The not for profit community business aims to restore access to everyday services while providing a welcoming space that supports village life. All profits generated by the hub will be reinvested back into the local community.

The hub is located in a cabin within the car park of the Wilburton Flame pub and restaurant and is open 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday.

Bill Hunt, district councillor for the Stretham Ward which includes Wilburton, said:

“The new hub offers residents and passing motorists a service that has been lacking in the village since Covid.
East Cambridgeshire District Council was delighted to be able to provide a £7,000 grant to help get plans off the ground, and it has been a pleasure to attend the opening ceremony and see those plans come to fruition.”

The hub officially opened its doors on Monday 12 January 2026, with representatives from organisations and groups who supported the project attending the opening.

John Attrill, a member of the community hub management committee, said:

“As a community business, all profits will be returning to the village, making this a fantastic asset to the community in more ways than one.

We have been aided by donations and grants, with wonderful support from the Plunkett Foundation, who support community businesses nationwide, a grant from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, as well as funding from East Cambridgeshire District Council.

We truly appreciate the support we have received and look forward to serving our village and the wider community.”

The opening of the hub marks an important step in strengthening community connection in Wilburton and ensuring essential services remain accessible for residents and visitors alike.

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Although it was a frosty start to the morning, the pitch at Ely Outdoor Sports Association soon thawed and with Young Leaders from Ely College refereeing, matches got underway.  Split into two groups, the teams from Ely St John’s Community Primary School, Ely St Mary’s C of E Junior School, Isle of Ely Primary School, Isleham C of E Primary School, Mepal and Witcham C of E Primary School and Wilburton C of E Primary School played matches against all the schools in their group.  In the semi finals Ely St John’s played Isleham 2s and Ely St Mary’s played Isleham1s. In a closely contested final, Isleham 1s beat Ely St John’s to win the tournament cup.

As well as medals being given to the winning team, one player from each team was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’ for showing great team spirit and sportsmanship.

Caroline Morton of ActivePlay Education said ‘It was fantastic to see so many teams taking part in the tournament and the children really enjoying playing Tag Rugby.  With 3 girls having to be on pitch at any one time, it was great to see both boys and girls working together as a team. There was some really skilful play.’

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Wilburton Beer Festival is the longest running festival of its kind in the Fen area, taking place within the beautiful natural setting of our oak tree encircled village green, overlooked by an Elizabethan Manor, on the weekend closest to the summer solstice. The committee has been working hard over the last few years to make sure that we enjoy the outdoor setting whilst being as green as we can be. Recycling and reusing wherever possible, and stopping single use plastics.

Following the success of last year, the programme will be running on Friday 23rd and Saturday the 24th of June.

We will be celebrating our shared way of life with a selection of beers and ciders from the local region, and hope you will join us again this year. The Wilburton beer festival committee has been hard at work sampling, with over 60 beers and ciders now planned for inclusion! You can expect to find all your old favourites, but also to discover some new ones.

Wilburton Beer Festival has always been an event for the whole family. Wrist bands for the kids give them unlimited play time on a range of outdoor activities. We are planning for the usual bouncy entertainment on both days – with children able to come and join the fun straight from school on the opening Friday.

The very best of local produce will be on offer, with a range of great food provided by local businesses. This year we will have Al Chile Mexican Street Food, Zapiekanki – Polish Street Food, Pizza Passione, Caipira Brazilian, Scotties Scotch Eggs, Hill Farm Ice Cream and the ever-loved Scout group BBQ and Chile! As always, the music will come from bands living in the local region.

Headline bands are already booked with The Casuals headlining on Friday night and Blue Thunder, Sabertooth Timmy and Max Headroom filling the dancefloor on Saturday.

It’s going to be another party to remember, with all profits going to great causes. We hope to see you there!

Press release from Wilburton Beer Festival

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The Harbour School, in Wilburton, near Ely, caters for a full role of 89 boys with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs from Year 2 to Year 11, under the leadership of Mrs Lise Sugden, who joined the school in September 2019.

Upon joining CMAT in January of this year, the school became the second educational provision to look after pupils with Special Educational Needs, following Martin Bacon Academy, in Northstowe, who joined in 2020.

Headteacher Lise praised the pupils and staff for the way they have reacted to the national lockdown and said the new partnership with CMAT was already realising a range of benefits with lots more positivity to look ahead to.

Lise said: “The impact of joining CMAT could be seen immediately at the start of the term with investment in our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) allowing us to support any remote education we needed to take place during lockdown. We also have plans to help future-proof the school’s infrastructure and facilities including a new school roof.

“We have managed to keep the school open throughout the lockdown, due to the needs of our pupils, and our staff have been integrated into the Trust with introductory meetings with colleagues in CMAT’s other schools. This peer-to-peer learning and sharing of experiences will be a big advantage for our staff.”

CMAT runs 17 schools in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. These include Ely College and Downham Feoffees Primary Academy. Ely College, who joined the Trust in 2016 in Special Measures, was rated as Good with Outstanding Leadership and Management last year, a real source of pride for the local community.

Lise added: “It has been a busy and productive term all round. We had a monitoring visit from Ofsted held remotely which went very well. We have even introduced a new puppy in to the school, with Guss the Cockapoo visiting twice a week. The pupils really love having him here.

“Outside of educational lesson time, the pupils really enjoy getting active and we get them involved in a variety of sports including cycling, canoeing and fishing.”

Lise said: “the school was well supported by the local community, with Cambridge taxi company CamCab donating six laptop computers for the school to use when the country went into lockdown. The school regularly use CamCab to look after pupils who need support travelling from their home to the school site.”

Executive Director of SENDV at CMAT Mary Rayner is herself a former headteacher at The Harbour School.

Press release from Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT)

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Wilburton Theatre Group proudly presents a Noda production of Beauty and the Beast, so come and cheer on this great cast by singing loudly and enjoying yourself.

Fairy Rose tells the story of a nasty King called Jasper who is trying to take over Cabaret. The annoying traffic wardens who work for King Jasper are interfering in the lives of the villagers who live in Cabaret. They steal their horse Gigi but will she escape the cooking pot and will they stay loyal to the king?

The Bonbon kids are trying to find a new dad for their mum Widow Bonbon. The love interest of Dr Tootle arrives on the scene, but can he charm her with his karaoke candy.
Dr Tootles daughter Bonnie is enticed by the King’s charms but starts to fall for The Beast who isn’t as beastly as he seems.

Will the villagers prevail in defeating King Jasper or will Cabaret be plunged into darkness forever?

Tickets won’t last long so get yours before the last petal falls…

Dates: 5th, 6th & 7th December

Times: Starts 7.30pm / Saturday 2.30pm & 7.30pm

Venue: St Peters Hall, Wilburton, CB6 3RB

Tickets: Adults £8 / Concessions £6 Family £24 (2 Adults & 2 Children) / Group Discounts Available

Booking: Wilburton Post Office or at https://www.wilburtontheatregroup.com/box-office

Press release from Wilburton Theatre Group

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The Wilburton Beer Festival team are making last minute preparations for their 21st Charity Festival this coming weekend (22nd and 23rd June).

Highlights include a selection of over 50 craft Beers and Ciders, Pimms, Prosecco, a Gin tent and an incredible band line up including Special Groove, Blue Thunder and Sabretooth Timmy.

The family festival will provide lots of fun for children including inflatables, zorb balls, trampolines, face painting and much more.

In addition to all this there will be a wide range of food vendors, stalls and attractions.

For more information please visit www.wilburtonbeerfestival.org

Press release from Wilburton Beer Festival

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