serving the population of Willingham in Cambridgeshire
During the forecast extremely hot weather, please ensure your bins are put out the night before they are due to be collected. This is because Greater Cambridge Shared Waste crews will be starting work earlier in the day than usual, to try and avoid the worst of the heat. This means your bins may get emptied earlier in the morning than you are used to.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is developing a plan – the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) – that will shape the future of transport in our region. We need to tell them what the residents of Willingham would like to see in that plan. You can get further information and a survey form at yourltcp.co.uk or ring 0808 258 3225, or simply email your comments to contact@yourltcp.co.uk. Closing date 4 August.
This document briefly quotes from the draft plan and then describes how it will affect Willingham and the Parish Council’s view on what it should contain.
The Draft Plan
The Vision in the draft plan is:
“A transport network which secures a future in which the region and its people can thrive.
It must put improved public health at its core. It must help create a fairer society. It must respond to climate change targets. It must protect our environment and clean up our air, and it must be the backbone of sustainable economic growth in which everyone can prosper.
And it must bring a region of cities, market towns and very rural areas closer together.
It will be achieved by investing in a properly joined up, net zero carbon transport system, which is high quality, reliable, convenient, affordable, and accessible to everyone. Better cleaner public transport will reduce private car use, and more cycling and walking will support both healthier lives and a greener region. Comprehensive connectivity, including digital improvements, will support a sustainable future for our region’s nationally important and innovative economy.”
There then follow a series of aims, objectives and strategies that are bland and vague, although one or two nuggets can be picked out:
How the draft plan affects Willingham
There are no improvements for Willingham – and the buses are actually worse.
Local strategies are listed for each region and for our region are based on work already done by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) (which covers South Cambs and Cambridge City) on:
The New Corridors
Willingham’s problem seems to be that the Busway is seen as the solution to public transport for our corridor yet we don’t have access to it!
Bus Network
The new network is described in the GCP’s Making Connections consultation on which the Parish Council has already given its views. Willingham is worse off – only a rural hourly bus, on a loop connecting Swavesey, Papworth Everard, Bar Hill, Longstanton and villages in between. We lose our current direct bus service to Cambridge. There are no direct links to any urban centre or the village college at Cottenham, or to the sixth form colleges in Cambridge.
Willingham is one of the larger villages in South Cambridgeshire with a population approaching 5000, yet the consultant’s report, on which the proposal is based, almost completely disregards it. It is missing from the map showing the existing bus network and from the majority of the maps showing details of the new proposals. It is mentioned only in passing a few times as one of the stops on the rural loop. In its comments on the plan the PC proposed that buses (say two an hour) are diverted from the Busway, as originally promised, to provide direct links to Cambridge and St Ives. Alternatively, we need a 10 minute feeder service to the Busway. We also need direct links to Cottenham and the sixth form colleges.
Cycleways
The GCP’s flagship Greenways project is a wheel of 12 new or improved cycleways that converge on Cambridge. One is along the busway from St Ives, to which we are connected by one inadequate cycleway along Station Road, not due to be upgraded. The Parish Council commented last year on the GCP’s Cycling Plus survey, and in particular the need for links between villages, but have been told that there are no further plans for new cycleways until the huge Greenways project is completed.
Willingham is extremely badly served by cycleways compared to other local villages. It currently has just one – south along Station Road to the guided busway at Longstanton along the very busy B1050. It is welcome and heavily used, but urgently in need of improvement. It is very narrow in places and the shared-use with pedestrians and numerous exits from driveways make it often awkward and even hazardous at times. It also provides access to the fast-growing town of Northstowe.
There is much connectivity between Willingham and surrounding villages so cycleways are also needed in other directions, for employment, leisure and social purposes and to access facilities such as shops. In particular:
East to Rampton. The majority of secondary school pupils at Willingham attend Cottenham Village College, which is also an Adult Education Centre. It is the other side of Rampton and the road between Willingham and Rampton is narrow and winding and carries fast-moving traffic. There is an indirect cycle route via Station Road, the busway and Reynolds Drove but the Station Road part is inadequate as described above, and this route adds over a third to the distance. Another option for a new cycleway is along Iram Drove and Cow Lane, which is an existing backroad but with a very poor surface. Beyond Rampton there is an existing cycleway to Cottenham, which links to other cycleways into Cambridge.
