Hadleigh Community News, December 2022

It is estimated that the ‘bank of mum and dad’ supported 49% of first-time buyer purchases in 2021, according to Savills.

One of the most common ways in which parents help their children buy property is through gifting money towards their deposit. When gifting money towards a child’s residential property purchase, there are several considerations that a parent or grandparent should be aware of.

What are the implications on the Giftor?

It is important to be aware that gifts of this nature can have an impact on future estate planning for the Giftor. There may be an impact on the Giftor’s Inheritance Tax liability and their Will may need to be updated. The recipient of a gifted deposit also needs to be aware that in the event the Giftor dies within 7 years of making a gift, Inheritance Tax may become payable on that sum if the Giftor’s estate attracts such tax.

At the beginning of the purchase process, it is strongly recommended that a Giftor (usually the parent) obtains independent legal advice before providing any contributions to ascertain their legal position. The firm acting for the purchaser (usually the child) cannot also provide advice to the Giftor as this would be a conflict of interest.

What is considered a gift or gifted deposit?

A gift is when a person, who is not a purchaser of the property in question, makes a monetary contribution towards the purchase price. This differs from a loan as a gift is non-repayable.

In most transactions, a 10% exchange deposit is usually required under the Standard Conditions of Sale (Fifth Edition) which will be incorporated into the contract. This 10% deposit on exchange is different to what is deemed to be your deposit by a mortgage lender as you can contribute more capital to a purchase than just 5 or 10% to enable you to have a lower Loan to Value for mortgage purposes. A gifted deposit does not necessarily need to be for the exchange deposit alone as it could be utilised for additional equity, or both. Who can provide a gifted deposit?

Technically speaking, anyone could be a Giftor. However, in most instances a mortgage lender will not allow a gift from just anyone. Lenders tend to favour direct or step relatives such as parents.

What does a gift donor ? Giftor need to provide?

There are certain declarations that must be made by the Giftor. These declarations are especially crucial when a mortgage lender is involved in a transaction. The below points are typically what mortgage lenders require confirmation of:

• That the gift is non-repayable.

• That the Giftor will not occupy the property.

• That the Giftor has no reason to believe they will become insolvent.

• That the Giftor will not hold a charge over the property or bear any interest in it.

• That the gift will not prejudice the security of the mortgage company.

• That the acting conveyancer has carried out all appropriate checks on the Giftor, they are satisfied with the Giftor’s funding, and that the conveyancer is holding a cleared bankruptcy. search against the Giftor.

Get independent expert legal advice

To talk to a local lawyer about gifting money towards a residential property purchase, call Holmes & Hills Solicitors on 01787 275275, and ask to speak to a member of the expert Private Client Team.

Margaret Laws

Margaret will not be sending Christmas cards this year, but wishes all friends a Happy Christmas and all good things for the coming year.

New to Merchant’s Row in Historic Lavenham

Looking for gift ideas or maybe something for you? Come and browse our hand picked ranges of women’s clothing, accessories and lifestyle gifts. Lavenham has lots to see. There are many beautiful shops, tea rooms and restaurants, so why not make a day of it? We look forward to welcoming you!

Open 7 days a week, 10 am - 4 pm

Preparing to help your child buy their first home. What you need to know.

After an over indulgent Christmas and New Year, Mr & Mrs Jones were in no condition to show buyers around their property...

Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the team at Hizzy

Friday

Monday

Tuesday 3rd

Wednesday 4th

The Hadleigh Historian

Issue 73 (December 2022

This first issue for the 13th year of The Hadleigh Historian begins a new series entitled ‘Holbecks: its park and its people’. Although the house is situated just over the parish boundary in Layham, most of the park and the farms that made up the estate are on the Hadleigh side of the border. Part 1 covers the period 1578 to 1750, when absentee owners named Stoddard used income from these Suffolk lands to support their family’s seat at Mottingham in Kent. They include a rich London merchant; a knight imprisoned for bad-mouthing the king; an executor attempting to retain his sisters’ inheritances for himself; a widow who plunged the family into debt; and a husband who died alone in debtors’ prison.

Some Hadleigh people only briefly appear in the historical record, one such being ‘Walter Skilman: carrier of false money’. He has three entries in the Crown’s medieval administration records known as the Patent Rolls, which tell of his brushing-up against the law in 1347, when bringing counterfeit coins into the country.

Picture-feature ‘Special occasions’ shows one event from each of the four decades 1930s to 1960s. Although identified and dated, can anyone add any further information concerning these Hadleigh happenings? Alternatively, would you like to contribute a picture for ‘Special occasions’, which I hope will become a regular feature in the magazine.

‘The life and times of an 18th century Hadleigh clergyman’ looks at Venerable David Wilkins, archdeacon, antiquarian, polyglot and oriental scholar. Soon after he arrived in the town in 1719, David began to create what is now referred to as the Wilkins Manuscript, a wonderful treasure trove of information, safely kept in Hadleigh Archive with the prestigious reference of 100/A/01. His 1745 funeral hatchment, although much neglected over the years, still hangs in St Mary’s church and is reproduced in colour on this issue’s back cover.

I was so pleased to be able to attend on Armistice Day 11 November, along with many other people, the launch of Nigel Crisp’s book Small Town Duty –Tales of Hadleigh’s Great War. There is a review in Issue 73 of ‘this extensively-researched and well-presented book’ which is ‘a fitting tribute to the men of Hadleigh remembered within its covers.’

On a personal note, I would like to thank all the kind people who telephoned my husband to enquire after my health when what should have been a fourday stay in hospital was extended to two weeks. Thank you to Kelvin Avis and his team at Avis Newsprint Limited for their past year’s work of turning drafts put together by the old-fashioned cut-and-paste method with real scissors and glue!

I would also like to express my appreciation to my husband David Coleman, who does all the leg work that I am now unable to undertake.

And last-but-not-least, all good wishes to readers and contributors for the coming New Year.

Issue 73 is now available price £4 at Avis the Newsagent and The Idler Bookshop in Hadleigh High Street and at Hollow Trees Farm Shop in Semer. A one-year subscription (6 issues and postage) costs £30 from Sue Andrews, 17 Manor Road, Bildeston, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP7 7BG (01449 740673).

A rear view of the Hadleigh Corn Exchange, once an important part of the market scene and which was traditionally always held on a Monday. The building was built of the prestigious Suffolk White bricks and including moulded detail with terracotta the time of this photograph, believed to have been taken during the 1950s, the scope of market day had declined to mainly eggs, poultry and some deadstock. The market closed in December 1958. Stacked here is a range of substantial second hand timbers awaiting to be auctioned. In the Market Place at this time, some of the wrought iron pens for the livestock were still remaining and were located approximately in the area where the tree with its circular seat is today.

The Hadleigh Archive is administered by the Hadleigh Town Council. The Guildhall, Market Place, Hadleigh. IP7 5DN. A team of experienced volunteers look after the Hadleigh Archive and meet on a regular basis to catalogue and transcribe it large number of documents and images.

Visitors are welcome by appointment only.

Email: hadleigharchives@gmail.com Tel: 01473 823884

Christmas Crafts

The Country Thread Group members make the most of every opportunity to raise money for the St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich. The monthly craft stalls in St Mary’s Church, Hadleigh, in November was a perfect chance to display and sell their many unusual Christmas creations for their worthwhile cause. Their stall was laden with handcrafted gifts, seasonal decorations, knitted toys and children’s sweaters. This colourful, well- priced array tempted shoppers to spend £100 in a few hours. The money, which will go to the Hospice in Ipswich, will be gift aided making the final total 25% more than their actual takings. Any unsold items will swell the Christmas stock of the St Elizabeth Hospice Shops in Ipswich. If you enjoy being sociable and creative why not join this friendly group at 7pm on a Wednesday in the URC room in Hadleigh?

For further information please contact Mavis Gordon mavis.gordon@mypostoffice.co.uk

Hadleigh Old School Christmas Event

Hadleigh Old School, the events venue at 5 Bridge Street, Hadleigh IP7 6BY, present our Christmas Event across Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd December with free entry.

Christmas Festivities at Hadleigh Old School Arts, Crafts, Food & Wine

Friday 2nd December 5pm-9pm, Art sale from Suffolk’s most sensual gallery, Voluptus Art (pic by Kevina Badoye). Mezze food plates for sale with wine pairings by Adnams, visit the Trinity room at the rear of the school to see artist Hazel Bradshaw’s installation ‘Where the Fairies Dwell’. Poetry readings from a newly published pamphlet by a Hadleigh Bard. Plenty of craft stalls from local makers. Licensed Bar.

Saturday 3rd December 10am-4pm, Chocolate making demonstration, mulled wine. Art sale and craft stalls continue. Treat yourself or someone you love to one of Hazel’s individual handcrafted Fairies. Celebrate the coming of Christmas with us at the licensed bar. We are very excited about our Christmas event and hope that there is something for everyone. When you come and buy from our Craft Market you will be helping to raise money for Hadleigh’s Christmas Present Trust as well as refugee shelters in Ukraine. Thank to all who have supported us and our collaborators at our events in 2022. See you next year.

Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year from Hadleigh Old School

Babergh Chairman tours new Breast Care Centre

Babergh Chairman Cllr Kathryn Grandon recently took a tour around the new Breast Care Centre being built at Ipswich Hospital, with Sandra Gosneycommunity fundraising manager and Emily Marsh - senior project manager. The new centre, managed by the Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity's ‘Blossom Appeal’, will support people fighting cancer and their families, bringing a wide range of different elements of breast care together under one roof.

Cllr Grandon, said: “I was delighted to be invited to visit Ipswich Hospital to see works underway at what will soon be the new Breast Care Centre. I was amazed to see the progress and it was very exciting to hear about the new high-tech equipment that will be in place when the centre opens.

“Sadly, so many of us or our friends and family will be needing these facilities in the future, so I am pleased to be able to support the centre, which has been specifically designed to meet the needs of breast cancer patients. Anyone who would like to contribute to my Blossom Appeal fundraising can visit my JustGiving page.”

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES, ART, CRAFTS, FOOD & WINE

Hadleigh Old School, 3-5 Bridge Street, Hadleigh, Ipswich IP7 6BY

Free entry on Friday 2nd December, 5pm-9pm and Saturday 3rd December 10am-4pm

Babergh Chairman (centre) tours new Breast Care Centre at Ipswich Hospital with Sandra Gosney - community fundraising manager (left) and Emily Marsh - senior project manager (right)

Gipping Construction appointed to deliver new homes at Corks Lane, Hadleigh

Babergh

homes at Corks Lane, Hadleigh.

The site, which is located at the former council offices, will see a regeneration of original buildings to preserve and enhance the original structure, ensuring the character and features of the existing building are retained through sympathetic conversion.

The site is in a key location in Hadleigh, close to shops, schools, and the town’s amenities and will offer 49 new homes.

Work onsite started in the summer and progress on site to date has included clearing the site, formatting car park area, demolition of non-listed buildings (where necessary) and commencement of retaining wall structures.

The next steps will be installing drainage and associated ground works, completion of the retaining walls and boundary treatment alongside Hadleigh Cricket Club and car park installation. Early in the new year work will begin on the development on the new build properties. It is expected that the new homes will be available early summer 2024.

Cllr David Busby, Babergh District Council cabinet member for Finance, Assets, and Investments, commented: “The regeneration of this land to create almost 50 homes is an important development for Hadleigh. With its location close to the town’s shops leisure facilities and schools, these new homes support our vision for creating and place that people are proud to call home.”

The Corks Lane development is part of Babergh District Council’s ongoing investment in the town, including over 20 affordable homes at Angel Court that were completed in 2021.

For more information, please visit www.babergh.gov.uk

Churches in Hadleigh - Praying for Hadleigh

The people of the churches in Hadleigh are committed to praying for our town. Over the course of each year we plan to pray for every street in Hadleigh. During December we will be praying for the following streets:Week Commencing 4th Dec: Shearman Road, Lister Road.; Week Commencing 11th Dec: Alabaster Close, Bourchier Close, Barnes Close, Muriel Close; Week Commencing 18th Dec: Manor Gardens, Tyefield Place, Week Commencing 25th Dec: Christmas / New Year Break.

If you know people who live in these streets, we would be very pleased if you also would pray for them. If you live on one of the streets being covered during a particular week and would welcome prayer, please get in touch.

Hadleigh Baptist Church pastorchristodd@hadleighbaptist.org.uk

Hadleigh URC Barbara Robinson 828352 barobi1506@gmail.com

St Joseph’s RC Church Anita Rosbrook 810057 a.rosbrook@btinternet.com

St Mary’s CoE Jessica Janas 822671 jessicanevard@btinternet.com

District Councillors joined directors from Babergh Growth and project leaders from Gipping Construction to review progress of the development of new

The surgery completed an amazing 3700 Covid boosters and 3,000 ‘flu jabs in October. Thanks to both Practice personnel and volunteers who manned their stations inside and outside the Health Centre throughout the many vac clinics. Any outstanding jabs will be administered during surgery hours by appointment only.

Although there were some initial IT teething problems, the new Pharmacy inside the Practice is now dispensing medicine to those patients who live outside the Hadleigh area. All other patients continue to be served by Mill Pharmacy or Boots.

We are fortunate to have a phlebotomist at the Practice. Their function is to draw and prepare blood for medical testing, transfusions or donation. Phlebotomists are trained to collect blood via venipuncture, finger pricks, or in the case of infants, heel pricks. Patients first need to be referred to the phlebotomist by their doctor then they can book their own appointment online. Yet another friendly reminder, once you have made the necessary arrangements at Reception, you can take advantage of online booking from the comfort of your own home and at any time. N.B several appointments for the next day are also offered online after 7pm the evening before.

The money held by Hadleigh and Boxford Charitable Trust is there to assist in the “protection and preservation of health and relief of sickness”. If you are struggling with health issues and there is something that will improve your day to day living or make life easier for you please do not hesitate to request help from the Trust. All applications for assistance will be given serious consideration but must be health related. Please contact The Practice Manager tracey.squirrell@nhs.net.

Thank you for following our column this year. We hope you have found it useful and informative. Best wishes for an enjoyable Christmas and a peaceful,healthy 2023.

www.hadleighhealth.co.uk www.facebook.com/Hadleigh-Boxford-Group-Practice-102959274690621/ hadleighboxfordppg@gmail.com

PPG Chair Jan Devey 01473 827091

Yule tide carols being sung by the choir…

Thank you to everyone who came along to our Autumn concert, we hope you enjoyed the performance.

