Queen Edith’s news 2023 vol.3 – March

 

Queen Edith’s News

Issue 235 • Friday 31 March 2023
Emailed to over 1,800 local homes

Citi 2 Buses to go electric in May

The city is getting 30 new electric double decker buses in May, and one of the two routes they’ll be used on will be the Citi 2 service through Queen Edith’s. The new buses will take Stagecoach East’s total zero-emission fleet up to 32, joining their current two electric vehicles which have been in service since February 2020. The state-of-the-art Volvo BZL buses are full battery electric vehicles which offer zero tailpipe emissions, enabling a quieter and smoother journey. They also emit 72% less CO2 emissions than an equivalent size diesel bus, and can travel on average 200 miles between a full charge, using around 1.2 kWh of electricity per kilometre. They’re so new, we couldn’t even find one in Stagecoach colours, but here’s a photo from the manufacturer’s website! More on the story here.

See the people who make this city work

If you’re in the city tomorrow, our very own Cambridge Junction is putting on an innovative experience “celebrating Cambridge, its people, and their work”. In 12 Last Songs, from midday to midnight, workers will perform paid shifts of their jobs in front of an audience. A builder might build a wall, a hairdresser might cut someone’s hair and a chef might prepare a meal. With all types of jobs, occupations and work presented at The Guildhall, this snapshot of Cambridge is “an epic glimpse of the people who make this city work.” It may just feature some people from around here too! Audiences can arrive when they like, and come and go as they please throughout the day. More information here.

Messy start to Easter for the kids

Messy Church at St John The Evangelist on Hills Road has an afternoon exploring the Easter story tomorrow (Saturday 1 April) from 2pm. There’ll be crafts to make and take home, a fun telling of the Easter story, and a time to share tea and cake. Old clothes are advised, it could get messy! More details at the church website.

Easter week at our local churches

All of our local churches will be marking Easter throughout the next ten days. More information at their websites:

Free walks around the Biomedical Campus

David Skinner, a sociologist at Anglia Ruskin University and a local resident, has begun a research project called A Sense of Place about the past, present and future of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and its relationship to the communities around it. As part of the project development, David is running two walks this week: on Sunday (2 April) at 11.30am and on Tuesday (4 April) at 2pm. In both cases the walk will begin at Addenbrookes Bus Station and last 60-90 minutes. There is no need to register, just show up. If you would like to join the project email list and/or have a say in the design of future walks, email David at senseofplace@aru.ac.uk

Chocolate and Wine? Don’t mind if I do

Cambridge Wine Merchants on Cherry Hinton Road has a Chocolate & Wine Pairing Event next Tuesday (4 April) – “an indulgent evening of chocolate and wine pairings hosted by Mama Bombon and our team.” Discover the secrets behind chocolate-making while sampling a variety of unique chocolates alongside a selection of wines and spirits. Tickets are £25 per person from the shop, or call 01223 214548.

Talk on Climate Crisis and direct action

The Just Stop Oil group are giving a talk on the Climate Crisis and Direct Action next Thursday (6 April) at the St Johns Centre, St Johns Church, on Hills Road. It starts at 7pm and will look at what climate change means and how people can drive social change. The group’s website is here.

Children’s Activity Morning at St James

There are free Easter activities for children at St James Church on Friday 7 April, from 10am to 12noon. All are welcome to join in. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Free Easter Egg Hunt for the family

TLC Cherry Hinton Care Home on the corner of Kelvin Close and Cherry Hinton Road is opening its gardens to the wider community on Good Friday (7 April) for an Easter Egg Hunt. Grab a basket and come along with the family to hunt for eggs – and there’ll be a visit from the Easter Bunny too! Just turn up at 11am, but if you need any further details call 01223 633 932.

Major work on A1307 next month

Work will be starting work on 11 April to upgrade the active travel path from Babraham Road Park & Ride to Granham’s Road. This will last for approximately 12 weeks, and will involve temporary two-way and three-way traffic lights during off-peak hours (9.30am to 3.30pm). The work is part of the ongoing Linton Greenway project, providing a new active travel pathway along the A1307 east from the Babraham Road Park & Ride to Granham’s Road. During all phases of the works the existing footpath will be closed, but a safe route for active travel path users will be created, signed, and maintained.

Learn how to tackle maths problems

i3 Parent Hub, based at The Netherhall School, is running a free Maths Support For Parents and Carers course, starting later in April. This online programme offers an overview of the Primary, Secondary, and Functional Skills Curriculum to help improve your own maths skills and increase your ability to support your child with their maths homework and revision. Find out more here.

Help deliver Queen Edith’s magazine

We’re planning two issues of Queen Edith’s magazine this year – the first will be out towards the end of April. We’ll be contacting our usual delivery team to ask for your help again in due course, but if you haven’t been involved before, or haven’t been on the team recently, perhaps you would like to offer an hour’s time to deliver to a local road? If so, please email us at hello@queen-ediths.info

Featured Queen Edith’s magazine supporter

More success for local restaurant

Chef Jools at Taj Tandoori on Cherry Hinton Road has won perhaps his greatest accolade yet – crowned as International Bangladeshi Masterchef 2023 in Sylhet, Bangladesh! As he was about to return home, Jools said: “The connections I have made here on a spiritual, physical, mental and emotional level will remain with me forever. The memories are something I will look back on in my old age and think of the amazing time we had here. My ties with Bangladesh have been forever cemented and I will not leave it 30 years before the next visit!” Jools’ winnings of 1 lakh taka (approx £750) are going to be donated to the family charity The Dolly Foundation. See the menu and book a table at TripAdvisor’s No.1 rated restaurant in Cambridge here.

Get a Postal Vote for May’s council election

There’s an election for our next City Councillor on 4 May, and thanks to the government’s controversial recent legislation, anyone voting at polling stations now needs to bring along photo ID. This is not necessary for postal voters, so if you can’t – or just don’t want to – go to the polling station, why not apply for a postal vote? To request one, you just need to print out a very simple form and either post or email it back to the council office. Download the application form here.

