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As part of the work by SCDC of clearing and desilting the watercourses in the villages, they are going to work on the culvert on Park Lane, at the bottom of Bell Hill. They have scheduled the work to be completed this Friday 19th March. They have applied to Highways to close the road for a 15 minute window in each hour to perform the works, this should take approximately 2 x 15 minute windows. We do not have exact times, but please be warned.
Manor Field is a unique area of natural grassland which has been left as a large open undisturbed area. It has for many years been popular with walkers en route to Girton or the nearby woods, for exercising dogs or visiting the fantastic Community Orchard which is located in one corner.
Anyone visiting the area recently may have noticed a smart new circular bench wooden bench near the vehicular gate to the orchard. It’s not only a peaceful place for passersby to pause and savour their surroundings, but this splendid bench is also providing protection for a young oak tree. A second bench will soon be installed around another young oak tree at the opposite end of the hedge arc, near the pedestrian entrance to the orchard.
This new benches have been supplied by the Parish Council as part of a project announced by the Environment Committee at the Village Feast in 2019. The trees, stakes and ties were donated by Pene Nudds and Dan Mace and kindly planted by the enviro.volunteers.
Positive comments are now appearing on HI People about this new addition and the second bench is eagerly awaited.
It will be wonderful for everyone to see these Oaks grow and further change the look and feel of this invaluable open space in our village. I hope someone updates this post in 10 years with a quite different photograph. Please be sure to visit soon!
Now that’s much better. Our seven day cumulative new infection rate has slowly declined and we’ve just gone into the white zone on the NHS map. That means less than three new infections in the week to 6 Mar 21. This is the sort of infection level which can make us confident about moving slowly out of lockdown over the next weeks.
It’s good news coming just one year from the early days of the first lock down last year. It was 16 Mar 20 when Johnson said ‘now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact and travel. That didn’t work and we entered the first lockdown 23 Mar 20.
But … schools have gone back this week and we are warned that this risks a flare up but that will only happen if pupils take an infection into schools. To state the obvious: schools themselves don’t cause infection, they enable it to be transmitted. It’s important therefor for us to do two things:
We are all getting out more with a little Spring weather and we are now allowed to sit down and enjoy a coffee (or tea) and more with one other. Sadly that’s still about it. No large groups, no relaxation of hands, face and space and no meeting up indoors. Please continue to respect these rules, we’ve come so far we should not risk the gains we’ve made.
The vaccination program has clearly gone well and we are told that those who have had their first jabs will be called for their second 10 weeks afterwards. That means notifications should begin to arrive 31 Mar 21 for those who got their first jabs in Milton.
The rest of the NHS is now doing its best to catch up with its non-Covid work and people who have a need for its services should please make contact. A little patience may be needed on the phone but our GPs and other parts of the NHS do want to hear from you. Give them a call.
The next important date is 29 Mar 21 when the ‘rule of six’ for outdoor meetings will return, outdoor sports facilities will reopen and organised outdoor sport can restart. The Parish Council will be opening the Rec and Histon Hornets will be playing its first games.
The Covid19 response team continues to meet and monitor the data and this confirms that we seem to be in good shape, at least for the present.
If anyone does need any help for any reason they should contact their street co-ordinator or call the HICOVID19 helpline on 01223 320420.
Click here for a pdf of this digest.
This week the Recreation Committee at the Parish Council initiated a broad study of the Community’s recreation needs. It does so at a time when we are emerging from our Covid experience which may have changed our approach to recreation. The Council needs to understand this as it pts together a plan for the provision of recreation facilities, including the Rec, over the medium term.
The study will comprise five stages (see the picture above) and will focus on building a robust evidence base of what the Community has today and how it uses it. It will then build a picture of how recreation is expected to develop before translating that into demand for facilities and specifically the Rec.
Neil Davies, Chair of the Recreation Committtee at the Parish Council says: ‘This is an important exercise and will enable us to invest in the Rec confident that it will respond to what the Community needs. It will also help us as we work with other bodies in the Histon and Impington to bring together more choices for our residents’.
‘it’s an ambitious program with a tight timetable and we’d be delighted if people came forward to help’
The strong winds overnight and this morning may cause some tree damage in the villages, please be aware of possible dangers walking beside wooded areas when it is windy. There maybe a risk of falling dead wood and in extreme cases trees either fracturing or becoming uprooted.
Our staff have been inspecting various areas around the village this morning and have put up some warning signs. There are a number of trees near cycle paths and highways so please also be extra cautious when driving or cycling around the villages.
Our cumulative seven day infection rate has been down in the low single figures for several days now. It has been as low as 3 but it’s drifted back up and in the seven days to 28 Feb 21 it was back up to 6. We need to continue to be very careful.
