In the olden days, by which I guess I mean way back in mid-March, the railings at Ditchburn Place were full of posters, and I used to like browsing them as I walked past. Even if they were advertising events to which I couldn’t go, it was nice knowing what was going on in Mill Road or elsewhere in the city.
Now the posters have been taken away, but at intervals a moving poster asks us to ‘help brighten the day’ for all the residents who are staying in their flats to keep safe but who are missing their friends and families. The idea is that passers by tie ribbons to the railings or a coloured rainbow or another decoration.
And as the photographs show ‘we’ have responded; there is a lovely variety of things here now, and I’m sure more and more will appear. The idea of tying things to trees, or to buildings is a very ancient one, and one which appears all over the world. In places like Nepal and Bhutan strings of prayer flags flutter from trees and buildings so that the wind sends the prayers to the gods. In other cultures, tourists fix padlocks to places like the Eiffel Tower or to the Ponte dell’Accademia in Venice; I guess as a statement of ‘I was here’.
I have added several ribbons to the Ditchburn railings; some on behalf of people who are having a tough time or who are not going out right now, and one as a kind of talisman; good luck to us all, and to Mill Road and its future. If you’re planning to be out in this part of the road do put into your pocket a bit of ribbon or wool or whatever, and add your own.
Thank you, Ditchburn residents for coming up with this idea and, in your words, helping us all brighten a sad and worrying situation.
Caro Wilson 17th May 2020
Add your own comments, below, or Email your words and photos to us at info@mill-road.com.
If, like many Mill Roaders, you think this will be of detriment to our neighbourhood, you may wish to email your opposition by Monday 18th of May.
We understand that the Police and local Councillors have expressed opposition to this proposal but the voice of residents is particularly important when the matter is considered by the City licensing panel.
There is a longstanding acceptance by City Council, licensing committee and the police, of residents’ views that there are sufficient drink ‘off-licences’ in Mill Road and that the cumulative impact of more is likely to lead to additional public nuisance. Hence, Mill Road has been designated a ‘cumulative impact zone’.
Late night off-licences encourage those passing through our neighbourhood (usually from the town centre) to buy additional drink to consume on the street, to the detriment of the residential amenity of our neighbourhood, and to cause more late night disturbance and vandalism.
Furthermore, this application, if allowed, would set a precedent for more applications. You can read the details of the application here.
Please email licensing@cambridge.gov.uk. If you use this link, the email’s subject line should auto-complete.
All representations will be published in full on the Cambridge City Council website unless you advise that you wish your personal details to be removed prior to publication. If you wish your personal details to be removed please state this in your or email.
Like so many other people in this city, I’ve been seeing out lockdown in a small flat with no garden, so my local parks are a lifeline.
Our daily walk tends to take us through Coleridge Rec, which is our closest park, and then onto Cherry Hinton Hall. I’ve loved seeing everyone make great use of both parks, walking their dogs, exercising, and playing with their families. And it’s been really good to see how well people are social distancing too.
I’ve always loved our parks, and I spent some time as Executive Councillor for Streets and Open Spaces before I moved to my current role (as Executive for Communities). They have always been a green lung for our cities, and are especially important for people with no gardens of their own.
But up to now, I wouldn’t have walked in them every day. For one thing, as a local representative, I’m normally door-knocking, talking with residents, once the evenings get lighter. And at the weekend, we would have gone out of town much more for our walks.
And of course that’s now changed. Walking in our local area has been the highlight of our days, and we’ve loved watching spring develop in front of our eyes. We’ve even started trying to identify the trees, and friends of mine with greater knowledge have been very patient in answering what must be pretty basic identification requests from me.
A particular favourite has been the avenue of flowering chestnuts, which have treated us to fantastic pink flowers.
And then there’s been the pictorial meadow. It started with the daisies, and now there are fantastic purple flowers too.
Though I think I will always particularly love looking along Davy Road, under the amazing green of the tree canopy, offset by the wonderful wrought-iron gates of the Rec.
Lockdown has been incredibly busy for me. I’m still doing the day job, where we are working as hard as ever, and as the councillor lead for our city’s community resilience work, I’ve been working flat out helping to support our council officers, volunteers, local charities and mutual aid groups as they make sure everyone in our community gets the help they need. It’s busy, and hard, and sometimes the things you hear are heart-breaking. And through all this, spring in our city has still managed to give me really special moments. Thank you, Coleridge Rec.
Web editor’s note: And thank you, Anna for this tribute to the joys of Coleridge Rec and the lovely photos. Today (Thursday 14th May 2020) I enjoyed seeing the blossom on the chestnut trees in Hooper Street, and was proud of all the local residents who opposed their felling and/or mutilation. And thanks too for city councillors who rejected the planning application. See our earlier post.
