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Transition Events are marked with (TC) and have bold type. Other events are organised by a variety of organisations as indicated.
March
April
News
Various locations around Cambridge 09:00
The Cambridge Festival 2024 programme is out now...and it contains details of hundreds of events - walks, talks, exhibitions, films and family events, both in-person and online. Many have a theme about climate, nature or sustainability. You can browse the programme and find links to book here.
Newsflash! Transition Cambridge will be participating in the Imaginarium, hosted by Cambridge Carbon Footprint, in marquees on the lawn in front of Kings College on 24 March - do come by and have a chat! Link for info here. More...
Source: Cambridge Festival
The Woolf Institute, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0UB GB 18:00-20:00 add to google calendar
Weaving Trust is a fun organised activity that enables participants to build intentional relationships. Participants learn how to have short but meaningful conversations with people they wouldn't usually spend much time with. Through these one-to-one conversations we celebrate difference, strengthen common identity and grow solidarity as an action to counter polarisation. We go beneath surface chit-chat to learn about what we are interested in and what issues we might have in common. Weaving Trust is helpful for building deeper connections within an institution or across different organisations. Weaving Trust events help us build power with each other when undertaken as part of building a local alliance.
Click here for more info and booking. More...
Source: Cambridge Citizens
Arts Picturehouse 18:00
Picturehouse Green Screen is proud to present Six Inches of Soil, touring our sites with a live panel conversation following the film. Six Inches of Soil is the inspiring story of young British farmers standing up against the industrial food system, transforming the way they produce food - to heal the soil, improve our health, and provide for local communities. Some of us have seen a preview and it is brilliant. And one of the farmers who is featured is local. Highly recommended! More...
Source: Six Inches of Soil
Online at present 19:00-20:00 add to google calendar
You're very welcome to come along to discuss topics related to climate, nature, the environment, books, and much more! Please come even if you haven't read the book, to chat and think about different topics and see where the discussion takes us.
On March 19, we'll be taking a reflective wander through the East of England with a discussion of "Rings of Saturn" by W.G. Sebald.
Currently we are meeting online. Book through Eventbrite (we'll then send you a zoom link). Any questions? Please get in touch with Meg. More...
Source: Transition Cambridge
Wandlebury Country Park 10:00-11:00 add to google calendar
Weekly Healthy Walking every Thursday throughout the year: 10am and 10.30am. Each walk lasts around 30 minutes and covers about 1.5 miles. This social group meets all year round at 10am every Thursday morning, with the slower walk starting at 10.30am. Walks are well-attended, with 50-60 people joining most weeks. Some people like it so much they do both walks! Teas and coffees are available afterwards.
NB: Free of charge and no need to book. If you want to take part for the first time then please arrive 10 minutes early to register. The meeting point is the Stables Education Centre. Donations towards the upkeep of the park are always welcome.
Directions: Wandlebury Country Park is on the A1307, 2.5km south of the Addenbrooke's roundabout. CB22 3AE. Parking is available on site and costs £3 per vehicle, members free.
For queries: email us or call 01223 243830 extension 207. More...
Source: CambridgePPF
Friends Meeting House, Jesus Lane and online 19:00-20:00 add to google calendar
Wood stoves are good for climate change but bad for air quality. Is it OK to use them occasionally? What are the main sources of air pollution in Cambridge - and what are the current trends? Anne-Marie Hindley and Elizabeth Bruce, council officers and authors of the last report on air quality in Cambridge will give us a short talk and then take questions. We will also have some information to share on indoor air quality.
This meeting will be free to attend, all welcome, but donations to cover the venue cost would be much appreciated.
Contact Nicola for the zoom link if you would like to attend remotely.
Source: Transition Cambridge
King's College, King's Parade, Cambridge, CB2 1ST
Imagine a future that's teeming with life and guided by nature! Join the Imaginarium Takeover for a weekend of stories, ideas, creativity and hands-on activities as we ask "What Would Nature Do?" to build a greener, fairer and more connected future together. Come and be inspired as we seed ideas and root practical action alongside local experts. Watch everyday objects be regenerated in the Repair Cafe and cultivate connections with artists, campaigners and innovators as we together reimagine and build a future that's teeming with life and guided by nature. Drop in between 10am and 4pm on Sat, and 11am and 4pm on Sunday for nature inspired creativity and immersive experiences, hands-on activities and spaces to learn and talk. There'll also be Repair Cafes - bring us your broken toys, bikes, electricals and all sorts of household items for a free repair - book items in here (Sat 10am - 2pm, Sun 1pm - 4pm). And come and find out about the Pink Bin Dive, focused on dismantling discarded electronics, and exploring and repurposing their components - drop in on Sat from 2.30 - 4pm, and on Sun from 11 - 12.30pm. The Imaginarium Takeover is part of the Cambridge University's Cambridge Festival and is hosted and facilitated by Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination and artist Hilary Cox Condron. More...
