Nuclera are looking for this role based at their offices at One Vision Park, Impington
Reagent Production & Test Technician to prepare, formulate and dispense reagents according to established protocols and specifications. Operate and maintain laboratory equipment, including pipettes, centrifuges, and microplate readers. Perform quality control tests to ensure reagents meet required standards for purity, stability, and performance.
Woodfines are looking for this role based in their new office on the Vision Park.
Administrative Assistant to work as a central support in the office by providing proactive administration and client focused support. Carrying out administration tasks and ensuring all administration requests are actioned in a timely manner. Dealing with client matter file administration including file opening and closing. Sorting and scanning post and notifying teams of incoming post Printing and scanning of documents as required. Apply before 13/04/2025
Cambridgeshire County Council says over £59m will be spent on highways projects this year – but none of the cash is earmarked for H&I.
The Council has set out how it plans to spend the money, and has released details of 57 road repairs that will be prioritised for major works in 2025/26. However, the 10 listed for South Cambridgeshire doesn’t include any forthcoming projects for the village.
Dodging the potholes
Impington resident James Wiltshire recently shared a post on social media about the size of the potholes he navigates with his two sons on their cycle rides to and from Park Primary School. Their route takes them along Cambridge Road to Station Road and then either up the High Street to Narrow Lane or they go on the main road and along Glebe Way.
However, he told HI HUB: “When I cycle with my two boys, I often feel an increasing sense of fear for their safety. Their smaller size, less developed cycling skills, and limited reaction time make it challenging to navigate the numerous potholes.
“We constantly find ourselves swerving and weaving to avoid them, which increases the risk of one of my boys either hitting a pothole and falling or, worse, swerving into the path of a vehicle – particularly on busy roads like Glebe Way.
“What concerns me even more is the growing number of potholes and the lack of consistent repairs. When repairs are carried out, they often seem like quick fixes, and the problem inevitably resurfaces in no time.”
James said one at Vision Park was addressed after help from H&I County Councillor Ros Hathorn. Another at The Coppice was logged on an online reporting system but the case was closed and the repairs were not carried out.
A £1bn problem
When the Council’s highways and transport committee last met on 4 March, Councillor Neil Shailer said the authority was putting funding towards proactive preventative work to try and stop potholes before they form.
Over £28.7m is due to be spent on carriageway structural and preventative work, with a further £7.2m due to be spent on structural and preventative work on pathways and cycleways. While the investment seems significant, Ros explains it is needed after years of Governments cutting back funding to local councils. She says road repairs are an estimated £1bn problem for the county – the equivalent of the Council’s entire annual budget.
On a more positive note, she says if the Council continues in its current direction there will be noticeable improvements to the roads in five years. “To be where we need to be” could take between a decade and 15 years. The highways team has also been restructured to focus on maintenance and ensuring quality repair works have been carried out.
A new “Report a Fault” app will be launched later this year, replacing a dated system that was commissioned more than 25 years ago in 1998. “I have hopes the new system will be groundbreakingly more efficient,” Ros says. Users who report a road fault through the app will be kept updated through the process of its repair.
Back to Histon and Impington
Ros also explained many areas across the county need capital repair works carried out – this is expensive long-term, planned and high value work. She said councillors rejected last year’s list of repairs because “there was no strategy, logic or prioritisation”.
She said: “This year there is a strategy and a clear ranking process. That is irritating if jobs in your area aren’t chosen but at least there is an underlying fair and rational approach. It also means that work is fixed in leaps and bounds. When the work arrives it can make a big difference but it can take years for it to be your turn.”
While H&I may need to wait for its turn to come around, she said in the meantime the Vision Park raised table has been fixed and she “has been promised” the one at The Coppice will be addressed. Ros also has confirmation the tarmacked over gully by the raised table at Impington Lane will be repaired and a road closure has been ordered for the top of Station Road to investigate drainage issues.
