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CAPEL CAPERS

Volume 8 • Issue No. 3 • FEBRUARY 2018

Festival of Trees and Lights, see page 3

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NEWS

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR I simply can’t avoid writing about words and language this month as unusual words and phrases seem to be coming at me from all directions.

I have just spent a week in Ireland where ‘press’ meaning ‘cupboard’ and ‘yoke’ meaning just about everything else, including people (as in “yer man with the féasóg is a right yoke”) are common parlance, but I’ve also just finished a book by Mike Smith from The Waterboys in which he writes about many of the Irish musicians and writers he has worked with. One is a poet from Co Galway called Tomas McKeown who had a habit of running his hand over his bald head and saying “once there used to be waves, now it’s all shore”. How lovely is that?

On my desk I have a word calendar which I received from one of my lovely colleagues. It introduces a new word every day. Today it’s ‘palisade’, but my favourites so far have been ‘algid’ meaning cold and ‘wiseacre’ meaning one who pretends to knowledge or cleverness, otherwise known as a smart aleck. I think we all know a wiseacre or two!

And just last night a wonderful clip about strange words the Irish use popped up on Facebook. ‘Haymes’ is one we all use to describe getting something wrong, as in ‘he made a haymes of it’, particularly used at hurling matches! Another I might use more frequently is ‘banjaxed’ meaning broken or in a bad way, as you might be after a ‘night on the lash’.

‘Me feiner’ literally translates as ‘me myself’. To be called a ‘me feiner’ is the ultimate insult, meaning you have no thought for anyone but yourself, commonly used to describe politicians in Ireland.

I’ll leave you with a wonderful phrase I spotted on a poster at Dublin Airport: Dance as if no one’s watching, sing as if no one’s listening, and live everyday as if it were your last.

In Touch with Capel St Mary Published by: Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd, 20 Wharfedale Road, Ipswich IP1 4JP Editor: Sharon Jenkins Email: sharon@intouchnews.co.uk

01473 400380 Send editorial copy to: capel@intouchnews.co.uk Readers are invited to submit articles, illustrations and photographs for publication. The publishers reserve the right to amend such submissions and cannot accept responsibility for any loss.

Advertising Email: advertising@intouchnews.co.uk

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01473 400379 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 Capel St Mary is published by Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd as part of the “In Touch with . . . ” series of magazines.

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Festival OF TREES AND LIGHTS Not quite so hard this year, three people/families got all 26 correct. They were Sandra and Steve Bumphrey, Liz Dilworth and again the Clifford/ Scutcher family. The names were put into a hat and the winner was the Clifford/Scutcher family. The winner of the favourite tree was number 17 Capel Flower Club (India) beating Capel WI (New Zealand) by one vote. Very well done to you all. Thank you to everyone who took part in the quiz, which proved to be very thought-provoking. Below are the correct answers: NO WHO DRESSED THE TREE 1 CDC Street Dancing 2 Capel Community Church 3 Capel Ladies 4 Sing for Fun 5 Capel Methodist Church 6 Capel School 7 Dove Close 8 Forget me Knot’s Club 9 FunDancing 10 Friends of St Mary’s 11 Capel Mushroom Farm 12 Linda Evans and family 13 1st Capel Scout Group 14 St Mary’s Ladies Group 15 Capel WI 16 Garden Club 17 Capel Flower Club 18 St Mary’s Men’s Group 19 Drayton Insurance Services 20 Beacon Coffee Shop 21 Plough Football Club 22 Bright Start Childcare 23 Capel Community Trust/Asso.

24 1st Capel Brownies 25 Robins Childcare 26 Capel Parish Council

NAME OF COUNTRY? Scotland Northern Ireland Malta Seychelles Grenada Malaysia Sri Lanka Wales Trinidad and Tobago Zimbabwe Solomon Islands Zambia South Africa Jamaica New Zealand Australia India Cyprus Barbados Kenya Fiji Islands Canada Tonga England Nigeria United Republic of Tanzania

Thank you once again to everyone who dressed a tree and also to the following for their help and assistance: Gladwells and Bypass Nurseries for donating trees; Liz Dilworth, Graham Whybrow and Denis Smith for transporting trees; Greg Garrad and Clinton Bratchell for the electrics/ lighting; Phil Butler for putting all the trees on the stands; Geoffrey Boyle for playing the organ.

Also everyone who supported us over the weekend and took part in the quiz, and a very big thank you to Sharon Jenkins, the editor of Capel Capers, who performed the grand switch on for us on Friday night, ably assisted by her son Jack (pictured on the front cover).

The Friends of St Mary’s are in desperate need of new committee members to enable us to continue to put on events such as The Festival of Trees and Lights in the future. Would you be interested in joining us?

For further information and without obligation please speak to Chris Terry on 01473 311102 or email: chrismterry@yahoo.co.uk

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NEWS CAPEL ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL

CAPEL@50 2018 is a special year for 1 Capel St Mary Scout Group as we are celebrating our 50th Birthday. We have various activities planned to mark this but our big event will be a Group Camp from Friday, June 29 to Sunday, July 1 at Vauxhall Farm, Great Wenham. On Saturday, June 30 we will be inviting friends and past members to join us there for a special celebration. st

More information will follow, but in the meantime we would be glad to hear from anyone who has been associated with the group during any of those 50 years.

Please contact Gill Williams: gillianwillia@btconnect.com / 07837 154947

DOVE CLOSE CHRISTMAS FAYRE Thank you to all the stall holders and visitors for making this year’s event such a great success.

Report from meeting held on Monday, January 8.

Present were Councillor Bishop, Bryant, Fenn, Harris, Hole, Kilby, Matthews (chair), Powell, Rogers, Streatfield, Thomas, Weaver, White, County Councillor Jones, District Councillor Swan, Julie Lawes (clerk) and two members of the public.

Capel St Mary Parish Council recommended approval to Babergh District Council for Planning Applications: Zaynabb, London Road – Application for Advertisement Consent 3 Ash Grove – Single Storey Rear extension Arosa, 1 Dawes Close – Two Storey Rear extension Village Hall, The Street – Application for Advertisement Consent The chair reported on recent development updates within the village (see below).

A report was received from Sgt Miah from Suffolk Police detailing 29 crimes from October to end December 2017 which included seven burglaries.

Copies available on request.

Capel St Mary Annual Parish Meeting will be held Wednesday, March 21 in the library. Guest speaker to be confirmed.

WE ARE LISTENING: HAVE YOUR SAY ON WHETHER TO CREATE A NEW COUNCIL Babergh and Mid Suffolk residents have until Monday, February 5 to submit their comments on draft proposals to create a new council in the heart of Suffolk.

The engagement, which was launched on Monday, December 11, asks residents and businesses in both districts to comment on proposals to dissolve both Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils and form a new, single council to cover the area.

Responses can be submitted online through a survey, directly via email to one.council@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk or in writing to the councils.

All of the views submitted will help inform a detailed business case, which will be drafted and considered by councillors later in the year. Every response received will be anonymised and attached, in full, to the business case.

An independent telephone survey of 4,000 residents is also being carried out by ComRes. This is a survey of a representative sample of residents in Babergh and Mid Suffolk by age, gender, geography, socio-economic grade and ethnicity. The anonymised results of this survey will be publicly available and will also inform the production of the business case.

Councillor Nick Gowrley, Leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, said: “We in Mid Suffolk have always worked hard to deliver the services our residents need, and with local government funding changing so radically over the coming years we need new and innovative ways to keep doing that. Our residents and businesses know best what support they need, and this is just the opportunity for them to tell us. With only three weeks left it’s time for everyone to take part.”

Councillor John Ward, who became Leader of Babergh District Council in January 2018, said: “There has already been a lot of debate and publicity about these proposals, but much of that has focussed on whether there will be a local referendum. I have resolved that aspect by making clear my commitment to holding a local referendum once a business case is available for residents to consider. This current engagement offers the chance to have your say on the future of public services in our area and what is most important to you. How people respond to this engagement and what they say will shape the future of local government and I encourage everyone to take the time to let us know their thoughts over the next three weeks.”

Additional information, including how to have your say online, is available at: www.babergh.gov.uk/the-council/onecouncil www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/the-council/onecouncil Anyone wishing to respond by post can send their responses to: One Council Engagement, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road Ipswich IP1 2BX

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Accounts were approved and presented for signing.

Clerk Julie Lawes The next meeting of Capel St Mary Parish Council will be on Monday, February 12 in the library.

There is an open session at each meeting when members of the public may speak. The actual minutes of meetings are available for viewing at the parish council office at 27a The Street, Capel St Mary, which is open from 10amnoon on Tuesdays and from 1-3pm on Fridays.

The parish clerk can be contacted on 01473 314103 during these times. An answer phone operates outside these hours and messages are picked up every day. Alternatively contact can be made by email: capel.parishclerk@btinternet.com www.capelstmary.onesuffolk.net

DEVELOPMENT IN CAPEL ST MARY In September BDC Planning Committee approved the application for 97 houses off Days Road. A further archaeological survey is now taking place and it is anticipated that work will commence on site in the near future.

Persimmon Homes have not submitted an appeal for the 150 houses off Longfield Road. However, I have been informed by the Planning Officer that an application has now been submitted for 100 houses on this site using the same access through Little Tufts.

Scott Properties are progressing their scheme for 450 houses and light industrial units on land off Red Lane. They have been awaiting further information from SCC Highways, and will be having further pre-application discussions with BDC. Chris Matthews Chair Capel St Mary Parish Council

PREMISES WANTED Janet Drake is looking to lease or purchase premises to accommodate her Mind Body Moment (Yogalates™) courses. Ideally exercise floor space of around 400 sq ft plus facilities (toilet, parking, etc). Accessible from the A12 within the circular area between Capel St Mary and Stratford St Mary.Please contact Janet on 07506 350455 or email: janet@mindbodymoment.co.uk

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The following letter from Capel Community Trust will be delivered to every home in Capel St Mary.

c/o 5 Smithers Close Capel St Mary Ipswich IP9 2HN Web: www.capelcommunitytrust.org Email: admin@capelcommunitytrust.org Tel: 01473 312026 Charity No: 267775 January 2018

Dear Resident On behalf of the Capel Community Trust Committee I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year to you all as I look back at our achievements especially over the last quarter of 2017.

Trustees believed it was important that the assets owned by the Trust were more clearly identified and therefore we started a process of improving and updating the Trust signage this included rebranding the village hall as the “Community Centre” which houses the Hall, Library, Vine Lounge and the bar. We need to encourage more parties and bookings from outside the village as the building takes a lot of money to maintain and we don’t want to have to pass higher costs onto the not for profit village groups that use it. From listening to people within and outside the Village the term “Village Hall” suggests a small building with limited resources and our hall offers so much more than that. (Further plans are being discussed to identify ways this valuable asset can be enhanced still further. Future letters will provide more details).

