46 local residents met to hear Colin Chapman from Gloucestershire speak on The Poor Laws.  The Poor Law of 1601 formalised earlier poor relief measures in England.  It established a nationwide system of poor relief funded by local parishes through a mandatory “poor rate”.  This law aimed to address poverty and vagrancy, providing support for the “deserving poor” while also addressing the issue of the “idle poor”.  By 1600, attitudes to poverty started to soften and the government decided action was necessary, fearing that the growing number of poor people might gang together and start a rebellion, vagabonds and beggars might turn to crime and the poor might spread disease. …

Our April meeting was full of crafting and creativity. Our recent felting workshop had been a huge success and a fabulous array of felted Easter bunnies were proudly displayed by members who attended the workshop.  We also had the pleasure of welcoming Alison Moore of Cottenham W.I. as our guest speaker. Alison gave a delightful and engaging talk about her passion for dolls’ houses, bringing along a selection from her fascinating collection to share with us. Her journey into the miniature world began when one of her sons borrowed furniture from Alison’s childhood dolls’ house for a school project. Tasked with creating a Tudor house for a lesson on the…

Behind the ordinary front door of 186 Gwydir Street lies an extraordinary hand-painted interior. From 1886, this was the home of Victorian working-class decorative artist David Parr and his family. The house is a remarkable example of Arts and Crafts workmanship, layered with 20th-century social history. After being taken on as an apprentice, David Parr worked for F. R. Leach & Sons, a firm of artworkmen based on City Road in Cambridge. The firm was renowned across the country, working with many notable designers of the day, including George Frederick Bodley, William Morris, and Charles Eamer Kempe. F. R. Leach & Sons specialised in all aspects of church decoration, from…

We would like to wish our subscribers, advertisers, contributors and supporters a lovely Easter weekend ahead. Thank you for your ongoing support and for sharing your brilliant news, events and updates with us and our readers. Please also keep sending your updates and news to submit@overvillage.co.uk. Happy Easter!

New chair-based exercise sessions taking place at Over Sheltered Housing scheme communal space started running several months ago and still have a few spaces available. These activities are designed to support a development in strength and balance, as well as functional fitness in later years. The sessions are led by a qualified instructor with chair-based exercise experience and qualifications. Priority is given to residents of the sheltered housing scheme, all welcome – please do act quickly if you would like to participate. See attached poster for further information.

2025 marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War. Mark your diaries with two upcoming village events to commemorate this important date: May 8th: Beacon Lighting on the GreenLight refreshments provided from 20:30hrs. May 10th: ‘Street Party’ on the GreenThe ‘Street Party’ Picnic on the Green and Sports Day invitation is for Over residents. Get your team together to take part or support them with some flag waving. Tea and coffee available. Visit the links to find out more about both events.

At our March AGM, Chris Atkin was the guest speaker, sharing insights from his book Justas Well, It’s Not About the Bike, a playful nod to Lance Armstrong’s iconic memoir It’s NotAbout the Bike. In his book, Chris recounts his adventure of buying the cheapest bike he could find andembarking on a 1,300 km journey from Valencia to Gibraltar. Along the way, he cycledthrough some of Spain’s most picturesque towns, meeting a series of colourful characters,including a man who lived in a cave and an Airbnb host who confessed to strangling theprevious guest. Chris also shared fascinating bits of history about the places he visited,making for a talk that was…

At Over Village News, our small group of volunteers runs our community website and weekly email newsletter to keep our village and local community connected and informed. As we continue to grow, we are looking for someone with the skills to further support us with managing our WordPress platform.  Could you be the answer?  We are looking for: This is a volunteer position and you will be fully supported by our current WordPress Developer as well as by our friendly group of volunteers. If you think you could help, please send us an email at submit@overvillage.co.uk – we look forward to hearing from you.

Cambridgeshire County Council and The SUN Network are seeking individuals to help reshape services for older people and those with disabilities – can you help? Further details in the images below: