Community Grants from Cambridge City Council (2025-26)

Could you, or your group, help to improve people’s lives, locally?

The £5,000 and under fund replaces the City Council’s Area Committee Grants and builds on the small grants programme of up to £2,000 introduced in 2023/24.

If only you had a little bit of funding…

Community groups can apply for a grant of £5,000 and under to support activities that will reduce social and/or economic inequality for Cambridge residents with the greatest need.

You can apply for funding for:

  • activities that reduce loneliness and social isolation
  • activities that help people be more active
  • activities to improve access to arts and culture
  • activities that bring communities together
  • activities that reduce poverty

Activities can either be open to all Cambridge residents or they could be tailored to those living in a particular area of Cambridge.

There will be two funding rounds for grants for activities taking place in 2025/26.

You can only apply to one funding round each year. But, if you are unsuccessful in the first round you could apply for the second round.

  • Round one launches on 26 November 2024. The deadline to apply will be 14 January 2025.
  • Round two launches on 23 April 2025. The deadline to apply will be 3 June 2025.

All awards will be subject to the approval of the overall council budget in February 2025.


You’ll need to get your paperwork in good shape. (You’re getting public money, so you need to show that everything is legit.) But you’re not on your own, there are webinars and face-to-face appointments, to guide you.

Cambridge City Council’s Communities’ Group Grants Team will host a webinar on 3 December 2024. You can book a face-to-face appointment on 4 December 2024 if you would like to discuss your activity and completing the application form.

The Grants Team strongly recommend that you attend one of these sessions to ensure you are familiar with all the changes to the grant.

Start as soon as possible by reading the full information on the Cambridge City Council webpage here: Community Grants of £5,000 and under.

You will be able to access the online application process from 26 November 2024. Before you complete the online form, please make sure you have read all the guidance in the link above and have your accompanying documents ready to upload.


Get in touch with the Grants Team by e-mailing grants@cambridge.gov.uk (or phone 01223 457875) to register for the webinar or book a face-to-face appointment to discuss whether your activity and group are eligible for a grant, or if you have any questions about your application.

Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service can help you complete your application form or develop policies. They can provide template policies if your group does not have them yet. CCVS can also advise how to gather and present financial information and share examples of good practice and procedures.

You can also contact the Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum, who work with people from minority ethnic communities, for advice or support in helping you complete your application.

Beehive Centre Planning Update

poster text as accompanying text in this post
Click the image to download a printable PDF

Nick Vose​​​​, Director, Marengo Communication, writes:

We are pleased to provide you with an update on Railpen’s proposals for the Beehive Centre.

As you will be aware, we first submitted plans last year, including proposals for new retail, leisure, and community space, as well as laboratory, workspace, and green public space.

However, following feedback on the plans we decided to come back to you with revised designs.

The key uses proposed for the site remain the same, but we have reduced the height and massing of a number of buildings and adjusted building footprints and locations to increase separation distances between buildings and our neighbours.

A new park roughly the same size as St Matthew’s Piece has been introduced and we will plant even more trees (275 in total).

There is also a new direct cycle/pedestrian route through the site and Coldham’s Lane Roundabout will be upgraded to a four-way signalised junction, creating safer connections for pedestrians and cyclists.

Around 20 new shops and leisure facilities, including a small supermarket and gym are included on the ground floor. This is in addition to our plan to invest in Cambridge Retail Park which is also moving forward and will support the re-location of several retailers from the Beehive Centre. The development will also fund an additional 15 public buses per hour with a service extension to the train station, a new service to Milton Park & Ride, as well as new direct services to Cambourne and St Neots, Huntington and St Ives, Ely and Waterbeach. More than 4,200 cycle parking spaces will be created, and 460 car parking spaces – a third of which will provide electric vehicle (EV) charging.

Finally, in response to earlier feedback, we are also looking carefully at how our proposals can help reduce urban temperatures. We know that green spaces, trees, green roofs and vegetation are all very helpful as natural cooling measures and we are planning to replace large areas of concrete with new landscaping, 275 new trees, rain gardens, permeable surfaces and green roofs. In addition, we have committed to undertaking an Urban Greening Factor assessment to evaluate the quality and quantity of green space provided. More commonly used in London this voluntary assessment will demonstrate how green infrastructure has been integral in the design of the development.  Several other design choices will also be taken, including carefully selected materials with a higher albedo, which is the metric for how much incoming sun is reflected by a material surface.

We are still listening and are now inviting residents and stakeholders to comment on these revised plans before we submit an amended planning application.

You can find out more about our updated plans on the 17, 18 and 19 July.

Wednesday 17th July 2024, 12pm – 4pm
ScS – Unit 11 (next to Nando’s), Cambridge Retail Park, Newmarket Road, CB5 8JG

Thursday 18th July 2024, 4pm – 7.30pm
ScS – Unit 11 (next to Nando’s), Cambridge Retail Park, Newmarket Road, CB5 8JG

Friday 19 July 2024, 12 noon
Online webinar: Register here: Beehive Centre Update – Online Webinar Registration

We are also holding a further event for adjacent neighbours on Wednesday 17 July between 6pm and 7.30pm. This event will also be held in the ScS and a separate letter has been sent via the Royal Mail.

