In Touch
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with Baylham, Gt. & Lt. Blakenham & Nettlestead Volume 9 • Issue No. 6 • APRIL 2019
Looking Forward by Charmian Berry
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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR I often write about how fortunate we are to live in a part of the world where ‘community’ is valued and where there are endless opportunities to engage with those who share our little part of the planet. Finding that special place to lay your roots and raise your children, where you know you will be greeted with a smile when you pop into the local (shop or pub) and share your day-today existence with neighbours you can call on in an emergency is something to treasure. If you’re lucky you may even have family close by. A recent trip home to Ireland to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday has reminded me how distant I have become from my extended family, inevitable when you move away. Events like weddings and significant birthdays have become treasured opportunities to catch-up, to meet new family members and to get to know others a little better. And so it was on this occasion. For possibly the first time ever, I had an opportunity to have a proper girly chat with my dad’s three sisters, a chat which started when they admired my dress. Well in no time at all they were telling me about the way they dressed going to dances and balls when they were young. They howled with laughter as they told me about cycling six miles to dances at the Emerald Ballroom and back home again at 1am. They talked about the music, the dancing (proper dancing!), the way all the men lined up on one side and the women on the other… and the dresses. They’d all learned to make their own dresses but occasionally paid a local dressmaker to create something for a special occasion. The planning and effort they put into these events was extraordinary. Everyone had to get their hair properly done and in those days hair-dos were an architectural phenomenon. Hair pieces are not a new invention! They laughed in horror when they remembered having to sleep on their faces because their hair had so much lacquer in it! I know it wasn’t all dressing up and dancing, but boy did they know how to party, and alcohol wasn’t mentioned once (which is probably why they remember every tiny detail). If you do have older family members in your life, or neighbours who would like nothing better than an opportunity to reminisce, don’t wait for an occasion. Put the kettle on and get to know someone a little bit better while you’re fortunate to have the opportunity.
InTouch
with Baylham, Gt. & Lt. Blakenham & Nettlestead
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Disclaimer: The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine are accurate but the publisher cannot assume any responsibility for errors or omissions. While reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements or editorial, the publisher/ editor will not accept responsibility for any unsatisfactory transactions and also reserves the right to refuse to include advertising or editorial. They will, however immediately investigate any written complaints. © Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, either wholly or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. © In Touch with Baylham, Gt. & Lt. Blakenham & Nettlestead is published by Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd as part of the “In Touch with . . . ” series of magazines.
We also publish In Touch with... •B eyton, Drinkstone, Elmswell, Haughley, Hessett, Norton, Tostock, Wetherden & Woolpit •B ramford, Offton, Somersham & Willisham •C apel St Mary •B arham, Claydon, Henley & Whitton •B elstead, Bentley, Copdock, Tattingstone & Washbrook •D edham, East Bergholt, Flatford & Stratford St Mary • I pswich East •K esgrave & Rushmere St Andrew •B rantham, Lawford, Manningtree & Mistley •M artlesham Heath & Old Martlesham •N eedham Market & The Creetings •C helmondiston, Erwarton, Harkstead, Holbrook, Pin Mill, Shotley, Stutton & Woolverstone •B urstall & Sproughton •S towmarket & Stowupland • Ashbocking, Tuddenham St Martin, Westerfield & Witnesham •C hattisham, Hadleigh, Hintlesham, Holton St Mary, Layham & Raydon •M elton & Woodbridge
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NEWS CREATION OF A JOINT LOCAL NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Barham, Claydon & Gt Blakenham At council meetings in the three parishes in March 2019, proposals were put forward to create a Joint Local Neighbourhood Plan. A Neighbourhood Plan is a document which, after adoption through a local referendum of residents, becomes a statutory development plan for its local area. It therefore carries real legal weight when planning applications are submitted to the local district council for determination. These plans are designed to identify suitable areas for development (residential and business) and are not a vehicle to stop all future growth. A Neighbourhood Plan can cover a single parish, just part of a parish or more than one parish. With the close link between Barham and Claydon, and the close proximity of Gt Blakenham (with all sitting off a single junction of the A14), the parish councillors of all three parishes believe there is now a serious joint commitment to move forward and make this happen, while recognising that a great deal of time and work is required to take the project through to fruition. The next stage will be for the three parish councils to submit their proposed neighbourhood area to Mid Suffolk District Council as the local Planning Authority for designation. As the area involves more than one parish, the Planning Authority will consult with the public, community groups and other interested parties to ascertain that this joint approach is correct. The production of a Joint Local Neighbourhood Plan (JLNP) will require a steering group, and guidance recommends that at least 50 per cent of participants should come from the wider community – residents, local charities, land owners and businesses, not just parish councillors. As well as housing, the JLNP can cover transport, highways, education, the economy, heritage and green spaces, utilities and infrastructure. Specialist consultants can be used (there is grant funding), but at an earlier stage it will be important to identify local expertise (perhaps retired specialists) as well as willing volunteers prepared to give their time and learn as they go. If interested, and hopefully you are, please do get in touch with your local parish clerk. Once a steering Ggroup is established there will likely be three years of work to develop the JLNP before its conclusion and adoption via a local referendum.
AN EVENING WITH JOHN MINNS Nettlestead Church Sunday, May 26, 6-8.30pm John, born and bred at Willisham and well known locally, will be sharing his memories and anecdotes about local people and events covering many decades. Musical entertainment and light refreshments will be provided during the interval. All monies raised from the collection will go directly to the church roof replacement fund.
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NEWS GREAT BLAKENHAM PARISH COUNCIL
PALMERS BAKERY CELEBRATES 150 YEARS IN BUSINESS Palmers Bakery in Haughley is 150 years old this year! Six monarchs, five generations, 18 million loaves and 500 employees later (30 of whom between them have worked 1,000 years for the company), it’s a century and a half since William James Palmer took over the bakery in 1869. In that time we have seen the sun set on the British Empire, two world wars and the human race has put man upon the moon.
Frustrated by the length of time that the work at Hackneys Corner is taking? Noticing that there are areas of the village that can be improved? Heard about parish infrastructure improvement plans and thinking that we should have one? Wondering about how you can help our community move forward? District and parish council election are being held on May 2 and Great Blakenham Parish Council needs more residents to join us. There are now more than 1,500 registered electors in Great Blakenham. All of you could be eligible to put yourself forward to become a councillor and get involved in the work that the council does in the village. We have 10 meetings a year and training in the role is available for you free of charge. You will find that we are a friendly group of people, that the work is wide ranging and there is plenty of variety – from working to get the infrastructure improvements that the village so desperately needs, to the council’s accounts, the provision of defibrillators and deciding on grants to local organisations. Your council manages the cemetery on Chalk Hill Lane and the Woodfield allotments. We pay for litter picking, provision and emptying of dog waste and rubbish bins, grass cutting in St Mary’s churchyard, etc. We are working with other local parish councils towards developing a joint Neighbourhood Plan. Recent projects we have carried out are the provision of a new noticeboard and defibrillator by the village shop. We will be installing a new dog waste bin there and we are paying for litter picking and bin emptying to keep the area clean and tidy. We will be installing a new rubbish bin at the lower car park area at the village hall. There are a lot of other projects that we could become involved with, but to do that effectively, we need residents to stand for the council – and you could be one of them. If you are interested in standing, please visit this page on the BMSDC website:
Today the medieval bakehouse sits on the picturesque village green in Haughley from where the craft bakers rise early to ‘bake your daily bread’. They use fresh local ingredients and bake in their famous vaulted ancient brick ovens. ‘Fired up’ each morning, these unique ovens never cool and bake the bread to a perfect crust. William James Palmer purchased the bakehouse and newsagents when it had already been running for over 100 years. He and his wife opened their shop door on August 3, 1869 with their best seller being sticky buns. He would then go round local villages delivering bread from a horse and cart, announcing his arrival with a blast on his trumpet! A fervent political campaigner, he lost his wife and daughter in 1885 when he brought back the smallpox virus from one expedition to London. His son, William E G Palmer, took over the business in 1903, expanding it by founding a mill and farm before buying their first van in 1918.
