Woodbridge Community News - July 2023

D.C. Patrick NEWSAGENTS

D.C. Patrick NEWSAGENTS

D.C. Patrick

D.C. Patrick

4 Market Hill, Framlingham Has taken over Grange News

4 Market Hill, Framlingham Has taken over Grange News

D.C. Patrick NEWSAGENTS

Following Bob s retirement David is taking on the rounds covered by Grange news

Following Bob's retirement David is taking on the rounds covered by Grange news

4

Specialists in home delivery for all your newspapers in Woodbridge and surrounding villages Paper boys & girls wanted in the Woodbridge, Melton & Kesgrave areas

David has over 40 years experience and runs newsagents in Halesworth and Framlingham.

4 Market Hill, Framlingham Has taken over Grange News

Following Bob's retirement, David is taking on the rounds covered by Grange news

David has over 40 years experience and runs newsagents in Halesworth and Framlingham.

David has over 40 years experience and runs newsagents in Halesworth and Framlingham.

Bob s son Craig will continue to manage the service and will be delivering 7 days a week to all the same locations.

Following Bob s retirement, David is taking on the rounds covered by Grange news

Bob's son, Craig will continue to manage the service and will be delivering 7 days a week to all the same locations.

Bob's son, Craig will continue to manage the service and will be delivering 7 days a week to all the same locations.

David has over 40 years experience and runs newsagents in Halesworth and Framlingham.

We hope you will continue to support the business and please do get in touch should you have any queries regarding deliveries in and around Woodbridge and the surrounding villages.

We hope you will continue to support the business and please do get in touch should you have any queries regarding deliveries in and around Woodbridge and the surrounding villages.

Bob s son Craig will continue to manage the service and will be delivering 7 days a week to all the same locations.

715

Tel: 01986 874 305 & 07907 223 715

We hope you will continue to support the business and please do get in touch should you have any queries regarding deliveries in and around Woodbridge and the surrounding villages.

Tel: 01986 874 305 & 07907 223 715

01986 874 305 | 07907 223 715 149484

We hope you will continue to support the business and please do get in touch should you have any queries regarding deliveries in and around Woodbridge and the surrounding villages. 149484

Tel: 01986 874 305 & 07907 223 715

News from Woodbridge Riverside Trust

Another busy month awaits at the Longshed! All the riverside activity in June - WRT's Follow the Ship programme for schools, the 'Going with the Flow' exhibition and talks, the Sutton Hoo Ship's Company's Anglo-Saxon Festival, as well as the Regatta of course - has got the summer off to a fabulous start.

But it doesn't end there. This month sees Sae Wylfing (Sea Wolf Cub in Anglo-Saxon) take to the water again. She will be in the river at Whisstocks Quay from around the middle of the month. So do look out for this wonderful half-length working replica of the AngloSaxon ship discovered at Sutton Hoo. Though half the length of the original, she is just an eighth of the volume and has spectacularly beautiful lines. She was created in 1993 and entrusted to the Riverside Trust in 2014. In coming months she will be needing some repairs so won't be available to view for a while.

On 8th July, Woodbridge Riverside Trust is sponsoring the annual one-day conference of SAFT (the Suffolk Association of Fairtrade Towns)

in the John Gibbins Gallery. Fairtrade means better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. Suffolk has a number of Fairtrade towns and Woodbridge is in the process of applying for its status as a Fairtrade Community.

Lastly, the wonderful Kings River Tapestry on display in the John Gibbins Gallery is growing, more panels are now on display, working up to the ultimate total of 30. If you haven't seen them, you have missed a treat. Replicas of the tapestry panels have been reproduced as greeting cards and are available for sale in the Riverside Trust's shop on the ground floor.

Save Sax Music Fest

Can you spare just three minutes?

We need as many local residents to complete a three minute online survey to help save our free Saxmundham Community Festival!

Quiz night fun with ABC Radio!

Quiz fans will need their thinking caps in June, when Alde and Blyth Community (ABC) Radio celebrates their second anniversary by holding a fun quiz night to help raise funds towards the refurbishment of their new studios.

Many of the station's presenters will be on hand to host 10 rounds and as you would expect, questions will include various music-based rounds, plus a host of other topics too. The aim (as always) is to have fun and there will be prize for the winning team and the obligatory 'booby prize' for the lowest scoring table.

ABC Radio was founded in April 2021, serving the 'coastal corridor' between Orford and Southwold and currently broadcasts every weekend from 5pm on Fridays until midnight on Sundays. You can find ABC

Radio online: www.abcradio. co.uk, via the new ABC Radio app and by asking Alexa to "play ABC Radio". The varied programme schedule is available on the station's website.

The quiz night will be held at the L.T.A.A (Leiston Football Club), Victory Road, Leiston, on Friday 30th June at 7:30pm. Spaces are limited and tickets cost just £3.50 each, with a maximum of six people per team and are now available from the L.T.A.A and also from Leiston Film Theatre.

If you're interested in joining ABC Radio, as a potential presenter, studio support, or simply a contributor, please email: aldeandblythcommunity radio@gmail.com

For full details about the quiz night, please visit the stations website at: www.abcradio.co.uk

This annual July festival (for all ages and backgrounds) provides not only two days of live music, but also a number of children's fun activities.

In addition, there's a wide range of community sources present, promoting a range of local social and community activities and domestic advice services.

You may already be aware

that we were forced to cancel this year's festival through a shortage of funding. We need to strongly demonstrate the need for this free event, which is open to all our community to come together, unwind, enjoy some time together and learn of other ways to improve life more.

The online survey can be found on: www.smartsurvey. co.uk/s/saxmusicfest, on our website: www.saxcommunityfest. co.uk alternatively, pop in to HG Crisp on Saxmundham High Street to pick up a paper copy.

Woodbridge Museum

Whilst putting together a display to mark the Coronation of King Charles III, we thought it would be interesting to find out how Woodbridge had marked past coronations. Amongst our collection, we have a programme marking the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on May 12th, 1937.

The day started early with a firing of mortars by the British Legion at 6:15am followed by church bells ringing at 6:30am. After church services held in all

the Woodbridge Churches, there was a 21 gun salute followed by the National Anthem played by the Excelsior Band.

At 2:30pm, there was a programme of sports with cash prizes, the largest being ten shillings. Sports included "Musical Chairs on Bicycles" and a "Veterans' Pipe and 'Bacca Race for over 50s"! What really amused us was the "Grandmothers' Potato Peeling Race"! There were processions and fireworks in the evening and finally, for anyone still with enough energy after a busy day, a dance band in the Crown Assembly Rooms from 10:30pm to 3am with Dr. Daly Briscoe as master of ceremonies. Woodbridge folk certainly knew how to enjoy themselves in 1937.

Now that we're well into the summer season, the museum is open seven days a week from 10:30am until 4:30pm. Sadly, there are occasions when we have been unable to open for part of the day due to a lack of Stewards. We always welcome new volunteers who will work along side an "oldstager" to start with. When aim to have two stewards on each shift and spend much of the time in fascinating conversations with the visitors who often have their own stories to tell about the town.

