“a great demonstration that community spirit is alive and well”

This weekend, I attended the 80th anniversary celebration of Dogsthorpe on Millennium Green. And what a great demonstration that community spirit is alive and well, writes Combined Authority Mayor Paul Bristow.

The event brought residents together to recognise the area’s history and reflect on how Dogsthorpe has developed since becoming a recognised part of Peterborough in 1946.

Throughout my time in local politics, I've spent hours in Dogsthorpe without really giving a thought to what was here before it. But the camaraderie that came from locals wanting to celebrate this anniversary made me want to know more about what lay here in the past.

Before 1946, Dogsthorpe was a small hamlet and township within the wider parish of Saint John the Baptist. During the First World War, the area also played a role as a wireless station used to track Zeppelins.

In the years that followed, Dogsthorpe gradually changed from a rural village into the modern neighbourhood residents know today. And this weekend truly was a celebration of all that this area has to offer.

Music was at the heart of the event, as well as food stands and craft stalls that all highlighted what makes Dogsthorpe a wonderful place to be. There was a great turnout for it.

The event was not only about celebrating the past. A key moment from the day was the burial of a time capsule at Woodfield Park, giving future generations a glimpse of life in Dogsthorpe today and showing the pride residents have in their community.

And what this event also said to me was that we can both grow as a city and create really great communities and places to live that stand the test of time.

I think back to the change that the development corporation brought to Peterborough over the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and what an exciting place the city was by the 1990s for nightlife, shopping and leisure. In my youth, I thought Peterborough had it all.

That's how growth should be done. My plan for a Mayoral Development Corporation is about revitalising the city centre and the under-used land that could be so much more for Peterborough. And through the Combined Authority I lead, we're planning how our whole region should grow, with homes properly matched to jobs, transport, infrastructure and green spaces, so we create more thriving communities that stand the test of time, just as Dogsthorpe has.

It's events like the celebration of 80 years of Dogsthorpe are what make me proud to be from Peterborough. Thanks all those who made it possible including NXT GEN FC, Inspired Martial Arts and Peterborough Women's Aid, as well as Cllr Ishfaq Hussain.