Local News and Events
Fulbourn Spring Community Market
Saturday 14 March, 2.30 to 5.00pm in the Townley Hall, Fulbourn Centre
As usual, a range of stalls for both crafts and food. Paolo will be there with 'A Taste of Italy' including pastries, biscuits and pizzette, Urara with her Japanese pastries and sweet bakes, fine chocolates from Cheryl's 'Artistry in Cocoa', and bottle -conditioned ales from Fulbourn's
Moonshine Brewery. Fulbourn Forum's own table will have vegetarian sausage rolls, vegetarian samosas, onion bhajis, conserves, marmalade, cakes, and local honey, plus snowdrops from Fulbourn Manor. New tables this time are Tabitha with sourdough bread and other baked offerings, and Noelia with bottled lacto-fermented vegetables.
We hope to have frozen beef products again from Quy Hall Estate. If confirmed, we will send notification in a separate email a week before the market. The meat is from their own herd of year-round grass-fed Devon Red cattle which are used for conservation grazing which manages habitats and supports biodiversity.
The stalls with handmade crafts includes leather bags, purses and wallets and more from Christine T, jewellery from Halina and new stallholder Florencia, handmade cards for every occasion by Jenny, a range of fabric items, including for children, are offered by Christine N and Sue, while a range of pottery items are provided by Simon and friend. Linda and Tony of 'Turn and Burn' have handmade wooden items, both decorative and practical, and Fulbourn Windmill mugs and tea towels will also be on sale.
The Cafe, as usual, is run by the Fulbourn WI, so do come, make your purchases and stay awhile in the cafe to chat with friends and neighbours.
Please note that the cafe is cash only. A small number of stalls can take card payments, but most are cash only, so do please come prepared!
Fulbourn Repair Cafe
Saturday 21 March, 2pm to 5pm, in the Townley Hall, Fulbourn Centre
Undertaken by Fulbourn Forum in association with Cambridge Carbon Footprint.
Booking is now possible - see link below.
This will be our fifteenth Repair Cafe, again run with the help of an amazing group of skilled volunteer repairers. The aim is to reduce the things that end up in landfill, and possibly get a second life. At previous repair cafes up to 70% of the items brought in were fully repaired, while advice was given where a full repair was not possible in the time available, or where parts were not available on the day. Very few items are considered totally unrepairable.
The service is free, but we do rely on donations, if you are able, to help cover the cost of the hall hire, and other expenses such as insurance, and the purchase of repair equipment and materials.
Refreshments and homemade cakes are available all afternoon, again for a small donation.
It is best and preferred if you book in your item via the link below:
You can just turn up on the day, but please be aware that there may not be a suitable repairer available, or you may have to wait until one becomes available.
Fulbourn Community Litter Pick
Sunday 12 April. Meet at the Fulbourn Centre between 2.00 and 2.30pm.
We meet outside the Fulbourn Centre to collect equipment, pickers and bags, and to confirm your picking area. We hope that many of you can join us to help clear litter from the centre of the village and along the approach roads out to the parish boundaries. Please bring your own equipment if you have some, not forgetting suitable gloves and, if you have one, a hi-vis vest (for use particularly along busy roads). However, we will have plenty of pickers and gloves, and a few vests to borrow.
As usual, arrangements will be made for the collection of filled bags from the roadside - no need to carry them back unless you are able to. A volunteer or two with a suitable vehicle to help with this collection would be much appreciated. Please let us know if you can help.
If you cannot make the Sunday afternoon but would still like to help, please contact us for the pickers and bags (available from Friday afternoon, 10 April) so that you can pick your chosen area in the morning or on another day. Several people have been doing this which is greatly appreciated.
Fulbourn Village History Society
19 February
‘Clunch, our favourite Building Stone’ by David Stubbings
19 March
‘The History of Cycling in Cambridge’ by Mary Burgess
16 April
‘Cambridge Sport in Fenner’s Hands’ by Nigel Fenner
Talks start at 7.30 pm in the Fulbourn Centre
Talks and events are open to the public. Non-members and guests entry £3.00 per person. Enquiries by email to info@fulbournhistory.org.uk
The Society will undertake research of our archives at a charge of £20 per hour, including free domestic postage. International postage is £1.50. Photo quality printing charges: A5 – £5 A4 – £8
Paypal payments may be sent to: paypal@fulbournhistory.org.uk
Click here for Hedgehog News from our Year 9 students
Fulbourn Fen Nature Reserve
Back in November, we reported on the closure of Ansett's Wood due to safety concerns. After raising the funding, the felling of many dozens of dead or dying trees together with surgery to damaged trees began in early February and is now well advanced. The main problem has been one of ash dieback, but other trees have also been affected. The project plan has been scrutinised and approved as necessary by all the relevant authorities, including Natural England, the Forestry Commission, and South Cambs District Council. The woodland will remain closed until further notice while the ground is cleared and made suitable for future planting and some permissive access can be restored. This extensive work enables the Wildlife Trust to make the site safe for the long term. This will be a considerable change to the woodlands and replanting of many new trees later in 2026 will result in a wildlife and people friendly woodland that will be more resilient to the effects of ongoing climate change. The problems found at Ansett's Wood are not unique. After an extensive recent survey of their woodlands, the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants discovered similar issues affecting many sites.