Additional reporting by Hannah Brown, from the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
READ MORE: Marking a community’s deep-rooted love for its trees
Councillors are being asked to approve further spending on consultants to produce another report on options for the development of the Rec.
The Wellbeing Recreation and Leisure Committee (WRL) will be asking a meeting of the Full Parish Council next week for the go-ahead to contract work for a new Masterplan for the Recreation Ground based on “several potential constituent ideas” – but a pump track is not on the list of ideas for consideration.
Development proposals
The ideas being put forward include new uses for the former groundsman’s house at 12 New Road, which has been empty for over a year; the Parish Council Compound, where equipment is stored; a tarmac car parking area; and increased and improved office space, meeting space and Council staff rest space.
Also on the list are the play area, a perimeter path around the Rec, a new surface water management system to improve drainage and improvements to the Pavilion.
The tennis facilities are up for consideration again after Councillors backtracked on plans to replace the grass courts with four all-weather surfaces, and suggested that some of that land could be used for parking.
Pump track not included
A notable absentee from the list is a pump track.
The demand for a pump track in the village was first identified in a 2021 Parish Council survey to determine priorities for recreation and leisure facilities in the village.
Then in 2023, in a consultation by the Pump Track charity, residents identified The Rec as the most popular location for siting a pump track, and residents were subsequently told by the Parish Council that this would be considered.
Despite a commitment that the WRL Committee would review and reconsider the provision of a pump track on the Rec, this was never put on a Committee agenda.
No progress has been reported since, despite Cllr Davies, Chair of the Rec Development Group (RDG), telling the WRL Committee that he would recommend that a pump track on the Recreation Ground should be included in a review of future uses of the Rec.
Request for approval
Thousands of pounds have already been spent with surveyors Wilby and Burnett, who have been working with the RDG – a working party of the WRL Committee – since 2023 to create a Masterplan for the Rec.
But the committee believes that circumstances have changed sufficiently to require an “updated quote from surveyors” to conduct the work again, based on the ideas now being put forward. They are asking the Full Council meeting on Monday 17 March to approve spending on a further report on options by August/September 2025.
World Thinking Day sees thousands of Girl Guides from across the country come together to connect and reflect. Lucy Callington catches up with our local Guiding groups who celebrated the occasion with a massive pyjama party!
World Thinking Day on 22 February is one of the most important dates in the guiding calendar – when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world come together to connect, reflect, and take action to make the world a better place.
Enthusiastic local Guiding groups decided to mark the day this year by taking part in a massive pyjama party. The giant slumber party saw over 50 girls grab their sleeping bags and onesies and head to the Saint Andrews Centre in Histon to have fun with their friends – all the while thinking about the amazing things girls can do when they stand together.
Fran Sutton, Histon District Commissioner and local Rainbows leader describes the excitement: “It was a lot of fun all round! All the games, storytelling, crafts, and activities were designed by leaders to spark joy and encourage the Brownies and Rainbows to dream big. It was a really special event for our girls.”
The attendees, who ranged from five to ten years old, enjoyed a shared meal before settling in to watch the animated film ‘Sing’, with the excited singing and jumping most probably audible far and wide! One Brownie, Eleanor shares: “It was so much fun, I wish I was still there.”
Part of something special
The group sleepover saw the girls from local troupes be part of something bigger as they joined 21,000 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers, and volunteers from across the Anglia region who were also taking part in their own pyjama parties.
As can often happen with children’s sleepovers, there was probably much more partying than sleeping going on, as one very tired Rainbow reports back: “This was my first sleepover, and I loved it!” All the attendees were also given a teddy bear t-shirt, toothbrush, bookmark and an official event badge.
Sleep or no sleep, Fran reports that the event went without a hitch. She says: “This was a really special event for our girls to be part of. It’s great for building their confidence, and helping them to be their best selves.”
