Plans are afoot to create our very own Green Canopy and HI Trees, the group behind the mission, needs your help. Dan Mace and Amanda Layzell explain how we can all play our part in this long-term initiative.
Is there a place in the village that holds a cherished memory for you – perhaps of a special person or a significant time in your life? Planting a tree can be a wonderful way to commemorate a happy time or much loved person in your life – past or present. Let’s plant more trees in Histon and Impington and create our very own Green Canopy.
Trees and hedgerows benefit us and the environment in so many ways.
Woodland provides a home for a wide range of birds, mammals and shade-loving plants and fungi. A single tree can support many species of birds, insects and plants – one tree can attract as many as 280 species of insects.
Hedgerows are important as they can connect areas of rich biodiversity; they are the highways of nature, and are particularly important for flying insects like butterflies, and also for hedgehogs and other small mammals.
Trees absorb CO2 and so can help reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere. A mature tree can remove 21kg of CO2 from the atmosphere per year.
Woodland is not just beneficial for wildlife. Walking through woods can lower your blood pressure and reduce stress levels. Research suggests that patients with views of trees heal faster and with fewer complications.
But where could we plant these much needed trees? During Feast Week, and into the future, community group HI Trees will be seeking your thoughts and asking out across the community of Histon and Impington for ideas. Maybe there is a piece of green space outside your house that would benefit from a specimen tree? Or, perhaps you have spotted somewhere on your local walk where a few trees, a copse or some hedging could be planted?
A local example of a glorious Green Canopy : Women’s Institute Woods near the guided busway. Photo Dan Mace
The HI Trees team has prepared an online form which you can access here. The system is ready to go so you can complete it now if you have a suggestion. Alternatively, look out for paper copies of the forms available from 26 June onwards at St Andrew’s Cafe, Print-Out, Station Stores and the Parish Council Offices. This is a long-term initiative and support of the community will be vital to make it a success.
In order to purchase these trees and hedges, the team will be seeking funding. Perhaps you could sponsor a tree? Sponsoring a tree is the perfect gift – a gift that will continue to grow over years to come, a gift that is ecologically sensitive and a gift that brings joy to the whole village. It will also provide a home for a multitude of nature – what more perfect gift is there than that!
On Tuesday 6 July at 8pm, HI Trees will be hosting a Zoom meeting to talk in more detail about this initiative. Hosted by Dan Mace, he’ll talk more about why we should plant trees, what has been done in the village so far, and what more can be done. If you want to fully participate in the talk, you will need to take along a bar of chocolate – any bar will do, just make sure you know how much it weighs!
Dan Mace
Currently there is a national ‘plant a tree for the Jubilee’ campaign being coordinated by Executives of the Government and the charity Cool Earth called the Queen’s Green Canopy. This national project will see all counties of the UK being invited to create a network of individual or specimen trees, tree avenues, copses and woodlands in honour of Her Majesty’s 70 years of service to the Nation so our community project is in very good company.
If you have any questions, or need any further information, please contact Dan Mace on dan.r.mace@gmail.com
The pandemic and its restrictions has had a huge impact on the lives of us all but spending more time at home has gifted us the opportunity to rediscover the beauty of our local area. Local resident and Senior Technical Officer in Conservation Science at the RSPB, Nigel Butcher, shares his observations on the thriving wildlife right here on our doorstep.
Even in such a difficult year, there are always little things to cheer us. The great outdoors and open green spaces of our villages have been enjoyed by so many, and this has provided me with renewed optimism. Whether cycling, jogging, walking with your dog or the family, the tracks around the villages have never been so well trod. I even ventured to places that I had never been before; armed with my binoculars and a camera in case there was anything exciting to photograph.
Since childhood, I have always had an interest in birds and wildlife and in my 20s this passion was reawakened following many wonderful days out in Norfolk and Suffolk with my wife Claire’s family. I was very fortunate to spot what was, to me, the perfect job opportunity within the RSPB and have worked in the Science department there now for more than 20 years.
Many people have probably been surprised at how many species of wildlife you can find within Histon & Impington. Starting with the largest, there are many mammals around with muntjac and roe deer (below) being the most likely to be seen.
Roe deer spotted on walks around Histon & Impington. Photo : Claire Butcher
Add badgers, foxes, squirrels, rabbits and hares to the list then it shows just how much is about if you want to search. Hedgehog, seen by many across the village, was one mammal I didn’t see myself. With a little effort you may also find some reptiles like grass snakes or common lizards plus amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts. I have enjoyed the insects, plants and trees too but my primary focus is birds. I love the fact that they travel so far and their migration fascinates me.
Linnet. Photo Claire Butcher
Record keeping is so important and, however trivial it may seem at the time, it can often highlight some amazing consistencies in nature. Our first garden grey wagtail was seen on 20th October 2018 and, remarkably, the next visit happened on exactly the same day in 2019. Last year it arrived just a day earlier on 19th Oct, so the question is was it the same bird with immaculate timekeeping? Who knows, but look out locally for this species.
Litte Egret : Photo Claire Butcher
Having lived in the village since 1995 it has been very evident that some species have declined or have disappeared completely but there have been new arrivals too. It is amazing that buzzards, red kites and little egrets (pictured right) have become species that you can easily observe around the villages.
It was also superb to find that cuckoo were back too in 2020. Having not heard one from my garden for more than 10 years it was lovely to hear 3 individuals singing in the Spring.
Our local bird ringing was clearly impacted by the pandemic last year and none was undertaken between March and June. However, even excluding this period, 300 birds were processed and this is indeed a record. What did we learn? Firstly some of the early resident breeders didn’t fare so well. Early dry weather meant many tit clutches failed partially or completely, with many fewer juveniles fledged and this appeared to be the case nationally.
