It’s hoped that the location will make pick up and drop off easier for parents

The opening of a new school-based nursery is set to offer families in and around Orton more opportunities to take advantage of accessible and affordable childcare. The new nursery will be based within St John’s Church School at Riseholme. The expectation is that it will open when the new school year starts in September 2026.

Funding for this new nursery has been provided by Best Start in Life, an initiative by central government which aims to support working families and improve access to early education. Across the country, more than 300 schools have been successful in securing a share of £45 million funding to build or expand nurseries on their sites.

Sam Carling, MP for North West Cambridgeshire, welcomed the news. He said: “Access to affordable childcare is one of the biggest challenges many families raise with me locally.

“That’s why it’s really positive to see the Government investing in Orton to expand nursery provision and create more places close to home.”

School-based nurseries are designed to make daily routines easier for families by reducing the need for multiple drop-offs and pick-ups. The hope is that this approach will help parents who may otherwise be struggling to return to – or remain in – work.

Mr Carling agreed that creating additional nursery places close to home should be a more effective way of helping parents manage their busy working lives while also ensuring children enjoy access to high-quality early education from a young age.

“School-based nurseries can make a genuine difference,” he said, “helping parents balance work and family life, simplifying the school run, and ensuring children get a strong start in their early years.”

It is believed more than a million parents are now taking advantage of government-funded childcare support. Alongside new nursery places, eligible families can also benefit from up to 30 hours of funded childcare.

Mr Carling said that, as well as funded childcare hours, central government was aiding families by offering additional support, such as free breakfast clubs and action to reduce the cost of school uniforms.

“Together, these steps are about easing the pressure on household budgets and making sure children growing up here have every opportunity to thrive,” he said.

National Trust sites across Cambridgeshire are running activities to celebrate Easter.

Easter is an exciting time with spring fully underway and a long bank holiday to celebrate with family. However, it can be difficult to keep children entertained while they are off from school.

If you are looking for some fun Easter themed activities to do, you might want to head to your local National Trust site. Even if you do not get involved in the adventure trails or egg hunts, Cambridgeshire’s National Trust sites have great playgrounds and impressive houses to look around.

Here are all of the Easter activities taking place at National Trust sites across the county and how you can get involved in them.

Wimpole Estate

Location: Wimpole Estate, Arrington, Royston SG8 0BW

The Wimpole Estate will have an Easter Adventure trail set against the backdrop of the site’s historic mansion. It will involve a range of activities such as throwing cakes into rabbit holes, hula hooping, and balloon spotting.

The trail will also be honour 50 years of the Wimpole Estate with the National Trust with things to do inspired by different celebrations. As well as the trail, children can run around the farm playground and see some rare breed animals at the Home Farm.

The Easter Adventure trail will be running from Saturday, March 21, until Sunday, April 12. It costs £3.50 on top of normal admission fees.

Anglesey Abbey

Location: Quy Rd, Lode, Cambridge CB25 9EJ

The Easter egg hunt at Anglesey Abbey will take your family around the grounds and past the blooming daffodils, bright tulips, and hyacinths that mark the start of spring. There are lots of classic Easter games to get involved in including egg and spoon races.

You could also take a look at the special sculpture trail inspired by Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, or try your hand at den building in the grounds.

The Easter Egg Hunt will be running from Saturday, March 28, until Sunday, April 12. It costs £.350 along with normal admission.

Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve

Location: 34 Lode Ln, Wicken, Ely CB7 5XP

If you are looking for somewhere to go where you can see a huge variety of wildlife, you might want to try out the trail at the Wicken Fen Nature Reserve. You can spot swallows and butterflies that will be starting to return for the spring.

On certain days, you can get involved in craft workshops or enjoy a boat trip around the reserve. The reserve also has bikes available for hire and there are pathways you can follow around to find a spot for a picnic on a nice day.

The trail will be available from Saturday, March 21, to Sunday, April 12. It costs £3.50 alongside the normal admission costs.

Houghton Mill

Location: 5 Mill St, Houghton, Huntingdon PE28 2AZ

For only four days between April 3 and April 6, families can get involved in the Easter egg hunt at Houghton Mill. With plenty of nature-inspired things to do, you can learn more about the historic mill and enjoy the riverside setting.

If you want to extend your stay at the National Trust site, you can stay at the Waterclose Meadows Campsite, which is dog-friendly and has a pub close by. Spaces on the Easter trail are limited so pre-booking is essential.