Source: Cambridge Carbon Footpring
King's College, King's Parade, Cambridge 10:00-14:00 add to google calendar
We've been invited to join in The Imaginarium Takeover, part of Cambridge University's Cambridge Festival, facilitated by Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination and artist Hilary Cox Condron.
We'll be offering free repairs of many household items. Our Repair Cafe will run alongside hands-on creative activities, stories and practical ideas to share that'll help us explore how nature might guide us to build a greener, fairer and more connected future.
Booking recommended (opens 12 Feb) More...
Source: Cambridge Repair Cafe
Cambridge Central Library, 7 Lion Yard CB2 3QD - third floor 11:00-13:00 add to google calendar
Antony Carpen, local historian and blogger, is offering two highly informative workshops on Cambridge (the town). Following up on 'How we got to here' is 'The government's plans for our city'. You may have seen the headlines in the news. This event is an opportunity to find out more about what ministers are proposing, and to share concerns and questions about what's involved. Mindful of the looming general election in under a year's time, it's an opportunity to come up with questions to put to existing local councillors and potential election candidates for both local and national elections. It will involve looking at maps and published documents from the archive. What can we learn from local history of the past half-century?
Please note that this won't be a party political event - this is not the place or space for 'controversialism' or party political preaching.
More info about the workshops here.
Cost: Free/donations (£5-£10). Click the link for more info and to book. More...
Source: Cambridgeshire LIbraries
Cambridge & villages 14:00-16:00 add to google calendar
Repair Cafes are community events that match people who need stuff fixed with people who like fixing things. They're completely non-commercial, though donations to running costs are welcome. There are no promises or guarantees, but if something can be saved, repairers will do everything they can. Repairers are always keen to teach visitors how to do the repair themselves and at the very least watch while they do it. Successful repair rates are currently around 65%. NB you'll need to book your item in - bookings open a couple of weeks before.
The next repair cafes are in Cambridge (23 and 24 March) as part of the Imaginarium, Cambridge (6 April), Gamlingay (7 April), Bassingbourn (13 April), Fulbourn and Littleport (both 27 April) (and lots more further ahead). You can book things in, check future dates, venues, times etc here. Supported by the Cambridgeshire Repair Cafe Network (CRCN) - a partnership between Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Transition Cambridge and others. More...
Source: Cambridge Carbon Footprint - Repair Cafes
Mill Road Community Centre, 6 Hazell Street, Cambridge CB1 2GN 15:00-16:30 add to google calendar
Join us at Climate Cafe - Cambridge, a gathering where you have space to talk about climate change and how it makes you think and feel. Climate Cafes offer something different from the usual climate events. They are facilitated - so you can be sure that there will be space for you to speak.
They are not designed to recruit you to do anything.
The idea behind them is that talking about climate change is really important - but it is often made more difficult by our feelings of guilt that we are not doing enough, or frustration that others are not doing enough. So we provide a space in which we don't talk about what we should be doing. Note that numbers are limited to 12, so please book ahead. Future Climate Cafe dates are 27 April, 18 May and 22 June. More...
Source: Cambridge Climate Therapists
Empty Common Community Garden 10:30-12:30 add to google calendar
ECCG is a magical meeting place for you and your friends, close to the centre of Cambridge. Enjoy chatting as you garden and relax. We meet as a group on Sunday mornings from 10.30 am to 12.30 or later but people can come individually or in groups whenever they like. We are just completing our 'Heads, Hearts and Hands' hut where we can learn, bond and do things together and have tea and cake too. Come and enjoy the space! More...
Source: Transition Cambridge - ECCG
King's College, King's Parade, Cambridge 13:00-16:00 add to google calendar
We've been invited to join in The Imaginarium Takeover, part of Cambridge University's Cambridge Festival, facilitated by Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination and artist Hilary Cox Condron.
We'll be offering free repairs of many household items. Our Repair Cafe will run alongside hands-on creative activities, stories and practical ideas to share that'll help us explore how nature might guide us to build a greener, fairer and more connected future.
Booking recommended (opens 12 Feb) More...
Source: Cambridge Repair Cafe
The Memorial Hall Great Wilbraham Cambridgeshire, Angle End, Great Wilbraham, Cambridge CB21 5JG, UK 19:30
Six Inches of Soil is the inspiring story of young British farmers standing up against the industrial food system, transforming the way they produce food - to heal the soil, improve our health, and provide for local communities. Some of us have seen a preview and it is brilliant. Highly recommended! This screening will be followed by a Q and A with local farmer David White, Regenerative Farming hero and advocate. Book your space here. More...