Our Spring/Summer migrant visitors had a bumper season though and 190 of our total were those born in 2020. The first village ringing of garden and reed warblers was a nice surprise, in addition to the regularly encountered blackcap, chiffchaff, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat and willow warblers. Finches also were numerous with bullfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch and linnet plus plenty of yellowhammers too. This year many of our migrating visitors have been held up somewhat by the not so seasonal Spring weather we have been having. It will be interesting to find out how many of our juveniles have survived and made it back to breed themselves this year.
Turtle doves…captured on a camera trap and a joy to see given their decline throughout Europe. Photo Nigel Butcher.
Many of you will have noticed the returning swallows/swifts and may be lucky enough to have seen the turtle dove too. A fantastic spot, given their catastrophic declines throughout Europe over the last few decades, and I recently recorded 3 on a camera trap (left) in the village where I am providing supplementary food which is amazing. Hopefully 2021 will prove to be as productive for our local wildlife as last year.
If you are passionate about nature and want to become more involved with local wildlife, please take a look at local Facebook group – Histon and Impington Wildlife where you can share photos, ask questions or comment on sightings. The group now has 270 members and new members are always welcome.
With the latest Government COVID roadmap announcement this week, it is looking unlikely that the Feast week RSPB supported bird ringing breakfast at the Histon & Impington Community Orchard, scheduled for 3 July, will be able to take place. There are, however, plans for a later Summer edition and also some talks over the Autumn/Winter too, so look out for news of these events here on HI HUB and local community Facebook groups.
We’re all looking forward to this year’s Feast, but will it match up to the 1902 celebrations? The Village Society tells of the frenzy around the eagerly awaited event over 100 years ago.
It is early July 1902. In Histon the schools have closed for the long summer holidays and the children and their parents are looking forward to the most important days of the summer. Histon Feast is about to begin and for the next four days there will be many events to attend. Some have managed to earn some extra spending money by fruit picking; others have been saving for months.
The houses have been cleaned from top to bottom and all round the Green the walls of the thatched cottages have been freshly lime washed. Special meals are being prepared for all the relatives and friends who are visiting the village for the celebrations. Many work in service or on the land in other towns and villages and this is one of the few times of the year they can return home. They arrive by every means of transport: train, bus, brake, pony and trap, bicycle or even on foot.
On parade
Some new clothes have been purchased or made for all the family, and these will be worn for the first time at the special church and chapel services held on Feast Sunday morning. After the family roast dinner, everyone hurries out to see the Friendly Societies Parade, a new event this year, which has been arranged to raise money for Addenbrooke’s hospital. The band from Cambridge leads the procession which finishes on the Green.
There a service is held and the children fidget while many long speeches are made by the speakers on the platform. Then home for a special strawberry tea and out again to promenade the village and meet old friends. The village streets are crowded with people all in their Sunday best swapping news and gossip. Then onto the Green for the Sacred Band Concert where another collection is taken for the hospital.
To the Green…
Many of the fair wagons have now arrived pulled by horses or steam traction engines; they are lined up in Station Road and Impington Lane. They should wait until 6am on Monday morning when they are officially allowed onto the Green; but as soon as the concert ends there is a rush of vehicles and much jockeying by the stall-holders to get the best pitches on both sides of the road. There is a complete transformation of the site in about two hours.
Thurston’s Fair opens on Monday afternoon and ‘is patronised by the families of the elite, who wish to avoid the rough and tumble of the evening’! All want a chance to ride the steam gallopers and ostriches and hear the popular tunes of the day played on the steam organ.
Those that work for Chivers have the afternoon off on Tuesday; and the crowds are the largest at the second of three cricket matches in Park Lane and at the fair on that day as many come out from Cambridge and from the surrounding villages. Special buses and trains run to and from Histon each evening and these are packed with visitors.
Revelry
In the new schoolroom on Tuesday and Wednesday evening, a soiree organised by the Philo-Union is held. Up to a hundred couples ‘trip the light fantastic’, from nine until the early hours of the morning, to the music of Smith and Dring’s String Band. The public houses are doing a roaring trade and extra bars have been set up so all can be served.
Young men purchase water squirts, confetti and paper teasers and use them to great effect on the eligible girls in the crowd. ‘The roadway is red, white and blue with little paper discs. Worst of all the more frivolous girls pick out their favourites and empty a tube of water down their necks’. Many a love match has started this way.
Having given pleasure to many, the fair closes at mid-night on Tuesday; but not before Arthur Claydon of Newmarket Road has fallen out of swing boat and been taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital and detained with a severely cut head.
There is another cricket match on Wednesday afternoon. But the fair is smaller, as some of the stall holders have already left for Linton Flower Show. At a quarter to mid-night the fair steam organ plays ‘God save the King’ and the Feast is over for another year. By Thursday morning the fair is already moving off to another venue.
H&I Village Society membership is currently free and includes a weekly historical article about the village and free access to Zoom talks. Contact them to register as a new member and have a chat with committee members at their stall at the Feast. If you’ve got historic photos of the village or its residents, bring them along so that the Society can take copies for the village archive.
Kicking off Feast Week on 2nd July is the first major event our village has seen since the pandemic called time on large gatherings. Amanda Borrill chatted to event organisers Colin Myles and Edd Stonham about how it feels to be back in the hot seat.
Over the last 18 months, event fundraising has been near impossible with the social distancing rules around COVID-19 calling a halt to gigs and festivals right across the UK and beyond. On Friday 2nd July, this is all about to change as for one night only HI Friends event – Riot! on the Rec gets set to transform our, usually tranquil, Recreation ground into Histon & Impington’s very own summer festival.
HI Friends for life
Colin (left) and Edd at the end of another busy event. Photo Colin Myles.
