The 29-year-old sales consultant from Cambridge will be competing in the 13.1-mile race on Sunday 17th October in memory of his late grandmother Marina.

Damien is aiming to raise £500 for the charity, which supports end-of-life care for more than 4,100 people in Cambridgeshire every year who are living with an advanced serious illness or other life-limiting condition.

He has so far raised £222, thanks to donations from friends, family members and colleagues at Peterborough-based Vistry East Midlands, part of Vistry Group which comprises Linden Homes, Bovis Homes and Vistry Partnerships.

Damien, who is currently based at Linden Homes’ Laithwaite Gardens development in Sutton, said: “This hospice is close to my heart as my late grandma received care from them towards the end of her life. I was inspired to run this half marathon in memory of her and to raise funds for such a crucial local charity which relies on donations to continue providing the services they do.

“The work the staff do at the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is admirable and, as I’ve seen what they can do for people first-hand, picking this charity was an easy decision to make and I am honoured to be raising awareness of its cause.

“I also wanted to set myself the personal challenge of running a half marathon, as I’ve never run this distance before despite being a sporty person. Some of my friends are also taking part, so I’m looking forward to us taking on the challenge together.

“I’m grateful to my colleagues at Vistry East Midlands who have fully backed my efforts and have been so supportive with their donations to my fundraising total, and I’m hoping more people will also be prepared to do so.”

The TTP Cambridge Half Marathon, which is usually held in the spring, will be marking its 10th Anniversary when it takes to the streets of the city in October.

In celebration of this milestone, organisers have teamed up with Muscular Dystrophy UK to hold The Cambridge Festival of Running the day before (Saturday 16th October), in which the Town and Gown 10k and junior 3k races will be taking place.

Nic Chapman, sales and marketing director for Vistry East Midlands, said: “We are proud of Damien for taking on this half marathon to raise money for the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, a vital local hospice which provides support for so many families across Cambridgeshire every year.

“Setting yourself a challenge like this is not easy and takes a lot of preparation, so we look forward to cheering Damien on every mile of the way and celebrating with him at the finish line.”

To donate to Damien’s fundraising total, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/damien-crosby.

For more information about the new homes being built by Vistry East Midlands, visit bovishomes.co.uk and lindenhomes.co.uk/eastmidlands.

Press release from Vistry East Midlands

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To further our application we need supporters to like our project page by the 7th July. Projects receive 1 point for every like or share and 10 points when someone donates. When public supporting ends on 7th July, projects with the highest scores from each funding category will go through to the finals. Please help us to become a finalist.  Follow the below link to see what our young people have to say and to register your vote.  

Can you help 1st Sutton Scouts to deliver a recreational space for young people of the village and local community groups?   

https://communityfund.calor.co.uk/scouts-community-activity-recreation-field-fund

1st Sutton Scout Hut Squad have worked hard for a number of years to provide a secure future for our ever growing group of young people.   Ultimately we aim to provide a purpose built safe and welcoming environment for both the Scouting family in the District and the wider community who are looking for facilities in our beautiful rural idyll.

Having secured planning permission for the building we are now forging on to purchase adjacent land to be able to offer outdoor recreation facilities which will appeal to all young people but will increasingly appeal to our teenage members and thus encourage longer term commitment to Scouting, giving us better opportunity to support young people in developing skills for life.

Quarter Master Ben, “is excited to be able to bring kit out of storage to be utilised by the group and the wider community such as our archery – which not only is hugely popular with our young people but helps to engage with families on open days.”

Group Scout Leader Ali Wells points out that, “Scouts have an expectation of camping, and we want to be able to offer this opportunity without the children and their families having to leave the County.  This land purchase would enable us to offer local nights away benefitting not only our group but also the wider district of Scouting in Ely.   Additionally, having lost local facilities we can open up the facilities to school groups for DofE practice and forest schooling.”

For further information about Scouting in Sutton please email sutton@elydistrictscouts.org.uk

Press release from 1st Sutton Scout Group

The post Sutton Scouts Get Active with Calor Rural Community Fund appeared first on Spotted in Ely.

Two Cambridgeshire charities, Lighthouse Ely and Sutton Parish Council, have received a welcome and timely boost towards their support for older and vulnerable individuals this winter, thanks to a donation from Hopkins Homes.

Hopkins Homes donated the money to support the charity’s work through its Hopkins Charitable Fund – a half a million-pound fund distributed to charities and community groups across Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire, over the course of five years.

Sutton Parish Council, which is working in collaboration with the Sutton Timebank and Sutton Helping Hands community organisations, distributed the £2,500 it received from the fund to help those in self-isolation with shopping, post office trips and picking up prescriptions, particularly vital during these shorter days and longer nights.

Lighthouse Ely similarly received over £4,300 from the fund to go towards the cost of a dedicated coordinator, who will oversee a program which connects local volunteers with 100 elderly people to tackle the issues of isolation, medicine and food delivery.

Joshua Hopkins, of the Hopkins Charitable Fund, said: “Staying at home at the moment is the right thing to do to ensure that members of our communities who are most at risk are kept safe, particularly in these colder months, however for vulnerable people this can lead to feelings of loneliness and negatively impact their mental health. 

“The ongoing pandemic has intensified these issues and it highlights the need for this vital work in our society. The money from the grants will help fund the ongoing delivery of contact and specialist support to those who need it most.

“Hopkins Homes has been part of the East Anglian landscape for over three decades and we are committed to leaving a positive legacy on our built environment to enhance the Cambridgeshire community we are part of. We are delighted to have been able to offer support and look forward to hearing more about the extraordinary things these organisations in Sutton and Ely are doing in the future.”