Election coverage from Queen Edith’s News

We’ll be covering next month’s local elections in two ways: there’ll be a comprehensive article in the forthcoming edition of Queen Edith’s magazine (out 22/23 April), and then there’s the return (after four years!) of our Local Council Election Hustings event, where you can hear from the candidates to be the next city councillor in Queen Edith’s. This will be on Tuesday 25 April: make a note for your diary.

Did you miss it? Last night’s Forum AGM and CBC Discussion

Around 50 people attended last night’s Queen Edith’s Community Forum Annual meeting at the St Johns Centre, where reports were made, accounts approved and the existing officers were re-elected. The minutes and the accounts summary can be seen in the documentation here. The talk which followed, by Dr Andy Williams of Cambridge Biomedical Campus Ltd, has already been written up as a discussion by local historian and journalist Antony Carpen, and you can read it here.

Regular Free Community Social Events

  • Food Hub Cafe at St James Church on Saturdays, 10.30am to noon. Next event Saturday 1 April
  • Friendship Cafe at St John the Evangelist church, every Monday, 3pm to 5pm. Next event Monday 3 April
  • Friendship Cafe at St James Church, first Tuesday of the month, 11am to 3pm, including soup and a roll. Next event Tuesday 4 April
  • Warmer Together Cafe at Queen Edith Chapel, fortnightly Wednesdays, 11am to 1pm. Next event Wednesday 5 April

Come along to any of these events for a hot drink, and meet new and old friends. Just turn up!

Newsletter from our MP

South Cambridgeshire MP Anthony Browne has a newsletter out, which covers parliamentary events, a Congestion Charge referendum and the busway route through Coton Orchard. You can read the newsletter here. Mr Browne has announced that he will be standing for the new St Neots and Mid-Cambridgeshire seat at the next General Election, so there will be a new Conservative Party candidate for our constituency, which will now include Cherry Hinton as well as Queen Edith’s.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s huge lineup of upcoming films includes AIR; Allelujah; Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania; Beautiful Disaster; Bholaa (Hindi); Close; Creed III; Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves; John Wick: Chapter 4; Little Bear’s Big Trip; Little Eggs: An African Rescue; Metallica: 72 Seasons – Global Premiere; Mummies; NT Live: Life of Pi; Peppa Pig: Festival Of Fun; Peter Rabbit; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical; Royal Ballet 2022/23 Season: Cinderella; Sarah & Duck: Firm Friends; Scream VI; Shazam: Fury of the Gods; Super Mario Bros.; Superman (45th Anniversary); Tetris; The Big Lebowski (25th Anniversary); The Pope’s Exorcist; Weathering With You (Subbed); and Your Name (Subbed)

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes: Inspiral Carpets; Eshaan Akbar: The Pretender; Jacfest: The Cambridge Day Festival; Megson: The Herald; Patrick Monahan: Classy; 12 Last Songs; Curious Investigators; Wifi Wars; Deaf Havana; Dance No 2; Tim Key: Mulberry; and Comedy Connoisseurs – April

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub runs every Saturday morning, between 10.30am and 12noon, at St James Church, Wulfstan Way. Anyone in need is welcome to attend, with no questions asked. Just turn up and help yourself to what you need. We’ve been visited by several hundred different families and households of all sizes.

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 condiments, jam, sauces in jars, tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. More details on food donations here.

We do still need a supply of egg boxes, so if you have any and are passing St James Church, they can be left in the porch.

Health Information

The current government statement on COVID-19 is: “There are no coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the UK. If you have COVID-19 you should try to stay at home. Most people cannot get free COVID-19 tests. You can buy tests in shops but you cannot report the result to the NHS. You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the NHS.”

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations locally, please visit The Vaccinators website.

Bin collections

There are revised collection dates over the Easter period and for the following fortnight, then again in May because of the bank holidays.

Check when your bins will be emptied 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 about local crime levels and how to contact 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.

Consultations

  • We’re not aware of any relevant consultations running at the moment.

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 234 • Friday 24 March 2023
Emailed to over 1,800 local homes

Community meeting: Find out about the evolving Biomedical Campus

The largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe is part of Queen Edith’s – but what’s going on there? Dr Andy Williams of Cambridge Biomedical Campus Ltd will make a presentation to local residents on the “Next steps in the evolution of CBC” next Thursday (30 March), at St Johns Church. This free event is your chance to find out about our rapidly-growing neighbour here in Queen Edith’s, and it will be followed by a discussion about how community engagement can work better, featuring Dr Williams, Sam Davies and Barrie Hunt. The talk will be preceded briefly by the annual meeting of the Queen Edith’s Community Forum, where you can hear about everything our group has been up to this year. Proceedings start at 7pm – it’s free entry. Just turn up on the night. More information here.

Hands-On Biology With Hills Road Students

As part of the Cambridge Festival’s Family Weekend, there’s a chance to try some hands-on biology with Hills Road Sixth From College students tomorrow and Sunday (25/26 March). Get challenged by the mirror-tracing activity, meet some interesting biological specimens, take on the smells challenge, identify arthropods and see if you know your body organs. More details here.

Rhyme and Story-time at the library

It’s Spring Rhyme & Story-time tomorrow (Saturday 25 March) at Rock Road Library. Join experienced storyteller, Veronica Speirs, for rhymes and stories to welcome the arrival of Spring! From 10.30–11.00am there’s Rhyme-time, suitable for babies and toddlers, parents & carers; and from 11.00–11.30am it’s Story-time, suitable for under fives, although children of any age are welcome. Refreshments will be served. Parents and carers should stay with their child. No need to pre-book, simply show up on the day.

Local artists in city exhibition

Queen Edith’s residents Pamela Barrell and Susan Abbs will be exhibiting at the Cambridge Drawing Society’s exhibition next week (Saturday 25 March – Saturday 1 April) in the city centre. More information here.

