Cambridge University Air Squadron

CUAS held their annual dinner in the rich splendour of the Old Hall at Queens’ College. Student members are drawn from three universities (Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin, and East Anglia). The squadron had had a number of notable achievements during the year, including working with the 19th Cambridge Brownie Unit, four Nijmegen Day Marches, and of course lots of flying hours.

Air Vice-Marshal Julian Young was the guest of honour. He presented trophies and certificates for a variety of awards. He reflected positively on the achievement of the RAF in the recent Libyan campaign at a time when reductions in personnel and capital expenditure were serious realities.

Shooting in the Park

Children were invited to develop their skills as photographers in a session organised by the City Council’s ChYPPS team as part of their programme of half term activities.

The venue was Cherry Hinton Hall Park and I was asked to be the subject of a photo shoot. For a warm up they staged being a crowd of paparazzi, and then they were shown how to shoot long shot, wide view and close up. I hope they got good results. At least the rain kept off!

Ship Ahoy!

The ChYPPS Playboat cruised up to Jesus Green to offer a day of activities. The weather was a bit cold and uncertain but there were some early recruits for craft activities aboard ship. The theme was bird life. Later on, if the weather improved, there were opportunities to build bird feeders.

A Walk on the Wild Side

It was amazing to discover the area of rough woodland that the ChYPPS team have adopted as a site for adventure activities with groups of youngsters. It is part of the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall, bounded on two side by water and fenced off on the other sides. It makes a perfect place for the children to try some adventurous outdoor activities like den building or building wood fire. The ChYPPS team have cleared some of the scrub and have a management plan to keep the right balance between growth and access.

Ceremonial Opening of King’s Lynn Mart

The annual Mart held in the Tuesday Market Place in King’s Lynn is governed by a charter of Henry VIII that designates that it should open on St Valentine’s Day (14 February) and last for six days (but not Sunday). The Mayor of King’s Lynn is accompanied by great civic pomp and is supported by Mayors and Chairmen of councils from far and wide, the High Sheriff of Norfolk, the Bishop of Lynn and many other guests and dignitaries especially from the national and regional showmen’s guild. I rode on the dodgems and the ghost train and failed to win any prizes at hoopla.

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King’s Lynn has an interesting role in the history of fairs in Britain including the development of the carousel with a central steam engine, and the first public cinematograph. The Mart is said to be the oldest in Britain (if its precursor under a 2001 charter of King John is included) and also the earliest in the showmen’s calendar.

Family Sports Day

The City Council’s Sports Participation Team organised a Family Sports Day held in the various sports and dance facilities at Netherhall School.

Activities included: Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Short Tennis, Bowls, Tramplining and dance based exercises with babies and toddlers.

Cam Sight Centenary Concert

The Friends of Cam Sight and Nigel Brown OBE presented an evening celebrating Cam Sight’s 100th Anniversary.

Cam Sight provide support for visually impaired people, their carers and families; employers and providers of public services. Cam Sight was founded in 1912 by Anna Lilley and Amelia Stace. It is supported by the help and generosity of highly valued volunteers. They are raising £500,000 for an ambitious project to transform their Green End Road premises into a Technology Centre whose aim is to boost the use that blind and partially sighted people make of technology, through demonstration, counselling, training, care and support.

The acclaimed Hungarian pianist Mateusz Borowick, with outstanding young wind soloists, and a talented string and wind orchestra (including Nigel at the back of the second violins), performed an all Mozart programme comprised of Piano Concerto No 15 in B flat K450, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K297b, and Quintet for piano and wind instruments in E flat K452. The soloists were Katie Bennington (oboe), Anna Hashimoto (clarinet), Emma Whitney (horn) and Nina Ashton (bassoon). The conductor was Mike Thorne, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University.

It was a wonderful evening of some of the most felicitous and sublime music ever written. It was made all the better by various degrees of familiarity: while at school more than fifty years ago I had the temerity to try to play the piano part of the quintet with wind playing friends.