Many funds are available from County Council, District Council and charities to support local community groups and projects.

• Cambridgeshire Community Foundation
• The Support Cambridgeshire website has a grant finder available
• Cambridgeshire County Council funding for communities
• see what grants we offer.

Scams make victims part with their money and personal details by intimidating them or promising cash, prizes, services and fictitious high returns on investment. 

Types of scams include: 

• mail scams: for example, mail asking to claim on a lottery ticket or cash prize, clairvoyants and spiritual guides that are made to look like handwritten letters
• internet scams: for example, emails pretending to be from your bank or building society, copycat websites that look like government official departments
• door stop scam: for example, callers at your door claiming to be from the police or council, callers offering to sell you something. Always ask for ID if you are unsure and never give any money away upfront. 
• You can find Trading Standards approved traders on their website or call 03454 04 05 06
• rouge traders: a rogue trader will take money for work that they either do not do or do to a very poor standard. If a rogue trader is at your or a neighbour’s property dial 999. Otherwise use the non-emergency number 101 to report to it Police

Report a scam

To report any type of scam please contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

You can report phishing emails to the bank whose brand/identity are being copied. Visit their website to find out the correct e-mail address.

For more information or advice contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline 03454 04 05 06.

Antisocial behaviour is a range of behaviours that can cause nuisance and annoyance or harm and distress to a person. It is a wide range of unacceptable activity.

Examples of anti-social behaviour include: 

• loud noise
• threats and violence
• harassment
• verbal abuse 
• careless driving 
• littering 
• vandalism 

You can report anti-social behavior using our online form. 

More information can be found by reading our neighbourhood issues page. 

Not all crime can be tackled by a community, but in partnership with the police and your local council, you can help prevent crime by:

• knowing and understand what are the signs of specific crimes in your community
• setting up a group to raise awareness 
• posting regular awareness updates via your village notice board or social media

Crimes in your area

The most common crimes in South Cambridgeshire are: 

• car theft
• burglary
• scams and rogue traders 

For more information on how to prevent these crimes please visit the Our Watch website. 

Other crimes that you can help to prevent are: 

• hate crimes: this could be towards the victim's disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity. It can include damage to property, as well as exploitation for financial gain. You can report hate crime to the police; call 999 in an emergency or report online at Cambs Police.
• child exploitation: crimes such as trafficking, sexual exploitation, slavery, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and county lines drug trafficking. Contact the NSPCC to speak to trained professionals about what is happening, so they can signpost you to the right services and support agencies.
• domestic abuse: if you think anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 immediately. For more information and support please visit our domestic abuse webpage.
• modern day slavery: Demand for cheap goods, cheap labour and cheap sex has created the perfect storm for human trafficking. Thousands of people across the UK are being forced into a life they didn’t ask for, with more people discovered every day. For help, advice or support, or to report a case of modern slavery please call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700 or report it online on the Modern Slavery Helpline website.
• radicalisation: radicalisation and extremism are processes that involve either an individual or a group who adopt extreme political, social, or religious ideas. Please visit True Vision and Cambridge & Peterborough Safeguarding Children Partnership Board for more information. 

Find crime statistics for your area, along with local news and advice about the issues in your community.

Road related concerns may include: 

• speeding 
• parking 
• large vehicles 

Speeding

Community Speedwatch (CSW) is a national initiative where active members of local communities join with the support of the police to monitor speeds of vehicles using speed detection devices. They work on behalf of the Police and communities to organise CSW activity. 

Improving local traffic

• Modeshift STARS is the national awards scheme that recognises schools that have shown excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel
• The Walking Bus scheme is a safe and healthy way for groups of children to walk to and from school
• create a cycling group to encourage residents to leave the car at home and reap the health benefits. Find out more at Cycling UK

Road safety

THINK! is a campaign by the UK government that has been running road safety campaigns for more than 75 years. The Central Office of Information (COI) ran the government’s road safety campaigns until 2000, when THINK! was officially established as the government’s designated road safety campaign.

There are many ways to make your community greener from litter picks to community gardens. This can help to create a cleaner and healthier environment and encourage interaction and sharing knowledge.

Greening your environment: Case studies

Below are some case studies of green initiatives in South Cambridgeshire as well as grants available to assist these projects.

• Marmalade Lane is Cambridge's very first co-housing project where homes have been specifically built to suit the needs of residents choosing to live in a safe and spacious community. Marmalade Lane consists of 30 houses and 12 flats, all energy-efficient timber-frame properties priced from £255,000 to £535,000 with an eco-friendly approach in mind, they are thermally efficient and airtight and a single house can be erected in just 2 days.
• Cambridge Sustainable Food is an innovative and growing partnership of public, private and community organisations in Cambridge and the surrounding villages who work with each other to promote a vibrant local food system, all along the supply chain and into our community. They also campaign to achieve healthy and sustainable food for everyone. 
• 2G3S (Green Groups in the Shelfords, Stapleford and Sawston) is a non party-political group to promote green activity in our local villages and to share green ideas. They hold planning and discussion meetings every 6 weeks and put on events. 

Help with environmental issues

You can: 

• apply for a grant to kickstart your new project or expand your existing project
• report fly-tipping and little to help keep your community clean 
• organise a litter pick 

• Supporting communities to create low carbon neighbourhood plans

Engaging with your community can help to: 

• strengthen services to better fit the needs of users and have higher levels of customer satisfaction
• reduce inequalities
• provide an opportunity for people have their say in council matters such as housing and planning
• make communities safer and stronger
• give greater local ownership of council services
• improve local reputation
• build community cohesion and collaboration
• give residents the ability to help themselves and each others 

We have suggested 5 key aims to help you engage with your community: 

• to put community involvement at the centre of everything you do
• to strive for a broad representation of your residents
• to be honest, open and transparent with your community ensuring there is easy access to clear and relevant information
• to make sure that the views, needs, expectations and outcomes of engagement activities are used to inform the decision-making processes.
• to listen to your community and give feedback to participants about outcomes of engagement activities.

You can engage with your community through: 

• social media
• leaflets and newsletters
• posters
• information stalls
• news releases 
• questionnaires and surveys 
• focus groups 
• community-led events 
• round table workshops
• asking for feedback on written plans, policies and strategies
• community projects

If you are planning a community project or event please look at our example risk assessment form [PDF, 0.1MB] and example venue access checklist form [PDF, 0.1MB]. You can also read our planning a community event page for more tips and advice.