We had a wedding party in the hall recently and if you look at the photos on the website (www.capelcommunitytrust.org) it shows how attractive the Hall can be and it is this flexibility that enables us to meet the needs of a wide range of hirers as well as enabling local Village groups to function.

The area around the hall has been made safer by removing crumbling flower bed walls, uneven crazing paving and making the approach to the Library and Hall more attractive as these are important Village functions.

A new emergency exit incorporating a new ramp and lowered access step has been developed as we continue to protect the safety of users of the Community Centre.

Trustees agreed that the weed and bramble-infested hedging around the Hall play area should be removed to facilitate further opportunities to expand the play area and/or car parking in the future if possible when funds become available. This work was carried out by Stuart Harris and Iain Bramhill, both Trustees in cooperation with external contractors.

Safety is of prime importance to Trustees and none more so than the children’s play areas and as we had concerns that the monkey bars had deteriorated these were removed before an accident could happen. It was also an opportunity for a small working group to spend time carrying out some much-needed housekeeping in the area. We are looking to install a new piece of equipment but as this will cost a minimum of £10k we will need to wait for S106/CIL funds to be available.

The Trust was approached to provide greater facilities for teenagers in the Village including the provision of a skate park which Trustees have agreed will be a valuable increase in facilities and agreed this could be sited on the playing field. We are waiting for those who have proposed this development to raise the funds necessary for the skate park installation to start.

When the Hall is hired access to the bar areas is available and are shared with regular users. As part of our overall plan to develop the Hall the next area to be refurbished is the Vine Lounge and Family Bar. This will be a joint approach between the Association and the Trust. Funds for this redevelopment will come from a number of sources and include a new life membership scheme of the Association to help raise funds for this. A Membership form attached to this letter gives more detail.

Membership of the Association is a key fund-raising activity for the Trust and I would encourage all Residents to join the Association and get the benefits from joining such as discounted Hall hire, etc.

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We almost had a white Christmas and a group of hardy volunteers including several Trustees joined together to support the Christmas float collection which was another successful fund raiser and village event despite the weather on the Sunday we still collected £1341.55. Thank you to Bypass Nurseries for the donation of the tree once more, to Mark Ward for providing the float and for all those who opened their doors to collectors and of course Father Christmas who again managed to bring smiles to the many young children he met!

Thanks to Graham Whybrow and his team once again for building an impressive bonfire which was the centre piece of Bonfire Night and those who were responsible for the fireworks which again attracted more than a thousand people who enjoyed a safe and enjoyable evening.

Trustees work very hard to maintain and improve our assets for the benefit of all Residents who in the main see the benefits of our activities and treat our assets with care and respect.

However regrettably some people in the Village choose not to do so and as a result we see damage to Village assets which we have to replace or repair. Whether this is indiscriminate dog owners not clearing up their dog’s mess when walking in the playing field; destroying new signage or damaging equipment in the play areas or even smashing doors to our premises through their own negligence. We have instances of children climbing on the Hall roof damaging the solar panels put there to reduce our carbon footprint.

We have to repair or replace these damaged assets using funds which Residents donate that could be better utilised improving or replacing things for the benefit of all.

I would ask that if you see damage or vandalism taking place or are aware of those who cause the damage that you alert the Police or other bodies to enable perpetrators to be identified – after all its your assets we are protecting!

Following the letter we sent in September regarding Scotts proposed development on the site next to the playing field and the subsequent meeting that took place I wish to reaffirm the Trust’s position.

As individual Residents we do not want any development to take place which puts additional pressures on facilities in the Village such as roads, Doctor’s surgeries, etc.

As Trustees we are aware that the development, if it happens, will impact on the facilities for which we are responsible and we have to consider how we will meet these challenges. It is our view that failing to engage with developers irrespective of where in the Village development takes place will not enable us to enhance the facilities available to the Village.

We will continue to act responsibly and carefully as Trustees confident we have the backing of the majority of Residents.

Our next Trust Meeting is on Monday 22nd of January followed by the AGM on 26th February both in the Library at 8pm if you would like to attend or consider becoming a Trustee.

If you have any comments or queries on this letter or any matter relating to the Trust please email us at any of the addresses on our website.

Yours sincerely Mark Browning Chairman

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NEWS PERFECT WEATHER FOR CAPEL THERE’S NO KEEPING COMMUNITY TRUST’S CHRISTMAS FLOAT A GOOD MAN DOWN! The Christmas float continues to be one of the main annual fundraising activities of the trust and this year was no exception, raising £1,314.55 despite the snowy, icy weather on the Sunday. It was great to see Santa Claus stomping through the snow, as he would normally do at home in Lapland of course.

We would like to thank Mark Ward who has been the main sponsor for many years and drives the van carrying the Christmas tree and playing our favourite Christmas songs. White Christmas was particularly relevant this year! Mark also spent a couple of hours digging away the snow so the float was able to travel from its overnight stop back to the village, giving the reindeer the weekend off.

Jon, Steve, Stuart, Ben, Trevor and Mark decorated the float on Saturday lunchtime ready to set off at 4pm from Bypass Nurseries, who we would like to thank for donating the Christmas tree as they do each year.

Steve Ball’s daughter Carla has asked me to publish this account of his achievements in the last year. Steve lives on The Street so you may well know him, but whether you do or not, I think you will agree he’s a remarkable man and I completely understand why Carla is so proud of him. So in Carla’s words…

“My parents have lived in Capel St Mary for around 12 years now and love the village. My 65-year-old dad (a retired train driver) has always enjoyed his life, travelling at any opportunity and getting out walking whenever he can.

In the past he has done a couple of big walks for charity including Hadrian’s Wall and the West Highland Way. “All was going well for him until 18 months ago (June 2016) when out of the blue he was diagnosed with the horrible C word. And if that wasn’t bad enough he was diagnosed with a very rare type of cancer known as C.U.P.S (cancer of an unknown primary source). With this type of cancer there is no cure and it will always be classed as terminal. So for the past 18 months he has been in and out of Ipswich Hospital for copious amounts of chemo, blood tests, injections and so on. The chemo side effects have been very hard on his body, however he continues to soldier on though, staying strong, brave and positive at all times. He really is an inspiration to anyone!

Thank you to Austin and Dave, our Santas again this year, and to all the volunteers who helped with the collection, especially little Lauren who walked for at least seven hours over the two evenings.

We do knock on every door we can, but as we want to get to as many houses as possible and not knowing which ones have children and who needs a visit from Santa, we need to keep moving. It’s lovely when residents hear the float coming and are at the door ready to greet us.

The trust will use the money raised to continue with its work providing and maintaining facilities for the village for the benefit of all.

BURGLARIES IN CAPEL ST MARY Police are appealing for witnesses and urging communities to be vigilant following a number of burglaries in Capel St Mary.

In late December there have been three further burglaries reported to police, and officers are exploring whether these incidents may be linked.

Details of the incidents are as follows: Broom Way: At some time between 10am and 10pm on Friday, December 29 offenders forced entry to an address and stole a quantity of jewellery and cash.

Chalkners Close: Between 4pm on Friday, December 29 and 4pm on Saturday, December 30 a house was broken into. Windows at the rear of the property were smashed and jewellery and cash stolen.

Rylands: Sometime between Sunday, December 24 and Sunday, December 31 suspect/s forced entry to the rear of the property and stole a quantity of jewellery including a gold wedding ring and diamond and gold studded earrings.

Witnesses or anybody who has any information are asked to call the police on 101 quoting 82170/17 (Broom Way), 82300/17 (Chalkners Close) or 82437/17 (Rylands).

As the majority of the burglaries in this series involve houses being entered by force rather than because of lack of security, police are urging members of the public to be their eyes and ears and ‘See it, Hear it, Report it’.

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“Back in May 2017 dad decided he wanted to give something back to the amazing team at the Oncology Department at Ipswich Hospital so he decided it was time for another charity walk. He walked the 50 mile Norfolk Coastal Path from Hunstanton to Cromer over five days while battling the chemo side effects. He would not let that beat him and completed the walk raising around £2,500 which has since been spent on new equipment for the chemo ward.

“Not long after this walk in July 2017 we found out that the chemo had stopped working and the cancer had come back even more aggressively, so dad was then started on a different chemo. Then again in November 17 we found out that the second chemo had been unsuccessful and dad is now on a third type of chemo administered via a permanent PICC line. This third chemo is very strong and has a lot of side effects which makes dad weak most of the time. Again this has not stopped him and he decided to plan another charity walk, this time for the chemo ward Colchester Hospital, and set off to walk Peddar’s Way from Knettishall Heath to Hunstanton at the start of December 2017. Again this was approximately 50 miles over five days. The only difference this time is that he had to have company with him every day just in case he was taken ill along the way. To date dad’s second walk has raised another £2,700 which will go towards the new cancer ward at Colchester Hospital.

“I am hoping that featuring my dad’s story might help other people in similar situations, it might encourage others to see that – even battling this awful illness – you can still make a difference.”

For anyone wishing to donate please go to Steve’s justgiving page: www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Ball11

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NEWS REPORT TO PARISHES, MID-SAMFORD WARD: JANUARY 2018 BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCILLOR SUE CARPENDALE The recent leadership fracas at Babergh all stemmed from cabinet re-visiting, without due notice and procedure, the issue of a merger with Mid Suffolk and an early telephone survey by way of public consultation. Regardless of arguments for and against a merger, many of us felt that given the resounding rejection by Babergh residents in 2011, the public should be properly consulted again. There is now a promise of a binding public vote.

Merger was one of five options listed in the original report to cabinet. Many members feel there is value in properly evaluating all options, and promoting a genuine consultation with residents about the future of local government in Suffolk. Key issues are not just costs and efficiencies – fair enough – but also about representation of residents, and when, why and how people need to interact with the council. Who do they turn to for help and information?

What would be the impact if local councillors represented a bigger area and more people? Would it help – or not – if a councillor had direct access to all council tiers, services and functions? Should residents be able to comment on a range of options and preferences?

With the removal of grants to councils from central government, local authorities are likely to face some radical changes in order to survive and to deliver essential services. Do they all need to have their own ‘back-office’ departments, e.g. HR and Finance? Suffolk already has a shared legal services team, and Babergh, Mid Suffolk and Ipswich have a Shared Revenues and

Benefits partnership. There may be other models for the future which are better than simply merging district councils, even though two such mergers are already on the cards elsewhere in the county.

