The survey, carried out by Local Data Company, found that at the end of December, only one shop in twenty in the city remained unused. The exact proportion of retail units standing empty – 6.4% – was almost 2% lower than that of any other major town or city across Britain.

The average retail vacancy rate overall for the UK was found to be 14.3%; with Cambridge joining the likes of Salisbury, York, Exeter and St Albans as the large towns or cities with the least unclaimed shop vacancies.

Meanwhile, the same survey identified the nearby market town of Ely as also having fared extremely well in terms of lack of shop vacancies; with just 4% of its retail units not being used – the fifth-lowest among all towns and cities of any size in the East of England region.

Commenting on the report, Barry Robinson, the vice-chairman of the Cambridge Retail and Commercial Association, and managing director of the Millers Music Centre store in the city, said that the city was ‘an exceptional place’; adding that:

“Cambridge is performing somewhat better than other places from what I’m finding from other people in our industry”.

The findings of the new survey are consistent with those of a report produced last year by the Centre for Cities group, which identified Cambridge as being in the strongest position to spearhead economic recovery for the UK as a whole.

The popular Portugal Place venue originally opened back in 1982, under the management of husband and wife team, Mario and Christine Castiglione. Today it is still run by Mr Castiglione along with his son, Vincent.

Being one of only a limited number of free houses to be found in the city centre, the pub is renowned for its choice of beers and cocktails. It is also however almost equally famous for its fine Italian and English cuisine.

Commenting on still running the pub successfully after thirty-years, Mr Castiglione said:

“At a time when many pubs are facing tough challenges, we are thriving, consistently attracting a lively mix of locals and students”.

Mr Castiglione said that the pub was, and still is, a particular favourite among Cambridge University Footlights and ADC theatre performers. Among the erstwhile Maypole regulars he remembers was a certain Mr David Mitchell; now, or course, a popular TV comedian and panellist.

The celebratory beer festival will run at the pub for a week from Monday 20th February, and will feature over 40 different ales; including some newly launched local brews.

In addition, the pub will be offering an anniversary cocktail, created specially by Mr Castiglione.

There will also be a charity auction at the pub, in aid of Shine, an organisation which offers assistance to those with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

Under the title ‘Breaking Boundaries’, this year’s festival will focus on the ways in which science and the related disciplines of mathematics, engineering and technology are now passing previously unreachable milestones.

The public are being invited to more than 180 events, most of which are free to attend; although there are some which do require pre-booking.

A whole series of evening lectures will as usual make up the more ‘adult’ side of the festival. There will however also be two open days, on 17th and 25th March, in which people of all ages will be able to participate in a variety of interactive activities.

The celebration of the 2012 London Olympics also bears its hallmark on the fact that some events at the festival will focus on the physiology and psychology of sport.

These same events have, furthermore, resulted in this year’s festival being presented with a special London 2012 Inspire award; meaning that the festival’s inspiration by the Olympics has been officially recognised by the London 2012 organisers.

As a special bonus the festival this year also welcomes a celebrated Guest Director in the person of comedian and science fan, Robin Ince. Robin will also be leading some of the sessions, including one intriguingly entitled ‘Robin Ince’s bad science book club’.

The award, which amounts to a total of £60 million to be shared with 15 other winning museum bodies over the three years, was granted following a bid described by the Arts Council England as ‘outstanding’ in all the latter’s five main assessment criteria.

Led by the celebrated Fitzwilliam Museum, the joint bid emphasised the UCM’s desire to reveal the museums’ many treasures and research documents to a wider and more diverse public.

Commenting on the successful bid, which has also led to the UCM being honoured as a ‘Renaissance Major partner’, the regional director, East, of the Arts Council England, Helen Lax, said that the UCM comprised an ‘exceptional group of museums’ which boasted ‘excellent collections, research and scholarship’.

Only recently, three of the UCM museums hosted highly successful and critically acclaimed exhibitions: the Fitzwilliam with its Vermeer’s Women exhibition, the highest attended exhibition it has ever held; Kettle’s Yard with its Bridget Riley exhibition; and the Polar Museum with its exhibition to commemorate 100 years since Captain Scott’s fateful journey to the South Pole.

The five other celebrated UCM institutes are: the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences; the University Museum of Zoology; the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology; the Whipple Museum of the History of Science; and the Museum of Classical Archaeology.

The black-furred creature is currently believed to mainly inhabit parts of Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

As well as having the pleasure of witnessing a rare natural phenomenon, residents and visitors who manage to spot the creature will also have the satisfaction of being able to assist in important scientific work.

The Department of Life Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University is conducting a study to monitor the spread of the black squirrel, and has set up the Black Squirrel Project website to enable people to report their findings.

“It would be great if as many people as possible can visit the website and submit their sightings”, said lecturer with the department, Helen McRobie.

The black squirrel is in fact a genetic variant of the more common grey squirrel. The rare creature has its origins in North America and was first sighted in the UK back in 1912.

The university researchers say they know that numbers have increased over the years and that the geographical spread of the creatures has also widened at a rate of ‘approximately 50 miles in the last 100 years’ or ‘half a mile a year’.

The team now wish to build a clearer picture of black squirrel locations; and to use this data to also try and help explain the successful proliferation in the UK of the grey squirrel family in general.

Davies, now mostly well-known as a regular panellist on the light-hearted quiz show, QI; and for his acclaimed role as the eponymous magician-cum-detective in the TV series, Jonathan Creek; has his roots very much in stand-up comedy.

His appearance at the Corn Exchange however will be part of his first UK stand-up tour for 12 years, and follows on from his recent successful stand-up tour in Australia.