The closing date for nomination papers to be received is April 3, so you still have time!
After Williams’s death in 1968, his son Roy took over the business and steered it through the 1970s Bread Strikes which saw hundreds of customers queuing for bread. He is also well remembered for his bakery and village museum which raised thousands of pounds for local charities. In 1989 it was taken over by his son Kenneth Palmer and he was joined by his son Kieron. In 1978 they appeared in You & Me, a BBC children’s programme about the bakery.
We are regularly asked if there is any news on SnOasis. By the time you read this, Reserved Matters will have come before the Planning Committee on March 13 and the future of this site should be clearer. There are still many outstanding questions about this huge planning development and your council, as part of the SnOasis Parish Alliance, will continue to try to work with the developers and planning to safeguard the interests of the village and the wider area.
In this, their jubilee year, they have many events planned, not least a funday and village museum and fireworks for the village, but are also donating commemorative mugs to the children of Haughley School. A Haughley Bake Off is planned at the church festival, and they will be sponsoring Haughley Fete and Woolpit Steam Rally. Local MP, Jo Churchill, will be judging a Palmers Children’s Painting Competition and Palmers will also be unveiling a new public clock on the bakehouse to mark the event.
Our next meeting is on Wednesday, April 24 in the Parish Room at 7.30pm. Please note that this is later in the month than normal. Everyone is welcome and there is a 15-minute public forum where you can ask questions or raise issues related to the work of the parish council.
In an era of mass produced products, Palmers believe in quality, service and tradition. They produce a wide range of bread and confectionery from white, wholemeal, multi-seed and granary breads to specialities such as spelt, olive, chia and even marmite bread. Their hot cross buns, mince pies and patisseries are legendary and they also are the largest stockist of Tiptree jams and marmalades in East Anglia. In addition they sell local produce such as free range eggs, teas, Suffolk honeys and takeaway sandwiches, hot food and drinks! Birthday cakes are a specialty, while in the summer they sell produce from their own orchards such as plums, pears, apples and walnuts.
www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/features/are-you-election-ready-heres-ourquick-guide
Janet Gobey is the parish clerk and she can be reached by email or phone: pc@greatblakenham.suffolk.gov.uk / 07508 830777. Facebook: @greatblakenhampc / Twitter: @pcgtblakenham www.greatblakenham.suffolk.cloud Thank you for reading this and for your interest in the work of your parish council. Chairman Steve Plume
As well as their bakery at Haughley, then have shops in Stowmarket, Stanton, Woolpit and Ipswich as well as Freshfills of Claydon and Bretts Bakery in Needham Market and can be reached at: 01449 673286 / office@palmersbakery.co.uk Happy Birthday Palmers!
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NEWS COUNTY & DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT JOHN FIELD’S REPORT TO GIPPING VALLEY: MARCH 2019 Opt-in for Funded School Transport: From September 2019 you will have to apply each year if your child is eligible for free school transport. You must opt-in: you will no longer be automatically signed up. There will no longer be empty places reserved for eligible children who don’t want them. New Mental Health Strategies for Suffolk: Since spring 2018, the Suffolk and Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Groups have been leading work to develop new mental health strategies for Suffolk. Not before time you might say. The strategies describe the vision for mental health and emotional wellbeing in an integrated physical, mental and social care system. There is a strong emphasis on prevention, wellbeing and expanding community and primary care mental health services. The next phase will focus on delivery plans, a programme of work and a timetable. SEND Inspection Revisit: Inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission returned to Suffolk in January to see how SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) services had progressed since their inspection in December 2016. Inspectors have acknowledged that some improvements have been made, but say children and young people relying on SEND services have not yet felt the benefit. They concluded that sufficient progress had been made regarding governance and leadership of the strategic planning and delivery of the 2014 national SEND reforms. However, improvement is still required in:
The options assessment, commissioned in May 2018, is required to look at all viable transport and traffic mitigation options. It will confirm whether the road alignments published in 2017 are indeed the best solution for the county. Public consultation on the route details, alignment and junction options with the A14 and A12 will begin in summer 2019. The completed document will be shared with government, local MPs and the public in autumn 2019. SnOasis: The reserved matters for this much delayed project was at MSDC planning on March 13. They should have been delivered in October 2016. Notice of the formal appearance at planning to your councillors and the parish alliance was short, just a few days. Is this a great project for a world class winter sport complex in Suffolk or just a project going nowhere that blights our villages? 2019/20 Budget Agreed: Suffolk County Council’s 2019/20 budget was agreed on Thursday, February 14. This will see an increase in Council Tax of 3.99 per cent and savings across the council’s directorates totalling £10.1m. I am concerned by a number of the cuts, in particular: • Removal over two years of all grant funding from Citizens Advice • Reducing the amount spent on Housing Related Support for those at risk of homelessness (£0.45m) • Reduced funding for sponsored bus services (£0.34m) and elimination of roadside bus timetables (£0.1m)
• the poor timeliness, integration and quality of SEND statutory assessments and plans and the delivery of subsequent individual packages of support
• Reduction in highways maintenance (£0.23m): no cleaning of road signs, maintenance of mandatory road markings only and less frequent weed treatments
• the lack of understanding among parents and carers of the support available and the inadequate quality of the local offer, including access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
• Staffing reductions across all directorates (£2.968m)
• the lack of joint working to monitor, quality assure and maximise the effectiveness of work undertaken to improve outcomes for children Roads: I have reported the condition of the footway on Chapel Lane again to try to get some of the £6m extra government funding that must be spent by April. I received a promise that some of the footway will be improved now and the remainder is in the plan. Ipswich Northern Route: SCC have given the timescale for work on the feasibility of the Ipswich Northern Route and outlined the next steps in producing the Strategic Outline Business Case. The stage one study and report into possible highways options was completed in 2017.
Reduction in 2018/19 Predicted Overspend: The latest budget monitoring report suggests the county’s 2018/19 budget will be overspent by £5.9m. This is a reduction since quarter two, when they predicted a £7.5m overspend. Although it is positive the overspend is reducing, I am concerned that the majority of these savings are due to ongoing staff vacancies, particularly in social work teams. Just who is not getting the service these people would provide and what are the unintended consequences? If you have any queries, please phone me on 01473 831306 (you will need to say your name and press #) or 07545 423808 or email me at: john.field@suffolk.gov.uk My website has moved to: www.suffolklibdems.org/johnfield
SUFFOLK ENERGY-FROM-WASTE FACILITY Spring 2019 Shutdown The Suffolk energy-from-waste facility will undergo its first planned maintenance shutdown of the year between April 23 and May 16. These shutdowns take place twice a year for essential cleaning and maintenance, ensuring the facility continues to run efficiently. During this shutdown, essential components of the boilers will be repaired or replaced, and maintenance will be carried out inside the furnaces. The maintenance of each of our two furnaces will be staggered, so that we can continue to accept waste throughout the shutdown period. There will be an increased amount of contractors on site during this period,
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but there should be no impact on the local community. If you have any concerns about the upcoming shutdown period, please contact us via the details provided below. Tours of the Facility We are unable to host tours of the facility during the shutdown period due to the works on site. Therefore our next series of open day will be on June 3 at 2pm, July 19 at 10am and August 6 at 6pm. These open days are available to anyone interested in the facility, from the age of seven and up. There are a total of 20 spaces available on each date. To reserve a space contact us at: 01473 839149 / suffolkefw.uk@suez.com OTHER USEFUL CONTACTS Environment Agency: 0800 807 060 SUEZ Communities Trust: 01454 262910
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NEWS
HOW LONG IS A PIECE OF STRING? When meeting new clients and taking on claims for personal injury, one of the first questions that we are often asked as personal injury practitioners is “how long will my case take to settle?”
