The 15-year-old's family say it helped them to mourn at a time when large services are banned.

Image source, Diamond Hampers

Volunteers have packed 71 hampers full of essential goods to give to care leavers after an appeal by local authorities in Cambridgeshire.

Food, toiletries, baby products, nappies, cleaning products and birthday presents were among the donations given to the young people, many without family support, as they cope with the lockdown.

Re-Imagine Resource Centre in Witchford and community organisation Diamond Hampers were among the donors.

Conservative member of Cambridgeshire County Council, Simon Bywater, thanked them "for everything they are doing to make life a little easier for others".

The North Yorkshire-based Drax group is to supply free energy for two months to 170 care homes near its 14 sites around the UK during the coronavirus outbreak, it's confirmed.

Image source, PA Media

The energy company, which is based at Drax power station near Selby, says it's also donating £150,000 to help small businesses facing financial hardship.

The homes set to benefit from the free energy are in the Yorkshire and Humber region, Ipswich and East Anglia, Northampton, Wales and Scotland, the firm says.

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner said: “Care homes do incredible work looking after some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and we know this pandemic is putting them under immense pressure.

"As a gesture of appreciation for the excellent work they're doing, we’re cancelling their energy bills for a couple of months.

“A lot of businesses are also having a tough time, as the lockdown is having a major impact on many different sectors, so we’ve donated £150,000 to the Money Advice Trust’s Business Debtline," he added.

The founder of a computer company has warned "an entire decade of progress in narrowing the educational divide" could be "erased" if schools remain closed until September due to the pandemic lockdown.

Eben Upton, who created Cambridge-based Raspberry Pi, external, is appealing for philanthropists to fund the donation of hundreds of computers to low-income households - in a move he is calling Pi Drop - to ensure children can continue their education at home.

He has arranged the distribution of 20 out of 1,000 computers currently available through the Cambs Youth Panel, external and said: "This is a once-in-a-century moment when rapid action can have life-long consequences for disadvantaged young people."

The government has set up a scheme to lend laptops to deprived pupils - but only for year 10 students who are taking their GCSEs.

Leah (below), a primary school pupil from Cambridge, said: "The biggest change since I received my Raspberry Pi is I get to do all the homework set."

The colony is now settling into a new home after being safely removed by a local beekeeper.

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Forget wearing the usual scrubs made from blue or raspberry coloured fabric - NHS workers at one hospital are rocking some new threads.

A number of scrubs have been donated from sewing groups and individuals from across Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, to staff at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.

Image source, Royal Papworth Hospital

The outfits, ranging from Thomas the Tank Engine to exotic plant patterns, have been a "real hit with staff", a spokesman said.

"We’re so grateful to everyone who has made them for our teams - they’ve made a huge difference and helped to keep us smiling," he said.

Image source, Royal Papworth Hospital

Image source, Royal Papworth Hospital

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Forget wearing the usual scrubs made from blue and raspberry, NHS workers at one hospital are rocking some new threads.

A number of scrubs have been donated from sewing groups and individuals from across Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, to staff at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.

Image source, Royal Papworth Hospital

The outfits, featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, and some exotic leaves, have been a "real hit with staff", a spokesman said.

"We’re so grateful to everyone who has made them for our teams - they’ve made a huge difference and helped to keep us smiling", he said.

Image source, Royal Papworth Hospital

Image source, Royal Papworth Hospital

More details have been shared about how key workers in Norfolk can get coronavirus tests after complaints that some workers were being asked to travel 100s of miles for them.

The NHS said key workers with symptoms can either get tested through a dedicated local service or a national system.

Norfolk's three local testing sites are in Norwich, Gorleston and King's Lynn.

Image source, PA

North Norfolk's Conservative MP Duncan Baker said: "I had emails from constituents saying 'We're in North Walsham and we're being asked to have a test in Scotland'.

"My first response was to go to the CCG [Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group] and say 'Look this isn't good enough'. I have been able to… make sure they get tested at the local areas."