Source: Wilbrahams Environment Group
Fallowfield, East Chesterton, Cambridge CB4 1BS 11:00-14:00 add to google calendar
Work starts tomorrow on the first rain gardens to be installed by Water Sensitive Cambridge (WSC). To reduce the flooding on Fen Rd / Fallowfield Junction (opposite the start of the towpath) after heavy rain, WSC are aiming to take the run off from the road and put it in the ground where we need it! A rain garden is a landscaped area designed to collect storm water. Instead of flooding the road or overwhelming the drains, the water can help beautiful plants to thrive in special rain gardens on the verges. WSC aim to keep harmful runoff out of the river, increase biodiversity and make the street much better for the community.
You're all invited to come and help with the first planting of the first rain gardens on Good Friday from 11 a.m. for as long as it takes. There'll be refreshments and tools and watering cans - bring gloves and wellies and bring the children for a fun event. See the Water Sensitive Cambridge website for more info.. Hope to see you there! More...
Source: Water Sensitive Cambridge
Meet at Empty Common Community Garden (map link below) 11:00-14:30 add to google calendar
Our next Transition social gathering will include a walk (11-1ish, at a gentle pace) and picnic lunch (1-2:30) at Empty Common Community Garden - come for either or both parts. Everyone is welcome, whether you're already involved in Transition activities, or are interested to meet us and find out more about what we do. If the weather is very bad, we'll postpone the walk but still meet for lunch in the lovely new hut at ECCG - please check this item on our website for any last minute changes. Here is a map to find ECCG. More...
Source: Transition Cambridge
Zoom 12:00
We are exploring different visions of utopia through fiction, and are discussing what makes each work a utopia, for whom, and what work it would take to implement the best ideas in Cambridge.
On April 5, we'll be reading the novel "The Lost Cause" by Cory Doctorow, which is currently in hardcover but is available at the library and also as a DRM free ebook.
The zoom link for our meeting is available through eventbrite. More...
Source: Cambridge Doughnut
5 Fitzroy Street Cambridge CB1 1ER 09:00-12:00 add to google calendar
Join us for a regular Repair Cafe at Together Culture on the first Saturday of the month. We'll have experienced repairers on hand to fix your broken electrical and mechanical goods: kitchen gadgets, lamps, toys, tools and more. No need to book, just drop by and we'll see what we can do. If we don't have a repairer free, we can arrange a time for you to return. Most repairs take about 45mins. You're welcome to stay during the slot to learn about the repair and find out more about eco initiatives in Cambridge.
Source: Together Culture
Empty Common Community Garden 13:30-15:00 add to google calendar
Cambridge Permaculture Group meet monthly at the beautiful Empty Common Community Garden and Hut ( a Transition Cambridge project designed and run on permaculture principles and open to all). The Hut gives shelter for up to 12 people, with tea making facilities and a very efficient stove.
We meet at 1.30 pm on the first Sunday of the month, to bring permaculture to life in Cambridge. We welcome new people inquiring into what Permaculture is all about, and those who already appreciate and use it, we all learn from each other. The Diploma holders/ students in the group hope to run an introductory course during this year. We may also do some practical projects in the garden and plan a film night in the hut.
To keep in the loop and get updates, read the Transition bulletin or email us here to ask to be added to the Google group.
Source: Cambridge Permaculture Group
Central Cambridge 18:00
The Literary Festival is back for another year. Transitioners may be interested in the following talks:
19 April 6pm: Caroline Lucas on 'Another England'. She wants to reclaim Englishness from right-wing cheerleaders of isolationism and imperial nostalgia. Lucas makes a compelling and passionate case for who we are: outlining the English people's radical inclusivity, their ancient commitment to the natural world, and their long struggle to win rights for all. Note that this talk will also be livestreamed.
21 April 6pm: Clayton Aldern on 'The Weight of Nature'. Award-winning neuroscientist Clayton Aldern uses ground-breaking research to document a largely unreported public health crisis: the warming climate is affecting our brains and bodies as well as the planet. Discover how through empathy, compassion, and a new understanding of intimacy with the natural world, we can adapt to a climate-changed planet. Tickets are usually £10/£14 (tbc).
Full info on these and many other talks and events are on the Cambridge Literary Festival here - please note that most event require booking. More...
Source: Cambridge Literary Festival
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has launched a survey asking the public to share their views on electric vehicles (EVs) and how best to meet the need for more charging points across the region. With the transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles affecting everyone - whether they drive an EV or not - we're encouraging as many people as possible to have a say. Working with Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, we are developing an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy and will be applying to the Government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund to help build more charge points. The Combined Authority wants to make sure they are planned for in the right way, informed by people's views. The Combined Authority's vision for charging points is: "For everyone in the region to have the necessary electric vehicle charging infrastructure available in the right place at the time they need. This charging infrastructure will be high quality, safe, affordable, environmentally sustainable and accessible." The survey only takes five minutes and can be found here, along with further information. People have until March 26, 2024, to take the survey before it closes. More...