Unfortunately, this is a difficult question to answer. It tends to be case specific and is dependent upon a number of factors: • What further evidence is required before we can submit a claim for personal injury and loss on your behalf to the person who we deem to be at fault. • Whether responsibility for your accident or illness is accepted at an early stage by the person at fault or whether further evidence is required before a decision can be made as to whether the claim can be pursued.
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• What the extent of your injuries are. • Whether you require further treatment to assist in your recovery. If this is the case then it depends on when we are able to obtain a final medical report detailing the extent of your injuries and loss.
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• What further evidence we will then need to calculate the financial losses that flow from the injuries or illness that you have suffered, and when we can obtain the information required. Once the above information has been gathered, then your case can either proceed to a settlement, normally by way of negotiation with the person at fault (or more likely their insurer.) Or if fault has not been admitted and we are still of the view that the case should be brought against the person who we deem to be at fault, then at a court hearing. Fortunately, the vast majority of cases are settled without proceeding to court, but the process can take a matter of months or longer depending on the circumstances of the specific case. It is worth remembering that as personal injury practitioners, we are here to guide you through the personal injury claims process, and to assist you through to the conclusion of your claim as quickly as possible. This includes obtaining appropriate treatment for you where necessary to aid your recovery. If you would like any advice or assistance arising out of an accident or incident and would like to pursue a personal injury claim, please contact our Louise Plant: 01473 232121 / lplant@prettys.co.uk
SHOP LOCAL, EAT LOCAL, SPEND LOCAL, ENJOY LOCAL AT SOMERSHAM & DISTRICT COMMUNITY SHOP We’re all pleased to see Lucy back in the shop! Well done Lucy, and many thanks to all our volunteers who did extra hours to cover when she was away. During the winter the community shop has been happy to host Tea and Chat afternoons when it has been a pleasure to meet up with everybody. With the warmer weather these have now finished and the Coffee Caravan will be continuing its summer service once a month on the green at Brook Way. Petrolheads and Golden Link will continue through the summer. Pat, one of our customers, is now looking to start a new group in our Coffee Corner every other Tuesday between 1 and 3pm which she is calling Knit and Natter. She says: “If you can knit, crochet, or want to learn a new craft, or just have a natter, please come along to the next meeting on Tuesday, April 2.” She adds: “My aim is to get together to make squares that can be turned into knee blankets for care home residents.” She also welcomes donations of wool. This sounds a worthwhile project and if you think you would like to join her then please come along to the next meeting. Easter is celebrated this month and it’s possible to order cakes, pies, meat, and anything else to help celebrate. Lu’s mum has again very kindly provided us with her very popular spring chicks, which hide a surprise egg – so make sure to take some home for the family. With warmer weather anticipated in the coming months, our ice-cream cabinet is ready and waiting. As always, we aim to source produce locally, and to this end we have the freshest local eggs, vegetables, bread, cakes, pies and meats. Not only are locally produced foods delicious, they also save on travel miles, and we know all the producers personally and by name, not something that can be said for the larger shops and supermarkets.
Our experienced personal injury lawyers handle accident claims arising out of incidents at work, home, on the roads, on holiday or in a public place in the UK or abroad. You will receive professional dedicated support throughout every part of your claim to help you recover the damages that you deserve.
New volunteers are always welcome in the shop – even a couple of hours a month can make all the difference, and don’t forget that we would also very happy to see any students on holiday who might wish to gain a bit of work experience by volunteering. It’s the support of the local community, especially our customers, that sustains our shop for the benefit of all and who keep the shop open and there for us. It gives a heart to the local community. We look forward to seeing you. As always, our services include orders taken for regular or one-off meat, bread and cakes, Coffee Corner, the book exchange, a drycleaning service (collecting on Tuesday afternoons), newspapers and magazines and a delivery service for those with mobility problems. The shop gives real heart to the local community, long may it continue.
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8 PR534 Personal Injury Advert (InTouch) v3.indd 2
Management Team Management Team: Lucy Barrett – 831890; Sue Browne – 831321; Peter Jousiffe; Anne MacFadyen – 831288
In Touch online: 09/05/2018 16:33
NEWS / OUT & ABOUT SnOASIS PARISH ALLIANCE (SPA) By the time you read this SnOasis Reserved Matters will have been considered by the BMSDC Planning Committee. Unfortunately our efforts to arrange a meeting with planning were unsuccessful and it’s disappointing that our efforts to engage were not taken up. The period of notice given of the meeting was 10 days, a very short period for members of the public, the local parish councils and meetings, the SPA, our district councillors and members of the planning committee to prepare for this crucial stage in the process. As I write, we don’t know what the outcome will be. You can be assured that everyone from the SPA has been working hard to prepare for the meeting. They have made the point over and over again that there is still too much detailed information missing from the proposals and too many questions that remain unanswered. We hope that the planning committee will realise this and act accordingly. However, no matter what the outcome of the meeting the SPA will continue to try and work with any developer involved with the site as well as with planning to protect the interests of residents and get the best possible outcomes for our community. Background: In the autumn of 2016 Onslow Suffolk Ltd put in an application to Mid Suffolk District Council for SnOasis Reserved Matters to be considered – Planning Application no 4494/16. A number of local parish councils and meetings joined together to form the SnOasis Parish Alliance to work together to represent the residents of their communities, over 11,000 people, who will be affected by this development. The SPA member parishes are Baylham; Barham, Bramford, Claydon and Whitton, Great Blakenham, Little Blakenham, Needham Market, Nettlestead and Somersham. For further information please email Janet Gobey: snoasispa@icloud.com SnOasis Parish Alliance Chairman Steve Plume
2019 BARHAM OPEN-AIR CONCERT On Saturday, June 29, Claydon & Barham Church presents the twelfth openair concert in the gardens of Barham Hall by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Burrows with music by the Essential Sounds 18-Piece Big Band and Sarah Hitchcock. Open for garden viewing from 5.30pm, music from 7-9pm, ending with a Last Night of the Proms type session. Essential Sounds is an East Anglian based modern big band with 18 experienced musicians and top quality singers in the style of Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble. Sarah Hitchcock is a local vocalist who will entertain us with a range of songs including some from the 1940s. Admission strictly by ticket only, limited to 470. Bring your own picnic, drinks, seats and blankets. No gazebos or barbecues and no boiling water from flasks to be emptied onto the grass. Early bird ticket price £11, full price £14 after May 22 if any remain. Cheques payable to Claydon & Barham PCC to be sent with stamped self-addressed envelope to Roger Colthorpe, 5 Phillipps Road, Barham IP6 0AZ. Queries to: rogercolthorpe@aol.com / 01473 831079
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HOT CROSS BUN COFFEE MORNING Saturday, April 13, 10am-noon, High Hall Farm, Nettlestead Stalls, cakes, books, plants and raffle in aid of St Mary’s Church, Nettlestead.
