Cambridge local news: February ’26

From grazing ponies at Wimpole to award wins and community action, Cambridgeshire celebrates nature, achievement and local spirit

Top image by Mike Selby

Wimpole Estate welcomes Dartmoor ponies

The National Trust’s Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire has introduced five Dartmoor ponies to its parkland, marking the start of a new chapter in the estate’s ongoing work to restore nature and biodiversity.

The ponies, three mares and two geldings, are settling into their new surroundings, grazing across four interlinked fields of newly created wood pasture.

Over the past five years, the Wimpole team has planted thousands of trees across areas of former non-productive arable land to reestablish traditional parkland habitats, and the introduction of the ponies will play a vital role in managing this developing landscape. By grazing naturally among the young trees, the ponies will help control vigorous plants, creating the right conditions for wildflowers and grasses to thrive beneath the scattered trees.

“Within minutes of arriving, one of them was happily munching on a thistle, which is exactly what we were hoping for!” said Dave Hassall, farm and countryside manager at Wimpole Estate.

If you visit, you may spot them grooming one another or exploring the pastures (note they aren’t domesticated animals and shouldn’t be approached or fed!).

Housebuilder collaborates with school to protect veteran trees

Housebuilder Allison Homes Central has teamed up with Somersham Primary School to help protect two willow trees, estimated to be 100 years old, situated at its Cranbrook Grange development in Somersham, Huntingdon.

The large, veteran trees are protected under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), meaning they cannot be cut down, uprooted, cut back or damaged. Due to their age and condition, the surrounding open space needs to be carefully managed to prolong their life expectancy. 

To achieve this, Allison Homes Central ran a competition for pupils of Somersham Primary School to design a sign to teach residents and the public about the importance of the trees. The winner was year 3 pupil Sam, whose design is now displayed on site. Sam also received a £50 voucher, and Allison Homes Central donated a voucher of equal value to the school.

Local founder of Vampire Outdoors wins award

After a decade of work in making the outdoors more accessible and inclusive, Cambridgeshire-based Rebecca Dawson has triumphed in the Head Outside Awards, which celebrate individuals
and organisations using the outdoors to improve mental health and wellbeing.

As the founder of specialist plus-size outdoor retailer Vampire Outdoors and co-founder of plus-size outdoor community organisation Every Body Outdoors, Rebecca took home the trophy for the changemaker category, which recognises pioneers who increase access to outdoor activity or make it more inclusive. 

“Rebecca is a changemaker who has broken barriers not by shouting but by building community, courage and connection,” said Stu Skinner, founder of the Head Outside Awards. Her work has empowered thousands of plus-sized people to safely and confidently enjoy outdoor activities. 

“I’m thrilled to win this award,” said Rebecca. “Now, my mission is to ensure everybody knows they belong outdoors – no matter their shape, size or ability.”

 

Kimbolton launches Pre-School

Kimbolton School marked the opening of its new Pre-School in January, with the deputy lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Mrs Jennifer Crompton DL present and a time capsule buried, filled with items that reflect the very first cohort of pupils. 

Designed for children from three years of age and located in the grounds of Kimbolton Prep School, the new Pre-School offers small class sizes and specialist teaching, alongside the support of dedicated staff, laying firm foundations for future learning. All Pre-School pupils will also benefit from the continuity of a secured place in Kimbolton’s reception class.

Woodlands Care Centre reveals new cinema room

Woodlands Care Centre has officially opened the doors to its brand-new cinema room to help create engaging and meaningful shared spaces for residents, families and the local community.

The opening was celebrated with a special afternoon event attended by residents, families and loved ones, local dignitaries, the home’s management team and RCH Care Homes senior directors, with much-loved resident Denise joining Cllr Richard Swift, deputy mayor of Cambridge, in cutting the ribbon to officially open the new space.

As well as film screenings, the cinema room will provide a welcoming environment for shared experiences, family visits, themed events and community-led activities.

Bellway supports Ely Foodbank

Bellway has recently donated £1,500 and delivered food to Ely Foodbank, which provides emergency food and care parcels to families and individuals in Cambridgeshire.

Staff at the housebuilder’s Eastern Counties divisional head office in Cambourne donated items into a collection box, while the financial donation was made to support the charity’s Heat a Home This Winter project as part of its Winter Hardship Fund. 

Members of staff from the developer visited Ely Foodbank – which is based at the Methodist Church in Chapel Street, Ely – to hand over the donation box and meet the charity workers.