Source: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority 18 Mar 2024
Last Monday we were delighted to welcome Charles Dowding the "No Dig" veg growing guru to our beautiful community garden and hut. He has a ton of useful videos online if you are interested. He asked to make a private visit so it was a lovely low-key gathering of the people who got it started and those involved with it now. Charles was shown round by Charlotte who has led the garden since the beginning and continues to care for it and support helpers. He gave some tips and we all shared our love of growing with tea and cake.
Declan, the City Council Officer who pulled many strings to bring the garden into being, came to meet Charles, catch up with how the gardeners and see the hut for the first time. He wrote thanking Charlotte and quoted Margaret Mead's famous saying: ' Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has".
Come and join us, every Sunday morning from 10.30 am unless it's pouring! More...
Source: Empty Common Community Garden 17 Mar 2024
Huge congratulations to Cambridge Sustainable Food for securing the Gold Award. It's taken 10 years and a lot of hard work, so very well done all!
CSF say: ' Cambridge Sustainable Food Partnership has been awarded a prestigious Gold Award from Sustainable Food Places on behalf of the city. This award recognises Cambridge as leading the way in transforming local food systems to better serve our communities, the environment and the local economy. Cambridge is only the third place in the UK to receive this accolade.'
Please open the link for more information…. More...
Source: Meg Clarke 17 Mar 2024
The River Cam at Sheep's Green is included in Defra's proposed list of 27 new swim spots for 2024. Notably, 21 of the sites are rivers. If designated, each site will receive regular water monitoring from the Environment Agency, who will investigate pollution sources and identify steps to respond by water companies, farmers and others. Take part in the consultation by 10th March. More...
Source: Cam Valley Forum 05 Mar 2024
Sandy and Nicole at Cambridge Carbon Footprint have planning well under way for the "What would nature do?" event on 23 and 24 March on Kings Parade. There'll be Repair Cafes on both Saturday and Sunday (book now if you'd like to bring something to be repaired). The Repair Cafes will be in one of three marquees in front of King's College. Our repairers will also be leading e-waste upcycling activities, and in the other two marquees there'll be hands on art activities, a sustainable living advice hub with Transition Cambridge, a soundscape and more, delivered in partnership with Hilary Cox Condron and Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination. We're keen to find more volunteers to help out over the weekend (particularly Sunday). There are a variety of roles and times: looking after and talking to visitors, helping to decorate the space, looking after volunteer repairers, greeting visitors at the reception, helping with creative activities etc. If you've been on King's Parade recently, you won't have missed the quagmire where our marquees are going to be, but the marquees will be floored and we'll be dry. Volunteers will have access to secure storage space for bags etc. Refreshments and lunch will be provided on Saturday and Sunday. To find out more and/or to volunteer, please contact Nicole Barton at CCF. Full event info here. It will be a great event - so please spread the word and do come along! More...
Source: Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Hilary Cox Condron, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination, Transition Cambridge 05 Mar 2024
Donations are always very welcome, and particularly now as our core costs are rising. You can make a one-off donation or donate regularly. There are details about how to donate on our website, or you can make a donation via paypal here. Thank you for your support!
Source: Transition Cambridge 04 Mar 2024
Cambridge Carbon Footprint are excited to launch their Net Zero Now Community Resource Hub: "Our new Net Zero Now hub is an online resource to help you take community climate action. Created using resources and recordings from the last 3 years of the Net Zero Now Programme, it is designed to enable everyone, regardless of knowledge, skills, or experience, to gain the tools to get started with community action on carbon reduction. This could be something like setting up a new local clothes swap, or even starting a community energy scheme. Learn from those experienced in community climate action and access useful info like how to secure funding, working with volunteers, and the most effective ways of talking about climate change in your community, and more... The content is available as an online resource for anyone to undertake in their own time at home." This is a great resource - do take a look! More...
Source: Cambridge Carbon Footprint 19 Feb 2024
A new community garden is being created in Cherry Hinton near CH Primary School, where the Green Hut used to be. The garden will be a multi-purpose space for both the school and the whole community. We need everyone's help to create it! We are looking for plants (list here), tools, donations and volunteers to help maintain the garden - full info here. If you are able to donate plants, please bring them along to the garden on Wednesday 28 February, 11am to 1pm. Thank you! More...
Source: Cherry Hinton Primary School 19 Feb 2024