In touch news with claydon – december 2017 by steve@intouchnews.co.uk

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with Barham, Claydon, Henley & Whitton Rural

Volume 8 • Issue No. 2 • DECEMBER 2017

Mid Suffolk District Council

Waste and Recycling

Waste and Recycling Collection Calendar 2018

Christmas & New Year Bin Collection Schedule 2017-2018

Please ensure your bins are presented by 6.30am on the day of collection

Recycling

Refuse

Recycling

Usual Collection

Monday 25th December Tuesday 26th December Wednesday 27th December Thursday 28th December Friday 29th December Monday 1st January Tuesday 2nd January Wednesday 3rd January Thursday 4th January Friday 5th January Monday 8th January Tuesday 9th January Wednesday 10th January Thursday 11th January Friday 12th January

Revised Collection

Wednesday 27th December Thursday 28th December Friday 29th December Saturday 30th December Tuesday 2nd January Wednesday 3rd January Thursday 4th January Friday 5th January Saturday 6th January Monday 8th January Tuesday 9th January Wednesday 10th January Thursday 11th January Friday 12th January Saturday 13th January

Change 2 days later 2 days later 2 days later 2 days later 4 days later 2 days later 2 days later 2 days later 2 days later 3 days later 1 day later 1 day later 1 day later 1 day later 1 day later

There will be no brown bin collections over Christmas and New Year (between 25th December and 5th January) Please check www.midsuffolk.gov.uk for further details From Monday 15th January normal waste and recycling collections resume.

Waste Helpline: 01449 778678 2

Collection Calendar 2018 December 2017 Mo

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

January 2018

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 5 6 7 8 12 13 14 15 19 20 21 22 26 27 28

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

April 2018 We

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

May 2018

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

August 2018

6 13 20 27

February 2018

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

March 2018

2 9 16 23

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

June 2018

September 2018 Tu

July 2018

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24

October 2018

November 2018

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

Recycling collected this week Rubbish collected this week For Christmas and New Year weeks (25th Dec-13th Jan) Please refer to the Christmas & New Year schedule Bank Holiday Week - Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection will be a day later all week. For Christmas and New Year weeks, please refer to the Christmas Schedule.

Visit Recycle Now

www.recyclenow.com to find your nearest recycling banks

Waste Helpline: 01449 778678 In Touch online:

NEWS

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR It has been a rather hectic month. I think the much overused term ‘rollercoaster ride’ might apply! My ability to cope when emotions are raw and tensions are high has been well and truly tested. I’m an organiser. I tend to dive in, determined to fix the problem, whatever it may be, by facing up to it. This often works, but when the problem is beyond fixing or not within my ability to fix I struggle to cope. Nobody likes to feel powerless, but there are times when we are all forced to place our trust in others whether we want to or not. How others respond can make this more or less tolerable, but don’t ever underestimate the power of a kind word or a smile. The ability to make others feel at ease is often referred to as ‘good bedside manner’, but in everyday life isn’t it just ‘being nice’? The festive season can be a time of great happiness, as I hope it is for you this year, but it’s also often stressful, frequently lonely and almost always exhausting. ‘Being nice’ may not change things significantly, but surely it can’t hurt. A smile when a weary shop assistant asks if you need a bag, stepping aside to make way for a buggy, holding a door open, ‘sincerely’ asking someone how they are and actually waiting for an answer, all simple acts which can turn a lousy day around. I’m no angel. I have grumpy days, days when I feel much sorrier for myself than I possibly could for anyone else, days when even my own son knows not to mess with me, but I’ve seen first-hand the astonishing effect a genuine act of kindness can have in even the most challenging circumstance and that’s who I want to be. I want to be the person who makes others feel better. Can I do it 365 days of the year? Possibly not, but I’m going to try and it starts now. Christmas is a lovely time for most of us and those of us who are in a good place this year can make it better for those who are less fortunate. Whether it’s a smile, a donation to a food bank, carol singing for charity, volunteering, visiting an elderly neighbour, taking someone out for coffee and a mince pie… simple acts, extraordinary effects. Happy Christmas from everyone at Mansion House Publishing and, in the words of Aunt Lucy in Paddington 2, remember “If you’re kind and polite, everything will come right”.

In Touch

with Barham, Claydon, Henley & Whitton Rural

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: claydon@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

01473 400380 DISTRIBUTION Tree Martin Email: tree@intouchnews.co.uk

01473 400380 PRINTING Colourplan Print Email: steve@colourplan.co.uk

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 Barham, Claydon, Henley & Whitton Rural is published by Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd as part of the “In Touch with . . . ” series of magazines.

We also publish In Touch with... • NEW Beyton, Drinkstone, Elmswell, Haughley, Hessett, Norton, Tostock, Wetherden & Woolpit • Bramford, Offton, Somersham & Willisham • Capel St Mary • Belstead, Bentley, Copdock, Tattingstone & Washbrook • Dedham, East Bergholt, Flatford & Stratford St Mary • Baylham, Gt & Lt Blakenham & Nettlestead • Ipswich East • Kesgrave & Rushmere St Andrew • Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree & Mistley • Martlesham Heath & Old Martlesham • Needham Market & The Creetings • Chelmondiston, Erwarton, Harkstead, Holbrook, Pin Mill, Shotley, Stutton & Woolverstone • Burstall & Sproughton • Stowmarket & Stowupland • Ashbocking, Tuddenham St Martin, Westerfield & Witnesham • Chattisham, Hadleigh, Hintlesham, Holton St Mary, Layham & Raydon •M elton & Woodbridge

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES Can you find the transport you require? This is the story we often hear. “I’m cosy in my room, legs up on the recliner, TV on and a cuppa beside me, but I’m feeling lonely and isolated. My life could be so much richer and happier if only I could get to the local coffee morning and chat with real live people. I worry so much about imposing on busy relatives to get me to my health appointments. I want to visit friends and wander at leisure round the local supermarket. I want some independence.” Here at BSEVC we can help with that transport. From Monday to Saturday we operate four easily accessible vehicles in Mid Suffolk, Ipswich and Kesgrave. Trips can be booked up to two weeks in advance, longer if it’s for a health appointment. We also provide a volunteer car service. We have a team of volunteer drivers who use their own cars to transport you from your home to wherever you need to go. If it’s a health appointment our driver will wait for you for up to two hours. Our services can be used by families, individuals, young people and older people. It is for almost everyone. For local groups and organisations we also have a 15 seater minibus which can be used for your outings. We also provide a fully qualified and experienced driver. Our minibus can also be used by schools and colleges for sports fixtures or day trips. To provide these services we rely on volunteer drivers, it’s a very rewarding thing to do and even a couple of hours a month can make such a difference to those who use our services. Drivers are needed to drive our minibus or small people carriers or our two standard cars and we provide training and induction sessions. If you have a few hours spare and want to find out more please give us a call, there are people in your community who really need your assistance to get from A to B. If you are interested in joining the team or if you wish to find out more about travelling with us please contact us: bookings@bsevc.co.uk / 01449 614271 We’d be very happy to talk through all the options with you and tell you a bit more about what we can do. www.bsevc.co.uk

