Issue 178 • Friday 25 February 2022 Emailed to over 1,600 local homes
Have your say about problem parking
The Greater Cambridge Partnership wants to hear our thoughts on “the location and nature of on-street parking issues currently affecting road users in Cambridge”. They say that the feedback will help develop a new plan for further on-street parking controls, including possible residents’ parking schemes, so it’s important to have your say and tell them exactly what and where the problems are. The online system being used can be a bit awkward to use, especially the registering to have a comment, but we’ve found this way is easiest:
Visit the Consult Cambs site and register to be a user (or sign in if you’ve done before); then
Visit the background page to read about the consultation; then
Visit the map page. Scroll over to the appropriate area of the city; then click the tiny “+” top left, and you’ll be given a series of “pins”. Drag one or more to the right place (and add a comment in each case).
New features in Joy’s Garden
As the weather improves, work is starting again in Joy’s Garden on Baldock Way. Come and take a look. You may have already spotted the striking bug hotel made by John and Nihal, with signage by Dominic. It’s now open to visitors! This weekend, volunteers hope to plant a ‘living willow tunnel’ which should provide a lovely feature in a few months’ time. If you are interested in getting involved, email us at hello@queen-ediths.info
Green bin catch-up
A reminder that if there were no green bin collections in your street during the weeks of 7 and 14 February, or last Saturday, please put your bin out for collection tomorrow (Saturday 26 February) when the council team will be round again, doing as much as they can to catch up on the missed areas.
Campaign to end to pavement parking
Living Streets has joined RNIB in a campaign to try to end pavement parking in Cambridge. Cambridgeshire County Council could be using Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to control parking on footways and verges, as Peterborough has done. There’s a new video to promote the initiative, shot on the streets of Queen Edith’s and featuring some local people. Watch it here.
As from yesterday, you will not be legally required to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19. Stay at home if you can, however, and avoid contact with other people.
You will not have to take daily tests or be legally required to self-isolate following contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme will end. If you were told to self-isolate before 24 February you can still make a claim up to 6 April.
Staff and students in most education and childcare settings no longer need to test twice a week.
Vaccination information
For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations, please visit The Vaccinators website and click on your age group.
If you are struggling to get to and from your vaccine appointment, Cambridgeshire County Council can pay for your taxi journey. More details here.
Latest data
Cambridge’s positive COVID-19 test result rate continues to fall quickly, now at 716 per 100,000 people, but still significantly above the average in England overall, which is 422. Data here.
The latest Queen Edith’s figure is slightly under the city average, at 630. Data here.
By the end of 2 February, 115,006 people in Cambridge had been given a first vaccine dose; 106,232 people had been given a second dose; and 83,823 people had been given a booster or third dose. Data here.
The same page reveals that 62 people went into hospital in Cambridge with coronavirus (slightly fewer than the week before); there were 4 coronavirus patients in hospital with a mechanical ventilator on Tuesday, but there were, sadly, 2 deaths reported this week within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.
The Cambridge Festival 2022 programme will be revealed online from Monday (28 February), but we’re mentioning it already as booking for events will also become live on the same day. The new, interdisciplinary festival (combining the Cambridge Science Festival and the Cambridge Festival of Ideas) will take place from 31 March to 10 April 2022 with a mixture on online, on-demand and in-person events covering all aspects of the world-leading research happening at Cambridge. Venues include our own Cambridge Science Centre in Queen Edith’s. Sign up for updates here or just go to the festival website on Monday.
Volunteer Work Party at Wandlebury
Help the team at Wandlebury care for their green spaces and their wildlife, as well as getting active, meeting others and enjoying learning! The next session is next Tuesday (1 March) at 10.30am. All instruction, equipment and tools provided. Wear tough clothes and footwear and bring packed lunch. No need to book, just turn up. Full details here.
Getting new Mums back to activity!
Super Mums is a six week programme aimed at new mums with babies of 6 months or over, hosted by Cambridge City Council. Designed to give you the confidence to increase your physical activity, the sessions are a mixture of online and in person. Babies are welcome too, of course! Full details here.
Local police survey
Cambridgeshire Constabulary have a short survey which closes this Sunday (27 February) asking for views on what their priorities should be and what we see as particular issues at the moment. You can complete the simple survey here.