STOWMARKET & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Friday, April 5, 10am-noon: Coffee and Networking Needham Market Community Centre, School Street, Needham Market Friday, April 12, 6.45am: Breakfast at The Mix A week early this month because of Easter! To book online, follow the link at: https://stowmarketchamber.co.uk/networking-events
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES GROUP Book Club: We meet on the last Thursday of the month at 10.30am in The Crown (Hungry Horse), Claydon when we have an interesting discussion on our chosen book. We currently have 11 members. Please feel free to join us. Knitting Group: Held on the first Thursday of the month in the lounge at Alasdair Place, Claydon, the group has been busy making lap blankets for St Elizabeth Hospice and hats and blankets for the premature baby unit at West Suffolk Hospital. These are on-going projects and there are more to follow. If anyone has any wool they longer require it would be gratefully received. 4Ever Young Men’s Group: This group is taking a short break and will be revamped. Watch this space. Meet ‘n’ Eat Group: Everyone is welcome to Great Blakenham Parish Room at noon on the first Friday of the month. If you would like to attend but have transport problems please phone any of the following who will be pleased to help: The Rev Carl – 01473 833542; Ann – 01473 831031; Pauline – 01473 830723; Dorothy – 01473 830906. You can enjoy a two-course lunch for £4 with the option of a £1 raffle ticket. One prize is always a free meal for the next month. Gipping Valley Art Society: Meets at Great Blakenham Parish Room every Tuesday from 1-4pm. We recently held our AGM and asked members for ideas of places to sketch and museums to visit. We are planning visits to Flatford Mill, Munnings Museum and Christchurch Mansion. We have also planned a demonstration by local artist Susan Boddey which members are looking forward to. Walk ‘N’ Talk Group: Meet on the second Thursday of the month at 10am in the car park of The Crown (Hungry Horse) and enjoy a walk of around 1.5 hours. Everyone welcome to come along. Our next walk is on April 14.
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OUT & ABOUT GREAT BLAKENHAM CRAFT CLUB SPEND A PENNY St Mary’s Church in Great Blakenham is raining money to install a new toilet, making the church more community friendly and fit for the future. CAN YOU HELP US? Every time you flush, could you donate 20p? Please bring all the money you collect to the village fete on Saturday, July 13 at St Mary’s Church, noon-3pm, where will be other toilet/pan related games! The 2020 Project also includes a major electric overhaul, a new kitchenette area, reinstating a window on the north wall and relocating the font with a new tiled floor. For this we need to raise £80,000.
GREAT BLAKENHAM OVER 50’s CLUB Open to anyone over-50 living in Great Blakenham and the surrounding area. We meet from 2-4pm in Great Blakenham Parish Room (opposite the Chequers PH) on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. The building is fully accessible. The cost per meeting is £2 which includes whatever activity is programmed for the afternoon, refreshments and the raffle. On afternoons when we may play a couple of games of bingo the tickets are £1 each. For our February meetings we had a brief history of the origins of Valentine’s Day and a social afternoon with some quizzes, one of which (identifying counties from a map of Europe) proved quite difficult Forthcoming Programme April 10: Spring Raffle and Bring-and-Buy April 24: Celebrating the Queen’s Reign May 8: Games Afternoon May 22: Social Afternoon with Brenda June 12: TBC June 26: TBC July 10: Social Afternoon with Sandra July 24: Summer Party New members are always welcome so if you would like to come along and see what goes on we will be pleased to see you. Jackie Durrant: 01449 672690
GREAT BLAKENHAM 200 CLUB Winning tickets for January Mrs Davies (259) Mike & Wendy Wootton (14) Bob Grenfell (287) Monica Little (75) David & Helen Markillie (294) John Hood (143)
£25 £15 £10 £10 £5 £5
Winning tickets for February Joyce Bumpstead (225) Ted Black (36) Doris Lockwood (99) Gill Swash (69) Alan Rose (80) Julie Cook (58)
£25 £15 £10 £10 £5 £5
Open to anyone living in Great Blakenham and the surrounding areas, the club meets every Monday other than bank holidays in Great Blakenham Parish Room (opposite the Chequers PH) from 2-4pm. The building is fully accessible. Members pay £2 per meeting to cover hall hire, refreshments, the monthly workshop goody bag and weekly raffle prizes. Alternatively you may wish to bring your own project and enjoy our company and make new friends. Members take it in turns to make the tea. In the March workshop titled Seaside, we concentrated on using up fabric oddments in different ways. Our project was to use pieces to make beach huts which when sewn together could be made into zipped pouchs or cushions, added as a feature on a shopping bag or curtains, or made into a picture. We were also pleased to welcome Julie Hickey from Henley and Sarah Mitchell from Claydon to join the club. FORTHCOMING EVENTS April 1: Fact and Fantasy May 13: Village Life and Little Mice There is currently room for new members so please get in touch with Jackie Durrant if you would like to join us: 01449 672690
RIVER GIPPING TRUST A good turnout of volunteers each Wednesday along the River Gipping has continued through the winter months. Last year the trust totalled nearly 4,000 man hours of volunteer labour along the river, and we expect this year to be similar. The trust is currently working hard on clearing and restoring the old riverside footpath leading up to the bridge abutment remains on both sides of the river which are about a mile upstream of Baylham Lock / Rare Breeds Farm. The brick bridge abutments are thought to date back to 1790 when the canal was built, and the trust is hoping that they will be able to reuse the abutment superstructures to support the new bridge. Clearance work around the bridge abutments to enable a professional assessment of their condition is ongoing. The bridge span between the abutments disappeared some 70 years ago. Unfortunately, there are no known photos or drawings of the bridge. It would appear from the remaining brickwork that it was a wooden bridge sitting on the brick abutments, but we don’t know if it was a flat or arched bridge. If anybody has any further knowledge of what it was like, please get in touch with the trust as they would like to rebuild it as close as possible to the original if they can. The trust has no paid employees, everyone volunteers their time accordingly. The trust produces a very informative newsletter magazine (The Gipping Gossip) every six months for its members, and they would love to increase their membership, which helps ensure continuation of their work. Membership details, the latest 24-page colour newsletter and contact details can be found on their website. www.rivergippingtrust.org.uk
Thank you to everyone who has bought tickets for the 200 Club for 2019. All money raised by your membership goes toward the repair and preservation of St Mary’s Parish Church. Subscription is £12 per year, but you can join at any time and only pay for the months remaining in the year. If you would like the chance to win a prize and help maintain the beauty of our ancient church building please call Marion: 01473 830915
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OUT & ABOUT / SCHOOLS BAR-CLAY MUSIC MAKERS BMM’s production of Rapunzel in January proved a great success, with enthusiastic audiences at each of the six performances. So thank you to everyone who came along; we really appreciate all the support you give the group. We are already thinking about January 2020. Suggestions for our next panto will be considered at the AGM on Wednesday, May 1 at 7.30pm in Claydon and Barham Village Hall. Do come along if you would like to find out more about Bar-Clay Music Makers and our future plans – it should be a lively meeting! For more details email Vera Rogers: vera.rogers1@btinternet.com
MENDLESHAM STREET FAYRE Come and support the 39th annual Street Fayre in Mendlesham on Monday, May 6. The fayre procession will start at noon with our May Princess and Church May Queen accompanied by Suffolk School of Samba. Old Market Street will be closed to traffic and have stalls selling crafts, bric-a-brac, plants, jewellery and tickets for our grand draw. Throughout the afternoon there will be live music on stage by the Stowmarket Strummers Ukulele Band, popular children’s entertainer Tricky Twister, the East Suffolk Morris Men and Stowmarket Boys Brigade Band. On the playing field we have Wings Elite Birds of Prey and remote controlled trucks on the tennis courts. In the community centre there will be a craft show and toddlers and preschool doing refreshments. Mendlesham Scouts will be cooking hot dogs and burgers, there will be a hog roast and the WI will be providing their famous teas and cakes. Please buy our draw tickets. There are some great prizes. Ralph and Daphne Lambert are kindly opening their garden in Old Market Street again where there will be a display of bygone farm machinery. You can visit Mendlesham Chip Shop and the Kings Head pub and also find refreshments at both churches, while St Mary’s will run armoury tours during the afternoon. To book a space in the street contact Angela on 01473 766483 (no more food outlets needed).