We expect that the first wave of priority vaccinations has now taken place. That makes those of us who have had a vaccination a little more confident but may we caution such people to continue to observe the lockdown rules of hands, face and space. You may be more resistant to the virus but it is not yet proven that you may not act as a carrier.
The rules on meeting up will relax a tad 8 Mar 21 when you can sit down and enjoy a coffee (or tea) and more with one other so it’s good to note that in addition to the already announced takeaway offers its good to also note:
8 Mar 21 is of course the big date when schools start to reopen. Our schools do a super job but implementing the new testing regime presents them with challenges which they never thought they’d have expected to face so let’s all do our best to make it easy for them. The rules might be irksome but please do your best to follow them.
For those out there who are running but feel they need a little more purpose than simply getting exercise Histon Hobblers (Jan Watt and Natasha Lott) and HI Runners (Neil Marsh) are running (sic) teams with collective distance targets (have we got to Paris yet?)
The Covid19 response team continues to monitor the data which it’s getting and this indicates that our community is coping rather well, we’re looking after each other and demand for exceptional help and support appears to be minimal. However it is aware that problems might be hidden and encourages us all to stay alert and look out for each other.
If anyone does need any help for any reason they should contact their street co-ordinator or call the HICOVID19 helpline on 01223 320420.
Click here for a pdf of this digest.
A long standing plan to remove some of the silt from the Brook is about to go ahead. The last time this was done was in 2011. This will also provide an opportunity to develop some more bankside vegetation on the north side of The Brook, similar to the beds that were introduced on the south side in 2004. These three new beds will take the silt that will be dredged out, so it won’t have to be taken away and disposed of. They will also provide a more natural edge to The Brook and help to absorb water at times of high rain fall.
As the depth of The Brook will be increased the total volume of water it holds will be unchanged.
The work is currently scheduled to start on Monday 8th March by South Cambs DC’s Drainage Team using materials funded by the Parish Council. It’s hoped that the work will be completed within that week, weather permitting.
Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is an independent charitable organisation which exists to improve the quality of life for older people in the county.
The Community Warden supports older people to remain living in their own homes by providing them with practical daily support and assistance. Tasks such as collecting prescriptions, small items of shopping, helping with letters and phone calls and ensuring safety and well-being. The warden will also be responsible for the promotion of the service within the area.
The position is for 20 hours per week and the service is provided from Monday to Friday. The salary is £9,880pa.
Interviews will be carried out in line with COVID19 Guidelines via a virtual meeting. The successful candidate will be required to undertake Disclosure and Barring Service check at an enhanced level.
Closing date for applications: Friday 12th March 2021 Interviews: Tuesday 23rd March 2021
For an application pack or more information please contact: E-mail: recruitment@ageukcap.org.uk
or see https://www.ageuk.org.uk/cambridgeshireandpeterborough/about-us/work-for-us/
Good news about Covid has been a bit like London buses this week. You wait for one and then there’s three.
First we’ve had the excellent vaccine performance with Firs House etc now well into the next level of vaccinations. Then we had Johnson’s roadmap and some real visibility of when we might be able to do a little more. And finally the local infection stats are way down to just 6 over the 7 days up to 19 Feb 21. We’re once more well below the national average. Well done everyone!
There’s good reason for a little cautious optimism and the warmer weather and visibility of more spring flowers this week certainly help but it’s still important to remember the basic principles of hands, face and space. We’ve done so well now’s not the time to risk the progress that’s been made.
Our community is showing signs of waking up and the recently reinstated regular food trucks at the King Bill add a little extra variety to our takeaway options. There’s also a beer delivery option on Fridays. Check out www.kingbillhiston.co.uk for specifics.
The rules on meeting up will relax a tad 8 Mar 21 when you can sit down and enjoy a coffee (or tea) and more with one other so it’s good to note that:
There’s more information about both outlets on Facebook.
8 Mar 21 is of course the big date when schools start to reopen. Our schools do a super job but implementing the new testing regime presents them with challenges which they never thought they’d have expected to face so let’s all do our best to make it easy for them. The rules might be irksome but please do your best to follow them.
The Covid19 response team continues to monitor the data which it’s getting and this indicates that our community is coping rather well, we’re looking after each other and demand for exceptional help and support appears to be minimal. However it is aware that problems might be hidden and encourages us all to stay alert and look out for each other.
If anyone does need any help for any reason they should contact their street co-ordinator or call the HICOVID19 helpline on 01223 320420.
Click here for a pdf of this digest.
As part of the repairs to the sewer break at The Copse/ New Road area, it requires tankers to transport waste from the pumping station at Home Close. This may cause temporary traffic issues and extra noise but it should finish quite soon. We thank you for your patience while this problem is fixed.