Over the past year, Ely Foodbank, which is part of the Trussell Trust, has supported more than 9,000 people in crisis, including 3,500 children. This has included providing emergency food parcels, household essentials and pet supplies in east Cambridgeshire and Fenland. It has distribution centres in Ely, Chatteris, March, Soham, Waterbeach, Cottenham, Haddenham and Burwell.

Calling all Cambridgeshire athletes!

Talented athletes in Cambridgeshire are being invited to apply for support from the GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) independent athlete support programme.

The GSF Awards 2026 offer financial bursaries alongside access to local Better leisure facilities, as well as physiotherapy, lifestyle mentoring and mental health and wellbeing support, to help manage the costs of training and competition.

Last year, 29 Cambridgeshire athletes benefited from a GSF Award, including 12-year-old ice skater Caterina Morena Nus (pictured). Speaking about the impact of the award, Caterina said: 

“Winning a GLL Sport Foundation Award has helped my parents with the cost of my training and motivated me to work even harder at my sport. I increased my training sessions and achieved a top eight place at the 2025 British Ice Dance Championships in the Juvenile category, also becoming a member of the GB Pre-Novice Development Squad.”

Celebrating its 18th year, the 2026 GLL Sport Foundation Awards are set to be bigger than ever, with a record-breaking £2 million of bursaries and ‘in kind’ support available to talented young athletes across the UK.

Applications close 20 February; visit gllsportfoundation.org to find out more.

Cambridge students lead engineering event

Forward-thinking students from Abbey College Cambridge recently organised and delivered a dynamic engineering conference, welcoming students from schools across the region.

Students from The Leys School, St Bede’s and Landmark International School joined Abbey College Cambridge participants from year 7 at the Homerton Gardens-based school, forming a cohort of budding young engineers exploring a theme of ‘Engineering the Impossible’. 

Following a keynote on radars, electronics and robotics by Dr Sujit Bhattacharya, students worked in pairs to design, code and build robotic creations, transforming theoretical concepts into hands-on innovation. Then came an engineering challenge to design, construct and launch rockets. 

“Engagement was high throughout and it was rewarding to see the teamwork, curiosity and collaboration shared across all schools,” said Abbey College Cambridge principal Dr Elena Hesse.

Local pupils rank high in computing challenge

A total of 13 students from St Mary’s Junior School in Cambridge have achieved the joint highest scores in their age groups across the entire UK in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge 2025, after competing against more than half a million students from schools nationwide.

The annual challenge, run by The Raspberry Pi Foundation, tests computational thinking skills including algorithm design, pattern recognition and logic.

Across the junior school, 39 girls achieved Gold Awards, placing them in the top 10% nationally. Two of the students taking part even achieved perfect scores of 100%!

Students’ performance funds 700 meals for local people

Sixth Form students at Stephen Perse Cambridge have raised more than £600 for Cambridge Community Kitchen, a collective tackling food poverty in Cambridge, by organising a special cabaret performance. The funds will enable the collective to provide 700 meals for people in need.

Stephen Ward, vice-principal at Stephen Perse Cambridge, said: “Volunteering enriches the lives of everybody involved. Not only does it cultivate a sense of purpose, it also helps them to create lifelong memories and deepen their connection with their local community, making it an important part of our students’ personal development at all of our schools.

“Our annual Sixth Form charity cabaret is always eagerly anticipated and our students have embraced the opportunity to learn more about how collective action can drive positive change within the community.”

Local businessman makes epic climb for charity

An intrepid fundraiser has reflected on his toughest challenge yet after tackling one of the harshest mountain environments.

Cambridgeshire resident Raza Anjum flew to the western Himalayas just before Christmas, where he aimed to make history by becoming the first British mountaineer to complete a winter climb of Khosar  Gang – a more than 6,000m peak in the Karakoram region.

Along the way he faced remote, unforgiving conditions – heavy snowfall, violent winds, avalanche risks and freezing temperatures plunging to -25°C.

“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” claimed Raza, who was raising money for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).

Hoping to make it to the summit, severe weather conditions sadly forced him to stop at more than 5,000m. “I pushed myself to the limit before reaching a point where it was unsafe to continue. It would have been perilous, and I’d utilised all my energy. There’s a very good reason why only one mountaineering team has ever reached this summit in the winter!” explained Raza, who is originally from Saffron Walden and runs a commercial property law firm in central London.

A long-time supporter of EACH, who has previously raised thousands of pounds after trekking to Everest Base Camp and climbing the highest peak in Morocco, Raza added: “More than anything, I’ve achieved my goal of raising funds and awareness for EACH. That was always my motivation, and I’m incredibly grateful to anyone who has donated via my fundraising webpage.”

You can still donate to Raza’s fundraising efforts at justgiving.com/page/british-mountaineering-history