The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community action networks (CANs) and community groups across Cambridge.
Britain’s roofs can be a huge resource for solar energy, theguardian.com (Dec 22, 2023) - Partnership project involving local communities helping nature and climate getting underway in Cambridge., climateoutreach.org (Sep 18, 2023) — The River Cam CAN (Climate Action through Nature) project will involve communities near the river working on initiatives that will benefit them and the environment. “The River Cam connects most of the city’s green spaces, habitats and communities – including some of the most economically and socially disadvantaged. The river system is also emblematic of the environmental challenges that Cambridge faces; it suffers from flooding, pollution, drought and over-use of water, all are getting worse, and many are connected to climate change. This has impacts on both communities and nature and this project is about encouraging people to get involved and help their rivers and streams." James Littlewood, Cambridge Past, Present & Future. The two-year project is a being delivered by a partnership of local organisations supported by the national charity Climate Outreach, with funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Networks and sustainability initiatives[edit | edit source]
- Transition Cambridge
- Climate change and sustainability, information from Cambridge City Council. links checked 19:16, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
- Abbey People, "community charity in the Abbey Ward of Cambridge, improving the lives and wellbeing of Abbey residents." added 13:17, 18 November 2023 (UTC)
Community resources[edit | edit source]
- Makespace, community inventing shed, Cambridge
Food activism[edit | edit source]
- Cambridge Sustainable Food, network of individuals and organizations supporting local sustainable food.
- Cambridge Growing Spaces
- Rock Abundance, new community-led project aiming to encourage more people in Cambridge (UK) to 'swap and share' fresh fruit and veg and long-life preserves.
Maps: Map of Cambridge Growing Spaces
Community farm[edit | edit source]
- Cambridge cofarm, added 16:05, 26 August 2020 (UTC)
Cohousing[edit | edit source]
- Marmalade Lane, Cambridge's first cohousing community, added 15:21, 20 November 2022 (UTC)
Community and voluntary action[edit | edit source]
Cambridge SCA (Cambridge Student Community Action) is a registered charity which encourages and provides community volunteering opportunities for the students of the University of Cambridge. Projects typically provide services to disadvantaged groups within the local community and provide students with valuable learning opportunities and a chance to make a difference. Cambridge SCA runs 10 of its own 'Internal Projects', each of which are headed by student Project Leaders - these projects include 'Big Siblings', 'Parklife', 'Betty Stubbens Musical Entertainment Group' and 'Teaching English as a Second Language'. They also offer volunteering opportunities with over 60 external organisations, such as Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Headway and the Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre.
- Cambridge Student Community Action, link checked 19:08, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
Climate action[edit | edit source]
Cycling activism[edit | edit source]
National Cycle Routes in and around Cambridgeshire include: Route 11: connecting Harlow in Essex to King's Lynn in Norfolk, via Cambridge W; Route 12: incomplete but when fully constructed it will run from Enfield Lock (London) to Grimsby (Lincolnshire) via Peterborough W; and Route 51: connecting Colchester and the port of Harwich to Oxford via Cambridge W
Urban sustainability[edit | edit source]
- Water Sensitive Cambridge, Community Interest Company "Reconnecting people, land and water in Cambridge UK and beyond through a “Water Sensitive” Approach", and "working with the people of Cambridge to put rain in the ground close to where it falls."
Open spaces[edit | edit source]
- Cambridge Past, Present & Future, charity protecting the beauty of Cambridge and its environment. Video: Cambridge Past, Present & Future channel on youtube.com, added 09:11, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
- Cambridge Lakes Project, community group that formed in 2012 to lobby for public access to the Cherry Hinton Chalk Pit Lakes
Cambridgeshire contains all its green belt around the city of Cambridge, extending to places such as Waterbeach, Lode, Duxford, Little & Great Abington and other communities a few miles away in nearby districts, to afford a protection from the conurbation. It was first drawn up in the 1950s.
Arts, sport and culture[edit | edit source]
- Together Culture, gathering a membership community united in their desire to help create a more equitable and ecological creative economy. Video: Together Culture on youtube.com, added 20:01, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
Towards sustainable economies[edit | edit source]
Circular Cambridge, a season of events celebrating progressive ways to design, manufacture, access, repair and reuse the things that we want and need in our lives.
News and comment[edit | edit source]
2020
- Cambridge's Dutch-style roundabout: Why all the fuss? Sep 26, 2020[1]
2019
- Marmalade Lane: the car-free, triple-glazed, 42-house oasis, May 8, 2019[2]
2017
The city where children go to school in a plywood box, Oct 14[3]
2016
Floating bus stops making cyclists' lives safer, report says, Oct 25[4]
Cambridge: Council's electricity supply goes 100% green, Oct 13[5]
2015
How Cambridge Became the U.K.'s Model Cycling City, August 6[6]
2014
Learning from Cambridge Skillsfest – in more ways than one, March 3[7]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Past events[edit | edit source]
2015
July 25 First stall for 2015 at Rock Road Library, Rock Abundance
2014
December 3 How To Clean Your Home Naturally, Cambridge Carbon Footprint
September 14 & 20 Open Eco Homes
May 31 Cambridge's first Repair Cafe!
Other resources[edit | edit source]
- Cambridge University International Development W, student run society aiming to promote awareness and discussion of international development issues across Cambridge. This is primarily achieved through events and the Vision magazine which is published termly.
Campaigns[edit | edit source]
- Save the Green Corridor! Cambourne to Cambridge – bus lane not busway, petition on change.org
About Cambridge[edit | edit source]
Cambridge (, KAYM-brij) is a city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, 55 miles (89 km) north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of the City of Cambridge was 145,700; the population of the wider built-up area (which extends outside the city council area) was 181,137. Cambridge became an important trading centre during the Roman and Viking ages, and there is archaeological evidence of settlement in the area as early as the Bronze Age. The first town charters were granted in the 12th century, although modern city status was not officially conferred until 1951.
The city is most famous as the home of the University of Cambridge, which was founded in 1209 and consistently ranks among the best universities in the world. The buildings of the university include King's College Chapel, Cavendish Laboratory, and the Cambridge University Library, one of the largest legal deposit libraries in the world. The city's skyline is dominated by several college buildings, along with the spire of the Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church, and the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital. Anglia Ruskin University, which evolved from the Cambridge School of Art and the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, also has its main campus in the city.
Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology Silicon Fen or Cambridge Cluster, which contains industries such as software and bioscience and many start-up companies born out of the university. Over 40 per cent of the workforce have a higher education qualification, more than twice the national average. The Cambridge Biomedical Campus, one of the largest biomedical research clusters in the world, includes the headquarters of AstraZeneca and the relocated Royal Papworth Hospital.
Cambridge is also famous for producing the first ever 'Laws of the Game' for association football and then for the first ever game taking place at Parker's Piece. The Strawberry Fair music and arts festival and Midsummer Fair are held on Midsummer Common, and the annual Cambridge Beer Festival takes place on Jesus Green. The city is adjacent to the M11 and A14 roads. Cambridge station is less than an hour from London King's Cross railway station.
Near you[edit | edit source]
Cambridgeshire community action - Peterborough community action
External links
References