If you'd like to join the team, please email: stewards@ woodbridgemuseum.com

D.C. Patrick

D.C. Patrick

NEWSAGENTS

NEWSAGENTS

4 Market Hill, Framlingham

4 Market Hill, Framlingham

D.C. Patrick

Has taken over Grange News

Has taken over Grange News

NEWSAGENTS

Specialists in home delivery for all your newspapers in Framlingham and surrounding villages

4 Market Hill, Framlingham

Following Bob s retirement, David is taking on the rounds covered by Grange news

Has taken over Grange News

David has over 40 years experience and runs newsagents in Halesworth and Framlingham.

Following Bob's retirement, David is taking on the rounds covered by Grange news David has over 40 years experience and runs newsagents in Halesworth and Framlingham.

Following Bob s retirement David is taking on the rounds covered by Grange news

Bob s son Craig will continue to manage the service and will be delivering 7 days a week to all the same locations.

Bob s son Craig will continue to manage the service and will be delivering 7 days a week to all the same locations.

will continue to support the business and please do get in touch should you have any queries regarding deliveries in and around Woodbridge and the surrounding villages.

David has over 40 years experience and runs newsagents in Halesworth and Framlingham.

We hope you will continue to support the business and please do get in touch should you have any queries regarding deliveries in and around Woodbridge and the surrounding villages.

We hope you will continue to support the business and please do get in touch should you have any queries regarding deliveries in and around Woodbridge and the surrounding villages.

Bob's son Craig will continue to manage the service and will be delivering 7 days a week to all the same locations.

Tel: 01986 874 305 & 07907 223 715

Tel: 01986 874 305 & 07907 223 715

We hope you will continue to support the business and please do get in touch should you have any queries regarding deliveries in and around Woodbridge and the surrounding villages.

149484

Tel: 01986 874 305 & 07907 223 715

149484

01986 874 305 07907 223 715 149484

The 79th Aldeburgh Carnival names its Queen and her attendants

As communicated earlier this year, the 79th Aldeburgh Carnival will be held on August 21st with a 'Tropical Paradise' theme.

We are delighted to name our 2023 Carnival Queen and her attendants: Our 2023 Carnival Queen is Bo Buzzard. Bo is 17 years old and currently works in Aldeburgh Pharmacy and in her free time, she enjoys going to the gym. Bo was an attendant eight years ago and said it is a real honour to be chosen as Carnival Queen for 2023.

To support our Carnival Queen, her attendants are:

Imogen Blowers is eight years old and a pupil at Aldeburgh Primary School. She loves to dance and attends ballet classes

Laura Middleditch is also eight years old and also attends Aldeburgh Primary School. She enjoys singing and dancing and playing with her friends.

Both girls are excited to have been chosen as attendants for this year's Carnival Queen and are really looking forward to Carnival Day and the lead up to Carnival.

So, what else has happened since you last read about Aldeburgh Carnival? We have received many wonderful prizes for our silent auction which will greatly support our charitable causes.

The Aldeburgh High

Street business will be supporting the Carnival by decorating their windows and premises to really support the spirit of Carnival weekend. We have some amazing sponsors for our 2023 Carnival. Without whom, we could not be so successful and raise money for local charities. What's new for 2023?

A new addition to Carnival is the 'Waiter Race' sponsored by The Suffolk Hotel and Restaurant. This entails a race from: Moot Hall to The White Hart Pub, balancing a waiters tray which has a bottle of

champagne, and an ashtray and a glass on it... No easy task! This event is open to all and a prize will be given to the winner/s.

The very popular Chines Kites will be on the beach on Saturday BUT with an additional display into the evening complete with LED lighting, this promises to be spectacular.

On August 19th from 1pm-6pm, we have local musical entertainment on the beach, so bring your dancing shoes!

On Sunday morning, the ever popular and very well supported 10K race remains a key feature of our weekend. Easy to enter, not so easy to win!

On Monday evening after the Carnival Queen crowning, judging of the floats, the procession along Aldeburgh High Street with our amazing bucket shakers, we will continue with entertaining you with the Samba Band later into the evening.

You may not be aware, but this event costs approximately £50K to put on supported by a large team of committee members who volunteer their free time. It can only be a success if we have more volunteers focussed on the weekend to shake buckets, operate contactless pads, man the car parking etc to collect money for our local charities, so please do get in touch if you have an hour to spare on any day over the entire weekend.

You can support us in any small way, either pre-carnival and/or during the carnival weekend.

Finally, the Carnival committee would like to make a special mention to Jeff Brinded who has retired as the official photographer of the Carnival Queen and her attendants. None of us were quite sure when he first commenced the role, but it must be something in the region of 50 years ago! During those years, his photographs have provided a special memento to many Carnival Queens, one King Neptune and all their young attendants! We are sure that these are treasured, not only by those directly involved, but also by their families, as fond memories of a very special day in their lives. Huge thanks to Jeff for his commitment and fabulous photography over the years!

Suffolk Singers gave a successful concert at Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh on May 27th, and are now delighted to announce their forthcoming concert at St. Mary's Church, Stoke by Nayland on July 8th, starting at 7:30pm.

Since being founded in 1991, Suffolk Singers have evolved into a choir much appreciated for beautiful blended singing. Their repertoire includes a wide variety of music, both sacred and secular, mostly performed a cappella. The choir has performed at a wide variety of prestigious venues ranging from many of

Leiston, Framlingham & Woodbridge Community News - July 2023 - 3

our wonderful Suffolk churches to magnificent cathedrals, both in the UK and abroad. In March

last year, Suffolk Singers gave a recital in the Chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge, and in May, performed concerts in Lincoln Cathedral and Southwell Minster.

The success of the choir is largely due to the fantastic direction of Music Director, Claire Weston. Following graduation from the Royal Northern College of Music in 1996, Claire joined English National Opera as Principal Artist in 1999. After a distinguished opera career, Claire moved to Suffolk and took

up teaching to encourage others in her great love of singing and music. She is currently Head of Singing in the Music Department of Woodbridge School.

Suffolk Singers are very much looking forward to performing in the delightful setting of Stoke by Nayland and would like to invite you to join them for a varied programme of beautiful choral music.

Tickets are priced at £15 and are available from the Suffolk Singers Ticket Line on 01394 279907, Stoke by Nayland Post Office or at: www.wegottickets.com

The 2023 Carnival Queen Bo (centre) and her attendants, Imogen and Laura.

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at the Chloe Kinrade School of Dance. She also enjoys reading and likes to spend the summer swimming at the beach.

What's on at Woodbridge Library?

Woodbridge Library is open: Mon 10am-4pm, Tue 9am7:30pm, Wed and Thur 9am5:30pm, Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-5pm and Sun 10am-4pm.

The Friends of Woodbridge Library:

If you're enthusiastic about libraries, would enjoy helping to organise library events and are willing to help with our fundraising activities, please ask a member of staff for more details.

Citizens Advice:

Every Monday 10am-12pm at the library. Free, confidential and impartial advice to everybody regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or disability. No booking necessary.

Open Space:

Every Wednesday 1:30pm3:30pm. An informal drop-in for anybody interested in their mental health and wellbeing, as well as families and carers. It's run in partnership with Suffolk Mind. Discussions and activities are built from suggestions from the group. For further information, please don't hesitate to contact Woodbridge Library on 01394 330855.