Web editor’s note: We are delighted to have received this additional contribution. More are welcome.
Having lived on Coleridge Road for 18 years the rec (or park as we normally refer to it) has always been a central part of our lives.
Our two girls grew up loving the playground and paddling pool, and the wide open space for cricket, rugby and kites. One learnt to unicycle on the tennis court – this may not be encouraged I guess! – but it was perfect to edge round the fence and gradually push off for longer and longer until one day she didn’t need to rely on it again.
But we have relied more on the park under lockdown than ever before.
Initially just for the short daily exercise we were allowed, whether solitary or as a family. Back in March it was still often damp and cold but the park was beginning to come to life in spring, just in time to lift our spirits. We would go every day at some point, a place to keep sane and experience nature. Taking up jogging like so many others, round and round the perimeter path, which helpfully is a solid 800m or so.
As the days have lengthened and warmed the exercise has increased, and we can sit and watch the mighty red beech cast its long shadow down the axis of the grass at the end of each day. The changing colours, the surprisingly satisfying meadow planting, and the benefit of the sunlight have all helped us through.
Many more people are returning and starting to gather, mostly within the guidelines, and you can see how much it means to us all.
Normality is slowly returning but I think many people like us will have had their relationship with the park deepened through this strange experience. For that at least we can be grateful.
The Clark Family
Web editor’s note: The anecdote about unicycling reminds me of a late friend who used a unicycle as part of his juggling, puppetry and clown act. I asked him how long it took to learn to unicycle. “Two days to learn. Two weeks for the pain to go away.”
Caro Wilson has shared her email to Friends of Mill Road Cemetery to keep in touch with you about Mill Road Cemetery, and to make a couple of suggestions if any of you are finding time hanging heavy on your hands.
Wildlife and Art
Some of you may be able to walk in the Cemetery at the moment and I hope if so you are able to enjoy the wildlife, particularly the birdsong without the usual traffic sounds. Perhaps you are enjoying the Bird Stones sculptures by Gordon Young. (Click through for further information.)
Gordon Young with ‘Blackbird’ Photo courtesy of Friends of Mill Road Cemetery
See also the wonderful Motherwell Album of sketches and bird song.
A set of seven stones by sculptor Gordon Young in Mill Road Cemetery. (Thrush, Dove, Goldfinch, Robin, Blackbird, Crow and Sparrow.) Each has a poem and phonetic inscription of the bird song. This is a video of my sketchbook, with soundtrack of birdsong recorded at the site. – Sam Motherwell
Alas, the Friends of Mill Road Cemetery History Group had been planning an all-day mapping session at the end of April with our marvellous volunteer from the Ordnance Survey. We hoped to complete a whole section from the Andrew the Great parish area. This has obviously had to be cancelled but I do want to celebrate with you the fact that our extraordinary researchers, Mary Naylor and Claire Martinsen, have between them researched over 100 graves since lockdown began. This is complicated and, at times, frustrating work and we are hugely grateful. They have also managed to get up to date with all the many requests that we get by email from all over the world to help locate and research family graves. We are always delighted when those who have taken the trouble to get in touch with us are pleased with the results.
Thank you very much for the update. What a beautiful job you’ve all done! You truly do honour to their memory.
SH
At the same time our splendid volunteer, Sheila Plaister, is undertaking the very painstaking work of collating all the research, keeping tabs on it all and amalgamating posts and life stories. This is in continuance of our project to print out all the webpages to give them the longevity this very special record of social history deserves. We have been asked to lodge this with the Cambridgeshire Collection in the City’s Central Library who recognise its importance.
Monuments and their Stories
So, if you are in the Cemetery and you pass a monument that interests you, perhaps a namesake, or one whose design appeals to you, do look it up on the website and see if it is one we have researched already. This is easily done in situ on a smart phone, or just remember its name and do it when you’re home again. If you get stuck then do email friendsofmillroadcemetery@gmail.com and we’ll try to help.
Here’s a recent story which I am particularly pleased to have been told about because the road I live in is named after him: Robert Willis (27 February 1800 – 28 February 1875) and do look up Frederick Burwick to whom we should all be very grateful. He did a lot for sanitation in Cambridge and worked on the main sewer at the old Addenbrooke’s site (now the Judge Business School on Trumpington Street opposite the Fitzwilliam Museum).
There may well be more, but Roger is too lame to leave the made-up paths to investigate.
Janet & Roger, Emery Street.
A personal perspective of the ‘joys of Mill Road Cemetery’
I’ve always appreciated having Mill Road Cemetery just around the corner, but since lockdown it has brought so much extra pleasure. It’s a lovely bubble of nature and normality in a strange, strange world. While a short walk through is always therapeutic, I’ve delighted in wandering around, taking hitherto undiscovered little paths.