Queen Edith’s magazine supporter of the week
Cambridge’s favourite Indian restaurant is here
Taj Tandoori first opened its doors to the people of Cambridge in 1986. The moment you walk in, you get the feeling that you are entering a business crafted with love, care and passion. The Cherry Hinton Road restaurant has built up an enviable reputation and a loyal fan base for both the quality of its food and friendly service. Customers are welcomed and made to feel like they are part of the family. Why not reserve a table or book a takeaway tonight?
Extra support from the water company
Cambridge Water has been in touch to say that if someone you know needs a little extra help due to medical, learning, physical disabilities or financial difficulties, let them know by joining their Priority Services Register. It’s free to join. For example, if you have a medical condition, which needs a constant supply of water, they can prioritise getting water to you in an emergency. Their Assure tariff is to assist customers in a low income or struggling to pay their water charges, and if you are on a low income they may be able to help by putting a limit on your charges for water and sewerage services. Full details here.
Council meeting date for your diary
Do you have an issue you wish to raise with the council in public? Here’s advance notice of the next online South Area Committee Meeting, which will be on Monday 7 March. Any resident wishing to address the committee should contact the council by midday next Thursday (3 March). Questions can also be submitted throughout the meeting by email. If you’d like to discuss the issue with a local councillor beforehand, contact details are below. Full details of the meeting can be found here.
This Week at The Light Cinema
★ Our multi-screen cinema’s lineup of films this week include Belfast; Clifford the Big Red Dog; Cyrano; Death on the Nile; Dog; Encanto; Jackass Forever; Scream; Sing 2; Spider-Man: No Way Home; Studio 666; The Batman; The Duke; The Godfather (50th Anniversary); Uncharted and West Side Story.
★ This week Cambridge Junction has a great lineup including 2065; Big Country; Cuoda Annual Show; Daliso Chaponda: Apocalypse Not Now; Ferocious Dog; Hammer & Tongue March; Jesterlarf Comedy Club: March; New Routes: Amy Hollinrake & Eli Bre; Peggy Seeger With Calum Maccoll; Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts; Stone Foundation and The Vapors.
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. There’s also free tea and coffee!
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 tinned beans (not baked beans) and tinned fish, but all contributions are welcome.
One.network is the website which shows current and forthcoming road works. You can see the map here.
Advance notice that the Cherry Hinton end of Queen Ediths Way will be closed for cabling work during the Easter period. Full details will be here before the work begins.
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.
Queen Edith’s News
Issue 177 • Friday 18 February 2022 Emailed to over 1,600 local homes
Wulfstan Way 5G mast saga continues
Queen Edith’s City Councillor Sam Davies tells us that Hutchison UK is appealing to the Secretary of State to overturn the Council’s recent decision to refuse the siting of a 5G mast on the green outside Wulfstan Way shops. She says: “Many of you wrote in objection to the original proposal, and those comments will be fed into this review. However, if you wish to comment again, you can do so here or by post to The Planning Inspectorate, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BS1 6PN. Quote the appeal reference 3284491.”
Green bin catch-up
Several entire streets did not have their green bins emptied at the start of this month, due to COVID related absence, national shortages of HGV drivers and agency staff, general sickness and planned annual leave from the crew. If all the green bins in your street were not emptied during the weeks of 7 and 14 February, please put your bin out for collection tomorrow (Saturday 19 February) and if not emptied then, again on Saturday 26 February. For residents that had a missed green bin where the rest of the street was emptied, the waste service will not be able to return to these individual properties.
Storm power problems?
As a result of Storm Eunice, UK Power Networks has extra field engineers and call centre staff on hand at the moment. Please treat fallen electricity cables as live, stay away and call the company immediately on 0800 31 63 105 or just 105. If you see electricity lines that are causing significant risk to the public please call 999. If you know someone needing extra support during a power cut, there are free services available: call 0800 028 4581 and ask about the Priority Services Register. Everything you may need to know is here.
You no longer need to wear a face covering, but consider wearing one in crowded, enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
Vaccination information
For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations, please visit The Vaccinators website and click on your age group.
If you are struggling to get to and from your vaccine appointment, Cambridgeshire County Council can pay for your taxi journey. More details here.