Knitting Group: Every Friday 2pm-4pm. For all types of knitters from expert to beginners, sewing to crochet, come and share your knowledge or pick up some tips.

ArtLib:

An art exhibition in the library showcasing local talent. During July, Pat Jourdan will be exhibiting her paintings within Woodbridge Library, free for all

to come and view.

StorySlam Workshop:

July 4th, 10:30am-11:30am

A workshop with Jennie Fontana supporting the Story Slam on July 15th.

Catherine Larner & Browers Bookshop present Margaret Meyer:

July 4th, 7.30pm. Margaret will be in conversation with Catherine sharing her inspiration and motivation behind her debut novel "The Watching Tide". Tickets are £18.50 and include a copy of the book, presented on the night, available from: www.moreaboutbooks.com.

Woodbridge Board Gamers:

July 8th, 1pm-5pm. Come along to play modern strategy board games, both simple and complex, with a range to suit all ages. All welcome.

Woodbridge Writers Group:

July 5th and July 19th (1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month) 10am-12pm. Join our friendly group for reciprocal feedback, encouragement, and support regarding anything you're writing or have written. A group of likeminded writers will be meeting in the Meeting Room. For more information, email: jane@bakwon.com.

Write Now Writing Group:

July 11th, 2pm-4pm. Are you interested in writing short stories and poetry? Looking to share your work with others and get peer support, exchange ideas and more? We'd be delighted for you to join us for our friendly and informal monthly writing

group! Everyone can write. All abilities are welcome. Bring your work or come along and listen to others share their words. For more information and to confirm your attendance, email: jeannie@butterwicks.com.

Woodbridge Writers' Workshop:

July 11th, 5:15pm-7:15pm

Creative poets and budding authors alike can meet up to share their ideas and gain support from fellow writers at this informal Writers' Workshop. All writing abilities are welcome. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please email: hurleytrish@hotmail.com.

Books, Banter and Biscuits' Book Group:

July 13th, 2pm-4pm. A book group that's open to everyone, meeting on the second Thursday of every month.

They will be discussing 'The Island' by Victoria Hislop. StorySlam: July 15th, 2pm-4pm. An opportunity to hear and share true stories without notes or props in five minutes or less. The event is free to attend but donations are welcome.

Ready, Set, Read!

On your marks, get set-the Summer Reading Challenge is here! The Summer Reading challenge is open to all children aged four to 11. The challenge is to read six books over the school holidays. This year's theme is 'Ready, Set, Read' and will focus on empowering young people to forge new connections with

others and unleash the power of sport, play and physical activity through the power of reading. For each of the six books they read, they can collect a prize from the library and if they complete the challenge, they will also receive a special certificate. Children can sign up from any of our libraries from July 15th!

Suffolk Libraries present 'An Evening with Shari Lapena' at Woodbridge Library: July 17th at 7pm. Shari is one of the best-known thriller writers working today and will be at the library talking about her book, 'Everyone Here is Lying'. Arrivals are from 6:30pm, and the event starts at 7pm. The evening will consist of a Q&A session, including questions from the audience, lasting approximately one hour. She will be signing copies of her new book. Tickets are £8 and include refreshments and are available at: www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/ shari-lapena or in person from Woodbridge Library.

U3A Reading Aloud: July 20th, 11:30am-1:30pm Reading Aloud chooses a programme of topics and select a range of prose or poetry inspired by these themes. Each member shares their choices by reading them aloud to the group. This is not a drama group or book club, the main aim is to share our pleasure in literature. Members pay a contribution of £3 per meeting in advance to cover costs. If you're interested in joining, please contact Jill on

01728 746156.

Top Time Play Reading: July 20th, 2pm-4:30pm. A play reading group that reads all varieties and genres of plays in a shared format, taking place on the third Thursday of every month.

Top Time Games Club: July 27th, 2pm-4pm. Improve your vocabulary and exercise your mind muscles with Scrabble or practice strategy and balance with Dominoes.

Wordplay:

Every Wednesday 10:3010:50am, Baby Bounce: Soothing songs and gentle nursery rhymes for babies and their grown-ups.

Every Wednesday 11:1511:45am, Tot Rock Rhyme and rhythm: music, songs and action rhymes for toddlers with their parents and carers.

Every Friday 10:30-11am, Story Time: Stories and more for young children accompanied by an adult.

Me, Myself and Baby (Stay and Play): Friday 9:30am-10:15am A chance for new parents to meet and share experiences in a relaxed environment, gaining peer support.

Book Sale: Have a browse of the ex-stock books for sale. All proceeds go to Suffolk Libraries. We have a meeting room as well as display boards and a staffed table display in the main library available for hire at varying costs. Please contact Woodbridge Library for more information.

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A summer butterfly walk in Bonny Wood

Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT), Woodbridge Wildlife group invite you to join them for a butterfly walk to the ancient Bonny Wood near Barking on July 15th at 2pm.

Tales from the Suffolk Repair Shed Items irreparably damaged!

Poor biscuits! A number of them met their fate during repair sessions this month, sacrificed to the items which were saved from the tip.

"We are meeting at Barking Tye Village Hall from where we will take the 15-20 minute walk along public footpaths to this delightful reserve " said Phil Smith, Chairman of the SWT Woodbridge Wildlife Group. "Bonny Wood is part of Barking Tye Woods, a site of special scientific interest and, weather permitting, is a good place to spot a range of butterflies. We'll also be on the lookout for woodland flowers and birds."

The walk starts from Barking Tye Village Hall car park, IP6 8HP (TM 076524). Participants should bring binoculars and wear strong and waterproof footwear, as this reserve can be wet and muddy. Places on this walk are strictly limited and must be prebooked by contacting SWT. The cost is £5/person with under 25's free, and bookings can be made online: www.suffolkwildlifetrust. org (events section) or by phoning: 01473 890089. The walk is suitable for children over 10. Dogs are not allowed on this walk. For further information, please contact the Woodbridge Group on 01473 625630 or email: swtwoodbridge@outlook.com

All sorts of things from toasters and vacuum cleaners to clocks, bellows and even a flute were successfully repaired. There are many examples on our Instagram page (@suffolkrepairshed). If you have items for repair,

you can leave them at repair cafés in Martlesham and Woodbridge or at the Repair Shed (contact details on the website). The range of tools and techniques available in the Repair Shed is continuously developing. For example, at the moment, we are developing the tools for rebuilding rechargeable battery packs. A real benefit for the repairers (apart from biscuits) is how much

they learn and benefit from the other repairers. Sometimes there's a lot more chat than repairing, but that really is part of the deal. Please get in touch if you'd like to be involved in this interesting and purposeful work which is really satisfying.

There are also plenty of areas which don't need repairer skills, so please get in touch to find out how you may be able to support the venture. In particular, the

Shed is looking for someone to help organise the Martlesham Repair Hub. It's looking like it will become a real asset to the community. For more information, see our website: www.suffolkrepairshed. org or email: hello@suffolkrepairshed.org.

Refurbished vacuum cleaners which will go on sale at bargain prices.

Making music fun in East Anglia

Martlesham Brass Martlesham Brass Main Band are taking part in Ipswich Music Day on July 2nd at 2pm in St. Margaret's Church.