Further details of our events are enclosed in the attached community flyer – which has been sent this week to over 6,000 local residents – and we have prepared a social media friendly graphic, also attached, which we are asking stakeholders to share via their own social media channels. 

We look forward to talking you through the latest proposals.

Best regards,
Nick
For and on behalf of Railpen

Summer Shindig

Mill Road Fringe’s annual Summer Shindig is on Sunday 14th July and the weather is (so far) looking warm and sunny. A perfect way to meet friends and enjoy an afternoon/evening of live music in the park. Lots of activities for children. More info here

Poster with wording
MILL ROAD Fringe
Sunday 14 July 2024
Summer Shindig
4pm - 8pm
Romsey Rec, Vinery Road
A free community event for everyone featuring:
Colonel Spanky's Love Ensemble
Datum Plane
Isabel D'Angelico
Arco Iris
Bring your own picnic
Please, no barbecues.
Family activities
Artwork kindly created by children from St Philip's Primary School
Weather permitting

Mill Roaders needed for PhD Research

Kieran Gleave, a second-year PhD student at the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge writes:

I am conducting part of my PhD research in Cambridge’s Petersfield and Romsey areas. Through my data collection, I aim to explore the relationships that community identities within the Mill Road area have with the ‘everyday’ traces of the industrial past. In essence, I’m trying to understand how the remnants of the industrial past inspire or shape what it means to belong to a community within the area. 

To collect my data, I’m recruiting local people to get involved with my project by participating in one-to-one interviews.

Kieran Gleave
Poster advertising the research.
Details as in accompanying text.

Kieran seeks to recruit local people who feel a sense of belonging to a community within Petersfield and Romsey to participate in one-to-one interviews for PhD research between June and October 2024. The research aims to explore how the ‘everyday’ traces of the industrial past inspire what it means to belong to a local community within the area.

The research will be through informal one-to-one interviews, of between 30 – 60 minutes, talking about:

  • The community or communities to which you feel a sense of belonging;
  • What it means to belong to these communities;
  • The relationships your community has with the industrial past.

If you are interested in participating, or in learning more about this research, please email Kieran Gleave at ktg29@cam.ac.uk.

If somebody you know might be interested in participating in an interview, or in learning more about this research, please forward this blogpost to them.

‘Heritage-making’ in Cambridge

Rana, a Master’s student at the Department of Archaeology (Heritage Studies) at the University of Cambridge. Has been in touch.

As caption
Mill Road Central Mosque dome, seen from roof-height

I am conducting research on ‘heritage-making’ in Cambridge, looking at the Cambridge Central Mosque in particular and how locals respond to/ engage with the space. This is in relation to broader community and cultural relations in the city.

Rana, MPhil Heritage Studies, University of Cambridge

Rana is hoping to contact individuals in the Mill Road “Community of Communities” who might want to take part in her research.

Taking part in Rana’s research would consist of a chat (around 30 minutes) either online or on the phone.

Rana adds that she would also be happy to meet in-person at the Cambridge Central Mosque, Mill Road, and show them around. She is looking for a diverse range of participants local to the area – no specialist or previous knowledge needed – just anyone who is local and enthusiastic about Cambridge!

If you’re interested, contact Rana through this email link, before 28th  June 2024. She will get in touch to organise a chat.

Rana would also really appreciate you forwarding this blogpost, or the email link to anyone else who you think would be interested in contributing to her research.


See our other posts on Mill Road Central Mosque:


See also the Cambridge Central Mosque website.

BBC Make a Difference Awards

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
Know a local hero in Cambridge?
Make a Difference Awards 2024
Other details as per caption and subsequent text
Click the image above to visit the BBC Make a Difference Awards website
and to read full terms and conditions

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire are searching for local heroes to recognise their efforts.

There are Great Neighbour Community and Volunteer categories for people/groups who help those around them.

Visit the BBC Make a Difference Awards website for category list, terms and privacy notice.

EcoChic Fashion Event

The call went out to Mill Road area’s fashionistas to try their luck as models for the forthcoming Mill Road Preloved Fashion Show.

Organisers were overwhelmed as nearly 40 men and women of varying ages, styles, heights and ethnic heritages – credible super models every one – turned up for the casting event at the Mill Road Community Centre.

Poster illustrating people modelling chic clothing.
Date/time/location/price
Saturday 2 March, St Barnabas Church
Doors open: 6pm Fashion show: 7-9pm
Tickets: £5 (or donation)
Other details in accompanying text.
The event is part of Love Mill Road’s Fringe Celebrations
Click the image above to view/download a printable PDF to display in your window

For full details and to book tickets, click through to the Mill Road Fringe’s Mill Road EcoChic Fashion Show page.


Despite the models’ diversity there are uniting features; all participants love Mill Road and walked with elegance; candidates expressed their love of pre-loved clothing in advance of their screen shots and turns on the catwalk.

It was interesting to learn why they all preferred charity shop and other pre-loved clothes.