Latest data
Cambridge’s positive COVID-19 test result rate continues to fall, now at 1,069 per 100,000 people, but still significantly above the average in England overall, which is around 570. Data here.
The latest Queen Edith’s figure is around the city average, at 1,096. Data here.
By the end of 2 February, 114,844 people in Cambridge had been given a first vaccine dose; 105,817 people had been given a second dose; and 83,097 people had been given a booster or third dose. Data here.
The same page reveals that 70 people went into hospital in Cambridge with coronavirus (fewer than the week before); there were only 3 coronavirus patients in hospital with a mechanical ventilator on Tuesday, but there were, sadly, 4 deaths reported this week within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.
Worth a look…
Did you have COVID-19 more than three months ago? Are you still experiencing fatigue, breathlessness or other symptoms? Talk to your GP and ask for a referral to the Long Covid Service – a team of specialists who can help your recovery.
Free Wellbeing Walk in Nightingale Park
The ‘5 steps towards improved mental wellbeing’ include connecting with others, learning something new, keeping active, noticing your surroundings, and giving of yourself. A friendly, inclusive and slower-paced walk in Nightingale Park does all of this and offers a wellbeing booster when it may be needed most. The next Wellbeing Walk in Nightingale Park is on Thursday (24 February), and there are details on how to book your space here. Numbers are limited – come and join in!
Share dementia experiences
The TLC Cherry Hinton Care Home, on Cherry Hinton Road, is holding a ‘Memory Café’ on the last Thursday of every month. Suitable for those living with dementia or supporting someone who is, the free event offers the chance to share experiences in a friendly environment. The next café is on Thursday 24 February at 2.30pm. To reserve a place, email cdm@cherryhintoncarehome.co.uk
Find out about robotic-assisted surgery
The annual John Addenbrooke Lecture on Thursday 24 February at 7pm is a free online event, explaining how innovative robotic surgery can transform care. Addenbrooke’s surgeons Professor Grant Stewart and Mr Siong-Seng Liau will share their experiences of the benefits of robotic surgery and Dr Ashley Shaw, Medical Director at Cambridge University Hospitals, will also share his expert perspective on how innovation will help our much-loved hospital recover from the challenging period of the last two years. Sign up for details here.
Telephone-based talks return
Registration has opened for the Spring series of Talking Together, the free programme of telephone-based discussions aimed at older people. The series will run from 21 March to 28 April, weekly for 45 minute sessions. New topics for this series are Crime Writing, a local history of water and the Museum of Cambridge. Favourites include Wicken Fen, Young Americans in Britain during WW2 and Poet’s Corner. There are more details here.
Queen Edith’s magazine supporter of the week
Garden Care whatever the weather
The All Season Gardener serves residents throughout the Queen Edith’s area with general garden maintenance, tree and hedge care, patio and drive cleaning, and more. Full information here.
Is there an accountant out there who would be willing to look at the Queen Edith’s Community Forum’s year-end accounts? These are very simple, but as we’ve been dealing with substantially more money this year, managing the Food Hub, it would be nice to have an experienced eye cast over them. If you could help, please email our treasurer Fiona at accounts@queen-ediths.info – thank you!
This Week at The Light Cinema
★ Our multi-screen cinema’s lineup of films this week include Belfast; Clifford the Big Red Dog; Cyrano; Death on the Nile; Dog; Encanto; Jackass Forever; Marry Me; Scream; Sing 2; Spider-Man: No Way Home; The Beatles: Get Back – The Rooftop Concert; Uncharted; and West Side Story
★ This week Cambridge Junction has a whole range of shows including Arts & Minds: Creative Café; Club Urania – February; Cuoda Annual Show; Larry Dean: Fudnut; Luke Wright; Reginald D Hunter: Bombe Shuffleur; Slipped Disc All Nighter; The Dan Daw Show; The Fiver – February; The Vapors; and Underwater
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. There’s also free tea and coffee!
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 tinned beans (not baked beans) and tinned fish, but all contributions are welcome.
One.network is the website which shows current and forthcoming road works. You can see the map here.
Advance notice that the Cherry Hinton end of Queen Ediths Way will be closed for cabling work during the Easter period. Full details will be here before the work begins.