Our attention turns now of course to Christmas and once again the Hadleigh Choral Society will be bringing festive cheer to Hadleigh on Saturday 10th December with our annual Celebration of Christmas.

The concert starts at 6.30pm at St Mary’s Church, Hadleigh and we extend a warm welcome to families and friends. The songs will include some Christmas favourites and we encourage you all to join in. The concert is free and there will be a retiring collection supporting local charitable causes so do come along and support the event if you can.

Hadleigh Choral Society is an integral part of the Hadleigh community. It’s an opportunity to meet socially, make friends and provide entertainment for the town and supporting villages several times a year. This includes the Serendipity choir that supports local funerals, weddings and celebrations with their music advice and choral performances. As the cost of putting on our concerts increases, the Society needs sponsorship. We would love to hear from any business that would consider sponsoring our concerts in 2023. On behalf of everyone at Hadleigh Choral Society we wish you and your families a very Happy Christmas. Rehearsals will be back in the new year and you will be very welcome to join us. For more information visit www.hadleighchoralsociety.org.uk. For further details about sponsorship opportunities, contact Beth Clarke email beth@huckleberrybiz.co.uk.

The Cock Inn, Hadleigh

Well folks, another year is coming to an end. Doesn’t time fly! Was 2022 a better year than 2021? Maybe by a small margin I guess, though much depends where you sit I guess. While 2020-21 will be remembered for the dreaded Covid pandemic, 2022 will be one in our memories of a new war in Europe that sent energy and food prices into orbit as well as three prime ministers and four chancellors in four months. Who would have ever guessed?

Not me!

December’s news will no doubt be dominated by the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the first winter tournament I believe, a consequence of the extreme heat in the Middle East in the summer. Uruguay won the very first World Cup in 1930. Brazil have won it the most times, five in all with both Italy and Germany winning four times. Only two teams have ever won it once, that’s of course England and Spain. Of course the Premier League and part of the Championship League has been suspended until Boxing day and the 10th December in respect of the Championship League. England started their group matches on the 21st November will have played them all by the time this publication is in circulation, though perhaps England’s encounter with Wales (29th November) may still be undecided. Let’s hope that Gareth Southgate’s lads have qualified and we can watch the later rounds through December. Fingers crossed for Wales too as it would be nice to see another British team progress. The final takes place on December the 18th at 3pm. Who will be there? England? Brazil are always competitive and there seems to be a lot of support for Argentina too? Did you know that the previous 6 winners of the cup failed to qualify for the knockout stages? That does not bode well for France, does it! If all goes wobbly, footy fans have the joy of the Carabao Cup matches being played the week before Christmas with the Premier League returning on Boxing Day. We will show all televised games from the 26th to the 31st (Amazon Prime) though we close at 6pm on Boxing Day and between 5pm and 7pm on New Year’s Eve.

Talking of NYE make sure you get your ticket in advance if you want to join in the Fun at The Cock Inn. They are only £5 including a finger buffet. We have a real DJ too so that should lift the party spirit somewhat. It’s not a fancy dress but feel free if you do not want to be recognised. Our festive season opening times will be advertised on our Facebook pages and website. We have a limited list of live music through December with the ever popular 3 Steps to Heaven performing on Sunday 4th at 3pm. Who better than to make a great start to December. Our Buskers night will take place on Tuesday 6th and a special Xmas Quiz on Tuesday 13th, both starting at 8pm. Dart lovers will be happy to know that Melvyn Tilbury’s popular Wednesday night of Novice Darts will continue throughout the month. We have some new cask ales for December. Earl Soham’s Brandeston Gold is a new addition to the portfolio. It’s a super golden beer brewed locally with local barley too. If you’ve not tried it you should. Those that sampled the recent Deben Hop Ale, another of earl Soham’s delicious and locally brewed cask ales will have savoured the moments. Unfortunately Deben Hop is a once a year brew but Brandeston Gold is a worthy replacement. Let Mark know if you have any suggestions of guest ales and would like us to source. We will do what we can. During the year we have sold a varying number of cask ales, some local from companies such as Mauldons, Earl Soham and Greene King as well as great ales such as London Pride from Fullers, Trelawny from St Austell and Brewers Gold from Crouch Vale. Oh and don’t forget to try our newly stocked Icebreaker Pale Ale, a triple hopped ale brewed with Simcoe and Citra and blended malt, offering a slight tropical fruit aroma. Ice cold from the keg!

The Cock Inn

Hadleigh’s largest selection of of Cask Ales, Gin, Vodka, Whiskies and Wines!

Live Sport in DECEMBER

World Heavyweight Boxing Fury v Chisora Sat 3rd - 7pm

FIFA World Cup, Qatar Quarter Finals 9th & 10th Semi Finals 13th & 14th Final 18th December 3pm

Premier League Re-start 26th to 28th DEC all games live on our 3 TV’s 30th Liverpool v Leicester 8pm

31st Wolves v Man Utd 12.30 We can show 3 events at the same time, Giant screen too for special events!

DECEMBER WHATS ON Live Music

Sun 4th December 3 Steps to Heaven 3pm EVENTS

Tues 6th Buskers Night 8pm Tues 13th Xmas Quiz Night 8pm Novice darts every Wednesday 8pm

TUES 20th OPEN MIC 8pm NYE Party Night with DJ. Tickets Only £5 in advance. Fun starts from 7pm

EARLY BIRD SAVINGS

BETWEEN 12 NOON-2pm& 5-7pmMON-FRI

Carlsberg £3.50 • Guinness £4.50 • Peroni £4.60 • Abbot £3.70 Victoria £3.50 • San Miguel £4.40 • House Red & White Wine £3.70 175ml Double up on selected spirits only £1.50 extra. All day every day!

The Cock Inn, 89 George Street, Hadleigh Tel 01473 941049 www.thecockinnhadleigh.co.uk

Terrence Tildesley

Remembering my dear husband Terry on December 9th, our 61st Wedding Anniversary. Love him and miss him.

Forever in my heart, Margaret

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

The Cock Inn, 89 George Street, Hadleigh Tel 01473 941049 www.thecockinnhadleigh.co.uk with music by Phoenix Brass Band

ST. MARY’S CHURCH, RAYDON SATURDAY 10th DECEMBER at 7.30 pm

Mayors

I love Hadleigh, not just for the buildings but for the people who live here. You may have seen a bunch of distinctive individuals on the High Street one Saturday morning with ladders and trees, yes it’s that time already, the distinctive individuals in question were the good people of Hadleigh along with myself volunteering to place the Christmas trees in the brackets at participating properties. There were three sets of teams involved in getting the trees in place, the first team sized the trees for the individual bracket, the second team had the painstaking job of putting the lights on and the third team were the ladder girls and boys placing the trees in the brackets and securing them. The big tree in the Market Square will have its lights switched on by Gloria, the local Girl Guide Troop Leader, these lights will be switched on at 18:00hrs in the Market Square on 3rd December during our Christmas Event.

On 11/11/22 at 11’oclock the High Street was closed to traffic for what was going to be a small ceremony of remembrance at the mile stone, it was heartening to see that quite a few residents felt the same way an came along to observe the two minutes silence, there was also a strong presence from the Royal British Legion led by Mark Brennan, and last post was played by a lone trumpeter.

On Remembrance Sunday there was the full parade along the High Street to the War Memorial consisting of both serving members and veterans of the Armed forces, also in the procession were local dignitaries and various youth groups. The street was lined by so many residents old and young that there was hardly any space left. After respects were paid to our fallen there was a flyby from Wattisham.

What really moved me on this day was the turn out of residents lining the street, and then when the procession headed back to St Mary’s for a sermon by Father Joe, every seat was full, a contingent of the town’s young people from various organisation also paid their respects at the church.

For me Remembrance Sunday was full of emotion because of the total unreserved respect that the residents of Hadleigh show towards our fallen.

Hadleigh Thrift Shop

First of all we would like to thank again everyone that has kindly given us generous donations so that we can help as many people and organisations as possible. A big ‘thank you’ also goes to our much valued customers. Also we would like to thank all our volunteers for the sterling work they do every working day. Please call in on Saturday 3rd December, we will be open until late evening. There will be a free book and lucky dip for the children, plus a raffle.

Finally, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas Shopping at ZOR

We have had many people in doing their Christmas shopping, treating their loved ones to some of our beautiful accessories including chunky scarves, gloves, jewellery, perfume and much more.

Our super soft chunky scarves are proving very popular with our customers. Many buying them for presents and others treating themselves. This year we have chosen a great range of styles and colours including stars, hearts and bees in bright oranges, dusky pinks, and classic blues to suit all ages and tastes. These scarves are large enough to also be used as a shawl/ wrapwe don’t want anyone getting cold. Have you tried our perfumes and aftershaves? We offer a range of 12 ladies perfumes and 6 men’s aftershaves featuring floral, citrus and woody notes. These make the perfect gift as they are 15ml which is the ideal size for the handbag, car, or travel.

With the current weather getting cooler we have been receiving new styles of clothing weekly. Consisting of chunky thick knits which pair perfectly with our chunky scarves for an extra toasty feel, as well as dresses and skirts ideal for those Christmas meals and parties. As always we try to choose a wide variety of styles and colours. We would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you for all your support throughout the last 8 years (time flies when you’re having fun), we couldn’t have done it without our lovely customers. We hope you have a fantastic Christmas and a Happy new year. Zoe x 07969 525859 www.zoronline.com zoronline.sales@gmail.com Kersey Mill, Stone Street IP7 6DP Open Mon-Sat 10am to 4.00pm

Kersey Table Tennis Club

We are a small and friendly club and welcome players of all abilities. The purpose of the club is social and recreational. We do not play competition. We operate from Kersey Village Hall on Thursday evenings between 7:30pm and 9:00pm. Our fees are: Adults £2.50 for one hour or £3.00 for the full session, Juniors (under 18) £2.00 irrespective of duration.

Contact: Adrian Blyth 01473827805 (amblyth1@gmail.com)

Rita Hoyle

David Hoyle sadly announces the passing of Rita Hoyle on the 1st November 2022. Rita was a truly inspirational woman, a tour de force and played an active role in the Community. The messages and tributes received by the family describe Rita as amazing, incredibly thoughtful and kind, witty and partial to an occasional Sauv Blanc. Rita leaves a void that will not be filled but our memories and tributes will sustain David and sons Benjamin and Samuel throughout and forevertime.

ZOR Boutique ATKERSEYMILL

Stunning jewellery, scarves, bags, purses & clothing. All at affordable prices.

07969 525859 www.zoronline.com zoronline.sales@gmail.com Kersey Mill, Stone Street IP7 6DP Open Mon-Sat 10am to 4.00pm

For 2 decades we have been offering Independent Financial Advice to our local community and beyond with clients now spread throughout the globe. This period has not been an easy one for regional high streets but for us Hadleigh is within easy reach of the Capital but is also a uniquely beautiful location to live in.

Having worked in London for an international bank and a smaller boutique financial advice firm devoted to the high-net-worth individuals of west London it became obvious to me in the early 2000’s that there was a need and an opportunity to build a highly professional and ethically driven firm of independent financial advisers in a region that was not historically well supplied with quality financial advisers.

We now look after approximately 750 different families with combined assets under advice in the region of £300M. We work closely with other professional service providers such as accountants, solicitors and estate agents which has included a formal joint venture with Ellisons Solicitors.

We can also claim the unique distinction to be the only independent financial adviser in the whole of the East of England to have consistently been listed by New Model Adviser magazine as a ‘Top 100’ IFA practice for the past 9 consecutive years.

Community engagement is central to everything we do, from our sponsorship of youth and mini rugby at Colchester RFC to providing careers advice to school leavers, engagement with the Hadleigh Chamber of Commerce and our latest endeavour to fund raise for the Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS).

Importantly, Matthew Douglas is committed to our adopted community here in Hadleigh where we employ 15 local residents, we add to the mix of services offered on our evolving high street and we will always seek to further the interests of the town.

2022 has been another challenging year for us all economically but rest assured we will be here for the people of this region through good times and bad, we are actively nurturing the next generation of advisers, including my 2 sons, to make sure we remain a permanent feature of the high street architecture for the next 20 years.

Matthew Pescott Frost CEO Matthew Douglas Limited Wheatsheaf House, 4 High Street, Hadleigh, Suffolk IP7 5AP 01473 927072 E: info@matthewdouglas.co.uk

Bildeston Carpet Bowls

Hello again, Brenda here from Bildeston Carpet Bowls Club and it's nearly Christmas, so here is an update on our next sessions, which we all hope some of you will come along and see what we do at Chamberlain Hall.

Tuesday 6th December: Roll Up (practice) at home

Thursday 8th December: Match with Elmsett away

Tuesday 15th December: Roll up home

Tuesday 10th January: Roll up home

Wed. 11th January: Match with Offton away Hoping some of you will come along and give us a try, the first two sessions free, with tuition. If you are interested, please call Mike McIntyre on 01284 827688

Matthew Douglas Limited is now in its 20th year and this month marks 5 years since we moved from a modest office in Nayland to the old Wheatsheaf public house that closed its doors in 1995.

Report

by District Cllr Dr

Hadleigh North Ward – November, 2022

Siân

Getting Hadleigh Moving Another successful development for Hadleigh. I am pleased that Angel Court has won a Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Award for Best Small Social Housing Development and will move onto the national final in London in January 2023. I believe it is important as your local Councillor to endeavour to work closely with Officers to produce the highest professional and environmental standards. Cost of Living Crisis Co-ordinator – Please if any residents is having issues at this time of the year, contact our newly appointed Officer Elysa Dale at Babergh, who is appointed as the new Cost of Living Co-ordinator. Please, if any resident needs assistance or advice, contact: Elysa.Dale@Baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk.

Locality Budget Application from the Hadleigh Community Support - I have donated funds from my Locality Budget funding to support local families in need at this difficult time of the year. I have donated towards Neil Bevis’s Foodbank by giving a donation from my Locality Budget to purchase a new freezer.