The first bluebells appear! Photo: Maggie Carr
It’s been wonderful watching spring unfolding, and pure magic seeing the first bluebells appear a little while ago. I love observing other people also enjoying the space and the way we all do the ‘corona dance’ to avoid crossing each other’s paths. I’ve reread all the bird poems, and am often amused by the way a particular bird will perch in the ‘wrong’ place, for example, a blackbird on the sparrow’s poem!
My favourite time is late afternoon/early evening when all the birds seem to be singing their hearts out at once. Aren’t we lucky to have this little piece of paradise on our doorstep?
Maggie Carr, Perowne Street
We’re so lucky to have the cemetery for exercise during lockdown – wonderful wildlife haven. I was there at 5.20 am on Sunday [3rd May 2020] which was International Dawn Chorus Day. Birds everywhere coming really close to me – blackbirds the most common but also dunnocks, hedge sparrows, magpies, jackdaws, crows, robins, wood pigeons, a song thrush and a wren. Nothing rare or even unusual but songs prolonged and beautiful. No other people about at that time!
Sarah Oliver, Secretary Mill Road Bridges
Editor notes: We love magpies, jackdaws, crows, jays (corvids) but not covid! More seriously, if you’d like to enhance your knowledge of birds check out the RSPB bird identifier, which lists 408 species of birds found in the UK, including some rare overseas visitors.
Cambridge City Council held a public meeting on 2 March 2020 to discuss progress at the Ironworks (former Mill Road depôt) and Cromwell Road (former Ridgeon’s site) development schemes, and to enable residents to raise issues and discuss progress with the developers and builders.
The story I have for you is about the power and strength of Mill Road, for the independent Mill Road News to enjoy and potentially print.
Website editor’s note: This story is too great, too uplifting, to keep under wraps until the next (post-lockdown) printed edition.
Five years ago I had a horrendous motorbike accident, leaving me with severe head injuries. After being discharged from hospital, I was in emergency accommodation for year. Whilst I was extremely grateful for the accommodation, it was a difficult place to try to rehabilitate. I needed rehousing…
But … Big but … I’m suffering a brain injury after a motorcycle accident also an addiction from my historical past.
It all started with Donna Linsey, Tenancy Sustainment Advisor for Cambridge City Council who, herself, had previously sustained a motorcycle accident and had since worked for Headway. Because of her experience she understood my needs. I have so much to thank her for.
Website editors’ note: The City Council’s Tenancy Sustainment service supports tenants aged 18 or over whose tenancy is (or could be) at risk due to mental health issues, local antisocial behaviour, a history of homelessness, or other complex support needs. Click for more information on Cambridge City Council’s Tenancy Sustainment service, contact Matt Siggery, Housing Officer, Tenancy Sustainment, at matthew.siggery@cambridge.gov.uk or phone 07540 303194.
The City Council could have given me a flat anywhere, but they gave me a flat at end of Mill Road.
Mill Road? What’s in the area? … Who cares? I wanna flat I wanna get outta emergency accommodation… And it turned out to be the best place ever!
What do I see everyday? Brookfields Hospital. What’s there ?
Change Grow Live (Social Care & Health Charity, Mill House, Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3DF) and the Edge Café …. Big brother and little sister drug addiction services. Wow.
“Islamic civilization has been based on the rejection of waste as an underestimation of God’s blessing, and so in the construction of the new mosque here in Cambridge, we were very much at the forefront of the local environmental movement.” – Abdal Hakim Murad
Everything to recover is on my doorstep. Addiction is confronted and responsibility is owned, but still it’s a journey of recovery and now I work as a peer mentor volunteer at THE EDGE CAFÉ interviewed and trained by Change Grow Live.
Shofiq Uddin at The Edge Café in Mill Road, Cambridge. Picture: Keith Heppell. Linked from the Cambridge Independent website.
My brain injury status is that I’m coping now and living an independent life thanks to the team of ECHIS.
The community at the new beautiful Cambridge Central Mosque has helped me with returning back to my Muslim identity. I know who I am now, and Prayer Leader Imam Hafiz Dr Sejad Mekić has been a tremendous inspiration to everyone who enters in the incredible mosque and me.
Hafiz Dr Sejad Mekić linked from the Cambridge Central Mosque website
I now help run a youth club – which I went to as a child – for Asian Muslim youth on the street where I grew up.
We are now working with Romsey Mill Christian charity to bridge the gap between Muslim and Christian children.
I’m planning a 5-a-side multi-faith tournament with the help of Cambridge United Community Trust and Cambridge City Council’s Ariadne Henry – Community Development Officer (Inclusion and Engagement) – Romsey Mill and hopefully more networkers. I am also hoping to persuade Muslim restaurateurs to provide food.
