NEW YEAR 2021 News from your local Clubs, Groups and Councils Plus ADULT & FAMILY CLASSES PRODUCED BY THE FEN EDGE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION FOR THE VILLAGES OF COTTENHAM • LANDBEACH • RAMPTON • WATERBEACH • WILLINGHAM New Year 2021 4 Chair's Message 5 December Diary, Cottenham Gardeners’ Club 7–23 Cottenham 7 All Saints’ Church, Cottenham Baptist Church 9 Cottenham Colts 11 Cottenham Cricket Club, Cottenham United FC, Cottenham WI The Fen Edge Community Association is a 13 Cottenham Community Land Trust, charity promoting and supporting Clubs, Cottenham Charities, Cottenham Girlguiding Groups and Societies in Cottenham, 15 Gardening Landbeach, Rampton, Waterbeach and 17 Sustainable Cottenham 19–21 Cottenham Tennis Club Willingham. 23 Cottenham Community Centre 25 Landbeach – Tithe Barn Contact Us 37–41 Willingham Neil Gough – Chair 37 Willingham Action Group, Willingham WI 39–41 Willingham Gardening Club, [email protected] Willingham Bowls Club [email protected] 43–45 Parish Councils – Cottenham PC, Willingham PC, Mr Virus [email protected] 47–57 Fen Edge Groups www.fenedge.co.uk 47-49 Rotary, Cambridgeshire Bird Club, Fen Edge Twinning Association fenedgenews 51–53 StitchWild 55 Fen Edge Orchestra, Whirl and Twirl Copy date for next issue: 22 February 2021 57 Fen Edge Footpath Group, Care Network, Registered Charity No. 293020 Fen Edge Archaeology Group [email protected] Front cover: Cottenham Colts FC U16 girls in new away kit 3 and vital for our young people and we have helped the Cottenham Colts to purchase floodlights for winter training sessions. It is considerably easier to play football when you can see the ball! On a similar basis that it is difficult to play bowls on long grass, FECA also contributed to a new mower for the Bowls Club in Willingham. We are delighted to have been able to help both groups. I am particularly pleased that we were able to CHAIR’S MESSAGE make a very significant contribution to the new It was with great sadness audio-visual equipment at Cottenham Village that we made the College (CVC). This will also be able to be used by decision to postpone the community groups such as Cottenham Theatre 2021 Fen Edge Festival. I Workshop. I believe that this is the largest grant hope we will be able to that FECA has made and reflects the core part that run the event as normal CVC can play in the community. FECA is a central in 2022. It would have been neither practical part of the founding ethos of the village colleges nor fair to ask the and our area of activity matches the catchment Committee to work on an event that is well area for CVC. In the past few years, the beyond the parameters of what is currently connection between FECA and CVC has not been allowed legally. I am very conscious that the as strong as it could have been, but I am very decision will disappoint everyone who was pleased that with the new management team at looking forward to enjoying the weekend. CVC we have re-energised the relationship and I am hopeful that we will be able to build on this in What is not so immediately obvious is that the the future. postponement will also create problems for some of the charities and community organisations that As this is the last edition before the Christmas and have benefitted greatly from the fundraising New Year holidays, on behalf of FECA, I would like opportunities that the Festival provides. In to wish you all as much of a festive time as the previous years, we estimate that the weekend rules permit. It has been a challenging year but one generates towards £15,000 in surplus for all the of the lessons from it has been the important role organisations involved. For some organisations, it of community in our lives. We have learned that has been a key event in their fundraising cycle. The community spirit and activism is very strong in our Festival also enables organisations to showcase villages and we should all be very proud and their activities and get new people involved. pleased to be part of that. I would particularly like Therefore, please do take the time to read this to thank all of the leaders and volunteers of our News and see what our organisations are doing. charities and community groups for the work that While many of them have modified how they they do and have done over the past year. It has operate, there is still a lot that they are doing and it not been easy to keep these groups going through is even more important that they are supported in Covid times but never have they been so their activities as much as possible. important. Please keep up the good work. The