Peterborough this week: Five stories you might have missed

Thousands of people are expected to attend the winter festival at Ferry Meadows in Nene Park

Storm Darragh has caused the cancellation of a Christmas fair, taxi drivers celebrated a CCTV decision and a Peterborough swimming coach won a national award despite not having a dedicated pool.

Here are five stories from the past seven days in Peterborough to keep you up to date, plus a round-up of sporting and political stories you might have missed.

Artisan Christmas fair cancelled over storm fears

The artisan fair is held every week but on 7 December it was a special Christmas-themed event

A city centre Christmas-themed artisan fair has been called off due to strong winds.

Yolanda Eldaadaa from Peterborough had organised the fair, which takes place on the first Saturday of every month in the city's Cathedral Square. This Saturday's fair was "a special one" with a Santa sleigh and Christmas stalls, she said.

Heavy wind and rain has been forecast between Thursday and Sunday as part of Storm Darragh.

"Safety has to come first as the weather does not look good and winds look quite strong," said Ms Eldaadaa.

Nene Park had to partially shut its ongoing winter festival on Thursday due to high winds, after organisers cited it was "unsafe" for visitors.

Nene Park Trust said: "We'll be keeping a close eye on the wind forecast over the weekend and posting any further updates before 12:00 GMT each day."

Cabbies 'ecstatic' after mandatory CCTV rejected

Cab drivers will not have to install CCTV in their taxis

Cabbies say they are "relieved" that mandatory CCTV cameras will not be introduced for taxis despite it being considered for the safety of passengers and drivers.

Peterborough City Council overwhelmingly voted against introducing the cameras, arguing drivers might simply register their cars in other districts.

The proposed scheme proved unpopular with drivers, with nearly 90% opposing it when surveyed by the council.

Peterborough Private Hire Association chairman Nawaab Imran Khan said members "welcome the council's decision and feel ecstatic".

Peterborough food club says it needs £20,000 to survive

Gemma Douglas is one of the volunteers who helps to staff the food club

A food club providing families with a weekly shop for just £4.50 said it was at risk of closure.

Peterborough Food Club said it needed £20,000 a year to keep going after a donor pulled out.

Service users have described the club, which gives shoppers a week's supply of fruit, vegetables and other items, as a "big help".

Family Action said it provided an essential service to people in Peterborough and was in "desperate need" of support to continue.

Coach of swimming club without a pool scoops award

Ben Negus said he "did not expect" to win after being awarded the Performance Pathway Coach of the Year

A coach who trains a swimming club without a dedicated pool says he has been humbled with a Swim England award for his work.

Ben Negus from City of Peterborough Swimming Club (COPS) was awarded the Performance Pathway Coach of the Year at the Swim England National Awards.

The 180-member club, which competes national and international championships, has "grappled" with "extraordinary situations" after the city's regional pool was closed by the council - forcing the athletes to find alternative locations to train, Mr Negus said.

He said the award recognised "the entire club's efforts and hard work", adding that he "did not expect to win".

Men's Movember staff health event hailed success

NHS workers volunteered at the trust's first day focused on the health of male staff

An NHS trust event to encourage male staff to take more care of their health was well received, said organisers.

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust said 100 men working at Peterborough City Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, and Stamford and Rutland Hospital attended the event in Sawtry.

Staff and male family members were able to take up free health checks by trust professionals on issues including cholesterol and blood sugar levels, healthy eating, smoking, alcohol reduction, mental health, male breast cancer and bowel screening.

Men's Staff Network chair Chris Howard said: "We were really keen to put on an event just for our male staff, and 'Movember' seemed like the perfect time."

A week in Peterborough sport

Posh are now 15th in League One after a shock home defeat

Peterborough United suffered a shock defeat to Burton Albion on Wednesday evening.

Mason Bennett scored the only goal of the game in the 64th minute.

Posh only registered one shot on target and are now just three points above the League One drop zone.

Peterborough Sports came back from 2-0 down to get a point against South Shields in the National League North.

Sports are now unbeaten in their last seven games across all competitions.

Peterborough Phantoms recorded their first shut out of the season in a 4-0 win over the Sheffield Steeldogs

Slava Koulikov's side are sixth in the National Ice Hockey League, nine points behind leaders MK Lightening.

A week in Peterborough politics

Woodston Library is one of several community buildings the city council has considered selling to plug a black hole in its finances

The city council's decision to vote against mandatory CCTV in taxi cabs, as detailed above, was a headline political story of this week.

Meanwhile, the Friends of Woodston Library group said they were still fighting to keep the library open – and council-run.

The council said it paused making a decision about the building – which is on a list of assets it is considering repurposing or selling – and that it was proposing trialling other modes of operating, such as it being volunteer-run and externally funded.

The Friends group said they were "shocked" by this proposal which was "sprung" on them and added that they will escalate their campaign to their MP.