The Intermediate Band are really looking forward to the Martlesham Village Fête on July 15th. You can catch them on The Green from 3pm.

The following day (July 16th) the Main Band will be in The Arboretum, Christchurch Park, Ipswich between 2:30pm and

4:30pm as part of the 'Brass on the Grass' series of concerts. You can just drop by to listen for a few minutes or spend all afternoon in the lovely surroundings of Christchurch Park.

If you feel you'd like to learn to play a brass instrument, or if you already play and would be interested in joining us, please email: join@martleshambrass. co.uk. Please note, we operate a waiting list for new members.

Woodbridge Town Council report from the Climate and Ecological Emergency Committee

Holland."

Hello people of Woodbridge and beyond; people of the Deben estuary.

It was good to receive an email response - one of our neighbours, living on New Street, sharing her concern about the speed and volume of traffic down the hill into town. She ended her email with: "We all love Woodbridge and want to keep it as healthy as possible for all, but there will be even fewer species of wildlife in our lovely town if traffic pollution isn't tackled alongside other aspects of the crisis."

So, it was exciting recently to attend an information sharing meeting (at the Shire Hall) on a project that is rallying around this logo:

Some of you may have heard of it under the name of "Mini-

Four members of Suffolk County Council, comprising a team who will be working on this, updated on progress. Despite central government funds of £240 million set aside to promote "ActiveTravel" nationally, having inexplicably evaporated, this team, that had hoped for £17 million of that, have raised funds from elsewhere, sufficient to make a start on infrastructure changes around our town and south to Martlesham. The project lead arrived on his bicycle, reflecting his obvious, infectious enthusiasm for the project. It's SO good to know that at county level, there is a great interest and enthusiasm for this Woodbridge and Melton investment and that we (as a small market town) are being seen as a test case for rollout of similar projects in other small rural communities. Much more to report on this, but as the next step is a thorough public consultation to help shape their proposals, this brief post is not the place.

Many of our problems, locally, nationally, globally are SYSTEMIC. Tinkering

with intended solutions in one corner of a system often creates unpredictable, and often worse, problems elsewhere in the system.

This team is looking to adjust the system by which we travel around Woodbridge, an old market town with cars motoring around inherited and adapted old cart tracks and pedestrian alleyways. Huge efforts and large sums of money have been invested by Woodbridge Town Council (WTC) in feasibility studies to impose a 20mph speed limit around the centre (few would guess how much it costs to erect one speed limit sign, and it's hard to estimate the cost of effective policing). Changing the town's traffic circulation systemically, however, would make our town much less attractive to motorist through traffic, and much more attractive to pedestrians, cyclists, and users of mobility assisting technology. The county team are delighted to hear that WTC has already committed funds towards a local ebike hire scheme and have suggested further support from them will be forthcoming.

At this moment of writing (early

June), I've heard, today that those ebikes earmarked for local usage and try-out are available right now down by the riverside at the edge of Whisstocks Place. Another feedback post from a neighbour references possibilities of applying for grant funding from DEFRA. Their 'Landscape Recovery Scheme' provides funding for long-term and large-scale projects in England. The minimum 500 hectares land area eligibility requirement could be met via an integration of the Deben area with areas of National Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and a consortium of local landowners. Again, a systemic (ecosytemic) project, very early days, just a seed of an idea. And thanks to you both for your feedback. Keep us busy! Better still... Come get busy with us!

Always good to hear back from you.

Councillor Martin Wilks, CEEC, councillorwilks@ woodbridge-suffolk.gov.uk

Framlingham Fellowship news

Our March meeting included a talk from Vivia Bamford about "What the library can do for you". Vivia explained that holding a Suffolk Library Card gave a person access to the entire reservable information held by Suffolk Libraries. More than books: films, music, ancestry and national and international news media are all available through the card. During the day when the library is open, various activities are open to all including craft and games afternoons, with the old court room available to hire.

Our thanks to Vivia for explaining everything that is available to us

in Framlingham.

The May meeting with David from Garnetts Gardens was very busy and we enjoyed looking at the new bedding plants now available and how to plant them for the best results and with regular feeding, blooms and growth. We were able to buy plants and get expert growing tips especially as we now move new types of compost. Our thanks to David for a very informative afternoon.

Our next meeting on June 15th will be a visit to Parham Airfield Museum with our July meeting a coach outing to Bury St. Edmunds on July 26th. Our August meeting

on August 17th will include an afternoon with Punch and Judy to make it a seaside experience at The Westbury Centre. The September meeting on September 20th will include a talk from RSPB Minsmere.

Our meetings are open to all and include refreshments and we look forward to seeing new faces. Meetings start at 2:30pm in The Westbury Centre, Fairfield Road, Framlingham. For further information, please email: framlingham-suffolk@sja.org.uk. We look forward to welcoming our speakers to our meetings in 2023.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust - Woodbridge Wildlife Group

Either comparing notes or yarning... Hard to tell!

Councillor Julia Ewart - No, no, no, no, YES!

Well here we are! One swift spring local May election later and the county of Suffolk has been stood on its political head. Democracy in play folks.

Deben Rotary news

One of our members (Rotarian Ian O'Brien Baker) recently had the distinction of completing 50 years as a Rotary member.

At our recent Club Assembly, this was recognised when Ian was presented with a Rotary Long Service certificate in the presence of District Governor Ian Elliot and Deben president Simon Smith.

Our annual Charity Golf Day takes place this year on August 18th at St. Audry's Golf Club. As in previous years, the

Martlesham Heath Aviation Society monthly meeting

format is teams of four playing 18 holes Greensomes. The entry fee is £25 per player to include bacon butties on arrival, with the proceeds being shared by Just 42 and the End Polio Now campaign. Closing date for entries is August 11th.

Further details can be obtained from Ivor Guppy on 07790 438836 or at: guppy952@ btinternet.com. Entry forms can be downloaded from the website: www.debenrotary.org.uk

Martlesham in Bloom

The 'Wild for Wildlife' event held at Martlesham Recreation Ground and Kronji's Piece in conjunction with Suffolk Wildlife Trust on May 21st was a lovely bright morning.

Volunteers, and those who came, created a stag beetle stack near the play area with Charlie Zakss from Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It consisted of a number of logs buried upright in a large hole so that only about half is visible above ground.

We are very lucky to have stag beetles in the area. They are Britain's largest beetle and if you're lucky, you may spot the adults out between May and August. They lay their eggs in decaying wood in which the larvae live for up to six years before pupating and turning into adults. As well as looking round the area at some of the different wildflowers, buzzards, swifts, and oyster catchers were seen and great tits, nightingales and sparrows were heard: these were marked on a map of the Recreation Ground.

The Recreation Ground is just upriver from Martlesham Wilds and forms part of a wildlife

corridor, this area of natural habitat enables the wildlife to spread into neighbouring areas.

Thank you to everyone who came on the morning.

The good news is that our gardens (however small) can help create wildlife corridors which in turn connect other areas of natural habitat which is vital in helping our wildlife.

Writing this at the end of May, it's been lovely to see the areas of grass with wildflowers left to grow long in gardens and on verges, like natural informal borders! If you have an area of long grass, why not leave at least some of it long throughout the rest of summer to continue providing habitat for insects? This will help your garden become part of our local wildlife corridors. Do remember to grow many different types of plants and flowers to encourage bees, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other insects to visit your garden.

