Great Shelford blogs
Wildlife Trust BCN Trumpington Meadows Update
Introducing Becca Badger!
Hi! I’m Communities and Education Officer Rebecca Neal and I’m now an additional
resource for the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs, and Northants’ community work around
Trumpington Meadows Nature Reserve. I’ll be running activities on the nature reserve, as
well as engaging with schools and community groups of all ages nearby. If you are
interested in what I can offer (things like talks, assemblies, workshops…), please get in
touch.
Over the winter I’ll be planning a programme of activities for 2025. Here’s what we already
offer:
Monthly Meader: regular walks for adults of 2-3 miles with a seasonal theme
Wildlife Watch sessions: family activities on Saturday afternoons, monthly through
the warmer months
Family Wildlife Camp-out: an annual family over-night camp with wildlife activities
and toasted marshmallows
We’ve trialled a few things in recent months which we hope will continue:
Youth Ranger sessions: a regular group for secondary-age young people interested
in local wildlife and environmental issues, doing things like practical volunteering,
walks, and socials
Family activities on Thursdays during the school holidays.
I am really keen to know what other events you want to see, and especially if you have a
family, what kind of outdoor activities you might bring them to. Feel free to email
suggestions.
Over the winter months, the conservation team Becky, Michael, Jenny, and volunteers, will
be busy with seasonal work including cutting back a small section of the reedbed, managing
the pollard willows along the river, removing scrub and hedge-laying.
Email: Rebecca.Neal@wildlifebcn.org TrumpingtonMeadows@wildlifebcn.org
Facebook: @BeccaBadgerWTBCN @trumpingtonmeadowsNR
Wildlife Trust BCN main social media: @wildlifebcn
Great Shelford emails, letters and blogs
Could you possibly pass on my huge thanks. I live in Stapleford and receive the Shelford & Stapleford electronic newsletters.
On Tuesday, 2nd January I went up to London to Moorfields Eye Hospital for a check up appointment following surgery in September’23. I spent all day at Moorfields before heading back to London Liverpool Street to catch the train back to Shelford. The weather was stormy and several trains were cancelled. I was nearly blown off my feet a couple of times walking from Moorfields.
I eventually got on a train to Shelford, only to find that it was terminating at Bishop Stortford due to flooding and debris on the lines. Unfortunately, Greater Anglian Trains weren’t able to give any guidance about what was happening or when our onward journey was likely to happen.
It was at this point that a kind gentleman called Nathan said that he was also going to Shelford and offered me a lift in the Uber taxi he was ordering. He wouldn’t hear of me contributing towards the costs and I was home by 7pm.
I really want to pass on my grateful thanks and gratitude to Nathan, he only moved to Shelford from London last September but travels to London for work.
I’m a widow and when my travel plans of getting from A to B go wrong, it throws me completely. It had been a long day, so I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of Nathan’s act of kindness on Tuesday evening. THANK YOU SO MUCH NATHAN
Kind regards
Fiona
Posted Jan 23 2024
Great Shelford emails, letters and blogs
Here is a complaint from Great Shelford Parish Council about an article published in November 2023 on Shelford Online about the possibility of Woollards Lane being made one way.
Hi David
I am Chair of the Great Shelford Parish Council (the Council) Traffic and Transport Working Group. A group consisting of both councillors and Great Shelford residents. As you must be aware the Parish Council has been working really hard to increase engagement, respond to ideas and explore suggestions made by local residents and authorities regarding traffic and transport issues. The report into a one-way system does not suggest that both Woollards Lane and High Street be made one-way. It does however, explore the potential pros and cons and has not ‘emerged’ but rather been published as was always planned and documented since February 2022. I was disappointed to read your summary below. I don’t think it is ‘news’ that following much public pressure the council decided to explore the viability of a one-way system – and it is a long way from being a key proposal. The current traffic survey is not looking at the future of Woollards Lane, and I’m not sure why you think chicanes are under consideration in that location?