FLOWER FESTIVAL St Mary’s Church, Great Blakenham Friday 25 to Sunday, May 27, 10am-4pm daily Refreshments served All proceeds towards the 2020 Building Project bringing St Mary’s into the 21st century
1st CLAYDON SCOUT GROUP Each year since the opening of Waitrose at Futura Park, 1st Claydon has been bag packing at Christmas, 2018 was no exception. Once again we would like to thank all the staff and customers at Waitrose for their kind generosity which resulted in £400 being donated this year. The group has now raised an amazing £4,100 in that time. The money will go towards new equipment for the group and the activities they undertake including crafts, camping skills and outdoor ventures. Helping the Homeless: In an earlier edition of In Touch we featured an article about a sponsored bike ride that the Scouts were doing to raise money for the homeless people of Ipswich. I am pleased to say that the final total jumped to £226.50. The Scouts have since visited Go Outdoors to buy sleeping bags, hats, gloves and scarves for Ipswich Soup Kitchen to hand out. We made a presentation to the Soup Kitchen on March 1. Adult volunteers are welcome to join our group. We are looking for Beaver (ages 6-8) and Cub leaders (ages 8-10). Please contact Mark Pearson for more details: 07802 249686 / markpearsonfreshfields@outlook.com You’ll also find information about being a leader at: www.1stclaydonscoutg.onesuffolk.net/volunteering
CLAYDON PRE-SCHOOL
BRAMFORD COMPUTER CLUB
At the time of writing the staff are enjoying all the lovely costumes the children are wearing for our World Book Day dress-up week. Next Friday we will be encouraging them to dress in red for Comic Relief and to bring in donations. We will also be holding a Stay & Play week for parents/carers to come in and spend an hour playing with their child during one of their sessions.
As a result of the Easter Holidays, the club will meet only on Wednesdays, April 3 and 24. Membership is £1 per school year, payable in September, plus £3 for each two-hour session.
The children are all very excited about our planned trip to Hollow Trees Farm on Thursday, April 25. They will have the opportunity to travel by coach and have lots of things to do and animals to see while they are there.
The club meets from 10am until noon in the upstairs room at the rear of the Methodist Church in Bramford. Ultra+ broadband and refreshments are available. There is no set programme, but we are here to help you to get the best out of your computer. Why not give us a try?
CLAYDON PRE-SCHOOL 100 CLUB Our last draw took place on February 28 when the winners were: 1: Steven Bean (16) 2: Emma Cummings (4) 3: James Johnson (26) £26 was donated to the pre-school thanks to your support. Half of all money given for the 100 Club goes to the pre-school and the other half is paid out in winnings. Membership is just £1 a month. You don’t need to have a child at the pre-school to be a member. Membership forms are available from the office or by email. Thank you to all those lovely people who continue to support us. We are very grateful.
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Easter Eggstravaganza: Friday, April 5 from 3pm Everyone welcome to come along, free admission. There will be some stalls, an Easter Hunt, refreshments, songs and the pre-school children doing their homemade hat parade. Come along if you can, we would love to see you. Race Night: Saturday, May 18 We will be holding a Race Night at Claydon & Barham Community Centre, time to be confirmed, and it would be lovely to see as many of you there as possible. Details will have been confirmed by the time this magazine comes out so please ring the pre-school for exact details if you would like to come along. These details will also be confirmed in the next edition. Don’t forget to book spaces for the Easter and summer holidays! As we are now open all year (except bank holidays and the Christmas period) so we can take children up to five years old for additional sessions during the school holiday weeks, subject to availability. If you would like to book days during the holidays, please contact the administration assistant for more details. We can take children who are entitled to 30 hours funding. Simply register at Childcare Choices to see if you are eligible. If you would like an application form or further information please contact Lisa Read: Claydon Pre-school, Old Scout Hut, Thornhill Road, Claydon IP6 0DZ / admin@claydonpreschool.co.uk/ 01473 831648
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SCHOOLS CLAYDON PRIMARY SCHOOL
CLAYDON HIGH SCHOOL
After being elected to represent our class in September, we have been busy with a wide variety of things. This has included the Junior Road Safety Officer scheme, planning and taking assemblies, organising events and votes and always trying to listen to the ideas of our peers.
Spring is now upon us and it’s good to see so many students taking advantage of lunchtime and after-school clubs, as well as the many trips, visits and activities on offer. One of the key messages we give our young people is to take opportunities that arise, so I was delighted to see so many students, especially Year 7, wanting to be involved in the forthcoming school production of We Will Rock You. As preparations and rehearsals take place there is a building sense of excitement, so please keep July 9 or 10 free and do come along!
Democracy British Values are very important in our school and are part of our curriculum and everyday school life. We use democracy in school, so at times we can all make decisions together. For example, in the autumn term we wanted to reward the Dolphins and Orangutans who were our joint Team Point winners. First we all asked our classes for ideas for the reward, then the school council picked the three most popular choices – a PJ Day, Non-Uniform Day and Bring a Teddy Day – and set up a ballot box so the Dolphins and Orangutans could vote. As non-uniform day had the most votes all members of the winning teams got to come to school in their own clothes. Real life democracy! Sports Representatives In addition to our school councillors we also have sports representatives who focus on sport and play across the school. As sports representatives they set up and lead various games and activities for our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils to engage in at lunchtime. The younger pupils really enjoy the opportunity to play games with the sports representatives who help them to take turns, be patient, share, work as a team, listen and develop skills. It also means our sports representatives are developing their leadership skills and contributing positively to school life. Junior Road Safety Officers A significant aspect of our role as the School Council is the Junior Road Safety Officer scheme. Last year we received a gold award due to our hard work and effort. Recently we have focused on a theme titled Think Before You Park, as parking outside of our school is still a big issue. Adults continue to park on double yellow lines, block pathways so children cannot get past and have to walk on the road and even bumping up kerbs and parking on pavements. Therefore we planned and delivered a whole school assembly on our theme to raise awareness amongst our peers so they could also go home and tell parents, grandparents, carers and anybody else they knew. We then launched a poster competition and the winning designs are going to be printed and put up outside of school – a daily reminder to THINK BEFORE YOU PARK. We have also had meetings with Martin Andrew (Local Road Safety Officer from Suffolk County Council), who has shared resources and ideas to help us. In addition, PC Small has been visiting us in school and has been outside the school grounds to review parking himself. We will continue to work with him and the newly appointed PCSOs who we are meeting soon. Being a school councillor is exciting because there are always lots of things to do. We also like the responsibility and feel our role is important as we are able to listen to the ideas of our classmates and share them in our meetings to help make our school even better. The School Council
Our most able mathematicians in Year 10 took part in a Maths Feast at Kesgrave High School on March 6, where they competed in teams of four against eight other schools in the county. Our A team were outstanding, winning all four rounds and subsequently crowned overall winners of the competition. The B team walked away with a joint runner-up certificate for scoring highly in all of the rounds. We are incredibly proud of their achievements. On March 7, a group of Year 8 students took part in the BBC’s annual School Report Day. Students spent the day planning, researching and interviewing staff and students, before writing articles which are featured on a dedicated online news website. Every single article was written from scratch to a 2pm deadline, which was a tough challenge. The enthusiasm, dedication and commitment shown by all students was very impressive. Please visit the ‘News’ section of our website to read reports produced on the day: www.claydonhigh.co.uk On Monday, March 25, the art department held an exhibition featuring work from our students alongside work by students at our feeder primary schools. Students and parents/carers were invited along to view the colourful work on display, which included some ‘ragged’ hedgehogs on hessian boards from Year 3 students at Claydon Primary School and mixed media volcanoes from Bramford Primary. Elsewhere in school, the PE department has been busy with rock climbing sessions, a hockey tournament, trampolining competitions and a trip to watch the Junior Indoor Rowing Championships at the Olympic Park. In English, we have had a Book Mastermind Competition and a visit to the Globe Theatre to watch Romeo and Juliet. A group of Year 8 and 9 students took part in the Magistrate’s Court Mock Bar Trial on Saturday, March 9. The competition involved a team of students taking on the roles of magistrates, lawyers, witnesses and court staff to prepare a specially written case. The schools competed against each other at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court. Time is flying by and we are nearly into the Easter holidays with only one more term left in this academic year! Our Year 11 students are revising hard for the final stage of their journey at Claydon High School. If you would like to visit the school and see us in action, please come along to one of our open mornings. The next one is on Tuesday, April 30. Please telephone my PA, Ms J Saunders, on 01473 836110 to book a place. Headteacher Maéve Taylor
CLAYDON AND BARHAM YOUNG FAMILIES Claydon and Barham Young Families is a Mothers’ Union project which has been run by Mothers’ Union members and supporters for 27 years. We welcome mums, dads, carers and grandparents from Claydon, Barham, Great Blakenham and the surrounding villages with babies or children under five; entry is just £1.50 per family. This month we meet from 9.30-11.30am on April 4 and 25 in Claydon and Barham Village Hall. At our regular sessions families can enjoy a themed craft activity where children can be creative and try out different materials to produce an individual masterpiece. Playdough and all sorts of toys that encourage
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children’s imaginative play and physical and social development are available. For parents and carers it is a good opportunity to meet others with pre-school children or babies. There is also a prize draw for the children. This month we would like to wish a happy birthday to Evelyn who celebrates in April. Why not come along and join in the fun, you can make friends and enjoy some valuable play? Hope to see you there. For more information contact me on 01473 833788 or check our listing on Netmums.com. Michelle
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SPORT GIPPING VALLEY BOWLS CLUB Gipping Valley Bowls Club in Gt Blakenham is looking for new members of all ages to join the club and be part of this popular sport with over 100 clubs in Suffolk alone. It’s great gentle exercise in the fresh air, and a wonderful social group where you can make new friends and enjoy refreshments after the game.