The traffic debate in our area is long-standing and at times it deteriorates into a fierce joust. Traders need to receive deliveries and some people blame them for creating congestion. Many vans and lorries mount the pavement to allow motor traffic to flow which worries pedestrians, particularly the elderly and the parents of toddlers, both of whom are likely to be the traders’ best customers. What we rarely do, when trying to reason on this difficult issue, is to think of the impact of activities and decisions outside our area.
Beyond our borders but only just
In January planning permission was given for a new 153 bed Premier Inn in East Road. How will this impact upon us? The hotel has no parking facilities. What this will bring to the Mill Road is difficult to predict. Premier Inn expect that their guests will use public transport. Good. It is likely that many will arrive by train but what about the journey from the station to East Road? Will the Petersfield stretch of our road be clogged by more and more taxis?
Picture: Keith Heppell, linking from Cambridge Independent website
The upside of the decision is that trees will be planted along East Road and pavements will be widened. Petersfield’s restaurants are likely to thrive as long as visitors are not put off by unruly traffic.
Our Councillors were constructively critical
City councillor for Petersfield, Kelley Green, Labour, expressed concern, at the meeting, about the environmental impacts of the hotel and asked whether it should be ‘future-proofed’ in its design to mitigate against any change in demand. She was talking about the application of the hotel policy, officers said it contained no upper limit on hotel provision.
‘Future-proofing’ comes from the premise that there is carbon embedded in building construction, so we should avoid building and then demolishing buildings wherever necessary. Councillor Green was also concerned about congestion on East Road, air pollution and the impact of having a newly located bus station within East Road, without any traffic management policy in place for the local area. Mike Davey, city councillor for Petersfield, Labour supported Cllr Green’s reservations about congestion.
Charlotte de Blois Mill Road resident, Editor Mill Road News.
This post is an edited version of an article in Mill Road News Nº25 Early Spring 2020.
Those of us who have ventured to the far end of Mill Road to Burnside, and along Snakey Path during last summer, will have seen the poor state of Cherry Hinton Brook. This was highlighted in a YouTube video by local citizen blogger Antony Carpen.
Cam Valley Forum reports: During the 2019 summer, the dry weather reduced our River Cam to little more than an elongated pond with a pathetic tickle over the weirs at Jesus Green. Some of the Cam tributaries dried up, many only flowing because they have been augmented by water from sewerage works. How to Save Water, and the Cam posted 9th December 2019
Whist BBC journalist Mark Williamson Tweeted about the Granta/Cam at Grantchester.
The Cam at Grantchester hardly flowing at all – officially it is down by about a third pic.twitter.com/cGqJSHtIoP
According to the 2019 World Happiness Report, Finland is the happiest country in the world, with Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and The Netherlands holding the next top positions. What’s even more interesting is that the Nordic countries persistently top the chart year after year! So, what knowledge do they have and what cultural ethics do they live by to make them so happy?
What we learn from the Nordic countries is that from a societal point of view we need to look at building a well-functioning infrastructure where people can feel supported, valued and taken care of. It is therefore not surprising that the Cambridge’s Mill Road area is such a lovely place to live.
The Mill Road Bridges Community of Communities has long been investing time and efforts to bring together different community groups, independent traders and residents to promotes the interests and rich cultural diversity of this neighbourhood. There is a real sense of community here making it such a great place to live, work, visit and be entertained!
It is worth remembering, though, that as individuals we also have a duty to ourselves to actively try to be happy. It requires a constant effort of positivity and willingness. As Miek Wiking, founder of the Happiness Research Institute, explains, we have the power within ourselves to build a bank of happy memories. So, what are you waiting for? Get involved with the community!
Lorenza Brock is a Well-Being Consultant and founder of Wellness & Purpose, based in the Mill Road area.
Our volunteers distribute 5,500 copies to residents in and around Mill Road and to local shops, cafés and pubs. Could you help us? Additional volunteer distributors are always welcome, and we especially need help in Romsey Town.
The first issue of the decade (Nº25) is now being distributed.
Four times per year, the non-profit community group, Mill Road Bridges, produce a lively local newsletter focussing on different aspects of life in and around Cambridge’s Mill Road. You can view and download past editions here: Newsletter downloads.
With its high editorial to advert ratio, Mill Road News is well received by residents – rather than being thrown, unopened, into the recycling bin!
We sell advertising only to cover the costs of supporting Mill Road Bridges’ objectives of furthering the interests of local residents and traders in Mill Road’s ‘Community of Communities’. We do not seek advertising from businesses with no connection to Mill Road.
In addition, though this website and our @MillRoadBridges Twitter account we seek to highlight local residents’ and traders’ on-going discussion about the future of Mill Road.
