Bank Holidays in Cambs are like a patchwork quilt: punts drifting past King’s, brass bands in Ely, candyfloss in Wisbech, chai flasks in Huntingdon.

It’s the last lazy exhale before September’s alarm clock. One more picnic at Holt Island, one more punnet from March Market, one more laugh at Jesus Green Comedy Fest.

This week’s Spotlight is about grabbing those golden slices of summer while they’re here.

Chesterton’s Stir Café is one of those rare spots where you can walk in frazzled and walk out feeling… better.

Sarah, a regular, put it perfectly:

“My son’s grown up here. He used to pinch bites of my toast; now he polishes off a full pancake stack. Stir’s been part of our family’s rhythm for years.”

 

The café’s noticeboard is a community lifeline: missing cat flyers, book swaps, charity bake sales. Come for the avocado toast, stay for the sense you belong.

📍 Stir, 253 Chesterton Road, Cambridge

Ely — Grain Culture’s Croissant Queue

It’s official: Grain Culture’s almond croissants are now an early-morning ritual. The queue starts before 9am, commuters juggling train times and pastry cravings.

“I set my alarm 15 minutes earlier just to beat the rush,” laughed one regular. “Worth every yawn.”

 

📍 Grain Culture, Ely

🍸 Huntingdon (Roundwood Gin)— Fenland Gin With a Twist

A new small-batch gin distillery in Wennington is turning heads with its hedgerow-inspired recipe. Locals say it tastes like “Fenland in a glass.” Perfect with tonic and a sprig of garden rosemary.

📍 Wennington Roundwood Distilery

🧁 March — Sweet Escape Bakery Expands

Julie's Bakery, a family-run bakery in March, is quietly expanding its hours to meet demand. Locals rave about their caramel slices and Saturday queues prove it.

“I popped in for one slice, came out with four. Dangerous place,” confessed Charlotte.

 

📍 Dartford Road, March

Cambridge — Babraham Research Campus Expansion

A 15-year expansion plan has been unveiled at Babraham, with new labs, offices, housing, and community facilities. One researcher said,

“It’s exciting—they’re building homes and labs side by side. It feels like the future.”

St Ives — UK’s Largest Solar Carport

The St Ives Park & Ride  has secured approval for the UK’s largest solar carport, complete with battery storage and EV charging. Councillor Schumann called it

“a smart energy milestone right here in Cambridgeshire.”

Cambridge — Digital Health Deal

Cambridge-based Ieso Digital Health has sold its telecare arm to Mindler in a deal reported at £20m another sign Cambs is leading in digital health innovation. A local health-tech founder commented:

“That’s Cambridge punching above its weight.”

It’s not in the city centre yet, but Frasers’ Peterborough opening has Cambridgeshire shoppers curious — will it tempt day-trippers away from whats left of the Grafton and Grand Arcade?

Retail watchers say competition is good news: “It might even push the city to freshen up.”

📍 Peterborough, opening Nov 2025

Fenland Orchard Project

At Wisbech Community Orchard, volunteers are planting heritage fruit trees, shaping hedgerows, building habitats, and crafting landscape features like willow structures and butterfly banks.

One volunteer said:

“I just enjoyed chatting with everyone—herbs, heritage apples, and a lot of laughter.”

Oasis Centre’s “In Bloom” Work

Supported by Wisbech Community Development Trust, Oasis volunteers help with planting, litter picking, and beautifying the Waterlees area.

Their garden efforts tie directly into the annual "In Bloom" campaign, making Wisbech a little brighter, a flower at a time.

This week, Woodgreen in Godmanchester (yes, the one from The Dog House) has some absolute characters waiting for homes:

Panther (Lurcher) — calm, leggy gentleman who can live with dogs (with the right match). Listed as needing a bit of support as he settles into routines. Check his profile for the latest notes and meet‑&‑greet details.

Pudding (Domestic Short Hair cat) — friendly DSH who can live with small pets (with careful introductions). Great all‑rounder for families wanting an easygoing companion. See her profile for temperament and adoption steps. 

Availability changes quickly — please double‑check the live listings before publishing: Woodgreen Dogs and Woodgreen Cats.

This newsletter sponsored by Wood Green Animal Rescue

Woodgreen Animal Rescue 

This weeks sponsor slot is being offered in support of Woodgreen Animal Rescue if you'd like to sponsor this slot for your business or on behalf of charity please get in touch.

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Sally’s Savers — Back-to-School Without the Wobble

Sally’s been out in Cambs chatting to parents about how they dodge the September spending sting.

👟 St Neots — Holly’s Shoe Trick

“I wait until mid-September for shoes. Kids don’t grow that much in two weeks, and by then the queues have gone. Last year we saved £50 and no blisters.”

🍫 Ely — Ayesha’s Lunchbox Hack

“Supermarket bars are daylight robbery. I bake one tray of granola slices on Sunday — £6 for 30 bars. Wrap them, freeze them, done.”

♻️ March — Claire’s Repair Jar

“My drawer has iron-on patches, hem tape, and fabric glue. One patch bought us an extra term out of school trousers. I’m smug every time.”

💡 Sally’s note: “It’s £20 here, £30 there — enough to make September feel less scary.”

Sam’s Seller Smarts — The £25 Door That Sold a House

Tariq in Dogsthorpe told us he nearly didn’t bother:

“It felt daft spending £25 on navy paint. But viewers stood chatting longer, and one even asked the shade.

