Heard a siren from the docks
Saw a train set the night on fire
Smelled the spring on the smoky wind
Why we are all here in Cambridge? According to the Guardian, "Everyone wants to move to Cambridge". A friend from Newnham playgroup is running for a local council position to try and improve the local schooling still further, and this was her comment:
"Cambridge has some of the best schools in the country, and these are one of the major attractions for people with children or who are thinking of starting a family. The possibility of moving out of London to a place ideal for bringing up a family can be a big draw for some high-flyers looking for a better over-all lifestyle. Cambridge offers an excellent mix of really good state and fee-paying schools for children of all ages. The Hills Road sixth form centre gets some of the best A-level results of any non-selective school.
Another major attraction of Cambridge is the enormously rich cultural life of the city. For a city in which you can never be more than 3 miles from open countryside, Cambridge offers an almost unbelievable range of concerts, shows, plays and opera. Some of the best choirs in the world sing in the college chapels every evening during university term, free for anyone who turns up. There are also a huge number of choirs and orchestras, which a keen amateur could join to get involved in their own music making."
Obviously it helps that if you are a member of Cambridge Network, you can get substantial discounts from members like Alimentum, who combine great music, great food and great ethics (Innovation Award in the Independent Restaurant Category of the RSPCA Good Business Awards 2008). Before you rush to ask what backhander I got to mention them, I took the family for Mother's Day and I was extremely happy with the food and the way it made my wife smile.
For those of you into statisical measures of these things (untrusting creatures!!), the independently funded Centre for Cities ranks us highly among UK cities. They say we are:
- open (#1lowest social disparity , #3 fastest population growth)
- inclusive of all walks of life (#2 high level qualifications, #6 low level qualifications)
- contributing to the Commonwealth (#3 lowest benefit claimants, #4 highest earnings per capita)
"The wider Cambridge region is one of the UK's biggest urban success stories, supporting around a quarter of a million jobs across the wider local area. But with added pressure on its transport networks and housing supply, the city is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. To safeguard future economic growth the six local authorities that make up the Cambridge labour market will need to work closer together to tackle these problems."
That's all very interesting, and certainly makes me feel better about getting involved in building this community and paying my taxes here. Personally, I know I'm here because someone offered me a job. Fortunately, Cambridge Network members employ well over 80% of all the people who work in CB postcodes, and there are lots more offers out there on our website. "I grew up in the '30s with an unemployed father. He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work, and he kept looking 'til he found it." as Lord Tebbitt put it. Lucky that it is easy to cycle around here while you are looking!
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