LOVE LOCAL
Abby Pollock is approaching her tenth year in Cambridge… and is going all out to celebrate the city she so loves!
I moved to Cambridge in September 2017 to study film and media at Anglia Ruskin University, so this year marks nine years in the city and the beginning of my tenth! I was approaching the end of my degree when Covid-19 arrived and, while the world became very quiet, I realised that my time in Cambridge was definitely not over. I managed to find a flat with my best friends on Mill Road and never really looked back. Cambridge is where I have grown from a teenage student into a working professional and resident, and somewhere along the way it became a huge part of my identity and truly started to feel like home. I love Cambridge because there is always something happening, whether it’s a festival, exhibition, performance, community event or an unexpected conversation with someone brilliant you bump into. I also love that you can be right in the middle of a busy city and still see beautiful architecture, public art, green spaces and peaceful places to wander. The people of Cambridge are vocal, passionate and forward-thinking, and living here
has encouraged me to think more deeply about social justice, community and the importance of celebrating diverse people, ideas and perspectives. Just as for last month’s interviewee, the place that means the most to me is King’s Parade. It’s where I first met my long-term partner, celebrated my graduation with my family and have spent many long summer afternoons at Cambridge Wine Merchants or sitting on the wall after trying another unusual Jack’s Gelato flavour. A special shout-out also has to go to Mill Pond, for those summer evenings when you arrange to meet one friend and somehow end up sitting with a group of 20 by the end of the night. My ideal Cambridge day would begin with a Dishoom breakfast naan at Permit Room, followed by a secret-flavour gelato from Jack’s – vanilla yoghurt would always be my first choice – and end with a large glass (or two) of dry white wine at King Street Cellar. Preferably with my closest friends, giggling and people-watching along the way!
SHARE YOUR LOVE STORY If you’ve been a Cambridge resident for a year or more and would like to appear on this page as one of our next interviewees, drop the editor a line at louisehoffman@bright.uk.com
Cambridge has changed me for the better, so I am marking the journey to my tenth anniversary in September 2027 by completing ten very Cambridge experiences, while also raising money for causes close to my heart. My list includes walking from Ely to Cambridge for Prostate Cancer UK; learning to punt properly; swimming a mile at Jesus Green Lido for Cambridge Film Trust; attending a gig at the Portland Arms; staying overnight at a Cambridge hotel; enjoying the Cambridge Film Festival purely as a guest after many years working there; hosting a charity pub quiz; watching the sunrise from Castle Hill; pouring a pint at the Cambridge Blue; and having the story featured in a Cambridge publication… which Cambridge Edition may already have helped me achieve!
I love Cambridge because there is always something happening
90 SEPTEMBER 2026 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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