This page is about the new sign.
There are also pages about the unveiling of the new sign, the original sign and an introduction .
The new Trumpington Village Sign. Photo: Andrew Roberts, 23 June 2010.
The sign was designed by local resident Sheila Betts and constructed by Sign of the Times , a company based in Bedfordshire.
The brief to Sheila Betts was to echo and update the original design. The design incorporates the figure of Sir Roger de Trumpington on horseback with a shield based on the brass of Sir Roger in Trumpington Church. The lettering uses the Gill Sans font (Eric Gill designed the font and sculpted the nearby War Memorial).
The sign was constructed from rigid polyurethane resin and hand painted. This should ensure it has a long life.
The old sign was removed and the new sign erected by staff of Trumpington Farm Company. The grant application, finance and ceremony were managed by the Trumpington Residents’ Association.
The sign was unveiled on 15 June 2010, in a ceremony conducted by Antony Pemberton and Councillor Sheila Stuart, a local councillor who was attending her first local reception as the newly-elected Mayor of Cambridge. There were over 60 adults and 25 children from Fawcett School in attendance.
Antony Pemberton and Councillor Stuart briefly described the background to the project and the way in which the sign was a symbol of the past and future of Trumpington which will be seen by many thousands of people as they pass its location on the main road through the village into Cambridge. The Mayor closed her speech by saying that the new sign “will be greatly admired for years to come”.
The majority of the participants then walked to the nearby Trumpington Pavilion for refreshments. The reaction to the sign and the ceremony was overwhelmingly positive, with the local children cheering as the sign was unveiled.
See a separate page for additional photographs of the unveiling ceremony .
The project to commission the new sign was a successful example of community partnership. Apart for the construction and transport costs, all the other work was contributed by local residents and companies free of charge. The direct cost of the sign was funded by generous contributions from three local groups and a grant from Cambridge City Council South Area Committee to the Trumpington Residents’ Assocation, with a small residue being contributed by a local company:
• grant from Cambridge City Council South Area Committee, £1450
• Trumpington Local History Group, £1000 (the commitment to contribute this substantial sum kick- started the process)
• Trumpington Women’s Institute, £200
• Trumpington Parochial Charity, £200
• Bidwells £55.25
Trumpington Village Sign unveiled June 2010. Design Sheila Betts.
Graham Bass, Antony Pemberton, Shirley Brown, Sheila Betts, Councillor Sheila Stuart, the Mayor of Cambridge, Howard Slatter, Janet Hendy and Brenda Bass, at the unveiling of the new village sign, 15 June 2010. Photo: Stephen Brown.
Antony Pemberton and Councillor Sheila Stuart, the Mayor of Cambridge, at the unveiling of the new village sign, 15 June 2010. Photo: Stephen Brown.
Stephen Harris and Sheila Betts, at the unveiling of the new village sign, 15 June 2010. Photo: Stephen Brown.
Plaque on the new village sign, 15 June 2010. Photo: Stephen Brown.
The new sign prior to installation. Photo: Sign of the Times , June 2010.