Future of Babergh’s Hadleigh HQ buildings Some members have asked to inspect the current state of the Hadleigh offices. We are expecting to receive a confidential briefing shortly about future options for both HQ sites. A marketing consultancy, with a budget of up to £550K, has been hired to undertake the work necessary to get the best possible value from both sites.

Moves to decommission the offices were taken swiftly. Furniture and equipment not being taken to Endeavour House were put up for auction to staff, councillors, community groups, parishes and charities. This was reasonably successful as 28 different groups across both Needham and Hadleigh got involved, with 46 originally expressing an interest.

Babergh only donated furniture items and some unwanted small items and stationery. An initial closed-bid auction saw 280 items sold to staff and members, which raised £1,711. Other items deemed to have a reasonable resale value were sold commercially, including the kitchen equipment at Hadleigh and the integrated audio visual equipment. sue.carpendale@babergh.gov.uk

BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCILLOR FENELLA SWAN Following the resignation of Jennie Jenkins as leader of Babergh District Council at a meeting of the full council in December, John Ward was elected as the new leader on January 4. John has been the district councillor for the Lower Brett Ward which covers the villages of Higham, Layham, Polstead, Raydon and Shelley since 2015. Since becoming a councillor he has held two portfolios: the environment for six months prior to the new cabinet governance model, and the economy portfolio since then and he has built up a good understanding across other areas of the council’s business.

“For housing, we need to ensure more is available within the reach of people’s incomes. I want to see a substantial increase in the availability of social and affordable housing, which we are committed to do using the HRA. The recent acquisition of affordable housing in Holbrook is good news and I will work to ensure that it is followed by more in the coming months. We also, though, need to increase the supply of market value housing to try to reduce the high price/salary ratio in the district. And we must build more starter homes for first time buyers.”

In his speech to council John talked about the proposed merger with Mid Suffolk District Council and said that he accepts that there must be a more formal public consultation than the telephone poll and that the will of the council is to have a referendum.

John went on to talk about other council projects he wished to see completed, or substantially underway with a completion date in sight, before the next council elections in May 2019.

He has committed to holding a referendum once a full business case has been carried out, including benefits and costs of merger weighed against other options, to present to residents. There will also be a final debate and vote by the full council.

John went on to say that he wants to: “address the difficulties and challenges the district faces as highlighted in the recent social mobility report. We must concentrate on the two most important things that will improve this: housing provision and economic growth. We must do more for young people by providing homes and jobs.

The first of these is the disposal of the vacated council building in Corks Lane, with a reuse plan that maximises the value of the property for Babergh and which provides benefit to Hadleigh.

The next is to ensure that projects are underway for Belle Vue in Sudbury – for both the land and the house.

Lastly, to see projects underway, in partnership with South Suffolk Leisure for the Kingfisher and Hadleigh Leisure centres.

These are all realistic and achievable within the time available until May 2019. fenella.swan@babergh.gov.uk

Dad always gave her roses. With their help, today was no different Here for you every hour of every day

01473 851924

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NEWS

ST ELIZABETH HOSPICE Many thanks to everyone who supported the raffle held at Replay’s Christmas Party at Capel Village Hall on December 16. A total of £200, included a donation of £35, was raised which and this was passed on to the hospice.

The tribute fund for my father Patrick Read now stands at £22,155 as at December 14, 2017, a fantastic amount that has been raised in his memory and has been used to help provide exceptional care to patients and their families for the past 21 years. Many thanks to everyone who has supported this worthwhile cause.

Thanks also to everyone who has left stamps, foreign coins, etc. at my house or the doctors surgery.

Linda Morrison, Hospice Rep for Capel St Mary

CAPEL COMMUNITY TRUST AGM The annual general meeting of Capel Community Trust will be held in the library on Monday, February 26 at 8pm.

If you use the village hall, play areas and playing field please come along and share your thoughts on improvements for 2018.

If you would like more information please contact Mandy on 01473 312026 or email Sandra: admin@capelcommunitytrust.org

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM BURGLARIES Recently across the county there have been a number of dwelling burglaries.

Please don’t make it easy for them. Burglars look for homes with no signs of life. Leave a light on, or the radio, or better still both. Think of PIR lighting for the outside which may alert you or your neighbours. There are a number of preventative measures you can take.

Remember to lock your doors, windows and gates. Make sure your valuables are not in view, are secured safely somewhere within your home, or placed in a place that you wouldn’t necessarily think to look for such items.

Burglar alarms and cameras are also good deterrents.

Marking your property and/or taking photos of valuables is also useful to you and to us should the worst happen. Keeping a note of serial numbers may help us reunite you with your items in the event of a burglary and the items being found.

Don’t forget the outbuildings either. These can be alarmed and should be secured at all times.

Theft from Motor Vehicles Unfortunately this type of crime is also very easy if you haven’t secured your vehicle. If your vehicle is left insecure you will probably not be covered on your insurance if items are stolen. Remove tools overnight, secure the vehicle and leave nothing that may entice someone to break in.

You can register your items/valuables at: www.imobolise.com

CERVICAL SCREENING I know I wrote an article about cervical screening last February, but as screening is now hitting a 20 year low I feel it is really important to bring it up again. It’s hard to believe that already the “Jade Goody effect” has passed. Jade Goody passed away from cervical cancer in 2009 aged just 27 years old. She hit the headlines and her battle with cervical cancer was well documented on TV. It had a really positive effect on the uptake of cervical screening. Fast forward just five years and in 2014 in the UK 37% of women aged 25-29 missed out on their test. That’s despite more than half (52%) of cervical cancers in the UK being in the under 45 age group.

In England, ladies are invited for cervical screening every three years for those aged 25-49 and then every five years for those aged 50-65.

Ladies, I know we find reasons to put off the test – we are busy looking after children, working, running the home, don’t have the time, it’s embarrassing, it’s going to hurt, etc., but the appointment for your smear only takes 10 minutes. I admit it’s not the nicest 10 minutes for us, but it is only 10 minutes.

I take smears as part of my role as a practice nurse and I have to admit that I do not like being on the receiving end. I too find it embarrassing, but I do make sure that I go for the tests. Friends have asked before if it bothers me to take smears. Do I look at hairy legs? Or chipped toe nail varnish? The answer is no! It does not in the least way bother me to take smear samples – people worry the nurse will find it disgusting – we don’t! Yes I am seeing a lady, vulnerable and on a couch, but you would be treated with care and compassion and the test is over within minutes. I am not interested in whether you have shaved and moisturised recently, I am there to have a look at your cervix and take a sample of the cells.

Is it awkward seeing the lady in the playground afterwards? For me, no!

It might be for the lady as they might recognise me, but for me, I might recognise someone’s face but I will not remember that I know your face because I did your smear. I see a lot of patients in my working week for a whole variety of different reasons so although your face might look familiar, the rest is not!

Ladies who are 25 and over and have had the HPV (human papilloma virus) injection at school – you should still go for your routine screening.

The vaccine is effective for the two most common strains of HPV which cause 70% of cervical cancers but it does not prevent them all.

Ladies who are under 25 years old and are worried about symptoms and want a smear done – there isn’t any point in us taking the sample as the lab would not test it. However, it is advisable to see a GP. This applies to everyone – if you have bleeding between your periods, during or after sex or any time after your menopause then see your GP and they will run some tests and refer you to gynecology if they need to.

Another hurdle people come across is that they are told they need to make the appointment mid-cycle. Often there are then issues with trying to get the nurse availability to line up with your cycles. In actual fact, we can take the sample any time in your cycle as long as you are not bleeding heavily that day so please do not let the day 14 rule put you off.

If you have any worries or questions then please do get in touch with me – we have a Facebook page from where any message sent to it goes just to me and my contact details are written below. Please do not take a chance on cervical cancer going undiagnosed.

Until next month, if you any queries or questions please contact Hadleigh SNT at Hadleigh Police Station, Magdalen Road, Hadleigh IP7 5AD / hadleigh.snt@ suffolk.pnn.police.uk

Blessings, Caroline

EMERGENCY: CALL 999 NON-EMERGENCY: CALL 101 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @HadleighPolice POLICE CONNECT: suffolk.police.uk/policeconnect

Margaret: 07588 698284 / Margaret@CapelParishNurses.org.uk Monday and Wednesday, 9am-4pm

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Caroline: 07588 706869 / Caroline@CapelParishNurses.org.uk Wednesday and Friday, 9.30am-2.30pm

www.CapelParishNurses.org.uk

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OUT & ABOUT NOTES FROM THE CASE

CONSTABLE SINGERS

Suffolk’s first Co-operative Pub

Happy New Year to you all. This would be a good time to join our choir as we start on new songs for the coming season. We sing each Thursday at The Lambe School in East Bergholt and on the second Thursday of each month at The Congregational Church in East Bergholt starting at 7pm. No audition, words provided and the first session is free. Thereafter it’s £5 per session so come along and enjoy.

FUN AND GAMES AT THE CASE! New for 2018 – Games Evenings: Saturday, February 10 Come and join a team to play some good old-fashioned board games with like-minded friends and neighbours and perhaps make new friends. Make an occasion of it by booking for a set meal at the special price of £6.50. Food served 6.30-7.30pm, games start at 8pm. If there’s enough demand, we plan to make this a regular mid-monthly event. See you there!

Monthly Quiz: Saturday, February 24 Our monthly quizzes continue on Saturday, February 24. Curry served as usual from 6-8pm. If you’d like to guest-host a quiz, tell one of our bar volunteers or drop an email to Chris at cottage.garden@btinternet.com and we’ll put you on the rota.

Open Mic Evening: Tuesday, February 6 The next Open Mic evening will be on Tuesday, February 6. All performers welcome – bring your instrument, PA provided. You’ll get a warm welcome!

New Year, New Challenge Our community pub depends heavily on volunteers to keep it running. If you love the pub and want to see it continue to be successful, would you consider joining our team? You don’t have to pull pints (though that is the most popular job) – you could wait at table, wash up, clean, provide support in the kitchen… No experience is necessary: most of us had none when we started. Let someone behind the bar know or leave a note at the pub with your name and email address or phone number. We’d love to hear from you.

For further details contact Mel (01206 298628) or Yvonne (01206 298428),

OLIVER IS COMING TO CAPEL The Orchard Players are performing the best musical ever in July 2018 with lots of youth, lots of dancing, lots of great songs and lots of fun.