Tree for Life - Babergh has given well over a thousand trees through Tree for Life, with 450 families applying in 2021. The scheme is open to all families in the districts who have or are welcoming a new-born, or newly adopted child, between 1 Jan - 31 December 2022. Parents who may have lost a child during the same period are also able to apply for a remembrance tree. The initiative offers parents the chance to mark their arrival by planting a tree and aims to benefit families, communities and the environment by boosting tree coverage across the district. It's a really special scheme, even if you don’t have space in your garden, you can plant it locally and visit your tree. 40 families have already applied to the 2022 scheme, but the councils are encouraging more people to apply for their tree on the councils' website before the 10 January, 2023 deadline. Applications will be processed following the closing date, with eligible applicants invited to choose and collect their tree in 2023.

Persimmon A follow up meeting with Persimmons is to be organised with residents at the marketing suite on the Persimmons development site. At a previous meeting I asked the MD Ian Hamilton and contracts manager Stacey Brett to attend, and each attendee was given the opportunity to put forward comments which Persimmons have addressed as follows:

•Persimmons Website has been set up to aid communication with local residents - www.Persimmonshadleigh.co.uk.

• Working out of hours; all sub-contractors working for Persimmon Homes have been briefed on the approved hours Mon- Frid 7:30am to 6:00pm, Sat 9:00am to 1:00pm. This is policed onsite daily to ensure no works start or continue outside of these hours.

• Parking of contractors on Ellen Aldous Avenue; Persimmons have employed a full- time traffic marshal to ensure any vehicles related to employees or contractor’s onsite do not park on the road.

• Plastic red, white barriers down Ellen Aldous Avenue causing a nuisance; these were installed to prevent unauthorised parking and Persimmons have appointed a traffic marshal.

• Poor behaviour from sub-contractors including use of swearing and radios; all sub-contractors have been stopped for an hour and gathered within the compound to be given a toolbox to educate them on correct behaviour and what is acceptable.

• Dust management: Persimmons have ordered a water bowser with spray attachment to improve the damping down being conducted onsite. It was also suggested that the road sweeper is pluming dust when operating. This is caused by a lack of pre dampening and not enough water being sprayed whilst sweeping. This will be aided by the use of the bowser. Also, the sweeping contractor has been briefed to ensure sufficient water is being sprayed whilst operating. Again, operation onsite will be supervised to ensure they are using the correct dust suppression measures.

• No unloading of material and or plant on Ellen Aldous Avenue - All deliveries will be directed into the bottom of the site for unloading, or loading.

• Mud on Ellen Aldous Avenue - Persimmons will set up, when necessary, a control point where the wheels of vehicles leaving site are cleaned prior to leaving which will be more relevant to the start of the next phase.

• Attenuation basin and silt - Persimmons confirm the system is complete and connected, which was done at the time of the construction of the attenuation basin. Persimmons have checked the flow controls to ensure these are set correctly. These are designed to attenuate storm water in period of high rain fall and slowly release into the system to prevent surges of storm water and downstream flooding. In winter months in a period of high rain fall these may hold water. This would have caused surface water runoff. Persimmons will be undertaking a repair to ensure this doesn’t cause an issue in the future. It was suggested there is silt getting into the system, Persimmons have installed gully bags in each storm water gully within the construction zone. Persimmons are also now undertaking hay bale silt traps at the incoming head wall of each basin as an additional measure. I believe this is to be a very proactive list and Persimmons appear to be fully engaged with keeping residents informed as work progresses. May I take this opportunity of wishing you and your families a very Happy Hadleigh Christmas and New Year.

Cllr Dr Siân Dawson, sian.dawson@babergh.gov.uk 07931 703157

s Christmas Time

It’s time to get into the Christmas mood. Come along and join Hadleigh Community Choir for our winter concert 2022 Number One at Christmas.

Hadleigh United Reformed Church, Market Place, Hadleigh IP7 5DL at 2:30pm Saturday 10th December 2022. £10 in advance, £12 on the door (Under 12’s free) - Includes a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie (or alternative)

Tickets are available from Keith Avis Newsagents, The Idler Bookshop or call me on 07778 860267.

We will be singing favourite Christmas songs (A Spaceman Came Travelling, Stop the Cavalry, I Believe in Father Christmas), Traditional Carols (with a twist) and much more. You will also have a chance to exercise your vocal chords as we sing carols together. Let us entertain you!

Simon Thompson, Assistant MD, Hadleigh Community Choir

Hadleigh Walkers

Our walk on Saturday 10th Dec will start and end in Hadleigh. As we are approaching Christmas, we have chosen a shorter circular walk of around 8 miles taking in some of the best of Hadleigh’s countryside and providing a number of points where the walk can be shortened in the event of bad weather. We will leave Stonehouse Road car park at 0930 and proceed to the cemetery, Constitution Hill, Halfway House, Holbecks, west towards the Lower Raydon Rd, Rands Fm, Bullocky Fen, Hill Fm, Benton End and then across and back into Hadleigh via the Railway Walk. We should be back into Hadleigh by 1330 even allowing for a refreshment break along the way. As usual, we aim to maintain a not-too-demanding 2.5 mph (4 km/hr) however remember that the proposed route involves some modest up and downs. Walkers should be aware that any weather is possible so strong shoes or preferably walking boots should be worn as the ground will be muddy or rough in places. Everyone is welcome, including well behaved dogs. As usual, route maps can be requested from the web site.

For further information about these walks go to www.hadleighwalkers.com, email us at hadleighwalkers@gmail.com or contact Mike Keeling on 07483 887658.

The Children read to Sassy! We are thrilled that Sassy will be a weekly visitor to Elmsett School and she will be listening to our children read! Sassy is a ‘Pets as Therapy Dog’ and is from their Read2Dogs scheme. Reading a story aloud to a non-judgemental listener without corrections or interruptions helps young people enjoy their reading experience, can help to improve their literacy skills, encourage confidence and concentration in the classroom. Sassy loves all the attention too. Sportsmanship at Elmsett

The children enjoyed receiving coaching sessions for Tag Rugby from Hadleigh Rugby Club. We sent a squad of boys and girls from Badgers Class to the U9’s Tag Rugby Festival at the Rugby Club. They had a fantastic morning, running up and down the pitch, collecting lots of tags and scoring lots of Tries.

We took a squad of Boys and Girls to an U11’s School Games Football Festival with some of our Year 3 stepping up to be part of the squads. Both teams took part in the development section and their confidence grew with each game they played. They had a great morning and were commended on their approach and positive attitude to their games.

Forest School

The children love learning outdoors in our Forest School sessions and they are very excited to now be having a camp fire each time with hot chocolate and other campfire treats! We have now also received a delivery of tools, the children will be learning woodland craft skills such as whittling in addition to using hammers, climbing trees, making dens and camp fire cooking.

Design Technology Day

It is beneficial for the children to have whole days dedicated to some subjects so we held a DT Day in Badgers and Otters Class, which was a great success. Badgers children enjoyed using the glue guns to make a chassis for sling shot cars. In their next DT Day they will be making torches, linking brilliantly to their electricity learning in Science. In Otters Class they planned, made and evaluated a Smoothie which was fun and delicious! Elmsett Live on the airwaves

The children chatted live on air to BBC Radio Suffolk Breakfast Show presenter Luke Deal as they took part in BBC Children in Need ‘Walk and Talk’. Dressed in spots, Pudsey clothes and with painted faces they enjoyed the chance to chat to their school friends around the village meadow as well as Radio Suffolk. At Elmsett we recognise the importance of the wellness and the children have been learning about Creative advocacy, standing up for children who can’t speak for themselves and don’t have the same advantages. This was an appropriate way to stand up for Children in Need whilst raising funds for this worthy charity.

Rotary Review

Santa Special: The Rotary Christmas Collections are continuing as usual this year. Father Christmas and his float will follow the regular routes around Hadleigh apart from a couple of changes to include Weavers Meadow as well as appearing at Morrisons. Santa will visit your door if you wish but will still socially distance himself whilst talking to the children and we do ask you to remain at your door rather than gathering in groups on the pavement. Similar rules will apply at Morrisons when Santa is meeting the children. We realise that financially this is a difficult year for many of us but if you do have a little small change to spare when we call it will help us help your local charities which still need all the support you can give. The routes and times are as follows:

Friday 16 Dec: Matilda Groome Road and Weavers Meadow 5.30 - 7.45pm approx.

Saturday 17 Dec: Morrisons Car Park 10.00 - 3.00pm approx.

Monday 19 Dec: Malyon Drive and Oxford Drive 5.30 - 7.45pm approx.

Tuesday 20 Dec: Edwin Panks Road to Yeoman Crescent 5.30 - 7.45pm approx

Wednesday 21 Dec: Aldham Road to Pykenham Way 5.30 - 7.45pm approx Thursday 22 Dec: Clopton Gardens, Wilson Rd, Highlands Rd, Gaell Crescent 5.30 - 7.45pm approx.

Friday 23 Dec: Morrisons Car Park 10.00 - 3.00pm approx. We look forward to seeing you on the rounds but should it be necessary to cancel collections for any reason please accept our sincere apologies in advance. Finally your cooperation in leaving enough room for the float to pass along the road would be much appreciated.

Club News:

1. The Club was represented at the Remembrance Day parade and Club Secretary, Glenn Abbassi, laid a wreath on behalf of the Club at the War Memorial.

2. During the Christmas Period members look forward to the usual coffee meeting at Cobblers, a special Christmas Lunch with partners at Hintlesham Golf Club, Coffee and mince pies with partners at Eight Bells and to round things off a New Year Champagne Brunch with partners at The George, Hintlesham early in January.

President Richard and Members wish all readers a Happy Christmas and a healthy, enjoyable New Year

Hadleigh 1914-1918 Small Town Duty Tales of Hadleigh’s Great War

This book was successfully launched at the Old School Bridge Street on Remembrance Day. An appropriate place because this school was at the heart of the town’s community in the difficult years of World War One. The event was attended by many folk who could trace their ancestry back to the Great War, some to the people of Hadleigh. Small Town Duty tells the stories of the people of Hadleigh, such as Robert Keynes who grew up in the house I live in now and sadly was killed in action at the battle of the Somme, and Vic Salmon who enlisted at age 15 and saw action at age 17 until his mother wrote to his commanding officer and he was sent home. Thank you to Mark Brennan of the Royal British Legion who introduced the event, to Ian and Matthew for hosting and to local businesses, organisations and individuals who supported the publication. Copies of the book are now available for purchase.

Nigel Crisp

Cloth Nappies Making a Come Back

HEAT has been raising awareness of single use plastics and now we want to highlight the issue of personal products that are piling up in landfill and polluting our rivers and oceans.

From babies to old age we use disposable nappies, period and incontinence products. What’s the impact of these on our planet, our health, and our pockets? The ‘average’ baby uses approximately 5,000 disposable nappies which can cost on average £825 per baby and contain harsh chemicals which sit against the baby’s delicate skin. On average a woman will use 11,000 disposable period products costing £5,000 during her reproductive life. These products contain plastic and a cocktail of toxic chemicals and, according to Anglia Water, tampons and sanitary pads are one of the biggest causes of blockages in sewage pipes. We can imagine disposable incontinence products having similar impact. So what are the alternatives? Reusables are kinder to the environment and our health. Cloth nappies can save £200-£500 over the time your baby is likely to be in nappies (see Suffolk Cloth Nappies on Facebook for more information). More women are switching to reusable period wear, which are 88-98% cheaper over a lifetime. The same will surely apply to incontinence products for adults too.

Want to know more? Contact HEAT if you’d like to get involved with supporting more sustainable personal products. You can also book a free period workshop for your school, work or group to learn more. Contact hadleigh.heat@hotmail.com

Fidelis Activity News

October’s meeting was a visit from the dogs trust, where we learned about this wonderful charity and the dedicated staff and volunteers who care for our unloved and discarded dogs. Their aim is to rehome and address any issues with their dogs, however long it takes.

The dogs are pampered and well cared for while at their centres to ensure they look their best, and with vets on site, any health issues are identified and dealt with. The volunteers and staff who walk the dogs, have woodland and paddocks available, and there was even a doggy lounge.

November’s meeting is Morris dancing, and in December we have our Christmas meal.

Our ladies are a friendly group who enjoy a varied mix of talks and demonstrations, who meet monthly.

If you would like to hear more or you are interested in joining us, please email: lesleycook0653@gmail.com.

visitingfootpractitioners

I CALLUSES I CORNS I NAILS CLIPPED I INGROWN I VERRUCAS I ETC for your home visit phone 01473 822902 or Sally A. Mowles MCFHP MAFHP 07923 266940 Gary J. Mowles MCFHP MAFHP 07803 401042

Registered member of the British Association of Foot Health Professionals

Hadleigh & District Flower Club

For our October meeting we had a wonderful demonstration from Helen Bird (Marks Tey), Titled “This is my Way”. She had a great amount of foliage from her very large garden and very good plant and flower knowledge. She provided a good mixture of arranging from traditional to a more modern winter design. Next month will be our Christmas demonstration, which is always a favourite time for the club. We will be meeting on December 13th, 2022, at The Hadleigh United Reformed Church. Arrival 7pm for 7.30pm start.

The demonstrator will be Helen Sheard from Ingatestone, and her title is “Festive Spirit” Our friendly club would love to see you there and any friend’s welcome.

Hidden Gardens of Hadleigh 2023

The next Hidden Gardens of Hadleigh will take place on Saturday 3 June 2023, in aid of the Friends of St Mary’s Church, the charity which helps to maintain our Grade 1 listed parish church and the Deanery Tower. Last year, the record sum of money raised enabled the Friends to fund the repair of all the stained glass in the church, and a similar project will, we hope, be funded by the money raised in 2023.

There will be a wide range of different gardens to be visited across the town, and light lunches will be available in the church. Plant sales and teas will be offered by a number of the gardens taking part, and the event will run from 1100-1700. HGH brings many people into Hadleigh, some for the first time, and it has proved to be a brilliant day out for visitors, as well as a chance for our town to show its many attractions to a wider public – the organisers of next year’s Hidden Gardens are very keen that it should be seen as a community-wide event, a benefit not only for the church but for Hadleigh as a whole.

If you would like to help out – by opening your garden, as a member of the organising committee, or by helping on the day with catering and guiding –please get in touch with me. My email is: hghchair@btinternet.com.

Frank Minns –Chair, Hidden Gardens of Hadleigh

Hadleigh Art Club

We meet from 2.00 until 4.00 pm on Tuesday afternoons during term time in the Seminar Room above the Library. For those who ask, we try to give advice, guidance and constructive criticism but there is no 'teacher'. We all do art because we enjoy it, not necessarily because we are good at it, we all have pieces that turn out well and others that don't, so please don't worry about your ability, just come along and join in, we're a friendly group. We charge £2 per session to the cover cost of room hire and tea/coffee. You only pay for the sessions you attend and the first one is free so you are welcome to drop in and see us on a Tuesday afternoon. Annual membership subs are £5 and are due in May.