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JANUARY DEADLINE

1 DECEMBER 2017 is the final date for both advertising and editorial copy

www.keepingintouchwith.com/claydon

NEWS HURRICANE WARNING Many of us saw the devastation brought to Ireland by ex-hurricane Ophelia in October, and the newspapers are predicting more storms to come this winter. The possibility of strong winds causing damage and power outages in our area is one reason we have an Emergency Plan for Claydon, Barham and Whitton Rural. We keep a database of local people who would be willing to help in an emergency and we have a local designated rest centre for those who might have to evacuate their homes for any reason. Strong winds, heavy snowfall and a major fire or road/rail accident are the main scenarios in which this plan might be put into action. The Emergency Plan can be found on the village website: http://claydonandbarham.onesuffolk.net The ways in which people can help range from simply checking on any vulnerable neighbours and raising the alert if outside help is needed, to helping out at the rest centre, and from offering 4X4 transport to emergency service personnel, to helping clear obstructions from roads if you have the necessary skills and equipment. If you would like to add your name to the list of those who can be called upon in an emergency, you can rest assured that your details will be securely kept, not passed on to anyone and you will be called only in case of a major emergency in this area. Please get in touch with Sue Herbert, chair of the Emergency Planning Committee: c.b.wr.emergency@gmail.com Sue will send you a form to fill in with the brief details needed and she will add your name to the list of those willing to help. Please note that if you have a fridge magnet with emergency planning contact details on it, this will now be out of date and should be discarded.

LIONS’ SENSORY GARDEN PROJECT New Century Lions Club of East Anglia together with help from Lions of Ipswich, Stowmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Woodbridge, Chelmsford, Mersea Island and Littleport have created a sensory garden for residents at a Cephas Care supported living home located at Treetops, Claydon. This major centenary project with more than 1,000 hours worked was coordinated by Lion Chris Pearson of the New Century Lions Club. it has become a great example of the sharing, caring and helping attitude that being a Lion is all about. Raised beds and railings were painted in Lions colours of blue and gold and the art room exterior was decorated with colourful flowers. Flower beds have been replanted with flowers for colour along with shrubs and herbs to touch and smell and even strawberry plants for something to eat. Pride of place is somewhere for the residents to sit and admire their new surroundings, a lovingly built from scratch arbor complete with celebration plaque and a clock. At the official opening ceremony District Governor Lion Derek Prior was joined by David Finch, MD of Cephas Care, and Lion Chris Pearson of New Century Lions to cut the ribbon and unveil the plaque declaring the sensory garden open. New Century Lions President Mel Godefroy said she was so proud of what has been achieved by all concerned, a fantastic transformation that will mature and enhance Treetops for years to come.

CLAYDON & WHITTON PARISH COUNCIL

Retirement of Parish Councillor Councillor Anne Dunford attended her last parish council meeting in November prior to her retirement at the end of the year. We sincerely thank Anne for the very valuable contribution that she has made to the work of the council during the last six-and-a-half years and wish her all the best for the future. Opportunities for voluntary service within the local community Parish Councillors: Following the retirement of two councillors we now have five vacancies which we would like to fill as soon as possible. The parish council, although considered as the third tier of local government, is non-political. Parish councillors are local residents who work voluntarily for the benefit of the local community. No experience is necessary as training will be given. The only qualifications needed are enthusiasm and some spare time to help make sure that the local area continues to be a good place to live and relax. Assistant Webmaster: Required to assist the parish council’s webmaster to ensure that information is kept up-to-date on its website. In the short term the main requirement would be to update information relating to the parish council, but in the longer term it would be good if the person appointed could assist with keeping all other information on the website up-to-date also. Those who wish to be considered will need access to a PC with Microsoft Office or the ability to change documents to PDF file format. Familiarity with Google Calendar would also be an advantage. Lorry Watch Coordinator: The lorry watch coordinator is responsible for noting details of vehicles that are travelling within the village on roads where HGVs are banned. This would include registration numbers, names on vehicles, date, time and any other information which can then be used to help Suffolk County Council Trading Standards Officers to identify offending vehicles. This task is carried out mainly in Station Road, but could also be elsewhere in the village. Full training by the current coordinator will be given. If you are interested in any of the above vacancies please contact our parish clerk for further information in the first instance. Roadworks in the Village The parish council would like to thank all residents and members of the business community for their patience and cooperation during the extended period of disruption along Old Norwich Road and the centre of the village due to the essential major works that have been undertaken by Anglian Water. The parish council has monitored these throughout and where possible has sought to reduce disruption to road users and shoppers. Parish Clerk, Mrs S Eagle: 01473 687384 (answer machine available) / claywhit@btinternet.com / 7 Leicester Close, Ipswich IP2 9EX For the very latest news and information about village life and other items of interest, please visit: www.claydonandbarham. onesuffolk.net / Twitter: @claywhitpc The members of Claydon & Whitton Parish Council send their best wishes to all residents for a very Happy Christmas.

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/claydon

NEWS FOUR COMMUNITIES ACTION GROUP

CLAYDON PRIMARY SCHOOL Friday, December 8, 3.20-5.30pm Come and join in the festivities! There will be a chocolate stall, teddy tombola, jolly jars, face painting, cakes, refreshments, hampers and lots more. Grand raffle cash prizes and of course a visit to Father Christmas in his grotto!

SCOUTS’ CHRISTMAS POST 2017 Once again Scouts will be delivering your Christmas cards in and around Ipswich and surrounding villages for the bargain price of 25p per card. They will deliver to any of the following areas: Ipswich IP1-IP5, Pinewood Estate, Felixstowe, Trimley Villages, Kirton, Martlesham Village, Grundisburgh, Bealings, Playford, Culpho, Bramford, Claydon, Barham, Blakenham, Sproughton, Henley, Witnesham and Tuddenham. Cards can be dropped off in the boxes in the village from November 25 to December 12. You’ll find boxes at Freshfills Bakery, Choices, Bea’s Boutique, Claydon & Barham Community Centre, The Crown Inn, Barham Church and Claydon Primary School. Any queries please contact: 01473 511388 / 07771 778003 Please help us and save yourself some cash at the same time. www.Ipswichscoutpost.co.uk

HENLEY WI CAROL SERVICE Tuesday, December 19, at 7.30pm in St Peter’s Church, Henley Light refreshments, all welcome!