The coronavirus outbreak brought new challenges for the two charities and staff needed to quickly adapt to the sudden change. Most noticeable was a significant increase in people needing to access the services both charities provide.

Rosie Hughes, Parish Clerk at Sutton Parish Council, said: “The donation from Hopkins Homes is a fantastic, well needed contribution and helps us deliver vital support to older people who feel acutely vulnerable, especially at the moment.

“When lockdown hit, Sutton Time Bank had only been operational for less than a month and needed to urgently rethink how it delivered the service to ensure the safety of staff and service users. Throughout lockdown the group has maintained daily contact, either by telephone or doorstep visits and successfully delivered essential groceries and prescriptions.”

Giles Cornell, Senior Pastor at Lighthouse Ely, said: “At Lighthouse Ely, we help older and vulnerable people with a range of services, such as a friendly phone call, food delivery, prescription pick up and an occasional hot meal to keep the community fighting fit in these cold winter months.”

“We are so grateful for this crucial support from Hopkins Homes which helps members of our community who would otherwise feel forgotten about and isolated.”

Hopkins Charitable Fund is working with the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation through its coronavirus fund to support charities and community organisations in the county.

For more information about Hopkins Homes please visit www.hopkinshomes.co.uk 

Press release from Hopkins Homes

The post Cambridgeshire Charities Receive Vital Funding from Hopkins Homes’ Charitable Fund appeared first on Spotted in Ely.

The Tony Robinson 10km and 2.5km Family Fun Run

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak this year the official Sutton Beast race which was due to be on Sunday 7th June has been postponed to June 2021.

The Sutton Beast are therefore giving the chance for runners to create their own version of a virtual beast race, using a route local to them, so they can earn one of our medals. 

Runners can enter either for the 10km distance or a 2.5km Family Fun Run and we encourage people to find a route that’s at least 25% of trial or cross country in the style of the fen based race. 

Some of the money raised from entry fees of the virtual event will go towards NHS Charities Together and CPSL Mind Charity.

Runners have from Friday 1st May to Sunday 7th June to enter the event.

Full entry information can be found on our website  www.suttonbeast.com

Press release from Sutton Beast Organisers

The post The Virtual Sutton Beast 2020 appeared first on Spotted in Ely.

Held in the 14th Century St Andrews Church, Sutton Beer Festival started in 2008 as a way of raising much needed funds for the village church.

The 13th and 14th March sees our first Spring Festival. So far there have been 12 summer festivals and 5 winter ones.

This time we will see some new names in beers not seen before at Sutton along with our usual selection of ciders including a mulled one. There will also be the usual array of home cooked food. Following the success of last summer we will also see the return of our Ely Gin Bar.

Entry to Friday and Saturday evening sessions is £3 with live music from 8pm, Festival glasses are £2 each.

A family session will take place on Saturday from 12-5pm with free entry. A bouncy castle for the children along with soft play for the under 5’s.

All proceeds to church funds.

Press release from Sutton Beer Festival

The post Sutton Spring Beer Festival appeared first on Spotted in Ely.

Sutton Scout group received over £200 from the Ely Archers after their annual fundraising raffle.

Every November Ely Archers hold their annual Portsmouth archery competition; in which archers attend from numerous counties.

Every year, the club also hold a prize raffle, with funds being raised for a chosen charity.

Sutton Scout Group were proposed as the nominated charity, by the late Ely Archer Club Chair, Steve Johnson; who sadly passed away last October.

Last Friday, several Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Scout leaders joined Ely Archers for a have-a-go archery session, before being presented with the cheque. These funds will be put towards the groups ongoing fundraising for a new venue.

Pictured is the presentation of the cheque by Maggie Johnson, with members of Ely Archers and the Sutton Scout group.

Press release from Ely Archers

The post Scouts Receive Generous Donation from The Archers appeared first on Spotted in Ely.

1st Sutton Scouts have once again spread festive cheer through fenland villages raising spirits and much needed funds for their new hut appeal.

Villagers old and young from Haddenham, Witchford and Sutton were delighted with the vision the group created and thrilled to chat with Santa and be treated with specially made reindeer’s noses. The sleigh also surprised customers at Morrison’s supermarket in St Ives, where a further £190 was raised and Santa was treated to mince pies and gingerbread.

People’s generosity, including a £250 donation from Haddenham Steam Rally, £100 from Mr P Veal and a special village Yuletide collection, brings the sleigh fundraising to an astonishing £1275.68, taking this years fundraising past the £10,000 mark.

The group has a target of £120,000 to raise to complete phase one of the build and support this year brings our total to a fantastic £40,000.

Sutton Scouts leader Ali Wells states, “your contribution to this makes such a difference to the young people of this growing community, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed bringing you this special visit – we can’t thank you enough for supporting this and our other events throughout the year.”

This year saw us reach a milestone with Planning Permission being granted.  Our next steps in 2020 include applying for building regulations, buying additional land next to the hut so our young people can do more outdoor activities and occasional camps and focussing on applying for grants.

Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraising campaign can do so at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/1stsuttoncambridgeshirescoutgroup

For further information about Scouting in Sutton please contact:  sutton@elydistrictscouts.org.uk

1st Sutton (Cambs) Scout Group would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2020.

Press release from 1st Sutton Scout Group

The post Scout’s Santa Brings Joy To Fen Villages appeared first on Spotted in Ely.