The story of an orphan boy who runs away from the workhouse to London and ends up in Fagin’s gang of young pick pocket’s and thieves. With the evil Bill Sykes and his devoted partner Nancy who would do anything for him. The artful Dodger leading the gang of boys on their thieving sprees, until Oliver gets caught. A kindly gentleman saves Oliver from prison and takes him in.

Bill Sykes wants him back so gets Nancy to kidnap Oliver and take him back to Fagin’s den. Nancy, not being able to go through with it, tries to take Oliver back to the kindly gentleman, with grave consequences.

Unforgettable songs like Food Glorious Food, I’d Do Anything, Who Will Buy, He Needs Me, and of course Oom-Pah-Pah. Come and see what it’s all about.

And if you’re a shareholder (there are over 200 of you out there) you might consider joining the management committee and having a say in how the pub is run.

Read-Through Tuesday, February 6 at 7.30pm in Capel Library Thursday, February 8 at 7.30pm in Capel Village Hall

01473 805575 / www.thecasepubbentley.co.uk

Auditions Sunday, February 11, 2-6pm in Capel Village Hall

DOCTORS SURGERY ROTA We apologise for the fact that this is temporarily suspended because we were advised that all our volunteers are obliged to take a DBS check. This is currently being done and we hope to resume normal service in the very near future.

For more information please contact Glyn Hill: 07986 319163

CAPEL IRISH SET DANCE GROUP

Chris Yule

CLASH AVOIDER This diary has been introduced to help avoid date clashes in the village. Every effort will made to keep this list up-to-date, but please be aware that sometimes dates may be cancelled, postponed or re-arranged at short notice. This diary is not intended to be an allinclusive what’s on and will only highlight significant dates.

If you want to add an event please submit in the following format (date, event, venue and contact) to sharon@intouchnews.co.uk with Capel Event Diary in the subject line.

Saturday & Sunday, June 23 & 24 2018: Village Scarecrow Trail.

Contact Chris Terry: 01473 311102

Capel Irish Set Dance Group meets at St Mary’s Church Hall on the third Sunday of every month (except August and the second Sunday in December) from 2-5.30pm.

We are a friendly group and it’s not necessary to have a partner. In fact you’re welcome to come along just to enjoy the music.

2018 Dates: February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17, July 15, September 16, October 21, November 18 and December 9.

Hope to see you, Hille and Trevor Peartree, 01473 310146 Chris and Marjorie Haste, 01473 311615

Saturday, June 9: Fun Day at the Playing Field Saturday, September 1 & Sunday, September 2: Capel St Mary Allotments Association Annual Show, Capel Village Hall. Contact: show.secretary@capelallotments.co.uk

FORTY-SIXTH MANNINGTREE ART EXHIBITION

Saturday, November 3: Firework Night at the Playing Field

The 46th Manningtree Art Exhibition will take place over the Easter weekend.

Artists wishing to enter should request entry forms from Brian Cuthbertson: 01206 298635 / Brian@briancuth.plus.com

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OUT & ABOUT CAPEL LIBRARY I have just seen some new snowdrops and winter aconites springing up from the ground. I think that spring is the best season of all because it shows new growth coming through after long hard winter months. My thoughts now turn to re-designing the garden and moving shrubs and bushes. The library has lots of books on garden design, allotment and garden planting ideas so if you too feel inspired then check out the catalogue to help you in your gardening needs. The catalogue can be accessed online (www.suffolklibraries.co.uk) using your library number and PIN code. You can then select a library of your choice to pick books up from. Don’t forget that you can return any Suffolk library books to anywhere in the county so if you have been to Felixstowe for the day you can return them to Capel. In many instances the book will then stay on Capel’s shelves for someone else to read and enjoy.

CLUBS MEETING THIS MONTH Baby Bounce: Tuesdays 6, 20 and 27 at 2pm. No meeting during half term week (Tuesday 13). Do come along and join in with singing and action rhymes and have some fun with other children. Suitable for Under 5s, no charge.

Minecraft: Sundays 11 and 25 from 10.30am-12.30pm. Under 8s to be accompanied by an adult. No charge.

Library Book Group: Friday 16 at 2.30pm. Come along and share the latest book with the group and help choose the next read. Open to all adults who enjoy reading. Recent books read and comments shared are: Conclave by Robert Harris, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Beekeeper’s Daughter by Santa Montefiore. Everybody’s taste in books is different and we may not like some but really enjoy others. No charge.

Capel Creators: This club meets on Saturday mornings from 10.30am12.30pm. You can come for the whole duration or just drop in. There is a charge of 50p which covers refreshments; creating can be thirsty work. Under 8s must be accompanied by an adult. Dates for the coming year are: Feb 17, Mar 31, Apr 28, May 26, June 23, July 21, Aug 18, Sept 29, Oct 27, Nov 24 and Dec 22. Themes will be announced on the day but may include creatures, gardens and wearable Lego. Do come along and see what you can create.

SISTER ACT BY BRANTHAM AMATEUR THEATRICAL SOCIETY Tuesday, February 13 to Saturday 17 at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm A diva, a gang lord, a detective and a stage full of dancing nuns...

After the recent success of Little Shop Of Horrors, here at BATS we’ve set ourselves another sensational challenge and we are excited to announce our next production is the musical spectacular Sister Act, a feel-good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film that has audiences jumping to their feet.

When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won’t be a found: a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community, but in doing so blows her cover. Soon, the gang is giving chase, only to find them up against Deloris and the power of her newly found sisterhood.

Already our cast are busy warming up their vocals and learning all their moves, while the construction crew and wardrobe team are busy beavering away behind the scenes. It’s definitely another exciting year and it’s going to be another fabulous feel-good evening for our audiences, so don’t forget to get your tickets.

Tickets (adults £8 / children £6) are on sale from Bakes & Blossoms or online at: www.ticketsource.co.uk/branthamamateurtheatricalsociety Enquiry Line: 07891 974844

Libby, the One-Tap Reading App Thousands of eBooks and audiobooks for every reader. Borrow instantly for free on any device.

Step 1: Download the Libby app Step 2: Find your library Step 3: Enter your library card and enjoy.

Do you need help with your iPad, laptop or Android? Then make an appointment with Trevor on a Tuesday morning. He will give one-toone advice for one hour, free of charge. Pop into the library to make your appointment now. We also have iPads available for loan.

Gentle reminder: please bring your library card with you on each visit.

Thank you.

OPENING TIMES Monday: closed Tuesday: 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm Wednesday: 9.30am-12.30pm Thursday: 9.30am-12.30pm Friday: 2-5pm & 5.30-7.30pm Saturday: 9am-3pm Sunday: 10am-3pm Contact: 01473 311699

EAST BERGHOLT HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION Table Top Sale at East Bergholt High School Sunday, February 25, 10am-noon Admission 50p Indoor ‘car boot’ sale, refreshments and free car park available For sellers: tables in advance £5 or £7.50 on the day Doors open 9am to set up Contact: 07802 810080

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OUT & ABOUT TEA & COMPANY Monday, February 19 at Wenham View, Dove Close All welcome to come along from 2.30pm £1.50 for tea/coffee and homemade cakes Raffle

VILLAGE LINK CLUB At our January meeting, Colette Flude gave a talk on first aid in which she got us thinking about what to do if we found someone needing help. This starts with what to check for – consciousness, breathing, pulse, etc. – and how to get professional help. Most people knew the UK emergency number is 999, but few knew that the Europe wide 112 number also works in the UK. Colette then went on to demonstrate CPR and how to obtain and use the defibrillators being located in public access points should it be needed.

The talk on February 14 in on the legendary TV programme Dad’s Army and will be followed by our annual members’ lunch at a local hostelry.

FRIENDS OF CAPEL LIBRARY First things first, it is my privilege to take over the chair from Chris Yule and I would like to take the opportunity of thanking Chris for all his hard work over the last few years.

Now back to business, how are your New Year resolutions going? My guess is that you’ve given up some already. Well why not make a new one to visit the library at least once a month. Suffolk Libraries have bucked the national trend for closures, but we cannot take this for granted in these use it or lose it times.

The library is a central hub for the community and is used by young and old alike and everyone in-between. It’s not just about books, but is also a place to meet and take part in regularly organised events, such as our successful cinema nights where the audience have recently enjoyed films such as Churchill and Dunkirk.

Did you get a tablet PC for Christmas and are not sure what to do with it?

Well why not book into one of our popular computer classes to learn how to make the most of it?

While you’re making that resolution, why not become a member of the ‘Friends’ to help us continue improving facilities provided at the library?

Hopefully, by the time you are reading this, our new reception area will have been installed and we will already be well underway with our plans for 2018.

Lastly, we have vacancies for two new trustees, so if you can spare a couple of hours a month, why not join our dedicated team? If you are interested please contact us at the library.

Future talks: A History of Scarecrows, Pray Silence for ? and The History of Butley Priory.

Trevor Stevenson

Meetings are held at 10am on the second Wednesday of every month in Tattingstone Village Hall. Following the speaker we have refreshments, when there is time for a chat with other members, and a raffle. New members and visitors are welcome to join us.

CAPEL LADIES CLUB

Roger Felgate, 01473 311684

ACORN VILLAGE Are you looking for a new challenge in 2018?

We’re looking for new volunteers to work in either the charity shops, sorting sheds, onsite at Acorn Village or at events to raise funds to help adults with learning disabilities.

Call 01206 394124, email info@acornvillages.com, pop into the shops to speak to the friendly volunteers or visit Acorn Village directly.

Christmas Meal at Gt Blakenham Chequers There was a jolly atmosphere at The Chequers, Great Blakenham, on December 7 where a large party of Capel Ladies Club members gathered for their annual Christmas meal. The service was good, the decor was bright and modern, the tables were festive and the meal was delicious. Generous portions were served piping hot and everyone enjoyed the dishes they had chosen. It was definitely a good start to Christmas 2017.

Christmas Social Our Christmas Social 2017 was another happy occasion with decorations on the tables, a grand Christmas raffle, the members’ hamper draw and even a Secret Santa surprise at the end. As usual each member brought a plate of food to share and there was a tremendous variety of snacks and party food. Irene Carder had a seasonal quiz for us with chocolates as prizes, and the winners were Beryl Backler and Sue Woolgar. The draw for the fantastic Christmas hamper, put together by Pat Bradford and Shirley Ward, was won by Jacky Lloyd amidst great applause. Di Barker thanked all the committee for their hard work over the year and reminded everyone of the coming AGM in January when some new committee members will be chosen.

If you think you would enjoy any of our activities as reported during 2017 why not make a New Year’s resolution to join us in 2018? Ring Di Barker on 311870 for further details or visit: www.capelladies.com.

