EastCambs

Community

Councils, advice services, volunteering and community groups that keep East Cambridgeshire’s towns and villages thriving.

In an emergency

Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger or there’s a crime in progress. For urgent medical help that isn’t an emergency, use NHS 111 online or call 111. To report a non-emergency crime, call 101 or visit Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

Local councils

East Cambridgeshire has three tiers of local government. The district council handles services such as bins, planning and housing; the county council runs roads, schools, libraries and social care; and city, town and parish councils look after local amenities and represent their communities.

  • East Cambridgeshire District Council

    Bins and recycling, planning, council tax, housing, licensing, parks and business support.

  • Cambridgeshire County Council

    Roads and transport, schools, libraries, adult social care, children’s services and public health.

  • City of Ely Council

    Ely’s city council, which runs The Maltings and local amenities in the city.

  • Soham Town Council

    Serving residents of Soham and Barway.

  • Burwell Parish Council

    Allotments, the cemetery, footpaths and village amenities in Burwell.

  • Littleport Town Council

    Local amenities and community facilities in Littleport.

  • Stretham Parish Council

    Parish council for Stretham, which also organises the annual Stretham Feast.

  • Other parish and town councils

    East Cambridgeshire District Council publishes contact details for every parish and town council in the district on its website.

  • Bottisham Parish Council

    Parish council for Bottisham, with meetings, village information and a tool for reporting road problems.

  • Cheveley Parish Council

    Parish council for Cheveley, with a page of events and activities run by local clubs and groups.

  • Fordham Parish Council

    Parish council for Fordham, with council news, the village’s neighbourhood plan and local history.

  • Sutton Parish Council

    Parish council for Sutton and Sutton Gault, with meeting dates, minutes and village news.

Help and advice

  • Citizens Advice Rural Cambs

    Free, confidential advice on benefits, debt, housing, employment and more, with an office in Ely and phone and online support.

  • Ely Foodbank

    Emergency food and support for local people in crisis, with distribution centres in Ely, Soham, Burwell, Haddenham and nearby towns.

  • Cambridgeshire Constabulary

    Report crime online, find your neighbourhood policing team and get crime-prevention advice. Non-emergency: 101.

  • NHS 111

    Urgent medical help and advice, online or by phone, 24 hours a day.

  • Littleport Community Food Hub

    Independent foodbank and food hub run from St George’s Church, Littleport.

  • Littleport Town Lands Charity

    Almshouses for older residents, and grants for local schools, students and people in need in Littleport.

Volunteering and community groups

Looking for a club, choir or sports team? See our clubs and societies directory.

  • Voluntary and Community Action East Cambs

    The district’s volunteer centre. It also runs the East Cambs Social Car Scheme for people who can’t use public transport, and a Helping Hands gardening scheme.

  • Thrift Community Land Trust for Soham

    Community-led affordable housing and assets, with any income reinvested in Soham.

  • Volunteer Cambs

    Search volunteering opportunities with local charities and groups. Look out for the East Cambridgeshire Volunteer Fair in Ely each autumn.

  • Cambridgeshire ACRE

    The rural community council for Cambridgeshire, supporting village halls, parish councils and community groups. Founded in 1924.

  • Volunteer at Wicken Fen

    The National Trust welcomes volunteers for conservation work, visitor welcome and more.

  • Hereward Community Rail Partnership

    Local people working with the railway to improve stations and promote travel on the line between Peterborough and Ely.

  • Burwell Community Print

    Community print workshop and social training enterprise.

Arts and culture

  • Viva Arts and Community Group

    A Soham charity running theatre productions, youth groups and arts activities at Spencer Mill.

  • Ely Community Cinema

    A volunteer-led, not-for-profit cinema at The Maltings.

  • Ely Museum

    An independent museum and charity telling the story of the Isle of Ely, with events and volunteering opportunities.

Local news and events

  • Spotted in Ely

    Volunteer-run community news, events and job listings for Ely and the surrounding villages.

  • Jigsaw magazine

    Soham’s community magazine from Soham Community Association, every two months, with a directory of local groups and a community calendar.

  • Soham Online

    The town website for Soham, running since 1999.

  • The Elyi Magazine

    Free community magazine delivered to homes in Ely, with a club finder and local business listings.

  • Littleport What’s On

    Calendar of events, classes and groups in Littleport.

  • Littleport Life

    Littleport’s community magazine and news site.

  • Burwell village website

    Long-running village website with a calendar, clubs directory and local services.

  • Clunch

    Burwell’s community magazine.

  • Wicken village website

    Wicken Parish Council’s site, with village news, clubs and the Around and About community magazine.

  • Isleham village website

    Community website for Isleham with village news, history and parish council documents.

Is your group missing?

We’d like to list more clubs, charities and community groups. Email hello@eastcambs.co.uk with your group’s name, what you do and a link to your website.