Entitled ‘Life Is Pain’, the show will take place at the Corn Exchange on Tuesday 6th November.

Earlier in the year, the theatre will play host to a comedian of a different ilk, Rhys Darby.

Famed for his role as Murray in the surreal cult TV classic, Flight of the Conchords, Darby has been described by US comic actor, Jim Carrey, as ‘absolutely brilliant’; and as having ‘that Peter Sellers madness inside him’.

Darby’s hilarious set will draw on a lifetime of his own vivid and weird and wonderful experiences; and ties in with the launch of his debut novel, This Way to Spaceship – described, intriguingly, as ‘a handy autobiographical end of world companion’.

Expect plenty of tongue-in-cheek comment regarding a supposed conspiracy by the powers-that-be to escape in a spaceship, should the world come to an end later this year.

Hopefully, though, this predicted ‘end of the world’ will not happen before Darby’s Corn Exchange appearance on Friday 13th July.

The scary aliens from the Doctor Who TV series, famed for their ruthless cry of ‘exterminate’, and for sending generations of children scurrying behind the sofa, are set to patrol Royston town centre on 29th September as part of the festival’s series of events.

These Daleks, however, despite their fearsome appearance, will really have a heart of gold beneath their metallic shells; they will be collecting for the Royston and South Cambridgeshire Home-Start charity.

The Daleks are also planning to show off their sensitive, artistic side by taking part in a singing competition specially created for their unique voices: The X-terminate Factor.

The public – if they dare – will also be able to address the Daleks during specially arranged question and answer sessions at the Festival.

Commenting on the planned appearance by the Daleks, chairman of the Royston Arts Festival, Graham Palmer, said:

“This is really something different and we hope it captures people’s imagination as the adventures of the Daleks and Doctor Who cover several generations”.

The festival organisers are also reported to be trying to persuade other monsters from Doctor Who to come along for the fun.

The festival itself is still very much at the planning stage; but there is much anticipation given Mr Palmer’s comment that a combination of sponsorship and a ‘three-year support deal’ with Johnson Matthey plc. ‘has meant we can be more ambitious’.

The festival, which takes place at Mill Hill Field, Grange Farm, at Abbots Ripton in Huntingdon between Thursday 19th and Sunday 22nd July, has been officially given the go-ahead by the local district council to increase visitor capacity to the site from 26,000 to 32,000; a rise of nearly 25%.

Last year, the festival attracted to its stage top acts including Blondie, Leftfield, I Am Kloot, and the legendary Martha Reeves and The Vandellas

Although the full line-up for the festival has yet to be announced, the organisers have already confirmed that electronic dance music giants, Orbital will headline on the Saturday night.

As well as being famed for its great music, however, the festival – which has been a regular annual feature in the area since 2004 – is also treasured among fans for its diverse mix of other family-friendly entertainments and activities; including cookery demonstrations, theatrical presentations, parades and games.

The event is known to be as popular among local villagers as it is for those visiting from elsewhere; and, in both 2005 and 2008, the Secret Garden Party was granted the award for ‘Best Small Festival’ by the UK festivals organisation.

Ticket prices for the event, which takes place in the grounds of Abbots Ripton hall, the residence of Lord de Ramsey, are already on sale, starting at £165.

Taking to the stage on Thursday 12th July will be one of the hottest new chart properties, Ed Sheeran.

Critically acclaimed for his ground-breaking, number one album, +, and his hugely successful singles, The A Team, Lego House, and You Need Me, Sheeran’s appearance at Thetford Forest will have the added distinction of being the 19-year-old singer-songwriter’s only gig in East Anglia this year.

Commenting on his forthcoming appearance, Sheeran said: “I can’t wait to get on stage amongst the trees and perform in such a unique place”.

In contrast, on the following day, Friday 13th July, tenor Alfie Boe, will also be making his debut appearance on the Thetford Forest stage.

Boasting two platinum-selling albums, several memorable concert performances, and considerable success on the London stage with Les Miserables – and on Broadway with La Boheme – Boe’s presence at the forest venue is sure to attract a large and enthusiastic crowd.

Like Sheeran, Boe himself said he was particularly looking forward to the concert:

“It is going to be a real privilege to perform at such prestigious outdoor venues with beautiful trees as backgrounds”, he said.

Meanwhile, Thetford Forest’s Music Series has, in addition, already confirmed performances this summer from Plan B, Will Young, and The Darkness.

Brendan Cole, who has accompanied the likes of Lisa Snowdon and Natasha Kaplinsky in the popular celebrity TV dance competition, will be demonstrating some brilliant and complex dance moves in his show – part of the star’s Live and Unjudged tour – all of which will be served up with his trademark sense of fun and humour.

Joining Brendan on stage will be a 14-piece band, playing a range of well-known classics made famous by performers such as Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson.

There will also be guest appearances from some very special friends, who will be helping Brendan perform popular steps such as the Tango, the Jive, the Quickstep, and – of course – the Paso Doble.

Among Brendan’s special guests will be his former dance colleagues from the Strictly Come Dancing TV show: Nicole Cutler, Hanna Haarala, Izabela Hanna, and Andrew Cuerden; as well as his brother, professional dancer Scott Cole.

Audience members at the show might even be in for some extra entertainment since Scott has promised to spill the beans on what Brendan is ‘really’ like.

With the audience promised a more intimate glimpse of Brendan’s talent as a dancer than is often possible in the Strictly arena, the evening’s performance is expected to be one of the highlight’s of the Corn Exchange’s winter season.