Robotics in surgery lecture

Surgical robots mean that complex surgery can be performed less invasively, allowing faster healing and more rapid recovery times for patients. An online lecture next Monday (27 March) at 6:30pm will discuss how robots are used to perform surgeries, transforming care and if they will replace surgeons. It’s part of the CUH Foundation Trust Medicine for Members series. Become trust member here (free) and full details on the lecture are here.

It’s Community Lunch time!

The next in the popular Community Lunches at St. John’s church on Hills Road is next Wednesday (29 March) from 12.30–2pm. The charge is just £5 for two courses, tea and coffee. No booking necessary – just turn up! First-time guests are very welcome.

Free online Yoga returns

New dates have been added to Daisy Worzencraft’s free online yoga sessions, organised by the Biomedical Campus Wellness Campaign. These are proving increasingly popular, so are now being run every fortnight. The next date is Wednesday 29 March. Yoga with Daisy is “primarily about having fun, giving things a go, and trying – with a sense of humour and a smile on your face!” More information here.

Memory Matters: a discussion about brain health

Join the world-famous Addenbrooke’s Hospital Memory Clinic team next Thursday (30 March) for a discussion about brain health in the context of ageing and dementia. You’ll have the chance to meet and ask questions of the doctors, psychologists and nurses there. The event is from 3:30pm-5:00pm at the Herchel Smith Building. Part of the Cambridge Festival – free, but booking required. Full details here.

What Cardiovascular projects would you fund? 

Come down to the new Cambridge Heart and Lung Research Institute (next door to Papworth Hospital) next Thursday (30 March) and become part of its Big Funding Panel! You’ll hear short research proposals from young cardiovascular scientists, have a chance to ask them questions and will be invited to vote on which potential projects you would choose to fund. Stay around afterwards for refreshments and to chat to our researchers. Hosted by Giles Yeo (BBC’s Trust Me, I’m a Doctor). Free, as part of the Cambridge Festival. Starts 6.30pm. More information and how to book your place here.

Local band launch new album

Tape Runs Out are a local band whose sound has variously been described as psych, shoegaze, post-rock and alt-folk. They’re just releasing their debut album (on vinyl no less!) and it features Queen Edith’s resident and long-time band member Ellie Winter on the relatively unknown instrument, the hammered dulcimer. We’ll be covering the band in the forthcoming Queen Edith’s magazine, but before then, there’s a launch show at the Portland Arms on 30 March. More details here.

Free kids’ Holiday Lunch Club returns

The popular Holiday Lunch Club is back at St James’ church on Wulfstan Way on Monday 3 April, from 11am to 1pm, for families with preschool or primary aged children (parents or carers must accompany the children). As ever, there are crafts and activities for different ages, as well as lunch. One unmissable activity will be to join a cartooning workshop with Russ, a professional cartoonist, and learn to draw some well known characters and create your own! Free of charge, just turn up, no need to book. For more information, just email hello@queen-ediths.info

Holiday Bushcraft for 5-12 year olds

Easter 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. Details on the 3 April week can be found here and on the 11 April week here.
Featured Queen Edith’s magazine supporter

Anyone for Tennis?

Cocks and Hens Cambridge Tennis is a warm, friendly and inclusive group of people who have built a community around tennis, to which all are welcome. Our emphasis is on fun. We have 8 all weather courts, all floodlit providing members with tennis all year round. We also have 2 lawn courts open during the summer months and a croquet lawn open to all. There’s a comprehensive coaching programme, and our teams perform at all levels. Club sessions for new and existing members are a thriving source of friendship.
Come and join us! Find out more at cocksandhens.co.uk

Get a Postal Vote for May’s council election

There’s an election for our next City Councillor on 4 May, and thanks to the government’s controversial recent legislation, anyone voting at polling stations now needs to bring along photo ID. This is not necessary for postal voters, so if you can’t – or just don’t want to – go to the polling station, why not apply for a postal vote? To request one, you just need to print out a very simple form and either post or email it back to the council office. Download the application form here.

Meet the local election candidates

The Queen Edith’s Community Forum has two events on the horizon: our AGM with guest speaker on Thursday 30 March (see above), and the return (after four years!) of the Local Council Election Hustings, where you can hear from the candidates to be our next city councillor, on Tuesday 25 April. Make a note for your diary.

12–16 year olds needed for vaccine trial

The Cambridge Clinical Research Centre at Addenbrookes needs participants of 12–16yrs who have received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to take part in a third dose COVID-19 vaccine trial COM-COV3. The study will help understand the best way to immunise adolescents (12 to 15½ year-olds) against COVID-19. The study involves 4 or 5 visits at the CCRC at Addenbrookes over approximately 6 or 7 months, and payments are offered for participation. More information here.

Would you like to organise a play street?

A Playing Out Event is an event organised by residents to allow children’s play in a closed road environment. Playing Out Events can take place on quiet residential streets that do not affect the wider road network. There are more details here. Anyone interested in holding a play street event this summer should get in touch with the Queen Edith’s Community Forum, who can connect them with the City Council officer overseeing this. Email us at hello@queen-ediths.info

Help the new ‘mini-orchard’

If you’re walking down Red Cross Lane, why not bring an extra bottle of water for the new mini fruit orchard there? Hope’s Friendship Garden on Red Cross Lane has been extended – by Anna’s Tree – to now have Ed’s Orchard, celebrating the Cambridge City Council employee who led this community “to take back their streets, develop a biodiverse area and engage families and neighbours to create a more active community”.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s huge lineup of upcoming films includes 65; 80 For Brady; A Good Person; AIR; Allelujah; Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania; Bholaa (Hindi); Close; Creed III; Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves; Epic Tails; Hamlet – Bristol Old Vic Live; Heathers: The Musical; John Wick: Chapter 4; Labyrinth; Louis Tomlinson: All Of Those Voices; Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway; My Sailor, My Love; NT Live: Life of Pi; Peppa Pig: Festival Of Fun; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical; Rye Lane; Scream VI; Shazam: Fury of the Gods; Subject still ; Super Mario Bros.; The Big Lebowski (25th Anniversary); The Sparring Partner; Weathering With You (Subbed); Your Name (Subbed); and Zog