We have a list of weekly topics and these are only suggestions for anyone who wants ideas on what to do. Some people will be working on one of the topics (not always the current week’s) while others will be working on their own subject. Feel free to choose.

Programme for December 2022

29/11/2022 Children's toys - old and new 06/12/2022 Dusk and night scenes - a wet street with reflected shop and street lights 13/12/2022 Pen and wash mountain scenes 20/12/2022 Christmas Social We return after our Christmas break on 10th January 2023

An evening packed full of colourful gardens and stories of inspiring fund raising for numerous charities. That was our November meeting with speaker Michael Cole. The National Garden Scheme gives us access to beautiful gardens not normally open to the public while raising money for many favourite charities as well as some new smaller ones. We all enjoy a wander round other peoples gardens followed by tea and cake, what better way to support good causes.

Our weather is changing, becoming generally warmer so it is possible that more plants can be left in to over winter in the garden. One such plant is the lovely Salvia Amistad. This ornamental sage can grow to five foot with masses of purple flowers from May till November. A generous mulch incase of frost, then cut back in the spring. It is also easy to propagate from cuttings. Dahlias are another plant that can be left in the ground again with a mulch. Even Pelargoniums planted in the garden may well survive the winter. But don’t blame me if we get a hard winter...that’s part of the joy of gardening!

On December 12th we have our annual quiz with a buffet provided by the committee. This is just for fun with general topics not all gardening. A social evening with mulled wine to end our year. There is no competition but the winner of the year will be announced.

Please make a note for January 9th as that months meeting will not be in the Guildhall... but in the Dining Room where we use to meet, entrance opposite the Ram pub. This is only for one meeting as the Guildhall is not available in January. We look forward to seeing you on December 12th in the Guildhall at 7.30 pm, guests always welcome. There will be a special Christmas raffle and good company guaranteed.

Mitchell completes his marathon challenge

Nannie and Grandad would like to say how very proud we are of our little Grandson Mitchell for doing an ultra marathon of 31 miles through the month of October for cancer awareness. Mitchell’s mum is currently having treatment and we would like to thank everyone who donated for the run which has raised £3,800 to date. We would also like to thank everyone who joined us for an afternoon tea where we raised £500. A big thank you to family and friends who have given Mitchell so much support on his runs, we think everyone had a lot of fun! Lots of hugs and kisses go to Mitchell for what he has done, Nannie and Grandad love you so much xxx. If anyone would still like to donate to this very worthwhile

French’s Care Haven

Hello to our readers, Sorry for missing October news, I had to have an operation, so was off recovering. Our quiz night went well and those who came had a good night of fun, food, drink and entertainment, so well done to Sharon who organised it and all our team who helped on the night.

Last time I mentioned that someone had said they would supply us with a kitchen for our first aid, well Sid did not fail to do what he said and what a super job he did, I could not have ask for more, Thank you Sid. We now have a camping gas stove that is kept in a safe place, where we can boil water if needed. Gone are the days of me running up the road knocking on houses for a bucket of hot water, like I have done before when one of our donkeys had an abscess in his foot that I needed to poultice. At the moment we have a small good team of helpers, one of those ladies is Sarah pictured, who got on with the mornings jobs even though it was flooded, muddy and poured with rain the whole day, that is dedication, also a Thank you to Darren for helping John and Paul with our fencing and some tidying up of lino in our first aid section. If you would like to join our team of happy helpers then please do give me a call, we can never have enough help, as more volunteers mean more TLC time that goes to the animals each day. We have our yearly Christmas raffle coming up, tickets are on sale now, contact Sharon on: 07999 051401 or email: frenchs100club@gmail.com.

Tickets are £5 each and we have a mix of super prizes, with our top two prizes being a round of golf for 4 people at The beautiful Stoke by Nayland Golf Club and Resort and the 2nd prize is a Spa Day at the resort. They have great bars and restaurants where you can finish the day having some good food. A big thank you goes to Mary who supports our Charity each year and gives us these wonderful prizes. We need the help and support of local businesses and individual people like this, so that we can continue to do what we do best and keep our rescued animals loved and well cared for and give additional help to people who suffer with loneliness or their mental health. If you would like to do something for us or have any ideas then please contact me, my details are below, I would love to hear from you and start a plan of action. The rugs are back out and on the horses and ponies, now all the rain and low temperatures are here for the winter. In the picture little 34 year old Chrystal is dressed and ready for the winter. I cannot remember a year where they have not had to have them on until November, because it is still warm, it has been crazy. As I sit and write this I am looking out of my upstairs office window into a bird nest full of baby birds, in November! Like a lot of plants and wild life they are confused by the weather. It is scary what we are going to face in the coming years. We are looking for a chap who likes to do a bit of strimming and has a couple of hours spare here and there, so that we can get on top of those tidy up jobs that need doing. Would you be able to help us please, or can you let anyone you know that we are looking for help and ask them to contact me. Little things like this put a smile on my face and lift some of the weight off my shoulders. I hope you all have a wonderful and jolly good Christmas and New Year, let’s all see what 2023 has to bring. Here is hoping for a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year. Sending Best wishes from all of us at French’s Care Haven. French’s is a charity on your doorstep. Can you help, either with time, donations or sponsorship? You are welcome to come along and meet our animals. Call me for an appointment.

Jann on 07747 755556 or email: jann.turner@hotmail.co.uk Website: FrenchsCareHaven.org.uk

HADLEIGH WIVES GROUP

Letter from Layham www.layham.org

Parish Council

The main matters discussed during the Parish Council meeting of 26 October 2022 were:

District Council report The Innovation Awards had been held on 20 October; Councillor Ward said finalists had included food outlets finding different ways to engage with customers and market their produce. In response to a further question from Councillor Laing concerning bird flu and birds of prey used by local hunts, Councillor Ward confirmed that Defra’s advice was to keep all birds inside; however, advice from Trading Standards differed. Babergh had no statutory responsibility, but he would make some enquiries and report back.

• Speeding Councillor Curran expressed disappointment that the information generated by the SID was not being used, and the roll-out of ANPR cameras would also result in no prosecutions. He proposed that a letter should be sent to Suffolk CC; this was agreed unanimously.

• New noticeboard for Playing Field The new noticeboard to replace the old one at the recycling centre was now ready for delivery. However, SCC had said the proposed location was not suitable; the working party would therefore reconvene to look for an alternative.

• Budget & Precept working party The working party would prepare recommendations for full Council to consider at the November meeting.

• Upper Layham defibrillators Councillor Curran’s report was noted. Two of the defibrillators in Upper Layham (on Brett Green and in the phonebox on Upper Street) had required software updates which had now been carried out.

• Litter bin for Blacksmith’s Corner It was agreed in principle that the Parish Council should purchase a litter bin for Blacksmith’s Corner, near the picnic table. Councillors would consider further information and costings at the November meeting.

• Community orchard Councillor Laing proposed setting up a working party to explore the creation of a community orchard in Layham; this was agreed.

• Attempted break-in There had been an attempted break-in at a property in Stoke Road, Lower Layham. There had been some damage to a locked shed and several items had been taken from an unlocked shed and a cartlodge; the police had been informed. The Clerk had sent a community email warning householders to be vigilant.

Layham’s Autumn Tidy-up

A huge thank you to the 20 volunteers who helped carry out a range of tasks on a lovely October sunny mornin . We collected debris from trees on the playing field; grass edges on Brett Green were trimmed; the Upper Layham bus shelter and phone box were cleaned; signs were cleared and cleaned; hedges tidied; and the grass around the defibrillator on Brett Green was cut. Old and redundant tree guards were collected from hedges in Lower Layham.

The first photograph shows a group of Upper Layham volunteers on the playing field (from left) Chris Leftwich; Dave Martin; Sarah Martin; Sue Keeble and Michael Woods and the second photo shows John Nightingale and Jonathan Oldham working on Brett Green. We were pleased to see that in most parts of the village there wasn’t much litter - thanks to those of you who take waste home and routinely pick up other people’s rubbish throughout the year.

The local festival of remembrance was well attended as usual – first in the burial ground around the memorial and then in the church.

Brian Hempstead laid a wreath from the Church community and Sue Keeble for the Parish community.

Layham Playing Field 120 Club

The October prizewinners are: £25 Ticket No 6 Short; £15 Ticket No 79 Gunn

The November prizewinners are: £25 Ticket No 93 Webb; £15 Ticket No 28 Cousins

Layham Social Club November’s meeting had the theme of remembrance. A lively ‘show and tell’ was led by Rob who described the importance of his saucepan on family bath days. Entertaining and interesting talks were given by other members and prompted reflection, laughter and shared memories.

The Layham Archive photographic collection was shared and discussed with enthusiasm. The picture of the first piece of apparatus (1987) and people involved, promoted a lot of discussion. First piece of apparatus on the playing field 1987. Congratulations to Kay who won the quiz on animals written by Peter. We send our best wishes to John who was in hospital and unable to attend. The next meeting on December 1 will have the theme of Christmas. January’s meeting is on January 5 at Layham Village Hall as usual.Sue Keeble suekeeuk@yahoo.co.uk

Layham Village Hall Management Committee

Village Hall Cafe Opening Tuesday 29th November 10am-12pm “Village Hall Café”. Meet your neighbours and friends for a cup of tea/coffee and light snack in a warm friendly space. Every Tuesday until the end of March. Posters will be displayed around the village. This is a free event funded by Babergh District Council’s winter warmth grant.

The village hall is looking very smart after having extensive repairs carried out to the exterior east wall and complete repainting thanks to grants from BDC, LEG and fundraising.

Diary Date: Our next Book Sale will be held on Sunday 14th May 2023 (same day as the Church plant sale and cream teas) people who attended last year were not disappointed.

If you would like to book the hall for your event or party then contact Rosey on rosey.emma@btinternet and she will be pleased to help. We still have Covid testing kits available free of charge – contact Jan 01473 871043 or email Rosey.

Statement From The Layham Playgroup Trustees

It is with deep regret that, after nearly fifty years of operating, we hereby announce that playgroup is having to close. It is not a decision that has been taken lightly. We would like to thank all the families that have made us part of their lives over the years, it has been a privilege and pleasure to be part of your little ones learning journey.

For and on behalf of Layham Playgroup CIO Trustees and staff.

The Hadleigh Society

Nick Shimwell and Jack Cresswell will outline how the nature reserve, Sudbury Common Lands – which have never been ploughed – are managed sympathetically to the environment. Rushes and sedges grow in the pastures along with a variety of wild flowers while numerous species of native grasses support grazing cattle. In addition, ditches and ponds provide habitat for a range of wildlife and insects. The challenge is to retain the ancient farming traditions in the face of changing agricultural practices and increasing human pressures.

Tuesday 6 December 2022 Hadleigh Guildroom (churchyard entrance) 8.00 pm. Visitors £3, members free

Hadleigh Community Gardens Working Together

Firstly, a big thank you to Christine Sturman, who designed the Market Place Long Border in 2018 and planted it in the spring of 2019 with a group of volunteers. In autumn 2019 hundreds of bulbs were added and Christine has maintained the border with helpers ever since. Sadly, Christine has decided to retire due to ongoing health problems.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED YOU! Volunteers are needed to work alongside the Community Gardeners to eventually take over a section of the gardens, either at the Market Place and/or Magdalen Road by the car park. If you can help just 2-3 hours a month or whatever you can manage, to ensure they are kept tidy and the colourful displays of flowers continue; enjoyed by everyone, including the birds and the bees.

HEAT (Hadleigh Environmental Action Team) have teamed up with the Community Gardeners to help care for the gardens, however there is no obligation to join HEAT although we would be delighted to have new members. If you would like to find out more, or join in at a trial session, please contact Angie on: 07946 744457 or wild123@talktalk.net.

Please write to: Kelvin Avis 68 High Street, Hadleigh, Ipswich IP7 5EF or email: kelvin@keithavis.co.uk

Dear Sir,

May I take this opportunity to congratulate Mark Brennan on his recent appointment as Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Suffolk. This highly prestigious position has been awarded to Mark in recognition of his outstanding contribution over many years in elevating the profile of The Royal British Legion charity and remembrance of the fallen both here and across the county. This summer he planned and executed the immensely successful Suffolk-wide “Festival of Suffolk 2022” Torch Relay, a 2-week long 550-mile tour carrying the Queen’s Jubilee torch linking towns and villages, whilst recognizing their many local heroes. Mark is a true community leader and a man of the utmost rectitude who is inexhaustible in his labours supporting the afflicted in communities, especially war veterans both young and old. He has particularly devoted himself to the history of veterans of past wars, bringing their stories to life after painstaking research, and achieving official recognition of their service which some of them had previously lacked. His work has created among the many schoolchildren he has talked to, a genuine and lasting interest in the sacrifice of their forebears.

Mark Brennan is one of those highly motivated individuals who significantly contributes to making our town such a wonderful place to live, work, and grow up in and without him, Hadleigh would be a much poorer place.

Yours sincerely, Mick Fraser Councillor for Hadleigh Division, Suffolk County Council

Dear Sir,

As a regular dog walker along the path beside the B1070 between Hadleigh and Layham, I would like to draw attention to the dangerous and unacceptable condition of the footpath. It is dangerously overgrown for most of its length and in parts is no more than a foot wide, which means that pedestrians, runners and mothers with pushchairs and young children have to take to the carriageway with fast moving traffic on their elbows. With a little bit of clearing the existing tarmac could be exposed making the path safer to use. I know money is tight but perhaps Hadleigh and Layham councils could arrange to form a volunteer group like the wonderful Litter Pickers of Hadleigh, to tackle this if staffing is a problem. I did attempt to clear a section with spade, broom and shears during the summer but at 84 the full length would be a bit too much. Surely the Council has a commitment to keep footways clear and safe for use by the public.

