As existing trustees retire at the end of their term, we are seeking new people to join our Trustee Board from March 2025. As a Board the trustees oversee the work of the charity and are responsible for ensuring good governance and providing strategic leadership.
Histon & Impington Green Spaces is the charity behind the Abbey Fields project. You can learn more about the charity at www.higreenspaces.org.
As a trustee you will need to commit just a few hours a month. You will bring your skills and experience and, in return, acquire knowledge and other skills which have value in other walks of life. You will also enjoy working with a diverse group of people and appreciate that you have made a positive contribution to Histon & Impington.
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If you are interested in becoming a Trustee or would like to find out more about this role please email Jon Pavey at treasurer@higreenspaces.org
Histon & Impington Green Spaces is a registered charity, number 1195616.
Delays in deciding the future of youth work in the village mean that more Council Tax income could be earmarked for a service whose value for money has been a concern since March last year.
At their next meeting Parish Councillors will be asked to approve a youth provision budget which, every year since 2017, has been allocated to Connections Bus Project.
The charity currently runs after-school activities in the village for 4 hours a week during term times, for which they charged Histon & Impington over £26,000 in 2024/5 – around 5% of all the village’s total Council Tax income.
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Questions have been raised about the cost vs. benefits of the service, given the limited number of young people who use them, but the Council is now proposing to extend funding to the Connections Bus Project until July 2025 at a cost of £8,695.
Falling attendance
The Connections Bus Project’s services in the village include a 1.5 hour after-school youth club and a 1 hour ‘mindfulness and yoga’ session on Mondays. These are held at the community room at the Recreation Ground: although the charity’s two bespoke double-decker youth buses serve many other villages, they are not used in Histon & Impington.
The charity also runs a 1.5 hour babysitting course at Histon Baptist Church on Tuesdays, which is open to young people across the District.
But young people’s engagement with the youth club declined during the 2023/4 academic year. By the summer term 2024 it was attracting an average of just 15 attendees per session, compared with 38 during the same term the previous year. Attendance at yoga sessions held steady at an average of 5 participants per session, and the babysitting course attracted an average of 12.
Five sessions were cancelled, with staff shortages blamed for some of them.
Value for money
Concerns about the value for money offered by the Connections Bus sessions were first raised by a resident in January 2024.
A subsequent investigation and report was presented to Councillors in March 2024. It recommended ‘starting afresh’ to find out what the community wants in the way of youth work in future, commenting that there are many other youth groups serving the village – most volunteer-led and without any Parish Council funding.
The report included an estimate that the per-session fee being paid by the Council for the youth club was £330, plus £137 for each yoga class and £278 for each babysitting class, plus free use of the community room.
Questions were raised as to whether Council taxpayers in Histon & Impington may be subsidising services for other villages, as no figures are published to show how many of the young people using the services are actually residents in the village.
The report also highlighted “unreasonable” differential with youth club fees paid to Connections Bus by other parishes.
Last year the charity provided youth work services at 14 different villages in Cambridgeshire, yet Histon & Impington was the source of almost a quarter of all their income from Parish Councils. The investigation into the hourly fees charged to other villages revealed that Histon & Impington was paying 40% more than Cottenham, more still than Orchard Park, and no other villages were running baby sitting or yoga sessions.
Connections Bus Project denies that such comparisons make sense, telling the Council that “Due to the nature of the venue and facilities that are used for the youth club, four youth workers are required [while] many other villages only require three” and noting that “Additional services are provided: babysitting course and youth yoga.”
They also comment that “a much higher proportion” of the Assistant Manager’s contract hours are allocated to Histon & Impington, because of the “additional support/follow-up for young people” being provided – though this work is not specified in the Council’s service agreement with the charity.
Decision delays
Despite concerns, in February last year Councillors agreed funding of almost £17,400 for the Connections Bus youth services through to December 2024, aiming to set up a Youth Provision Working Group and give it time to conduct a review and decide whether to continue with the services beyond December 2024.
The Group was first due to present its findings and recommendations for consideration at a Full Council meeting in June last year. Delays have meant this and plans to present to Council in October both fell through – though conversations with other potential youth service suppliers, including Sawston and Shelford Youth Initiative and Romsey Mill, have taken place.
The delays led Councillors to approve a further payment of £8,696 to Connections Bus, to cover the three months from December 2024 to March 2025.
To enable them to plan ahead, the charity has now requested a decision about extending their contract beyond March 2025 to be made this month.
But the findings of the Youth Provision Working Party have yet to be shared with Councillors and, in spite of concerns, a decision to continue with current arrangements may yet be agreed. Some Councillors have already expressed support for extending them to synchronise with the academic year, instead of the Council’s financial year.