West to Over. Willingham and Over are closely linked and there are numerous trips between them, e.g. Over residents use Willingham library and the Coop and other shops, and facilities. This contributes to increased traffic in Willingham. The current road is fast and narrow with a semi-blind summit.
North to Earith – this is the only river crossing for 10 km in each direction and opens up connections to all the towns and villages to the North, such as Ely. The current B1050 is very dangerous for cyclists, as it is a speeding blackspot and carries a large number of HGVs. It is due for an upgrade and a cycleway from the centre of Willingham must be part of that project. An alternative is to upgrade the bridle path that runs from West Fen Road to the RSBP reserve.
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 Warning following thefts from vehicles |
| Dear Mandy, We are urging motorists across the county to be vigilant and take precautions following a recent spate of thefts from vehicles. So far this month there have been 43 reports of thefts or attempted thefts from vehicles across Cambridgeshire, 25 of which have been in Peterborough. Overnight on Friday (8 July) into Saturday (9 July), six vehicles were targeted in Balsham, South Cambridgeshire. A breakdown of the offences is below: · Peterborough – 25 · Fenland – 4 · Huntingdonshire – 0 · East Cambs – 1 · South Cambs – 11 · Cambridge City – 2 These figures do not include reports of catalytic converter thefts, of which there have been 27 since 1 July – two in Fenland, two in Huntingdonshire, 14 in East Cambs, three in South Cambs and six at Trumpington Park and Ride in Cambridge. Unfortunately we are seeing a mix of offences with some vehicles being left unlocked and offenders chancing their luck, while others are much more brazen and have taken to smashing windows to get what they want from inside. A range of items have been stolen from small amounts of loose change, through to more valuable items such as laptops, mobile phones, sat navs, power tools and larger amounts of cash. We are working hard to catch anyone responsible for these thefts, however, we are urging members of the public to remove items from within their vehicles where possible, and also double check their vehicle is locked before leaving it. We’ve had several reports of attempted thefts or where someone has been caught on video doorbell cameras trying door handles of cars – please continue to report these to us. Anyone with information about suspicious activity around vehicles should report online here, where video footage can also be passed on. If a crime is in action, always call 999. Advice on how to best protect your vehicle from thieves can be found on the force website here. Catalytic converter theft prevention advice can be found by clicking here. Kind regards, |
 Message Sent ByLauren Alexander (Police, Senior Communications Officer for Peterborough and Fenland, All of Cambridgeshire) |
Courier fraud is predominantly a telephone crime, where the victim receives a call from someone whom they believe to be in a position of authority, such as a Police Officer or bank official, and a courier is sent to the victim to collect cash, a bank card, or other items, as arranged.
It will be started by the fraudster posing as the official and building up a relationship with the victim. This is done by offering information that the victim can see could have come from an official source, such as full name and address. The victim may have already given that information away themselves, or the fraudster will have obtained a database that contains their name and address, which is how they were targeted in the first place. The fraudster then asks for help.
Everyone wants to be helpful and if the fraudster is pretending to be from the Police, they might want your help to catch a criminal or, if a bank official, they might be trying to find corrupt staff. In that situation, everyone would want to help, it’s in our nature to be helpful, but this is how we get sucked in.
Remember this is all on the phone where you can’t see the body language of the other person and they are relying on tone of voice and their questions being enticing.
Research Google on how to make a good sales’ call and it will give you lots of ideas of tactics they might use, which you can then use as tell-tale signs.
Here are some specific examples of what fraudsters might say:
Things to look out for:
Finally, just to recap.