For further information about Martlesham in Bloom, please contact: martleshaminbloom@ gmail.com or J Maureen Burrows (Secretary) on: 01473 625196.

TYRES

TYRES

The Martlesham Heath Aviation Society monthly meeting will be on July 7th and the special trip will be on August 6th.

On July 7th at 7:30pm, we welcome Clive Denney and his wife Linda. In this re-scheduled illustrated talk 'A Tigers Tale', we'll hear the story of how they rebuilt and renovated a classic De Havilland Tiger Moth, the first of which flew in the 1930's and was widely used as a basic trainer by The RAF and others. So successful were such Tiger's, that many still fly today.

It's apt that Clive and Linda have done this. For many years they, and their team at Vintage Fabrics have been rebuilding and repairing similar classic aircraft for other flyers. Now they get to have one of their own! We will hear stories of other adventures that Clive has had, flying Spitfires etc at flying displays, and about other recent rebuilds in their workshops.

All our meetings takes place at: Martlesham Heath

Community Centre, Felixstowe Road, Martlesham Heath, IP12 4PB. Entry costs £3 for society members, £5 for non-members, who are also welcomed. Pay on the door on arrival. No need to pre-book, just turn up in good time! Contact Howard on: 01473 274300 for more information.

The society website is: www. mhas.org.uk or you can email: howard.king1@outlook.com.

On August 6th, we have a coach trip to the Shuttleworth Carnival.The Shuttleworth Collection is a fascination and extensive collection of aircraft, some going back to the dawn of flying. Some were seen in 'Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines'.

In the afternoon, we'll see some of their vintage and veteran machines flying, undoubtedly with some surprises from visiting aircraft! This is a rare day out! Non-members are welcome to come along. For information email: howard.king1@outlook.com.

I think it's fair to say that the national turbulence of the past few years has worn even the most robust Tory out, but regardless of that and putting party colours to one side, the fact is that there's a fresh and new feeling in the air that things are going to change for the environmental best.

With a positive spring in our new East Suffolk Council's step, all's well in Suffolk, and in particular East Suffolk's rather large ward of Kelsale and Yoxford. Starting at Chediston (just under the chin of Halesworth) it goes all the way down to the toe of Kelsale which touches the historic town of Saxmundham. As District Councillor, I have 13 villages to look after and service which includes some 11 parish councils. Each one is different and whilst there are some fabulous characters on the parish council's,

I haven't met anyone quite like Jim Trott from the parish of Dibley!

Now whilst the life of the Councillor looks a breeze, trust me, five weeks in, it is certainly not. So when the highly thought of Councillor Stephen Burroughes recently to stood down from holding two Council seats simultaneously, I can perfectly see why. It's a busy position and yes, I do love it.

'So what are you going to do differently?' I hear you ask.

Given the number of parishes, I've already suggested they all work together to share resources, ideas, and suppliers (a simple gate or a sign seems to take way too long to come to fruition currently). Plus, by bringing the Clerks together regularly, then we can have more notice of events between villages.

Appointed to our ward is the clearly very efficient East Suffolk Officer Sam Kenward, who will help me achieve great things in the community. If you've seen the recent adverts, this is how

we came to be taking teenagers up to First Light Festival in Lowestoft. Our young deserve every experience going and FLF is too big to miss when you live in a rural community with poor transport. My aim is to bring opportunities and new experiences to the rural front door. In the bigger picture, I'm representing residents through planning, health and the environment as part of the cabinet style council administration. Again I'm able to keep the ward in mind at all times, including attending to hot topics like the development of Sizewell C and the renewable power fields. What I do want you to know in reading this is that I'm only a moment away and if you have any type of council problem, then here are my contact details: 07823 327997, Email: julia.ewart@eastsuffolk.gov.uk

Please do get in touch. Thank you for voting me in, I'm at the service of EVERYONE!

Cllr. Julia Ewart

Tiger Moth

Ian's presentation

Woodbridge Badminton Club

Badminton Summer Club in Kesgrave

Woodbridge Badminton

Club is currently running its summer club at the Kesgrave Community Centre Sports Hall. This runs on Friday evenings from 7:30pm to 9:30pm on a pay-as-you-play basis (£6/ night) until the end of August.

Where has our humanity gone?

We welcome a range of abilities but unfortunately, not complete beginners. You can find out more at: www.woodbridgebadminton. co.uk, email: contact@ woodbridgebadminton.co.uk, or ring Jim Cavanagh on 01728 723900.

Leiston Town Bowls Club

Season 2023 continues as bowlers expect, first game, rain, situation normal, next few games if not wet, its cold.

Slowly but surely, our membership increases, singles, pairs, all keen and full of enthusiasm, this all encourages the club.

First games all go well and the new playing strip is welcomed, but with good reason, we now have warm club jackets which have been much needed! Results start well with four wins out of five in spite of need for thick jumpers.

Leiston's first class facilities continue to be recognised.

Suffolk County Bowls were pleased to use the facilities for their trials weekend, then the Mary Denny friendly between Suffolk's respective ladies and gents teams, followed by regional County games, first against Northants which they won 188-147, next its Norfolk June 10th.

Playing host to County games gives the club the opportunity to fundraise. Their volunteer kitchen team do a first class job providing refreshments and food. There is also a draw at each event and these efforts has resulted in between £200 and £300 for much needed club funds.

The re-growth of the Bowls Club continues with the reintroduction of all internal competitions. Members are showing increased interest with large numbers putting the names forward in all competitions. This gives the new secretary a headache and more work to adapt the draw and action plans with associated deadlines to meet throughout the season, culminating with finals day.

Season 2023 fast becoming the rebirth with big successes planned for future. There are still entries available for Pairs Open tournament September 7th, come along and get involved. Ditcher

Upcoming events at St. Peter's Church, Sibton

A major exhibition will take place in Sibton Church on July 8th and 9th from 10:30am-4pm, with tours of Sibton Abbey included.

Newly discovered secrets of the history and medieval heritage of the surrounding area will be revealed. The church building has a history and extant remains dating back to the 12th century. By kind permission of Nicholas Levett-Scrivener, the Sibton Abbey Ruin will be open.

Sibton Abbey (the only Cistercian foundation in Suffolk) is a well-documented and recently consolidated 12th century ruin. New evidence concerning the

site has been established by geophysical survey. Recent discoveries will be demonstrated by Historic England. There will be activities for the whole family. Refreshments will be available at the church. Tickets are on sale from The Weavers Tea Room and Peasenhall General Store and online at Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk.

On the event days, tickets will be available at Sibton Church. The event is organized by the Friends of St. Peter's Church, Sibton.

Proceeds will go towards further repair work to the church building.

The price of fish... A steam drifter at work in heavy seas

Halesworth and District U3A

A reminder that our meeting at The Cut Arts Centre on June 20th will be a talk given by local gunsmith and Antiques Roadshow expert Robert Tillney. Start time: 2:30pm.

Our meeting at The Cut Arts Centre on July 18th will be a talk about the rise and fall of the fishing industry in Lowestoft. Called "The Price of Fish", this illustrated talk will be given by Melita Rouse-Skeet who witnessed at first hand the effects of the decline of the fishing industry on people and commerce in the town. We will hear from Melita some poignant stories and some little known facts about the industry and Lowestoft.

