Great Shelford

[Rainrain18]

Do you think Great Shelford would be a nice place to move to with one small child and another on the way? Is it a friendly place with opportunities to meet other local
Mum's? Also any information about Rainbow nursery? Thanks

Can no one tell me if there is a nice community there with a few baby toddler groups? Does anyone have any experience of the Rainbow nursery at the local school? I'd really appreciate some insight.

this isn't a terribly active board.

I'm duxford so not that far away, but I've never looked into shelford playgroups and nurseries so I can't give you any first hand information. Sorry.

Just didn't want you thinking everyone was ignoring you. It's just that not very many people seem to come on this board and the most knowledgable posts seem to be about the city rather than the villages.

That's really nice of you to reply leafygirl, shame it's not an active board as I really need advice before relocating to the area, I lived in central Cambridge for a couple of years a while ago and was lonely and found it hard to meet people so
I really want to choose the right place to live now that I have toddler and pregnant with my second and I have no friends and family in Cambridge. Hopefully someone will respond with some info soon. Kind of you to respond.

I have friends with young children who live in the Shelfords who really like it. Kreepy krawlies mentioned as nice group and they seem happy with rainbow but we're not that close so can't give more detail I'm afraid

Thanks tensixty that's good to hear.

unfortunately, i dont know shelford. Any particular reason you would like to move there? In Cambridge you would definitely now be lonely, I met lots of lovely people since moving here.

I have friends in Shelford, but they don't have kids so they don't know about child friendly stuff.

I always think the library in Shelford looks like a good place for kids.

And there are playgroups that are very popular in the village hall, but I've not been to any (I ended up assigned to the HV at Melbourn so I ended up at baby groups out towards Royston rather than local to here).

I think you'd end up with a HV from Sawston if you moved to Shelford. I've been with Sawston for my youngest two (but they were twins, and with twins and a young toddler sibling I didn't make it to many playgroups!)

I can recommend playgroups in nearby villages (tiny talk Whittlesford on a Wednesday morning, froglets Ickleton on a Monday morning), but nothing actually in Shelford - just because I've not been to any.

Shelford is terribly naice. A certain type of mummy tends to predominate, the kind who wouldn't dream of giving their kids anything other than organic biodynamic kale. The school is well thought of - you need to be a churchgoer and within catchment to get in most years, but it hasn't had a recent Ofsted and I suspect is coasting a bit - Shelford parents are going to put the effort in. Baby names are of the Enoch and Gus variety.

Traffic is chaos in the morning past the school. The deli is okay - would be run of the mill in many parts of London, if that's where you are coming from, but passes as brilliant for Cambridge.

That said, it is a lovely place and there are some normal people there grin There's a good toddler/preschool music and dance class on Fridays.

Thanks doctor geek - yes coming from London so spoilt for delis at the moment. Can I ask where else you think would be a fairly friendly place to move to with kids in the south of Cambridge ( easy travel to Addenbroojes and city centre?). I like Newnham but it seems a bit dead, I want to be somewhere with lots of young families and some kid of hub in terms of a park or high street.

Are you thinking state or private for schools? That would make a difference. Mill road area is lovely with lots of lovely pubs and cafes, but the housing situation is not good - there are some absolutely beautiful large houses near the station but they are expensive even by London standards. The rest of the houses around there tend to be terraces - admittedly some of them feature in Country Life, but terraces all the same.

The Alpha Terrace area just off Castle Hill is nice but again no real central hub. No idea what schools are like around there either. Also you're right in that Newnham doesn't have a central hub, as it were - a lot of Cambridge areas don't. That said, both Newnham and Shelford will have loads going on for families. The Shelford Feast is a week long fair in the summer which is good.

Have you thought about any of the villages?

I really don't know enough about the villages and my husband works at the hospital so we would no more than 20 mins to get there as he's been commuting from London for years so a short commute is a must and I know how bad Cambridge traffic can be. We lived off Hills Road previously in a terrace and I found it very quiet and only met one neighbour in 2 years! I suppose it will be easier now I'm a mum but I really want to be somewhere where it's easy to see the same faces in
Local shops etc and start getting to know people. I'd my son go to a state school but we would consider private. Which of the villages would you say we're particularly lively: friendly for families? Thanks so
much Doc.

I'd rather my son goes to state but we'd consider private.

RainRain - Shelford is a perfectly nice village, a very desirable area to live and very convenient for Addenbrookes! I would ignore the comments about it being full of a certain type of mummys

I know the childminder who runs Shelford Childcare. She's very nice and I imagine she'd be happy to chat to you about the village. As long as you don't want childcare that is - she's got a waiting list as long as your arm!

I don't live in shelford but often go to the park there with my 2 dc. It's friendly and the kids always make friends with other kids. There's a good cycle route to the hospital. Agree with other posters about it being a bit naice. Deli is over priced I think!

What do you mean by a bit 'naice" ? Does that mean insular, narrow and that you have to be a certain type to fit in? Thanks Campbeal- it would be great to have that contact. Does anyone know if the primary school is good?

Sorry somehow posted under old name which says it all really!

Shelford is great , location is great too, I have a toddler and am pregnant and in nearby Trumpington - plenty going on here. Look at stapleford too for slightly more affordable property.

Don't want to give any more information than she's making public, but if you search childcare.co.uk Shelford Childminder she's the only one that comes up. Her name's Joanna.

Shelford is really nice, Trumpington also nice and friendly. Oh, if I could afford Newnham I'd live there in the blink of an eye! (but it's out of my league :( !) good school in newnham too. Any of those places will b lovely and well geared for families