4CAG was created in 2010 by members of the churches of Barham, Claydon, Great Blakenham and Henley. We aim to work together as four parishes to develop new activities and support networks and provide spiritual support and encouragement with a view to enhancing the lives of all members of the community. We currently have five organisations under our umbrella. Meet ‘n’ Eat Lunch Club Meets at Great Blakenham Parish Rooms at noon on the first Friday of each month. We’re having our Christmas Party on Friday, December 1, with party hats, crackers, presents, party food, Christmas pudding and cake and loads of fun! There’s a rumour that Santa Claus is taking a couple of hours off from his workshop to come and join us. In the New Year, we’re back to our regular programme of delicious soups and bread rolls, and an amazing variety of puddings, along with the chance to sit and chat with old friends, make new friends, play a game of bingo, win the raffle and have a bit of fun. All this for just £4! Contact Mike (07805 507497) for more information or just come along with your friends. Book Club Meets at The Crown in Claydon at 10.30am on the last Thursday in the month. Join us for a light-hearted discussion on the book we’ve chosen to read. Gipping Valley Art Society Meets every Tuesday afternoon at Great Blakenham Parish Rooms. Membership is free but we pay a weekly subscription to cover room hire, refreshments and so on. We are currently at full capacity but please contact Ann (01473 831031) or Margaret (01473 830135) to join the waiting list. 4 Ever Young Men’s Club Christmas Lunch is all booked at The Crown on Wednesday, December 13 at noon – we’re looking forward to good food and drink and we’ll all be on our best behaviour because our wives and partners will be with us. In 2018, the 4 Ever Young Men’s Club will meet in The Crown on the third Wednesday of each month at 10.30am. Contact Mike (07805 507497) for more information or just pop in. Knitting Group Do you enjoy knitting or want to learn how to? The Knitting Group meets in the lounge at Alasdair Place on the first Thursday in the month from 10.30am-noon. We pay £1 towards refreshments. Recently, we have been knitting a Crib Scene for Great Blakenham Church’s Crib Festival which is taking place from Friday, December 1 until Sunday, December 3. Please come along and see what we’ve done.

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ADVERTORIAL

Cloudy2Clear Announce Trusted Trader Partnership Consumer champions Which? have now joined the thousands of customers who recognise that Cloudy2Clear Windows really are a business that you can TRUST. The company which specialises in repairing windows which are steamed up, broken or damaged by replacing the panes – not the frames has received the coveted ‘Which Trusted Trader’ status after going through a rigorous accreditation process entirely focussed on customer service.

Group Managing Director Marcus McGee believes that Which? have endorsed Cloudy2Clear’s long standing company policy of delivering the highest standards possible at all times. ‘Our service is simple. If your double glazing has misted up we can replace the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 25 year guarantee. But it’s not just about saving people money, although that obviously helps. Whilst a number

of tradespeople perhaps don’t focus on customer care as much as they should do, we make sure we turn up when we say we will, do the job the customer requires and leave their house as clean as a whistle. Locally Cloudy2Clear service the Ipswich, Woodbridge, Manningtree, Hadleigh, Stowmarket & surrounding areas and manager Andy Kerridge agrees that this approach is a major factor in his success. ‘The truth is that it’s not just the personal satisfaction that I get from doing

a good job but also it makes good business sense. I get a huge amount of business from friends and family of people I’ve done work for, which just goes to show how much a little bit of effort is appreciated as both my customers and, obviously a body as nationally important as Which? now recognise.’ So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Andy a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!

Cloudy2Clear GUARANTEE All Customers That An Average Quote Will Take No Longer Than 20 MINS!!!

www.keepingintouchwith.com/claydon

NEWS SnOasis PARISH ALLIANCE (SPA) In the autumn of last year, Onslow Suffolk Ltd put in an application to Mid Suffolk District Council for SnOasis Reserved Matters to be considered – Planning Application no. 4494/16. Full details can be found at: www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/planning-andbuilding/planning It is important to be aware that this is not a renewal of the original planning approval for SnOasis, which remains in place. Reserved Matters cover the detail of such topics as design, appearance, transport, drainage, ecological mitigation etc. Our questions and comments about Reserved Matters were summarised in a document which was submitted to MSDC in the summer as the comments from the SPA and all its member parishes, giving the comments extra weight because they come from a significant number of local communities, representing over 11,000 registered voters. The SPA member parishes are Baylham, Barham, Bramford, Claydon and Whitton, Great Blakenham, Little Blakenham. Needham Market, Nettlestead and Somersham. In this document we identified a large number of issues and queries for BMSDC Planning to raise with the developer. The SPA is very concerned that, nearly a year after the date on which the developer was due to provide all the details for Reserved Matters, so much crucial information is still outstanding. The SPA remains ready to work with the district council on Reserved Matters when the developer feels able to provide the necessary information. However, owing to the failure of the developer to provide the requested information, we are unable to make any progress and once again there is nothing new that I am able to report at the time I write this. For further information, please email SPA clerk Janet Gobey: snoasispa@icloud.com

Mon 11th - Thurs 14th Dec

PADDINGTON 2 (PG)

Mon 11th: 2.30, Tue 12th: 4.45 Wed 13th: 6.00, Thurs 14th: 12.15

Snoasis Parish Alliance Chairman Steve Plume

BREATHE (12A) Fri 24th - Thurs 30th Nov

FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (15)

Fri 24th & Sat 25th: 5.15 & 7.45 Sun 26th: 2.30 & 7.45 Mon 27th: 12.15 & 5.15 Tue 28th - Thurs 30th: 2.30 & 7.45

MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE (U) Sat 25th: 2.45

A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS (15)

Wed 13th: 8.30

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Fri 15th - Thurs 21st Dec

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI PADDINGTON 2 (PG)

Fri 15th - Sun 17th: 11.30am Tues 18th - Thurs 21st: 11.30am

Fri 22nd - Tues 26th Dec

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS (15)

PADDINGTON 2 (PG)

Fri 1st: 2.30, Sat 2nd: 2.30 & 7.45

BREATHE

(12A)

Fri 1st: 9.30am, Sat 2nd: 5.00

WHITE CHRISTMAS (U) Fri 1st: 11.45am

MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE (U) Sat 2nd: 12.15

Wednesday 6th - Sunday 10th December

Pantomime 2017 - SODS Present

SNOW WHITE

Wed 6th - Fri 8th: 7.30pm, Sat 9th & Sun 10th: 12.00pm & 5.00pm Tickets: Adults £13.00, Cons £11.50 All tickets for the Wed 6th performance are just £10 each

World Class Theatre - Beamed to the Regal

Tues 12th December at 7pm - Tickets £12.50 National Theatre presents a recorded live screening of

YOUNG MARX

www.regalstowmarket.co.uk / 01449 612825 Ipswich Street, Stowmarket, IP14 1AY

(12A)

Fri 15th - Thurs 21st: 2.00, 5.15 & 8.30

Mon 27th: 2.30 & 7.45 Tue 28th - Thurs 30th: 12.15 & 5.15 Fri 1st & Sat 2nd Dec

(12A)

Thurs 14th: 12.01am, 2.00, 5.00 & 8.30

Fri 22nd & Sat 23rd: 2.00, 5.15 & 8.30 Sun 24th: 2.00, Tue 26th: 2.00 & 5.15

(12A)

Fri 22nd - Sun 24th: 11.30am Tue 26th: 11.30am LIVE ON STAGE Friday 1st December at 7.30pm - Tickets £12

ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS TIME Monday 11th December at 7.30pm - Tickets £15

JOHN McNICHOLL

Wednesday 13th December at 2pm - Tickets £10 & £12

SIMPLY SWING

DECEMBER - POCKET MONEY MOVIES

GREAT FAMILY FILMS, KIDS £2.50, ADULTS FREE!*

OLAF’S FROZEN ADVENTURE + FROZEN (PG) Sat 25th & Sun 26th Nov: 9.30am & 12.00

DESPICABLE ME 3 (U) Sat 2nd: 10.00am

THE NUT JOB: NUTTY BY NATURE (U)