Peckover House and Gardens

Location: N Brink, Wisbech PE13 1JR

Found close to the river in Wisbech, this National Trust site allows guests to go through the Georgian townhouse that has been owned for the Peckover family for 150 years. From Friday, April 3, to Monday, April 6, Peckover House will be holding an Easter egg hunt and seasonal activities for families to enjoy.

As well as the Easter trail, you can take a walk around the Victorian-style walled garden that features a range of roses and an orangery. The trail costs £3.50 and entry to the house is free.

There are plenty of Easter-themed things to do with your children over the holidays

As the Easter holidays are quickly coming up, you might be planning what you can get your family involved in to keep everyone happy during their time off. Whether you want to enjoy the spring weather or need something to keep your kids occupied, there are a couple of events happening around Cambridgeshire that you might be interested in.

If you want to get into the holiday spirit, there are plenty of parks and places holding Easter egg hunts. Many museums are also holding Easter-themed events that can be enjoyed alongside a visit around the site.

To make your life easier, CambridgeshireLive has put together a list of things happening across the county to do over Easter. You can find out what’s on and how to get involved by looking through our list below.

Burwell Museum

Location: Mill Cl, Burwell, Cambridge, CB25 0HL

The Burwell Museum is holding an Easter Eggstravaganza on Sunday, April 5. The day will feature an Easter egg hunt with a chocolate prize for everyone involved, face painting, and crafts for children alongside the opportunity to take a look around the museum and its range of exhibitions.

Tickets to enter the museum cost £6 for adults and £3 for children with some of the activities costing a few extra pounds. The event will be running from 10am to 4pm with the last admission to the museum being at 3pm.

Chippenham Park

Location: Newmarket, Chippenham, CB7 5PT

While taking a walk through the beautiful Chippenham Park, you will need to keep your eyes peeled for the colourful bunnies hidden around the area in this special Easter egg hunt. To win an egg, you will need to collect one of the red, yellow, and blue bunnies and take it to the kitchen garden to claim the prize.

There will also be three golden bunnies in the garden and if you find one of them, you will receive an extra special egg. The Easter Egg hunt will be taking place on Friday, April 3, from 10am until 4pm.

Admission into the park for adults costs £10 with children getting in for free on the day but you will need to pay £5 for entry into the hunt.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Location: 1 Brookside, Cambridge, CB2 1JE

To escape from busy city life, it can be nice to spend a day in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, especially if the weather is nice. While you are there, you might want to get your children involved in the Easter Plant Trail, which involves six hidden puzzles around the garden to try out.

The Easter Plant Trail will be running from Friday, March 20, until Monday, April 20, leaving you with plenty of time to get involved. It costs £8 for adults to enter the garden with children aged 16 and below going in for free with a trail sheet costing £1.

Ben’s Yard

Location: Stuntney, Estate, Ely, CB7 5TR

Ben’s Yard will be hosting two Easter trails from Saturday, March 28, until Sunday, April 12. If you want to get outdoors, you can follow the Wilding Walks trail to find the hidden egg signs along the way or you might want to take a look around the shops to spot the hidden teddies.

When you have finished the trail, you can go to the café to collect your mini egg prize. On select days, the Easter Bunny will be making an appearance with chocolate eggs to give out and for photo opportunities.

Cambridge Museum of Technology

Location: The Old Pumping Station, Cheddars Ln, Cambridge, CB5 8LD

If you are taking a walk along the River Cam, you might want to pop into the Cambridge Museum of Technology. On Wednesday, April 1, the museum will be holding a craft day where children can hunt for eggs and get creative by making an Easter decoration or basket.

The craft session is free but you will still need to pay for admission into the museum. It costs £5.40 for adults and £3.50 for children between the ages of five and 18.

The Child Poverty Bill has become law with the scrapping of the two-child limit meaning families on Universal Credit can now claim for every child in their care

The Child Poverty Bill has been granted Royal Assent, paving the way for it to become law with a series of amendments designed to assist families on benefits and those with working parents. These modifications affect areas including childcare, benefit regulations, and free school meals.

A significant change in the bill is the abolition of the two-child limit. This will allow families on Universal Credit to claim the child element for every eligible child they care for, not just the first two.

Coupled with the rise in benefit rates set for April, this single change could result in some families receiving an additional £300 per month. The Government anticipates that up to 1.5 million children across Great Britain could benefit from the removal of this rule, primarily aiding those in working families.

This amendment will come into effect from April 6, 2026. Families already claiming Universal Credit will see it applied automatically and don’t need to take any action.