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.
Queen Edith’s News
Issue 176 • Friday 11 February 2022 Emailed to over 1,600 local homes
Due to holidays, we can only bring you a few items this week. Full service resumes next Friday.
All about birds this half-term
Every day through half-term the Cambridge Science Centre will be discovering birds through our interactive and fun shows – and there’s a chance for everyone to join in with the daily activities and maybe make something truly special to take home. No need to book! The Centre is on the Clifton Road Estate and the full events listing is here.
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. More details here.
Can You Have Your Cake and Eat It?
Join Professor Pete Wilde from the Quadram Institute in Norwich next Tuesday (15 February) for a fascinating online talk about Food Structure, Appetite and Energy Intake. He will also take questions afterwards. More information here.
Living well with Dementia
In a free online event organised by the Heathlands House Care Home in Bullen Close next Wednesday (16 February), Peter Berry, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia at the age of 50, will explain what it is like for him to live with the condition. He will also discuss the importance of living in the present, financial implications and how he and his family have coped since the diagnosis. For more information visit the Heathlands House What’s On page and scroll to the bottom.
Food Hub open tomorrow
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. There’s also free tea and coffee!
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 tinned beans (not baked beans) and tinned fish, but all contributions are welcome.
The council Waste Service has been in touch with a message about green bins.The service continues to face challenges due to staff absences. Residents are asked to put their bins out as normal, with waste crews working to empty as many as possible each day. Although the intention is to empty all green bins as per the published schedule, it is likely that green bin crews will not be able to reach all properties. As was the case in January, please do not report missed green bins during this next collection period, as there are not enough waste crews to return to empty these missed green bins.
One.network is the website which shows current and forthcoming road works. You can see the map 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 problem 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.
Queen Edith’s News
Issue 175 • Friday 4 February 2022 Emailed to over 1,600 local homes
Chinese New Year in the Garden
Come down to Nightingale Garden tomorrow (Saturday 5 February) any time between 11am and 1pm to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Tiger. It’s a free community event, and everyone is welcome! There’ll be family-friendly crafts, stories, tastings and hot drinks. Wear something red if you wish, and you could even bring a kite if it is good flying weather. All activities will be outdoors, and adults will need to stay with their children. More information at the garden website here.
Community Forum Charitable Status
The Queen Edith’s Community Forum is embarking on the process of becoming registered with the Charity Commission. There’s an online EGM next Thursday (10 February) to discuss the new draft constitution and answer any questions. There’s an explanation and full background documentation here.
You no longer need to wear a face covering, but consider wearing one in crowded, enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
You no longer need to show an NHS COVID Pass at venues and events by law.
Vaccination information
For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations, please visit The Vaccinators website and click on your age group.
If you are struggling to get to and from your vaccine appointment, Cambridgeshire County Council has agreed to pay for your taxi journey via the ‘Vaxi Taxi’ scheme. More details here.
Latest data
Cambridge’s positive COVID-19 test result rate has risen yet again at 1,854 per 100,000 people, significantly above the average in England overall, static at around 1070. Data here.
The latest Queen Edith’s figure is around the city average, at 1,781. Data here.
By the end of 2 February, 114,416 people in Cambridge had been given a first vaccine dose; 104,974 people had been given a second dose; and 81,610 people had been given a booster or third dose. Data here.
The same page reveals that 98 people went into hospital in Cambridge with coronavirus (an increase on the week before); there were 9 coronavirus patients in hospital with a mechanical ventilator on Tuesday, and 3 deaths reported this week within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.
Educating doctors in the digital age is the next online event in the Cambridge Biomedical Campus on Virtual Tour series. The talk by Dr Arun Gupta will take place on Monday (7 February) at 12:30 and will explain how Dr Gupta and his colleagues are addressing the challenges in developing the skills of our future medical workforce. More information here.
Plant a Tree at Wandlebury
There’s another chance to help plant a new woodland at Wandlebury tomorrow (Saturday 5 February). Tools, instructions (and trees!) are provided. More information here.