MEADLANDS INDOOR BOWLS CLUB Meadlands Indoor Bowls Club is the bowls section of Stowmarket Meadlands Recreation Club and our three lane rink on Needham Road, Stowmarket is open from 10am to 10pm seven days a week all year round. As promised, here’s a look at all the league positions (games played/points) as at March 4.
The club is hosting a free Taster Day on Saturday, April 27 from 10am to 3pm. Come and have a try, loan equipment available. Meet the members and check out our facilities.
Birdie League A: In first place, Grouse and Raven (25/31 points), Lark (35/29) in third and Cuckoo (25/15) in last place needing to pick up points to avoid the drop.
You can just turn up on the day but if you want more information in advance contact Terry Griffith: 01473 749116 / Terryg5@talktalk.net
Birdie League B: Curlew (24/33) are looking to return to the A league at the first attempt, closely followed by Redshank (25/33) looking for two promotions in two years. In last place, Tern (24/6) are looking at relegation.
The entrance is signposted off B1113 Bramford Road opposite Chapel Lane IP6 0LB. We look forward to seeing you for a game!
NEEDHAM MARKET BOWLS CLUB We are now well into the indoor bowls season at the Meadlands and teams from NMBC are doing well, especially in the Birdie and the Rivers leagues. For information on indoor bowling contact David Hindley: 01449 613144 / 07717 940270 Friday, February 22 was ‘Big Quiz’ night and congratulations to John Milliard’s team on a very strong performance. The turnout was a bit disappointing with only four teams playing, but enjoyable for those of us who did attend. Thanks as usual go to quizmaster Linda Benthom and to Pat Goodrum for the food. Both put in a lot of time and effort to make the event a success. The turnout for the socials this year has been down on previous years so if anyone has any new ideas please speak to the committee.
Birdie League C: Buzzard (28/42) and Eagle (27/39) look good for promotion. Rivers League: Churnet (22/34), Lea (22/32) and Stour (22/31), making it a three horse race. Herbert Rampling: E & M Roberts (16/26) and J Walton & T Button (13/22) have become the leading pairs. Alan Pile: J Stiff & D Sewell (13/22) and S & C Morley (12/19) are the leading pairs. Ken Wright: On Monday, J Forsyth, B Sillitt & B Tatch played a 5 – 8 point lead. On Tuesday J Stiff, P Carr &D Quinton played a 6 – 10 point lead and on Friday it’s a three-way tie between H Salmon, D Overton & T Stiff, D Cope, K Cope & S Smith and J Winfield, J Thorpe & B Mayhew, playing 6 – 7 points.
The opening drive (attire should be greys and club shirts) will be on Sunday, April 14 at 2pm. Please bring food for an American tea.
Freedom League: Another three-way tie between S Fiack, J Brock & R Bannister, C Leeder, J Walton & A Bailie and J Winfield, C Lawson & J Cook, all with 8 – 9 points.
Meet and Greet days will be Saturdays, April 27 and May 4 from 10.30am.
Village League: Meadlands lead played 12 – 48.5 points.
Work continues on the green and it’s looking in extremely good condition for the 2019 season. Anyone interested in helping with the green will be warmly welcomed and should contact Alistair Bailie.
Remember all free slots daytime and evenings Monday to Friday and weekends can be booked via a diary located in the bowls hall.
To discuss any aspect of NMBC please contact Alistair Bailie (01449 720759) or Pat Hadden (01473 831308).
For further details, such as membership costs and rink fees, contact David: 01449 613144 / 07717 940270
FUNDING BOOST FOR CLAYDON FC Claydon Football Club is celebrating a £16,305.00 funding boost from SUEZ Communities Trust for the replacement of their ground maintenance equipment. The funding will allow the club to replace the current dilapidated machinery. Along with this grant the club has also been awarded £10,000.00 from the Football Foundation towards the new machinery. The equipment currently being used is, in the case of the main mower, over 20 years old and it is becoming increasingly hard to obtain spares and costly to maintain.
Football Foundation on behalf of the club for this tremendous support.” Marek Gordon, Chairman of SUEZ Communities Trust, added: “SUEZ Communities Trust provides funding awards through the Landfill Communities Fund. This important source of funding has been available since 1997 and has provided such worthy projects with more than £1.4 billion. We were delighted to offer funding to Claydon Football Club.”
The club was established in 1964 and currently provides football facilities for approximately 200 players ranging in age from Under 7s to over 65 years. Training takes place each weekday and matches, parties and events take place on the weekend.
Changing Rooms Update The changing rooms at Claydon FC have undergone a full refurbishment over the last few months and this is almost complete. In addition to revamped changing rooms, new shower facilities and storage, the club has had new toilets and baby changing facilities installed. The work was made possible by generous funding from Virador and Mid Suffolk via a community grant.
Tony Adams, Claydon FC Groundsman, commented: “The new machinery will dramatically improve the quality of the pitches we can deliver at the start of the season and, in addition, we will be able to maintain them to a higher level as we move through the season. On top of this, our reduced overheads in maintenance and spares for the old equipment can be made use of elsewhere in the club. I would like to personally thank SUEZ and the
Perimeter Fencing Update The new perimeter fencing is now completed, securing the site and making it a safer environment for children on match and training days. In addition, the club have been donated a large screen TV and CCTV equipment which is now installed to further aid security and safety on site. Thank you to the U17 parent for the TV and the club coach for the CCTV equipment.
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SPORT / CHURCH NEWS BRAMFORD TENNIS CLUB
BRAMFORD METHODIST CHURCH
We held our AGM at the end of March and have some big plans for the 2019 season. We will be looking to retain our brilliant introductory membership offers and are also introducing an online clubwear store with branded club kit. So now you can play tennis and look very cool at the same time!