There are some simple steps that we can remember, banks or the Police:
If you do want to make a call to verify them, follow these simple steps:
 View as a webpage  Amazon Prime Day scams: what to look out for As Amazon Prime Day approaches on the 12th and 13th of July, Check Point Research (CPR) has warned of the danger of scams around the event. With Amazon among the top imitated brands, criminals are looking to use interest in Amazon Prime Day in order to create scams and lure in victims. According to the cybersecurity group, it has already witnessed a 37% increase in daily Amazon-related phishing attacks in the first week of July compared to the daily average in June. Follow the link below for more infomraiton. Amazon Prime Day scams: What to look out for (digit.fyi)  Follow us on Twitter| Facebook|Cambridgeshire.gov.uk/against-scams  |
The Council have a field on Meadow Road (Point B on the map below) which has been partly planted with trees and partly left as wild meadow. It is suitable for dogs and walks but currently lacks a memorable name. There was a suggestion box for a suitable name on the Council stall at the Jubilee Picnic and we are now extending the invitation to all residents – please submit your suggestions to the Parish Council office via clerk@willinghamparishcouncil.gov.uk
| South Cambridgeshire District Council is working with Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign (CRRC) to supply laptops to Ukrainian guests who have arrived in the area as part of the Homes for Ukraine programme. Guests can apply for a laptop for free. We are asking businesses to support this scheme by donating laptops for re-use by those in need. Any devices are acceptable for donation. |  |
| CRRC works with Laptops4Learning (L4L) to deliver laptops locally. L4L’s TechAidUK solution brings together businesses and charities/organisations to enable sustainable and social good. They take donations of much-needed devices from businesses and repair and refurbish them, making them plug-and-play ready, complete with chargers and software, ready for CRRC to distribute to Ukrainian families. Having tech refurbished for reuse enables businesses to reach their sustainability goals at this time of climate emergency, saving CO2 emissions, e-waste and the extraction of scarce natural resources. After you arrange to make a donation L4L send their Tech Couriers to collect your devices at a pre-arranged time and date. They then take them to their repair centre in Stevenage where they are refurbished and all data securely erased to HMG InfoSec Standard 5 Enhanced. A certificate of erasure is issued for each device and provided by serial number to the company donating. Full audits are provided detailing the devices collected, along with feedback on who received the donations and data for CSR, which can be used in corporate newsletters and social media. Sustainability figures on waste are also provided. If your business would like to help by donating laptops or if you have questions and would like more information on the scheme please contact sue@laptops4learning.co.uk or Admin_TeamUkraine@cambridgerefugees.org |
| Business Support and Development South Cambridgeshire District Council South Cambs Hall Cambourne Business Park Cambourne CB23 6EA openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk |
Dear hosts, volunteer coordinators and parish council colleagues
If this is the first time you are receiving this ‘Support for Ukraine community update’ from us as a host, please note that we send these out on a regular basis. They are issued whenever new and relevant information becomes available to hosts in South Cambridgeshire as well as to District Councillors, community coordinators and parish council colleagues. The idea is to share the latest updates that we have to support for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
All information previously shared can be found on our Support for Ukraine webpage – where you will also find our ‘Ukrainian Guest information hub’ which we encourage you to share with your guests. The online information hub is our equivalent of a ‘Welcome pack’ for guests (we are sharing information digitally so that we are able to keep our information regularly updated, and guests should be able to switch to view in their own language if they wish).
Please note that in addition to these emails, all hosts will receive information from us directly relating to DBS checks, accommodation checks, £350 monthly host and £350 one-off guest payments; hosts should already have received information from us about this through our welcome email.
For any questions not covered in this e-newsletter or on our Support for Ukraine webpages, please email duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk
We have recently had a few enquiries about host payments, so thought it would be worth reminding you about how they work. Monthly host payments are paid in arrears during the first week of each month. Where a guest has moved in during the previous month, the £350 payment is calculated on a pro rata basis. If you have any questions about these payments, please just send an email to ukrainepayments@scambs.gov.uk
Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, hosts have committed to providing accommodation for guests for a minimum of six months, but hosts may wish to continue with the arrangement beyond the initial six months if both parties wish to. If hosts do not want to continue the arrangement beyond six months (or at any time after that), they should let their guest(s) know in plenty of time so they can make other arrangements. Hosts should give notice to guests two months before either the end of the first six month period or at any date afterwards).
Guests will have access to public funds and, after leaving your home, will be able to rent a property like anyone else. If they need to, they’ll be able to claim the housing part of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit. The UK Government has useful information on renting property which is available in the How to Rent Guide.
