On 21st March, County Councillors voted to approve the submission of the GCP's C2C Busway scheme to the Department of Work and Transport. This wa not unexpected, though still hugely disappointing. It was particularly frustrating that, in the meeting, the GCP completely failed to engage with any of our arguments, resorting to emotive and completely unsubtantiated  pronouncements such as 'children won't able get to school without the busway'.

But alongide the disappointment and frustration, we are enormously encouraged by the outpouring of public support in the run-up to the vote. Our petition numbers have surged by over a thousand a day, and our fighting fund is off to a flying start.

To repeat, and for the avoidance of any doubt, we wholly support the provision of good bus services and are keen to see fit-for-purpose transport solutions for Cambridge and the county. But it is absolutely clear that this scheme not only fails in both of these respects, but will also divert enormous amounts of funding that could be used for more effective projects.

A dramatic Wassail King presided over the first Wassail at Coton Orchard while his Queen and local revellers performed a rousing Wassail poem, specially written for the occasion. With music, dancing and mulled cider, the apple trees were given the traditional toast and blessing before pots and pans were banged to scare away the forces of darkness.

Wassailing is an Anglo-Saxon tradition that used to take place on Twelfth Night, now celebrated on 5th January. But before the Gregorian Calendar threw everything into disarray, ‘Old Twelvey’ fell on the 17th.

Wassail comes from the Anglo Saxon waes hael – ‘be well’ or ‘be in good health’. And so it was that people gathered in orchards to bless the fruit trees and drink a toast to ensure a good harvest. The celebrations took various forms, but most included a wassail king and queen, much singing and revelry, and making a loud noise to waken the trees and ward off evil spirits. As revellers sang, a piece of cider-soaked toast would be placed into the branches of the oldest or largest tree as an offering.

The wassail has seen an extraordinary revival in recent years.  It comes at a time when both the rich heritage and the extraordinary ecological value of traditional orchards are being recognised, and may also be something to do with a growing desire to reconnect with nature and with our agrarian roots.

With first Coton Orchard Wassail, a new village tradition has been established. And, like the 'Wassail words' of the penultimate verse, the poem has already been passed around and adopted by The Orchard Project wassail and others.

With the GCP preparing to submit its proposal for its C2C Busway Scheme to the Department of Transport,the Coton Busway Action Group is moving into a higher gear. Together with Cambridge Past, Present and Future and other groups, we are now stepping up our campaign to raise public awareness, keep up pressure on decision makers and raise the funds for independent experts and legal professionals to be able to present the case at the Public Inquiry in 2023.

With a new logo, a new website and Twitter account, we are relaunching our campaign to ensure Cambridge gets a better solution.  Our relaunch coincides with the launch of the CPPF petition – and we're asking all supporters to sign as soon as possible and help us get off to a flying start.

Check back for regular updates!