A FENLAND book cafe, an affordable housing project and a jewellery business, all made possible by European funding, have been shortlisted for awards. The Celebrate Awards honour some of the projects, people, businesses, places and communities which have b

A FENLAND book cafe, an affordable housing project and a jewellery business, all made possible by European funding, have been shortlisted for awards.

The Celebrate Awards honour some of the projects, people, businesses, places and communities which have benefited from the European Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.

SmartLIFE is a pioneering housing project involving the building of 106 homes in March and Chatteris. They will be available to both private buyers and housing association tenants when they are completed next year.

The project, nominated for an environmental impact award, has been developed to demonstrate how modern methods of construction can be used to help housing shortages in growth areas.

SmartLIFE is a joint venture between Cambridgeshire County Council and the Building Research Establishment (BRE).

Every step of the building process will go under the microscope to assess issues such as build speed, quality, sustainability and the performance of the homes when occupied.

Murrow Book Cafe is in the running for a community spirit award. Officially opened in May, the cafe was set up after months of hard work by villagers.

March-based Diane Devanche has been nominated for an enterprise award after setting up a business selling her own jewellery after attending workshops run by the European Social Fund.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony hosted by BBC Look East presenter Suzy Fowler Watt on October 5 at The Maltings in Ely.