Behind this HI Friends fundraiser are best friends of over a decade, Edd Stonham and Colin Myles. This dynamic duo first paired up back in 2011 for the Jubilee celebrations and have been working together on village events ever since.
I asked Colin how it feels to be back in the organising seat again after so long:
“It feels amazing. Edd and I were devastated to have to abandon last year’s event. We both love throwing ourselves into all the elements of planning an event; marketing, organising, building and running. Our plans this time are for a concert with a mini festival vibe and to build on that festival atmosphere there will be a licensed bar and top class street food vendors with Steak and Honour and Guerilla Kitchen feeding the crowd. Personally I just love to see people having a great time – I think I enjoy running events more than attending.”
The Headliners
Headlining on the 2nd July will be Sussex based band RIOT! who come with glowing recommendations from the same agency Edd and Colin used for previous event success The Indie Killers back in 2016. If the blurb on this band’s website is anything to go by, riot gear might be a wise dress code for the night. It proclaims: ‘This trio come with bundles of energy and are capable of creating a heck of a party! Their set is explosive and their performance has been know to start a ‘riot’, so be warned!’
Take a glimpse of what’s in store via this You Tube clip.
Making their debut
Supporting Riot, and making their first ever appearance together on stage, is local band – The B1049s. This HisImp trio sees a group of 40/50 year old mates coming together especially for this gig and includes guitarist Andy Shields (who toured internationally with The Naked Apes), drummer Ben Jakubowski (ex IVC student show drummer, The Roots, Beale Street Band, Rock Road) and bassist Paul Edmondson who, in his own words, is the least experienced band member and has to keep reminding himself which way up to hold his instrument by way of jams with work colleagues and supporting his son as he learns the guitar.
The B1049s. Left to right Ben, Paul, Andy. Photo courtesy of The B1049s.
Getting it together
Andy tells how it all began: “We are of course honoured to have been asked to provide support at this event and actually it will be the B1049s first public performance… ever! The idea for forming a new local band actually came from a camping trip in 2019, so it has taken quite a while to get it together. We started rehearsing again in the garden, once that was allowed earlier this year, and actually had to give up on one occasion when it started snowing! Now that’s rock ‘n’ roll.
“We will be doing the first set acoustically and then cranking it up a little bit in the second set. It’s been brilliant to have something to work towards and we are helping to support a good cause at the same time”.
Rumour has it that, if it all goes alright on the night, gigs might become a regular fixture so watch this space!
A community effort
Getting an event like this off the ground, does not happen without a lot of hard work and many hours of commitment. “Gig days are long days!” Edd recollects. “We normally put in around 18 hours – being the last people to leave the site once we have cleaned up and the band has gone home.” But, it has to be said, this is a real community effort and they will not do this alone; being ably assisted by a number of volunteers and HI Friends committee members along the way.
Like all the best run events, it wouldn’t be complete without a few panics here and there. Colin laughs “we often start to panic around 3pm if we are going to be ready for people turning up at 7pm – we always make it though and when the band arrives it all starts to feel a little more real. I love the soundcheck and have even previously had my daughter helping the band with their warm-up which was amazing!”.
Safety first
One huge question though, which will be forefront on everyone’s minds this year, is that of COVID safety. I asked the guys what measures are in place to ensure that this gig fits into current Government guidelines. This is what they told me:
“Last year’s cancellation due to COVID was obviously a massive disappointment and we feel that, after such a long time without any big events in the village, people will now be ready to party, albeit a little more cautiously. As it is an outdoor organised event, this is allowed within step three of the Government’s path out of lockdown but we are conscious the UK is not out of the woods yet and we want everyone to know that safety is top of our list of priorities”
The HI Friends committee has been working closely with South Cambs District Council on the licence and plans for event safety and COVID compliance. Tickets for this event are limited numbers and advance booking only, food truck locations have been planned to avoid people congregating in busy areas with the trucks taking orders online giving you a dedicated collection time, and payments at the bar will be cashless to eliminate queues. There will be COVID marshals reminding people about distancing, check-in with the NHS app will be required and COVID safe information will be sent to everyone prior to the event.
Book now!
Riot! on the Rec kicks off on Friday 2nd July at 7pm and runs until 11pm. There is no age limit but children must be accompanied by parents at all times. To book your advance tickets for this fundraising event, simply click through to the HI Friends website, here. Until 14 June, HI HUB readers can get a 20% discount on the ticket price of £13 using code RTHIHUB.
Volunteers are needed for this event. If you are interested in giving your time to help out, please get in touch with Colin Myles at cbsmyles@gmail.com
Wrestling, cudgelling, donkey racing, chasing a greasy pig, running in sacks, and badger-baiting… These won’t be featured at this year’s Feast – but they probably were in days gone by. The Village Society reveals some history.
Villages have probably been holding summer revels since long before the coming of Christianity, but the first written records survive from 1240 when clerics were condemned by bishops for attending and encouraging celebrations of summer and of village life.
In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries May Day began a three-month period when May Day celebrations could occur on any day the community chose.
Many parishes held a communal feast on the dedication day of their church and in honour of its patron saint. Although they should have been held on the anniversary, they were in practice concentrated in the early summer or late summer and early autumn.
Philanthropic beginnings
At this time parishioners were responsible for the upkeep of the church and there was a belief that people could come to salvation by good deeds, such as increasing the decoration and ornamentation of the churches, so parochial feasting and annual customs became important fund-raising events.
In many communities, particularly villages, they were the largest single source of revenue. They were often held in the church and the churchyard or in a special hall owned by the parish. Ale was brewed, often by the church wardens and sometimes a meal was eaten. It is the church wardens’ accounts of the period that give details of such events.
Many of these feasts were organised by parish gilds and if the gild had a gildhall, the ale or feast was held there.