Fen Edge Community Association has We wish you and your family a very happy holiday continued to provide financial support to and hopefully we can all look forward to a less organisations that are working in the community. eventful 2021. Sport and outdoor activity are increasingly precious Neil Gough, Chair 4 FEN – Issue No. 109 – New Year 2021 DIARY/FECA IN COTTENHAM What’s on and when in the villages DECEMBER Tue 22 7–9pm Cottenham Baptist Church – Quiet Space: Sun 6 4pm All Saints’ Church – Service: Christingle The church will be open as a space for (p7) by Zoom (p7) people to reflect and pray on their own. Thu 24 7.30pm All Saints’ Church – Midnight Sat 12–Sun 13 4–6pm Cottenham Baptist Church Communion at All Saints’ Rampton (p7) – Alternative Grotto (p7) Thu 24 9pm All Saints’ Church – Midnight Sun 13 10.30am Cottenham Baptist Church – Communion at All Saints’ Cottenham (p7) Virtual service (p7) Fri 25 8.30am All Saints’ Church – Communion: Sun 13 4pm All Saints’ Church – Service: Blue Book of Common Prayer at All Saints’ Cottenham (p7) Christmas at All Saints’ Cottenham (p7) Fri 25 10.30am Cottenham Baptist Church – Sat 19 4–6pm Cottenham Baptist Church – Christmas Day Family Service (p7) Alternative Grotto (p7) Fri 25 10.30am All Saints’ Church – Family Sun 20 10.30am Cottenham Baptist Church – Communion at All Saints’ Cottenham (p7) Virtual service: Nativity from Scratch (p7) Sat 26 10am Fen Edge Footpath Group – Boxing Sun 20 3.30pm All Saints’ Church – Live Nativity Day Walk: Leaves Cottenham Broad Lane / High Street at All Saints’ Churchyard, Cottenham (p7) junction (p53) COTTENHAM GARDENERS’ CLUB The gardening club continues to be on hold. This, we hope, will protect the wood from wet Franklin Gardens Community Room, where we compost to a degree. He reinstated the gutters meet, is not yet available for hire, and it is not big on each side and checked that water would still enough for our members to be sufficiently drain off the roof into the existing butts, then spaced out to meet current regulations. We are ordered a lightweight substrate containing hoping that activities may resume at the end of expanded clay pellets and filled each February with our AGM, scheduled for Friday 26 compartment to a depth of 4 inches (10cm). February, but time will tell. Existing members will The plants are my department. Most are either be informed of the start date, but anyone else is sedums or sempervivums (house leeks), which welcome to ring me nearer the time. are widely used on green roofs, but some more Meanwhile, in our garden, we have created a new unusual plants have been given to us by the planting opportunity. Our shed roof had started nursery where we have our vegetable plot. We to leak, so rather than buy new felt, we decided have been watching Gardeners’ World, and to install a green roof. The benefits of a green found inspiration from one of the viewer’s home roof are numerous: it provides habitat for insects videos. The green roof shown was a flat roof and slows the rate of water run-off when there (ours is sloping), but the depth of substrate was is a heavy downpour; it insulates the structure the same, and the three plants which had done underneath – our shed gets far too hot in well this year were lady’s bedstraw, spike summer – and it should look pretty. Nigel speedwell and wild marjoram. I took notes and Dunnett, professor at Sheffield University, has ordered plug plants of these. It is all written several books on the subject. Based on experimental – we’ll abandon plants that die and Nigel’s own garden shed we commissioned a plant more of the ones that flourish – but it’s an carpenter to put pond liner on the roof, then a exciting project! I am half-way through the grid of compartments supported at each corner planting and really enjoying the process. We look with a stout post. My husband, Tony, then lined forward to seeing how it progresses. each compartment with more pond liner, For further gardening club information please perforated at the lower edge to allow drainage. contact Sarah Dumont, Tel: 01954 260482 5 6 FEN – Issue No. 109 – New Year 2021 FECA IN COTTENHAM ALL SAINTS' CHURCH excited about holding a Live Nativity in the COTTENHAM WITH RAMPTON churchyard of All Saints' Cottenham, with live animals and all the characters you would expect to Throughout lockdown and as things see as we retell the Christmas story. have changed since, we have Sunday December 6 at 4pm – Christingle by continued to offer help and support Zoom. Christingle making kit to be home delivered to those in need. Both Churches are to those taking part.