Other provisions in the bill include extending childcare support for working parents and broadening the free school meals programme. The bill forms part of the Government’s broader strategy to get rid of obstacles for children in lower-income households and lift 450,000 children out of poverty before the end of this Parliament, reports the Mirror.

This comes after Government data revealed that 2.6 million children in the UK lack sufficient food at home and over 172,000 have no permanent home to start with.

Pat McFadden, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “Today is an historic day, marking a turning point for 450,000 children across Britain. Scrapping the two-child limit is about more than family finances today, it’s about the Britain we’re building for tomorrow.

“Children growing up in poverty are far more likely to leave school without qualifications and end up not in work or education as young adults, and we’re determined to break that cycle once and for all and give every child the best start in life.”

The two-child limit was initially implemented following the 2015 general election to make savings in the welfare system and ensure households on benefits would face the same “financial choices” around having more children that working households had.

It is estimated that in April last year, approximately 483,000 families were being affected by the two-child limit. Government figures also estimate that 300,000 children are living in relative poverty as a result of the policy.

These changes are also expected to have a ripple effect across health services, schooling results and employment. Government figures showed children born in the poorest areas are more likely to have mental health problems and issues like obesity and tooth decay whilst also struggling at school due to hunger and unsuitable housing.

As a result, children growing up in poverty are more likely to leave school with poorer GCSE results, less likely to find work and earn around 50% less than their more educated peers by the time they reach 40.

Abigail Wood, CEO of Gingerbread, said: “Gingerbread has campaigned long and hard for the two-child limit to be scrapped. It pushed children into poverty and unfairly punished single parents. We need to see single parents and their children supported not punished. Removing the two child limit is the right thing for our government to do and we welcome this step.”

Sara Ogilvie, Director of Policy, Rights and Advocacy at Child Poverty Action Group said: “The abolition of the two-child limit by parliament is an important and welcome first step in driving down child poverty. It will give millions of children across the UK a better today and brighter tomorrow. Protecting children from poverty is the right thing to do and lays the foundations for a stronger country for us all.”

Minister for Employment, Dame Diana Johnson, said: “For too long, the two-child limit has held children back through no fault of their own. With the law now changed, hundreds of thousands of children will grow up with greater security and opportunity. We’re determined to break the link between a child’s background and their life chances and today brings us a step closer to that goal.”

Dear Eric: I have a friend that I generally enjoy spending time with, however she feels the need to constantly put into the conversation how great she is. I call it “Tooting Your Own Horn.” She can be very dramatic in general; I usually just don’t engage with those comments, because giving it air would be validating her grandiose ideas of her own self-worth.

The thing is, she’s not a bad person, and will definitely be there if you need her, but this constant self-promotion is very off-putting. Calling her out directly would make her angry and defensive, because she is, after all, the best.

Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this type of behavior? Avoiding her isn’t an option.

— Tired of It

Dear Tired: You wrote that you generally ignore her grandiose statements and that might continue to be the best course of action if you enjoy your friend’s other aspects and don’t want to talk to her about it. You might also reframe these statements in your mind. It’s quite possible that she feels the need to toot her own horn because of some deeper insecurity. Maybe she feels she needs to call herself great because she secretly believes she isn’t.

Or maybe she’s just conceited. Or has high self-confidence. Whatever the reason, one tactic is to remind yourself, “this is something she needs to do; it doesn’t have any bearing on me.” It won’t completely prevent it from being annoying, but it may lessen its impact on your relationship.

Another option is to approach this habit with curiosity. The next time she toots her own horn, you can ask about it instead of ignoring it. “I’ve noticed you make comments about that a lot. Have you noticed that, too? Can you tell me what it’s about?”

Dear Eric: I’m a 54-year-old divorced dad. I was dating a woman for just over six months. In a lot of ways, it was the healthiest relationship I’ve had in a long time. We had strong alignment on the “big things” (values, lifestyle, interests, chemistry, kindness). We supported each other through real-life stuff, and I genuinely felt we were building something solid.

Then it ended very suddenly.

On a Tuesday morning, she texted that she was “having doubts” and that things had been “building up.” We talked the next morning and she said, “the little things became bigger than the big things.” She listed several specific issues — my house (decor/cleanliness), my sense of humor (I’m playful; she’s more serious), worries about travel because I have teenage boys, and concerns about finances/retirement stability.

What I’m struggling with isn’t that she had concerns. It’s that I didn’t know they had grown into deal-breakers, and there was no “work on it together” phase. It felt like she quietly decided, then delivered the verdict. When we met one last time, she was worried I’d try to convince her; I told her I wasn’t. I just wanted to be heard and to understand. It still felt final and shut down.