Sat 16th & Sun 17th: 9.30am, Wed 20th: 9.30am

BARHAM PARISH COUNCIL Localities Grants Budget Our local district and county councillors have funds available to support local community projects, however small. Applicants are encouraged to submit prior to Christmas so they can be considered. For more information and guidance on this you can contact District Councillors John Whitehead (01473 833279) or James Caston (07789 957444) and County Councillor John Field (01473 831306). Dog Fouling Residents are reminded that dog waste should be collected and disposed of in the bins provided. Advice from Mid Suffolk District Council also states, if you see someone failing to clean up after their dog in a public place then try to remember and note down as much detail of the incident as possible, including the date, time and location, and the name and address of the offender if you know it. Where a vehicle is involved please note the make, colour and registration mark of the vehicle, together with a description of the person. To report an incident of dog fouling that you have witnessed, a dog bin which requires emptying, or some fouling on public land which needs clearing please contact Mid Suffolk District Council. As this is the last addition of In Touch before the festive season Barham Parish Council would like to take this opportunity to wish all its residents and those in the surrounding villages a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Parish Clerk Jo Culley 07958 402335 / barhampc@outlook.com

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NEWS COUNTY & DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT JOHN FIELD’S REPORT TO GIPPING VALLEY: NOVEMBER 2017 Highways We have disruptive road works at Needham Market, Hackneys Corner and Claydon. All have three-way light control that causes long delays. The county’s control of highways operations by utilities and developer’s contractors is limited giving permission as long as safety measures are adequate. A licencing scheme is possible where companies must pay to occupy the road, but county have been reluctant to go that way. It might just increase the bureaucracy without sufficient financial penalty to improve speed of work, or to eliminate those periods when nothing appears to be done. Highways planners will come out for a discussion with the parishes around improvements we think necessary to make the development we may suffer acceptable. Currently they appear more focused on limiting the costs of work they ask developers to fund rather than getting improvements that will keep congestion to reasonable levels. School Transport Policy The cabinet’s decision to go to consultation on changes to the Home to School Transport policy was sent back to cabinet by the Scrutiny Committee. As a result, two workshops are taking place to further discuss the issue and help develop proposals for cabinet to consider. However, invitations were only being sent to 80 randomly selected representatives. An improvement, but still a small sample to gain a clear view of peoples wishes. School Admissions There are proposals to make some minor changes to the admission arrangements and the co-ordinated admissions scheme for schools in Suffolk for the 2019/2020 school year. The areas to be amended are: • The sibling criterion • The definition of ‘ordinarily resident’ • The offer of a school place when preferences can’t be met • The procedure for dealing with late applications • The governing bodies of voluntary aided, foundation, free schools and academies are responsible for admissions to their schools. Education and Learning Infrastructure Plan A third iteration of the plan suggests that increases in demand may lead to the creation of approximately 25 new schools and 25 school expansions. However, government funding will fall to £2m next year down from £11m. SCC has committed to borrow to ensure that adequate funds are available. When an extension is needed money comes from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), but is insufficient to cover full costs. When a new or replacement school is necessary, developer’s 106 payments may

be more substantial, but only cover the new places required, not the replacement of those existing. The Revenue Budget It is forecast that revenue budget will be overspent by £10.2m on a net budget of £502m consuming some of the county’s substantial reserves. Reserves are there to cover the unexpected and to allow time for action. Cabinet must reduce spend or increase revenues. Since we will be undertaking a full day of pre-budget scrutiny this month you will hear more on the subject. The main areas of overspend are Adult & Community Services whose £229.5m budget has a Care Purchasing overspend of £3.5m. Health, Wellbeing & Children’s Services have a budget of £137.3 and are overspent by £6.4m. The number of young people coming into care with complex needs continues to increase. Future of West Meadows The county hopes to sell West Meadows. Its residents have been consulted and have put forward a proposal to buy it. The existing residents would own their individual plots and have collective ownership and management of shared spaces. I hope this will give the site and its residents a good and stable future. Joint Local Plan Several people have told me that they find it difficult to enter comments online for the various consultations and for planning matters. The issue is that the time allowed before your activity is terminated is short. Having lost a couple of substantial entries to the local plan I now see the point. I will raise the issue with the officer team. Mid Suffolk’s Investments The administration is still set on ‘profit for purpose’ despite the government’s concerns about such activities. The value of their investment in property via CCLA is down from £5m to £4.741m while income is £0.41m, a return of 4.93%. The Funding Circle investment is down by £9.4k on a much smaller £624k with a return of £41.8k or 3.9%, half what was expected. The issue is bad debt and an additional concern is that loans are supporting national not local businesses. I voted against, but had hoped for a better outcome. If you have queries please phone me on 01473 831306 (you will need to say your name and press #) or 07545 423808. You can also email me at: john.field@suffolk.gov.uk I do have Twitter @JohnFieldjd and Facebook /fieldjd accounts and my website is at: www.johnfield.suffolk.libdems.org

They helped us remember Dad at Christmas It’s the little things that count Here for you every hour of every day

01473 851731

for your local funeral director www.eastofengland.coop/funerals www.keepingintouchwith.com/claydon

NEWS HENLEY PARISH COUNCIL Henley Parish Council was invited to make comments on the draft Local Plan which Mid Suffolk and Babergh are jointly developing. Here’s a summary of the comments: Henley commissioned Community Action Suffolk during the summer of 2017 to conduct a housing needs survey for the village. The parish council had decided after public discussion in the village to assess real future needs, believing that Henley does need to attract new residents as well as to accommodate the requirements of existing residents and their families. Henley Parish Council is interested in pursuing a Neighbourhood Development Order for the village in order to control the rate and style of development, in the knowledge that an NDO will be an innovative process. The housing needs survey is a first building block in that process. The housing needs questionnaire was distributed to all households and 78 were returned completed. This represents a rate of return of just under 35%, which is average for this kind of survey. In CAS’s opinion, that gives a robust picture of the needs of the village generally. Here are CAS’s conclusions: “The analysis of data provided by the respondents showed a need for new homes to accommodate the identified 24 households (35 individuals) in need of housing comprising of a mix of property types, bedroom numbers and tenures. This does not include any unidentified need from those who did not respond to the survey and those looking to move into Henley who had not already been identified by close family currently living in Henley. “The recommended number of affordable homes a parish may wish to provide is based generally on a third or half of the overall need indicated by the survey, as some respondents may withdraw, move away, may not be eligible or be housed by other means during the planning and building process of any future scheme. For the purpose of this survey affordable homes are defined as including social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. It can be a new-build property or a private sector property that has been purchased for use as an affordable home. Therefore the recommendation for Henley would be: “Ten to fifteen affordable dwellings. This will need to be agreed, together with the size, type and tenure of dwellings with the parish council, local authority, and appointed registered provider. The relevant parties involved may wish to consider providing housing on phased basis and on more than one site. “The final mix of properties will be subject to constraints of any suitable site(s) together with evidence of people registering their interest as the scheme progresses. When making this decision, all parties should note the need indicated for units to downsize to in the open market sector.”

