Friends of Histon & Impington Green Spaces
For Conservation, Biodiversity, Education & Public Access
Inaugural meeting
Please see here for details of the first meeting of the Friends Group.
Supporting community ownership and management of the land
The 11.5 acres of Croft Close Set Aside (CCSA) field (an area of regeneration) and the 4.5 acres of Long Meadow (LM) (open grassland with the outflow of Histon Brook running in a deep cut) were part of the 39 acre Abbey Farm. The project to secure CCSA and LM is known as Abbey Fields. The land is currently leased to Histon & Impington Parish Council (HIPC) and managed by the Histon and Impington Green Spaces Charity (HIGS Charity), which has just been officially registered by the Charity Commission. The HIGS Charity will run a fund-raising campaign during 2021 and 2022 to raise sufficient funds for it to acquire the land, after which it will ensure that both sites are maintained in perpetuity on behalf of local people.
HIGS has six Trustees, three nominated by HIPC and three community nominated Trustees and had been operating through a Transitional Management Committee with a Site Management Action Subgroup. The Transitional Management Committee was made up of the six HIGS Trustees plus 2 co-opted members. In August 2021, the Friends of Histon & Impington Green Spaces (FHIGS) was created to manage all aspects of the fundraising and management process, under the supervision of the HIGS trustees and through a land management plan (under development).
Main themes of the Friends Group
to help ensure that Abbey Fields are well-conserved and managed spaces
to find out the views of local people and site users
to provide regular information on the animals, trees, and plants
to involve local people in planning, decision-making and management
to support fund-raising
to link with others to help protect and improve green open spaces generally
to provide volunteering and educational opportunities and help maintain this heritage landscape
An Elected Steering Committee
There is an elected Steering Committee of up to six people, one of whom will be the elected chair. You may already be a passionate user of this land, or you may have skills and knowledge that could help to shape decisions. Do please consider standing for the committee or nominating others to stand. You might be interested in hearing more so do contact us – we would be happy to speak on the telephone or meet up.