Calling all Cambridgeshire artists, designers, makers and independent businesses – we invite you to take part in the first #ShopCambridgeshire Week which will be running from Monday 15th to Friday 19th November 2021. Hosted by @TheTrove_Cambridge on Instagram, this community social media event includes a fun 5-day posting challenge with prompts each day.

#ShopCambridgeshire Week aims to connect local creatives and businesses with the wider local community through social media. What types of businesses are we looking to engage in this event? We welcome all small businesses based in Cambridgeshire (or just beyond the border) who are interested in taking part.

This campaign also aims to encourage and inspire residents across the county to think about where they can shop and support local this Christmas time. So, whether you are a shopper or seller – you are invited to join in by sharing to and following along on Instagram throughout next week!

To participate, take inspiration from the post prompts above and then share to your grid and/or story that day. Use the local community hashtag #ShopCambridgeshire in your posts and remember to tag us in any posts, Reels and stories so that we can share with our audience too. There’s no pressure to join in every day, just pick and choose what works for you!

It would be fantastic to see lots of businesses taking part as we enter the Christmas shopping period – so please do help spread the word by forwarding on this post. We will be sharing a round-up each evening on our grid with plenty of opportunities to be featured, make new connections and reach customers.

The response so far has been really positive and we can’t wait to virtually “see” you all there! To find out more about how to participate, or if you have any questions, please fill in the form here: Registration Form

Are you already signed up? Tell your friends, family and followers about the event by saving and sharing the Instagram story prompts template to your stories! You can also click here to edit the feature template and create your own story post to share – use an image of your choice, add your Instagram handle and then download as a .png file. Alternatively, please request a personalised copy to be sent by email.

Want to be featured in the campaign video? Take us behind the scenes, smile and wave at the camera or show you and/or your team “at work”. Please submit a 10-20 second video clip (9:16 format; no text or filters) by Friday 12th November 2021 via email to: hello@thetrovecambridge.co.uk

Be sure to follow @TheTrove_Cambridge on Instagram for further insights and ideas of what to share!

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Keep up-to-date with what is happening across Cambridgeshire’s creative scene by subscribing to receive our latest news posts via email – and follow our #CambsCreativeScene tag on Instagram.

If you enjoy content from The Trove Cambridge then please consider supporting what we do by buying us a “coffee” at: ko-fi.com/thetrovecambridge

We are really pleased to announce our new community partnership with Cambridge Social Media ahead of their two-day virtual conference taking place next month on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th November 2020. If you are a freelancer, small business owner or charity looking to learn how to make the most of digital marketing then you will not want to miss #CSMDay2020!

Cambridge Social Media Day has been held in Cambridge for the past two years, attracting hundreds of attendees. This year the organisers have made it a virtual event that will focus on helping people to make the most of building their businesses online.

Since the start of lockdown founder Lenka Koppová has been hosting free training sessions on a range of social media topics over in the Cambridge Social Media Facebook group. Lenka says: “Even though it’s an online conference, we’re really trying to make sure that we maintain the things that people really love about our past in-person events, which is a lot focus on the personal connections with people networking, connecting with your fellow entrepreneurs and business owners who are on a similar journey to yours.”

This year’s event is being held in partnership with business community Shifties founded by Alex Hughes. Alex says: “Our emphasis is on a holistic approach to business building, where personal growth is as important as scaling business opportunities. Shifties are very proud to be able to support Cambridge Social Media with the Cambridge Social Media Day 2020 online event. Social media platforms are incredible tools for connecting small businesses with their customers and business owners with a wide support network.”

#CSMDay2020 will involve a day of talks from expert speakers and a day of workshops where people can learn skills to help them grow their business. The first day event programme kicks off at 11am with an informal networking session and welcome from Lenka and Alex!

You can then expect a series of keynote speakers throughout the day including ‘The Social Media Changes That You Need to Know’ by Andy Lambert and ‘How to Use Social Media to get Oversubscribed’ by special guest Daniel Priestley who is a world-renowned entrepreneur and business growth expert.

Tuesday’s programme will close with a discussion panel honing in on ‘The Power of Communities on Social Media’. There will be further opportunity for informal networking at the end of the day and attendees are invited to stay connected afterwards for drinks and entertainment from 7-9pm!

On Wednesday there will be a selection of workshops and hands-on interactive Q&A sessions running simultaneously. Your ticket to the two-day online event gives you access to any of the content from the two days as downloadable files for future reference or in case you miss anything on the days – so you will be able to pick a few to join in real-time and re-watch all the rest afterwards.