Henley Parish Council believes that the village is likely to need in total around 30 houses, including the 10-15 affordables mentioned in the CAS report, over the next 10 years or so. The reason for the larger number is simply that the CAS report dealt with the future needs of existing residents and their families, whereas it’s clear that Henley may attract new residents as well who will be looking for housing. The parish council believes this will dovetail with the requirements of the district as envisaged in the draft local plan. The parish council believes that the type of housing should be a mix of sizes and styles, with perhaps the greatest emphasis in the smaller and affordable categories. It should include some open-market housing in the two- or three-bedroom range. A number of larger houses in the village are already occupied by older residents who would prefer smaller, bungalow-style homes. Settlement Hierarchy The parish council notes that Henley currently sits in the Core Villages draft list, alongside Bramford, Claydon and Great Blakenham. Core villages would be expected to carry between 20% and 30% of envisaged district development. However, Henley does not enjoy the facilities of its neighbouring villages especially with regard to shops, pubs, restaurants and public transport. Henley seems to have more in common with Little Blakenham, Gosbeck and Crowfield, which would suggest its natural position in the hierarchy would be Hinterland Villages, which will be expected to carry 5%-10% of envisaged development. What is most important to your town or village? The parish council feels that future development should be managed in such a way that the character of the village is protected and retained. It should not become an extension of northern Ipswich, and it should be protected as well from becoming an increasingly busy road junction between Ipswich, Claydon and Ashbocking. Growing populations near Henley will need to find access to the A14 and major population centres without Henley becoming an overloaded crossroads with boltedon housing. The community centre, the primary school, the church and the mix of housing and agricultural land create a village ecology which could easily be unbalanced by uncontrolled development. Henley Parish Council wishes to play a decisive role in creating an attractive future for the village. Conclusion Henley Parish Council supports the district council’s intention to create needed and appropriate new housing and is keen to play its part in this managed and constructive process. Henley needs improved transport links and better road and traffic management, alongside a modest amount of house building in the right locations, in order to create a successful future for the community. Henley Parish Council Clerk Rod Caird: 07785 331217

Bumper Christmas Local Veg Boxes Enjoy local fresh veg delivered to your door with your Christmas dinner this year! may vary  Potatoes 4kg  Leeks 500g  Cauliflower Contents and are subject to  Parsnips 1.5kg  Mushrooms 200g  Red Cabbage availability.  Carrots 1.5kg  Sprout stalk  Swede  Onions 750g Based in Claydon

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NEWS CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S LIFE LINE AND CHARITY SHOP Our charity shop is ready for Christmas with many items as new at knock down prices so do call in and pick yourself up a bargain. Presents, party wear, winter clothing and, of course, Christmas decorations – there really is something for everyone. WIN A BRAND NEW SPECIALISED BIKE FOR ONLY £1 This brand new bike, worth over £450, has kindly been donated by Specialized UK and the winner can select their chosen size from small, medium, large or extra-large and the bike will be assembled by a Specialized UK technician and supplied with full warranty. A limited number of tickets are to be sold and the winner will be drawn at our Chocolate Bingo event on December 16 at Stowmarket Football Club. Tickets at only £1 each are on sale at our charity shop in Needham Market A big thank-you to everyone who donated a present for us to take to Belarus in January. We will be back with a full report and photographs and will share all our news in the next available issue of the newsletter. We are still welcoming the donation of small cabin bags for the children to use when travelling home. The airline dictates that the combined size of all three sides should not exceed 115cms. A reminder that we have a limited amount of high quality brand new baby buggies available that usually retail at nearly £800 but are available for less than half that price. These have been donated to the charity to help our fundraising efforts. Jump online and look for an Icandy Peach Buggy, available as just a buggy or with a carrycot unit as well. If you are interested please let us know and we will be happy to arrange for you to see one. As always we are extremely grateful for your support of our children and we can assure you that every penny raised stays in Mid Suffolk to use for the benefit of our local Link and the children and families we support in Belarus. Link Chair Elizabeth Parker, 01449 760343 www.ccllmidsuffolk.org.uk

SUFFOLK ENERGY-FROM-WASTE SITE – GREAT BLAKENHAM Follow us on Twitter Suffolk EfW is now tweeting so if you enjoy these monthly updates and would like more site news as well as tips to reduce, reuse and recycle your waste follow us on Twitter at: @suffolkefw Come and have a look around The Suffolk energy-from-waste facility is holding a series of open days in January and February which include a tour of the facility and time to explore our visitor centre. There are spaces on the following days: Tuesday, January 9, 10am-noon Thursday, January 18, 2-4pm Tuesday, January 23, 6-8pm Tuesday, February 6, 10am-noon Thursday, February 15, 2-4pm There are 20 spaces on each day and you must pre-book. To book please email suffolkefw@sita.co.uk and we will confirm your place by email. If you would like to come, but cannot make these dates, you can email us to register your interest and we will let you know when the next open days are planned. The High Sheriff We were honoured to welcome Geoffrey Probert, High Sheriff of Suffolk to the site in October. The High Sheriff enjoyed a presentation about the site, followed by a tour of the plant and the visitor centre. The High Sheriff commented on the “super impressive spotless plant, but even more impressive is the world class partnership behind it”, something we here at Suez and Suffolk County Council are immensely proud of. Any questions? If you have any queries about our operations, please don’t hesitate to contact the facility on 01473 839149. OTHER USEFUL CONTACTS To book a visit: 01473 836821 Environment Agency: 0800 807060

SUEZ Communities Trust: 01454 262910

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM Dear Readers, Christmas is fast approaching, a time of year for giving, but can also be a time of year for taking by burglars so in order to prevent this happening here are some tips we can all follow to help stop this from happening. If you are going away over the Christmas period ask a neighbour to open and close your curtains and put out the bins out for you. Cancel your milk and newspaper deliveries. Set you lights to come on and off with a timer. Regarding Christmas presents, don’t place them under the Christmas Tree too soon. Don’t leave Christmas presents outside in a shed, caravan or in the car. Hide them safely indoors. Make a note of the serial and model numbers before wrapping and keep them safe. Make sure patio doors and windows are locked and secured even when you are at home.

Never leave keys in locks as this makes it easier for a burglar to get into your property. Put them out of view and away from the door. Use exterior lights to deter burglars as they like the dark. Secure garden gates with locks and padlocks. If you can then have a burglar alarm fitted. Remember 30% of burglaries actually happen as a consequence of people not locking their doors and windows so burglars don’t even have to break in. If anyone comes to your door who you don’t recognise then please ask for their ID. Remember if a crime is in progress or for an emergency then call 999. For a non-emergency call 101. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year PCSO Denise Ford and the Hadleigh Safer Neighbourhood Team