The Wildlife Trust will be welcoming members of the public to come and help with the new planting planned for the autumn/winter 2026. Fulbourn Forum has been asked to help publicise this work. We will let you know the dates and times as soon as we are notified.
Fulbourn Fen Nature Reserve Work Parties
Monthly work parties have continued throughout the winter with work mainly confined to the meadows and their boundaries. The last work party before the summer is on Sunday 19 April. Meet as usual at the car park in Stonebridge Lane at the entrance to the Reserve at 10.00am, finishing between 12.30 and 1.00pm. Please wear stout shoes/boots and gloves resistant to thorns. All tools are provided. The work parties are run by the Wildlife Trust.
The dates of the summer work parties will be released soon.
For more information please contact the local volunteer Wildlife Trust wardens at: fulbournfennaturereserve@gmail.com
Fulbourn Forum AGM with Film and Talk
Thursday 7 May, in the large meeting room, Fulbourn Centre, 7.30 to 9.30pm
Free. No need to book.
AGM at 7.30pm followed by a short break for refreshments, before the film commencing at 8.15pm. There will be an opportunity for questions afterwards.
This year the talk entitled 'Monitoring our Rivers' will be given by David Lomas of the Wilbraham River Protection Society (WRPS). The WRPS has begun sampling the water from the streams in the Fulbourn/Wilbraham catchment area and testing for a range of pollutants. The talk will begin with a 16 minute film 'Testing the Waters' which is about the citizen science work being led by David on behalf of WRPS. Initially 21 sites were selected for analysis. The documentary was filmed and directed by Nigel Kinnings who was responsible for Fulbourn Forum's 'Fugolburna' film.
After the film, David will further explain the local quality results before covering some of the other cam waterbodies in the Lower Cam area. He will also cover the issue of lack of water in the eastern regions and what actions are or are not being taken, particularly in the light of the significant housing and employment expansion being proposed in the Greater Cambridge area. He will conclude with an explanation of the ongoing coordination of water interest groups in the Cam area.
Fulbourn Windmill CIO
Following on from the removal of the sails, cap and fantail back in November, scaffolding has now been erected around the mill in anticipation of the main restoration work commencing in late spring/early summer. Internal scaffolding has still to be installed to help maintain the integrity of the structure during the works. The main works are now out to tender which will be returned later in March.
If you would like to register your interest in the windmill and be kept informed of progress through Fulbourn Windmill CIO newsletters, please email fulbourn.windmill.cio@gmail.com and ask to be included on the contact list.
The new website is now live and can be accessed at:
Bid for chalk streams UNESCO Heritage Status
Two members of the Fulbourn Forum committee attended the launch on 19 February of the bid by the South Cambridgeshire MP Pippa Heylings to introduce a Ten Minute Rule Bill in Parliament, calling on the government to nominate the UK's chalk streams for consideration for UNESCO Natural World Heritage Status. The launch was held at Stone Bridge, Stow-cum-Quy next to Quy Water. This is the stream fed by the springs and water from the Fulbourn and Wilbraham catchment area, passing through Lode Mill at Anglesey Abbey on its way to the Cam. Craig Bennett, CEO of The Wildlife Trusts spoke in support. Ten Cambridge area environmental and water campaigners, including David Cottee of Fulbourn Forum, also attended the presentation of the Bill on 25 February in the House of Commons.
Neighbourhood Plan
The completion of the Fulbourn Neighbourhood Plan in 2023 provided an opportunity to bring together into a formal planning orientated document, many of the aspirations and ongoing projects of the village. The F.NP proposed that progress on various policies and aspirations should be reviewed annually. Fulbourn Forum provided a report to the Parish Council in 2024 and 2025, and David Nobel has updated the report for 2026 particularly concerning environmental and related projects.
The projects listed include: Village Tree and Woodland Survey and Planting Programme; Herb Beds; Local Water Courses (including Fugolburna film); Capital Park (community engagement); Nature Reserve Extension; CoFarm (community farm project); Swifts (new boxes, monitoring and public awareness); 20mph Speed Zone; Greenway; Windmill Refurbishment Project; Eastern Cambridge Farmers (sustainable farming); Lower Valley Farm Meadows and Woodlands; Litter Picks; Assets of Community Value; Community Orchards; High Street; Parking and Traffic Management; Victorian Gardens; Monitoring of Planning Applications; River Quality Testing.
Radio Control Car Club.
Established over 40 years, the Cambridge oval racing club races 1/12th scale cars based on full size oval racing cars, which we race on our purpose built track on a carpet surface.
We meet on a Tuesday evening at the Townley memorial hall Fulbourn, CB21 5BS, 6.45 - 10.15. Racing is competitive but friendly with lots of help and advice given to car set-up and driving. It's also interesting to learn how different adjustments reap rewards on the track.
We have a couple of club cars that can be hired for an odd meeting to see if you like it before you buy. Normal fees are £5 senior, £4 under 16's, club car hire is £4. But from now until the end of March, your first night is completely FREE! So why not come along to a nice comfortable hall for a sociable evening and see.
If you are interested and would more information, please join our Facebook group, Cambridge oval racing club, comment below, DM or you can also email cambridgeovalracing@gmail.com. Please email first to ensure availability of the club car for the evening that you are planning to come. We look forward to hearing from you.