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Five stories you might have missed in Peterborough

Joanna Taylor
BBC News, Peterborough
Tom Jackson/BBC Five people wearing black clothes and bright carnivalesque butterfly wings perform a dance on the grass in Nene Park. They wear coloured goggles to look like bug eyes.Tom Jackson/BBC
A "flutter of butterflies" was this year's theme at the Peterborough Celebrates festival

A colourful festival helped "put positivity" back into Peterborough, while a teen boxer hoped to become the first world champion from the city.

Here are five stories from Peterborough you might have missed this week.

Festival puts positivity back into city, says director

Four people on stilts in rainbow coloured circus costumes stand and hold their arms up, while three BBC reporters wearing purple T-shirts stand in front of them. They are in a field with a large blue marquee behind them.
The Nene Park Trust organised the colourful event at Ferry Meadows

Music, culture and diversity have been celebrated as a festival "puts positivity" back into a city, according to the director of an arts organisation.

The free two-day event, Peterborough Celebrates, drew large crowds to Ferry Meadows with this year's theme in support of nature.

Ruth Campbell, director of the arts group Metal, said: "Sometimes Peterborough gets a bad reputation but what this festival is about celebrating Peterborough."

Teen boxer punches down barriers for England debut

EMMA BAUGH/BBC Jerry-Mike wearing red boxing gloves and sitting on the boxing ring with his championship belt.EMMA BAUGH/BBC
Jerry-Mike was four years old when he first started boxing and hopes to be the first world champion from Peterborough

A boxing club that is helping young people from diverse communities stay off the streets is preparing a fighter to make his international debut.

Jerry-Mike,15, attends Top Yard School of Boxing in Peterborough, and is about to represent England at a tri-nations boxing championship starting on 28 May in Cardiff.

Parents call sudden pre-school closure 'unfair'

SHARIQUA AHMED/BBC Green portable cabin with windows and a white door. There is a brown wooden framed-fence around it with a green play area in front of it. There is a green fence separating the pre-school from a walkway. SHARIQUA AHMED/BBC
Eyrescroft Pre-School in Bretton was rated as good in its most recent Ofsted inspection

A group of parents have said they have been left in a "difficult position" after a pre-school announced it would close in one month.

Eyrescroft Pre-School in Bretton, Peterborough, have informed parents that it will shut on 22 June due to financial struggles.

The pre-school, which is run by Early Years Alliance, said the decision was "a direct result of the acute financial pressure created by the continued underfunding of the early years sector".

Plans to revive church shut after disrepair

SHARIQUA AHMED/BBC Samuel wearing a grey suit - blue shirt and a striped tie - standing in front of the church alter and looking at the camera.SHARIQUA AHMED/BBC
Samuel Pedlar estimates the diocese will have a concrete plan in place in the next six months

A dilapidated 1,000-year-old church could be reopened for services, the local Church of England diocese has said.

The Church of St Augustine in Oundle Road, Peterborough, has been closed since 2022 and will take more than £300,000 to repair according to the Diocese of Ely.

Samuel Pedlar, community support adviser at the diocese, said it had been in "active discussions" with other Christian denominations for one of them to take over the church.

City attraction scoops prestigious award

JOHN DEVINE/BBC Brian Pearce, 76, has a full head of grey hair. He is wearing dark glasses and a green fleece top with the logo on from Railworld Wildlife Haven. He is holding an award made of glass that is engraved.JOHN DEVINE/BBC
Brian Pearce said he was "thrilled and delighted" that hard work from volunteers over 40 years had paid off

A Peterborough visitor attraction has scooped a major accolade at a London awards ceremony.

Railworld Wildlife Haven was founded in 1985 and is a museum dedicated to the world of rail, but is also a site for nature and wildlife.

It won Sustainable Project of the Year at the Museums and Heritage Awards, beating competition including from the likes of the Natural History Museum.

The week in politics

It was a busy week in Peterborough politics. There were rumblings that a new leader of Peterborough City Council could be chosen due to a no-confidence vote. The Peterborough First group said it would challenge the current Labour administration.

Meanwhile, long-serving councillor Judy Fox was chosen to be the city's next mayor.

A review of the council's governance and finances came to an end after three years. Politicians said progress had been made, but recognised that challenges remain.

In other news, a new location was proposed for Peterborough's dementia resource centre after concerns were raised about plans to move it into Bretton Library. The council said it was looking into relocating it to Paston Farm Community Centre.

Peterborough City Council adopted an Islamophobia statement in a bid to support Muslim communities in the area. The statement includes a definition of Islamophobia and sets out some of the ways Muslims are impacted by prejudice.

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