The talk will start at 2:30pm at The Cut Arts Centre, Halesworth. There is no charge for U3A members to our talks at The Cut,

friends and visitors will be very welcome for an entrance fee of £4. June 28th at 11am is the next Members Coffee Hour in The Cut Café. If you're interested in joining the U3A, please come and meet us at the Coffee Hour or visit our Halesworth & District U3A website for more information.

In May, the U3A welcomed Dr Ian Bedford who gave us an insight into the fascinating world of insects. He told us how important insects are in contributing to a healthy environment and a balanced ecosystem. Dr. Bedford also explained how we can help nature to prosper by developing wildlife corridors across gardens in our towns and by using new, less damaging methods of controlling "pests". One person's pest is another's delight!

At 6am on Bank Holiday Monday (May 29th), there was beautiful adult red deer dead on the A12, between Yoxford and Friday Street junction. Its head was actually on the carriageway, in a way that would cause some motorists to swerve to avoid it.

I knew that no offices would be open for help, so I phoned Suffolk Police who took down the details and said they would send someone out from Woodbridge to move it. I assumed they meant REMOVE it but they meant move it. So the deer was swivelled round so that its head was not on the carriage way. It's now no more than six inches from the road edge line. Yesterday (Sunday 11th June), the poor animal was still there. That is 14 days.

WHY IS IT STILL THERE?

Because nobody will accept responsibility for its removal.

Highways England were very helpful and gave me the outside hours number for Highways Suffolk. They were unable to answer the phone as they were closed! A voice message said that I should wait until the next morning and phone back in office hours.

I then phoned my Green County Councillor and she went well out of her way to try and help me. She got the same reactions as I did from the various authorities. Apparently, the local hunts used to pick up dead deer but no longer do so. The RSPCA don't do it either. Highways reckon that it will just have to lay and rot by the roadside. This beautiful animal is the size of a small horse.

Initially, it looked as though it could have been pregnant. After yesterday's heat, I cannot imagine what state it is in.

The saddest part of all this is that the deer is just one metre away from the woods it obviously emerged from and if only someone in an authority would roll it onto a tarpaulin and pull it a few feet into the woods it could decompose in private and not be a hazard to any motorist who might swerve to miss it.

In my opinion, it can only deteriorate further and become much worse. This may well mean a hazard to traffic WHO CARES? I DO.

Jill Reece, Halesworth resident

Do you have something you'd like to talk about

Sibton Church and Abbey in the 19th century

Update from Dr. Dan Poulter MP

Parliament has just returned from Whitsun recess and as ever, I have very much enjoyed spending much more time at home in Suffolk. I especially enjoyed my annual visit to the Suffolk Show, celebrating all that makes this county such a fantastic place to live and work and I'm sure that many of you also enjoyed a visit to the show.

It gives me great pleasure to bring some good news. This month, to some of the schools in our area. I have helped to secure a share of £450 million Government funding to upgrade school buildings across the country, to include projects at Wickham Market Primary School. In all, 859 academies, sixth-

form colleges and voluntary aided schools will receive a share of £456 million from the Condition Improvement Fund, and I'm pleased to have played my part in helping to deliver this much needed funding to our schools here in Suffolk. This new investment will help to upgrade and improve school facilities, providing pupils with safer and warmer classrooms, and more energy efficient school buildings.

I am a regular visitor to schools in Suffolk and have long championed the excellent work they deliver, on a daily basis, demonstrating clear-sighted ambitions for the wellbeing and future development of the students. Therefore, I'm especially pleased to have been

able to support Wickham Market Primary School, in receiving a share of this funding. It's vital that our schools have access to high-quality facilities and these funding allocations will make sure that projects can go ahead to improve these learning environments so pupils and teachers can learn and work in comfortable spaces. When I meet with staff and pupils at schools across Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, it would be fair to say that funding is always high on the agenda. Suffolk is a predominantly rural county and, in the past, cost per pupil funding has been significantly lower than other areas in the country. I have worked hard to

support our schools and I am glad that funding is now improving but more needs to be done and I will continue to do all that I can to make sure that our children and young people can access a good education here in Suffolk.

Finally, I would like to close by putting on record my sincere thanks to all our schools' teams for the enormous contribution they are making in supporting our fantastic children and young people. It is vitally important that our children remain safe, happy and engaged when in school. When I visit schools, I am always impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment I see in staff and pupils, from academic excellence to pastoral care. Thank you.

Financial

focus on... Moving the Tax Return goalposts

Now that we have turned the corner into another tax year, post 6th April 2023, there are several allowances and thresholds that have been changed that may have an impact on your personal affairs and tax planning for the coming year.

Firstly, for those individuals that receive dividend income, from 6th April 2023 the nil rate band has reduced to £1,000 and is set to reduce again to £500 for 2023/24 onwards. Meaning less of your dividend income each year will be tax free. The tax rates applicable to dividends over this limit will remain the same for 2023/24, as in the 2022/23 year, at 8.75% to the extent your income falls within your basic rate tax band, 33.75% in the higher rate band, and 39.35% in the additional rate band.

The reduction in the nil rate band for dividends will also result in more individuals falling into the requirement to file selfassessment Tax Returns. If your dividend income was previously covered by the nil rate band, then after the reduction now exceeds it, you may be required to file an annual self-assessment Tax Return to report this, depending on your circumstances.

Secondly, the Capital Gains

Tax (CGT) annual allowance has reduced to £6,000 from 6 April 2023, and will reduce further to £3,000 in 2024/25. The annual allowance is deducted from the capital gains made in a tax year, and any gains in excess of this are taxed at the CGT rates which remain unchanged from the 2022/23 rates. Given the reduced allowances, it is possible that more capital disposals are likely to give rise to the need for self-assessment Tax Returns or 60-day (CGT) reports to be submitted to HMRC.

When you dispose of a UK residential property, unless there is no CGT liability, you must report the property Gain and pay the CGT due to HMRC online, within 60 days of completion.

At the point that you then complete your annual SelfAssessment Return, you are required to include the disposal details again and calculate your final CGT exposure, including any losses in the tax year post completion date. If there is a difference between the final amount of CGT due and paid already, you will have to pay this balance alongside your income tax liability.

Lastly, HMRC are increasing the threshold at which point it becomes compulsory to file a self-assessment Tax Return

for the 2023/24 tax year. This is currently a compulsory requirement for anyone with total gross income of over £100,000 in 2022/23, including PAYE sources. This will be increasing to £150,000 for 2023/24 onwards, although it is still always worth reviewing your affairs if your gross income exceeds £100,000, due to the potential effect of the loss of personal tax allowances. For further information, please contact Oliver Hammond, Senior Accountant (pictured below) at Ensors Accountants LLP, via email: oliver.hammond@ensors.co.uk.

This information is given by way of general guidance only, and no action should be taken based solely on the information contained herein. No liability is accepted by the firm for any actions taken without seeking appropriate professional advice.

Market Days in Wickham Market

Wickham Market has had the right to hold a market (hence the name) since the days of Henry VI. As a community, we continue the tradition, with markets on 'Market Hill' every Wednesday and Saturday, where you can often find fresh vegetables, fresh fish, cheeses, plants, and women's clothing.