Here’s where I’m stuck: I still care about her. I’m also hurt and honestly shocked at how quickly she cut it off given how good it felt overall.

Is there any healthy reason to reach out again, or is the kindest thing (to both of us) to let it be? How do you get closure when someone ends a relationship quickly and you never really get to talk through it?

— Sleepless in Louisville

Dear Sleepless: This is a really tough way to be broken up with. It often feels quite unfair. However, the issue that makes this breakup sudden and painful is the same issue that can lead to unhappiness in on-going relationships: an inability on the part of one or both people to communicate with openness and vulnerability.

So, without a track record or playbook for clear communication, I worry that any further contact is going to just hurt you more, rather than give you the closure you seek. Closure is, itself, a form of communication.

Dear Eric: I’m 35 years old with a dad who is 67. We talk frequently about business, sports and politics. We talk just by ourselves and as a group with my wife and mother.

The issue is that my dad asks me questions that are simple to look up online. They very often do not relate to the conversation and are silly.

I have brought up my issue with him doing this before and his response is “it gives us something to talk about” and that there would be nothing to talk about if we lived by the motto “don’t ask it if you can find the answer on Google.”

He has the newest iPhone and knows how to use it well. When he asks me questions, if I don’t know the answer, I google it and share, but I get frustrated. After one or two times I get short and want to end the conversation quickly. Any advice to make our conversations more stress free is much appreciated.

— Not Google

Dear Not Google: Flawed though his methods may seem, I think your dad’s heart is in the right place and I’d encourage you to think about it in a different way. Though you have a good conversational relationship, there’s still clearly something in him that feels the need to add more material to keep the conversation going. Maybe it’s something that’s really lacking in your talks, maybe it comes from an insecurity that he has. It’s not for me to say. But try to think of these questions as offerings. He wants to engage with you, and that’s a gift.

Now, not all gifts are what we want, exactly. See if you can find some interest in the search for answers. Try asking him questions about the results or ask him to find it and inform you instead. There’s also something to be said for a long deep dive into Wikipedia. A simple question like “Who was Princess Grace of Monaco married to?” can lead to all manner of other factoids and curiosities. So, maybe the next time he asks, give him the simple answer and follow-up with some trivia that fascinates you.

Most importantly, however, every time you find yourself getting annoyed, see if you can reframe the request in your mind. It may help if you think of every benign question as a way of your father saying, “I like talking to you and I want to keep doing it.”

Dear Eric: My 98-year-old father is living with dementia. Because it isn’t advanced, he is painfully aware that his memory is failing him. He often recounts things — past and present — that aren’t true. Following advice from the Alzheimer’s Association, our immediate family practices “therapeutic fibbing”: we accept whatever he says as fact to preserve his dignity.

It’s a difficult tightrope to walk, but the hardest part isn’t the caregiving — it’s the silence. Several of Dad’s lifelong friends have stopped calling. I think they feel uncomfortable with the conversations, which, in all honesty, are not always easy. He misses them and has begun to worry he did something wrong to drive them away.

My gut tells me to call these friends and give them a piece of my mind. I’d rather they skip his eventual funeral and just give him five minutes of their time now. Since “shaming” them probably isn’t the best strategy, how can I encourage these old friends to re-engage with a man who needs them now more than ever?

I am hopeful that my Dad’s friends, or others, read this column as a wakeup call to reach out to those who may be suffering in similar situations

What is positive discipline?

rudi_suardi via Getty Images

1. I stop and ask myself: ‘What am I feeling just now?’

2. I regulate myself first

3. I prioritise connection before correction

4. I admit when I’m wrong and apologise

Dear Eric: My husband has two sisters. One sister’s adult son and daughter have always been mean to me. It started when the niece and my son by my first marriage dated about five times. She talks negatively about everyone and everything.

He also told me he did not want to cause any family problems, but he also did not want to date her. I told him, do what you need to do as far as dating.

Now 20 years later, she and her brother are still rude and condescending toward me.

The last time I saw them at a funeral, I invited the nephew to come and visit. He replied, “it will never happen.” It hurts.

I have spoken to my husband about their behavior. He just says we will have nothing to do with them. His sister, their mother, has passed but now we will be seeing them at a family funeral. I dread going. I would rather stay home.

My husband insists I go. It’s a four-hour drive. Should I ask them to walk outside and try to find out why they are so mean? Or should I keep ignoring them? I only see them every couple of years.

