A round up of the Easter Egg Hunt, the Sunflower competition begins, new Councillors plus Tommy's Coffee Club at St Thomas's Hall on Tuesday mornings.

The Bird Box Gallery Summer Visual Arts Festival will run through July.  More information, how you can help or submit an piece of work can be found here.

Download the newsletter.

The Christmas Advent Calendar in St Thomas' Square was wonderful.

We are making plans for events this year that we feel can be achieved.  So far we have...

• Easter Egg Hunt - there will be chocolate!
• Sunflower competition - back again by request
• A coach trip, if we can manage it.

As well as news of the above, Newsletter 31 has other information on what is going on including pavement repairs and possible speedbumps.

Wine tasting – 7pm on 20th February at 52 Birdwood Rd.
There are only 12 places so book yours early. It’s a fun occasion and a chance to talk to neighbours in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Environment and Cream tea – 20th June (morning)
Three or four short talks about improving and preserving our local environment – gardening, tree-planting, local wildlife habitats, ways of improving sustainability, followed by our AGM.  We have some interesting speakers lined up and a free cream tea too. Thinking about climate change? Then come along.

Sunflower Competition – with prizes

Read more - Newsletter 26 is now available to download. 

Download the newsletter.

Highlights:
The coach trip to Norwich is now bookable.  Don't miss out, we had a great day last year and this year we have funding for some free places.

Some Future Events:

• Wine tasting on 26th March.
• From April, weather permitting, the second Saturday of the month from 10 till 12, a pop-up tabletop sale on the green in St Thomas’s Square – bring stuff to sell!
• Neighbourhood social and AGM  8th June
• Coach Trip in September – we have applied for a grant to cover half the cost so we can offer some free places. More details later.
• Halloween on St Thomas’s Square

 
Some successes!
 
Pavements. £160,000 additional funding has been granted by the County Council and Birdwood Rd is one of the roads that has been included for work. Yippee!  If you need to alert the County Council to any other highway problems in your road, call 0345 045 5212 (charged at local rate). Or on-line at https://highwaysreporting.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/

Review of City Council Ward Boundaries by the Boundary Commission. We put in a submission that the whole area covered by BARA should remain in Coleridge Ward. It will. We will continue to have three City Councillors and be in Coleridge Ward for City Council elections. As they were not looking again at County ward boundaries, we remain in Cherry Hinton Ward for County Council elections.  
 
The Community Library in the phone box in Birdwood Rd (just near the Gray Rd junction) has been a great success. We have had books in several languages and non-fiction and fiction books for both adults and children. It provides a fascinating snapshot of the varied population here and its eclectic tastes. Please continue to bring and take.

And failures!
 
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In November Jane (Chair BARA) had a third meeting with Stagecoach and it was another waste of time. No more meetings are planned. They say they now have a full complement of drivers and all problems of reliability are outside their control e.g. through congestion. They will not revert to a 10 minute service.
 
If you want to give feedback to Stagecoach, contact Nigel Tarrant
Telephone: 01223 433 250 between 08:30 and 17:30, Monday to Friday.
Email: Nigel.Tarrant@stagecoachbus.com
Address: Stagecoach, 100 Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0DN
 
An alternative for some could be Cambridge Dial-a-Ride. If you think you might qualify due to age, infirmity or disability, do contact Cambridge Dial-a-Ride. It is a non-profit organisation which provides local transport services that are safe, affordable and accessible to individuals who have difficulty in accessing public transport. 
Call: 01223 506335
Email: memberssupport@cambridgedialaride.org.uk

Other news

The Cambridgeshire Bobby Scheme is a local charity which provides a service to older or vulnerable people by improving home security to reduce crime or fear of crime. If you are over 60 and have been a victim of crime the visit is free. If you are over 65 and have been fortunate enough not to have been a victim but want to upgrade your security, there is a small fee. Phone 01480 413311 for more details.
 
And on the subject of crime – we have had reports of cars being broken into on people’s front drives with thieves being on the lookout for valuables.
 