 

 We had two offers that week.”

 

Sam’s take? Buyers fall in love at the kerb. Painted doors, clean paths, a shiny letterbox it’s not about chores, it’s about Sunday mornings they can picture themselves living.

Health & Beauty — End-of-Summer Reset

Maya (Orton): “The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Gel Moisturiser (£18) saves my skin on muggy nights. I wake up hydrated, not sticky.”

Claire (Werrington): “L’Oréal Elvive Bond Repair (£9.99, Boots) fixed my chlorine-scorched ends. And it smells amazing.”

Neha (Bretton): “I keep rosewater spray (£4, Lincoln Road shop) in the fridge. One spritz before makeup and I feel human again.”

DIY Mask Recipe: yoghurt + honey + oats. Mix, apply, leave for 10 minutes. Cool, calming, and costs pennies.

Family & Kids — Little Wins

Katy (Hampton): invented Thursday “library hour.”

“We all pick a book, sit on beanbags, and I sip coffee in peace. It beats the screen fights.”

 

Jay (Paston): pond-dipped with his twins at Ferry Meadows.

“They came back drenched, proudly holding a dragonfly nymph. I didn’t even know those existed!”

 

Small adventures = big memories (and mostly free).

Craft & Create — Jam Jar Magic

Leila from Orton shared her rainy-day fix:

“We turned old jam jars into candle lanterns. Glitter everywhere, but they look gorgeous on the patio at night. The kids feel like they made magic.”

 

✨ Wash jars, paint with PVA, roll in glitter.
✨ Drop in a tealight.
✨ £2 twinkle lights, done.

Spotlight Pick: Country Line Dancing — St Ives Corn Exchange

St Ives is going full Nashville for a night.

HoneyBEAT Dance & Fitness are bringing the Boot, Scoot & Boogie energy to the Corn Exchange: think twangy guitars, smoky BBQ, and a roomful of strangers who’ll be best mates by last chorus.

• 🎶 Country DJ all night — from Shania sing-alongs to Garth Brooks classics.

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• 👢 1-hour masterclass with instructor Sara — total beginners welcome.

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• 🍖 Award-winning BBQ by Meated — brisket, pulled pork, sides that taste like a road trip.

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• 📸 Best Dressed contest — cowboy hats at the ready.

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• 🎟️ Raffle — prizes and bragging rights included.

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Local mum Jade laughed:

“I can’t line dance, but I’ll be first in the brisket queue. It’s about the fun, not the footwork.”

 

👉 Tickets: St Ives Corn Exchange box office. Dress code: unapologetically country. Yee-haw!

🎶 Ely Cathedral — Candlelight Concerts

Imagine stepping into Ely Cathedral, only to find it glowing with hundreds of candles.

This Bank Holiday, strings and voices will echo under the vast stone arches, every note hanging in the air like incense.

Helen from Ely told us:

“It’s spine-tingling — you feel part of something ancient, even as the music feels brand new.”

 

👉 Bring a jumper — those medieval stones hold the chill — and arrive early for the best seats.

😂 Cambridge Comedy Festival — Jesus Green

The big tent on Jesus Green is buzzing again.

Comics from TV and the fringe are lined up to deliver belly laughs, and it’s one of those nights where you’ll hear echoes of laughter drifting over the Cam.

Student Anna said:

“It’s the only time in Cambridge you laugh this hard and no one shushes you.”

 

👉 Food trucks, craft beer stalls, and an after-show pub crawl for the brave.

🎡 St Ives Carnival & Wisbech Rose Fair

Two very different flavours of tradition this weekend:

🎉 St Ives Carnival — floats, candyfloss, marching bands, and the kind of whispered politics only small towns know (“did you see whose float went first?”).

🌹 Wisbech Rose Fair — generations of flowers and toffee apples, with grandparents quietly boasting “it wasn’t this big in my day.”

Both prove that no matter how modern Cambs gets, nothing beats a brass band and a paper cup of tea.

Weather Watch — 7-Day Forecast

• Cambridge: Council tax rose 4.99% this spring — Band D now £1.59 more a week.

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• Ely: Riverside redevelopment consultations ongoing — locals split between excitement and “don’t spoil the view.”

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• Fenland (March): Broad Street redevelopment plans still divisive.

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• Huntingdonshire: Hinchingbrooke traffic works drag into autumn — commuters grumble, “same cones, different week.”

• Strictly whisper: an ex-Posh player’s wife might be on the sequins.

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• Bake Off returns in September bookies already betting who gets the first Hollywood handshake.

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• Ely riverside pub — neighbours swear they’ve smelt charcoal on “test nights.” New grill in the works?

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• Bake Off — WhatsApp chats will be feral after the first handshake.

• Strictly — Launch show next week, sequins at the ready.

• The Dog House — Woodgreen back on Channel 4.

• Charity shop loop: Queensgate edge → Cowgate → Lincoln Road.

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• “Good tee rule”: two white, one stripe, one black = weekday chaos solved.

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• Late-summer sandals: block heel or tan slider = goes with everything.

News in a Minute

• March: Broad Street row still raging.

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• Chatteris: Skatepark funding approved — scooters at the ready.

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• Ely: Grain Culture’s croissants gone by 9am again.

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• Wisbech: Orchard project plants heritage apples.

Bank Holidays are bookmarks in the year — a pause to catch breath. Whether you’re dancing, picnicking, or finally tackling that jungle of a garden, squeeze every bit of joy out of it.

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