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes: Anu Vaidyanathan: BC:AD (Before Children: After Diapers); Club Urania – March; Dnb All Stars Cambridge: 30Hz UK Tour W/Friction & K Motionz; Eshaan Akbar: The Pretender; Exoskeleton (Online); Industry Evening; Inspiral Carpets; King King Plus Special Guest Glenn Tilbrook; Legends Of Roots Reggae Featuring The Abyssinians & Big Youth; Lowkey; Meet Me A Tree; Rura; Sophie Duker: Hag; The Cat Empire; The Talent; and Tom Walker

Next Queen Edith’s magazine

We’re planning two issues of Queen Edith’s magazine this year, one just after Easter, and the second in the autumn. We’ll contact our usual delivery team to ask for your help again in due course, but if you haven’t been involved before, and would like to offer an hour’s time to deliver to a local road, please email us at hello@queen-ediths.info

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub runs every Saturday morning, between 10.30am and 12noon, at St James Church, Wulfstan Way. Anyone in need is welcome to attend, with no questions asked. Just turn up and help yourself to what you need. We’ve been visited by several hundred different families and households of all sizes.

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 condiments, jam, sauces in jars, tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. More details on food donations here.

We do still need a supply of egg boxes, so if you have any and are passing St James Church, they can be left in the porch.

Health Information

The current government statement on COVID-19 is: “There are no coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the UK. If you have COVID-19 you should try to stay at home. Most people cannot get free COVID-19 tests. You can buy tests in shops but you cannot report the result to the NHS. You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the NHS.”

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations locally, please visit The Vaccinators website.

Bin collections

Check when your bins will be emptied here.

Consultations

  • Cambridge City Council has launched its “Our Cambridge” programme which aims to build a better, more efficient and sustainable council for the future. As part of this it’s asking us “to tell it about the things that are really important to us.” They want to know our thoughts on “the things that will make our daily life safe, happy and healthy.” Runs until 26 March. Take part in the survey here.
  • Anglian Water would like customers to share their views on its draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024, which sets out the strategy for securing the region’s water supply. It involves emailing in comments in response to questions posed in this comprehensive document. Runs until 29 March.
  • Cambridge City Council’s restrictions on dog control in the city (which include dog exclusion, dog on lead areas and dog fouling removal requirements) are due to end on 18 October 2023. The council believes that dog control across the city cannot be managed without a new Public Spaces Protection Order and so is looking to extend it and to include some additional restrictions. They want to know if you agree with this. None of the areas concerned is in Queen Edith’s, but there are some general city-wide questions. Runs until 31 MarchTake part in the survey 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 about local crime levels and how to contact 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 233 • Friday 17 March 2023
Emailed to over 1,800 local homes

Experience the excitement of science

One of the highlights of the entire Cambridge Festival takes place this Saturday (18 March) on our doorstep, at the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology on Long Road. There’s a whole day full of interactive family activities and workshops, with demonstrations from the Academy and hands-on events from an incredible lineup of our local medical and research institutions. This is the type of opportunity you can’t get anywhere else in the country, with events for all ages. Bring along all your budding scientists! Booking is not required for most events, and the whole day is free. Find out much more here.

Saturday Samples at Wine Merchants

Cambridge Wine Merchants on Cherry Hinton Road is holding a sampling session tomorrow (Saturday 18 March) between 3pm and 5pm. Drop in to sample a handpicked selection of wines in a ‘barrel-top tasting’. If you go on to buy anything you try, there’s a 10% discount!

Free guided Woodland & Wildlife Walk

Next Wednesday (22 March) there’s a free Woodland & Wildlife Walk at Wandlebury Country Park. Join the Wardens for a gentle guided walk to learn about and enjoy the woods and their wonderful wildlife. All are welcome; just turn up. Meet at the noticeboard in the car park at 10am.

Legally Blonde – The Musical

The Perse School’s sixth form production of Legally Blonde – The Musical runs from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 March at the school’s Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre. Listen to a behind the scenes podcast here and tickets are available here.

Art exhibitions launch event

Two new shows open next week at the AKA contemporary gallery on Cherry Hinton Road, and there’s a launch event on Friday 24 March at 6pm. The Bijou British Modern Exhibition has works by Henry Moore, Paule Vézelay, John Hoyland, Maurice Cockrill, Sir Terry Frost, Alan Davie, John Mclean and Graham Sutherland to name but a few. The Spring Forward Group Show 2023 has over 70 works by 46 artists from across the UK. Find out more about attending the launch event here.

Bring & Buy Sale at St James

There’s a Bring & Buy Sale with coffee morning next Saturday (25 March) at St James Church on Wulfstan Way. It runs 10.30am to 12noon and there’ll be books, cakes, bric-a-brac and a raffle. All welcome.

Fancy some social badminton?

Hinton Social Badminton has a few more spaces on Tuesday evenings (7pm–9pm) at Netherhall Sports Centre. Playing doubles on three courts, rotating partners each game, the group has a range of abilities and ages (minimum 18). As long as you know the rules (or just need a refresher) and can hold a rally, they’d love to hear from you. Find out more at their website.

6 week life drawing course coming up

Enrolment is now open for a 6 week life drawing course run by Lucy Threlfall at the AKA contemporary gallery on Cherry Hinton Road. Participants will be introduced to the basics of fundamental drawing, building skill, knowledge and confidence. Spaces are limited to just 20 on a first come basis at £125. The course runs weekly on Tuesday evenings from 18 April to 23 May. More information here.

Monday morning art class availability

Local artist Susan Abbs has places available for her Monday morning classes, starting on 27 March. Susan says: “If you fancy being pushed out of your comfort zone and experimenting with all kinds of mediums, styles and subject, get in touch!” Email SusanAbbs_art@yahoo.com for details. She will be exhibiting at the Cambridge Drawing Society exhibition soon – more information next week.