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OUT & ABOUT CLAYDON AND BARHAM COMMUNITY CENTRE We have a few vacancies for staffing please apply to the community centre: 01473 831805 Saturday, December 2: Claydon Pre-school Christmas Craft Fayre with Santa visiting. Free entry 11.30am-3pm. Crafts, gifts and games. The bar will be open from noon. Saturday, December 9: Barham Athletic Football Club Christmas Extravaganza. Disco to get you into the Christmas mood, 7pm till late. Every child will receive a present from Santa. Tickets are £5 and available from Tamsin: 07553 796588 Friday, December 15: Claydon Community Centre’s Annual Christmas Party; over 16s only. Doors open at 6.30pm, two-course meal at 7pm. Music supplied by Llamedos. Tickets are £10 and available from Roger Colthorpe: 07792 188243 Monday, December 25: Christmas Day; the lounge bar is open from noon-2.30pm. Come and wet the whistle. Sunday, December 31: New Year’s Eve; we have live music from Curt and Rod to get you all into the dancing mood. Doors open at 7pm till 12.30am. Tickets are £12.50 for members and £13.50 for non-members and available from the community centre: 01473 831805

CLAYDON AND BARHAM VILLAGE HALL Dates for December Friday 1 Stowe School of Dance

4-5.30pm

Sunday 3

Private Hire

1-5.30pm

Monday 4

Barham PC Meeting

7-10pm

Tuesday 5

Table Tennis

7.15-10.30pm

Wednesday 6

Bar-Clay Music Makers

6.30-10.30pm

Thursday 7

Young Families Silver Surfers Slimming World

9.30-11.30am 11.30am-2pm 5.30 & 7.30pm

Friday 8

Stowe School of Dance

4-5.30pm

Sunday 10

Bar-Clay Music Makers

1.30-5.30pm

Tuesday 12

Women’s Institute

7.15-10pm

Wednesday 13

Bar-Clay Music Makers

6.30-10.30pm

Thursday 14

Silver Surfers Slimming World

11.30-2pm 5.30 & 7.30pm

Friday 15

Stowe School of Dance

4-5.30pm

Wednesday 20

Bar-Clay Music Makers

6.30-10.30pm

Thursday 21

Silver Surfers Slimming World

11.30am-2pm 5.30 & 7.30pm

Thursday 28

Slimming World

5.30 & 7.30pm

Friday 29

Private Hire

11am-8pm

You’re invited to make an appointment at our Wherstead Park office to discuss:

Powers of Attorney Wills

Probate Court of Protection * We also offer a range of other services

Our out of town Ipswich location is very convenient for parking and has Contact us for an appointment today: excellent disabled access. www.ellisonssolicitors.com enquiries@ellisonssolicitors.com Wherstead Park, The Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP9 2BJ 01473 556 900 Ellisons Solicitors is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority SRA Number 49336

For more information on village hall activities visit the Claydon and Barham website and follow the links. Hall bookings now only online.

SUFFOLK DEMENTIA HELPLINE 01473 353350 We are here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The helpline can provide a listening ear as well as information and signposting to services that can help.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/claydon

OUT & ABOUT BAR-CLAY MUSIC MAKERS – ABOVE AND BELOW THE WAVES

CAROL SERVICE AT LITTLE BLAKENHAM CHURCH

The weeks have flown by since rehearsals for Bar-Clay Music Makers new panto, The Little Mermaid, began in September, and tickets will be on sale from December 6.

Saturday, December 23, 6pm

Performances take place on Fridays, January 19 and 26 at 7.30pm, and Saturdays, January 20 and 27 at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets are £7 for adults and £3 for children and always sell out fast, so contact Gillian Webb to book your seats: webbfamily1@gmail.com / 01473 830538 The action in this fast-paced show takes place on land and under the sea as our heroine is faced with a difficult choice: whether to find true love with her human prince or remain with her family and friends underwater. How does she resolve her dilemma? There’s only one way to find out... For more details about BMM contact Vera Rogers: vera.rogers1@btinternet.com

SALE AT ST PETERS COURT First Tuesday of each month which this month is December 5. All money raised to go to the East Anglian Air Ambulance All welcome.

IPSWICH MOBILE LIBRARY ROUTE 5 Route 5 MIP/5A MIP/5B MIP/5C MIP/5D MIP/5E MIP/5F MIP/5G MIP/5H MIP/5I MIP/5J MIP/5K

Town/village Location Sproughton Church Lane Sproughton Wild Man Bramford St Mary’s Close Bramford Paper Mill Lane Great Blakenham, Chequers Great Blakenham, Blue Leighs Mobile Home Park Baylham Post Box Claydon Crown Claydon Edinburgh Gardens Barham Bacon Road Bramford Packard Place

Time 9.10-9.25am 9.30-9.45am 9.50-10.05am 10.10-10.25am 10.35-1055am 11-11.15am 11.25-11.45am 11.55am-1pm 2.05-2.20pm 2.25-3.50pm 4-4.30pm

DATES: December 19 and January 16 Please note that Mobile Library Route 13 stops off at the Sorrel Horse in Barham from 11-11.10am on the following dates: December 1 & 29 and January 26

Mince pies and mulled wine will follow All are welcome

ORWELL DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS SOCIETY Our lecture on Wednesday, November 1, was German and Netherlandish Glass by Jane Gardiner, who really entertained us with this fascinating history. Our next lecture on Wednesday, December 6, is The Art of the Joke by Susie Harries. Celebrating the Christmas season, we shall have mince pies and mulled wine before the lecture. Why not join us and enjoy good company and interesting talks? We meet at Tower Hall, Broadlands Way, Rushmere St Andrew on the first Wednesday of most months. Talks last about an hour, commencing at 2.15pm, with tea and coffee served from 1.30-2pm. Guests and non-members are welcome provided we have enough space. Exceptionally popular lectures will have a visitor limit of 20 spaces. Please contact Wendy Robbins in advance on 01394 823807 to check if there is available space. For the latest events and news please visit: www.orwelldfas.org.uk

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^ĂƚƵƌĚĂǇ ϮŶĚ ĞĐĞŵďĞƌ ϭϭ͗ϯϬ—ϯƉŵ

ůĂǇĚŽŶ Θ ĂƌŚĂŵ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇ ĞŶƚƌĞ ƌĂĨƚ ĂŶĚ 'ŝĨƚ ^ƚĂůůƐ

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ZĞĨƌĞƐŚŵĞŶƚƐ Θ ZĂĨĨůĞ &ƌĞĞ ŶƚƌǇ ĂŬĞƐ WůĂǇ ŐĂŵĞƐ ĨŽƌ ƉƌŝǌĞƐ DĞĞƚ &ĂƚŚĞƌ ŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ Children’s craft stalls— things to make and do to take home.

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OUT & ABOUT

CLAYDON & BARHAM WI November 14 was our annual meeting and a large part of the early evening was taken up with business matters. Afterwards we had a most enjoyable time learning about making fabric books for the sight impaired. The books are made in bright colours, with different surfaces for little fingers to explore, and there is also a small amount of braille on each page. Extra activities in the coming weeks are: Lunch at the Wild Man in Sproughton, a walk in Christchurch Park in early December, a carol concert in Burstall Church and our Christmas Lunch at the Best Western, Claydon. Our meeting on December 12 will be our Christmas party, which is always good fun. Should anyone wish to get in touch, please ring Linda on 839948; we would love to hear from you.