The line-up so far looks incredible and includes Pippa Akram’s ‘Instagram 101: A Definitive Guide’, Carly Stringer’s ‘How to use Facebook ads to grow your online store’, Georgina White’s ‘The Power of Pinterest’ and Dan Holloway’s ‘Is YouTube the best rabbit hole for your Business? How to start, grow and scale with YouTube!’

We have our ticket – have you got yours? You can still grab an Early Bird ticket for just £40 + VAT and full price tickets will become available once the sale has ended.

Through our community partnership scheme members of the #WeAreCambsCreatives collective have access to an exclusive discount code to use towards their ticket. You can find it by logging into the members area or over in the closed group account here!

Be sure to give Cambridge Social Media a follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – and you can also join their Facebook group to find out more! If you are interested in becoming a member of #WeAreCambsCreatives you can join today here.

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Keep up-to-date with what is happening across Cambridgeshire’s creative scene by subscribing to receive our latest news posts via email – and follow our #CambsCreativeScene tag on Instagram.

If you enjoy content from The Trove Cambridge then please consider supporting what we do by buying us a “coffee” at: ko-fi.com/thetrovecambridge

Susannah Bangham, Creative Director at Cambridge Makers, is fundraising for a charity close to her heart – quite literally! Susannah lives with the debilitating health condition Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) and to coincide with PoTS Awareness Day this Sunday 25th October she will be facilitating an online auction of locally handmade pots in aid of PoTS UK.

Pots For PoTS 2020 was due to take place at the Cambridge Makers studios in Linton, Cambridgeshire but due to the current situation the event is now taking place online through the organisation’s website here.

The web-based auction is live right now and running until 5pm on Sunday with a wonderful selection of ceramic wares to bid on including bowls, dishes, mugs, jugs, vases and a range of miscellaneous pots which would be perfect for plants and trinkets. On Sunday there will also be an Instagram Live at 4pm to showcase all of the pots – you can join the tour via Facebook too – and at 5.15pm a select 16 will be auctioned live virtually on Zoom.

You can see what will be available and get your free ticket to the live event here!

Susannah says: “The fundraiser came about because I have PoTS and I started potting as a way to heal a few years ago after I lost a job I loved because of my illness. A friend brought round some clay and I just sat and squished it and cried! Eventually I started going to her house once a week and started learning to throw. During lockdown the same friend lent me a wheel, which I set up in my Grandpa’s potting shed so that I could keep potting all summer for the fundraiser.”

Unfortunately there are not many places to get information about PoTS and it can often take a very long time to get a diagnosis. Susannah waited 10 years for hers and has told us how vital the charity PoTS UK are as a resource for both patients and medical professionals.

PoTS UK states: “Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) can be a life altering and debilitating health condition. Simply standing up can be a challenge for affected people as their body is unable to adjust to gravity. PoTS is due to an abnormal response by the autonomic (automatic) nervous system and is characterised by orthostatic intolerance (the development of symptoms when upright that are mostly relieved by lying down). Symptoms include palpitations, lightheadedness, fatigue, sweating, nausea, fainting and headaches, and are associated with a persistant increase in heart rate from the lying to upright position.”

Money raised through the Pots For PoTS fundraiser will go towards helping educate and support patients, their carers and medical professionals across the UK. A small donation will be made to Cambridge Makers, who are also a registered charity, to cover resources provided.

The live auction is expected to be a fun, friendly and welcoming event – we hope to see you there! The fundraiser has been made a reality due to the kind donations from and collaborative efforts of potters Frank Logan, Janet Edwards, Joy Voisey, Lucy Blake, Pip Hughes, Steel Haughton, Victoria Ashdown and Caroline Amory.

You can follow Cambridge Art Makers on Facebook and Instagram for updates and to tune into the live tour. If you have any questions you can contact Susannah and her team at: potsforpotsuk@gmail.com

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Keep up-to-date with what is happening across Cambridgeshire’s creative scene by subscribing to receive our latest news posts via email – and follow our #CambsCreativeScene tag on Instagram.

If you enjoy content from The Trove Cambridge then please consider supporting what we do by buying us a “coffee” at: ko-fi.com/thetrovecambridge

The Trove Cambridge is pleased to be hosting a virtual exhibition and market to support creatives and businesses from across the county who have been affected by the by the cancellation of events and other disruptions due to COVID-19.