While NHS acute hospital staff can use their organisation's existing booking system and all other NHS employees can email NHScovidtesting@nnuh.nhs.uk, external, employers of essential workers - including including care home staff and teachers - should contact NorfolkRegistercovidtesting@nnuh.nhs.uk, external to register their organisations so workers can book local appointments.

Key workers can also book tests through the national system, and can choose to be sent home kits or travel to regional testing centres in Ipswich, Peterborough or Stansted.

Drivers are urged to only make essential journeys using the road during the coronavirus lockdown.

Sci-fi fans on social media are marking what has become known as Star Wars Day.

Today's date, 4 May, was chosen for the pun on the movies' phrase "may the Force be with you".

Step forward Cambridge's Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences - which hosts a collection of fossils, crystals and zeolites - which is of course closed to the public during the coronavirus lockdown.

It has produced this interpretation of a light sabre battle from the celebrated series of films.

A manger at a nature reserve said staff have noticed birds behaving differently, which they have put down to a lack of visitors to the site during the lockdown period.

Martin Lester said some species which might usually "hide" were being seen more often at the National Trust's Wicken Fen, external reserve in Cambridgeshire.

Image source, Justin Minns/National Trust

"The species that are here... are kind of behaving in a way that we've not seen before, because there are no people on the reserve, so they're in areas we don't normally see them," he said.

"The blackbirds and robins - they're always fairly resistant to human intrusion, but some of the less robust species like the warblers, some of the birds of prey, owls... they tend to hide themselves away, but this year, because there are no people on the trails... the birds are coming much closer to where we are."

He described it as "actually quite wonderful".

• The Cambridge Independent , externalreports that a company based in Impington believes it is close to developing a 10-minute fingerprint test for Covid-19.
• Three people have been fined for "drifting" at a former RAF site, writes Peterborough Today, external
• And the Wisbech Standard says, external Fenland District Council has collected an extra 534 tonnes of waste and recycling in a month - a rise of 17% since lockdown was enforced

Officers say the flames were heading towards the main building of a village secondary school.

Benjamin Rayner's mother says her son is at high risk following his operation.

Residents in Peterborough and other parts of eastern England are finding more rubbish being dumped.

A cancer patient whose surgery was cancelled at short notice pays to have his brain tumour removed.

A seven-year-old girl has been making good luck charms to "keep key workers safe".

Cambridgeshire firefighters in Huntingdon wanted Imogen to know that the full-time crew have placed theirs in the front of their engine.

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Image source, A Cambridge Diary

University buildings in Cambridge were not the only iconic sites turning blue.

Absolute Audio Visual Solutions were behind the illumination of Addenbrooke's Hospital.

The Twitter account called A Cambridge Diary called it "a beacon of reassurance and hope - Addenbrooke’s Hospital is lit in blue and shines across the city it protects".

A helicopter from the Magpas Air Ambulance team, also flew over the hospital to show its support.

A turning on of Christmas lights, that normally attracts 6,000 people, has already been cancelled.

Image source, Ian Newstead

A switch-on event was due to take place on 27 November in Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Ian Newstead, the event manager, said the city will still have lights, if they can be put up safely and following guidelines, but a special event will not be held.

"We are going to do an alternative online switch-on event, for those those that can't get out," he said.

"We will find a way."

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Image source, JezO's

For the fifth week in a row, amazing blue lights have been projected onto well-known buildings in Cambridge.

Several events companies, calling themselves the Shine Bright Team, external, have used their skills to honour NHS and key workers.

They are The Crane Event, JMPS, Pink Lamp, Blueshed and JezO's.

Image source, Pink Lamp

On Thursday evening for the Clap for Carers event, Gonville and Caius, Westminter College, and a sculpture outside the Department of Engineering, all turned blue.

Image source, Sharon King-Livesey

Justin Crane, from Crane Event, said it was approached by Sharon King-Livesey, to illuminate the "Construction in Aluminium" artwork.

"Built by my Dad, Design Engineer Clive King in 1967, and a team at Cambridge University Engineering labs, Kenneth Martin’s sculpture design is synonymous with the innovation happening in Cambridge and beyond, in the fight to save lives," she said.

The companies have promised more will be lit up next week.