The decision whether to extend funding to Connection Bus Project is scheduled to take place on Monday 20 January at the meeting of the full Parish Council, starting 7.30pm. All Histon & Impington residents are invited to attend to listen to the debates and any resident wishing to address the meeting should contact the office to request a slot. Email clerk@hisimp-pc.gov.uk For more details, see the agenda pack here.
Histon Manor is set to kick-start a new year of fundraising with a series of events open to the local community, starting with the ever-popular Snowdrop Open Day.
Since 2018, Histon Manor has raised over £15,000 for local causes through community charity events and fundraising initiatives such as valuation days, village Dahlia shows, and tea and garden parties.
This year, owner Katherine Mann has decided to focus fundraising efforts on a single charity, Break – a charity that works across East Anglia to make life better for children and young people growing up in care and those with complex needs – to ensure “a more focused and impactful contribution”.
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Snowdrop Open Day on Saturday 8 February offers a chance to enjoy the first signs of spring with snowdrops throughout the Manor’s grounds. Other community fundraising events throughout the year will include the Daffodil Open Day on 22 March – a chance to see a spectacular display of daffodils as over 1,500 bulbs have been planted annually for the past four years – and the Village Dahlia Show in September, celebrating the best dahlia displays from local growers with village stalls and games.
In addition to its own fundraising efforts, the Manor also hosts events for local charities such as HI Friends, and plays a part in Histon and Impington Open Gardens.
Histon Manor regularly plays host to village fundraising events. Photo: Katherine Mann
Village backing
Katherine Mann of Histon Manor said: “We’re excited about the year ahead. Histon Manor has set a minimum fundraising target of £5,000 for Break in 2025. We hope our events will help raise awareness for the incredible work that Break does, and we encourage everyone to come and join us in supporting this wonderful cause. The community’s participation in our events and donations will directly contribute to helping vulnerable children and young people.
“We are also delighted that Carter Jonas has stepped forward to be our sponsor for our charity events this year and 100% of their donation will go directly to Break. We are extremely grateful for their support”.
Feast Week 2025 is scheduled to run from 28 June to 6 July.
The week has been branded as ‘Back in the Community’ and the Feast Committee is looking to gather more community involvement than ever with community groups, businesses and organisations being called on to think about how they can play a part. Money raised during Feast Week supports local good causes across our community with 2024’s beneficiaries including Histon & Impington Hedgehog Champions, Hope Again Bereavement Support and 1st Histon Scouts to name just a few.
Community at its heart
Chair Steve Cox told HI HUB: “You might not be in a summer frame of mind just yet, but we are! The wet weather of 2024 washed out a lot of the fun of last year’s Feast Week and for 2025 we are keen to see even more events and greater involvement across the community”.
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The community turns out to support Feast Festival 2023. Photo Brian Whitehead
He continued: “Events don’t have to be big, or even fundraising. But if your group is thinking of hosting a summer event, please consider whether it could be part of Feast Week. In return, we can offer extra publicity by including your event in the Feast programme”.
This year’s Feast Week will see a return of the Village Festival, similar to that in 2023, on Sunday 29 June when the High Street will be closed to traffic and filled with stalls and attractions. The committee is keen to see local businesses, clubs and organisations involved; with dedicated space available for those who wish to host a stall.
For inclusion in the Feast programme, details of any planned events to be publicised must be submitted by this Easter and the committee is keen to hear from anyone who might be keen to get involved. The team will also be contacting local businesses regarding advertising in the booklet as well as making a call-out for applications from potential 2025 Feast funding beneficiaries.
Get involved
The Feast Committee AGM will take place on Thursday 30 January where plans for 2025 will be outlined and the community is invited to join the meeting. “To sum it up, we are asking the community to get involved”, Steve implored. “Feast Week can be bigger than ever before but only with help from the village and its groups, clubs and organisations. Suggestions, ideas and thoughts are welcome – please get in touch or come along to our AGM. We would love to meet you”.
Feast Week 2025 will take place 28 June – 6 July. The Feast Committee AGM will take place at 8pm on Thursday 30 January at the Recreation Ground pavilion.Email Feast Chair Steve Cox on stevecox.histon@gmail.com to find out more.
To bin or not to bin… that is the question. And then should it be, green, blue or black? Despite our best intentions, the world of waste disposal can be a messy minefield. Lucy Callington is here to help you get sorted.
Even something as simple as making a cuppa can cause a bin quandary. Take-away coffee cups can’t be easily recycled, but making a brew at home can be tricky too. And even though used tea bags and coffee grounds can be tossed in the green bin, plastic milk bottles have to go in the blue… and, ay there’s the rub… the small pull-tabs from the top of the milk bottle can only be put in the black.