Yours sincerely, Ken Nichols

Dear Sir,

On Friday 4th November, I lost my mobile telephone in Hadleigh and I thought I had lost very important and irreplacable memories. Following an update I placed on Facebook on the Hadleigh Noticeboard, I was contacted by the Girl Guide leader, Gloria Powell, to say that one of her guides had found a mobile phone and handed it in to her. I have now been reunited with my mobile phone and was very pleased to be able to attend the Girl Guide Group at Hadleigh Community Primary School this week and convey my sincere thanks to the very thoughtful young lady who found it. Thanks also to the kind caretaker at the primary school for attending the school at the weekend to collect my phone for me. I am so very grateful.

Rebecca Preedy

Dear Sir,

I’ve just returned from Ipswich on my favourite mode of transport, a Beestons bus. I have got to say I was reminded yet again of the brilliant service that the company provides us with. The buses are spotlessly clean, the upholstery in good nick (however old the vehicle) and the windows very rarely unclear. The buses are never more than a few minutes late, usually on time and more often than not, doing what the timetable says. I have been a motorist for over 50 years and love watching like a hawk from the front of the upstairs deck. Well, got to finish by applauding the drivers. Always polite on boarding. Also when driving, to me, they are polite, patient and generous towards other road users (negotiating Angel St, as a good example). So, HAPPY XMAS to the staff at Beestons, especially those connected with the Number 91 Route. Looking forward to riding with you in the New Year Yours gratefully, John Brown

Come and meet us

We are a family of ordinary people who love God and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Please feel free to contact us on the Church office number 01473 829602 if you need us to pray for you or help in any way.

Sunday Services

There are currently three ways to join us on Sundays at 10:30am

In Person

We are now meeting in person on Sundays. We have areas designated for those who wish to social distance. Mask wearing is optional at present.

Via Zoom

You can join the live service via Zoom – please email admin@hadleighbaptist.org.uk to receive the Zoom Meeting details.

Via YouTube

Visit our YouTube Channel to watch live at 10.30am or whenever is convenient to you.

Any questions or help needed please contact: Church Office Tel: 01473 829602

Email: pastorchristodd@hadleighbaptist.org.uk www.hadleighbaptist.org.uk

Twitter: @HadleighBaptist Facebook: HadleighBaptistChurch YouTube: Hadleigh Baptist Church

Hadleigh Town Council

FULL COUNCIL MEETING

Thursday 18th August 2022 at 7pm held in The Grand Hall, Hadleigh Town Hall, Market Place, Hadleigh Minutes

Present Councillors Beggerow, Gower, Knock, Loftus, McLeod (Chair), Monks, Pryor, Roberts, Schleip, Shearly-Sanders, Talbot and Wiltshire.

In Attendance Town Clerk and 2 members of public (and 5 people via Zoom) Welcome The Chair welcomed everyone and advised that The Council, members of the public and press may record/film or broadcast the meeting, when the press and public are not lawfully excluded. Any member of the public who attends the meeting is advised that the Town Council cannot control 3rd party recording. The Town Council will record the meeting.

Apologies Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Wilson. Approval of absence Proposed by Councillor McLeod, seconded by Councillor Beggerow the absence of Councillor Wilson was approved. Vote = 8 For, 1 Against, 1 Abstain.

Councillor Knock raised a point of order that Councillors are not able to speak in the Declarations of Interest section unless to declare an interest.

The Chair refused the point of order as Councillor Beggerow had requested in advance to read out a statement, has provided the statement and this was regarding a declaration of interest.

Declarations of Interest Councillor Beggerow read out a statement regarding other and non-registrable interests regarding his involvement with Hadleigh United Football Club.

Councillor Schleip declared an other registrable interest in agenda item 22 Hadleigh Grand Feoffment Charity as she is a Trustee.

Councillor Shearly-Sanders declared an other registrable interest in agenda item 22 Hadleigh Grand Feoffment Charity as he is a Trustee

Councillor McLeod declared an other registrable interest in agenda item 22 Hadleigh Grand Feoffment Charity as he is a Trustee

Dispensations There was no consideration of dispensations.

Minutes from meeting 4th August 2022 Proposed by Councillor McLeod, seconded by Councillor Gower a motion was proposed ‘To agree the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 4th August 2022’. After a vote the above motion was agreed. Vote = 10 For, 0 Against, 1 Abstain. Proposed by Councillor Gower, seconded by Councillor Schleip the above motion was agreed. Vote = 10 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain.

Reports Reports from from Suffolk County Council & Babergh District Council Ward Councillors were noted.

Councillor Fraser was asked questions about the lorry route and how this information is conveyed to hauliers. Councillor Fraser will find out and feedback.

Suggestions were made on how to improve the signage within the town and on the A12 to try and prevent lorries using roads they shouldn’t.

Councillor Dawson mentioned that she had received complaints about the Corks Lane development and the removal of trees, the trees were always going to be removed as this was part of the plans for the site.

Councillors Dawson was asked about Persimmon development and whether they have said when the next phase will start and whether all the S106 has now been signed off. Councillor Dawson does not believe it has been signed off yet but will find out.

Councillor Talbot arrived at 7.31pm Public Forum No one wished to speak in the public forum.

Councillor Talbot left the room at 7.38pm

Finance(Payment Schedules) Proposed by Councillor Beggerow, seconded by Councillor Schleip it was agreed to approve the attached schedule of payments over £500 whilst noting that the RFO will approve any payments under £500 in accordance with Financial Regulations. Vote = 11 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain

Bus Shelters Proposed by Councillor Loftus, seconded by Councillor Pryor it was agreed to spend £3071.46 + VAT on replacing old and discoloured Perspex in all 5 bus shelters. This was a budgeted expense in the approved 2022/3 budget. Vote = 11 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain.

Councillor Talbot returned to the room at 7.43pm.

The People’s Project Vote Proposed by Councillor Loftus, seconded by Councillor Beggerow the final voting outcome for The People’s Project was received. A recorded vote was requested 9 For (Councillors Beggerow, Gower, Loftus, McLeod, Monks, Pryor, Schleip, Shearly-Sanders and Talbot), 3 Against (Councillors Knock, Roberts and Wiltshire), 0 Abstain

The People’s Project Winning Project Proposed by Councillor Monks, seconded by Councillor Wiltshire a motion was proposed ‘To agree we have joint winners and we will work out how we decide a winner’ After a vote this motion was not agreed. Vote 4 For, 6 Against, 2 Abstain.

Proposed by Councillor Gower, seconded by Councillor Knock a motion was proposed ‘To agree to delegate spend up to £5,000 as per the budget, for the Projects & Finance Officer to proceed with completing the project of both winning ideas’

After a vote the above was agreed. Vote = 11 For, 1 Against, 0 Abstain Proposed by Councillor Gower, seconded by Councillor Schleip the above

motion was agreed. Vote = 9 For, 1 Against, 2 Abstain Meeting suspended at 8.12pm. Meeting reconvened at 8.20pm.

Layham Road Sports Ground – Football Foundation Contract Proposed by Councillor Roberts, seconded by Councillor Wiltshire it was agreed to request that a clause be added to the contract with the Football Foundation with HTC that stipulates that the pitch solution will not involve rubber crumb under any circumstances. The council agrees not to proceed with the contract until the Football Foundation responds to this request. After a vote the above motion was not agreed. A recorded vote was requested 5 For (Councillors Knock, Monks, Pryor, Roberts, Wiltshire), 5 Against (Councillors Beggerow, Loftus, McLeod, Schleip and Shearly-Sanders), 2 Abstain (Councillors Gower and Talbot). Councillor McLeod used his casting vote to vote against this motion.

Layham Road Sports Ground – Measuring Microplastic Pollution Proposed by Councillor Roberts, seconded by Councillor Knock it was agreed to ask the staff to investigate options (including estimated the costs and resources) required to commission a measurement of microplastic pollution in the River Brett, at least one location close to, and downstream from, the proposed site of the Layham Road Sportsground artificial pitch. Vote = 12 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain.

Layham Road Sports Ground – Fidra Video Call Proposed by Councillor Roberts, seconded by Councillor Knock it was agreed to ask Cllr Roberts to arrange a video call open to all Councillors with a representative of Fidra, to ask general questions about the risks from artificial pitches, especially the pollution issues of rubber crumb. This call would be outside of a council meeting and would be for information gathering only – not decisions would be made. Attendance of Councillors would not be mandatory. Vote = 12 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstain.

Layham Road Sports Ground – Business Case Proposed by Councillor Roberts, seconded by Councillor Knock it was agreed to review the business plan prior to signing the Football Foundation framework contract. This will ensure that council are fully aware of the potential for an increase in cost for a natural infill and the potential for the Football Foundation to offer a minimum grant. This will, of course, affect the business case. A recorded vote was requested 8 For (Councillors Gower, Knock, Monks, Pryor, Roberts, Schleip, Shearly-Sanders and Wiltshire). 2 Against (Councillors McLeod and Beggerow), Abstain (Loftus, and Talbot)

Net Zero Carbon Strategies Proposed by Councillor Loftus, seconded by Councillor Pryor a motion was proposed ‘To agree with the Climate Change Emergency & Environment Sub-committee recommendation to ask football, rugby and tennis clubs to commit to producing net zero carbon strategies within the next 12 months’. A recorded vote was requested 9 For (Councillors Beggerow, Gower, Loftus, McLeod, Monks, Pryor, Schleip, Shearly-Sanders and Talbot), 3 Against (Councillors Knock, Roberts and Wiltshire), 0 Abstain Proposed by Councillor Loftus, seconded by Councillor Pryor the above motion was agreed. A recorded vote was requested 9 For (Councillors Beggerow, Gower, Loftus, McLeod, Monks, Pryor, Schleip, Shearly-Sanders and Talbot), 3 Against (Councillors Knock, Roberts and Wiltshire), 0 Abstain The original motion read ‘To agree with the Climate Change Emergency & Environment Sub-committee recommendation to ask football, rugby and tennis clubs to commit to producing net zero carbon strategies within the next 12 months as a condition of proceeding with the developments at LRSG.’

Layham Road Sports Ground Project – Comments Proposed by Councillor McLeod, seconded by Councillor Gower the comments from the Projects & Finance Officer, Football Foundation, and Solicitors were received. Vote = 10 For, 2 Against, 0 Abstain

Layham Road Sports Ground Project – Football Foundation Project This item was not discussed as HTC22.282 overrides it.

Councillor Talbot left the room at 9.29pm

Layham Road Sports Ground Project - Pavilion Proposed by Councillor Roberts, seconded by Councillor McLeod a motion was proposed ‘To agree to split the elements of the project’. After a vote the above motion was not agreed. Vote = 3 For, 6 Against, 2 Abstain. Proposed by Councillor Beggerow, seconded by Councillor Schleip it was agreed to defer this agenda item. Vote = 9 For, 1 Against, 1 Abstain.

NALC Civility and Respect Pledge Proposed by Councillor Mcleod, seconded by Councillor Gower it was agreed to sign up to NALC’s Civility and Respect Pledge. Vote = 7 For, 4 Against, 0 Abstain Future Meetings The next scheduled meeting will be on Thursday 1st September 2022 at 7.00pm.

Close of Meeting The meeting closed at 10pm Wendy Brame, Town Clerk

Your Cultural Appreciation Need Refocussing? The

We

Arts Society Stour Valley might be for you

Note:

Wednesday 14 December - Christmas at Covent Garden

300 Years Of Christmas Shows

Most of what we now consider to be quintessential pantomime can be traced back to the operas and ballets put on at Covent Garden during its first 200 years. Panto has moved to the Palladium but you can still see its components every Christmas in the operas and ballets at the Royal Opera House. The original magic shown evolving through the ages.

CCLL The Helping Hand for Ukraine

You may notice a new look to the Charity as we focus our efforts on helping the people in Ukraine.

Previously our prime directive has been to bring the children to the UK for health respite relief from both Belarus & Ukraine, the events of recent years have prevented this and whilst we continue to strive to work with the Government to allow this programme to restart we are also focusing on taking the help to the people, where it is needed most. This year our Christmas project for the children will take a different format. We cannot visit the families in Ukraine to deliver the programme. But, there is no way we want to let the children down. Not only do they deserve to receive the Christmas Presents but they desperately need a break from the mental stress of what has surrounded them since February.

We are going to be bringing approx. 100 children from Ukraine by Coach to join us in Poland close to the border with Ukraine. The children will stay with us for 4 days and experience a variety of activities to include: Christmas Parties, BBQ’s in the forest, Cinema, Pizza Making experience and craft workshops. Children and accompanying mothers will receive gifts sent from Mid Suffolk. We have negotiated the hire of a facility which is normally used for weddings and other celebrations as, whilst more expensive, is the only facility that could accommodate our numbers. All other possible venues are occupied by refugee families. We will then bring a further group of children who are currently refugee’d within Poland and will be from the younger age group who would have been too young to travel without their parents from Ukraine. Their parents will accompany them on “day visits” to our activities. We will also visit refugee’d families in residential centres to deliver presents for children and household essentials for the family.

We leave on 4th December and on my return will update with news and photographs of the visit.

Thank you to all those who continue to support us.

Elizabeth Parker, Chair, 07771 550868

CCLL – The Helping Hand for Ukraine

Hadleigh Evening WI

We had a very amusing talk from Linda Scoles about the problems she has had over the years buying Christmas gifts for her husband. We do not have a meeting in December so will be having a January Cheer-up when we will feast following Armchair Exercises with Jill Mason. The Lunch Bunch enjoyed a meal at Belstead Brook Hotel in November and look forward to getting together at Tito's in December.

Ten Amblers enjoyed a walk around Dyehouse Fields Woods and the centre of Lavenham last month. They meet up on the 7th December - amble to be dictated by the weather prior to the usual coffee and cake.

The Bookworms choice for over Christmas is The Salt Path followed by The Wild Silence, both books by Raynor Winn. We meet at 7.30pm in the Library Seminar Room on the third Tuesday.

Glenn Abbassi Secretary 07870 312409, Sheila Webb President 01473 827554

Hadleigh Elderly Peoples Welfare Committee Christmas Voucher Scheme

The Committee is pleased to announce that, to help with the very high cost of living being experienced at the moment, the value of the voucher this year will be increased to £14.00 per person. To do this the Committee will dig deep into its reserves to supplement the amount raised by the Christmas Appeal. The increase is likely to be for this year only and the value will revert to a lower figure next year. It is hoped that this will bring a little more Christmas cheer to the recipients than expected.

The Committee would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas, as is possible in the present circumstances, and a better New Year.

Grace Green

(Formerly of Hadleigh)

With great sadness, Nigel, Lucy and Teresa announce the death of a devoted and treasured auntie, great auntie and dear friend. Grace died peacefully in Lincolnshire on 9th October 2022, aged 97.