Help clear the Hills Road verge
There’s a final session coming up in the scheme where residents of Hills Road south of the Addenbrooke’s roundabout are working on their green wildlife corridor separating the set-back housing from the main carriageway. All volunteers from anywhere in the neighbourhood are welcome, next Tuesday (8 February) between 10am and 2pm. Just turn up in gardening clothes, perhaps with secateurs or loppers! There’s a lovely writeup of what’s been done so far here.
Community new year around Red Cross Lane
Members of the RedCross Residents Association went out delivering sweets and gifts to their neighbours this week, to celebrate Chinese new Year. Above are secretary Immy, Children’s Committee member Penelope, and Minmin, one of the association founders.
Study of Paris by local historical geographer
A new book about the personality of 19th-century Paris has been published by Dr Alan Baker, local historical geographer and former Queen Edith’s City Councillor. Alan has lived in Queen Edith’s for 43 years and was one of its city councillors from 2002 to 2010. He unpacks the social and material complexity of the 19th-century city and considers the role of immigration in the making of Parisians and in the city’s growth from half a million people in 1801 to almost three million in 1911. The book is available from Bloomsbury here and there’s a 35% discount to readers using the code 9781350252646.
Queen Edith’s magazine supporter of the week
Turn your spare room into extra income
EF students travel abroad for a full experience, and staying with a host family is an essential part of their time here. If you’d like to host a student, EF staff will be with you every step of the way; helping you select the student who best fits your family; guiding you through your student’s transition to their new country; introducing you to other families in your community; and organising optional fun excursions. Short and long term stays are available, with guaranteed prompt payments. To find out more, email accommodation.cambridge@ef.com and there’s full background information here.
Spanish Red Wines tasting event
Come and try Ribera Del Duero wine at Cambridge Wine Merchants, Cherry Hinton Road, on Tuesday 1 March at 7:30pm, at a special tasting evening. The event costs £25 per person. We’re putting this one in early because these events often sell out. To reserve places, email cherry@cambridgewine.com and please add a contact number.
Help Steve the Vicar on his fundraising run
Steve Rothwell, the vicar of St James Church on Wulfstan Way, is running the Cambridge Half Marathon on Sunday 6th March. He is raising funds for St James and will be grateful for your support. You can sponsor him here.
This Week at The Light Cinema
★ Our multi-screen cinema’s lineup of films this week include Belle; Belfast; Clifford the Big Red Dog; Encanto; Jackass Forever; Moonfall; Nightmare Alley; Parallel Mothers; Scream; Sing 2; Spider-Man: No Way Home; The Beatles: Get Back–The Rooftop Concert; The King’s Man and West Side Story
★ This week Cambridge Junction has a whole range of shows including Alfie Brown: Sensitive Man; Chameleons + The Membranes; Hammer & Tongue February; It Don’t Worry Me; Reset By Hifields X Zest; Story Jam; The Brass Funkeys – Livestream; We Touch, We Play, We Dance; and Zion Train: The Dub Phenomenon.
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. There’s also free tea and coffee!
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 tinned beans (not baked beans) and tinned fish, but all contributions are welcome.
The Public Health team in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough want to know what helps with your mental wellbeing. Whether you do or don’t have mental health conditions, they want to find out what is most important for local people who want to stay mentally well. The survey takes less than 10 minutes, and responses are anonymous.
The County Council is running a survey for those using or interested in the after school club transport arrangements to Cambridgeshire’s special schools. More here.
The council Waste Service has been in touch with a message about green bins.The service continues to face challenges due to staff absences. Residents are asked to put their bins out as normal, with waste crews working to empty as many as possible each day. Although the intention is to empty all green bins as per the published schedule, it is likely that green bin crews will not be able to reach all properties. As was the case in January, please do not report missed green bins during this next collection period, as there are not enough waste crews to return to empty these missed green bins.
Traffic disruption
One.network is the website which shows current and forthcoming road works. You can see the map here.
A reminder that the western end of Queen Ediths Way will be closed by the Hills Road junction from tomorrow (5 February) for two weeks. This is “to facilitate new service connections to the new development” (on the corner of Hills Road) including sewerage, water and site entrance works.
The M11 will be closed northbound from junction 12 (Barton) to junction 13 (Madingley Road) this weekend (Friday 4 February, 10pm, to Monday 7 February, 5am.
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 problem 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.
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Chris Rand