CRAFTERS UNLIMITED A craft club which meets on the first Monday of the month (except for bank holidays when it’s the following Monday). Saturday workshops (10am4pm) and Monday meetings (7.30-10pm) are held in Wherstead Village Hall Meeting Rooms.

Monday, February 5: Assorted Paper Craft (Jill) Coming soon: a demonstration and talk by Louise Harwood Samples of each project are displayed the month before and other projects are available.

Contacts: Ann 01473 780298 / Jill 01473 713534

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CAPEL ST MARY & LITTLE WENHAM COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

IN THE COMMUNITY CENTRE

BT SPORT Available on the Big Screen in the Vine Lounge!

FREE WI-FI In both Bars!

CARD PAYMENT SERVICE now available!

FREE TABLE TENNIS Subject to Hall availability!

The Member’s Draw takes place every Friday night in the Vine Lounge.

BIG CASH PRIZES The winning member must be present in the Village Hall Complex to win or have had a go on the FRIDAY NIGHT DRAW!

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“BINGO” THURSDAY 15th February DOORS OPEN AT 7.30pm In the Vine Lounge Books £1 Or 6 Books £5 EYES DOWN 8.30pm “QUIZ NIGHT” SATURDAY 17th February DOORS OPEN 7.30pm In the Village Hall Maximum 6 people per Team £3.50 per person includes Nibbles

“BINGO” THURSDAY 15th March DOORS OPEN AT 7.30pm In the Vine Lounge Books £1 Or 6 Books £5 EYES DOWN 8.30pm “THE ONION BAND” SATURDAY 24th March DOORS OPEN 7.30pm In the Vine Lounge “Its folk Jim, but not as we know it!”

FREE Entry!

“KARAOKE” SATURDAY 7th April DOORS OPEN AT 7.30pm In the Vine Lounge FREE Entry!

To buy Tickets or book Quiz Teams, call in the Village Bar or ring Ruth - 07548130293 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE EVENTS MENTIONED ON THIS PAGE VISIT CAPEL VILLAGE BAR FACEBOOK PAGE OR THE WEBSITE

2018 Association Membership Membership renewal is due in January each year.

Application forms are available from Capel Village Bar In Touch online:

OUT & ABOUT VILLAGE HALL DIARY, FEBRUARY 2018 Sunday 18 Trampoline Club, 9.30am-noon, hall

Thursday 1 Coffee Shop, 10am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Capel Ladies, 7-10.30pm, library Friday 2 Strength and Balance Class, 10.30-11.30am, library Saturday 3 Dog Training, 9.30-11.30am, hall Sunday 4 Trampoline Club, 9.30am-noon, hall Tuesday 6 Beacon Coffee Shop, 9am-12.30pm, Vine Lounge Zumba, 9.30-10.30am, hall Zumba Gold, 10.45-11.30am, hall Carpet Bowls, 1.30-5pm, hall Ballroom Dance Private Lessons, 6.15-8.15pm, hall Ballroom All Levels, 8.15-9.15pm, hall Orchard Players, 7-10pm, library

Monday 19 Association Meeting, 8-10.30pm, library Tuesday 20 Beacon Coffee Shop, 9am-12.30pm, Vine Lounge Zumba, 9.30-10.30am, hall Zumba Gold, 10.45-11.30am, hall Carpet Bowls, 1.30-5pm, hall Ballroom Dance Private Lessons, 6.15-8.15pm, hall Ballroom All Levels, 8.15-9.15pm, hall Community Cinema, 7.30-10.30pm, library Wednesday 21 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Thursday 22 Coffee Shop, 10am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Gardening Club, 7-10.30pm, library

Wednesday 7 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall

Friday 23 Strength and Balance Class, 10.30-11.30am, library

Thursday 8 Coffee Shop, 10am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Women’s Institute, 7-10.30pm, library

Saturday 24 Dog Training, 9.30-11.30am, hall

Friday 9 Strength and Balance Class, 10.30-11.30am, library Saturday 10 Dog Training, 9.30-11.30am, hall Sunday 11 Trampoline Club, 9.30am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 2-6pm, hall Monday 12 Parish Council Meeting, 7.30-10.30pm, library Tuesday 13 Beacon Coffee Shop, 9am-12.30pm, Vine Lounge Zumba, 9.30-10.30am, hall Zumba Gold, 10.45-11.30am, hall Carpet Bowls, 1.30-5pm, hall Ballroom Dance Private Lessons, 6.15-8.15pm, hall Ballroom All Levels, 8.15-9.15pm, hall Bereavement Counselling, 6-8pm, library Wednesday 14 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Thursday 15 Coffee Shop, 10am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Bingo, 7.30-11pm, Vine Lounge Friday 16 Strength and Balance Class, 10.30-11.30am, library Saturday 17 Dog Training, 9.30-11.30am, hall

Sunday 25 Trampoline Club, 9.30am-noon, hall Monday 26 Community Trust Meeting, 8-10.30pm, library Tuesday 27 Beacon Coffee Shop, 9am-12.30pm, Vine Lounge Zumba, 9.30-10.30am, hall Zumba Gold, 10.45-11.30am, hall Carpet Bowls, 1.30-5pm, hall Ballroom Dance Private Lessons, 6.15-8.15pm, hall Ballroom All Levels, 8.15-9.15pm, hall Bereavement Counselling, 6-8pm, library Wednesday 28 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall A CELEBRATION OF LIFE If you would like to celebrate the life of someone you loved who has passed away, you can hire the Vine Lounge in the village hall complex most weekdays for just £75. All enquires to Mandy.

FUNCTION ROOMS FOR HIRE If you are organising a party, social event or business meeting, or just want a get together with family and friends, why not book the village hall, Vine Lounge, library or stage? We can cater for parties between 20 and 200 people at very competitive rates. Rooms are available during the daytime or evenings. Facilities include a fully licensed bar and a kitchen preparation area with prices starting from as little as £10 an hour for the library, £15 an hour for the hall and the Vine Lounge is £88 for an evening.

All enquires to Mandy.

CONTACTS Village Bar: 01473 311766 Mandy Marshall: 01473 312026 / bookings@capelcommunitytrust.org

FREE ROOM HIRE: SPECIAL OFFER FOR A TRIAL PERIOD Do you have a celebration coming up? If you are a member of Capel Community Association you may be eligible for free room hire for an adult party in the hall or Vine Lounge. For further details, please contact Mandy on 01473 312026.

Terms and conditions do apply.

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OUT & ABOUT STOUR VALLEY MEN’S PROBUS CLUB

STOUR VALLEY U3A

We didn’t have a speaker meeting in January, but instead held our New Year Lunch for members, their spouses and Probus widows.

This took place on Wednesday, January 17 at The Haywain in Little Bromley. Everyone much enjoyed the company and very good food and drink!

On Wednesday, January 10, we were entertained by Ancestral Voices who took us back to the festive season under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I using words, music and images, including instruments from the period. In fact many of today’s carols and Christmas traditions originated in the Medieval and Tudor eras. We heard carols as we’ve never have heard them before!

On February 7 Dudley Chignall talks on Journey to Paradise and on February 21 David Whittle will present How the Victorians Developed Dovercourt.

On March 7, Grant Elliot returns with The Life of Chic Murray and we hold our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, March 21.

On February 14 Robert Burridge will speak on Scott, Amundsen & the Race to the South Pole. He will concentrate on their personalities, their leadership styles, the equipment they used and their epic achievements in the face of huge difficulties.

Our club endeavours to be simple in structure, free of the constraints and obligations of service clubs and involve members at minimal cost. The club is directed primarily to providing fellowship between members who are compatible with each other and the opportunity for development of acquaintances. New members are welcomed.

The Life and Times of Sir Alfred Munnings is the subject on March 14.

Marcia Whiting, Curatorial Associate at The Munning’s Museum will give an illustrated presentation exploring his life and wide ranging subject matter, including portraits, landscapes and rural scenes as well as the horse paintings for which he is so well known.

We meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at St John Ambulance HQ, Manningtree CO11 1EB at 10.30am. For further details please contact speaker secretary Dave Carman: 01255 880202

We meet at Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TP at 2.15pm. Annual membership is £12 which entitles members to attend meetings on the second Wednesday of each month, except August and December.

SING FOR FUN We hope to meet in February, but this is dependent on ensuring that we have a regular pianist. We are grateful to Jim Ross who plays for us when available, but we need a back-up pianist. We sing a wide variety of music, from shows, popular songs and traditional folk songs. The sheet music is provided, so if anyone out there would like to support an enthusiastic group of singers, please contact Chris Yule: 01473 310992 / chris.yule2@tiscali.co.uk

It’s never too late to learn! Join the 361,477 members across 969 U3As throughout the UK today.

SUFFOLK BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT (SBS) Recently bereaved or experiencing a delayed reaction? Are you in need of help and support?

Why not join a small focused group of five to 10 sharing bereavement issues? Groups are led by an experienced facilitator creating a warm, safe environment in which to explore the many aspects of loss.

Groups are held in Hadleigh (afternoon) and Capel St Mary (evening) and are free to Suffolk residents. For more details or to reserve a place contact Patrick or Margaret: sbsg246@gmail.com / 01206 299832 www.suffolkbereavement.org.uk Main funders: Suffolk Community Foundation and Comic Relief Community Cash

MANNINGTREE POETRY GROUP The next meeting of Poetry Plus will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday, February 13 at the Red Lion, South Street, Manningtree.

All those interested in poetry are invited to attend either to listen to the spoken word or to read poetry themselves. Some people will be reading their own poetry and some will choose to read the work of other poets. There is no admission charge.

To keep up-to-date with this poetry group, please visit: www.poetryplus.org.uk

CAPEL COUNTRYSIDE CLUB After a short AGM at our meeting in January, we had a speaker from Water Aid. She gave a short talk on how they help underdeveloped countries install water pipes to communities using simple technology, and advise governments on hygiene and sanitation. One in ten people often have no access to water.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 13 at 7.30pm in the Methodist Church lounge, when there will be a talk on Mid Suffolk Light Railway.

Visitors are welcome to join us for any meeting; you don’t need to be a member. Refreshments and chat afterwards.

Roger Felgate: 01473 31184 / Doreen Parker: 01473 311276

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lebrating Ce

YEARS

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OUT & ABOUT / SCHOOLS CAPEL ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION GUIDE TO GARDENING IN FEBRUARY ALLOTMENT PLOTS AVAILABLE AT CAPEL Half plots are available now at £16 per annum plus membership. So if you live in or around Capel and fancy a go at growing your own please contact Dennis: 01473 310988 / site.manager@capelallotments.co.uk

CAPEL ST MARY GARDEN CLUB Our first meeting in 2018 is our AGM on Thursday, February 22 at 7.30pm in the library, usually a short process to be followed by refreshments and a quiz.