“A long life, well lived. Graceful and kind to the end.”

Above the Parapet

Cllr Mick Fraser - Suffolk County Council Babergh District Council – Hadleigh South

Benton Street Traffic Management Safety Scheme

On 25th October, Suffolk County Council’s Highways had scheduled the installation for long awaited traffic management safety scheme on Benton Street. Shortly after I was first elected as your county councillor, I was approached by many Benton Street residents who told me of the almost daily hazards they faced from traffic whilst they walked along the pavements. Many had been struck by mirrors or experienced near-misses that would have caused them significant harm. I received many other communications from other footway users of both Hadleigh and elsewhere, who also said much of the same.

In order to obtain empirical evidence, I commissioned a data capture survey which showed that that in some places over 100 vehicle incursions onto the footways every day. Because of these communications and the evidence provided me, I requested that Suffolk Highways do something to improve this hazardous situation. For so many years now there has been much discussion of what should be done to improve traffic flow on Benton Street, but with no action. Now, we are going to try something out, to see if it works, and I have agreed to fund this from Hadleigh’s Local Highways Budget.

The purpose of this design is to improve forward vision for motorists, giving more time to anticipate and avoid head-on conflicts with other vehicles with the intent of fewer incursions onto the footways. This installation will be monitored over a 12-18-month period and its success at improving safety assessed. It can be adjusted and modified as necessary whilst being monitored to see whether any improvements are required. I am glad that SCC listened to residents’ concerns over increased speeds and will install a calming traffic island build-out to alleviate this hazard.

Castle Road

This road was in the poorest condition of all U-class roads in Hadleigh and had been planned for resurfacing during 2024/25. This road was continuously crumbling away, causing scores of potholes within a 120m distance every year and had ended up as a mosaic of numerous patch repairs. However, we have now managed to have these works done, 3-years ahead of schedule. It this is another fine example of how perseverance and pestering the council with an issue, can lead to achieving the desired outcome in the end!

SCC fails SEND Children

SCC last month apologised for letting down families of SEND pupils, after an independent review by Lincolnshire County Council exposed failings in communication and education health and care plans (EHCP) among other service areas. This review was commissioned by Suffolk after a significant increase in correspondents from concerned parents and carers earlier this year. SCC recognizes that they have let down some children and young people as certain aspects of their services have simply not been good enough. They have now started to make improvements to the way they do things whilst wide-scale improvement will take time.

SCC has already made significant longer-term improvements within SEND and have agreed a £45.1m capital programme to create an additional 870

specialist education places over a 5-year period to 2024. They have also improved the time in which it takes us to issue Education Health and Care Plans from 18% in 2016 to 95% in 2021. £1million has also been invested into speech and language therapies by Ipswich & East Suffolk and West Suffolk CCGs.

At the moment, more than 6,000 children in Suffolk currently have a health and care plan to identify what support they need to help with their special educational needs. The number has nearly doubled from 3,000 in 2014. A further 12,000 pupils have special educational needs and do not require a health and care plan. Currently, there are 2,000 places at either special schools or specialist units for those with more complex needs.

COVID-19

Managing COVID-19 outbreaks is putting considerable pressure on our schools and breaking the chain of transmission within our education settings is becoming increasingly challenging. The case numbers in Suffolk schools at the start of October had resulted in 1/3rd of pupils in some secondary schools missing education through infection. The infection rate in Suffolk rose above the national average and is one of the highest in the East of England. Most new cases in Suffolk during the beginning of October were in the 0 –19-year age group. Case rates in the 10 – 14-year age group were of particular concern, with a rate that put Suffolk in the top 20% of upper tier local authorities nationally. Therefore, the decision was made to implement an additional control measure for education settings when managing a COVID19 outbreak, which was implemented from 6th October 2021.

Suffolk secures £150,000 for new trees

Broom Hill in Hadleigh is among woodland benefitting from £150k funding secured from the Forestry Commission. The Local Authority Treescapes Fund targets treescapes that have been neglected or affected by tree diseases such as ash dieback. This joint bid by a number of Suffolk’s authorities including SCC and Babergh will fund the planting of around 3,000 trees this coming planting season across the county. Last year, the county council committed £228k to planting trees and hedgerows, with 100,000 planted already and the same amount to be planted this coming season.

Should you need to speak to me concerning an issue that affects you, then please contact me at - email: mick.fraser@suffolk.gov.uk or mick.fraser@babergh.gov.uk; Tel: 0793 551 2591; or Facebook: @mickfraser4hadleigh, Twitter:@mick_fraser. Highways faults can be reported at: https://highwaysreporting.suffolk.gov.uk/ or by telephone: 0345 606 6171

Orchard Barn shingle roof and other green training news

We’re making good progress on the shingle roof project. Volunteers are getting fitter and more skilled, learning how to use traditional greenwood working tools (such as a froe) to cleave Sweet Chestnut logs and convert them into roof tiles.

In the last year, OBee Community Interest Company (the social enterprise that runs Orchard Barn) has successfully obtained funding to train regular volunteers in timber framing and natural building. Our annual report shines a light on our progress. We keep a daily record of the number of days volunteers work with us and the type of activity they undertake. There are three categories of activities - unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled. In the last year the number of semi-skilled days has more than doubled (from 331.5 in 20-21 to 739 in 21-22). Thank you to our volunteers for your time, and funders for enabling this to happen.

In the last month our Environmental Education work at Orchard Barn has been recognised by our local council when we were chosen as finalists in MSDC/Babergh’s Innovation Awards for the category of Sustainable Building. Our innovative approach is that we are actively supporting local volunteers and trainees to increase their green credentials by working with locally sourced building materials, by using human energy instead of fossil fuels! At the award ceremony the winners were a local company called Natural Building Solutions - whom we congratulate for their work in reducing the carbon footprint of building!

Going forward we are looking for more volunteers to get involved in the shingle roof project this winter, and in the spring, the hybrid daub insulation project. Both projects offer friendship, fun and builds fitness in a natural outdoor environment. AND free training is provided to volunteers who can commit to one day a week volunteering on the project (we are 4 miles south of Stowmarket). Interested?

Please email carole.orchardbarn@gmail.com to find out more

Hadleigh Healing Society

This year has seen so many events, the Queen's passing, the war in Ukraine and the uncertainty in the financial markets. All these things have had an impact on us all.

Everyone is wondering how they are going to manage through the winter with the high cost of heating bills and ever rising food bills. This year perhaps Christmas will have to be more low key than other years. Let us remember what Christmas really means, spending time with our families, loved ones and counting our blessings. Spare a thought for those who will spending Christmas alone, pop in to see them for a chat and show them that somebody cares.

We, the healers do care, will listen, chat and support those who feel no-one cares about them Just telephone 01473 823282 (answer machine) or log onto www.hadleighhealingsociety.org to talk to us.

We wish everyone a Happy, Peaceful, Joyful Christmas and New Year. Thank you for all your support in our work to help others.

Sudbury & District Citizens Advice

Last year I fell for a scam when I was doing my Christmas shopping. The scam was clever. I thought I was getting a good deal but didn't realise I was being scammed until it was too late. How can I avoid the same thing happening again this year?

Scammers’ tactics become more sophisticated every year, making scams tricky to recognise, but there are things you can look out for.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. For example, tickets to an event that are much cheaper than they’re being sold elsewhere, or a holiday that’s a lot less than you’d expect to pay. Be wary of people contacting you out of the blue on social media sites or via text and email offering an item for sale or deal on something.

Do your research. If you’re buying from a website you haven’t used before, spend a few minutes researching it. A good place to start is finding a website’s terms and conditions. You should also look up the company’s address, this can normally be found in the website’s ‘contact us’ section and should have a street name, not just a post office box. If it’s a registered UK company, you can check its details on the Companies House website.

Check to see what people have said about the company. It’s worth looking at different review websites to see other people’s feedback – don’t rely on reviews the company has put on its own website.

Scammers will often ask you to pay in an unusual way, or very quickly. For example, you’re asked to send money through a transfer service like MoneyGram or Western Union or pay via vouchers. Remember never give away your personal information like a password or PIN and never click on or download anything you don't trust.

To find out about scams across the country, you can sign up to the Trading Standards email alert on their website. If you've been scammed, there are organisations you should report the scam to. If you’ve transferred money in the last 24 hours, speak to your bank and the police. You should also contact the police if the scammer is in your area, or you feel unsafe. You can also report the scam to Citizens Advice and Action Fraud, telephone 0300 123 2040. Don't feel embarrassed about reporting a scam – scammers are clever, and it can happen to anyone. Reporting a scam helps track down and stop scammers, helping to prevent it from happening to others too.

For information and advice on this or anything else, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk or call Sudbury and District Citizens Advice on 01787 321400 and leave a message and someone will call you back when available.

Alternatively, contact us via email at advice@sudburycab.org.uk or visit www.sudburycab.org.uk/contact

Sudbury & District

Our Christmas Market returns to Trinity Park, Ipswich!

Soak up the sights, smells and sounds of Christmas at our Christmas Market on Saturday 3rd December at Trinity Park, Ipswich!

Helen Rollason Cancer Charity Community fundraiser, Gemma said “We are looking forward to this fair so much we have some amazing stalls, food and music, and the atmosphere will be full of excitement as we look forward to Christmas.”

Showcasing small businesses from across the region, we have an exciting variety of high-quality, unique gifts, decorations, crafts, and festive foods to get you in the festive spirit at Trinity Park. The venue lends itself to a large wellventilated undercover barn space to protect buyers and sellers from the potential Winter elements, it also provides a lovely Christmassy atmosphere. Tickets are priced at £6 adults, £5 concessions, under 16’s £1! Pre book today for £1 off each ticket! Every ticket brought will enable the charity to continue supporting those living with cancer within your local community. For each item brought at these events you will also be supporting local businesses, enjoy this amazing unique shopping experience whilst gaining that feel good factor. A double win! We receive no government funding; without our fundraising events we could not continue our care. We cannot do it without you.

https://www.helenrollason.org.uk/event/christmas-market/

Remembering your Faithful Friend this Christmas

Christmas may be a time to remember family and friends - but Dogs Trust Snetterton is also asking local dog owners to remember their fourlegged friends this festive time, with a Canine Care Card.

The Canine Care Card is a free service, which helps to ensure your dog’s future, in the event of you either passing away, receiving a life-changing diagnosis or moving into a care home. This can often be a great concern to some people, who perhaps do not have a family member or friend in a position to look after their dog, should the worst happen. Therefore, by signing up to the service, Dogs Trust can offer peace of mind, reassuring you that your faithful friend will be well cared for by the charity.

It is easy to sign up to the service, which simply asks for some information on your dog, including their likes and dislikes, as well as your dog’s medical history and your vet details. It also asks for you to confirm who you would like as your Dog Guardian. This should be someone you trust, like a friend, family member, solicitor, neighbour or vet, who can sign over ownership of your dog to Dogs Trust on your behalf, should you become seriously ill or pass away. You can register online by going to www.dogstrust.org.uk and searching for ‘Canine Care Card’ - or if you do not have access to the internet, you can request a paper version of the application form. Once the form is submitted, Dogs Trust will then write to you, to confirm when your application has been processed.

Once signed up, should your card ever need to be activated, Dogs Trust will then arrange with your Dog Guardian for your dog to come into the rehoming centre or into foster care. With a team of vets, trainers and behaviourists on hand if needed, your dog will then be welcomed, loved and well cared for by the charity, who will work tirelessly to find a loving new home for your muchloved canine companion.

If you would like further information about the Canine Care Card, or to request a paper application form, please contact Dogs Trust Snetterton’s Supporter Relations Officer, Paige Pope, at paige.pope@dogstrust.org.uk or phone 01953 497912.

BERGHOLT BRIDGE CLUB

Monks Eleigh Whist Drive

Wednesday 14th December 7.30 pm at the Village Hall Meeting Room

Do you enjoy cards, if so come and play a game of whist? We play 18 hands with a break for refreshments, £3.00 to play.

We hold a bring a prize, win a prize raffle. Contact Angela on 01449 740414 for more details.

Wed 7th December 2022 8pm Price £22

Derek Nash’s Acoustic Quartet

Wed 14th December 2022 8pm Price £18

Glen Manby’s Homecoming

Tues 27th December 2022 8pm Price £25

Alan Barnes’ Octet plays Copperfield: A Dickensian Suite

Hadleigh Community Forum

Tuesday 8 November 2022

1Welcome: The Chair welcomed everyone

2 Report Of The Last Meeting: Accepted

3 Matters Arising: None

4 Speaker: Suffolk’s Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC), Tim Passmore, and his assistant Sandra Graffham, Communications Manager, were warmly welcomed to the meeting and thanked for fitting us into a demanding schedule. Tim has been our directly elected PCC for 10 years, having been returned twice, and the next election is in 2024. The PCC is the link between the public and the police. The PCC sets and, in discussion with the Chief Constable, allocates the policing budget. Suffolk’s overall policing budget for 2022/2023 is £161.3m. In 2012, when Tim came ino office, there was no budget for victims of crime but now work can be commissioned and there is £1m from the Ministry of Justice for victims. There is a Crime Disorder & Reduction grant of £650k per annum and a lot of this is allocated to youth work and projects. The Strategic Police & Crime Plan is the most important document in the constabulary. Good policing and low crime rates help economic growth so the PCC holds all police to account for all operational matters. The PCC appoints the Chief Constable (CC) and Rachel Kearton has been proposed, following a rigorous selection process and is awaiting ratification by the Police & Crime Panel on 2 December. Rachel was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in 2019 and has been temporary CC since September 2022. We have one of the best forces in the country with a high work and detection rate achieved by lower police numbers than many other areas. Tim explained how the pattern of crime has, and is continuing, to change meaning analysis, data processing and detection is also having to change. The cost of analysing and storing data is huge. We will have an uplift of 179 officers, giving us c.1,400 by the end of 2023. Officers are trained to degree level. Sharing some back office functions in collaboration with Norfolk has meant some costs have been able to be kept down. Roads policing is a priority. Drugs, particularly County Lines, has a zero tolerance policy. Acquisitive crime (burglary etc which receives a 99% police visit) is not tolerated so as to avoid future escalation. A lot of work has been conducted around domestic abuse – particularly since lockdown, when figures rose by 20% (and not all cases were reported). Fraud is more prevalent. All public agencies need to work more closely together.