— Talked About Aunt

Dear Aunt: If you choose to go to the funeral to support your husband, you don’t have to engage with the adult children who have been unkind to you. It takes a lot of energy for them to hold such a deep grudge over a failed relationship (if one can call five dates that). That’s clearly an engine that is going to run whether you put gas in it or not.

At this point, it’s probably wise to chalk this up to a “them problem.” I know it hurts to be condescended to, but I think you’ll be setting yourself up for more hurt by trying to push a conversation, especially since they have so far resisted having one.

Since you don’t have to see them very much outside of this funeral, try as best you can to put them and this relationship out of your mind. Some people just don’t mix, and, from your telling, you have nothing to make amends for. Best to just say, “I’m sorry for your loss” and then go be with people who respect you — your husband, his second sister, and others.

Dear Eric: I have been best friends with “Vera” for more than 35 years. She was a great support when I went through a divorce in my late 30s and always was insightful. Throughout our friendship she was always trying to “help” everyone and in the majority of cases it was unsolicited and unwanted.

Over the years, I have watched her friends distance themselves by severely limiting how often they interact with Vera. Several of her siblings are a mess and she has always bailed them out.

I am now almost 68 years old and Vera has worn me out. I found that if I speak with her more often than every five to six weeks, she cannot control herself and offers unsolicited advice and suggestions.

I have to mentally prepare myself prior to calling. I no longer share personal information because she wants to dissect and insert herself. I have very clearly told her to back off with the advice. She thinks I am angry. I’ve explained I am very annoyed that she cannot or will not respect that I don’t need “fixing”.

In spite of me clearly and repeatedly telling her if I would like her advice, I will ask but would just prefer an “ear”.

I’m at the point where I am seriously considering letting this friendship fade away. What to do?

The pros of nacho parenting

The cons associated with nacho parenting

The key to navigating this successfully

Dear Eric: Our son, who is in college, began losing his hair in high school. It could be genetic, but this does not run in the family. Although he is skinny, he eats terribly. He fills up on junk food, juice and soda. Sometimes he eats nothing.

When he lived at home, I could influence at least some of what he ate, but he always denied there was anything wrong. His pediatrician (male, for what it’s worth) always dismissed my concerns. I helped him find a new doctor when he turned 18 but now that he’s an adult, there is even less I can do.

We know that he is unhappy with how he looks. My husband has tried to talk to him gently about speaking with his doctor specifically about his hair and its connection to his diet and potentially an underlying health problem. On a side note, our son has occasionally seen a counselor at school about unrelated issues, when we suggested it, so he does not always reject our advice out of hand, like he does with this.

If he liked the way he looks, and if it were totally clear that this isn’t a health issue, we would leave it alone. But given the circumstances, do we need to leave it alone anyway?

— Concerned Mother

Dear Mother: Right now, the most supportive thing you can do for your son is continuing to listen to him and provide help when asked for. He’s on a journey with his body — as we all are. And while there are a variety of hair treatments available and many different resources for getting help with one’s diet, he has to learn to be proactive about them if he wants something to change. While it’s hard for parents to watch their children feel around in the dark, this kind of independent decision-making is an important part of development.

Lead with curiosity instead of concern as much as possible here. You can ask him about his feelings about himself or his eating habits but try to focus more on asking him about who he is, what he wants and what’s going on in his life. As he spreads his wings in college, it will help him to understand how an adult solves a problem. That problem could be as complex as addressing hair loss with a professional, or as simple as “how do I make dinner for myself?”

Dear Eric: I was surprised by your response to “Not the Girlfriend” who wanted the man she described as her boyfriend to, in words, ask her to be his girlfriend (assuming that represents exclusivity). They’ve been dating for six weeks, and he has told her he loves her.

I’m quite old, but don’t think I’m so old-fashioned in thinking that six weeks into a relationship is a bit too soon to be trying to nail things down. She didn’t mention how often they see each other but at six weeks you’re really just getting to know someone. Good relationships take time. And she’s already frustrated by the situation. I know there have been successful relationships that worked right from the get-go, but they’re rare.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to know a dating partner’s level of interest/seriousness. But I wonder what her rush is.

Maybe the guy thinks of her as his girlfriend without explicitly saying so. After all, he’s already said he loves her.

By the way, at six weeks, even sooner, you can certainly feel “in love” but at that stage you’re filling in the aspects that you still don’t know about your love interest with qualities you imagine are true.

— Reader

Dear Reader: I’m very grateful for this letter. It made me think about the original letter in a new way — and, not for nothing, made me ruminate for a while on the nature of love, which is always a very nice way to spend one’s time. I agree with you.