You can view and print out a copy here:

PDF of local footpaths

Girlguiding Toft District is calling on residents of the Coton area to give some time to allow local girls and young women to enjoy a wide range of exciting activities, as well as acquire new skills and experiences themselves.

Coton Brownies are on the hunt for more adults to come forward and help to run their fun and exciting meetings. The Brownie group meets weekly during term-time in the village and there are currently 7 girls who enjoy taking part in fun and adventure during their meetings. They are looking for a few more adults who would be willing to spend a few hours a week offering new experiences to local girls.
The Brownies group offers the girls, all aged 7-10, a space where they can come along, make new friends, take part in challenges, games and a variety of exciting activities, which are chosen by the girls themselves. Recently the group have designed some Olympic themed sportswear and taken part in a circus skills workshop, learning how to juggle and spin plates!

To find out more about joining guiding as an adult volunteer or a girl or young woman aged 5-25, please call our friendly County Office staff on 01223 813917 or e-mail toftdistrictguides@hotmail.co.uk

I knew Dot for only a short time but I warmed to her immediately and I was sorry to hear today that she has died. She was a long term Coton resident who gave many years of service to the village including in the Women’s Institute, as Clerk to the Parish Council and as a Parish Councillor.

The Local Plan is used to guide decisions on matters ranging from the location of housing, schools, parks and open spaces to the design requirements of new buildings. Policies in the Local Plan are used when decisions on planning applications are made.

Consultation on the South Cambridgeshire plan closes 28th September 2012.

Thanks to the hard work of our district councillor Francis Burkitt, and key people in each of the four local parish councils, we already have a joint vision The Quarter to Six Quadrant of how local people see the future of our villages. This will be used by the Parish Councils to respond, but may also be a useful resource for individuals to draw on.

Many thanks again, to all those who worked so hard for the Madlingley exchange to be upgraded early.

Coton Cricket Club’s magnificent “Jubilee Fun Day” will be held on Saturday June 2nd.

We’ll have a 20-20 cricket match, some delicious barbeque food and a range of beverages to suit every palate; plus additional entertainments for kids and even some bargains on sale. The venue is the Coton Rec and the event will get underway from 1pm.

Coton Cricket Club is always on the lookout for new members, so if you fancy playing cricket this Summer, get in touch and you’ll be sure of a warm welcome. Contact Club Secretary, Andy East, on andrew.east@cotonsports.co.uk. Check out the club’s website too: www.cotonsports.co.uk/cricket/home.html.

The Public Library housed in the Village College is under review.

People from Comberton and surrounding villages attended a consultation meeting in Comberton Village Hall on 25^th May and heard that the County Council will be encouraging greater community participation in the management and running of library services through volunteering and acting on Friends’ Groups and Community Management Boards.

The Library opened in 1960, and the 2010/11 library profile shows that the number of active borrowers (836) increased by 22% over the last 4 years and that 49% of all issues were of children’s books. An enthusiastic group of users from Comberton and surrounding villages want to keep the library open in the face of budget cuts and have been meeting regularly in the Library. There is now a Friends Group, a poster and publicity campaign including a presence on Facebook, and a blog http://friendsofcombertonlibrary.wordpress.com/ with minutes of the meetings to date and information about joining the group. The next FOCAL (Friends of Comberton Area Library) meeting is 24^th October. All welcome

The County Council Cabinet will discuss the future of the Library on 27 September 2011 and the Friends have been meeting with Parish, District and County Councillors to express their desire to maintain library services in the area and have had support and advice from Council and Library managers. The FOCAL Group welcomes further support.

• If you do not have a library card, consider registering, there are three computer terminals in the Library available to library members
• Join the Friends : we hope to arrange a programme of talks and events in the Autumn and are gathering ideas for the programme (if you know of a local author willing to visit please contact the group)
• Volunteer to support the library service by supporting existing activities such as the Doorstep Delivery service to the housebound or providing expertise in fundraising
• Attend Parish Council meetings if the Library is on the agenda, contact your councillors
• If you know of grants or funds supporting community projects let the Friends know FriendsofCombertonLibrary@gmail.com

There will be funding cuts but if the community takes more responsibility for the running of the library we should be able to retain it and improve what it can provide for local families and visitors.

Suzan Griffiths

Chair of FOCAL

NB The Women’s Institute launched a Love Your Libraries campaign in June, and recently set up an epetition. To login and sign use this link:  I, the undersigned, believe that libraries are an essential local educational and information resource….  http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1269