Watercolour one day workshops

It’s a busy week for art class news! Bookings are now being taken for four new watercolour painting one day workshops at St John’s Church on Hills Road, taught by local artist and teacher Denise Schoenberg. If you have ever wanted to learn how to paint with watercolours, there are several workshops to choose from, including: Painting Colourful Doorways on 14 April, Painting Seascapes on 15 April, Painting Birds on 21 April, and Painting an Iris in detail on 22 April. There are also gift vouchers so you can give a workshop to a friend! For further information and to book a place, please visit Denise’s website.

Warm Welcome Events

The Queen Edith’s Warm Welcome programme is for anyone looking for a warm space, refreshments or just some companionship through the winter. Upcoming events are open to all, and are free of charge. Just turn up!

  • Food Hub Cafe at St James church on Saturdays, 10.30am to noon. Next event 18 March
  • Puddings & Games evening at St James church, monthly, 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Next event 18 March
  • Friendship Cafe at St John the Evangelist church, every Monday, 3pm to 5pm. Next event 20 March
  • Warmer Together Cafe at Queen Edith Chapel, fortnightly Wednesdays, 11am to 1pm. Next event 22 March
  • Film Club** at Heathlands House, Bullen Close, fortnightly on Thursdays, 2pm to 4pm. Next event 23 March
  • Friday Lunch Club** at Heathlands House, Bullen Close, fortnightly on Fridays, 12.30pm to 2pm. Next event 24 March
  • Friendship Cafe at St James church, first Tuesday of the month, 11am to 3pm, including soup and a roll. Next event 4 April
  • ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ Club* at Cherry Hinton Care Home, Cherry Hinton Road, second Thursday of the month, 2.30pm to 4pm. Next event 13 April

* For TLC Cherry Hinton Care Home events, please email bdm@cherryhintoncarehome.co.uk to let them know you’re hoping to attend.
** At Heathlands House, a lateral flow test is required before attending, and bring evidence of the negative result; or the venue can provide the test but arrive 20–30 minutes early to allow time for it.

Get a Postal Vote for the upcoming election

There’s an election for our next City Councillor on 4 May, and if you can’t – or just don’t want to – go to the polling station, why not apply for a postal vote? To request one, you just need to print out a very simple form and either post or email it back to the council office. Don’t forget that thanks to the government’s controversial recent legislation, anyone voting at polling stations now needs to bring along photo ID. This is not necessary for postal voters.

Upcoming Community Forum events

The Queen Edith’s Community Forum has two events on the horizon: our AGM with guest speaker on Thursday 30 March, and the return (after four years!) of the Local Council Election Hustings, where you can hear from the candidates to be our next city councillor, on Tuesday 25 April. Make a note for your diary.

Next Queen Edith’s magazine

We’re planning two issues of Queen Edith’s magazine this year, one just after Easter, and the second in the autumn. If you have a local business or activity that would be helped by being seen in every home in the area, full details on our advertising rates can be found here. It’s incredibly effective – several advertisers have told us that they recoup the cost of their adverts from calls on the first day of publication!

Featured Queen Edith’s magazine supporter

Yoga Classes at Netherhall School

Vedanta Wellness runs yoga classes to harmonise your body, mind, emotions and soul. There’s an easy-going atmosphere for beginner, intermediate and advanced level practitioners. Yoga is our Passion. There are classes at The Netherhall School on Queen Edith’s Way every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – find out more here.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s huge lineup of upcoming films includes 65; A80 For Brady; Allelujah; Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania; Anything Goes – The Musical; Broker + Recorded Q&A; Champions; Conan the Barbarian; Creed III; Czapu_Czipu; Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves – subtitled preview; Epic Tails; Everything Everywhere All At Once; Heathers: The Musical; John Wick: Chapter 4; KUKI Shorts for Kids Part 1; Labyrinth; Little English; Louis Tomlinson: All Of Those Voices; Mamma Mia!; Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway; Pearl; Play Dead; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; Royal Opera 2022/23 Season: Turandot; Rye Lane; Scream VI; Shazam: Fury of the Gods; Subject + Recorded Q&A; The Amazing Maurice; The Sparring Partner; Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar; Your Name; and Zog

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes: Annie Dressner, Lucy Grubb, Dan Wilde & Luke James Williams; Bridget Christie: Who Am I?; Club Urania – March; Elles Bailey; Fred’s House; Legends Of Roots Reggae Featuring The Abyssinians & Big Youth; Neon Moon: Club Cirque Ultra Violet; New Routes – Amy Hollinrake And Chris Fox; Nick Mulvey; Ray Bradshaw: Deaf Com 1; Sophie Duker: Hag; Steve Hillage Band; The Fiver – March; and The Pentacle Club: The Magic Of Cambridge

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub runs every Saturday morning, between 10.30am and 12noon, at St James Church, Wulfstan Way. Anyone in need is welcome to attend, with no questions asked. Just turn up and help yourself to what you need. We’ve been visited by several hundred different families and households of all sizes.

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 condiments, jam, sauces in jars, tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. More details on food donations here.

Sorry about the contradictory notice about egg boxes last week; yes, we do need some more, if you have any kept over and are passing St James Church! They can be left in the porch.

Health Information

The current government statement on COVID-19 is: “There are no coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the UK. If you have COVID-19 you should try to stay at home. Most people cannot get free COVID-19 tests. You can buy tests in shops but you cannot report the result to the NHS. You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the NHS.”

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations locally, please visit The Vaccinators website.

Bin collections

Check when your bins will be emptied here.