In Cambridgeshire there were 350 gilds recorded in 125 out of 170 parishes. These devotional societies collected subscriptions from members and generated funds from a variety of events.
As well as paying to maintain lights burning before effigies of the saints or build chapels for these figures, they raised money to look after the poor and ill, and organised the funeral rites for departed members. Wealthy gilds might even employ an additional priest.
In Histon the parish of St Andrew’s had three gilds: the Gilds of St Katherine, the Purification of Our Lady and All Saints, and the parish of St Etheldreda’s had the Gild of St Katherine. St Andrew’s Impington had the Gild of the Resurrection.
The present Feast in Histon probably derives from one of their annual fund-raising events. St Etheldreda’s Day was 23 June. This provides one possible explanation for the current date, although the tradition in the village is that Feast Sunday is the Sunday following St Peter’s Day (29 June) and is is always the week following Midsummer Fair (24 June).
A local saying still quoted (and often accurate) uses the weather prevailing during Midsummer Fair to forecast the weather for the period of the Histon Feast: “Fine for the Fair, wet for the Feast. Wet for the Fair, fine for the Feast.”
Evolution
Gilds were common until their dissolution by Edward VI in 1547. The Reformation and the rise of Protestantism changed the context of worship, gilds were banned and the effigies and decorations in the churches destroyed, so the need for fund raising events was diminished.
Many of the Saints’ Days were abandoned and the opportunities for feasting reduced, partly due to a growing fear of public disorder that could occur on these occasions. In 1640 Parliament prohibited Sunday dancing and sports and seasonal celebrations were further diminished. The Puritan Revolution still further reduced the communal festivities and this was particularly true in the Puritan stronghold of East Anglia.
The traditions were only partly restored by the restoration of the monarchy. Parochial feasts or wakes were widely recorded in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries but had become predominantly secular events. Religious rites, when they did survive, were usually confined to a special church service on the Sunday.
In many parishes the feast provided an excuse for much eating and abundant drinking, for music and dancing, for sports and entertainments and for hospitality.
It would usually include familiar sports and pastimes of the time: wrestling, boxing or cudgelling; perhaps donkey racing, a wheelbarrow race (blindfolded), a smock race for woman, chasing a greasy pig, running in sacks, or smoking pipes of tobacco; and sometimes bull baiting, cock-fighting, or badger-baiting.
Public-houses often provided prizes for the sports. A fiddler played for dancing. In most parishes many visitors attended, as a feast was the time when scattered relatives and friends assembled to renew their social ties.
Antisocial behaviour
At this time these celebrations drew much criticism. Rivalry between villages and feasts provided the excuse for youths from neighbouring villages to indulge in fights; large crowds were difficult for the authorities to control; and the excessive drinking and the sexual promiscuity that followed were condemned by local residents.
As one letter writer to the Cambridge Independent Press in 1889 said: “The Feast time is simply an opportunity for unlimited drunkenness and all the evils consequent on such indulgence. Where the greater part of the population indulge for three days in the year in every kind of vice which appears attractive to them, what morality can be looked for during the remainder of the year?”
The very first mention of the Histon Feast was in the Cambridgeshire Chronicle, in June 1861:
“There has been a great nuisance in this village for the last few years, and two places of worship (Methodists – the Co-op. and Baptists – Kortens) have been greatly disturbed by stall keepers and theatrical parties placing sometimes upwards of twenty carts and other vehicles laden with materials for erection of stalls etc. on the Green in the centre of the village on the Sunday previous to the Feast (Monday) and thereby causing a large assembly of disorderly, and of course, noisy company. Our readers will find in another portion of the paper an advertisement from Messrs. Whitehead and French, announcing that the parishioners have determined to put an end to the disturbance in future. No carts, stalls etc. will be allowed on the green, hereafter until the feast Monday which this year is July 1st.”
This long-standing problem was set to continue well into this century!
To find out what happened in the 20th century, read Part 2 in HI HUB next week
H&I Village Society membership is currently free and includes a weekly historical article about the village and free access to Zoom talks. Contact them to register as a new member and have a chat with committee members at their stall at the Feast. If you’ve got historic photos of the village or its residents, bring them along so that the Society can take copies for the village archive.
The recently renovated Station House on Histon Busway will soon be reopening its doors in the form of a funky new brunch venue. Amanda Borrill has been chatting to founder, David Harrison, to find out more.
Histon Station House Cafe logo. Graphic courtesy of David Harrison.
The community of Histon & Impington has a deep affection for its station and the renovation of the area around what is now the Guided Busway, including a stylish revamp of the derelict Station House building, has been watched by many with great interest. This summer, local entrepreneur David Harrison is set to breathe new life into the neighbourhood with Histon Station House – a brand new independent brunch stop. I asked David what led him down this road and how he sees his new venture fitting in amid our existing abundant cafe scene.
How it all began
“I grew up in Girton but now live here in Histon. I was a student at IVC too so my connection to the area goes back all the way. In fact I used to cross the fields back to Girton using the train line long before the guided busway was built. Having also opened The Boot for White Brasserie and been part of the street coordinator scheme this last year, I feel a very strong connection to the village!
Mila’s vision. Photo David Harrison.
“I was out walking with my five year old daughter, Mila, while homeschooling in January and she asked me what the building site was going to be by the busway. I replied it would be a cafe, to which her immediate response was ‘can it be our cafe?’ Later that day she decided her art work for the day would be designing a cafe for me. That night it was mounted on the wall by her bed where it still sits today”.
From childhood imaginings to reality
“On a whim, I emailed the agent, Bidwells, to find out who was going to be running the cafe. A few days later I was having a meeting with the landlord. The former owner of the site, Ken Hart, had passed away and the family wanted the building to continue as a cafe, as he had intended. I had happened to email at precisely the right moment thanks to my daughter’s imagination! She is insisting that she has a job at weekends washing dishes as it is most certainly “our” cafe to her and she wants to be fully involved”.
What’s in store
Open seven days a week, the cafe will be a table service brunch cafe. There will be a variety of healthy brunch dishes, sweet treats in the form of waffles, Hot Numbers coffee and homemade cakes. There will also be smoothies and milkshakes, a kids menu and plenty of vegan options. From Monday to Saturday they will be open from 8:30am – 4:30pm with food finishing at 3:30. Laid back Sundays will see them open a little bit later at 9:30am – with the same 4:30pm closing time.
David’s new venue will bring the total number of cafes within the community of Histon and Impington to six – all of which are independently owned. I asked him whether he thinks there is sufficient demand for another coffee stop and, from his response, it is clear he has no intention to throw neighbouring business owners under any busway buses:
“I think this end of the village will easily support a wider offering. I will be steering clear of the retail side of things as well as the sandwich trade to limit crossover with the The Geographer and d:licious. The guided busway provides passing trade from a wide range of people including cyclists, walkers, business commuters and students. Added to that we have around 100 new flats being built around the Station House. I believe Station House Cafe will be a positive addition to this end of the village and bring a little vibrancy”.
David hopes to open in mid-July. Keep an eye out here on HI HUB and on local social media for up-to-date news. You can also read more about his venture on the Station House Cafe Facebook page, here.
This Saturday will see our local litter picking teams head out for their next quarterly tidy up – coinciding this time with the nationwide Great British Spring Clean. Scheme founder, Cedric Foster, shares how you can get involved.
Histon & Impington Litter Pickers (HILP) was founded by Cedric Foster around eleven years ago and now has over 120 regular volunteers across the community of Histon & Impington. Every few months, these volunteers kindly give up their time to tackle the ever increasing menace of unwanted litter. This coming weekend sees the next of their regular quarterly Big Tidy Ups, falling this time within the Great British Spring Clean – a nationwide effort taking place between 28 May and 13 June targeting villages and towns right across the UK. Cedric takes up the story:
“On Saturday 5th June, we will be holding our next quarterly Big Tidy Up, and I will be on hand in the Village car park (located behind Corals Bookmakers off Histon High Street) from 9.00 am to give out equipment and bags but, just as importantly, simply to say ‘hello’. Those who can’t make the Saturday, may litter pick on Sunday 6th.
“We will be combining our efforts to coincide with The Great British Spring Clean, where similar groups will be taking part throughout the UK”.
The 100+ team of HILP volunteers already cover most areas across our village but there are always additional areas needing the help of willing volunteers. Cedric explains:
“One such area is the wooded area alongside Butt Lane, just before the Recycling Centre on the right, which is planned to be tackled on the morning of Sunday 6th. I am looking for some volunteers to join in to litter pick this area. Parking of cars and bikes will be available in the nearby Evolution Business Park car park and if you would like to join this team please get in touch with me for more details.
“There are undoubtedly also areas in the village that could just simply do with a bit of extra tender loving care. If you know of somewhere in need, or would like to join a team to clean things such as bench seats, the duck viewing platform etc., please do let me know.
“Recently we have recruited new volunteers for the bus shelters/noticeboard on School Hill and Cottenham Road. Additionally, Daniel Moore, of D G Moore Cleaning Services, who regularly cleans our local street signs free of charge, has volunteered to steam clean the round seat on the island opposite St Andrew’s Centre and clear all the vegetation beneath. He also hopes to clean all the seats on The Green and the viewing platform on The Brook”.
If you would like to offer your help to the HILP team, or have suggestions of areas needing attention, please get in touch with Cedric at cedric.jl.foster1944@btinternet.com. Alternatively, you can join the HILP dedicated Facebook page, here.
A Histon schoolgirl has taken the chop and donated her hair for charity, raising over £1000 in the process. Amanda Borrill talked to Madelyn Wilsing about what inspired her to give up her luscious locks to help others.
For children undergoing cancer treatment, losing their hair can have a devastating impact. Since 2006, the Little Princess Trust has been there to help, providing free real hair wigs to children and young people up to 24 years, who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. Having had to put a hold on receiving donations of hair due to COVID restrictions, the Little Princess Trust is now once again accepting hair from kind donors and Madelyn (Mady to her friends) Wilsing, has wasted no time getting involved.
Histon resident Mady, along with her parents David and Heather, came to live in the village five years ago with the US Military. A year 7 student at Impington Village College, Mady was very keen to tell how she became inspired to take the chop for this incredible cause:
“I originally wanted to cut my hair because someone close to me had a small scare. I began thinking about children who are forced to go through cancer treatment and how they often lose their hair. I did a little research and found out I could donate my hair and take some of the burden off of these children. Fortunately, my friend did not have cancer but I vowed to cut my hair anyway. I picked the Little Princess Trust because they make wigs specially designed for children with cancer, free of charge. Patients can then concentrate on receiving the best medical care and not have to worry about getting a wig during what is surely the hardest time of their life”.
Honoured with the task of cutting Mady’s hair was mobile barber/hairdresser Tom Lown. Tom removed a whopping 14 inches of Mady’s glorious hair; every strand of which will be donated to help someone going through gruelling cancer treatment.
Tom Lown sets to work removing 14 inches of Mady’s glorious hair. Photo Heather Syomin Wilsing.
Mady proudly models her new trendy pixie cut. Photo Heather Syomin Wilsing.
I asked Mady how she feels after having taken the plunge and, at the same time, raise such an incredible amount of money:
“It definitely feels different with short hair… but in a good way. I hoped to raise around £500 but it has gone way over! I never expected to raise this much money. The trust can make a wig for £500 so each £500 I raise is another wig”.