At the Heart of Community
Tennis4Kids: The LTA’s flagship programme for kids aged 4-11 is coming back from May 2019. From just £25 (plus postage and packing) your child will get six weeks coaching, a racket, a personalised t-shirt and a pack of mini-tennis balls. Places are limited; contact Carl quickly to express interest. Social Tennis: Starting from late April, we will be introducing regular club social tennis afternoons on Saturdays from 2-4pm. Come and join us for a hit and maybe a drink afterwards in the pavilion. Road to Wimbledon: Saturday, May 4 at 2pm: Fun singles tournament for kids 14 and under with the winner going on to represent the club at regional finals and possibly going all the way to Wimbledon! Mini Tennis: Mini Tennis RED (ages 5-7) and Mini Tennis Orange (ages 8-11) squads will return to the club after the Easter break and are a great way for kids to continue to build their tennis skills after Tennis4Kids. Great British Tennis Weekend: A free tennis open day taking place towards the end of May 2019. Come along and meet our coach, have a go against the ball machine or just meet other tennis minded people. Exclusive membership offers available on the day with adult starting from just £25 a year and juniors from just £10 a year. Contact Carl for more information: carl.douglas@talk21.com / 07553 966380 www.clubspark.lta.org.uk/BramfordTennisClub www.facebook.com/BramfordTennisClub
Minister: The Rev Derek Grimshaw 01473 805486 / dkgrimshaw@msn.com Steward: Ms R Palmer, 01473 831117 Please feel free to contact either of us with any queries. Baptisms, marriages and funerals by arrangement with the minister, who will also arrange Holy Communion for the housebound. Sunday 10.30-11.30am*: Morning Worship with Holy Communion every third Sunday 10.30-11.30am: Lighthouse Club for ages 5+ (term time only). Bible stories, painting, card making, biscuit decorating, etc. plus free leaflet to take home. 4-6pm: Families@4, an informal get-together with afternoon tea provided and a children’s activity (see diary for theme). Come and go as you please. This is not a service but our minister usually joins us. (Held once a month; please check diary) Monday 2-3pm: Bible Study, an informal look at issues that those present wish to discuss (every third Monday) Tuesday 2-3pm*: Network/MWiB, our ladies meeting, but gentlemen are always welcome (second and fourth Tuesdays from October-April and second Tuesday from May-September) Wednesday 10am-noon: Computer Club (term time only) Thursday 3-3.30pm*: United Service (very informal) at Cherryfields (first Thursday) Saturday 10-11am: Coffee Morning at the Methodist Church or at Cherryfields (see below / third Saturday of month) *followed by tea/coffee DIARY FOR APRIL Please see noticeboard for dates, time and venue for the Lent Course Thursday 4: 3pm United Service at Cherryfields Sunday 7: 10.30am Morning Worship, Mrs A Holmes Tuesday 9: 2pm Network/MWiB. Ken Snow: Ten Pound a Mile Sunday 14, Palm Sunday: 10.30am Morning Worship & Holy Communion, The Rev D Grimshaw Monday 15: 2pm Bible Study Monday 15: 7.30pm Evening Prayer for Holy Week (approx. 30/40mins) Tuesday 16: 7.30pm Evening Service for Holy Week at St Mary’s Wednesday 17: 7.30pm Evening Prayer for Holy Week (approx. 30/40 mins) Thursday 18, Maundy Thursday: 7.30pm Celebration of Communion to commemorate the Last Supper at St Mary’s Friday 19, Good Friday: 10am Procession of Witness and Meditation Starting at St Mary’s and proceeding to the Methodist Church, pausing outside the Co-op to sing hymns. Saturday 20: 10am Coffee Morning at Cherryfields Sunday 21, Easter Sunday: 10.30am Morning Worship, Mrs M Watsham Tuesday 23: 2pm Network/MWiB, Daphne Elliss Sunday 28: 10.30am Morning Worship, Mr B Nichols Sunday 28: 4-6pm Families@4, Rev D Grimshaw. Theme: A Bible Story
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CHURCH NEWS ST MARY THE VIRGIN BRAMFORD, ST MARY NETTLESTEAD, ST MARY THE VIRGIN LITTLE BLAKENHAM, ST PETER BAYLHAM Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Jenny Seggar 01473 747819 / revjseggar@outlook.com www.the-tew-family.co.uk/stmbramford SERVICES IN APRIL Sunday, April 7: The Fifth Sunday of Lent 10am Holy Communion, Bramford 6pm Evening Prayer, Baylham Sunday, April 14: Palm Sunday 8am Holy Communion, Bramford 10am Parish Communion, Nettlestead 5pm 5pm Service, Bramford Monday, April 15 7.30pm Evening Service, Methodist Church Tuesday, April 16 2.30pm The Gathering, Church Room 7.30pm Evening Service, Bramford Wednesday, April 17 9.30am Communion, Bramford Vicarage 7.30pm Evening Service, Methodist Church Thursday, April 18: Maundy Thursday 7.30pm Communion, St Mary’s Bramford To commemorate the Last Supper. During this service the altars will be stripped in preparation for Good Friday and we will end with a short prayer vigil. Friday, April 19: Good Friday 10am Procession of Witness and Meditation starting at St Mary’s, Bramford Saturday, April 20: Easter Eve 5pm Easter Fire Service, Baylham Sunday, April 21: Easter Sunday 8am Holy Communion, Bramford 10am Parish Communion, Little Blakenham 10am Easter Sunday Service, Methodist Church Wednesday, April 24 9.30am Communion, Bramford Vicarage Saturday, April 27 10am Coffee Morning, Church Room Sunday, April 28: Easter 2 8am Communion, Bramford 10am 4th Sunday Service, Bramford Please check porch notices for any changes. Dear Friends, This month sees The Rev Jenny’s return. I am sure she will be invigorated and ready for the challenges ahead. I hope, like me, you are looking forward to her return. However, after three years being churchwarden, I will be standing down from the role which has given me a degree of satisfaction and a sense of achievement, being involved with such mundane jobs as the installation of a new roof alarm, revamping the heating and the sound system. Wendy and I have been involved with fundraising for about 20 years and family needs demand we have a break. We are not leaving the area, or the church. Wendy’s ancestors have been worshiping here for generations
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and we don’t intend to stop. Any knowledge we have learnt will not be lost and we will be available to pass on and advise on pragmatic ways of coping with the intricacies of the diocese and other problems that may arise. My thanks to all who have helped me in the past, and especially to Ken who has taken on the role of magazine coordinator. My best regards to you all, Stewart PARISH REGISTERS Baptisms February 17: Dylan Peter James Singleton, Bramford May he grow in grace and the knowledge of God. Funerals February 18: Colin Devereux, Bramford February 19: Janet Priscilla Lana Garrett, Bramford February 20: Harold Benjamin Good, Bramford We extend our sympathy and prayers to their families Cleaning Rota: S & W McGinty Flower Rota: April 7 & 14 – Lent; 21 & 28 – Easter Floodlighting of the spire of St Mary’s Church February 26: In memory of Milly (Nee Drane) Milly passed away on February 26 in Ohio at the age of 93. She was the last survivor of the 14 children of Emma and Earnest Drane of Bramford. March 2: In memory of Graham Jones on his birthday April: In memory of Peggy and Tom Wardley, much loved parents of Diane Curran April 12: In memory of Tim Curran April 15: In memory of Hazel Gibson on her birthday If you would like to have the spire floodlit please ring Stewart on 01473 462231. The requested donation is £10 per week. LECTIONARY Bible readings for our Sunday Worship are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. It is good to share the reading of Scripture with Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, across the world. April 7: The Fifth Sunday of Lent - Purple Isaiah 43.16-21 Philippians 3.4b-14
John 12.1-8
April 14: Palm Sunday - Red Isaiah 50.4-9a Philippians 2.5-11
Luke 22.14 – 23.56 or Luke 23.1-49
April 21: Easter Sunday - Gold Isaiah 65.17-25 1 Corinthians 15.19-26 John 20.1-18 or Acts 10.34-43 or Acts 10.34-43 or Luke 24.1-12 April 28: Easter 2 - White Acts 5.27-32 Revelation 1.4-8
John 20.19-31
FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT The Sunday school teacher had been telling the children about the apostles, their names and something for which each of them was famous. She then asked them to choose an apostle and to draw a picture of him. One boy drew a picture of a man standing in front of a row of cars. Confused, the teacher asked the boy which apostle had drawn. “It’s Matthew,” replied the boy. “And the cars?” asked the teacher. “You said that Matthew was a collector of taxis,” explained the boy. Just in case you didn’t know, Matthew was a collector of taxes!
