Tag: Community Events

  • Histon Manor backs children’s charity for 2025 fundraising

    Histon Manor backs children’s charity for 2025 fundraising

    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”.

    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”. 

    To book tickets for the Snowdrop Open Day visit Winter Walk & Snowdrops at Histon Manor 2025 – Book My Place Online Now.
    For more information about community events at Histon Manor visit here.
    Or to make a donation or learn more about Break’s work, visit here.

    READ ALSO: Snowdrop Walk at Histon Manor raises over £2400

  • Feast Week 2025 gets ‘Back in the Community’!

    Feast Week 2025 gets ‘Back in the Community’!

    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”.

    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.

  • Record ticket sales see fireworks event donations soar for village schools

    After a 3-year absence from the community calendar, 2022’s Fireworks Extravaganza has seen record ticket sales with the highest ever grants donated to each of the three village schools. Several smaller sums were gifted to local organisations whose help on the night aided the safe and smooth running of the event.

    Speaking to HI HUB, event Chair Dan Mace said: “We were delighted to see so many people come along to enjoy this event and the huge number of tickets sold has resulted in us being able to make significant donations to the local school PTAs, as well as other organisations who help make the event a success. We counted 3800 people through the gates and would like to thank every single one of you for your support”.

    Lighting up the sky. A memorable moment from 2022’s display captured by Penny Reeves.

    This year the event surplus was £9,585 and the committee agreed to make donations totaling £9,309.  Approximately 80% of the money went to parent-led organisations at our schools:

    Donations were also made to:

    • £520 to 1st Histon Scouts who managed and ran the novelty and sweet sales on the night.
    • £520 to Panther Explorers who marshalled the car park.
    • £509 to IVC 6th Form for the purchase of a new Barista style coffee machine. The 6th form volunteers did an excellent job marshalling during the event and then stayed on to clear up afterwards in very wet conditions.
    • £130 to Choir 2000 for use of their stage.
    • £130 to Histon & Impington Litter Pickers for the loan of litter picking equipment for the Sunday clear-up.

    The fireworks team also paid tribute to their sponsors, supporters and suppliers.

    These included Redmayne, Arnold and Harris, Brookfield Groundcare, the Red Lion Histon, Edd Stonham and Avanit Systems Ltd for arranging this year’s first e-ticketing, Pure Professional Recruitment, Estelle’s Beauty, Sam Nightingale Travel Counsellor, Cambridge Stove Installations and Precedence Technologies for their domain and web hosting services.

    Scoff ‘n’ Nosh, Sam’s Thai and Verrecchia ice cream and crepes fed the crowds and the dedicated couple who have brought their fair ride along over many previous years returned once more for 2022. Essex Pyrotechnics – without whom there would have been no display at all – provided the fireworks for the display along with the all important mandatory firer training.

    The 2023 event will take place on Saturday 4th November. Look out for further information in the autumn.

    READ ALSO: Back with a bang – Fireworks Extravaganza returns for 2022