Friends of the Cam co-founder stands for Chancellor of Cambridge University
One of the co-founders of Friends of the Cam, Tony Booth, stood for Chancellor of Cambridge University (Film explaining why here).
News and Events
Rob Larter on The changing West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its implications for East Anglia
We were pleased to host Rob Larter on May 21st 2025, who spoke about how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet change is the largest source of uncertainty in future sea-level rise predictions and how accelerating sea-level rise impacts coastal erosion and the risk of coastal flooding events around East Anglia. A copy of Rob's slides can be found here. He highlighted how a relatively small rise in sea level has a disproportionate effect on the recurrence interval of extreme high wate
Challenging the Cambridge Growth Company
The Federation of Cambridge Residents' Associations (FeCRA) hosted Peter Freeman, Chair of the Government’s new ‘Cambridge Growth Company’, to explain what his vision for the growth of Cambridge means for its infrastructure, water and housing, and this was an opportunity for us to question him directly. Friends of the Cam challenged the appropriateness of growth in our dry, increasingly hot, and water stressed region, which is also threatened by flooding from sea level rise.
Challenging the Growth Machine in Cambridge
The Financial Times' 'long read' ‘Can Cambridge be a model for kick-starting the British economy?' featured Friends of the Cam steering group member Wendy Blythe stressing the problems that the growth proposals will cause for the river and local communties.
Challenging the Fixed Bus Way through Coton Orchard
Friends of the Cam are objecting to the plan to build a costly, unnecessary, fixed dedicated bus route from Cambridge (Grange Road) to Cambourne, via Coton, destroying a traditional orchard of national importance in the process. Friends of the Cam presented evidence to the Inquiry on September 30th. The case for the busway is being made by local County and District Councils, and the Greater Cambridge Partnership.
March for Clean Water, Sunday 3rd November
Friends of the Cam is a member of the coalition organising The March for Clean Water. We joined other groups from Cambridge and across the country on Sunday November 3rd to demand clean, plentiful and healthy water in our rivers and seas for all species, including humans, and to end the profit driven pollution which drives water companies.
Latest action demanding that Anglian Water stops polluting our rivers
On Friday 13 September, Friends of the Cam and XR staged an action against Anglian Water dumping sewage in local rivers, prompting the water company to state they had heard the message “loud and clear”. This was followed on the 14th by an afternoon of outreach and family fun on Jesus Green, demanding that Anglian Water #ActNow to stop polluting our rivers.
A Meeting of Rivers
Friends of the Cam is one of four groups working on the “Meeting of Rivers” programme. Its inaugural workshop was co-hosted by the Friends of the Cam on the 19th and 20th of September at St Lukes Church, Cambridge. A report was published in the Cambridge Independent here.
Friends of the Cam stand in solidarity with Friends of Paradise
A planning Inquiry Inspector overrode the unanimous decision of Cambridge City Council and the objections of thousands of residents to allow Queens’ College to develop in the garden of Owlstone Croft, up to the boundary of Paradise Nature Reserve. Friends of Paradise has applied to challenge this decision through a judicial review. Unfortunately, the Judge has refused Friends of Paradise a hearing for a Judicial Review.
Friends of the Cam in solidarity with Save Honey Hill as they decide not to pursue legal challenge
Although the Government approved a plan to move Anglian Water's sewage plant to Green Belt on the outskirts of Cambridge, overriding the clear recommendation from the Government’s own independent planning inspectors that the project should not be given consent, it has since withdrawn the promise of £277 million pounds to effect the move, citing spiralling costs. Anglian Water is now refusing permission for developments in Cambridge, even though the relocated site was not designed to provide extra capacity.