Unwanted wine glasses and glass tumblers (broken or unbroken) can go in the black bin, but glass jars and bottles should be stashed in the blue instead. And did you know that, if you buy fruit in a punnet, the plastic can be recycled in your blue bin, but oddly enough, the mesh nets from oranges cannot?
So if you’re trying to up your recycling game this new year, here’s a few pointers to help you play this bin bingo!
Into the Blue
Your blue bin is the go-to place for most of the items we use and discard on a daily basis:
Blue bins are the first port of call for waste
Foil – ideally rolled in a ball the size of a tennis ball
Cling film
Cardboard – except if it’s wet, when it should go in the green bin
Egg cartons
Tetra Pak cartons
Aluminium tubes – like tomato puree
Bottle tops and plastic lids
Sandwich packs – without the plastic window (which needs specialist recycling)
Ice cream tubs
Yoghurt pots
Plastic fruit punnets
Plastic milk bottles
Aerosols
Glass jars and bottles
Broken glass jars and bottles
Bubble wrap
The foil base of BBQs
Going Green
The green bin can swallow up most kitchen waste, cooked and uncooked food and more:
Food waste of all kinds can go in the green bin
Corks – natural only
Paper and kitchen towels – use these to line your caddy
Teabags
Coffee grounds
Tissues
Bread
Some butter wrappers (made from greaseproof paper)
Bamboo
‘Bagasse’ food packaging
The ‘go-the-extra mile to recycle’ items…
Soft Plastics Recycling at the Coop Photo: Val Robson
And then there are those annoying items that can’t be recycled at home. While it’s tempting to hurl these in the black bin and have done with it, with a little more effort these items can have a second life.
Plastic bags, biscuit and crisp packets can be recycled at most major supermarkets in bins labelled, ‘soft plastics’. Our local Co-op also has a bin beside the entrance for these, which is emptied every day due to popular demand.
All medicines and inhalers should be returned to a pharmacy or other healthcare provider which accepts them.
Medicine blister packs can be recycled in branches of Superdrug. Batteries can be recycled in some supermarkets and shops, such as Tesco Milton; printer ink cartridges can be taken to the Salvation Army shop, or Rymans branches in Cambridge; and look out for organisations that recycle baby food and cat food pouches.
If you know of any other specialist recycling schemes, do let us know at news@hihub.info
Back in Black
If all else fails, there is the black bin – to scoop up everything that cannot be reused or recycled. And for larger items, and electrical goods, there is the Household Recycling Centre at Milton. Your black bin is the place for:
Non-recyclable household items destined for the black bin
Fruit mesh nets
Polystyrene and packing chips
Mirror glass, wine glasses and tumblers (broken or unbroken)
Pringles tubes – although sometimes these can be recycled at specialist centres
Nappies
Wipes – bin them to prevent toilet blockages
Cooking oil – contained in small plastic bottles
Plastic corks
Sponge scourers
Jute bags
Wrapping paper that contains foil
Coffee cups
Post-It notes – the glue on these means they can’t be put in the blue bin
Sello-tape
Cigarettes – including butts
Candles – these can also be melted into new candles
Black plastic bags
Cable ties
Cat litter and animal faeces!
Ash from briquettes or coal
An A-Z of rubbish
Find a full list of what can and can’t be recycled on the South Cambs District Council’s website here. And if you can think of an item that isn’t covered you can send feedback to the council here.
South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) will outline plans for a public consultation into its 4-day week today (Thursday).
The Council’s Scrutiny and Overview Committee will discuss proposals to get feedback from residents on the controversial working pattern. Subject to final sign-off, a “full public consultation that anyone, anywhere can respond to” is being put forward.
This means even people who live outside the district can also share their views on the scheme, though their questions will be tailored slightly because they do not directly use council services. For example, a participant from Australia can take part, but is not able to give feedback on areas such as bin collections.
The planned consultation will be for eight weeks, beginning on 27 January and closing at 11:59pm on 23 March. It will be possible to have a say on how Council services have been since January 2023, when a trial of a 4-day week began.
The information gathered will help District Councillors decide on next steps.
‘Always’ going to consultation
The Council had previously postponed a public consultation expected in April 2024 because of the previous Government’s intense scrutiny of the initiative. This included warnings that SCDC may face financial penalties if the 4-day week arrangements continued.
Cllr John Williams, SCDC’s Lead Cabinet Member for Resources, said the Council has “always made it very clear” there would be an opportunity for stakeholders to share their views on how the 4-day week has impacted them.
He said: “We have not been able to [launch a public consultation] up to this point because of threats made by the previous Government. With those threats lifted, we are now able to begin this process.
“Our approach is designed to ensure those who have used our services during the four-day week arrangements can quickly and easily share their views – though anyone, anywhere will be welcome to submit comments.”
