Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, UK
info@capitalofthefens.org.uk

Hidden Gems, Culture Focus

Promoting local organisations, projects and people

(Articles previously printed in the Fenland Citizen)

Wisbech Shopping Variety

As a market town Wisbech has always been a central place to shop for the townspeople and the surrounding villages, and presumably also to sell – I’m enjoying reading stories of strawberry picking at this time of year, and I wonder if they were sold locally as well as taken away to sell in larger …

Library ‘Engage’ Events

The library is of course a source of information on all things, but did you know they run regular activities and events? You can find something to suit everyone. I went along to one of their “Engage” events today, always the last Thursday morning of the month. Today’s Engage was with Diane Calton Smith, a …

Promoting Wisbech’s Independent Shops

A while ago a young reporter from Cambridge came to Wisbech and recorded his thoughts – mostly negative ones – as a Facebook video stream. I responded to him there and then, but it pushed me to get all these columns I’ve been writing off the printed page and onto the internet so I can …

Fenland Artists/Makers

Having recently spent time talking to people about how they came to Wisbech and what they see for its future, I am encouraged by the positive attitude and the community spirit. I’ve also noticed just how often those who do not live here, and only read the negative press, are surprised by how many interesting …

Play2Day

I finally got round to visiting Play2Day at Guyhirn. I took a group of teenagers for a game of Lazer-Tag and it was brilliant! A couple of parents played too, and while we thought 10 minutes wasn’t very long, it is actually plenty long enough when you’re chasing, hiding from, and shooting lazers at, the …

Centre of Heritage

As readers may already have noticed, I’m as keen on heritage places as I am about community groups and indie retailers. I think combining these are what makes a place vibrant. The history of a place and its buildings are a great resource for understanding the local area and so feeling a part of it. …

Blooming Bikes

We must all have seen the beautiful flowers throughout the town – if you haven’t yet, do pop in just for this spectacular display. It’s a culmination of Wisbech in Bloom’s work throughout the year to grow and plant displays for the Anglia in Bloom regional competition. This year, Wisbech is being judged for both …

Wisbech in Bloom

We must all have seen the beautiful flowers throughout the town – if you haven’t yet, do pop in just for this spectacular display. It’s a culmination of Wisbech in Bloom’s work throughout the year to grow and plant displays for the Anglia in Bloom regional competition. This year, Wisbech is being judged for both …

1 June 2018

Wisbech has a fantastic selection of independent retailers. Market Street in particular has a few and some of them are moving around! Sarah’s Flowers is a local success story, 3 years in one shop (with many years experience before setting up on her own) Sarah is already expanding into new premises, congratulations to her and …

Community Groups, Heritage and those who work for themselves

As we approach the end of the year, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve seen achieved by the community groups I’ve met, and also what I’ve been doing. With this column I wanted to champion the hidden gems with a focus on heritage, community and those who work for themselves in the creative sector. I’ve …