Points raised by residents: Extreme driving by motorbikes and cars at all times, but especially in the evenings - massively and annoyingly noisy, dangerous and not just driven by the young. Cars/Bikes on roads are a matter for Suffolk County Council but the current three vans for safety cameras will soon be raised to five. Suffolk County Council have ten portable ANPR devices which can be moved around.

Antisocial Behaviour: a matter for local authorities. BDC and HTC offer sport solutions and other activities in school holidays when ASB incidents tends to

rise. HTC run a Youth Strategy Group, working with many local organisations. Any issues should be fed through to Wendy Brame, Town Clerk. Very little police presence walking the streets: an additional 35 officers have been recruited over the past few years as visible uniformed officers are a deterrent. Tim will revert to Kathryn Grandon as to whether we can have more of a uniformed presence on the streets in the evenings. Sentinel Teams are highly trained in pursuit, firearms, tech and working with dogs and other policing methods. They seek out the hardest criminals. Kestrel Teams are the neighbourhood teams dealing with lower levels of crime. CCTV around HPL has proved successful in detecting various crimes and will remain in situ for another three months at least. This is funded by HTC and monitored at West Suffolk.

Communication between Babergh and the PCC needs to improve – Tim will take this back as it is a large part of working together. Community funding and grants from some Babergh and Mid Suffolk CIL monies could be available. Newly appointed Community Engagement Officer, Katie Jarrett, is first port of call but Wendy at HTC happy to be a conduit (Katie’s email: ceoipwwesthadleigh@suffolk.police.uk). Tim was thanked through the Chair for such a comprehensive presentation on the role and responsibilities of our Suffolk PCC. It was important that residents’ voices be heard right at the top of the chain and the chair reiterated that ASB issues are of serious concern to a lot of people and the lack of facilities (other than sport) need a multiagency approach to start to rectify the problems. Tim promised to revert on this.

5 Standard Updates

5.1

Hadleigh Town

Cost of Living leaflet with information on Hadleigh’s Warm Spaces was delivered to all households with our Community News Magazine. As new information comes in, it will be updated and posted on noticeboards, via social media and printed in the Community News.

Town Christmas Event: Sat 3 December. Craft Fair at the Guildhall 10am –4pm and Christmas Market on High Street from 3pm – 8pm, (with road closure from Kings Head to Duke Street and the Market Place from 12noon – 10pm). Stalls, entertainments, Christmas Lights Switch-On and it is hoped many shops will remain open. To book a stall for either event, contact Marta on assistant@hadleightowncouncil.gov.uk . Local groups etc wishing to fundraise at the Christmas Market can have a free stall, but still need to book.

Grants/Donations: currently £12,670 available. Details & forms on website. People’s Project: Now only one project going ahead in 2023 - What’s About, Hadleigh? Sat 27 May 2023. Local groups & organisations wishing to take part, contact projects@hadleightowncouncil.gov.uk

5.2 Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Council Christmas activities in Hadleigh include Football Fun Factory and Swimming.

Winter Warmth Fund: Now fully allocated to grassroot organisations who consistently provide a warm space over winter. Hadleigh made some successful applications.

Parking Strategy: Recommendations from the key consultation events have been completed and are now online. There will be a speaker on this subject at the HCF meeting on 10 January 2023. Do come along and ask questions.

The Royal British Legion

All are welcome in our family friendly Club We would like to wish all our members a very happy Christmas and New Year.

We would also like to thank all those who have supported Armed Forces Day and Remembrance Sunday. We, the Club, continue to support and recognise the excellent work the Local Royal British Legion Branch do to support our military veterans. Lest we forget.

Entertainment and Events for December

Friday 2nd – Karaoke from 19:30 with the King of Sing

Saturday 3rd – Kids crafting and Santa’s Grotto – time to be confirmed

Saturday 3rd – Sunday 18th – Live WORLD CUP football on our 102” Screen Here’s hoping England and Wales get through the Group stage!!!

Saturday 10th – LIVE MUSIC with Hurricane Alley on stage from 20:30

Friday 23rd - Karaoke from 19:30 with the King of Sing

Saturday 24th – Festive Family Disco with DJ Wookiee from 19:30

Monday 26th – Sax player – Mark Wilson – great Ska music from 11:30am

Saturday 31st - New Years Eve DISCO with Chubby Rhino and Flumpy – 19:30

The CHRISTMAS RAFFLE is being drawn on 18th December before the World Cup final - Raffle tickets available from the bar!!

BINGO every Thursday from 19:00 – CASH PRIZES!

Snooker - Pool - Darts - Sky Sports - Disco - Bingo - Karaoke

Hall Hire upon request (free for members £70 non-members)

Email: rblchadleigh@gmail.com or call 01473 824874

Facebook: Hadleigh Royal British Legion

5.3 Visit Hadleigh Jane was part of the well-attended Visitor Economy Conference 2022 at The Hold, Ipswich in November. Themes were skills, sustainability, collaborative working and place making. This included a new regional brand under the umbrella of Visit East of England. There is a development plan booklet called “What’s Next?”. Hadleigh in Bloom is still looking for volunteers. Contact Stuart Service stuart@wooltowncottages.co.uk 07982 911452.

5.4 Hadleigh & Boxford Patient Participation Group Please note that face masks are required when visiting the Practice. The surgery completed 3700 Covid boosters and 3,000 ‘flu jabs in October. Thanks to both Practice personnel and volunteers who manned their stations inside and outside the Health Centre throughout the many vac clinics. Any outstanding jabs will be administered during surgery hours by appointment only. The new Pharmacy inside the Practice is now dispensing medicine to those patients who live outside the Hadleigh area. All other patients continue to be served by Mill Pharmacy or Boots. We are fortunate to have a phlebotomist at the Practice. Their function is to draw and prepare blood for medical testing, transfusions or donation. Phlebotomists are trained to collect blood via venipuncture, finger pricks, or in the case of infants, heel pricks. Patients first need to be referred to the phlebotomist by their doctor then they can book their own appointment online. The money held by Hadleigh and Boxford Charitable Trust is there to assist in the “protection and preservation of health and relief of sickness”. If you are struggling with health issues and there is something that will improve your day to day living, or make life easier for you, please do not hesitate to request help from the Trust. All applications for assistance will be given serious consideration but must be health related. Please contact The Practice Manager at tracey.squirrell@nhs.net.

5.5 St Marys Church The Pop Up Pasta event was another resounding success. Many thanks came from those attending – with more that a few saying that without this event, they would not have been able to eat that day. Grateful thanks to all the volunteers who made it all possible. English classes for Ukranians continue with a consistent 40+ attending – grateful thanks to all

the volunteer teachers and those offering refreshments. Help is also in place for dealing with expiring visas and job opportunities. Robert Tilbury has very kindly offered an hour a week, free, to English speaking Ukranians who wish to become more confident driving in the UK. He is NOT offering driving lessons. He has many driving accreditations including a Master of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, a Masters Mentor, a National Observer and has a RoSPA Gold award. Contact him on Robert.tilbury@hotmail.co.uk or 07850 229 220.

Renewal of St Mary’s: a very positive meeting took place on 8 November with the DAC secretary and some members of the renewal group on how best to take this project forward. Maintenance is ongoing with inspections and servicing of the old gas heaters and the roof alarm and high level gutter clearance. We also took advantage of the cherry picker to remove years of cobwebs from their great heights inside the Nave. Got some great pictures of the church interior from high up, too! The ivy festooning the exterior of the Deanery was also removed.

5.6 HEAT (Hadleigh Environmental Action Team) The following was agreed with HEAT members for 2022/2023: River Project - monitoring and partnership work continues; Forest school - about to start its 3rd session of 6 weeks thanks to support from Anne Beaumont Educational Foundation and Father Jo; Personal Hygiene Products campaign - Volunteers continue working with Babergh on the Railway Walk and at Dairy Farm, Semer; New wildlife corridor: we are working with Babergh to develop a new wildlife corridor in the town. Benton End: continue to develop partnership with Benton End; Cost of living and energy crises: HTC has allocated a £3k emergency fund for simple heating & insulation materials and HEAT is helping HTC to promote and distribute; Campaigning locally and nationally. Talk on 1 December 7.30pm at Hadleigh Library. Our speaker is Dr Kat Kramer on ‘COP’: what is it and what does it mean for us?’ Kat has worked on international climate policy for over 15 years and has been to many COP conferences. We are fortunate to have Kat living in Hadleigh and a member of HEAT.

5.7 Cost Of Living Concerns ACL (Abbeycroft Leisure, who run Hadleigh Pool) is working on the marketing of its warm space. From 6am – 10pm with free tea/coffee, newspapers etc. Social space for meeting. They will facilitate weekend sessions with vouchers for free hot showers and swimming. This will be open to everyone. Information on other venues opening in December (The URC and the Ansell Centre) and January(the Baptist Church) available by telephoning ACL (01284 757 473) or HTC (01473 823 884). The websites will be updated but this is aimed primarily at those who do not have access to the internet and published in the Community News.

6 A O B

Angel Court: Kathryn has contacted the contractors re the three missing/broken edging stones and will follow this up as there was some confusion at they were talking about a “low wall” which it is not.

Mens’ Sheds: 26 men attended the open meeting and a small working group has been set up to take this forward. A suitable venue is needed – must be large enough to facilitate working space for building/making items as well as a social area. The first project is likely to be a small scale build challenge of bird/bat boxes. Any tools that could be donated would be gratefully received. Next meeting is 22 November at the URC.

Dentaid: With massive thanks to Angela Wiltshire for masterminding this event, 40 patients (including children) were successfully treated. Sponsorship was received from businesses and private donations, Kathryn Grandon (BDC), Mick Fraser (SCC), the Jet Lounge, Morrisons and Dynasty Chinese Restaurant. Sincere thanks to them all. Thanks, also to Anita Young for helping on the day. Funding is being sought to run a similar event in the Spring. Jess to ask if the Porch Project would come to speak to the Group at a meeting in 2023 as little is now known as to their operation in Hadleigh. Pictures/photos representing 2022 should be emailed to Janesnowdonjane@hotmail.co.uk - for her pictorial Review of the Year at the December meeting.

The meeting closed at 5.50pm

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday 13 December 2022 @ 4:15pm. Hadleigh Pool and Leisure. Chair:

Richard Fletcher

Winter Warmth Support Grant

We are very grateful to Babergh District Council for awarding us a grant which will enable us to keep the cost of our activities to current levels. This means we will not have to increase the cost of our meals at lunch clubs and Memories Cafe or the cost of entry to our digital cinema despite the current upsurge in inflation.

A Review of our Year’s Activities

Our AGM took place on 26th October and was followed by cheese and wine for all our wonderful volunteers, some of whom you can see in the picture below. Our chairman, Ruth Rowland, presented her report for the year, which included mention of our sadness at the recent death of one of our founding trustees, Joyce Willis. We also heard reports from the Memories Cafe, both lunch clubs, the digital cinema and exciting plans about a Men’s Shed in Hadleigh.

A very Happy Christmas to all our members, volunteers and friends. We look forward to welcoming you again to our Digital Cinema, our Lunch Clubs (first and third Wednesdays) and the Memories Café during 2023. We also hope that by this time next year the Men’s Shed will be open!

OUR EVENTS – ALL IN THE ANSELL CENTRE

Lunch Clubs on the first and third Wednesdays of the month - contact Barbara on 808835 for the first Wednesday Club and Fran on 823719 or Vic on 07719 496112 for the third Wednesday Club.

Memories Cafe – every Thursday 11 am – 3 pm for anyone living with dementia (accompanied by a carer) or anyone looking for fun, friendship and company. Contact Sue on 07941 497927.

Digital Cinema – recently released films on two Friday evening during the winter and one Friday evening during the summer. Brochures with details of our new programme available in the library, Ansell Centre and other venues. Also elsewhere in this publication. Contact Jan on 823413.

Contacting The Acc

Call Ruth on 823045; Call Jan on 823413

Email Jan at janetmdicks@gmail.com

Take a look at our website - www.ansellcc.org.uk

Where Is The Ansell Centre?

Next to the United Reformed Church and behind the Ram Public House in Market Place. Access through the church garden.

Happy Christmas

Best wishes, Sue and Bill

Laughter in the kitchen at Lunch Club

Enjoying food, conversation and friendship at Lunch Club

Hollywood in Hadleigh Digital Cinema

1940s themed party at the Memories Cafe

Our resident black cat was found nearly dead, came in after a week at the vet’s, broke out of a pet carrier and headed straight for the house. We get on alright really and he gives a different view of SESAW life which is still very busy. Only last week two lovely tabby cats came in when their owner sadly died. They have always been together and they are used to living with two big dogs. We also have Signe, a ten year old Eurasier spitz type of dog that was living in a car with her owner when they lost their home. She is used to having company all the time so needs a loving human companion, maybe with another dog.

At this the time of the year we express our appreciation for those who support the work of SESAW in many different ways. The list is endless but you know who you are and we send you a massive THANK YOU. That includes the shops and vets that host our food collection bins and Kelvin and his team at Community News for giving us a ‘voice’ to talk to you. As we all face the future during such a worrying time everyone at SESAW wishes you peace, good health and happiness, including me, Kenny (the Boss) Chihuahua. Suffolk & Essex Small Animal Welfare, Registered Charity No.1124029, Stoke Road, Leavenheath, CO6 4PP. Tel: 01787 210888, www.sesaw.co.uk

Table Tennis at Hadleigh Pool & Leisure

Every Wednesday and Friday we play table tennis at Hadleigh Pool & Leisure. This is a social event for all standards of players, it’s fun and it’s a great friendly group. Play is mostly doubles but some singles games, equipment is supplied by the leisure centre. We have players whose ages range from 12 to over 90 years old who come along and enjoy playing table tennis. Why not give it a try, come along and say hello and pick up a bat and play. Tea and coffee available and usually someone brings biscuits!

Times are as follows: 11:15am to 1:15pm every Wednesday and Friday –See you there!

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

This is My Theatre performance of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is being performed at St Mary's Church on the Chilton Industrial Estate near Sudbury. Its nearly Christmas and Maria receives an early gift of a beautiful wooden Nutcracker soldier. Little does Maria know that his wooden figure was once a real child and when the magic of Christmas is strongest, the Nutcracker comes to life. Can Maria help the Nutcracker to defeat the horrid Mouse King and break the curse. Join us in a journey to magical kingdoms with music, puppetry and characters that the whole family will love.