We are holding a public meeting on 22nd November at the Memorial Hall, where the results of the recent traffic management survey will be shared, the resultant plan for a local highways initiative application and a first look at how the feedback might be pulled together into a long-term strategy to respond to the key concerns expressed by residents relating to traffic. Residents of Great Shelford will be able to comment on the survey results and ideas, having already expressed their opinions through a range of channels over the past two years.
Please feel free to come to me for a fact-check if you are writing anything on the work of the parish council on this topic – I can help you avoid inaccuracies and am happy to do so.
The headline may not be as catchy but maybe you should do a piece entitled ‘Parish Council works hard to explore public preferences for traffic management and spend’. I would ask that you publish my comments in this email by way of a correction and to avoid misinformation. Please also add that members of the public are always welcome at Parish Council meetings and can find detailed, useful and factual information on actualities, ideas and consultation relating the traffic and transport on the GSPC website - https://www.greatshelfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/traffic-transport/ ?
Many thanks
Kind regards, Lyn Disley
This is the response to the Parish Council letter from Shelford Online editor David Martin.
Dear Lynn,
Thanks for your email about the traffic in Great Shelford and the article on Shelford Online.
I would take issue with several elements of your email:
The report into a one-way system does not suggest that both Woollards Lane and High Street be made one-way.
I would disagree with your interpretation of the report. It is one of the strongest steers I have ever read from a report written by independent consultants. Even the title of the report gives a strong indication of the direction of travel from the consultants.
WOOLLARDS LANE AND HIGH STREET, GREAT SHELFORD POTENTIAL ONE-WAY SCHEME FEASIBILITY STUDY
The report summary sets out two clear options for next steps, both based around making Woollards Lane one-way.
Intermodal Transportation Ltd (ITL), an independent consultancy specialising in highway engineering and transportation planning, have been instructed by Great Shelford Parish Council (GSPC) to consider the implementation of a one-way system within the village. The two options considered within this feasibility study are as follows: - • Option 1: One-way westbound on Woollards Lane & one-way northbound on High Street; and • Option 2: One-way southbound on High Street and one-way eastbound on Woollards Lane.
In the light of the investigations summarised within this report it is recommended that if it is decided to undertake further investigations as to the feasibility of implementing either of the options considered within this report that those investigations focus on the Option 2 oneway scenario, i.e. one-way southbound on High Street and one way eastbound on Woollards Lane.
It does however, explore the potential pros and cons and has not ‘emerged’ but rather been published as was always planned and documented since February 2022.
The Oxford dictionary defines emerge as “become apparent or prominent.” The report was received by the Parish Council in the summer. It was only made public in October 2023.
I don’t think it is ‘news’ that following much public pressure the council decided to explore the viability of a one-way system – and it is a long way from being a key proposal.
I would disagree. Any potential changes major events concerning Woollards Lane are newsworthy. Around 1500 people clicked onto the news story about Woollards Lane on the Shelford community website last week to read the latest news. This might suggest there was new information to them.
The current traffic survey is not looking at the future of Woollards Lane
The survey included the wording;" What ideas are being explored? …..One-way or partial one-way system on Woollards Lane and High Street was cited in the following words.
I’m not sure why you think chicanes are under consideration in that location?
The matter was discussed at the Finance committee in August. The monthly accounts were RESOLVED by a unanimous vote for approval. b) Members noted that South Cambridgeshire District Council has received some funding as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which is to be used between 1st April 2024 and 1st April 2025. It was noted that correspondence had been received from South Cambs about bollards for de Freville and that the Co-op had recently applied for anti-ram raid bollards which is with the planning authority for approval. After a brief discussion it was agreed that the Traffic and Transport Infrastructure Working Group should include the potential of revitalising Woollards Lane through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order on their agenda, to include flower planters as chicanes.
I was happy to share the survey an promote it to the majority of the village who don’t read the village magazine or receive parish council updates.
I will publish your full email on the Shelford website this afternoon.
I appreciate your offer of advice and will look to take you up on that in the future.
Best wishes
David Martin
Great Shelford Online