Cycling and students
 
Following some difficulties with teenagers on bikes on Birdwood Rd pavements, and some near-accidents, Sandra Crawford and Noel Kavanagh (County Councillors), Lewis Herbert (City Councillor) and the Head of St Bede’s are trying to find ways to reduce danger to cyclists and pedestrians both on the road and on the pavements. It is agreed that Birdwood Rd is a dangerous road for cyclists and there seems to be no simple solution. Work is ongoing to try to find solutions to this problem.

Our Next Event - 31st October. Halloween
 
Some people really enjoy trick or treat at Halloween and some don’t. If you want to be visited, the usual convention is that you leave a pumpkin or some other welcoming sign outside your house.
 
This year BARA is joining in. And there will be PRIZES!  £10 Co-op vouchers and More.  Read about it here.

A successful Coach Trip to Norwich
 
A small and select group had a wonderful day out in Norwich. The coach dropped us near the city centre and there was plenty to keep everyone occupied.  Read about it and see photos here. 

Community Library
 
This is a very grand name for bookshelves in a telephone box. The phone box in Birdwood Rd is unusual in that it still has a working telephone. Now it also has shelves at the back for book and magazine swaps. Do please bring and take. If it gets too full, we’ll clear out the extra and take it to charity shops. As this is an open box, please keep to the shelves and don’t leave anything on the floor – it will get wet!

Coach Trip to Norwich – 15th September – Heritage Day.
 
The coach is booked and there are still some spare places.
 
Whether or not you have expressed an interest please use the booking form.  If you have already expressed an interest, your place is reserved. Others are on a first come, first served basis. If you have friends in Cambridge who you would like to take with you, do invite them.
 
Norwich is a wonderful fusion of the modern and historic, one complementing the other. Like any great city its centre is easy to walk around and has a river at its heart. As well as being the most complete medieval city in the UK, it has superb independent as well as High Street shopping, lively restaurants and a heritage that is a delight to explore.

There is something for everybody: a large covered market ; two shopping centres ; four department stores ; boutiques & independent stores ; charity and antique shops ; lots of restaurants and cafés ; river walk ; history everywhere.

Heritage Open Days
Every September thousands of free events are organised throughout the country.  Norwich has been a big supporter from the start, opening its museums, many churches and historical buildings, and operating tours.   This year the Castle Museum which usually costs £9.50 is free on 15 September.  The Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell is also free (usual cost £5.95)
Some events require pre-booking and can be limited. We have produced a pdf of events that are within the centre to download or you can look online.  You can book on-line or by phoning Tourist Information 01603 727950. 

Booking the coach
Download and complete the booking form and return it to the address on the form with your payment and names of attendees.  If you don't have a printer provide the details we need on a piece of paper.
You need to do this by 5pm 20th August 2018.

We are hoping to organise a coach trip to Norwich on Saturday 15th September for Heritage Day (when the castle and other venues have free entry).

The subsidised cost will be approximately £10 (although additional donations are welcome!)

To express an interest please email birdwoodara@gmail.com or put a note through the door at 26A Ward Rd by Friday 6th July saying how many places.

If there is sufficient demand we’ll book the coach.

Have you ever thought that you would like to organise a small group with your very local neighbours?

How about a reading group, scrabble, knitting or just a regular coffee and chew the fat morning? If you would like to try, go for it!  And let us know if you think we can help.
 
Pavements

The contractors from the County Council filled in the really big holes, ignored the others and went away. I wrote to ask how we could do the rest ourselves and got no reply!

The Friends of Cherry Hinton Hall are joining forces with The Cambridge International School in Cherry Hinton Hall to hold a Family Fun Day on Friday 29th June from 2-5pm in Cherry Hinton Hall to raise £2000 for a for a defibrillator to be placed on the Hall, for public use.

Sandra Day is looking for stalls and arena demos from local sports groups. Stalls will be £25 for 12 x 12 outside, on grass. The day will be based around family fun like a school sports day and fete, with stalls and side shows but they need help. If you want to help run races or games in the arena she would love to hear from you.  You can contact her on 01223 247639.