“I will leave the site up for a little while longer in case anyone wants to donate after reading this article”.
From Mady’s kindness, many children will benefit and I asked her for one final piece of advice to others thinking of sending their lockdown locks to charity:
“My advice to others who are considering cutting and donating – do it! It’s just hair. It will grow back”.
To donate to Mady’s fundraiser for the Little Princess Trust, click here. More information on how to donate hair to the Trust can also be found at their website.
Every third Saturday of the month, Histon & Impington is visited by one of the very best Farmers Markets around, hosted within the grounds of Impington Village College. Local resident and regular visitor Nicole Barton stopped for a chat with those involved.
Covid made us acutely aware of how dependent we are on producers at every scale, and for many it was our first time ordering sacks of local potatoes, searching out local livestock farmers, signing up to the milkman or ordering a local veg box etc. Supporting our Farmers Market is a great way to continue some of the good habits we’ve picked up over the last year and, frankly, it’s just a lovely way to start your weekend. You can pop down by foot or bike, bring the dog and chat away with producers, friends and people you vaguely know whilst munching on a pastry. I met some of the stallholders to find out more about them and their passion for good food.
Edwin, Farmers Market Co-ordinator, with his glorious range of organic produce. Photo Nicole Barton
Edwin and his wife Karen co-ordinate the Farmers Market at IVC, serving us HisImpers in-between their more star-studded visitors, like Helen Mirren and Nigella, who frequent their Marylebone High Street pitch! Edwin has been doing the markets for 15 years, having made the shift after previously working for multinationals on their organic ranges. Realising that he was away on business too much and missing out on his children’s lives, he turned farmer.
Riverdale Organic Farm, Edwin’s organic fruit, veg, juice and herbs, are grown at his 25 acre farm in Upwell, near Wisbech. The road to organic has been a battle, he says with the public and farmers often not really understanding it. But now big farms and industrial producers are starting to copy some of their techniques, using a rotating system and bio-controls more.
Maintaining healthy soils is crucial to both the environment and to producing the good quality and range that Edwin can offer. Weeds are their biggest challenge and then it’s the deer and pigeons – Edwin’s farm has a ‘no shoot’ policy. In Edwin’s experience, heavy Roe deer trample produce and will stop at nothing to feast on radicchio, whilst Muntjacs are fussier eaters and rather short-changed in the brains department.
Edwin’s produce scores very highly on low food mileage and most of the produce is seasonal. There’s hardly any waste as they don’t have to meet the exacting standards imposed by supermarkets around length, weight and appearance. Edwin’s business is home to 23 different types of butterfly including some rare ones like the Wall. There are owls, buzzards, bats, sparrowhawks and the partridges have returned after they left the grass to grow long in their meadow.
CamCattle – Angelika
Angelika, owner of Cam Cattle Red Poll Midsummer Common & Grantchester Meadows herds. Photo Nicole Barton.
Angelika of Cam Cattle owns the famous cattle we see grazing the city’s commons and believes that supporting the local economy and local systems by purchasing produce that’s grown where we live is of vital importance. She doesn’t shy away from the word ‘killing’, and thinks it’s healthy that people make the connection between their meat and a living creature. It all helps people to make a pro-active choice to buy high welfare.
The animals are hyper-local so the food miles are tiny and there’s virtually no waste either, with Angelika selling the bones and offal, and making pies.
Angelika says that her cattle are very healthy, very rarely needing the skills of her weekday job as a vet! By selling her beef and lamb at the IVC Farmers Market, Angelika gets to keep the profits. If sold via a retailer, they’d take 90% of the profits gained from the two and a half years it takes to grow her grass fed cattle.
The White House Coffee Co Ltd – Ellen
Ellen of White House Coffee Co Ltd. Photo Nicole Barton.
All of Ellen and Charlie’s coffee beans are roasted 24 hours before they travel to their market spots from Essex. The White House Coffee Co Ltd has been established for 16 years and was started after Charlie, who, having set up the coffee desk at Mitsubishi, decided he wanted to run his own business. When not preparing and selling coffee, Charlie grades coffee and cocoa on the London Futures Exchange!
The stall offers resealable pouches that are popular, and the coffee sacks get upcycled into all sorts or coverings and interior decorations. Because people can purchase exactly the quantities they want, there’s very little waste. They sell Rainforest Alliance coffee that promotes replanting and regeneration where forest is lost to coffee production.
Mimi’s Handmade – Hamera
Hamera showcasing her Kashmiri inspired salsas. Photo Nicole Barton.
A redundancy triggered by COVID led Hamera to take the courageous decision to turn her passion for home cooking into a source of income with the setting up of her business Mimi’s Handmade; making and selling Kashmiri inspired food.
Hamera’s key product is her natural, homemade vegetable salsas made with fresh veg like black carrot, beetroot and Asian spices. She loves to research old recipes, favouring those from Persia and those passed on from her mother and grandmother. Hamera tries to use seasonal ingredients and is looking to replace some of her plastic packaging with bamboo alternatives.
Hamera has also now started selling wholesale to nurseries, independent food shops and farm outlets.
Covenham House Orchard Fayre – Kathy
Kathy of Covenham House Orchard Fayre displays the produce of her Norfolk Orchard. Photo Nicole Barton.
Kathy has a beautiful stall filled with preserves, syrups and fruit cakes made from the produce of her Norfolk orchard. Kathy worked in legal services before setting up her business farming, harvesting, cooking and selling everything herself. She’d been thinking that Covenham House Orchard Fayre might be a semi-retirement step, but says she’s never been busier!