If guests need further support, we can support them to help them find alternative accommodation. We can:
Our housing team advises that:
As a last resort and in the event that all avenues have been unsuccessful and guests have to leave without having somewhere else to go, they are entitled to make a homeless application to the Council. This process is the same for anyone and may not always result in a positive or rapid outcome. Getting in touch with us at the earliest opportunity will give both the Council and the guests more time to consider the options.
You may have already noted that we are working with two local charities, The Papworth Trust and Camtrust, to offer people who are staying in South Cambridgeshire under the Homes for Ukraine scheme a free bicycle. As part of this initiative, we are also offering guests a free Bikeability cycle training course, which will include a translator. All guests who have requested a bicycle under this scheme, and who have requested a place on one of these courses, have been emailed to confirm that we will be back in touch once the course dates are confirmed. In the meantime, we also want to highlight the useful and free Transport for London online cycle skills course which guests may find beneficial. If you have any questions about our free bicycle scheme, please email emma.dyer@scambs.gov.uk
We have recently added some new guidance to our online Ukrainian Guest Information Hub. This is guidance available from The Bell Foundation for parents on how to get involved in school life and to help their child to learn. There are guides to several useful topics, covering primary and secondary education. These guides are in a number of languages including Ukrainian and Russian.
The WEA’s (Workers’ Educational Association) offer local ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses that teach learners how to speak, listen, read and write in English. Their course in June, which is specifically for Ukrainian refugees, is now fully booked but the WEA is now taking referrals for ESOL courses starting in September. Please direct referrals to cambs@wea.org.uk
There are two more adult education courses especially for Ukrainian refugees, aimed at helping them settle in in the UK and prepare them to find a job. These courses are designed for speakers of other languages and, even if their English is very basic, they can still join. The free courses, mentioned below, start on Friday (10 June).
Anyone interested in the courses below can register either online by clicking on the links below, or by calling 0300 303 34 64.
Cambridgeshire – Welcome to the UK C2228910
Start date: 10/06/2022
End date: 22/07/2022
Fridays at 10am via Zoom
This course is designed to help the learners to have a good understanding of British culture, history, traditions, laws, and customs. It will help you to reach this understanding and feel confident about living in the UK. And also, the fundamental principles of British Life, including, democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the beliefs and participation in community life.
Cambridgeshire – Supporting Employment Opportunities for ESOL Learners C2228911
Start date: 10/06/2022
End date: 22/07/2022
Fridays 12:30 pm via Zoom
The purpose of this course is to support students in successfully gaining a job, progressing in a chosen field, and preparing students for further study. A course is designed to assist and to give confidence to ESOL learners to progress from the course to find Employment or to go into Further Education and also to develop their employment prospects and confidence.
You can also keep up to date with other WEA courses on their website.
The key initiatives from the Cambridge Russian-Speaking Society at present are as follows:
Further details on the above are available via the Cambridge Russian-Speaking Society website.
You may find it useful to pass on information from the Ukrainians Welcome website. There is a guide to staying safe in the UK. Ukrainians Welcome is a joint initiative of British organisations fighting slavery and promoting human rights. Its aim is to provide useful information on security and life in general for displaced Ukrainians in the UK. The site is funded by the Freedom Fund.
It is worth remembering that lots of mobile phone companies are offering free SIM cards for mobile phones. Their offers change regularly so please check with phone providers directly. Now that local community networks are established, they may want to support guests; one way that communities may be able to help could be by identifying any old / unused phones which local residents have spare, which could be provided to guests via their hosts.
Finally, we wanted to let you know about an event in Swavesey on this coming Saturday (12 June) which organisers have asked us to tell you about. The first takes place at 3:30pm at St Andrew’s Church in Swavesey and is an informal social for Ukrainian families and their hosts. The event is part of the ‘Jubilee Sing’ celebration being run by Swavesey Community Choir at the same venue from 4:30pm. Details of both events are in the attached infographics.
That rounds off our latest update. I wish to thank you once again for your continued support.
Residents can check scheduled works on the highway by logging into
https://one.network/ Once logged in, simply zoom into the area you are interested and you can check what is scheduled and for how long etc.