Recent Updates

Recreation facilities survey deadline extended to last day in January

Comberton Parish Council are running an online survey about the recreation facilities that the village should plan to have in the future.

The Parish Council is extending the deadline to submit a response to the Recreation Facilities Survey to 31st January 2023. The more responses we receive, the stronger our applications for funding will be. Note that we accept one response per resident. Groups are invited to email a letter to the clerk ( @ ). If you have any questions, or if you would like to help, please contact the clerk. Many thanks

The online survey is here , it closes on 31st January 2023.

CPC needs more responses from the old age groups, and teenagers to reflect better our village demographics!!

Village Pond looking much better

As of late November 2022 our Village Pond has recovered well
as the ground water level has risen through the gravel beds
(click image  for bigger picture)

 

Below is what it looked like ten years ago, before many of the invasive plants were ‘donated’.

People hope to see a floating island added to act as a sanctuary for breeding moorhens etc

Pictures of the works were added as the project evolved – last updated 24th November 2022

pondwork1

Image 1 of 27

pond

 

Two pictures show that the coir matting laid over the earthworks up’hill’ of the boundary have now been covered and some plants are already growing up through it !

The outfall from the field drain hasn’t yet shown any flow in the recent days of rain but the one from the Green End gulley has, but unfortunately has washed some of the seeds away. I have added a  splash area of stones to disperse it a bite, hopefully.

The Ducks have returned for their daily bath at 7am (I am told) and now the planting is greening after the arid summer…

Planting for Coir Rolls

AGA’s native wetland plants are selected for their adaptation to varied physical conditions and also provide excellent cover for invertebrates, fish and other animals. All the rolls are planted at their Merton Hall Ponds nursery using mature bare roots (MBR).

They plant the coir rolls with 6 plants per metre – a mix of four from:

❃ Norfolk reed (Phragmites australis)
❃ Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
❃ Reed sweetgrass (Glyceria maxima)
❃ Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus)
❃ Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
❃ Greater pond sedge (Carex riparia)
❃ Lesser pond sedge (Carex acutiformis)
❃ Soft rush (Juncus effusus)

The construction looks like this… 

AGA will return in late autumn or the spring to plant further plants in better conditions than this summer !


PLEASE Do NOT put ANY plants or fish into the pond !

Re-introduction of appropriate  plants is being done slowly and systematically  by CPC’s Pond Working Group
to encourage bio-diversity and to stop non-native and invasive species causing the pond to revert to its poor state in 2021.


Work  on the village pond started  on Monday 25th July and was expected to last three weeks. During that timeframe the area around the village pond was inaccessible, protected by  fencing. Residents should take care around the site, particularly when contractor vehicles are moving around the site. They will be removing the island, dredging the silt, deepening the pond, removing the plants,  repairing the brick work and then adding plants at the end of the project. It is not being re-lined.

This work has been funded by a £10k grant from the The National Lottery Community Fund (championed by Claire Coulson and the CPC Pond Working Group) and two pre-allocated budget amounts from last years and this years CPC budgets (i.e. from residents precept).

The Cambridge Fish Bar at the Three Horseshoes no longer :-)

Customer Announcement
 
This may come as a surprise to many of you, as it has been to me..
 
20th December 2024 was the last evening for The Cambridge Fish Bar.
 
Since starting the business in 2018 our lives have changed, we now have two boys and sadly fish and chip vans are not particularly family friendly.
This morning I’ve accepted a job offer and from January I will be returning back to the corporate world meaning I can no longer run the business.
Over the last 7 years we’ve gotten to know so many people and made some great friends along the way. I would like to thank you all for the support and encouragement along the way.
Best wishes
Stefan and Gabi
 
It was the best Fish and Chips around IMHO and will be sorely missed.

For 2025 the Three Horseshoes has their own Fish and Chip Fridays. Eat in or takeaway. Serving 5-8pm.