you contact the right one depending on your issue and the street where you live. Find it here.

Queen Edith’s city councillor Sam Davies writes a weekly email discussing what she’s been doing and what issues have come up in the area. You can add yourself to the circulation of Sam’s free email here. If our other councillors produce anything similar we will also highlight it here.

Have you been forwarded this email?
Click here to request your own copy each week. It’s free!