The organisers are hopeful that they can repeat the success of the sleepover in the future but Fran is keen to highlight the part local guiding volunteers play in this. She tells us: “This is all made possible by our dedicated team of volunteers who make everything happen. But we need more helpers to ensure the future of Girlguiding in our villages”.
To find out more about Girlguiding Anglia and how to get involved visit here.
READ ALSO: “The radical act of volunteering”… could it be you? | HI HUB
A health and safety investigation is now underway after a 13-year-old boy was injured in a collision on the Busway. The incident happened on the afternoon of 4 March near Orchard Park.
The boy, a pedestrian, was struck by a single decker bus travelling in the direction of Cambridge. He was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital by ambulance in a “serious condition”. An update from Cambridgeshire Police today (13 March) explained he “remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital” and his injuries are “not life-threatening”.
‘Aware and investigating‘
Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Executive has confirmed the collision is on its radar. “We are aware of the incident and are investigating,” its spokesperson said.
Stagecoach East previously acknowledged one of its vehicles was involved but a spokesperson explained it would not be appropriate to say anything further at this stage.
Cambridgeshire County Council, which is responsible for the Busway infrastructure, said it is working with the emergency services and other partners as “a full investigation is underway”.
Parish council discussion
Ros Hathorn, H&I’s councillor for Cambridgeshire County Council, has included Busway safety in her update for the Parish Council meeting on Monday (17 March).
In it, she said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends involved in the tragic incident on the Busway in early March.
She explained that this month a court case involving the County Council and the Health and Safety Executive will come to the High Court.
She said: “I am pushing for local safety issues to be listened to and have heard rumours about new safety measures including fencing off ‘break throughs’ which will reduce the connectivity between the two sides of the Busway.
“So far I haven’t been able to get a clear response on what is planned.”
Impington Village College has been rated as ‘outstanding’ in all areas following its recent full Ofsted inspection report.
The inspection, which took place on 11-12 February 2025, saw five inspectors assessing the college over two days on its quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, personal development and sixth form. They graded the school ‘outstanding’ in all of these areas.
Inspectors sat in on lessons, clubs and student panels and their report – released this week – highlighted that the school “emphasises the importance and love of reading” as well as its “ambitious, broad and challenging curriculum” and “exemplary” personal development provision.
The report also found that IVC pupils are “diligent”, have “a strong sense of community” and access to a wide range of experiences without barriers to participation.
This was the first full Ofsted inspection the school has had since November 2019.
“Overwhelmingly positive feedback”
Principal Victoria Hearn said: “We are delighted with the judgements made by the inspection team, but are especially pleased with their overwhelmingly positive feedback, which captures our unique vision for education and the positive impact this is having on our students, academically and personally”.
She continued that its “ambitious vision” as an IB World School, involves a commitment to “academic excellence, a broad, balanced, inclusive curriculum, exceptional opportunities, and pastoral care”. Victoria added: “It’s never about delivering a particular Ofsted judgement, but because we believe it gives our students the very best education. It is, however, fantastic to see the unrelenting efforts of staff and leaders at all levels recognised in the report”.
A bus service is unable to serve its usual route through Histon because of the temporary traffic lights outside Histon Chop Shop.
A notice placed at one of the affected bus stops says the changes to Service 8 will be “until further notice” and is due to “safety concerns” caused by the lights in Windmill Lane.
David Boden, Business Development Director of Stagecoach East, said: “The safety of our loyal passengers and our communities is always our number one priority.
“In this case, temporary traffic lights have been set up outside Histon Chop Shop, which means that, with regret, we are temporarily unable to serve the bus stops on Windmill Lane, Church Street, and Cottenham Road.
“We will be very pleased to resume our service to those stops as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The Service 8 route travels between Cambridge and Cottenham. Cambridgeshire County Council says the temporary lights are for emergency works. “Our highways team is contacting UK Power Networks and will ask them to rectify the situation,” a spokesperson said.
