CULTURE EDITION
Access boost at Wimpole Hall Many more visitors can now be welcomed onto the ground floor of the National Trust’s Wimpole Hall, thanks to the installation of a Stair Climber. Enabling wheelchair users and those with limited mobility to ascend the stone steps with ease, this state-of-the-art equipment is already making a huge difference to visitors. During a successful trial in 2024, 788 people were able to experience Wimpole Hall who might otherwise have missed out. Plus, the innovative design requires no structural changes to the historic building itself. Many other National Trust properties across the country are now benefitting from Stair Climbers, including Peckover House and Garden in Wisbech – just in time for summer!
The Cambridge Drawing Society’s Spring Exhibition opens at the end of this month, with more than 350 new works from over 100 artists on display. Among them are Monica Alikoviene, a Cambridge- based artist who created a new work, Easy Like Sunday Morning , specifically for the exhibition (see page 17). There’s also Diane Firth, who specialises in oil paintings and drawings of people, pets and animals, capturing their unique personalities. Pictured is a painting of border collie Gem, entitled The Look of Love . “She was a rare dog, as she would just gaze into your eyes like this and you, of course, would gaze back. She was great at connecting,” says Diane. The Spring Exhibition takes place from 10am to 4pm, every day from 31 May to 7 June at The Pitt Building on Trumpington Street. Admission is free for all visitors A SEASONAL ART CELEBRATION
Inspiration for young readers
More than 300 students from across Cambridgeshire have enjoyed a visit from best-selling author AF Steadman. Hosted by Stephen Perse Cambridge, the author event builds on a long-running partnership with North Cambridge Academy, which was formed in 2019 to help tackle inequality in the region and create more educational pathways for students within the local community. During her visit, AF Steadman, who read languages and law at Selwyn College and wrote the best-selling Skandar series, spoke to students about her experience as an author before hosting an exclusive meet- and-greet where she signed their books and posed for photographs. “It was amazing to meet the author of a book I’ve read and loved,” said Stephen Perse Cambridge year 7 student Whitney. “It helped me understand how she found ideas for stories and how to write a book.”
The latest from the cultural scene in Cambridge
22 MAY 2025 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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