However, to celebrate and share the talents, produce and community activities of our area, Wickham Market Parish Council organises two bumper markets in August and December each year.

This year's Summer Market on the Hill is scheduled for August 19th, and visitors can look forward to discovering all manner of good things from vintage jewellery,

Focus on... Wickham Market

pet accessories, local pottery and stoneware to fresh produce, local honey, luxury cosmetics and fashions, along with an abundance of crafts, crafting materials and crafty experts. They'll also be able to learn more about local projects and charities, including our fantastic Good Neighbours Scheme and the exciting work being done to reanimate our local pub, The George as a Community Pub. The Parish Choir will also be taking to the microphone to perform some of their repertoire.

Wickham Market sits between Woodbridge and Saxmundham on the A12 right in the heart of the Deben Valley. It's also accessible by train (with either a country walk or a short taxi/Katch bus

Wickham Market Flower Club

Report for our May meeting: Our invited speaker for the evening was David Garnett (pictured above) from Garnett's Garden Centre in Hacheston. Members, guests, and visitors were all pleased to receive vouchers for free hot drinks from David.

He spoke to us about a variety of interesting topics including the move towards a peat free compost. It's thought that by the year 2025, we'll be unable to purchase compost with peat in. David said he's not convinced the available alternative is the answer. The coir based mulched coconut husk compost does not have such good water retention.

It is inadequate and the results are not so pleasing to growers.

Soil release fertilizers are recommended. Osmocote is coated with a soya resin and has a slow-release delivery of nutrients. David also recommended Tomorite as a good feeder with an emphasis on flowers. A once-a-week delivery will provide all the nutrients they need for maximum growth.

David advised us to water early morning.

It was a very interesting evening and members had the opportunity to purchase some of the many plants David had brought with him. Several carrier bags left the building along with

Wickham Market Village Hall 72nd Annual Show

Saturday 5th August (12:30pm4:30pm) and Sunday 6th August (12pm-3pm) is the Annual Village Show and we're back on track this year after a three-year break. We have chosen the theme of 'Trees' to celebrate the beauty of trees and their importance in our daily lives.

Participants can choose to reflect the tree theme in entries to classes such as foliage displays, drawings, paintings, patchwork and handicraft along with the specifically themed classes.

There will be the traditional display of produce, flowers, cookery/kitchen craft, handicraft, photography, and children's classes. The show entry deadline is August 2nd, so there's still time to choose and enter some classes. Out of 107 classes, only 23 are for Wickham Market residents so we welcome all other entrants wherever you live! This is all for the fun of taking part and you might win some prizes and trophies!

The schedule (including

trip up to the town centre from Wickham Market/Campsea Ashe station) or on the 64 bus route (Ipswich to Aldeburgh) Monday to Saturday.

Market Hill is not just where we hold our markets... It's always been the hub of the village and its local businesses. It's currently home to: Suffolk Sense (local arts, crafts and workshops), Inspirations (high-quality gifts, cards, accessories, clothing and homewares), E. W. Revett & Son (butchers, bakery, wine store), R & S Hardware, Wickham Market Pharmacy and St. Elizabeth Hospice Shop as well as Bellissima Beauty and the East Anglian Traditional Art Centre.

As for refreshments, visitors

have plenty of choice: Café 46, The Flaming Fryer (fish and chips), The New Peach Bower (Chinese restaurant), The Bengal (Indian restaurant) and The Teapot Tearoom.

All Saints' Church is just off the marketplace and well worth a visit, and to satisfy the expert antique hunter, there's also the nearby Old School Antiques. Wickham Market is therefore proud to say it's still open for business nearly 600 years after its first market back in 1440!

Peter Hall Flooring

Established in 1959, Peter Hall Flooring has gained over 60 years' experience in flooring and excellent customer service.

Still owned and run by the same family, the company follows the same values today as when we first opened, building a strong, loyal customer base.

At Peter Hall Flooring

"Working hard to keep small" is our philosophy. If it's a visit to our showroom, a measure as part of our home selection service, or an installation from our in-house fitting team, customers can have the confidence in knowing it will be one of our own hardworking team. Having traded for over 60 years we have grown a loyal customer base. We are now able to say that we are working for the third generation of some of our original customers. This is something we are immensely proud of and demonstrates our reputation of quality, hard work and excellent customer service.

entry form) is available from the following village locations: Suffolk Sense Crafts, R & S Hardware, Inspirations, the Library foyer and the Post Office. We have published an electronic version, this can be found on: www.visitwickham.co.uk (event tab) and www.wickhammarket. onesuffolk.net (Village Hall tab).

If you're planning to visit us, do come and enjoy a tasty range of refreshments, bacon butties, ploughman's lunch, sandwiches and cakes and a sociable atmosphere. Potsford Farm (a working care farm) will be outside the hall on Saturday with information and an array of goods for sale. Take part in the raffle and tombola with prizes galore. Cash will be needed on the day!

The village also offers a range of shops, two cafés, car parks, play area and country walks.

The show team this year are: Anne, Alan, Chris, Alison, Ali, Barbara, Rosemary, Gloria and Philip.

happy smiley people. Our next meetings are June 22nd at Wickham Market Village Hall at 6:30pm, for a 7pm start. The speaker will be Matthew Tanton-Brown talking about low maintenance plants. Again, there will be plants available to purchase, along with the usual raffle, sales table, and refreshments. First time visits are FREE so do bring a friend.

The Meeting for July is on Thursday 27th, the same venue and time. The demonstrator will be Helen Bird whose demonstration is entitled "Any Which Way". Raffle of flower

arrangements, refreshments and sales table as usual. We'd also like to invite you to join us on our outing to The Southwold Flower Company on August 17th. Own transport, meeting there at 6pm. SatNav: IP18 6SJ. Just off the Wangford Road (B1126) Reydon, Southwold. A tour of the flower fields plus questionand-answer session followed by refreshments. The Cost is £5/person and bookings must be made by contacting Sue Cotton on 07786 942450 as we need to confirm numbers with the company beforehand.

VACANCY: Trainee Accounts Assistant

We are looking for a Trainee Accounts Assistant to join our finance team, based in Halesworth

This is a varied and interesting opportunity to assist in all areas of accounts preparation, in an established and busy Motor Group environment.

The successful candidate should have some prior experience of working in an accounts role, with a strong customer focus and the ability to work to deadlines

Working as part of a small team you will assist in a broad range of tasks within the accounts department.

Please contact us for a full job description to see the job roles key responsibilities.

Candidates must have good general administration skills and should be familiar with Microsoft Office applications.

Candidates must have a good standard of general education, including Maths GCSE (or equivalent) Grade C or above. In-house training will be provided to the successful candidate. We would consider a recent school leaver for this position.

Please contact 01986 834724 for a full job description and application form.

Eat local with new Transition Woodbridge guide

Picture a traditional Sunday roast, made in Suffolk: a freerange Sutton Hoo chicken; carrots, parsnips and potatoes from a community farm in Rushmere; redcurrant jelly created in Rendlesham; gravy using rapeseed oil pressed near Halesworth and flour ground at Woodbridge Tide Mill; perhaps a glass of white wine, the grapes grown and harvested near Framlingham. Sounds good, right?