GREAT BLAKENHAM CRAFT CLUB The club is open to anyone living not just in Great Blakenham, but anywhere in the surrounding area. We meet every Monday other than bank holidays in Great Blakenham Parish Room from 2-4pm from February to December. The Parish Room is the building with a green door more or less opposite the Chequers Public House and it has its own parking area at the rear. The building is fully accessible for anyone in a wheelchair and has disabled facilities within. Members pay £2 per meeting to cover hall hire, refreshments, the monthly workshop goody bag and weekly raffle prizes. Alternatively, if you would just like to come and bring your own project to work on, enjoy our company and make new friends without doing the workshops the charge is £1.50 per meeting. Members take it in turns to make the tea. We had some mini-makes for November, the first being a knitted vintage flower broach which was knitted in red with black centres for Remembrance Day. Our second mini-make was a lavender bag made from a hessian strip with lace on it and a lavender ribbon bow. Our AGM was held early on the last meeting in November as we are out for Christmas lunch on December 4. We reviewed another busy year of makes and looked at next year’s programme which will be included in the January edition. If you have been interested in our reports over the past year and think it all sounds interesting, there is currently room for new members. If you would like to join us please get in touch. Although the club is all ladies at present, gentlemen who would like to learn crafts are welcome. Unfortunately I can’t accommodate children. Jackie Durrant, 01449 672690

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OUT & ABOUT GREAT BLAKENHAM OVER 50S CLUB Open to anyone of that age living not just in Great Blakenham, but anywhere in the surrounding area. We meet from 2-4pm on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month in Great Blakenham Parish Room. The cost per meeting is £1.50 which includes whatever activity is programmed for the afternoon, refreshments and raffle. On afternoons when we may play a couple of games of bingo the tickets are £1 each. Members take it in turns to make the tea. The Parish Room is fully accessible for anyone in a wheelchair and has disabled facilities within. For our second meeting at the end of October we had a talk on the origins, superstitions and customs of Halloween and how it is celebrated today together with suitable orange and green cakes! In November we had a social afternoon with a beetle drive led by Jean and a visit from the Rural Coffee Caravan. Our final get together for the year will be our Christmas Lunch at The Chequers on December 13. The club continues to prosper and our programme for 2018 will follow in due course. New members are always welcome, but if you would just like to come along in the New Year and see what goes on we will be pleased to see you. Jackie Durrant, 01449 672690

HENLEY WI Last month was our annual meeting where we elected a strong committee to assist Sue, our re-elected president, in the running of our WI. After the business part of the meeting was concluded we had great fun making Halloween lanterns out of pumpkins which we then donated to the community centre to help decorate the events they were holding. To our next meeting we will welcome Chris Parfitt who will talk to us about the Isles of Scilly – hopefully this will take our minds off the dark, probably cold November night and make us think of summer. In December we will hold our Christmas Party on Thursday 14 at the community centre and our Annual Carol Service at Henley Parish Church on Tuesday, December 19 (see page 6). Everyone is welcome to the carol service which is always a lovely event in the Christmas celebrations. January begins a new year for the WI and if anyone would like more information on Henley WI, perhaps with a view to joining us, please ring our secretary Alice Robertson on 01473 831281. You will be made more than welcome. Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year to everyone.

BRAMFORD COMPUTER CLUB The Monday group (7.30-9.30pm) will meet on December 11 and then stop for the Christmas holidays, returning again on January 8. The Wednesday group (10am-noon) will meet on December 6 and 13 and then break up until January 10. School year membership is £1 and £3 per session. No set programme; we are here to help you to get the most out of your computer. Why not give us a try? All meetings are in the upstairs room of Bramford Methodist Church.

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IPSWICH & DISTRICT HISTORICAL TRANSPORT SOCIETY Wednesday, December 13: Memories of Steam Caught on Canvas, illustrated talk by Wrenford Thatcher We meet at 7pm at the Salvation Army Citadel, 558 Woodbridge Road, Ipswich. Entrance via the rear car park. Visitors £3.50, members £1.50 including refreshments. Details from Martyn (01473 422145) or Peter (01394 420490) www.idhts.co.uk

EAST SUFFOLK NATIONAL TRUST ASSOCIATION If you are a member of or a volunteer for the National Trust, we invite you to get more out of your membership by joining our association where a warm welcome awaits you. We meet at Ropes Hall War Memorial Community Centre, Twelve Acre Approach, Kesgrave IP5 1JF. The start time is 7.15pm. There is no meeting in December; instead members are looking forward to the Christmas mystery tour and lunch. Some may have guessed where we will be, time will tell if they are right. If you would like to be included in future trips why not join the association? The membership fees remain the same for 2018; £8 for an individual or £12 for two living at the same address. We publish three newsletters a year for members and enjoy interesting day outings and other events. For more information, including details of future events and outings, contact our membership secretary – membershipesnta@gmail.com / 01473 723761 – or visit: www.membershipesnta.btck.co.uk The next meeting is on January 16 when Mark Mitchels will be discussing the role Samuel Pepys played in establishing the Royal Navy.

STOWMARKET AND DISTRICT FLOWER CLUB The club presents a workshop at Rattlesden Village Hall on Saturday, December 2 from 10.30am-3.30pm. Learn how to make two fabulous festive designs. Members £25 plus materials, visitors £30 plus materials. For details contact chairman Vicki Hease: 01449 770900

CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE BINGO Saturday, December 16 Stowmarket Football Club, Bury Road, Stowmarket Fantastic Family Night Out Door open at 6pm / first of six games at 7.30pm prompt Entry £6 including a hot sausage supper with dessert Chocolate related prizes and raffle / Cash prize for final game Tickets from CCLL Charity Show, Needham Market (next to The Rampant House) from Stowmarket Football Club or call 01449 760343 / 07974 424374 A charity event for Chernobyl Children’s Life Line

SCHOOLS CLAYDON HIGH SCHOOL

CLAYDON PRIMARY SCHOOL Hello from the School Council. This term a new set of councillors have been elected and we have already started our regular meetings to come up with ideas to help improve our school even more. One of our responsibilities is to write this article, to share with you what has been happening in our school and what our highlights have been over the last month. We hope you enjoy reading it!

Our annual WOW Week took place at the beginning of November. The curriculum was suspended for three days so that all students could take part in various activities designed to stretch, challenge, motivate and equip them with essential life skills which will help them on their journey through high school and beyond. Year 7 had a fabulous time at camp, taking part in adventurous activities such as the high ropes and assault course as well as art, PE and drama activities, all designed to build confidence and encourage creativity, curiosity and teamwork. Years 8-10 ‘wowed’ us all with their productivity and commitment to their ‘festival based’ enterprise tournament. In teams of 16, students planned, budgeted and pitched a festival of their choosing. Guest judges and experts in the event management industry were invited in to support and help choose an overall winner of the prestigious Challenge Cup. Students had to assign themselves roles and were scored on their innovation and vision, marketing strategy, teamwork, quality of their pitch and the creativity of their portfolio. The work produced by our students over the course of the event clearly demonstrated teamwork, leadership, communication and self-management skills. I would like to thank Gary Newland from Mid Suffolk Showground, Rob Walden from Real World Education Group Ltd and Kate Sida-Nichols from SCITT, whose support was vital in helping this event to be the success it was. Well done to our Year 11 students who spent time in school and visiting sixth forms and colleges, looking at career choices and employability skills. Students were very open-minded and listened carefully to a wide variety of speakers and participated actively in sessions to increase their knowledge of post-16 and post-18 options. The topics covered included issues such as the importance of happiness/positive mental health, current issues in banking and finance, employability skills, Higher Education, budgeting as a student, apprenticeships and online support services. Our speakers included two ex-students who have had considerable success in pursuing an apprenticeship route after leaving us. Our sincere thanks go to all our visitors and hosts who have assisted students in thinking about their next steps. Now that the festive season is upon us, I hope you will be able to join us at our Christmas concert on Tuesday, December 12, 7pm at the Church of St Mary & St Peter, Barham (tickets on sale at our reception). Our talented students are busy preparing some lovely vocal, instrumental and poetry readings for your enjoyment. The PTA is also holding a quiz night on Thursday, December 7, 7-9pm. GCSE Drama students are busy rehearsing for their Christmas panto which will be toured round the local residential care homes and the whole school is currently busy creating fabulous Christmas hampers which will be donated to a local charity for the homeless. If you would like to visit the school and see us in action, please come along to one of our open mornings. The next one is on Monday, January 22. To book a place please telephone my PA, Mrs J Saunders: 01473 836110 Finally, I would like to thank staff, parents/carers, governors and the wider community for their support this term and wish everyone a Happy Christmas. I look forward to keeping you updated with all our news in the New Year. Headteacher Ms Maéve Taylor

