Friends Of Midsummer Common

Our AGM will be held on Monday March 25th, 7.30pm at Wesley Church, Christ Pieces, CB1 1LG.
Come along if you'd like to hear about the work we do for Midsummer Common and the Community Orchard. We'd also love to hear your views.
Free entry; non members warmly welcome. Refreshments.

Happy New Year from Friends of Midsummer Common!
We will restart volunteering sessions when we receive hedging plants for the orchard next month.
We had a useful session in November cutting and thinning the hedge near the hostel and clearing the remains of the hops.
... Other orchard news: The picnic table has been widely welcomed and is very well used. We hope to work with the Council to get a drinking fountain (with tap for a hose) installed in 2019. MANY THANKS to all those who worked during the hot, dry, summer to keep the newly planted shrubs watered, especially those from Evening Court who managed to rig up a series of hoses! All seem to have survived.
See More

Our community orchard November volunteering session is taking place this Sunday 11th of November, between 10am-12noon.
Since our last get together was cancelled due to dreadful rain, there is plenty to do in the orchard, so do come along, even if only for a short time! ­¤śŖ
As usual, gloves and tools available, but bring your own if you prefer.

Are there any hedgehogs around Midsummer Common?
We have been in touch with the Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital who are keen to find areas where they can safely return hedgehogs to the wild. The orchard might be a suitable place.
First, however, we need to do a survey to find out whether there are any hedgehogs in the area. The hospital does not like to release hedgehogs in areas where there does not appear to be an established population.
... We would be very grateful if people living fairly near to the common could ask around and let us know if there have been any sightings of hedgehogs during the last 12 months in neighbouring gardens. We can then collate any findings and pass a map on to the hospital.
Many thanks! :)
See More

Camboaters invite you this Sunday 30th September to their community River clean (10am-12noon), followed by some fun at the Camboaters River Festival on Jesus Green! ­¤śĆ

Hello from Midsummer Common Community Orchard! It's a great place to enjoy the autumn sunshine and find some peace and quiet in the city centre. Please come and use our lovely new picnic table! Thank you to all who generously contributed, and among others BruNK and the Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue. ­¤śŖ

"In London and other towns, urbanization and industrialization eventually squeezed out the cattle.
In Cambridge, the business of scholarship applied no such pressures and the cows held their ground. The urban herds became yet another emblem of the cityŌĆÖs distinction, like the white-robed boysŌĆÖ choirs singing in the college chapels or the flat-bottomed boats of boozy picnickers crowding the river."
https://www.nytimes.com/ŌĆ”/europe/cambri dge-england-cows.html

It was a glorious, very hot day for our volunteers last Sunday, and much of the time was spent watering the new plantings in the entrance to the orchard to keep them alive during this prolonged drought. We also managed to clear the nettles and thistles from around some of the younger trees on he common. There was plenty of time for cool drinks, cherries, and cake under the trees ŌśĆ’ĖÅ­¤ŹÆ­¤Ź░

We have now been to two meetings with some outside consultants who are helping the City Council take forward ideas for "Making Space for People' in Central Cambridge.
The discussions have been helpful. What did emerge is that they want a lot of people to comment via their interactive map, and they will obviously take more seriously the ideas that are popular with many residents.
... Thus, if you can take the time to send in your ideas, this could be most useful when considering the future of the Open Spaces and historic areas of our city.
The link is:
http://consultcambs.uk.engagementhq.com/Ō Ć”/comment-map-issueŌĆ”
Or go to the website: https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/making-space -for-people-spd
See More

Here are some dates for your diaries if you fancy helping with maintaining this green space open to all in the heart of Cambridge ­¤īĖ­¤ŹÅ­¤ŹÆ­¤ī▒

Recent damage to a lovely young tree on Midsummer Common, caused by a dog. Such damage happens on a regular basis to trees on all our lovely open spaces. It can cause severe long-term damage to the tree, restricting growth and giving easy entrance to pathogens that can cause disease.
If your dog has acquired the bad habit of scratching tree bark PLEASE keep it on a lead when walking and enjoying the Common and other open spaces in the City.
... Please report any incidents that you may see so that we can chase up the culprits: most dogs are very well behaved!
See More

The Community orchard is looking particularly lovely in the sunny June weather. Do take this opportunity to come and visit and enjoy this beautiful quiet place in the middle of Cambridge ŌśĆ’ĖÅ­¤ŹÆ­¤ŹÅ

For the first national Swift Awareness Week we will be going on a walk around Midsummer Common looking for nesting swifts, with Helen from Action for Swifts, on Friday 22nd June, 7-9pm.
There are still spaces! If you would like to join us, please send us an email. ­¤Öé
https://www.theguardian.com/ŌĆ”/18/swifts -tragic-decline-birds

Have you read our Chair's Annual Report? You can find out about what happened in the last twelve months on Midsummer Common and in the Community Orchard.
You can also learn about the history of the creation of Friends of Midsummer Common: "FoMC was set up in 2006 by a group of residents who were so concerned about the state of neglect of this iconic, historic grassland. The grass had deteriorated significantly, with little biodiversity, partly because the cows had never retu...rned following the Foot and Mouth epidemic, and there were large areas of rank weeds. Many trees were in a bad condition or were missing. The paths were in a sorry state, largely because the City and County Councils could not agree as to who should maintain them. Illegal parking by the Fort St George was a daily event. Big Events were badly organized, with many complaints of drunkenness and drug abuse, and the frequent use of front gardens as toilets (particularly at large charity events). Very little effective restoration took place after the big events."
"As the 2006 Constitution states: "The primary purpose of FoMC is to elicit support and to make representations to the appropriate authorities in order to encourage the good management of Midsummer Common.""
https://www.midsummercommon.org.uk/BusŌĆ” /AnnualReport2017.pdf
See More

The minutes from our AGM are now up on our website, along with our Chair's Report: https://www.midsummercommon.org.uk/Busine ŌĆ”/AGMMinutes12.html