The performance will take place on Thursday 8th December at 7pm with doors open at 6.30pm. Tickets are £15 for adults and £10 for under 16s.

For more information and to book tickets: https://www.thisismytheatre.com/chilton

Ebony’s Blog Life at The Shelley Centre

This has been a very short term for us. The building works took away the first half, and the second half has raced by. We are closing on December 2nd, with only the lovely Carol Service to come on 3rd.

That is when riders and their supporters from home join the Shelley team to celebrate the birth of that amazing human, Jesus. All the live ponies will be represented, and the Shetlands usually play a part in the tableau. Babs and I can listen in with ears forward. (Well, Babs has no ears, poor thing.)

The finishing touches to the extension should take place over the holidays. Feedback from all the workers is positive, the new space works well. They are all grateful to Lyn for overseeing the plans, and to our wonderful benefactor who made this possible. The committee is deciding about naming the space after him, but I’m not telling tales right now!

We had a great Christmas Hamper raffled in November but the winner won’t be announced before my copy has to be filed! I’ll tell you in January.

There are so many good causes to be supported at this time of year that nobody can attend to them all. We at Shelley are so grateful for the help we do get, I’ll say a big thank you now on behalf of all the horses and their riders.

May this Christmas be a lovely one for you, even whilst you are struggling with war and recession induced constraints. We all send our kindest best wishes and hopes for peace, goodwill to all, and many blessings.

www.shelleyrda.com Telephone: 01473 824172

Polstead Art and Craft Exhibition 2022

The 21st Year of Polstead Art & Craft Group took place on the 22nd & 23rd October and was well supported by the local community as well as those holidaying locally. There was no entry fee, but many who attended gave voluntary donations having seen the quality of the work exhibited, and left lovely positive comments in our visitors book.

Visitors also enjoyed the endless supply of refreshments, freshly baked and made available by members, friends, and relatives for which we sold for a nominal cost to raise funds for the group.

One couple visiting from their home city of Rome, Italy recognised an Italian scene undertaken by one of the members of the group, and were keen to purchase the picture. This was very exciting for the artist who was willing to sell them the picture, and the couple went away thrilled with their purchase. We would like to thank all exhibitors, the support of their family and friends who have made this exhibition possible, along with the Community Shop, and the Village as a whole who have continually supported the club over the last twenty one years. Thank You!

Hadleigh North District Councillor

Please contact Dr. Siân Dawson

Residents can contact me for private surgery advice and to meet at any time @ the British Legion. This is to meet requests for readily available advice weekday and evenings allowing more availability and flexibility for residents’ convenience. Residents can contact me directly by telephone, email or make a personal appointment for support on Babergh matters at any time.

Email: sian.dawson@babergh.gov.uk Tel: 07931 703157

Hadleigh Cycling Club AGM and Awards

Hadleigh Cycling Club’s AGM (Friday, 6.30pm, 2nd December, The George PH) will be an opportunity to reflect on 2022, to acknowledge the efforts of those who have served the Club and to look forward to 2023.

The AGM will celebrate the enormous contribution of Simon King. Simon has led the coaching team and been our secretary. Over the Club’s first decade, he has maintained high standards and shown great personal commitment and positivity. The lockdown impacted the Club, as it has done many other local organisations. We weren’t able to run the Junior section and our efforts to build on the inaugural summer of cycling programme at the Northern Gateway were unsuccessful. However, we now have new coaches on board and we are already planning for a GoRide day next Easter (more news to follow).

We are keen to build on the small group of riders who have raced in HCC colours recently: Ciaran, Charlie, Evie and Aaron. Aaron, in particular, has had a terrific year, competing in 31 races with 10 podium finishes.

We made the decision to cancel the Gayford Flyer Sportive and reimburse 150 riders as it was scheduled immediately after the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

The Women’s Tour riders sprinted through Hadleigh on 6th June which was, unfortunately, the only day that it rained in the town in summer 2022. However large numbers turned out to celebrate the efforts of the professional riders and it gave us the opportunity to promote the women’s group that cycles most Friday mornings.

The Club relies on many volunteers who lead social rides, especially Farhad, Chris, Benson and Katie. We also acknowledge the support of Hadleigh Town Council in supporting free cycle maintenance sessions. We always endeavour to keep HCC’s membership fee as low as possible and it is currently only £10. Details of membership can be found on our website. The Club runs a social ride on Sundays usually starting at 9.00am from The George and there is a café stop. Currently, we’re also running regular rides on Fridays (women). The rides are weather dependant so, if in doubt, check our Facebook page @hadleighcyclingclub Twitter @HadleighCycling or www.hadleighcyclingclub.co.uk

Happy Christmas to all our riders and all the best for 2023.

Introducing the Anne Robson Helpline

At the Anne Robson Trust we aim to be there to listen to anyone who is struggling with the imminent death of someone they care about. We know that facing the end of life can leave you isolated and alone.

Calls are free and confidential - Call us on 0808 801 0688 Being able to access support whilst a loved one is dying is really important for a number of reasons. Gaining knowledge of what may happen towards the end and having a sense of ‘preparedness’ helps both the person dying and their family gain as much control as possible.

Please visit www.annerobsontrust.org.uk/helpline-service to find out more.

Kathryn Grandon

Hadleigh

South District Councillor’s Surgery

Hadleigh South Babergh District Councillor Kathryn Grandon’s surgery will be held on the second Saturday of each month, unless there is a notice in this publication saying otherwise. You will be able to discuss any concerns at her walk-in surgery from 11am until noon at the Lounge Room in the British Legion Club (opposite the side entrance of Partridges, in George Street). If you have any concerns before then, you are welcome to contact her by telephone or email.

Kathryn Grandon: 01473 824489

Or email kathryn.grandon@babergh.gov.uk

I look forward to meeting you to discuss your concerns and interest in the wellbeing of our town.

- If you or someone close to you is dying, you can talk to us

Hadleigh Hares

Lots of Hares activity, to include Wix 5 , Claire Jacobs continued her excellent road form at the event at the end of October by cruising to victory in the Harwich Runners promoted Wix 5 race. Contending with an undulating course, heavy wind and rain, Claire crossed the line in 29.15. We've also had Rachel Bosworth running in the London Marathon, runners doing the virtual London Marathon. Samantha Cooper, of Hadleigh Hares with her medal after completing the Mersea, round the Island race. The race being a tough trail run on the beach, and along the sea wall. After completing the run Samantha said “Lovely views but my legs do ache now!”

Well done to Hadleigh Hares, Vicki Tapp and Samantha Jane for their 1st and 3rd trophy in the 5k from the Ickworth Chase the Sunset 5k and 10k event.

Ipswich Half Marathon - 23 October 2022 - It was a very wet Ipswich Half this year, but well done to the six Hares who completed the course. John Jousiffe finished with an incredible 1:33:13, closely followed by Amy Plumbly with 1:37:48. Rachel Bodsworth finished in 1:49:15 and Joel Bamsey and Nikki Vince both finished in 1:50:50. Simon Fenn was running his very first half marathon and finished in a very good time of 2:07:10.

Congratulations to Rachel Bodsworth who won the club ballot to run the London Marathon. The weather conditions were perfect and Rachel finished with an amazing time of 4:05:02!

Meanwhile in Suffolk, Jo Sargent, Sam and Vicky Tapp and Nathalie Hooper were running the Virtual London Marathon.

Jo started her run at High Lodge in Thetford, but after 13 miles had a sore hamstring. Instead of giving up, she went back to Hadleigh and finished her run there. Sam and Vicky were also running around Hadleigh and beyond. Vicky had a nasty fall, but carried on to the end. Nathalie used the crossroads method and ran several routes out and back from Battisford. They all finished in under 5 hours and for Sam, Vicky and Nathalie this was their first time running a marathon. Alongside club training nights we also run track sessions which are proving very popular on the 1st Wednesday of every month. Anybody wishing to join should please check our Web page or Facebook page.

New Captains make history at Stoke by Nayland

Glen and Corinne Jackson became the New Men’s and Ladies Captains for Stoke By Nayland. They are the first married couple to reign together in the clubs 50 year history. Over 200 members joined in with a delicious breakfast before going outside to watch the New Captains ‘Drive in’.

As the first Married Couple they decided to do a synchronised “Drive In’. The starter got the members to count them in, with both balls leaving their clubs in perfect unison, the ‘Drive In’ was a great success!! Both Gainsborough and Constable courses were absolutely full with over 200 members taking part in a Greensomes Competition. At the halfway points on both courses the members were greeted by the “Suffolk Gin Distillery” who handed out samples of their delicious Gin.

Glen & Corinne Jackson, Driving In on the Gainsborough 1st

Members Jodie Clifford and Ben Dixon got an Albatross on the 15th Constable Par 5!! An amazing achievement. It was a great day with a great atmosphere. There were 31 winners of the day including “Guess the length of the Captains Drive” the winners received a bottle each of Ernie Els wine kindly donated by “Promotion Wine” based in Stoke By Nayland. We raised £267 for our charities.

1st place on the Gainsborough course were James Head and Preven Nayager with 45pts; 1st place on the Constable course were Graham Cork and Kevin Walsh with 44pts. There were 9 hole Nearest the pin prizes.

Architect

Franklyn Nevard......................01473 372382

Art Gallery

Brett Gallery............................01449 741553

Accountants / Financial Services

Thompson Financial Consulting ...01473 828973

Walter Wright..........................01473 822143

Suffolk Tax Accountants.........01473 657000

Hunt Home Finance................01473 598900

Matthew Douglas....................01473 927072

Butchers

Andrews Butchers...................01473 827720

Builders / Property Maintenance

C.A. Builders...........................01473 824404

Simon Farthing.......................07823 333451

Grass To Glass........................01473 828269

Tony Faulkner..........................01473 822122

A&L Builders...........................07487 629944

Cards, Gifts, Stationery

Keith Avis................................01473 823131

Carpets / Flooring

A.J. Carpets............................01473 822240

Car Sales, Servicing, Repairs & Valet

Ainger Holbrow.......................01473 823286

L.S. Eaves...............................01206 262123

Complete Car Services............01473 828991

Paul Wilding...........................01473 827272

S. T. Services Simon Tydeman .07783 033401

Crockatt Garage......................01473 824342

Invicta Garage.........................01473 823172

Chimney Sweep / Fireplace Services

TL Chimneys...........................07733 420611

Clothes

ZOR Boutique.........................07969 525859

Doors, Windows & Blinds

Andy Grimsey.........................01473 823584

Tim Allen Windows.................01473 827086

Hadleigh Glass........................01473 822415

Surefix....................................01473 827004

Thorr Doors............................07872 903135

Electrical Goods and Supplies

Hicks TV & Audio Solutions....07968 686035

Electricians

S Cowle Electrical...................01473 823179

Energy on Tap.........................07780 975787

English Teacher

Emily Evans............................07951 724425

Estate Agents

Frost & Partners.....................01473 823456

Chapman Stickels...................01473 372372

Hizzy.......................................01473 875101

Farm Shops

Hollowtrees.............................01449 741247

Funeral / Grave Services R. Gwinnell.............................01473 824440 W. A. Deacon..........................01787 248282

Garage Doors

Garolla....................................01473 396164

Garden Machinery Repair W. J. Green.............................01473 823839

Steve Blake.............................07813 814623

Garden Services

4 Life Landscapes...................01473 828117

Grass To Glass........................01473 828269 H J Tree Care..........................07828 243024

Hair and Beauty

Hadleigh Hairloom..................01473 822191

Louise Watling Beauty............07881 383631

Health and Fitness

Hadleigh Boxford Practice......01473 822961

Hadleigh Dental Surgery.........01473 823092

Hearing Care Centre................08000 962637

Sally Mowles Foot Health Care.01473 822902

Hadleigh Physiotherapy..........01473 810185

Equlibrium Therapy.................07903 722746

Body & Mind As One.............07506 350 455

Feet First.................................07393 193476

I.T. and Computer Services

Home Computer Services.......01473 829552

Vulcan Computer Services......07711 904439

Laundry Services

Press Gang.............................01473 558448

Happy Home Co. Ironing........07710 493325

Mortgage & Protection Advice

GKM Financial.........................01473 898065

Dennis Lipton.........................0788 5566526

Newsagents

Keith Avis................................01473 823131

Nursing & Care Services

Laxfield House.........01787 247340 / 247495

Waterfield House....................01473 944654

Opticians

Dunstone Optometry..............01473 823755

Painting & Decorating

Simon Farthing.......................07823 333451

CPH Property Services...........07717 059370

Pest Control

Lister Countryside Services....07919 287656

Picture Framing

ALB Framing...........................07769 858076

Blue Magpie Lavenham...........07788 508520

Plant Hire

Hadleigh Hirebase...................01473 828509

Plumbing and Heating Gallagher................................01473 828806

Plumbmate.............................01473 810088

Roundhouse Plumbing...........07939 082630

Spear......................................01473 829863

GJ Watts.................................01473 829644

MSL Plumbing........................07979 288844

CJ Plumbing & Heating...........01473 822775

BUDDHA.................................07710 081745

Printers

Keith Avis Printers..................01473 823366

Pubs, Restaurants, Food & Drink

The Cock Inn Hadleigh............01473 941049

The George Hadleigh..............01473 822151

Royal Bengal...........................01473 823744

Cobblers Cafe/Waffle Shop.....01473 828577

Eight Bells...............................01473 822234

India Villa................................01473 828599 Security

Abacus....................................01473 824601

Septic Tank Emptying

A.K. Services..........................01473 822694

Skip / Waste Removal

G. Leeks Skip Hire..................01473 824256

JK Services man with a van....07703 758035

Solicitors / Wills

Holmes & Hills........................01787 275275

Gotelee....................................01473 822102

Sports & Hobbies

Snowys Bait & Tackle..............07766 140624 Storage Elmsett Storshops..................01473 822162 Surveyors

MS Surveys............................01473 249020 Taxi

Beaumont Cars.......................01473 855111

5 Star Cars..............................01473 875435

Voyager Travel........................01473 828102

A&L Private Hire.....................07506 806059 Tiles

Cut Price Tiles & Bathrooms.....0473 932910

Veterinary Surgeons

Highcliff Veterinary Practice....01473 822704

Water Softeners

Patmore..................................01473 713600 Wills

The Will Business...................01206 263420 Window Cleaner