King Canute who founded civic Littleport (after arriving here, a settlement of a few huts, one dark night by boat from Ely and being given our now legendary hospitality) famously once demonstrated that he could not stop the sea coming in. 

but I think his spirit inspired the new cut of the River Ouse between Ely and Littleport that opened in 1830 with an 18-gun salute!  

The story of the Sandys Cut features in the Littleport Society’s winter magazine as well as other fascinating tales of Littleport’s past presented by its committee members like Maureen Scott who tells us about the old 19th century St Crispin’s mission church from personal experience! 

And Maureen and Aubrey’s son was Christened there too! I met Aubrey while skating out on the frozen fens many decades ago; he was a keen fen skater who appears along with Maureen in the 20-minute film Chasing Ice (on amazon video or YouTube) made by another fen skater Adam Giles and in which Littleport gets a goodly mention.  

The archive and collection is at the Barn, Main Street free car park, open Tuesday afternoons 1-4pm with free monthly meetings at the village hall so why not join us at the Littleport Society? It’s only £5 a family, £3 a person or for pensioners £2 each. www.thelittleportsociety.co.uk  

This Friday December 8 Littleport’s Christmas Fair is the place to be. From 5pm til late the Crown Inn on Main Street has stalls, music, food vendors, Santa’s Grotto and more besides, while down the road at the Littleport Ex-Servicemen’s Club Ponts Hill there’s an indoor market – and a Santa! And it’s fundraising for East Anglian Air Ambulance.  

At Adams Heritage Centre Sunday December 10, it’s a free Christmas open afternoon from 2-4pm. Mince pies, tea and chat, and you can print a special Christmas card with Adams Art Club. Carols at 3pm by the Littleport Singers.  

Advance notice - the history of English pantomime, a talk by Jim Stebbins 2-3.30pm December 19 at Littleport Library housed in the historic Old Town Hall building on Victoria Street.