As SCDC and Cambridge City Council share some key services – such as planning and bin collection – residents who live within the city are also being encouraged to comment on their experiences.
Justifying the 4-day week
SCDC staff deliver 100% of their work, in around 80% of their hours, for 100% pay.
Those at desks have been working 30 hours per week over the four days. Waste operatives are in 32 hours because a trial found it was not possible for them to deliver services within the 30.
The Council says the aim was to help with recruitment and retention issues it has been experiencing, rather than relying on more expensive agency staff which can be disruptive.
It believes financial savings have been made and the performance of their services have either been maintained or improved during the trial. Also, opening hours have also been maintained throughout.
Last summer, the Universities of Cambridge and Salford published an independent report on the Council’s performance during its trial of the four-day week. Of 24 key performance indicators, the analysis found 22 improved or remained the same.
The improved areas included percentage of calls to the council’s Contact Centre answered, average number of weeks to determine householder planning applications and the average number of days to process Housing Benefit and Council Tax changes.
A financial assessment of the trial outlined a known full year cost saving of £371,500. This was mainly due to permanently filling 10 posts that were previously identified as “hard to fill”.
Co-op customers can now support two Histon & Impington based groups when buying products or services from the national chain.
Bereavement support group Hope Again and Histon Cricket club have been selected to benefit from the Co-op’s Local Community Fund for 2025.
It means if Co-op members select either of these groups when paying for their shop this year, each will receive 1p from every £1 spent on supermarket-branded products or services.
The third group selected for the catchment area is Mayfield Association of Parents and Staff, the PTA of Mayfield Primary School, in Cambridge.
“We’re so grateful…”
Peter Garside, Founder of Hope Again, is hopeful the funds generated from the Co-op fund will cover the expenses for 2026 and possibly beyond.
Peter Garside is the founder of Hope Again. Photo: Hope Again
Peter said: “We’re so grateful to have been selected for the Local Community Fund.
“Hope Again doesn’t charge, our programme is free to attend, and we have a strong network of volunteers.
“This effort with Co-op to generate funds will help so many bereaved people, so we respectfully ask shoppers to consider us when they are at the checkout.”
Hope Again’s reference number is 88466, which can be selected on the Co-op Members app and will be effective for the year.
Support a cause
The Local Community Fund has donated over £107m to 36,000 grassroots community groups since its launch in 2016.
Co-op members choose which good cause they would like to support through their app when paying for their items.
Each group also has a reference number and webpage which shoppers can access to make their selection.
Hope Again has also announced its six-week bereavement support programme this spring will take place between March 5 and April 10 2025.
The sessions are led by an experienced counsellor and cover areas such as coming to terms with grief, grief within the family and self care.
The course will be held on Thursday afternoons between 2pm and 4pm at The Methodist Church Hall in Histon High Street.
Hope Again is affiliated with HI Friends and further details about the course, and how to sign up, are available here. Alternatively call 07707 263353 or email hopeagain@hifriends.org.uk.
Residents are welcome at the next Full Parish Council meeting, where Councillors will be asked to approve a 3% increase in the Parish element of 2025/6 Council Tax. This would mean each Band D property paying £133.32 of their total Council Tax bill to the Parish (an increase of £3.89) and would take the total value of Parish ‘precept’ to £455,489.17.
Youth Provision in Histon and Impington to end of Academic Year 24/25, including the extension of the funding of Connections Bus Project for four months to July 2025 at a cost of £8,695, and approval for a Youth Provision Group to complete a draft Community Action plan for Youth Provision in Histon and Impington by June 2025.
A new Grants Policy to cover the funding of initiatives proposed by community groups.
A funding request for £11,000 for Age UK to provide Community Warden services in the village.
Approval of a spend of £40 to allow for two Parish Council attendances at monthly markets in the Methodist Church.
The meeting takes place on Monday 20 January in the Community Room at the Rec, starting at 7.30pm. All Histon & Impington residents are invited to attend to listen to the debates, andany resident wishing to address the meeting should contact the office to request a slot. Email clerk@hisimp-pc.gov.ukFor more details, see the agenda pack here
Nichino Europe who are based on the Vision Park and provide products for crop protection are looking for this role.
Marketing Specialist to cover Strategic Planning and Execution, Brand Management, Content Creation and Management, Digital Marketing, Advertising, Promotions and Events, Product Marketing, Leadership and Sales Support, Performance Analysis and Reporting. Apply before 31 March 2025.
BioStrata, a life science marketing company based on the Vision Park, are looking for this roles.
Science Writer to write a mixture of technical content including whitepapers, eBooks and blog posts, as well as creative content (e.g. social media posts, web copy, email copy, infographics etc.).