Kitty told Mill Road Bridges that she had always worn pre-loved clothes. As a child in Essex her mother would get outfits from Ebay because they searched for quirkiness. Now, as an adult, she continues to shun new clothes.

Pam Wesson, a well-known local trader in pre-loved fashion, is attracted by value and quality, brand-new Amani suits for around £50 for example. She enjoys acknowledging provenance and when she is selling at her outlets she often mentions previous ownership.

Emma and Nicky have collected so many fabulous garments that they now concentrate on looking for statement jewellery; whereas younger people are motivated to get a basic wardrobe economically.

Naturally many participants are motivated primarily by sustainability. Academics and administrators from both our universities were present at the audition. They seem to choose pre-loved to relax in for ethical reasons even if they buy high end High Street and tailor-made suits for work.

Carol’s relationship with preloved fashion stretches back many years, as a young single parent she would dress her children in items from jumble sales out of economic necessity but never resented doing it. Jumble sales gave way to charity shops and styles change but, although she found herself on a firmer footing financially, she refused to buy distressed jeans with holes and grunge shirts at high street prices.


Mill Road EcoChic showcased clothes and accessories from Mill Road’s charity and vintage shops on the catwalk, alongside local designers who specialise in sustainable fashion.

  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event
  • Photos of catwalk event

The show offered a unique and memorable celebration of creativity and sustainability, reflecting the diversity and independence of Cambridge’s distinctive Mill Road neighbourhood, featuring stylish, exciting finds curated by enthusiastic fashionistas and modelled by local real people.

Stylish, exciting finds curated by enthusiastic fashionistas and modelled by local real people.

Mill Road EcoChic Fashion Show provided: 

  • pop-up stalls focused on sustainable fashion
  • a spectacular catwalk fashion show featuring clothes from Mill Road’s fabulous charity and vintage shops
  • food & drink – pizzas from Scott’s All Day and drinks from Bacchanalia.

For full details and to book tickets, click through to the Mill Road Fringe’s Mill Road EcoChic Fashion Show page.

For any other information email community@millroadwinterfair.org.

EcoChic Fashion Show

Poster illustrating people modelling chic clothing.

Your spotlight moment has arrived! Mill Road Fringe are looking for models for the Mill Road Eco-Chic Fashion Show in March. Please register your interest by emailing community@millroadwinterfair.org and come along to the Mill Road Community Centre (behind the Old Library) on Sunday 21st Jan between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm to sign up. All genders, ages (18+) and sizes are welcome.

Community Grants from Cambridge City Council

Could you, or your group, help to improve people’s lives, locally?

Click the image to read the the guidelines and start your application

If only you had a little bit of funding…

Community groups can apply for up to £5,000 grant funding from Cambridge City Council’s Area Committee Community Grants scheme.

Voluntary and community organisations, or groups of local residents, can apply for the grants. But hurry, the deadline for applications is 31st January 2024.

Get your paperwork in good shape. (You’re getting public money, so you need to show that everything is legit.) And get cracking.

Apply online. Click here to read the the guidelines and start your application.

Grants could be for venue hire to host activities; costs to run activities that benefit people on low incomes; or activities that reduce poverty.


Provision of mini allotment planters and mural signage for Ainsworth Street community garden plus additional new allotment planter to be located in Ainsworth playpark.
Aims…

  • Improve urban landscape.
  • Encourage social connectedness and reduce isolation through engagement in community activities.

Twice monthly Toy Library at Ross Street Community Centre.
Aims…

  • Reduce social and economic inequality for local families via free sessions.
  • Allow families regardless of income to access safe, good quality toys and equipment at a nominal charge.

Weekly summer holiday activities for children aged 6-18 years particularly those living in social tenancies.
Aims…

  • Provide physical and creative opportunities in a structured and positive environment to those who would not otherwise have access.
  • Reduce social isolation and improve confidence and mental wellbeing through making new friends and playing together.

Successful applications will be for activities which reduce social and/or economic inequality for Cambridge City residents with the most need, taking place between 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025, in a defined area of the city.

Need more guidelines on what makes a successful application? You can read the full list of successful and unsuccessful applications from last year, in the PDFs below.

Need a little more guidance from the Grants Officers? You can contact them by email grants@cambridge.gov.uk or phone 01223 457875.

Click the image to read the the guidelines and start your application

Musical Christmas Party…

🪕🥁 The Peg Leg Pub Band have the answer. And they’re coming to Mill Road! And the gig is open to a all… And it’s only £10 on the door! 🎸 💃🏽🕺🏿

as caption
Four of the band, in action.
Christmas Party
In aid of the Red Cross
PEG LEG PUB BAND
Toe-Tappin’ Hand-Clappin’ Finger-Snapin’ Thigh-Slappin’ Musical Fun
  
The Salisbury Club, 272 Mill Road from 8pm, Saturday 16th December 2023 Tickets £10 on the door
Click the image to download a printable PDF of this poster

I have never had a night in the pub as enjoyable as this one

Lisa, the Black Horse, Swaffham Bulbeck, New Years Eve 2022

Find out more about The Peg Leg Pub Band.