We are always happy to welcome new members for just £8 a year, or £2.50 if you want to come to a particular meeting as a visitor. Any queries, please let me know.

One enormous advantage of growing your own fruit and veg is that you harvest and eat it when it is in season, the time when it is at its very best.

Cold frames and greenhouses help to stretch that season and protect crops from freak weather conditions.

Chairman Edwina Cox, 01473 311121

THE VEG PLOT

Happy New Year to you all!

Clear spent crops, canes and perennial weeds. If dry, spray with Glyphosate to reduce the chance of a fresh lush jungle to clear the next time you visit. Continue winter digging incorporating mushroom compost at £30 a ‘bucket’ load (01473 310380 to order) or composted garden waste.

Sow peas and broad beans, apply bone meal. Plant rhubarb, cover with strawy manure. Feed with sulphate of ammonia or blended stable manure and cover crowns to encourage early growth. Sprout potato tubers in a frost-free area. If soil dries risk a sowing of carrots, spring onion, lettuce, beetroot, peas, turnips and parsnip or sow under cloches. Plant onion sets and shallots. Scatter slug pellets.

We welcomed the children back after the Christmas holiday on a bright, but cold day and they settled straight back in to busy lessons and exciting topics.

LAWNS Aerate wet areas and apply sharp sand. Lay turf. Clean equipment. Contact Steve Blake for repairs and service on 07813 814623 or TGC Garden Machinery Services, Tattingstone for repairs and service and new equipment at very competitive prices on 01473 327737.

Stale fuel over four weeks old can damage carburettors and cause poor starting and engines to run rough. Use fuel additives to keep fuel fresh. Apply lawn sand or sulphate of iron to control moss.

FRUIT Apply grease bands now. Plant trees and bushes with a dusting of bone meal. Apply a winter tree wash to control insect pests. Cover strawberries with fleece. Prune apples and pears. Cut autumn raspberries to ground level.

Protect peaches, nectarines and apricots against leaf curl with a copper spray.

GREENHOUSE Empty and wash with Jeyes. Line with bubble plastic. Spray with Agralan whitefly killer. Sow main crop onions, leeks and sweet peas in pots. Check cuttings for mildew and spray with fungus fighter. Begin sowing annuals and tomatoes. Water plants sparingly. Sow peas in guttering and slide into shallow trench when plants are 4cm high. Sow broad beans in plugs and stand outside when 1½” high for a week then plant out. Sow spring onions and beetroot in 10 plug strips, do not thin out. Plant outside in March 10cm apart. Sow lettuce in 10 plug strips, thin to one plant. Plant outside in March 20cm apart or in growbags under glass.

CAPEL PRIMARY SCHOOL

This term in our Collective Worship we are focusing on acts of generosity.

Children are learning more about how to be generous with their knowledge, skills and friendship. This is quite an important area to focus on after a holiday filled with receiving rather than giving!

We have also celebrated some great achievements at the end of term with Darcey R, Eveline G, Chloe T, Alex A, Freddie S, Eleanor LM, Jack W, Kiera C, Sam S, Joshua B, Joshua DM, Tiana K, Zoe B, Emelia H, Lucy J, Sadie J, Jess H, Trayn T and Ben H all managing to reach 100 reads. Well done to them! In addition we celebrated Acorn Achievers in church on the last day of term.

Well done to Thomas J, Chloe T, Imogen, Holly B, Thomas K and Magnus W. I wonder who will reach 100 reads next and who will reach their acorn next?

Unit 3 have started an exciting topic about the Earth in Space and space exploration. They will be discovering what our universe is like and how we have explored it over time. It will be interesting for the children to learn about how knowledge about space develops too as new technology improves our ability to study the universe itself.

Unit 2 have started their topic about the Stone Age and Iron Age; we wonder how our children would manage living in Stone Age times with no modern comforts! In addition Unit 2 will learn about pirates in the second half of the term as they put on an exciting production about pirates!

Unit 1 are learning all about the UK, what the different parts of the UK are like and where we might have visited.

In Early Years the topics are all based around the exciting contents of a special box which is revealed every Monday. This Monday it was all about science experiments and they even wore scientists’ coats!

We are also preparing for a musical extravaganza as Mrs Dix and Mrs Dean have successfully entered in the Snape Maltings Celebration of School Music Festival in March. A group of children will be preparing to take part in the show and perform at Snape Maltings Concert Hall itself. Very exciting!

If you have any questions or queries remember you can always contact the school at ad.capelstmary.p@talk21.com or on 01473 310386, including to arrange visits if you would like your children to join us.

FLOWERS Tidy borders, feed with Growmore or 6x and mulch. Ventilate chrysanthemum stools. Start sowing annuals.

SITE VISITS If any groups would like to visit the site and wildlife area email Philippa Brandon to discuss what is available to you.

Membership is just £5 a year. The Hut is open to members from Saturday, February 3, 10am-noon.

For a more extensive version of this article visit: www.capelallotments.co.uk

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SCHOOLS BENTLEY & COPDOCK PRIMARY SCHOOLS 2018 is set to be another exciting year for the federation of Bentley and Copdock Primary Schools, with a host of activities planned including a trip to London where a number of our older pupils will be performing in this year’s Voice in a Million event, singing live at the O2 Arena. We are ever so thrilled that we were able to secure places at this huge occasion and are already practicing the songs ready for the big day in March. Keep an eye on the website for reports and photos.

We’d like to say a massive thank you to all those families at each of our schools as well as friends and local community members who came along to our Christmas Fayres; overall, between the two schools, a grand total of just under £2,000 was raised. Thank you all so much.

Last term the children had a fab fun day focussing on the sport of lacrosse. Following on from the success and enjoyment of that day, Key Stage 2 children are taking part in a lacrosse club after school. Who knows, we may even find the next lacrosse champion!

Parents from both schools will be taking part in a free grammar workshop, helping to explain how grammar is taught across the federation and how children can be supported at home. The English Leader, Mrs Robinson, will be holding the workshop and we look forward to welcoming lots of parents, carers and other family members to the event. Just to whet your appetite: What’s the difference between a cat and a comma? One has claws at the end of its paws and the other is a pause and the end of a clause.

At Bentley, some of the children have been learning to play the ukulele, drums or guitar. At the end of the term we were treated to performances both at school and other occasions and local events. We are so impressed with how far the children have come in their playing and look forward to more performances soon.

At Copdock the children are busily fundraising for a new additional learning space. Each child is being given some money to ‘grow’ as part of an enterprise scheme to help with the project. We are looking forward to seeing what innovative business plans the children come up with – watch this space!

If you have any questions about the schools or are a prospective parent and would like to arrange a time to visit, please do get in touch.

Bentley: 01473 310253 / admin@bentley.suffolk.sch.uk Copdock: 01473 730337 / admin@copdock.suffolk.sch.uk

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ROBIN’S NEWS Baby Bears We are very excited about all the new activities and adventures planned for this year. We are currently focusing on the winter season and exploring natural elements such as the ice and frost by touching and talking about the colours and textures. Our morning walks on the frosty field has given us lots of ‘listen to’ opportunities such as our feet crunching on the grass, the wind in the trees and birds tweeting.

The warmth of indoors allows us to compare temperatures and we often enjoy warm water play, adding new and exciting objects into the water trays such as stones, shells and different sized boats to keep our imaginations and senses engaged.

This month we have noticed the ever-growing interest in small world sets and role play such as shopkeepers. We encourage the Baby Bears to be active with this type of play to encourage speech and relationship building skills. During all activities and tasks, we often ask stimulating questions such as “how does this feel?” or “can you smell this?”. Doing this encourages the Baby Bears to think a little more about what they are doing Toddling Tigers Tigers have been using their senses to explore the wonder of paint through sight, smell and touch. Each day a new element has been added to paint, for example printing using stickle bricks, Lego and play dough cutters, colour mixing using fingertips or hands. Adding a few drops of lemon, orange or mint essence to the paint really makes it come alive!

How high can you jump? The Tigers have had a bouncing good time on our new mini indoor trampoline. Using their maths skills and counting, the Tigers have been putting their turn taking skills to work, not to mention exercising their brain development through body coordination and movement control.

Gruffalos The Gruffalos started the New Year with a new topic, Healthy Me. They decided that being healthy means ‘eating broccoli’. We have tasted different fruits and even used fruits to paint with. We have made vegetable soup and tasted our delicious cooking; it was yummy! We have explored other ways to keep us healthy such as cleaning our teeth, washing our hands and exercising. We have also been very observant spotting birds in the garden as a part of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

If you would like information about Robin’s Childcare please contact us on 01473 310767, visit www.robinschildcare.co.uk or follow us on Twitter/Facebook.

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    

For further information or a viewing please contact: Karen Suddes Home Ownership Officer 01473 228604 / 07595 120688 karen.suddes@orwell-housing.co.uk 24

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SPORTS BRANTHAM FOOTBALL CLUB Brantham Athletic is a local football club who run a senior section, junior section, Sunday and Ladies teams. Our home ground is The Leisure Centre, New Village, Brantham.

The men’s senior section runs three teams on a Saturday, with the 1st Team in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier League (Step 5 of the Football National Pyramid), the highest level of football in the immediate area outside of the professional game. The Reserves are in the Essex and Suffolk Border Premier League while the A Team are in Division 2 of the same league. We also run an Under 18 team also playing in the Thurlow Nunn youth league.

The 1st Team are currently in fourth place and through to the quarter final of the league cup and in the last 16 of the Suffolk Premier Cup, Suffolk’s most prestigious cup competition.

The Reserves are through to the Suffolk County cup quarter final and the A Team lie mid table of the second division of the Border League, with the Under 18 mid table in the east division of the Thurlow Nunn youth league.

There is also a thriving junior section with ages ranging from under sevens to under 16s. Our Sunday teams play their matches on Sunday mornings at the leisure centre while our ladies team play on Sunday afternoons at the centre, and they were last season cup winners, finishing second for the second year as league runners-up.

The 1st Team play their home matches at the leisure centre, kick-off 3pm on a Saturday and 7.45pm on a weekday evening.

The A Team play at Raydon. The Under 18s play on a weekday evening, 7.45pm kick-off.

Forthcoming home matches are will be publicised on the website and on Twitter.

Because of the league the 1st Team and Under 18s play in, there is an entrance fee to watch these games. For the 1st Team its £7 adults and £3 concessions and children under 16. For Under 18 games its £3 and £1.

