Shrobona Bhattacharya is one of Cambourne's hardest working ladies, for not only is she a Cambourne District Councillor and a Cambourne Parish Councillor, she organises regular, free community events and runs clubs and workshops to encourage people from various backgrounds to meet others.
For 8 to 14 year olds, she started the Electronics and Robotics Club in her kitchen – it’s now at the Blue School. Shrobona also runs the highly successful Cambourne Science Festival where children demonstrate their own homemade science projects – this year’s event was on 12th May.
And her efforts are being picked up by local TV station That's Cambridge.
Unscripted on TV
First off, in June, it was about the Cambourne Experimental Cookery Club, which Shrobona started on 2015 when she first moved to Cambourne. Along with her co-star and Club member Doroteja Maklin, she explained – unscripted – its main objectives are learning new cuisine, fundraising and removing loneliness.
"Food brings people closer so I designed the club accordingly. New learning, volunteering and charity are also other three elements," Shrobona said.
"Every year the entire club comes together for one big dinner to raise funds for an important issue. This year we decided to raise money for a 19 month old toddler who has a rare form of a soft-tissue cancer. The funds will go to her parents to help ease their financial strains."
Mexican theme
This year's big dinner, on 23rd June at The Hub, Cambourne, was a 10 course, Mexican themed meal. The two previous big dinners raised money for a children's hospital and the Red Cross.
Shrobona and her team followed up their big dinner with more fundraising for baby Kendall and her family by organising an arts festival in Cambourne on 7th July where children and families were encouraged to draw and paint. "We explored their imagination and creativity," said Shrobona.
"Like our big dinner, it's all part of listening to friends and neighbours and trying to plan initiatives to engage the widest variety of residents – I'm also constantly striving to remove social isolation and ethnic barriers."
Here's a link to Shrobona's Cookery Club interview.
On TV again – with CamCare UK
Then in early July, That's Cambridge returned to look at the family day at The Hub in Cambourne Shrobona was running through her CamCare UK charity.
She founded, and chairs, CamCare UK, to focus on community cohesion and the wellbeing of young people and adults to help improve their skills and create a safe and inclusive community for everyone.
I want to make Cambourne even more welcoming and attractive for young people," she said. "Cambourne has the highest density of children in the district – I look upon them them as assets of the nation. My ambition is to make more children from Cambourne the next generation of leaders."
Here's a link to Shrobona's CamCare interview.
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Shrobona Bhattacharya
Shrobona Bhattacharya
District Councillor, Cambourne Ward:
South Cambs Hall
South Cambridgeshire District Council
Cambourne Business Park
Cambourne
CB23 6EA
Phone
07852 753 216
E-mail
cllr.bhattacharya@scambs.gov.uk
Twitter
https://twitter.com/shrobonab