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Dear neighbour,
Despite the excellent news about a Coronavirus vaccine announced this week, we look likely to have restrictions in place for some time to come. We are aware that many of our neighbours are taking a cautious approach and staying close to home, so our offer of help still stands: if you are unable to get to the shops or would prefer not to venture out or struggle with online orders, please let us know and we will find someone who can help. And please do let us know if you have a neighbour who may be feeling isolated and would appreciate some help or just a phone call or a chat on the doorstep.
In this issue we invite you to join a couple of positive initiatives designed to lift our collective spirits in the coming month, and an appeal to support the Cambridge City Foodbank at a time of enormous need in our city.
With best wishes from your HPERA Team:
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Hurst Park Online Quiz Night
Monday 23 November, 7.30pm
You are warmly invited to take part in the first Hurst Park Quiz organised by HPERA chairman Andrew Milbourn. Questions will naturally range from the esoteric to the downright silly, and prizes may well be awarded. We hope to be able to put together a team of around 6 people from each of our 7 roads, depending on the response. If you'd like to take part, please email us no later than next Tuesday (17 November), letting us know how many people wish to join in, and where you live, and we'll match you with others in your street.
A Zoom invitation will be sent out shortly before the event to all those who have signed up.
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Living Advent Calendar
We have been thinking of some positive things we can do during these darker months and have decided to invite you to help us turn our neighbourhood into a living Advent Calendar next month. You may have noticed these last year in other parts of Cambridge, and you can read more about the idea here.
Households who would like to take part will be given a number between 1 and 25. They will put that number in their window either the evening before or the morning of their date. The number can be accompanied by some lights, a picture or a decoration if you wish. It can be very simple or as artistic as you wish. One window will be ‘opened’ daily from 1 December until Christmas Day and all the windows will remain to view until 1 January. If there are enough volunteers, we could have several calendars across our seven streets.
If you'd like to take part, please email us with a note of your address. We'll let you know the date you've been given. We think this promises to be a great way to brighten the estate and get to know your neighbours!
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Cambridge City Foodbank Appeal
The pandemic has been difficult for almost everyone, but for some it has caused enormous financial hardship. Many people have lost jobs and businesses, or had their hours reduced to such an extent that they can no longer make ends meet. The Cambridge City Foodbank (part of the Trussell Trust network) is providing an essential lifeline to people in our city and is reporting unprecedented demand.
Many of us have been thinking about how we might support neighbours in need, so we've decided to organise a kerbside collection next Monday, 16 November. Please place items you're able to donate in a strong carrier bag and leave it by the kerb by 9am. Volunteers will collect all the bags and deliver them to the foodbank. Please donate tinned or dried items such as those listed below, but not fresh food as it cannot be distributed quickly enough.
- Instant Coffee
- Teabags
- Long-Life fruit juice
- Tinned fish - tuna, salmon mackerel etc
- Tinned ham
- Rice pudding
- Biscuits
- Cooking oil
- Cans of beans, chickpeas, tomatoes
- Pasta
- Rice
- UHT milk
- Toilet rolls
- Laundry powder/liquid
- Nappies
Thank you!
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In Conversation
Our neighbour Eva Clarke (right) is one of the subjects of an extraordinary book, Born Survivors, which tells the story of three mothers, Priska, Rachel and Anka, who passed through the gates of Auschwitz with a deadly secret: they were newly pregnant, and facing an uncertain future. Eva was one of the babies born to these women, just a few days before the end of the war.
On Thursday 3 December, Eva will be 'in conversation' with the book's author, Wendy Holden (on the left), via Zoom to mark the publication of a new edition for the 75th anniversary. You can register for the event here.
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Season of lights
Although there can't be any Hurst Park carol singing this year, there is of course another way to celebrate the season of goodwill. Whether you celebrate Diwali, Hanukkah, or Christmas, do join us in brightening the long winter evenings by putting some lights outside your houses to give us all a much-needed lift. And there's no need to wait until December - we've noticed that some houses in our neighbourhood are already twinkling beautifully!
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Beautifying the estate
Many thanks to all the gardeners who joined our working parties recently in Hurst Park and Highworth Avenues, and especially to our neighbour, garden designer Alison Murray who offered help and advice. Volunteers cleared, pruned and replanted the narrow border at the bottom of Hurst Park Avenue and offered their help to the residents who have been looking after the small roundabout between Highworth Avenue and Leys Road. Thanks are also due to the many people who donated plants and bulbs from their own gardens. We’ll let you know about the next gardening sessions if you would like to join us post lockdown. We look forward to seeing the results in the spring!
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