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CHURCH NEWS THE CLAYDON GROUP OF CHURCHES The Church of England in Claydon and Barham, Henley and Great Blakenham We offer you a warm welcome to all our events and services. We offer you a warm welcome to all our events and services. For enquiries about baptisms, weddings and funerals contact: Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Carl Melville, Claydon Rectory 01473 833542 / carlmelville@hotmaill.com Letter from the Vicar By now we may or may not have left the EU. It seems we are uncertain if parliament will back vital tweaks to the exit deal. Whatever, we are more uncertain about Brexit than we were two years ago! Uncertainty is something I come across all the time. Uncertain what time church services are, uncertain that I might be made welcome in church, uncertain whether or not I believe in God or not. Easter is about certainty in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. A dead body rising again. A body with no life, given new and glorious life. That is a lovely and beautiful thing, but it doesn’t necessarily help with our uncertainty! Faith is being sure of the things we cannot see and certain of the things we hope and long for. Jesus didn’t die on the cross to create a bundle of questions about life and death, God and faith. He died that we might be firm in the hope of heaven – a life spent with him. The cross of Jesus is not just about death. It is more about life the other side of it. Why don’t you join us to see how we live in that life now? The Revd Carl Melville carlmelville@hotmail.com SERVICES IN APRIL Henley Church: every Sunday at 9.30am Barham Church: every Sunday at 10am Gt Blakenham Church: every Sunday at 11am St Peter’s Church, Claydon is usually open during daylight hours Sunday, April 7: Passion Sunday 10am Passiontide Holy Communion, Barham Church 4.30pm families@4.30, Barham Church Sunday, April 14: Palm Sunday 8am Holy Communion, Barham Church 9.30am family@henley, Henley Church 10am Holy Communion, Barham Church 11am Holy Communion, Gt Blakenham Church Monday, April 15: Holy Monday 10am Holy Communion, Gt Blakenham Church 9pm Compline, Gt Blakenham Church Tuesday, April 16: Holy Tuesday 10am Holy Communion, Barham Church 7.30pm Stations of the Cross, Barham Church 9pm Compline, Barham Church Wednesday, April 17: Holy Wednesday 10am Holy Communion, Henley Church 9pm Compline, Henley Church Thursday, April 18: Maundy Thursday 6pm Agape Meal, GB Parish Room 8pm HC and Watch till Midnight, Gt Blakenham Church Friday, April 19: Good Friday 9.30am Children’s Workshops, Henley Church 9.30am Children’s Workshops, Barham Church 3pm Hour at the Cross, Gt Blakenham Church 7pm Words, Wonder, Worship, Henley Church
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Saturday, April 20: Holy Saturday 7pm Easter Vigil, Henley Church Sunday, April 21: Easter Day 9.30am All-Age Holy Communion, Henley Church 10am All-Age Holy Communion, Barham Church 11am All-Age Holy Communion, Gt Blakenham Church Sunday, April 29: Easter 2 10am Benefice Holy Communion, Henley Church 6.30pm Evensong, Henley Church Sunday, May 5: Easter 3 8am Holy Communion, Barham Church 9.30am Holy Communion, Henley Church 10am Holy Communion, Barham Church 11am family@blakenham, Gt Blakenham Church Further services can be found at: www.claydonchurches.com Social Media: Find us on Facebook and Twitter by searching ‘The Claydon Group of Churches’ NEWS Families@4.30: Our brand new service for families, children and youth with activities, crafts, food and a short service. Anyone is welcome for loads of fun! We meet on the first Sunday of every month at 4.30pm at Barham Church. Community Activities Group: Mentioned on page 9, the groups continue to thrive and run, including Meet ‘n’ Eat and our new Walk ’n’ Talk group. Visiting: If you or anyone you know would like a visit from a member of our pastoral team, please get in touch with Revd Carl, Revd Cathy or Revd Jenny. This might be at home or in hospital. Lifts to Church: If you’d like a lift to your local church, please contact Revd Carl who can organise this for you. Easter 2019: See poster on page 16. You are welcome to join us as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. St Mary’s 2020: Gt Blakenham Church has launched a major restoration and reordering project. You can help by raising money in a number of ways. Look at our website and click ‘Gt Blakenham Church’ for more information. Barham Bells: After Easter, Barham Church will launch a major project to restore the old bells in the tower. Currently derelict, we hope to rehang the old bells and add two new bells to make a peal of six. Tower tours and other fundraisers will be launched soon, so watch this space. FUTURE DATES April 5 April 7 April 14-21 May 27 June 8 June 15 June 29 June 30 July 13 August 7-9
Meet ‘n’ Eat, noon at Gt Blakenham Parish Room Bishop John Waine, 10am at Barham Church Holy Week (p21) Wedding Festival at GB Village Hall Barham Church Fete Henley Church Fete Barham Picnic and Band Concert Songs of Praise, St Peter’s, Claydon Gt Blakenham Village Fete and Doggy Day J-TEAM at Barham Church
HALL BOOKINGS Barham Church Hall: Zoe Groom, 831804 Gt Blakenham Parish Room: Reg Barton, 839958 Henley Church Vestry: Margaret Gerrard, 831463
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CHURCH NEWS
As we began the period of Lent I took some time to read through the accounts of the Easter story in the Bible. In the Gospel of John, I was struck by a question that the Roman Governor, Pilate asked Jesus when questioning him. Very simply he asked him “What is Truth?” (John 18:38)
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What is Truth? I can think of no better question for us to ask in our age of fake news, biased media, false rumours, internet scams and clickbait. It can be difficult getting to the truth about anything and everything. We also live in an age where many people claim that there is no such a thing as absolute truth anymore (a self-refuting statement since it requires absolute truth for it to make sense logically) and what is true for one person may not be true for another. We live in an age where the popular opinion is that we can simply choose our own truth individually. What prompted Pilate to ask his question was a statement Jesus made about himself. He told Pilate, “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Jesus claimed of Himself elsewhere in the same Gospel, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” This is an insanely bold statement! He is claiming that He is the very definition of truth, and that He is the exclusive way of Salvation. Many people think of Jesus as just a good moral teacher, but it seems to me that with statements like this, that isn’t really an option. C S Lewis summed it up well when he said: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else He would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” This Easter why not challenge yourself to see if there could be any substance to Jesus’ claim that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life? We’d love to invite you to join us for our Easter celebration on April 21 at 10.45am. WEEKLY EVENTS Monday Fortnightly: Little Owls Toddler Group, 10am-noon Tuesday: Weekly Prayer Meeting, 7.30-8.30pm Wednesday: Coffee Morning, 10am-noon. All welcome. Thursday: Home Group, 10-11.45am Friday: Children’s Club (primary school age), 6.30-7.30pm Sunday Morning Service: 10.45am-noon For more information contact Michael: 01473 839785 admin@blakenhambaptist.org.uk www.blakenhambaptist.org.uk
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