There is a friendly atmosphere at all the matches and there is always a friendly welcome to anyone attending a home match, so if you would like to see a good standard of football come and support your local team. The Centre Bar is open during all senior games and the kitchen during 1st Team and youth football on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Any young or old players wishing to join a friendly, exciting, fun football club should contact the club via the details below or email our football club secretary There is a clubhouse at the leisure centre where food and drinks can be obtained. The leisure centre is also home to a lot of other activities including fireworks display, a fun run, 5-a-sides, bowls, cricket plus many other social events. There is a website for more information.

Plus the leisure centre has an excellent private function room with its own self contained bar for hire out for a multitude of events such as wedding receptions, birthday parties, children’s events, conferences and meetings. Just contact the centre on 01206 392506.

Fixtures for February 1st Team – Home Matches at Brantham Leisure Centre Tuesday, February 6, 7.45pm: League Cup v Coggeshall Town Saturday, February 10, 3pm: League v Histon Tuesday, February 13, 7.45pm: Suffolk Premier Cup v Bury Town Reserves – Home Matches None scheduled A-Team Saturday, February 3, 2pm: Cup v Connaught Red Star at Raydon Playing Fields branthamath@hotmail.com www.branthamathleticfc.co.uk www.branthamleisurecentre.com Twitter: @branthamath

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Many years ago the club held an annual married against single game at the playing field on Boxing Day morning before retiring to the Plough Pub for some much needed refreshments where we were looked after by Ivor and Jill and a good time was had by all. We now play a charity game on Christmas Eve and this year a game took place between a Capel Plough 11 and a team from the Darius Laws Institute from Colchester. £150 was raised which will be put towards the cost of some new goalposts for the under seven team we are going to start.

The football rattle that my uncle in Manchester used to take to Old Trafford in the 1950s made an appearance at the game on Christmas Eve. It went down well with the players, but not with First Team manager Nathan Burrell’s hound dog which jumped about five feet in the air every time the rattle was used! Nathan told me that his dog had just about settled down when the fireworks started going off on New Year’s Eve! These rattles were banned by the Football Association in the early 1960s after a few spectators forgot to duck and got hit on the head with them.

Three league wins out of four for our Saturday First Team in December saw the side move up to fourth in the Senior Division, four points behind the leaders with two games in hand. A 3-1 win at Grundisburgh with goals from Daniel Alderson, Harry Parkes and a Sean Gunn penalty was followed by a 4-2 defeat against Coplestonians with Shaun Webb scoring both goals. The team then beat Leiston St Margarets 4-2 thanks to goals from Dan Alderson, Shaun Webb, Ant Jackson and a penalty from Kieran Lawler, before a crowd of over 120 spectators watched the lads win the local derby at East Bergholt by 3-2 with goals from Daniel Alderson, Nick Middlebrook and Shaun Webb on December 30.

Please check the SIL website for our next home games.

The Reserves beat Ufford 5-1 with goals from Matt Noble, Jake Debenham and a hat trick from Alex Parry before losing 3-1 against Ransome Sports with Daniel Hudson-Smith our scorer. Oliver Blew played well in midfield while Oliver Miller did well in defence.

Finally, our Sunday side beat Amboed United 7-0 with goals from Adam Moore, Bill Boosey, Oliver Miller, Stirling Mayes and a hat trick from Kaium Abdul. Next month should include a report from our Veteran side who had a couple of games called off in December.

Bob The Ploughman

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SPORTS / ON THE GRAPEVINE EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB QUESTIONS ON CASH December was very much an up and down month for the First Team. They started positively with victory over Westerfield, the third win on the bounce.

There was also a five goal success over Felixstowe Harpers, but that was sandwiched between two five goal reversals at Cranes and Henley and the team completed 2017 with a narrow 3-2 defeat at the hands of near neighbours Capel.

With Independent Financial Adviser Nick Plumb

However, 2018 started well. The Green Boys were pitched against the favourites for the League title in the eyes of many, Achilles, in Round 3 of the Bob Coleman Cup. An easy home victory was predicted, but the team put in a very gutsy performance to edge an exciting, end to end, game 4-3 after extra time. They will play Sporting 87 in Round 4.

Several investment companies now adopt a multi-fund or multi-manager approach, where investors can access a huge range of funds from some of the very best fund managers available, all within the one investment holding.

The Reserves were also a little inconsistent with one win and two draws, with one of the draws having an amazing 7-7 scoreline. The A Team improved their results rather recording one victory and two draws.

UPCOMING FIXTURES 1st Team / Senior Division Sat, Jan 27: Sporting 87 Bob Coleman Cup R4 (H) Sat Feb 3: Grundisburgh (H) Sat, Feb 24: Haughley Utd (H) Sat, Mar 3: AFC Hoxne (A) Reserves / League A Sat, Jan 27: Ipswich Athletic Res (A) Sat, Feb 10: Framlingham Town Res (A) Sat, Feb 17: Sporting 87 Res (H) Sat, Feb 24: AFC Hoxne Res (A) A Team / League B Sat, Jan 27: Wickham Market Res (H) Sat, Feb 10: Cedars Park Res (H) Sat, Feb 24: Claydon Res (H) Sat, Mar 3: Stowupland Falcons (H) Fixtures are subject to change. To confirm, please refer to the fixtures website and chose the appropriate competition: http://fulltime.thefa.com/Index.do?league=4358069 Race Night: This will now be held towards the end of February. Again this is an open event, please email for details.

We are always looking for people who can help the club as committee members, whether it be on the playing side or just in the background.

If you would like to sponsor the club in some capacity we would also be delighted to hear from you. Club strips, dugouts, banners and boards on matchdays are all potential exposure for your business while supporting a local organisation.

EBUFC is a community club with very strong village traditions. The majority of the players either live in, or have links to, the village. Please come along and give us a look sometime.

Steve Butcher: stevebutcher55@btinternet.com

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Tony from Woolpit asks: “What is a multi-fund investment and how does it work? Do they cost more in fees and charges? And can I have a multi-fund stocks and shares ISA?”

In this way, you can diversify your portfolio across several different funds and fund managers, which reduces investment risk and provides the opportunity for flexibility. Fund choice can be changed at any time by effecting a switch within the investment wrapper. Also, unlike a surrender with one investment manager and re-investment into another, a switch within a multi-fund investment from one fund to another within the same wrapper will not necessarily trigger a tax charge. This means that the investment can be constantly tailored to suit an investor’s needs for income or growth at any time.

Like all unit trust and OEIC investments, most multi-funds have an annual management charge that applies to the overall fund and there can also be charges made by the individual funds held within the multi-fund wrapper.

These charges will vary according to the funds selected. However, with many multi-manager investment companies, the charges that would be applied if you invested directly with the companies concerned are significantly discounted.

The total combined charges of a multi-fund investment can definitely be higher than those of a single fund held with one manager. However, you don’t pick a multi-fund investment because they have the lowest charges, but because they offer a wider fund choice and variety of investments held.

So, in reality, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

The obvious advantages of this multi-manager or multi-fund approach is a wider spread of investment assets and reduction of risk and volatility, but there is also a lot to be said for simplifying administration. If you have a multifund investment spread across ten funds, you still only get one statement every six months – not ten statements. And yes, you can invest into a multifund using an ISA, a Bond, a Unit trust or an OEIC wrapper.

Nick Plumb is an Independent Financial Adviser. Send your questions to Nick at Plumb Financial Services, Baylham Business Centre, Lower Street, Baylham, Suffolk IP6 8JP, or email them to nick@plumbfs.co.uk, or telephone Nick on 01473 830301. Nick’s answers to reader questions in this column are provided only as a general guide and do not constitute personal financial advice. Any readers who require specific advice should contact Nick to arrange a complimentary initial meeting to discuss their own position. Plumb Financial Services are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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ON THE GRAPEVINE BECOME A BEANSTALK READING HERO IN 2018 Could you help transform the prospects for a child through the power of books and stories?

Local literacy charity Beanstalk has launched a new campaign for 2018 to highlight the extraordinary difference members of the community in Suffolk can make by volunteering in primary schools to support children who struggle with reading. The work Beanstalk’s ‘reading heroes’ carry out will improve the lives of children that need extra help to prevent them from falling behind at school and to bring enjoyment into reading.

For over 40 years Beanstalk has recruited, trained and supported reading helpers in primary schools to provide one-to-one support where it is crucially needed. Many children in Suffolk still leave primary school not having met the expected standards of reading which can lead to all sorts of problems in later life.

By working with children who have either fallen behind with their reading, lack confidence, or struggle with their fluency or comprehension, Beanstalk’s reading helpers can make a significant difference to their future prospects.

Their one-to-one sessions twice a week with the children they support will help them progress while also helping to encourage reading enjoyment. In 2016-2017 Beanstalk reading helpers supported approximately 840 children in the East of England with their reading.

“Beanstalk reading helpers really are local heroes within our communities and do so much more than just read. They develop confidence, self-esteem and very importantly help make reading fun and enjoyable. We regularly hear from volunteers who have had ‘breakthrough’ moments with a child because they found a particular book, poem or story which captivated that child’s interests. These moments are often the turning point for a child and happen as a result of regular and consistent reading opportunities,” explains Jo Burns, Area Manager for Beanstalk East of England.

Fraser Simpson has been a Beanstalk reading helper in the area for four years: “Firstly and very quickly after I started with Beanstalk I learnt that working with children is fun. I then realised that I got as much out of the sessions as the children. More recently I have learnt that the Beanstalk sessions have helped make a real difference to children’s performance in the classroom and at home.

“I would recommend anyone to consider volunteering. If you enjoyed reading bedtime stories it is very likely you would enjoy helping children find joy in reading and language. It is not teaching in a formal sense and it is not just about reading. If you enjoy playing Scrabble or doing crosswords, these are great activities to introduce children to, have fun with and develop their language.

“I would say as a Beanstalk volunteer you are going on a voyage of discovery with children to find what it is that they really enjoy amongst literature, poetry, word games, crosswords etc. The eventual rewards of finding you are regularly beaten at ‘Hangman’ or having a child ask to take their book home so they can continue reading, are immeasurable.”

Once trained by Beanstalk, reading helpers on the Beanstalk Reading 321 programme work with three children at a local primary school and spend 30 minutes with each child twice a week, during term-time, for at least one academic year. Each session is meant to be relaxed, informal and fun.

By having this one-to-one time with each child the reading helper can help tailor resources to the child’s interests and develop reading skills in a fun and engaging way.

