Five Peterborough stories you might have missed

Whittlesey butcher Mark Field said the cost of living had impacted his sales

From a sinkhole providing a sinking feeling to a deafblind cyclist requiring a riding buddy, here's five stories that you may have missed in Peterborough this week.

Works to repair sinkhole delayed once more

The path is said to have been deteriorating for seven years

There were hopes it would begin soon, but work to fix a sinkhole along a riverside footpath has been further delayed.

The sinkhole, on Henry Penn Walk next to Peterborough's Town Bridge, was first reported in 2021.

After years of dispute, Riverview Housing Freehold Limited (RHFL), which includes leaseholders and freeholders of 24 flats, agreed to pay for the repairs, with work due to start last week.

But Clive Morton, one of the directors of RHFL, said the main repairs had been "regrettably delayed until April", with interim work expected to begin in Autumn.

Sunflower walks raise thousands for hospice

Sunflowers have provided a welcome fundraising opportunity

A pair of sunflower farmers have raised more than £3,000 for a hospice.

Brothers Lloyd and Mat Smith hosted sunflower walks at their farm in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, attended by more than 1,000 people over a three-week period last month.

Visitors had the chance to walk around fields containing more than 300,000 sunflowers planted by the brothers as part of their bird seeds business.

Lloyd said they wanted to support the Thorpe Hall Hospice run by Sue Ryder in Peterborough after it provided "amazing care" to his father-in-law last year.

Butcher makes appeal for customers on social media

There have been various butchery businesses at the same premises in Whittlesey for more than 100 years

A shop that has housed butchery businesses for more than 100 years faces an uncertain future unless more people use it.

Jones Butchers has stood on Broad Street in Whittlesey, near Peterborough, since 1957 and before it, two other butchers dating back to the early 1900s have been there.

Mark Field, a butcher with 30 years' experience, took over the business in June but has appealed for more customers on social media, putting his struggles down to the cost of living and the convenience of supermarkets.

Trade association National Craft Butchers said beef prices were at a historic high, with the cost of meat generally rising 17%, which had made it tough for independent butchers.

Send charity 'supported 8,000 people' in August

More than 8,000 people were supported through August alone, Little Miracles said

A charity that supports families of children with special education needs and disabilities said it had seen one of the "busiest summers" since it launched 15 years ago.

Little Miracles supported more than 8,000 people in August across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough with counselling, therapy, accessible summer activities and family support.

The charity's foodbank also saw an "extremely high demand" and "shelves had to be re-stocked before lunchtime" on some days, a spokesperson said.

Louise Evans, head of income generation, said "it can be really lonely, scary and increasingly expensive" to raise a child with additional needs.

Deafblind cyclist appeals for bike rider buddy

Graham Hicks, right, said the Surrey bike came in kit form with thousands of parts, which he constructed in just three days

A man who is registered deaf and blind hoped to find a cyclist willing to be his eyes and ears on fun trips around his city on a "bicycle" made for two.

Graham Hicks, 64, from Bretton, Peterborough, was born blind and became profoundly deaf during childhood.

For the past 16 years, he has run his own cycle repair business, but after experiencing issues with his balance, he had to give up his passion for riding tandems in his spare time.

He built a four-wheeled Surrey bike, for two riders seated side by side, and recently made modifications to make it power-assisted, for easier pedalling. He appealed for cyclists who wanted to ride and experience the fresh air with him.