Latest news with #Present&Future
BBC News
26-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Next generation of Cambridge archaeologists to train on hillfort
Archaeologists are to begin a five-year project to excavate the site of a nationally important Iron Age hillfort and analyse their finds. The first dig will take place on the protected ancient monument at Wandlebury Country Park, just south of Cambridge, from 28 April to 9 and staff from Cambridge University's archaeology department and the Cambridge Archaeological Unit will be taking Oscar Aldred, from the unit, said it was "a really exciting opportunity to train the next generation of archaeologists". An excavation by the Cambridge team at Wandlebury last year uncovered a later Bronze Age ditch, dating to between 1500 to 800BC, which was reused to support a wooden palisade during the Iron five-year project hopes to reveal more about the history and prehistory of the hillfort, which is protected as a scheduled and test pits will be dug into the ground, following last year's geophysical surveys - techniques that use the properties of the soil to map archaeology below the Aldred said: "Our particular focus this year is to prepare the ground to answer important archaeological questions by assessing the inside of the hillfort, how well-preserved it is, as well as begin to gain a better understanding of the possible hillfort entrance." Visitors to the country park, which is owned by the charity Cambridge Past, Present & Future, will be able to speak to the archaeologists as they estate manager, Allan Scott-Davies, said: "We run a popular Iron Age outdoor education programme for schools, so it would be great to share that knowledge with the children when they visit."A public archaeology open day will be held on 3 May. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cuyahoga County launches Cuyahoga Live! task force to boost local music scene
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Akron's own The Black Keys has local roots that run deep. The band made its musical debut at the historic Cleveland music venue the Beachland Ballroom & Tavern in the early 2000s. 'And we helped them find a booking agent and really get a foothold in the industry,' said Cindy Barber, co-owner of the Beachland Ballroom. After widespread closures, Advance Auto Parts to open dozens of new locations Sadly, the group left Northeast Ohio for Nashville, seeking more advanced industry resources. But a major movement is now underway to keep local talent here at home. Cuyahoga County announced the launch of Cuyahoga Live! — a new live music and entertainment task force dedicated to strengthening the region's vibrant music scene. Barber is also executive director of the nonprofit Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present & Future. She is also one of the musical minds on the task force. 'We are really grateful to County Executive Chris Ronayne for taking the leadership role in this. He was talking about the need during the election. And he's really following through with a campaign promise,' Barber said. 'We've got the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so why shouldn't we have more of an industry here?' Ronayne said Cuyahoga Live! is about recognizing that live music isn't just entertainment — it's an industry that deserves real support. More than 75% of people surveyed in the Greater Cleveland Music Census identified a need for a music commission to stimulate the economy, boost tourism and strengthen local business. Sean Watterson is also on the task force. He co-owns the music venue Happy Dog on Cleveland's near-west side and is co-founder of the Cleveland Independent Venue Association. 'We'll see more music happening. We'll see better coordination on the marketing of that. We'll have closer ties with Destination Cleveland market and the convention visitors bureau, in terms of being able to market Cleveland as a music city,' said Watterson. These Ohio Kohl's are closing this weekend Cleveland has always been known as a music town, but all agree that it's time for the county to kick it up a notch. 'Let's compare musicians to our sports teams and let's cheer them on and buy their merchandise, wear their T-shirts. I want that to be the look of Cleveland,' said Barber. Cuyahoga Live will kick things off by forming committees to explore audience and workforce development, culture, artists and industry support. Leaders said an official music commission could be up and running by next year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Cambridge beauty spot Grantchester Meadows gets new management
A conservation charity has taken on the management of an open space that has featured in poems and Past, Present & Future (CPPF) said it had signed an agreement to look after Grantchester Meadows so it could be "improved for the benefit of nature, the environment and people".The 50-acre site on the banks of the River Cam between Cambridge and Grantchester - where cows graze as punts meander on the water - is owned by King's with picnickers and wild swimmers, it inspired the 1959 Sylvia Plath poem "Watercolour of Grantchester Meadows" and the 1969 Pink Floyd track "Grantchester Meadows". CPPF, which aims to protect Cambridge's green spaces and historic buildings and ensure development is carried out responsibly, already manages Wandlebury Country Park, Coton Countryside Reserve and Barnwell charity said it made "perfect sense" to take on responsibility for Grantchester owns Skater's Meadow, at the northern end of the land, and has raised funds to take out