Imagine the delicious meals you could create using ingredients from the more than 80 local food and drink

producers in Transition Woodbridge's Local Food & Drink Project 2023 leaflet - the possibilities are endless! We're delighted to publish this latest edition, available online at www. transitionwoodbridge.org.uk as well as in print at several local cafés, shops and community spaces. The leaflet also details retailers, restaurants, cafés and pubs in Woodbridge and Melton which sell or serve local produce, sources of information about reducing household food waste, and support for those struggling to afford food for themselves and their families.

Our area of Suffolk has a thriving and varied food and drink sector, from more traditional arable and livestock farming, to family fishing businesses, from brewers and bakers, to chocolate- and cheesemakers. Backing these, mostly small, businesses not only supports the regional economy but offers environmental benefits too. Locally produced goods often need less protective packaging, fewer transport miles, and are frequently fresher and more seasonal.

Bear in mind the adage, 'Start where you are, use what you

have, do what you can'.

Whether you replace one item of shopping with a local product, plan a meal a week using only local ingredients, or choose a restaurant dish based on the food miles involved, you're making a difference.

We are grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund, Transition Together and National Lottery players for enabling funding for this project. Let's tuck in!

Melton Produce

Woodbridge Flower Club

"The Green Man and Friends" was the title used by Linda Kingcott (our demonstrator) at the June Flower Club meeting. Her arrangements were all based around different English folklaw tales and legends. Linda's first arrangement was based on the story of the green man. Using a large wooden base, Linda added a wide variety of variegated leaves before adding a beautiful spray of green orchids.

Another design was based on a tale from Canewden Church which has a reputation for being haunted and associated with witches. It is also said if you run around the church tower three times on Halloween, you can travel back in time. I don't know if Linda has tried that!

Linda used garden canes tied

at the top to form the shape of a witch's hat, which were then placed onto a moss ring. Clematis flowers were added using glass tubes rather than oasis. Pink roses and green chrysanthemums completed the design. Linda was thanked for such an interesting afternoon and several lucky members won her arrangements in the raffle. Our next meeting at Martlesham Village Hall will be a workshop on August 2nd.

Framlingham Castle Bowls Club

We enjoyed a successful Open Day on May 28th with unusually dry weather. Normally, we are targeted with rain for this event.

Half-a-dozen potential members gave bowls a try and at least two submitted application forms.

Matches continue at a rapid rate and we just managed to get two teams out at the same time to play a regular league match against Woodbridge at home and the EBF Junior Cup away. In the cup we were beaten by a very hospitable local club - Stradbroke White Hart and certainly enjoyed a challenging visit.

On Friday 16th, we will

have hosted the Finals of the EBF Senior Cup. Other major upcoming events include our annual friendly match versus the Kent Past Presidents on July 3rd and we are hosting the Suffolk Bowls England Mens Fours Quarter Finals at 6:30pm on July 14th.

The internal Club Competition draw has now been published and will add to the large number of matches we are already playing. Hopefully to new recruits will be up to speed in short order to ease the demands of what is nevertheless, a very enjoyable sport.

Would you like to receive our activity sheets?

Due to various circumstances, we are currently sending out free activity sheets by email/post on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month during term time, for children to enjoy doing with their family/carers, instead of meeting in St. Michaels Church Centre, Martlesham Heath.

The activity sheets usually include a story, song and a craft or game about a theme or story from the Bible. We heard last time about Captain Cornelius who was an important soldier from Rome. He saw an angel who told him to invite Peter, a disciple

of Jesus, to stay with him. Peter was told by God that it did not matter where you come from or what colour your skin was as God loves everybody the same. They then travelled to Captain Cornelius' home where Peter told the Captain's family and friends all about Jesus.

If you have or look after a child/children of pre-school age and would like to receive our sheets, please give us a call. We look forward to hearing from you!

For further information, please contact Sonya and Maureen Burrows on 01473 625196.

Deben Flower Club Flower Festival

Our flower festival held on June 3rd and 4th was undoubtedly a resounding success. All our arrangers worked so very hard in a wonderfully happy, friendly, and helpful atmosphere to create the most stunning designs throughout the church.

Musicals was the theme of the festival and 23 were depicted.

We challenged our visitors to guess the names of the musicals in the form of a quiz. This created lengthy discussions and lots of guesses, some correct and others not. In the end, we had just one worthy winner guessing 22 correctly.

Update from Woodbridge Royal British Legion

As the warm weather has finally arrived, we start to look forward to our up and coming events. Starting in July, join us in the town centre on the 15th from 12:50pm to watch the county parade of standards and the marching band then into Elmhurst Park for a Fête and classic cars and musical entertainment.

We then look forward to the July 28th for the freedom of the town parade with 23 RE Regt and their open day to be held at Rock Barracks on July 29th.

Dates for the diary:

• 15th July: 70th Anniversary

Korean War parade and fête.

• 28th July: Freedom of Woodbridge Parade 23 Engineer Regt and Woodbridge RBL.

• 12th August: VJ Day Parade Garden of Remembrance, Market Hill Woodbridge.

• 28th October: Poppy Appeal

Launch, Thoroughfare, Woodbridge.

• 10th November: School children's remembrance service on Market Hill.

• 11th November: Grave side remembrance at the war graves in the New Cemetery.

• 12th November: Remembrance

Sunday.

The Woodbridge RBL Branch is looking for more committee members. We're looking for people to spare a couple of hours on the first Monday of the month to come along to our branch meeting and help us to shape the future of the branch and bring innovative ideas to help with our fund raising.

If you're interested in taking on role for the Woodbridge RBL, please contact Brian Fisk the Branch Chairman on 07840 157758 or: brian-fisk.rbl@hotmail.co.uk.

Delicious cake, tea and coffee was served in the Church Hall throughout the festival helping to raise valuable funds for the club.

Deben Flower Club would like to thank everyone who helped in any way to make the weekend such a fantastic event, special thanks to our chairman Debbie Doggett who masterminded the festival and the quiz. We'd love to see you all, members, new members, and visitors when our new season of floral demonstrations resumes on September 12th in Kirton Church Hall at 7:30pm.

MELTON CAR BOOT SALE

Update from Woodbridge Cruising Club

The cruise season is well underway, and recent cruises include the Ore and Alde, with visits to Orford Sailing Club, Aldeburgh Yacht Club and The Jolly Sailor, as well as spending peaceful nights moored at Orford and Aldeburgh.

Walton Backwaters is a perennial favourite, where the club enjoy a visit to Titchmarsh Marina, walks to the beach, as well as a

barbecue and SADS (safe arrival drinks).

Members are looking forward to future voyages to the Medway, Brightlingsea, Southwold and even Europe. Sailing in company on well organised cruises is one of the best reasons for joining WCC.

The club is pleased to take part in the Woodbridge Regatta, when the bar is open to non-members.

Onshore activities are still

continuing, with the riverside clubhouse the focus of the summer socials and barbecues, which are always enjoyed by club members. If this sounds intriguing, the club website (www. woodbridgecruisingclub.org ) has full details and new members are welcome, whether you are a current or past owner of a motorboat or yacht, or have an interested in all things nautical.