Kathy has 70 trees; bringing a bounty of walnuts and almonds for Christmas cakes and then the usual plum, cherry, apple etc. There’s also peach, nectarine and apricot trees whose crops can be a bit more hit and miss. Chickens provide eggs and there are hives too. Kathy focuses on seasonal products, the food miles are low and because most of the products are preserved, there’s minimal waste.
Cheese Tellers – Chris
Blessed be the cheesemakers…Chris and Filippo of Cheese-Tellers in action at Impington Village College market. Photo Nicole Barton.
Cheese-Tellers sell artisan products from Italy – mainly cheeses that come in a huge variety of shapes, smells and consistency. The company was founded 14 years ago by some folk working in big-pharma who were craving something different – so they started importing their favourite cheeses from producers they’d previously only visited on holiday.
Filippo, the owner, won’t sell any cheese he doesn’t like himself and everyone on the stall loves to see the faces of shoppers light up as they hear the stories behind the products. The one I bought, Basajo, is a creamy blue, aged in Passito dessert wine and its unique flavour came about quite by accident. Soldiers occupied a village in Italy where the ewe’s cheese was popular and the soldiers liked it as much as the locals. Keen to ensure supplies for themselves, the producers stashed it in barrels that had been used to hold the Passito wine. On retrieving the cheese, they discovered it had taken on a brilliant new flavour.
Chris says there’s very little waste because people can try before they buy, and so only purchase what they really like in the exact quantities they want.
99% of the plants on this ornamentals stall are grown in a nursery in Ashdon near Saffron Walden, as opposed to many plants that we buy that are often imported from Holland and Belgium.
Unlike the supermarkets, smaller quantities and attention to care mean there’s much less waste. Surplus compost is put into a large steamer with a fire at the base. The heating destroys weeds and bacteria so it can be reused.
Cards in Bloom – Sue
Sue of Cards in Bloom with her blooming gorgeous collection of natural images. Photo Nicole Barton.
Owner of Cards in Bloom, Sue took to taking pictures of nature and flowers over lockdown and since then has created a card collection and beautiful, colour photo-book of the images. Sue has donated 200 of her books to care homes and hospices so that those stuck indoors for this terribly long and lonely period could enjoy the beauty of nature and the changing seasons.
Sue Balding wrote the foreword and the profits from the book are split between three charities, including the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust.
The Farmer’s Market visits Impington Village College every third Saturday between 9am and midday. Their next scheduled visit is Saturday 19 June.
From little acorns, mighty plans have grown and on 11 May the community purchase of Long Meadow and the Croft Close Set Aside finally reached completion. Amanda Borrill has been talking to the team behind this success, along with Abbey Farm’s new owners, about the journey so far and what happens next…
In July 2020, the Rowley family-owned Abbey Farm house and grounds, with its two associated plots – Croft Close Set Aside (CCSA) and Long Meadow (LM) – all went up for sale causing much concern locally over its fate. What followed next was people power at its finest; a community coming together through a unique set of circumstances with one sole aim – to preserve this historic and beautiful part of our village for future generations.
The power of the people
Resident alongside the CCSA since 1966, nature lover Moira Neal is overjoyed that completion has finally taken place. Talking to Moira, you can’t fail to be drawn in by her passion and enthusiasm for its preservation: “Yes, I am passionate about it! Over the past 21 years we have enjoyed the field with our dogs and grandchildren.
Two of the regular visitors to the CCSA pond, captured together, by chance, in a rare moment. Photo: Moira Neal
“I have always vowed I would have been like Swampy and strapped myself to a tree if any developer had got hold of it. It is such a very precious space which Tony and I have nurtured for over 20 years. As I sit writing this I can hear the purr of the highly-endangered turtle dove calling for a mate. He has chosen our field as his summer home. We are indeed very honoured as they have decreased by 93% since the 1970s.”
Early steps
A walk around the area with Howard Biddle and his wife Hilary early last summer introduced me to this area of natural beauty that I had no idea even existed and took Howard into his leading role on the Abbey Fields Task and Finish Group – a joint collaboration between the community and our Parish Council. Howard shares how he became involved.
“During the first Covid lockdown we explored a lot of local walks and were delighted to discover new woods and paths, all between Histon, Girton and Westwick, but we couldn’t understand why there were no paths marked across Abbey Fields. I therefore decided to research the process for claiming formal Rights of Way. Tentative conversations soon evolved into a campaign and then, in July, came the news that the entire Abbey Farm estate was up for sale. The Abbey Farm house was going for a high price but the price being asked for the two plots now known as Abbey Fields (CCSA and LM) seemed within reach for the village. Publicity on HI HUB, Network Magazine and local social media very quickly established overwhelming support for what we were doing.”
Asking Howard what it means to him personally to have played a part in securing this land for our community, his enthusiasm shines through: “It was a project that needed doing and I couldn’t find anyone else to do it! Unwelcome as lockdown was, it gifted me time I would never normally have had to take this on. Green spaces in urban developments are important. These two pieces of land are special both from an environmental and historical perspective. My kids enjoyed these fields and so too now will future generations. It is brilliant that we have been successful.”
Fortune favours the brave
Securing this land, however, has not been without its challenges. It is to all our fortunes that one multi-million pound offer for all three plots was subsequently withdrawn and some very good samaritans, in the form of the Jenking family, came along with the means to buy CCSA and LM – taking them off the open market and keeping them within the community.
Anthony Jenking takes up the story: “It has been a surprisingly complicated process spanning over 10 months and I’ve certainly learnt a lot on the way. Over this time I have met some amazingly talented and dedicated people that, strangely, I have yet to meet in person due to the pandemic. I can’t wait to rectify that!
“Essentially we (myself and my wife Bogusia) have bought CCSA and LM and covered the related costs for the short-term. Unfortunately, we’re not in a position to donate all of the money, so our aim has been to ensure that the land was off the market and ‘safe’. Now that this has been achieved, our group has more time to organise and deliver a permanent solution, to ensure the fields can remain a community asset in perpetuity. We’re also excited to be able to open that process up to the wider community now that the private sale has been completed.