covenants on King's College's land to protect it from possible said it had helped stop a ring road being built through the meadows in the 1930s. Bloomsbury Group CPPF announced it had also been bequeathed The Orchard Tea Garden, in Grantchester, by its former owner, Robert was where writers, intellectuals and artists who later became known as The Bloomsbury Group met in the included Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes and E.M. café will continue to be run by Orchard Tea Garden Ltd under lease. It plans refurbishments "taking inspiration from the Bloomsbury Group" and particularly their summer retreat, Charleston House in East Sussex. A spokesperson for the charity said it was not planning any "drastic" changes to the meadows, but would aim to protect the riverbanks as visitor numbers will also have park wardens at busy charity's estate manager, Allan Scott-Davies, said: "We intend to work with the communities in Newnham and Grantchester, as well as user groups, to better understand some of the problems and to work with them to develop a longer-term plan for how the meadows could be improved for nature and the environment."Once we have that plan, we can start implementing the changes with the support of the people of Cambridge and King's College." Swimming 'at own risk' In 2021, the college attempted to ban wild swimming at the beauty spot, sparking a petition calling for public consultation that got 10,000 signatures in just two college later said it would not enforce the said swimmers enter the water at their own said it would put up signs about the dangers, including infection and drowning.A spokesperson for King's College said CPPF's "commitment to nature and working with local residents ensures that they will be effective stewards of one of the city's treasured green spaces". Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The 12 trees blocking a £160m bus route
In a green pocket of Cambridgeshire hemmed by the M11, 12 century-old apple trees are entrenched in a stand-off with two yellow flags. The 'veteran' Bramleys stand aloof like sentries on squat, gnarly trunks. They are the elder kingpins among some 2,000 fruit trees, bare branches rigid against piercing February gusts. But the gaudy flags flap wildly at their feet like yapping pups, refusing to be ignored. They demark the width of a busway, complete with cycleway, which – if approved – will tear through the centre of this 60-acre orchard, carrying commuters from the rapidly growing new town of Cambourne seven miles away, into the science and technology hub of Cambridge four miles from here. The estimated £160 million, 8.6 mile Cambourne to Cambridge (C2C) busway, first proposed in 2014 as part of the £500 million government-backed Greater Cambridge City Deal, has an admirable aim. To cut congestion, provide green transport, and speed the growth of this area which is rich in bio-medical research and tech innovation – the Oxford-Cambridge corridor Chancellor Rachel Reeves said last week she wants to transform into 'Europe's Silicon Valley'. It's a keystone within her drive for Britain's elusive growth. Yet the busway would obliterate six of the veteran trees, planted in 1922, including one which is the second biggest Bramley ever recorded in Britain. Some 500 more trees would be uprooted with them – although protesters insist it would truly be around 1,000 – and 'tonnes' of carbon stored in this long undisturbed, ecologically rich soil, would be released. Naturally, there is opposition. Last month, protesters succeeded in winning provisional Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) for these 12 veterans, which they hope could help thwart this busway route if there is a public inquiry. And so these stoic Bramleys have now become guardians, joining the ranks of Rachel Reeves' other well-publicised ecological nemeses: the 'bats and newts' that she claims have frustrated previous infrastructure projects, most infamously the £100 million HS2 'bat tunnel'. Coton Orchard is a microcosm of Britain's green-versus-growth conundrum. And of course, there are also bats here, too. Eight species, in fact. 'See that tall row of poplar trees?' says Anna Gazeley, 55, whose father, a watchmaker, bought Coton Orchard in 1996. 'The bats launch there and skim east to west at dusk, scraping the insects from the tops of the trees. In daylight, house martins skim north-south and as the sun sets there's aerial ballet as they weave between each other. 'Drive a bus lane through it, you won't have food for them, you won't have the insects and the habitat the insects need. If you keep forcing wildlife into ever-decreasing fragments, it will collapse.' Gazeley won't sell her orchard, so it would need to be compulsorily purchased. Her argument, echoed by the Coton Busway Action Group and Cambridge Past, Present & Future, which owns surrounding land, is powerful. This is an oasis, even in February. We arrive, and a Muntjac deer darts into view on cue. Gazeley points excitedly to blackened fungus on branches, the gnawed hollows that blue tits nest in. 'We have 256 species of terrestrial invertebrates, 15 of conservation concern; 28 birds on the red and amber list – 60-odd species overall,' she lists, urgently. Just last year, a 'nationally rare' dark crimson underwing moth was discovered here. It is a designated priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Ninety per cent of orchards have been lost since the 1950s. Those remaining are special, say ecologists. Steve Oram, a biodiversity officer at the People's Trust For Endangered Species, explains that the freestanding fruit trees provide 'dead wood habitat' which is 'rare', supplying a home for saproxylic invertebrates like click and noble chafer beetles. 