Five stories you might have missed in Peterborough

A fly-tipping hotspot was transformed into a vibrant art project, while veterans marked the anniversary of VE Day.

Here's five stories you might have missed in Peterborough this week.

A fly-tipping hotspot has been turned into a vibrant street project by volunteers.

Tower Street, in Woodston, in Peterborough, was blighted by street drinking and dumped litter, according to volunteers Pippa Phillips, Mo Redmond and Erica Bergin.

Their creations, for the Tower Street Project, include murals, a bug hotel made from a discarded cabinet, plant pots from fly-tipped toilet suits, and 'Gnomeland' with 35 gnomes.

A park trust has been honoured with a 2026 King's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.

Nene Park Trust was founded in 1988 and manages seven sites across Peterborough, including Ferry Meadows.

A veteran who worked as a cook for the woman's branch of the British Army during World War Two said the experience "took the fright off because you were in it together".

Elsie Wilkins, 105, moved to Peterborough in 1985 and now lives at Clayburn Court care home in the Hampton area of the city.

Residents commemorated the anniversary of VE Day, which marked the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945.

Organisers of a community festival are urging visitors to consider making a donation to ensure the event stays free to attend in the future.

About 20,000 people are expected to attend Peterborough Celebrates at Nene Park, when the festival returns for its fifth year from 16 to 17 May.

The event is funded by Nene Park Trust, along with sponsorship from local businesses. A spokesperson for the trust said the festival remained free to attend "as part of its core ethos", but rising costs were making it increasingly challenging to sustain.

A farmer who was left with more than 12 tonnes of potatoes after a cancelled order has managed to donate them to charities and food banks around Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Luke Abblitt, who runs Daintree Farm in Ramsey, had prepared 540 bags of spuds for delivery to a fish and chip shop, but the order was cancelled at short notice, leaving him with stock already nearing the end of its usable life.

The potatoes, worth at least £3,000, were donated to food banks and charities including Cambridge Sustainable Food, Oxmoor Community Group Huntingdon and Whittlesey Community Pantry.

Peterborough's Labour MP said his party had "seen better nights" in the city, after local elections saw Labour lose four of the six council seats it was defending.

Andrew Pakes said the results showed Labour was "still standing" but it now had 11 seats at Peterborough City Council compared to the Tories' 13, making the latter the largest party.

Reform UK gained four seats on the night, taking their total to five, while the Greens also gained one and they now have six councillors.

In other news, Peterborough City Council said it had agreed the sale of the unfinished Hilton hotel in Fletton Quays to "somebody who will make it into a high-end hotel".

Leader Shabina Qayyum admited "there has been a loss on the sale" of the building after the council lent £15m to developers for the project.

And the first designs for a new £36m city centre swimming pool have were released.

The council said plans for the leisure facility, due to be built by the Embankment, were taking shape and would go on public display on 19 May.

Peterborough United confirmed that midfielder Archie Collins and defender Tom Lees will leave the club at the end of their contracts.

Collins spent three years at London Road, while Lees arrived last year. Eight players have been made available for transfer by the League One club.

In ice hockey, Peterborough Phantoms signed two new forwards for next season.

Ewan Hill, 23, joins from the Romford Raiders, while Dominik Gabaj, 33, signed from MK Lightening.

Hill scored a hat trick against Phantoms last season, while Gabaj has previously worked with coach Ashley Tait at the Berkshire Bees.

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