If you would like to become a Beanstalk reading hero in 2018 and would like to help children in your community reach their full potential please: Visit: www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk Call: 0845 450 0307 Email: info@beanstalkcharity.org.uk

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CHURCH NEWS CAPEL METHODIST CHURCH MISTAKES Have you ever made a mistake? I think we must all answer yes! Have you ever tried to cover up a mistake and pretend it never happened, or at least that it wasn’t you? Again many of us may say yes. At the age of nine, while on school library duty, I randomly used the library rubber stamp all over one of the library registers. My form teacher asked the class who had done it. No one else had seen me, so I kept quiet. The whole class was assigned an after school detention. Late in the day I owned up and was marched off to the headmaster’s office. I was aware of my teacher’s sadness that it had taken me so long to own up – I had let him down. Standing outside my headteacher’s office waiting for him to deal with me, I had time to reflect. It had taken the threat of punishing innocent others to get me to admit my mistake. How I regretted not owning up sooner.

I see now that it was my conscience that at last prompted me not to allow 30 other children to suffer a punishment for my mistake. I don’t remember whether I had much of a punishment, but I knew the relief of admitting my mistake. I suspect the headteacher and teacher recognised the embarrassment and humiliation of a late confession was enough and that I did have a conscience.

Conscience is that inner sense that tells us whether what we are doing, or plan to do, is right or wrong. Conscience is something inside that bothers you when nothing outside does. A guilty conscience never thinks itself safe.

To have a good conscience is to know serenity and that you are living up to your own standards.

Yet our consciences can be ignored, and if repeatedly ignored, it can remain silent during the most evil acts, and can even be so distorted that it justifies them. King David (a great king of Israel 3,000 years ago) lusted after a married

woman, committed adultery and then had her husband murdered in battle.

As King, he thought he could get away with it, but a prophet challenged him, his conscience was re-awakened and David describes the feeling of shame, embarrassment and failure to live to his standards. When he admitted his mistake, his sin, when he stopped trying to hide his guilt, he felt a huge burden lifted. God forgave and removed the guilt (he still had to live with the consequences of his sin). He knew God was doing an amazing thing in his life and he asked God to create in him a pure heart, for his relationship with God to be restored and his conscience sustained so he wouldn’t repeat the mistakes. (The story is found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 & 12 and Psalms 32 and 51) It is still tempting sometimes to try to brush mistakes under the carpet and not acknowledge them. David’s and my experience speak of the transformation and freedom we enjoy when we admit our wrongdoing.

The Rev Andrew Sankey 8 Roundridge Road, Capel St Mary IP9 2UG apsankey@gmail.com / 01473 311178 / 07966 187216 FEBRUARY SERVICES Home Groups on various days and times – contact the minister for details Sunday 4

Sunday 11

Sunday 18 Sunday 25

10.30am 6.30pm 10.30am 6.30pm 10.30am 10.30am 6.30pm

Worship with Rev Pauline Bailey Prayer Worship with Mr Eddie Vass Worship with Rev Andrew Sankey Worship with Mr Glyn Jones Communion with Rev Andrew Sankey United Prayer Time at Methodist

CAPEL COMMUNITY CHURCH “The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow!

And what will poor Robin do then? Poor thing.

He’ll sit in a barn, And keep himself warm, And hide his head under his wing, Poor thing.” (Anon.)

Statistically, we get the most snowfall in the UK in the month of January. I wonder if, by the time you read this, we will have experienced that in Capel?

Like the robin in this old children’s rhyme, you may want to seek shelter from the cold wintery feel to the weather. Perhaps, snuggle in front of a roaring fire and shut out the chill of that wind. The days are short and the nights seem long, but there is something rather special about this time of year which we often forget about… hibernation.

The next Messy Church is on Saturday, February 24, 3.30-5.30pm, at Capel St Mary Methodist Church. Messy Church is a way of being church particularly suited to families of all ages. We have an hour of craft activities with a Bible theme, games and challenging activities, followed by a short celebration including songs, drama, DVD clips and an interactive story. We then finish with a meal together.

Messy Church takes place in more than 30 countries worldwide.

There are more than 2,000 running in the UK. To find out more about Messy Church visit: www.messychurch.org.uk Who can come? All age families, but kids you must bring at least one adult. If you haven’t been before, talk to someone who has and I’m sure they’ll tell you it’s great fun and you must come. No need to book, just turn up. Hope to see lots of you there.

For more information please contact Maggie Boswell: 01473 310766 / Maggie3@btinternet.com Sue France: 01473 310034 / sue.france4@btinternet.com

This is when certain creatures’ bodies slow down their metabolisms to conserve energy due to poor supply of food during the cold or snowy season.

Before hibernation, you see animals scurrying about (like the squirrels in my garden) finding much needed food to stock up on.

Obviously, as humans we don’t hibernate, but maybe it is a time when we can slow down a bit and feed our minds and souls with something wholesome, which will benefit us when the busy Spring season kicks in.

Jesus said: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” So apparently, God’s word is a great way to feed your soul…

Jesus promises us that if we spend time with Him, he will satisfy us… “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

If you have never read God’s words of life in the Bible, can I encourage you this season to try it?

United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) do a great ‘Word for Today’ online.

It really is refreshing!

Amanda Firmin, Leadership Team, Capel Community Church

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CHURCH NEWS CHRISTIANS in Capel THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH Just before Christmas when I was coming out of Capel Medical Practice, a gentlemen came up to me saying he had been meaning to ask me a question for some time. It seems he always reads my monthly article in Capel Capers and he wanted to know why I never mention Jesus.

In reply I said that I concentrate on the saints of the faith as an encouragement to us all. Every month there are principle examples of consecrated and dedicated souls down through the centuries who have “loved to do Jesus will”. February is no exception, so I continue to share stories of the saints, and I pray we too in our generation may be blessed as they were in theirs.

There are at least four significant church dates in the second month this year, starting with the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple on Friday, February 2. It is also known as Candlemas and it marks the half point between Christmas and Easter, this year on April 1. We contemplate one last thought of the wood used in the crib before looking forward to the holy wood of the cross on which the Saviour of the World was crucified for humanity.

Twelve days later on Wednesday, February 14, Christians all over the world begin their annual Lent devotions. This year due to Easter being so early, Ash Wednesday also shares the date with St Valentine. He was martyred around 269CE. Sadly, his name has been virtually ‘hijacked’ by commercial and retail interests.

Nevertheless to think of love on Ash Wednesday is no bad thing, as we all try to emulate the one who loves us so much that he gave his life for ours. Along with the usual Wednesday service of the Holy Communion at 10am at St Mary’s Church there will be the opportunity to receive some of the ashes of burnt palms from the previous years. In the imposition I say these words: “Remember you are dust and to dust you will return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.” As always, this special day and service is open to everyone seeking an amendment of life and in preparation for the joy of the coming Easter Season.

There is a major saint whose day takes place on Saturday, February 24, and that is St Matthias. He died c. 80AD, and was, according to the Acts of the Apostles, the apostle chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and his subsequent death. His calling as an apostle is unique in that his appointment was not made personally by Jesus, who had already ascended into heaven, and it was also made before the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the early Church.

The Synopsis of Dorotheus contains this tradition: “Matthias preached the Gospel to barbarians and meat-eaters in the interior of Ethiopia, where the sea harbour of Hyssus is, at the mouth of the River Phasis. He died c. 80CE at Sebastopolis, and was buried there, near the Temple of the Sun.” He is the patron saint of carpenters, smallpox, tailors, hope and perseverance.

For any saint their prayers can be formally requested by lighting a candle on the prayer rack in St Mary’s Church. It is open every day from 9am until 5pm. Please keep in mind that petitions are not to saints (including Mary) but through them to God himself. The thinking is we can always use all the support we can both from the living and those who have gone before and now rest in glory. May we never cease to grow in faith and love.

As always this letter comes with every good wish and blessings to you and yours throughout February and the rest of the year.

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The members of all the churches foster a closer fellowship and understanding between the respective Christian communities in Capel St Mary. They endeavour to co-ordinate common interests and where practical share common resources to meet specific needs.

For times and details of Sunday services, Alpha and Home/Life Groups, please contact one of the following: The Parish Church, St Mary the Virgin The Rev Canon Jim Pendorf The Rectory, Days Road, Capel 01473 312225 / 07973 265037 The Catholic Church Father Christopher Smith, St Mark’s Church 180 Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich 01473 684963 Capel Community Church David Owen, 18 Bushey Close, Capel www.capelcommunitychurch.org.uk 01473 310454 / 07752 921135 The Methodist Church The Rev Andrew Sankey 8 Roundridge Road, Capel St Mary www.capelmethodistchurch.org.uk 01473 311178 / 07966 187216 INTER-CHURCH MIDWEEK ACTIVITIES The following church groups welcome new members: TREKKERS For ages 7-11, meets on Thursdays at the Methodist Church from 3.45 to 5.15pm during school term time. Contact Margaret Sankey: 01473 311178 YOUTH GROUP Junction Club: Fridays at the Methodist Church, 7-9pm for School Years 7-9​.

Contact Caitlan Mower: 07465 414870 Life Group: Wednesdays at the Methodist Church, 7.30-9pm.

Contact Caitlan Mower: 07465 414870 PARENTS AND TODDLERS • Tuesday – 9-11.30am, Capel Community Church, Days Road Contact Margaret Beard: 01473 311219 • Wednesday – 9-11.30am, Busy Bees, Methodist Church Contact Maggie Boswell: 01473 310766 • Wednesday – 10am-noon, Twins & Multiples Group at CCC Contact Chris Matthews: 01473 311368 SENIOR CITIZENS’ LUNCH CLUBS • First Monday, Capel Community Church, 01473 311368 • Third Tuesday, St Mary’s Church Hall, 01473 310596 • Last Thursday, Methodist Church, 01473 310635 NETWORK FELLOWSHIP Third Tuesday, from 2.30pm, Methodist Church. Anyone welcome to come to the meeting. Contact Judy Steward, 01473 310799 BEACON COFFEE SHOP EVERY TUESDAY 9am-12.30pm, in the Vine Lounge, Capel Village Hall AEROBICS AT CAPEL METHODIST CHURCH Fridays from 10.50-11.50am, Young at Heart (slower paced).

Contact Jill Sharp, 01473 311546 PILATES • Tuesdays – 7pm and 8.10pm, Capel Methodist Church • Fridays – 8.30am and 9.40am, Capel Methodist Church Contact Jill Sharp, 01473 311546 R.O.M.E.O. Lunch for Men at Wenham View, Dove Close off Days Road: Third Thursday, 12.30pm. Book with Peter Ellis: 01473 310096. Also Coffee Drop-in from 10am on the first Wednesday at Dove Close.

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