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Qua Fen Common

News & Historical Articles

This page contains a number of news articles old and new relating to Qua Fen Common.
The following article includes an extract from a book entitled Soham & Wicken Through Time - A Second Selection. Authors Anthony Day and Michael Rouse Thanks to Nicola Embery Managing Editor of Amberley Publishing for granting permission to use the original article and photograph. Thanks also to Alan and Marilyn Mason for making us aware of the book and to Tony Mann for granting permission to insert the article. If you haven’t read either of the two Soham & Wicken books, then now is the time to do so. The books are packed with photographs and notes relating to our town, the lode, station, commons and more. So, did you know that at one time we had shops on Qua Fen Common as well as in the town centre? “Soham had many small general shops aimed at serving the residential areas outside the main streets. Few of them remain today. Heath Cottages, built in 1904, at the bottom of Bushel Lane, just before the the gates to Qua Fen Common was once Charles Heath’s butcher’s shop, and from1941 until 1959 Frank Marr had a small general stores here.” References: Nicola Embery Managing Editor of Amberley Publishing. Reproduced from Soham & Wicken Through Time 2nd selection, The above mentioned books are available at many good book shops and online.

Shop At Bushel Lane

Amberley Publishing
On the 8th March 2019 residents witnessed a helicopter landing on Qua Fen Common close to the Cattle Grid and gate leading to Bushel Lane. The photograph opposite was taken by Ray Costello who lives opposite to the landing point The East Anglian Air Ambulance was on a mission involving a critical call out in Soham. As soon as the aircraft landed, the medics and doctor were quickly transferred to a waiting car and later taken to the patient. Qua Fen Common is one of the designated landing points in the Soham area and used by the Air Ambulance to get as close to the call-out as possible. The service responds to an average of 8 calls a day in the Cambridgeshire area. The East Anglian Air Ambulance provide a 24/7 service called ‘Mission 24/7” and details can be found here: References:

Air Ambulance lands on Qua Fen Common

East Anglian Air Ambulance
Litter left on and around the ditches and hedgerows of Qua Fen Common is becoming a real issue. The photographs opposite depict a collection of drinks containers and other rubbish collected by one of our residents on a recent walk around the common. It’s very sad that people think its okay to leave their rubbish on the common a designated area of natural beauty. Without the dedication of local residents who give up their time to clean up the common would soon be reduced to a sorry state. In addition to the general rubbish, we have instances of fly tipping such as the plastic chairs and table thrown into the ditch on the north side of the common. The photographs on this page represent separate instances of clearing rubbish from the common. Please help by encouraging people to act responsibly on and around the common. A big thanks to Theresa Langford for giving up her time to clean up the rubbish and mess on the common.

Litter on Qua Fen Common

The results of a recent pick-up January 2020
Qua Fen Common is used by a growing number of residents to walk their dogs. The majority act responsibly when it comes to cleaning up dog litter and disposing of it in the bins provided or taking is home with them. However, some walkers think its okay to throw the waste into the hedgerows and leave it for someone else to clear up. One of our local residents recently picked up 36 Dog Poo Baubles. Leaving dog waste on the common is irresponsible and unsightly. It is actually toxic to the grass, causing burns and unsightly discolouring. It has been estimated that a single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, which are known to cause cramps, diarrhoea, intestinal illness, and serious kidney disorders in animals and humans. We are sure that all dog owners are well aware of the need to keep their dogs on a lead near grazing animals to protect the dogs and ensure that the grazing animals are not spooked. But it is also important to make sure that you clean up after your dog even on rough grassland where animals are grazing. This is because even the best looked after dogs can carry diseases. Toxicara is well known to be carried by dogs and human contact with infected dog faeces can cause liver failure or eye disease which can lead to blindness. There is another less well known disease called Neospora caninum which is a single celled protozoan parasite which can be passed between dogs and grazing animals in their faeces. Dogs can become infected by eating raw meat or infected feedstuffs. They usually show no symptoms of the disease. If infected dogs are exercised in areas where cattle are grazed, the disease may be excreted in the dog’s faeces in the form of an oocyst (which can persist in the environment for months). These oocysts cannot be seen by the naked eye so there would be no reason to suspect anything is wrong. If the infected faeces are left in the field the water may be infected or the grazing animals may accidentally ingest the infected faeces. This may then be passed among the herd of cattle, and although the animals may show no symptoms, the calves may be aborted or born with severe abnormalities causing death. Once in a herd it is very difficult to eradicate because there is no treatment or vaccination available. For a dairy or beef farmer to get his herd infected is a very serious situation for him. Please help by encouraging people to act responsibly on and around the common. A big thanks to Bev Wilson for her sterling efforts in clearing the Baubles up. Thanks also to Rosemary Aitchison for technical input on the article above.

Walking Dogs on Qua Fen Common

The results of a recent pick-up January 2020
So soon after the BT green box was demolished at the top of Bushel Lane, we now have scenes of devastation adjacent to the Anglia Water pumping station and junction close to the bypass. In both situations it appears that a vehicle has driven into the Qua Fen Common signs and demolished them. The pumping station fence has also been flattened. We can only assume that the damage was intentional as it’s highly unlikely an accident occurred in both places at the same time. This kind of wilful damage is worrying and thankfully did not involve any animals or peoples homes. Thanks to Theresa Langford for the report and photographs.

Scenes of Devastation on Qua Fen Common 18th March 2020

One of our residents sent in this photo of litter dumped along the edge of the main road crossing the common. It had most likely been thrown out of a parked car(s) between 10:15am and 1:30pm Wednesday 2nd February according to Bev Wilson who took the photo. The packaging was from McDonalds and they had even discarded their receipt for the food which showed that it had been purchased in Wisbeach. It’s sad that we have to suffer people who do this sort of thing but all we can do is be vigilant and hopefully one day we’ll get a license plate number! In the UK, levels of littering and fly-tipping increased by 20% in the last year. There were 852,000 reported incidents but only 2,000 convictions in the courts. In the end it is individuals who litter and fly-tip their unwanted goods, and it is this behaviour which needs to change. Parliamentary Select Committees are keen to support a variety of behaviour-changing activities and campaigns to prevent littering and have urged the Government to assess whether the fixed penalty notice for litter should be increased from its current £80 maximum. Thanks to Bev Wilson for the photo and report.

Yet more dumping of litter on the Common!