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LATEST CLUB NEWS.......

24 May Stop press........ Please listen to this Sunday’s  “Roundabout” on Cambridge 105 Radio. This programme features the interviews that Tony Barnfield did at Tuesday evening’s President’s Dinner at Fitzwilliam College. The programme will be available as a podcast on the Cambridge 105 Radio website within a few days of being broadcast.

David Gill – Innovation in Cambridge The Managing Director of the St John’s Innovation Centre spoke on May 8th to the Cambridge Rotary Club about the development of innovation in Cambridge. From its foundation to the mid 19th century the university was interested in little but religion and the classics. But when Prince Albert became chancellor he encouraged an interest in science. This was more primary science, concerned with the nature of the world, than anything with a commercial aspect. Any development of that nature was also restricted by the current planning policies which wished to keep the city small and surrounded by green space. After the Second World War the Mott Report suggested a more expansionist approach, and some visionaries took the opportunity to think about technological innovation. In the sixties Dr John Bradfield promoted the Science Park and Chris Johnson the St John’s Innovation Centre. The purpose of the Centre was to provide support and mentoring to young entrepreneurs ready to develop their own businesses. David Gill likened his role to that of a headmaster, giving his sixth form appropriate freedom to grow. These entrepreneurs typically stay for some 5 to 7 years, and the Centre has spawned some hundred spin-off businesses, many now with world-wide reputations. What became the Cambridge Technology Cluster has also benefitted from the ’Cambridge spirit’ which is prepared to work with others to enable all to make progress.. To continue that progress further expansion is required, on some more ‘agricultural land of indifferent value’ such as enabled the Centre to be built. David gave his talk on what has become a very important aspect of the English economy with a light touch. The success of the Centre has led to ‘innovation tourism’ and when important visitors come to see what is happening David asks his ‘students’ to ‘wear their oldest tee shirts and behave in a weird manner’ to show that they are true boffins Rotarian David Spreadbury

Cambridge News David Bartlett, Editor in Chief, was our lunchtime guest speaker at the meeting of the Rotary Club of Cambridge on Tuesday 1st May. When he joined Cambridge News, David was given a remit to make the paper relevant on line. In 2016 it had under 19000 likes on Facebook, now it has around 65000. Although social media can be a threat, it can also help point the way to a more interesting paper. David’s secret is Love Cambridge. Social media can illustrate what sells, an example being a story of a night shift with the Police that ran for five days running. The talk ended with a stimulating and informative question time during which it became obvious that David was on the top of his job and the Cambridge News was alive to all the challenges and opportunities presented by a forward looking paper. Formats will change and evolve but great story telling will always be important.. Reporter Rotarian John Holroyd and photo by Rotarian Jenny Shaw.