The beautiful and tranquil Croft Close Set Aside at sunset. Photo: Moira Neal
“Although I’ve lived in the area for over 20 years, I had no idea that the CCSA existed. When I talked to friends in the village, it seemed that a good proportion of them were also unaware of this incredible piece of land on our doorstep. My aspiration is that, if we can make this a success, we can replicate the process again: our group has dreams of a “Histon Loop” where people can walk around the village on connected fields and pathways. It might take a lifetime to realise but this is a great first step!
“This is the first big community effort I’ve been involved in and I have been bowled over by the spirit that has been displayed. The people of Histon & Impington are just as special as the environment we live in.”
With completion of the sale of Abbey Fields, comes a new chapter in the life of the Abbey Farm estate and I asked Anthony how he saw the relationship between the Task Group and the new house owners evolving. “Obviously I don’t wish to speak for them, but we should bear in mind that a huge task lays ahead for them with renovation of the house and grounds. This is likely to keep them very busy for the foreseeable future. I can say though, throughout the sale process they have been incredibly supportive of all we are aiming to achieve and I see them being a fantastic asset to the community.”
Abbey Farm – the next chapter
So, just who are the new buyers of the Abbey Farm estate? I had the pleasure of speaking to one half of the husband and wife team behind the purchase – Michael Watson. Michael oozed enthusiasm for their return to the village he grew up in and it was clear that he and his wife Sue are keen to build a harmonious and long lasting relationship with the community.
Michael’s family connection with the villages goes back many generations with his great-great grandfather once owning the windmill and his sons running Loves Butchers. His parents still live in the village and, until her recent retirement, his mother, Rosemary, worked in Barclays Bank here on our High Street. Michael tells more:
Abbey Farm. Photo: Howard Biddle
“I have very fond memories of Abbey Farm (or Rowley’s as it was always called) particularly at times of the Feast Parade where the procession would assemble on the drive, before starting its journey through the High Street. With that as the background, it is therefore a privilege (if not also a little daunting!) to be stewards of the next chapter for Abbey Farm.
“We welcome the enthusiasm from the village community in trying to bring some of the grounds into public ownership and have been working hard, alongside Howard Biddle and other members of the Task and Finish Group, to allow this vision to be brought to reality. What amounts to almost 40% of the original Abbey Farm grounds will be designated permanently as open spaces to be enjoyed by everyone. This is a fantastic achievement and the newly named ‘Abbey Fields’ will, I’m sure, be the envy of many other villages who could only wish to achieve a similar result.
“We will be taking up residence on 11 May, and our initial focus will be to renovate the main house, as well as restore and find new uses for the historic farm buildings within the grounds. There is also a lot of general catch-up maintenance to make safe a number of damaged or diseased trees and ensure the rather unique natural environment can be preserved for the long term. You may notice therefore increasing levels of activity in the coming months as various equipment, materials and people are brought in to help with these tasks”.
Over recent weeks, the erection of new signs on the estate has prompted questions on local social media. I asked Michael about these and how he sees the relationship developing between his family and the community. His response was a fair one:
The recently erected sign on the Abbey Farm estate. Photo: Tom McKeown
“The Rowley family were generous over the years in hosting events and allowing access to their land. Once our initial projects are completed, we too will look to find ways for others to enjoy the grounds. In the meantime, we hope people will understand our need to balance that against the privacy we all expect in our family homes. Many of you will have seen the new signs we have erected to help identify the areas that will have public access, as opposed to those that will remain private. We are really pleased with how this has been respected so far and we thank you for your continued understanding as we work through sorting out a new future for Abbey Farm. We look forward to strengthening old friendships and creating many new ones as we settle back into the village.”
Turning pledges into hard cash
As completion is finalised, the team reaches the most difficult part of all – raising the money needed to buy this land for the community. A call for pledges in August last year saw offers totalling over £130,000 and now the time has come for these pledges to be turned into hard cash. Fundraising lead on behalf of the Abbey Fields group is Kate Brierton. Kate told me what drove her to take up this challenging role and how it is planned to gather in these vital funds:
“I have been walking the land around Abbey Fields nearly every day with my family for the last 15 years and when I heard it had come up for sale, I immediately wanted to protect it from development. I’m a clinical psychologist and there is lots of research showing that contact with nature is good for emotional and physical wellbeing. The importance of this has been underlined by the pandemic and I feel these green spaces have been invaluable during this period.
“Our minimum target is £450,000 to cover the purchase cost but our ambition is to raise significantly more than this so that we can invest the surplus to provide income to cover the cost of the upkeep. I am looking forward to collecting more pledges from individuals and local companies, as well as organising fundraising events and grant applications. Most of the funds will come from individuals in the local community but we will also be applying for grants both from local authorities and other grant awarding bodies that focus on environmental conservation. A charity is being established under our Parish Council so donors can be confident in our objectives and accountability. The fundraising and collection of pledges will take place after the charity we are forming is registered.
“It’s amazing what you can achieve with a group of like-minded people working towards a common objective. Now we’ve secured the land – I can’t wait to get started on this next phase!”
Community Action
To inform, educate and involve the whole community, a village meeting is planned. This will take place at 7.30pm on 10 June and will give everyone the opportunity to hear more from the team involved about their next steps. More details on how to join this meeting will be made available on the Abbey Fields website, here on HI HUB and across local social media.
The team is also looking for people willing to get involved with fundraising. If you have experience in fundraising or a just passion to help, please contact Kate Brierton at kate@brierton.net.
You can find out more about the project, the land and its archaeological history at the Abbey Fields website, here.