Consultations

  • Cambridge City Council has launched its “Our Cambridge” programme which aims to build a better, more efficient and sustainable council for the future. As part of this it’s asking us “to tell it about the things that are really important to us.” They want to know our thoughts on “the things that will make our daily life safe, happy and healthy.” Runs until 26 March. Take part in the survey here.
  • Anglian Water would like customers to share their views on its draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024, which sets out the strategy for securing the region’s water supply. It involves emailing in comments in response to questions posed in this comprehensive document. Runs until 29 March.
  • Cambridge City Council’s restrictions on dog control in the city (which include dog exclusion, dog on lead areas and dog fouling removal requirements) are due to end on 18 October 2023. The council believes that dog control across the city cannot be managed without a new Public Spaces Protection Order and so is looking to extend it and to include some additional restrictions. They want to know if you agree with this. None of the areas concerned is in Queen Edith’s, but there are some general city-wide questions. Runs until 31 MarchTake part in the survey 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 about local crime levels and how to contact 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 232 • Friday 10 March 2023
Emailed to over 1,800 local homes

Nightingale pavilion swings into place

As promised, the modular units for the new Nightingale Recreation Ground pavilion arrived on Tuesday. It’ll be a number of weeks before the building can be opened, but after all these years, we can remain in suspense a little longer! Thanks to Lijia Zhang for the photo

Latest improvements to A1307

The Greater Cambridge Partnership has released this short video update on its work to improve journeys in and out of Cambridge along the A1307. They’ve added 152 additional parking spaces to the Babraham Road park and ride and made space for the installation of solar panels to generate clean energy for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Work to create improved paths between Babraham Road P&R and Granham’s Road to complete section one of the Linton Greenway will get underway this spring.

Help out at country park

Next Tuesday (14 March) sees another volunteer work party at Wandlebury, for anyone willing to give up a few hours to care for local green spaces and their wildlife. Get active, meet others and enjoy learning! All instruction, equipment and tools provided. Full details here.

Organ virtuosity at lunchtime

There’s another of the excellent “Lunchtimes at St John’s” music performances from the Perse School next Wednesday (15 March) at 1.15pm. This time it’s an organ recital, showcasing the school’s musicians. Admission is free, just come along. There’ll be a retiring collection to support the venue.

“Five Decades of Song”

There’s a unique treat in store next Saturday evening (18 March) at St John’s Church, when former King’s Singer Paul Phoenix (tenor) and Trinity College choral scholar Helena Paish (soprano) join their very first singing teacher, Barry Rose OBE, in a one-off evening of favourite solo songs, and vocal duets, sacred and secular. Admission is free, with a retiring collection in aid of St. John’s and DementiaUK. Refreshments will be available in the Wilkinson Room in the interval. Do come along – no tickets required. Starts 7.30pm.

Puddings & Games evening returns

Whether you like something quiet, like chess or a jigsaw puzzle, or love a good noisy game, like Dobble or Linkee, come along and join with friends and neighbours at the next Puddings & Games evening at St James Church in Wulfstan Way. It’s next Saturday (18 March) from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, and you’re welcome to bring a pudding or cake to share too! Free admission – just turn up.

Warm Welcome Events

The Queen Edith’s Warm Welcome programme is for anyone looking for a warm space, refreshments or just some companionship through the winter. Upcoming events are open to all, and are free of charge. Just turn up!

  • Food Hub Cafe at St James church on Saturdays, 10.30am to noon. Next event 11 March
  • Friendship Cafe at St John the Evangelist church, every Monday, 3pm to 5pm. Next event 13 March
  • Family Winter Warmer lunch* at Cherry Hinton Care Home, Cherry Hinton Road, every Wednesday, 12noon to 2pm. Next event 15 March
  • Puddings & Games evening at St James church, monthly, 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Next event 18 March
  • Warmer Together Cafe at Queen Edith Chapel, fortnightly Wednesdays, 11am to 1pm. Next event 22 March
  • Film Club** at Heathlands House, Bullen Close, fortnightly on Thursdays, 2pm to 4pm. Next event 23 March
  • Friday Lunch Club** at Heathlands House, Bullen Close, fortnightly on Fridays, 12.30pm to 2pm. Next event 24 March
  • Friendship Cafe at St James church, first Tuesday of the month, 11am to 3pm, including soup and a roll. Next event 4 April
  • ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ Club* at Cherry Hinton Care Home, Cherry Hinton Road, second Thursday of the month, 2.30pm to 4pm. Next event 13 April

* For TLC Cherry Hinton Care Home events, please email bdm@cherryhintoncarehome.co.uk to let them know you’re hoping to attend.
** At Heathlands House, a lateral flow test is required before attending, and bring evidence of the negative result; or the venue can provide the test but arrive 20–30 minutes early to allow time for it.

The story of how Paris developed

Corfe Close author and former City Councillor for Queen Edith’s, Dr Alan Baker, has had his book The Personality of Paris: Landscape and Society in the Long-Nineteenth Century published by Bloomsbury. Starting with the topographical and cultural legacies that late 18th-century Paris inherited from its foundation in pre-Roman and Roman times and from its medieval infancy and early-modern adolescence, the book unpacks the social and material complexity of the 19th-century city. A discount of 35% on the recommended retail price can be obtained using the code GLR 9XLUK here at the publisher’s website.

Upcoming Community Forum events

The Queen Edith’s Community Forum has two events on the horizon: our AGM with guest speaker on Thursday 30 March, and the return (after four years!) of the Local Council Election Hustings, where you can hear from the candidates to be our next city councillor, on Tuesday 25 April. Make a note for your diary.

Next Queen Edith’s magazine

We’re planning two issues of Queen Edith’s magazine this year, one just after Easter, and the second in the autumn. If you have a local business or activity that would be helped by being seen in every home in the area, full details on our advertising rates can be found here. It’s incredibly effective – several advertisers have told us that they recoup the cost of their adverts from calls on the first day of publication!