Join us for the first ever #ShopCambridgeshire Virtual Showcase where you can browse and buy online from over 60 local artists, designers, makers and indie businesses! We invite you to discover the fantastic range of artwork, products and services brought to you by sellers across the county – from Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough, Huntingdon, St Neots, Ely and many villages in between.

The event is running from Monday 15th to Sunday 28th June 2020 across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We have also launched a unique marketplace with over 200 listings – head over and you will find a range of original artworks, digital craft patterns, handmade jewellery, accessories, new and vintage clothing, artisan chocolate and baked goods, refurbished furniture, candles, fine art photography prints, embroidery art, woodwork, greetings cards, gifts and much more!

Find exclusive discounts and offers from our sellers at: #ShopCambridgeshire Marketplace

FEATURED SELLERS

Desk Organiser – Hexagonal Series (Set of 3) by Millar Made – £44

Misheard Song Lyrics A4 Print (Chips For Free) by Daft Cow – £10

Kindness Cards (Set of 4) by Clare Gray Makes – £8

Vulnerable Species Alphabet Print by Stephanie Le Cocq Studios – From £60

‘Dream’, Oil on Board (42x59cm) by Cheryl Liston – £175

Clavering Bag by Red Bike Leatherworks – £360

GIVEAWAYS

Keep an eye out for a series of giveaways over on Instagram – yesterday we announced our first 48-hour giveaway in collaboration with Snowtap who are kindly gifting one winner their brand new ‘Collective Nouns’ 2021 Calendar. Enter for your chance to win here!

Snowtap are also offering a 10% discount over on Etsy with code: SHOPCAMBS10

You can find out more about the #ShopCambridgeshire Virtual Showcase event over on Facebook – RSVP to be updated with features, special offers and further details about our weekend Instagram Live sessions!

Keep up-to-date with what is happening across Cambridgeshire’s creative scene by subscribing to receive our latest news posts via email – and follow our #CambsCreativeScene tag on Instagram.

If you enjoy content from The Trove Cambridge then please consider supporting what we do by buying us a “coffee” at: ko-fi.com/thetrovecambridge

Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak and yesterday the gallery announced that they have now installed a webcam to provide a live stream of a particular location in the Kettle’s Yard House to viewers. The house and gallery have been closed since 17th March 2020 in order to protect the health and wellbeing of staff, volunteers and visitors.

In response to the current situation Kettle’s Yard invite you on a virtual visit – with the webcam allowing you to watch in real-time for the duration of the gallery’s closure. The webcam is situated on the first floor of the cottages, in the area known as the ‘bridge’. The live stream, which is being broadcast everyday from 5.30am until 8.30pm, can be accessed via the gallery’s website here.

The idea for the webcam was suggested by a member of the public @joolsburke on Instagram, they said: “Kettle’s Yard is a magical place and being able to sit in a quiet corner and see the light change in the room is something I’ve loved for years. Being able to see this online is brilliant, and a reminder of what we hope to get back to before too long.”

Kettle’s Yard says: “Our values reflect Kettle’s Yard’s creator Jim Ede’s support for artists and belief in art’s power to make us look again and change how we act in the world.”

The bridge is where Jim Ede created a small conservatory filled with plants, spherical glass fishing floats, pebbles, shells and artworks. In the sitting room adjacent to the bridge, Ede also installed a spiral staircase illuminated by a double-height window. This part of the House is both shadowy and light-filled, enabling virtual visitors to trace the light changes throughout the day.

The wide-angled shot takes in a number of artworks and objects, including Gregorio Vardanega’s suspended Perspex Disc, which refracts light and rotates with subtle movements of the air, as well as his smaller Spherical Construction, nestled among the plants in the top right corner.

To the left is a tall pot by William Staite Murray, called The Heron, and a small still-life by Ben Nicholson, titled 1944 (Mugs). Visible in the sitting room beyond is an ancient amphora, bought in the Sahara desert when Ede was living in Tangier, and a Japanese silk lantern.

In certain light levels it will also be possible to see two new glass works by Linder Sterling that were installed as part of the exhibition Linderism, which opened at Kettle’s Yard on 15th February 2020.

Kettle’s Yard also have an online tour which you can access here. Be sure to give the gallery a shout-out on social media and help to spread the word about their new #KettlesYardAtHome initiative!

Keep up-to-date with what is happening across Cambridgeshire’s creative scene by subscribing to receive our latest news posts via email – and follow our #CambsCreativeScene tag on Instagram.

If you enjoy content from The Trove Cambridge then please consider supporting what we do by buying us a “coffee” at: ko-fi.com/thetrovecambridge