Buying and selling property can be a confusing process, especially for first timers. Ahead of National Conveyancing Week, Lucy Callington finds out why the role of the conveyancer is such an important and valuable part of the process.
Most people know what an estate agent is and how they can help you find, buy or sell a property, but conveyancing – an equally important part of the process – is less well understood. Choosing a reliable conveyancer can help your property transaction go smoothly and allow you to feel informed and updated throughout the journey.
National Conveyancing Week runs from 17-21 March 2025 and is the chance for over 500 law firms nationally – including Histon’s Hayward Moon – to advocate, inspire and promote the vital role conveyancers play in the home moving process. What better time then to shine a light on exactly what your conveyancer can help you with?
A step by step guide
Conveyancing is the legal process that takes place behind the scenes when ownership of a property is transferred from a seller to the buyer. It can start when your offer is accepted, and last until after the sale is completed.
Although most sales and purchases follow a broadly similar process, every transaction is unique. The process that your conveyancer will follow might look something like this:
Avoiding the pitfalls
Conveyancing can do some of the heavy lifting in what can be a process fraught with unexpected snags. A few of these include:
Join Hayward Moon at its new High Street Histon office for a Women’s Aid charity coffee morning from 10am-midday on Thursday 20 March. All welcome for cake and a chat!
A Parish Council budget of up to £1,000 could be available for voluntary and community organisations in the village to apply for, if the Council’s draft Donations Policy is adopted. This is double the maximum of £500 under the current policy.
A separate Grants Policy is being proposed for supporting the work of “groups making a real difference for
residents where the need is for financial support.” These Grants would be unlimited in size, and the work wouldn’t be viable without Council’s support.
Annual opportunity
If the draft donations policy is approved at Monday’s meeting of the full Parish Council, Councillors will in future consider applications for donations just once a year in November, rather than twice a year in June as well as November.
The change has been introduced to ensure that all requests can be assessed fairly and consistently, with the outcome of funding applications less affected by the amount of money remaining in the donations budget at different stages in the financial year.
Only projects relating to a specific ‘one-off’ local event could exceptionally be considered outside the annual review.
Who could apply?
All formally constituted not-for-profit organisations running activities that directly benefit Histon and Impington residents could apply for a donation, subject to some financial eligibility criteria.
Applicants are asked to describe the aims of their organisation or group, the purpose for which the funding is requested and the number of Histon & Impington residents who will benefit.
Donations would usually be between £50 and £1,000 and applications from groups and organisations would be assessed on their merits.
Grant eligibility
The draft Grants policy goes some way towards clarifying when the Council is buying a service, and when it is supporting a not-for-profit, charitable or volunteer organisation to achieve its objectives.
Organisations looking for larger amounts of money would be able to apply for grants, which the Council would be able to award “at its absolute discretion”. The size of grants would be unlimited and fresh applications could be made each year, though multiyear applications for a maximum of 3 years could be considered.
Among those ineligible for grants would be political parties, local groups where fundraising is sent to a central HQ for redistribution, and religious organisations, unless for purposes that don’t discriminate on grounds of belief. Any organisation with policies that the Parish Council deems to be unacceptable would be also be ineligible, as would activity likely to bring the Council into disrepute.
Change implications
The new policy would have significant implications for two organisations that currently receive over £25,000 a year from the Parish Council.
Local charity HI Friends is currently being contracted under a Service Level Agreement (SLA), which would have to be terminated under the new policy, and less restrictive obligations placed on the organisation.
Similarly, the current SLA with Connections Bus Project, which has been operating since 2017, would come to an end, and the charity would continue to be paid under the terms of the new Grants Policy until the end of the year.
Councillors will be voting on adopting the new policies and the termination of SLAs for the Hi Friends and Connections Bus Project at their meeting on Monday 17 March.
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Histon & Impington clubs, societies, and organisations can request a Donation Application Form from the Parish Office or download it from their website. Applications must be received by 15th November.