Featured Queen Edith’s magazine supporter

Get a free appraisal of your home’s value

Hockeys on Mill Road has been selling homes in Cambridge and the local area for over 130 years. The agency on Mill Road is offering a 10% discount on selling fees for all Queen Edith’s residents who quote this advert. Contact the experts there today to arrange a free market appraisal of your home. More details here.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s huge lineup of upcoming films includes All Quiet on the Western Front; Allelujah; Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania; Anything Goes  –The Musical; Broker; Carousel; Champions; Cocaine Bear; Conan the Barbarian; Creed III; Czapu_Czipu; Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village (Subbed); Epic Tails; Everything Everywhere All At Once; Exhibition On Screen: Mary Cassatt Painting The Modern Woman; John Wick: Chapter 4; Joyland; Little English; Louis Tomlinson: All Of Those Voices; Mamma Mia!; Pearl; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical; Royal Opera 2022/23 Season: Turandot; Rye Lane; Scream VI; Shazam: Fury of the Gods; Snail & The Whale; The Amazing Maurice; The Princess Bride; The Snail and the Whale; The Sound of Music Sing-a-long; Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar; Tu Jhoothi still; Turandot; and What’s Love Got to Do With It?

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes: Breathe: A Rollercoaster Love Letter To Music By Sk Shlomo; Bridget Christie: Who Am I?; Dead Cats; Gloria Scott; Hulla Balloony Moon Time; Ivo Graham: My Future My Clutter; James Haskell: Sex, Tries & Videotape; John Kearns: The Varnishing Days; Mike Wozniak: Zusa; Short Scratchings; Simon Munnery: Trials & Tribulations; Spoken; Stiff Little Fingers; The Fiver – March; Turin Brakes; and Warning Presents Wilkinson

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub runs every Saturday morning, between 10.30am and 12noon, at St James Church, Wulfstan Way. Anyone in need is welcome to attend, with no questions asked. Just turn up and help yourself to what you need. We’ve been visited by several hundred different families and households of all sizes.

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 condiments, jam, sauces in jars, tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. More details on food donations here.

Thanks to all the residents who have been keeping egg boxes, but please be aware that the Food Hub has enough of these for the moment.

Health Information

The current government statement on COVID-19 is: “There are no coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the UK. If you have COVID-19 you should try to stay at home. Most people cannot get free COVID-19 tests. You can buy tests in shops but you cannot report the result to the NHS. You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the NHS.”

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations locally, please visit The Vaccinators website.

Bin collections

Check when your bins will be emptied here.

Consultations

  •  NEW  Cambridge City Council’s restrictions on dog control in the city (which include dog exclusion, dog on lead areas and dog fouling removal requirements) are due to end on 18 October 2023. The council believes that dog control across the city cannot be managed without a new Public Spaces Protection Order and so is looking to extend it and to include some additional restrictions. They want to know if you agree with this. None of the areas concerned is in Queen Edith’s, but there are some general city-wide questions. Runs until 31 MarchTake part in the survey here.
  • Cambridge City Council has launched its “Our Cambridge” programme which aims to build a better, more efficient and sustainable council for the future. As part of this it’s asking us “to tell it about the things that are really important to us.” They want to know our thoughts on “the things that will make our daily life safe, happy and healthy.” Runs until 26 March. Take part in the survey here.
  • Anglian Water would like customers to share their views on its draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024, which sets out the strategy for securing the region’s water supply. It involves emailing in comments in response to questions posed in this comprehensive document. Runs until 29 March.

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 about local crime levels and how to contact 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 231 • Friday 3 March 2023
Emailed to over 1,800 local homes

Nightingale pavilion arriving next week

Good news from the Community Forum’s Chair, Sam Davies, who tells us: “Having spoken to officers this week, we are delighted to report that the new Nightingale Park Pavilion building is due to be craned into place next Tuesday (7 March). This will involve a suspension of nearby parking spaces and a partial road closure to accommodate the crane – details should have been circulated to residents in the area affected. Once the building is on site, we’re told there will be several weeks of work to be done by the contractors before it’s handed over to the Council, and then several more weeks of work by the Council to install the green roof, carry out landscaping works etc. But all being well, the facility will be available for community use in the summer. We’ll pass on more details as we get them.”

Help save wild flowering plants

Help wildflowers by joining a volunteer work party at Wandlebury tomorrow (Saturday 4 March) with On the Verge Cambridge and Cambridge Past, Present & Future. Attendees will be cutting back scrub on the edge of Wandlebury in order to save the fragile flowering plants that live on the chalk grassland. More details here.

Find out about Cromwell

The Private Life of Oliver Cromwell is the fascinating title of a talk presented by the Cambridgeshire Association for Local History tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 4 March) at St John’s Church on Hills Road. Stuart Orme, the curator of the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon, is presenting. Members can come along for free, but any non-members are welcome for just £2.50 to help cover the hall hire costs. The talk starts at 2pm – just turn up.

Local Council meeting on Monday

Cambridge City Council’s South Area Committee meets on Monday (6 March) and as is now the practice, it will be online only. There’ll be an Open Forum where you can raise issues with councillors, as well as hear a report from the Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team for the area, and find out about this year’s recommendations for Area Committee grant awards. Find out more about the meeting here.

Charity volunteering information session

Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service has another of its Lunchtime Online Fairs on Tuesday (7 March) where anyone can hear about how to make a difference volunteering with local charities. Local charities involved in this event include the CUH Patient and Public Involvement Panel, whose members share their opinions on health research ideas to help ensure that projects reflect the needs of patients and the public. Find out about other charities involved and book a place here.

Free Mindfulness demonstration

i3 Parent Hub and CPSL Mind have a Calm Space workshop next Thursday (9 March) at Netherhall School, for parents and carers. It will go through several mindfulness exercises and give people a sample of the work they do in the community. The aim is to have individuals leave feeling better than when they arrived and to learn some new tools to have at their disposal to enable and foster their well-being. More details here.

Warm Welcome Events

The Queen Edith’s Warm Welcome programme is for anyone looking for a warm space, refreshments or just some companionship through the winter. Upcoming events are open to all, and are free of charge. Just turn up!