'The only other place you get it is wood pasture and parkland habitat,' he explains. 'To lose this would be tragic.' There's also its history. Peter Rayner's father once managed the orchard. Now in his 90s, Rayner recollects his boyhood picking fruit; wartime memories of Jewish refugees camping here. 'If a concrete busway is driven through the middle of the orchard it will not just destroy 500 trees and wild habitat, it will make that orchard impossible to manage and kill one of Cambridge's heritages,' he said. Yet there is no doubt this area needs more and greener transport links. The Greater Cambridge City Deal aims to build 33,000 new homes by 2031, and create 44,000 jobs. West Cambourne is currently seeing 2,600 homes built, explains town councillor Stephen Drew. The proposed East West Rail linking Oxford and Cambridge, another hefty infrastructure project, will bring yet more homes. Nearby housing development Bourn Airfield is set for 3,500. Traffic is predicted to increase 20%. 'At the moment we are overwhelmingly dependent on the car. The roads at commuter times are quite heavily congested,' says Drew. In the centre of this 25-year-old town with its pastiche townhouses, buses seem frequent, but residents report crowding. Chris Howe, 68, chats outside the Fish'n'Chick'n takeaway. He's retired but currently goes to Cambridge for cancer treatment. 'I get the bus about 4.30pm out of Cambridge and can't get a seat,' he explains. He has family who work at pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca who have their global headquarters in Cambridge and clearly thinks improved public transport is a good thing. 'What Rachel Reeves said is a good thing, growth is a good thing,' he adds. 'I think it probably does have to give,' he says of threatened green space. 'Can't the trees be replanted?' Lorraine Brown, 53, desperately needs a bus from her home in West Cambourne, a 20-minute walk away. She had an administrative job at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, and is currently job hunting with no car. 'I don't want to lose lovely landscapes,' she admits. 'Where possible we want the best of both worlds, but we do need a busway.' The Coton campaigners agree. They just propose it be built elsewhere – specifically using the existing infrastructure of the A1303, the Madingley Road. Cambridge Past, Present & Future has drawn up plans, and believe only a one-way, inbound busway is required from Cambourne to Cambridge – where they claim congestion, improved post-Covid, is worst – and a cycleway could be created elsewhere, so the A road could be extended. 'We aren't just saying 'don't do it here', we are saying 'don't do it here because it makes more sense to do it this way',' says Gazeley. But there's more complication. The A1303 runs alongside the privately owned Madingley Woods, an ancient woodland and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) tasked with delivering the local plan insists a busway there would threaten the wood. A case of trees versus trees, then? The Coton campaigners argue their slimmer plan doesn't pose a risk, claiming the GCP hasn't formally considered it. The GCP stresses 'comprehensive' consideration has taken place. As traffic whistles past, the GCP's interim director, Peter Blake, stares at the fence boundary and the approximate 8-10 metre 'buffer zone' of scrub between the wood and the roadside. He reiterates the 'current preferred option' would not work here. 'The trees in front of the fence provide a screen between the SSSI and the road so their loss would be undesirable,' he says. 'Any construction at this location would potentially impact on the root system of trees – understandably this would be something we would want to avoid.' He won't be drawn on the B word. 'We're not getting into a bat conversation,' he says. Nor the orchard. But he stresses that the GCP has 'a commitment of 10 per cent biodiversity net gain with a target of 20 per cent across our programme' – i.e. putting back nature, including replanting an estimated 1,500 trees. In March 2023, Cambridgeshire County Council voted in favour of an application for a Transport and Works Act Order for the busway. Last November this was submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander. This month she is expected to say if she is calling a public inquiry. The Coton campaigners are hopeful – although they know that their TPOs could be 'steamrollered' anyway. Perched high on their rolling arable farmland, Rob Sadler, 51, and his father John, 78, look down on it all. The fifth-generation farmers also face compulsory purchase. Their land would be cut in half by the busway, making it more difficult to farm. They sit on John's parents' memorial bench, where their ashes are buried. They say the busway would plough through it. 'It's very upsetting,' says John. Rob, a surveyor, explains the family is for growth. They've converted pig sheds into offices for tech start-ups. 'If science was a country, Cambridge would be the capital,' he says, proudly. He fully supports a busway, but here? 'It's absolute nonsense,' he says. In the orchard Anna pauses by a four-year-old sapling – grafted from what is thought to be the original Bramley. It's a long life away from providing a decades-rich habitat. 'How long before the bats feed here?' she shrugs. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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