  • Food Hub Cafe at St James church on Saturdays, 10.30am to noon. Next event 4 March
  • Friendship Cafe at St John the Evangelist church, every Monday, 3pm to 5pm. Next event 6 March
  • Friendship Cafe at St James church, first Tuesday of the month, 11am to 3pm, including soup and a roll. Next event 7 March
  • Family Winter Warmer lunch* at Cherry Hinton Care Home, Cherry Hinton Road, every Wednesday, 12noon to 2pm. Next event 8 March
  • Warmer Together Cafe at Queen Edith Chapel, fortnightly Wednesdays, 11am to 1pm. Next event 8 March
  • Film Club** at Heathlands House, Bullen Close, fortnightly on Thursdays, 2pm to 4pm. Next event 9 March
  • ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ Club* at Cherry Hinton Care Home, Cherry Hinton Road, second Thursday of the month, 2.30pm to 4pm. Next event 9 March
  • Friday Lunch Club** at Heathlands House, Bullen Close, fortnightly on Fridays, 12.30pm to 2pm. Next event 10 March
  • Board Games & Puddings at St James church, monthly. Next event tba

* For TLC Cherry Hinton Care Home events, please email bdm@cherryhintoncarehome.co.uk to let them know you’re hoping to attend.
** At Heathlands House, a lateral flow test is required before attending, and bring evidence of the negative result; or the venue can provide the test but arrive 20–30 minutes early to allow time for it.

Short stories from local author

St Margaret’s Square-based author John Phelps has just had his sixth book published. This time, it’s a collection of short stories and takes the title of the first story A Kind Of Magic. The 24 tales in the book vary in length, genre and nature of outcome and cover a multitude of “sins” such as off-beat romance, crime, sport, drama, homelessness and humour. “Some are based on personal experiences, while others are pure imagination,” said John, who declined to divulge which was which! More details here.

City-wide music and comedy announced

Cambridge Junction is a lead venue in Sound + Vision, a three-day city wide celebration of music and comedy returning to the city on 20-22 April 2023. Over 60 acts will be performing with the best of new music locally and nationally, the Cambridge Fringe Comedy Festival and a full day of pro-audio and music industry talks and panels. Wristbands are available for full access to all festival shows, or all conference sessions, or both. Alternatively limited numbers of individual tickets are available to each show. Tickets are live now!

Does it really need to be thrown away?

Last week we mentioned the large or bulky item collections by the council. However, the Waste Service also suggests that before asking them to collect an unwanted large or bulky item, why not check if you can pass it on to someone else who can use it? For example, you could:

Featured Queen Edith’s magazine supporter

DS Electrical: our local, reliable electricians

DS Electrical are the local domestic electricians just around the corner, ready for any electrical work in the home. With over 20 years of experience in the trade, DS can boast many satisfied local residents who come back time and again. Whether you want a light fitted, electrical sockets added or your house completely rewired, DS Electrical can help. More details here.

This Week at The Light Cinema

★ Our multi-screen cinema’s huge lineup of upcoming films includes 65; All Quiet on the Western Front; Allelujah; Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania; Anything Goes – The Musical; Avatar: The Way of Water; Blue Jean; Carousel; Champions; Cocaine Bear; Creed III; Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village (Subbed); Epic Tails; Everything Everywhere All At Once (IMAX); Exhibition On Screen: Mary Cassatt Painting The Modern Woman; Joyland; Luther: The Fallen Sun; Magic Mike’s Last Dance; Pearl; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; Rye Lane; Sarah & Duck: Robots!; Scream (2022) & Scream VI Double Bill; Scream VI; Snail & The Whale; The Amazing Maurice; The Banshees of Inisherin; The Princess Bride; The Snail and the Whale; The Sound of Music Sing-a-long; The Whale; The Woman King; What’s Love Got to Do With It?; Willow; and Women Talking

This week at Cambridge Junction

★ The Cambridge Junction lineup this week includes: Alex Kealy: Winner Takes All; Aynsley Lister; Comedy Connoisseurs; Danny Baker: At Last…The Sausage Sandwich Tour; Grace Campbell: A Show About Me(N); Hedex; John Kearns: The Varnishing Days; King No-One; Michael Mcgoldrick, John Mccusker & John Doyle; Rhys James: Spilt Milk; Roachford + Acantha Lang; Sauerkraut Spell Making Public Celebration Event; The Comet Is Coming; The Go! Team; and Turin Brakes

Food Hub news

The Queen Edith’s Community Food Hub runs every Saturday morning, between 10.30am and 12noon, at St James Church, Wulfstan Way. Anyone in need is welcome to attend, with no questions asked. Just turn up and help yourself to what you need. We’ve been visited by several hundred different families and households of all sizes.

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 condiments, jam, sauces in jars, tinned fish, breakfast cereals, tinned fruit and tinned rice pudding, but all donations are welcome. More details on food donations here.

Thanks to all the residents who have been keeping egg boxes, but please be aware that the Food Hub has enough of these for the moment.

Health Information

The current government statement on COVID-19 is: “There are no coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the UK. If you have COVID-19 you should try to stay at home. Most people cannot get free COVID-19 tests. You can buy tests in shops but you cannot report the result to the NHS. You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the NHS.”

For details of how to book first, second or booster vaccinations locally, please visit The Vaccinators website.

Bin collections

Check when your bins will be emptied here.

Consultations

  •  NEW  Cambridge City Council’s restrictions on dog control in the city (which include dog exclusion, dog on lead areas and dog fouling removal requirements) are due to end on 18 October 2023. The council believes that dog control across the city cannot be managed without a new Public Spaces Protection Order and so is looking to extend it and to include some additional restrictions. They want to know if you agree with this. None of the areas concerned is in Queen Edith’s, but there are some general city-wide questions. Runs until 31 MarchTake part in the survey here.
  • Cambridge City Council has launched its “Our Cambridge” programme which aims to build a better, more efficient and sustainable council for the future. As part of this it’s asking us “to tell it about the things that are really important to us.” They want to know our thoughts on “the things that will make our daily life safe, happy and healthy.” Runs until 26 March. Take part in the survey here.
  • Anglian Water would like customers to share their views on its draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024, which sets out the strategy for securing the region’s water supply. It involves emailing in comments in response to questions posed in this comprehensive document. Runs until 29 March.

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 about local crime levels and how to contact 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!