LEARNING HIGHLIGHTS Years 1 and 2: The children have been enjoying their Kings and Queen’s topic, and had an amazing trip to St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds to learn more about the life of St Edmund. There they took part in role play, learnt the story of St Edmund and went on a hunt for signs and symbols of the story in the beautiful cathedral. They also got to explore the abbey grounds and tried to imagine what it must have looked like all those years ago, as well participating in some craft activities. It was a great trip. Year 3: We really enjoyed our visit to Flatford Mill. We went there as our current topic is Rivers, as well as linking it to our artwork which has been inspired by John Constable. We got to complete lots of fun activities throughout the day, such as sketching, pond dipping, measuring rivers depth and speed and much more. Although we ended up getting very, very wet we all had lots of fun. Year 4: We have really enjoyed doing our art project which was linked to our Rivers topic. It was a homework task, but we could choose whether we did a collage, painting or even make a model that represents a river and its three courses. It was fun because we could be really creative – some people even added a waterfall. It was an amazing project! Year 5: We really enjoyed a visit by Maths Puzzle as we were challenged with lots of different maths problems. Each Key Stage 2 class had an hour each in the hall to complete various challenges. The morning encouraged the use of lots of our ‘Learning Powers’, including working together, 100% effort, resilience and making links, as well as using our maths knowledge, skills and understanding. It was loads of fun. Year 6: Years 4, 5 and 6 were visited by award winning author Stewart Ross (he writes historical books, but makes them into narratives). He made everyone laugh as he is a very humorous man. He told us that he gets his inspiration when he’s outside in his garden shed! After talking to us about his journey to become an author he set us a writing task for us – we had to write the first paragraph of a story. We then went back into the hall where winners were picked. We all really enjoyed it and cannot wait to use this experience to help us with our own writing. This month we will be organising a vote in school to decide what reward the winning team for the autumn term will get. We decided the three choices will be a games afternoon, a pyjama day or arts and craft afternoon. Every child will get to vote which incorporates one of our British values – democracy. We hope that you have enjoyed reading our first article! The School Council Also see CLAYDON PRIMARY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS BAZAAR on page 6.

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SCHOOLS CLAYDON PRE-SCHOOL 100 CLUB CLAYDON AND BARHAM YOUNG FAMILIES

October Prize-winners

A Mothers’ Union project which has been run by Mothers’ Union members and supporters for 26 years, we welcome mums, dads, carers and grandparents from Claydon, Barham, Great Blakenham and the surrounding villages with babies or children under five. Entry is just £1.50 per family.

No.15: Phil Harman £1.90

This month we meet on December 7 from 9.30-11.30am in Claydon and Barham Village Hall. This will be our Christmas Party; please let Michelle know (833788) if you wish to attend. At our regular sessions we welcome anyone with babies or children under five for imaginative play, singing and lots of fun. Families can enjoy craft activities where children can be creative and try out different materials to produce an individual masterpiece. Playdough and all sorts of toys that encourage children’s imaginative play and physical and social development are available. For parents/carers it’s a good opportunity to meet others with pre-school children or babies. There is also a prize draw for the children. This month we would like to wish a happy birthday to Nieve, Oliver, Archie and Aimee. Why not come along and join in the fun? You can make friends and enjoy some valuable play. For more information contact me on 01473 833788 or check our listing on Netmums.com. Michelle

STONHAM ASPAL C OF E VA PRIMARY SCHOOL Since the last newsletter 38 children went on our school residential visit to Marchants Hill PGL. Everyone had a great time and really rose to the challenges of trying out new things and being more independent. While this was happening, back at school Classes 4, 5 and 6 combined together and enjoyed a themed week based around Mary Poppins.

No.63: John Harrison £11.40 No.28: Karin Nash

£5.70

New members are welcome at any time. Entry is just £1 per month and the draw takes place on the last Friday of each month from September through to July. The more entries we get the greater the prize money and all money raised is used to enhance the lives of our children within the pre-school. For an entry form please contact Nadine Harrison: 01473 831857 / treasurer@claydonpreschool.co.uk

CLAYDON PRE-SCHOOL Christmas is nearly on us and the first term has passed by really quickly. All of the new children who joined us in September have settled in really well. The children are getting very excited and have been doing lots of crafts and activities based around Christmas. We have our Christmas Nativity coming up with lots of practising ready to show their talents to parents, carers and family members. They will also have a Christmas party at the end of the term, with a disco and party food to eat. As we are now open throughout each of the school holidays we will have the option to take children up to five years old for additional sessions during these weeks, subject to availability. Please contact the administration assistant for more details. Don’t forget that from September 2017 the government is introducing an additional 15 hours funding for working parents of three and four year olds. This means that parents who both earn the equivalent of 16 hours at National Minimum Wage (£115.20 per week) or more per week and less that £100,000 per year (or just one carer if a single parent) will be eligible to claim up to 30 hours of funding. You can register at Childcare Choices to see if you are eligible and also register for the Government Childcare Vouchers Scheme. If you are using the 30 hours you must provide a code to us with the 30-hour code (given once registered) and your National Insurance Number. Once we have checked these details you can book sessions (subject to availability) for the following term. If you would like an application form or any further information please contact Lisa Read: Claydon Pre-school, Old Scout Hut, Thornhill Road, Claydon IP6 0DZ / 01473 831648 / admin@claydonpreschool.co.uk

This half-term Classes 3 and 4 are using the topic theme of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In our celebration assembly the children shared the amazing hats they had produced for their half-term homework. There were some extremely creative hats; well done to one and all for the hard work that went into creating them. Class 3 also shared some wonderful elephants that they had made using the Indus Civilisation for their inspiration. The children explained the role of the elephant to the Indus people. Classes 1 and 2 are busy finding out about their local area as their topic this half-term is ‘Where we Live’. The school as a whole has Peace as our Christian Value this half-term and as a community we are currently thinking about Remembrance through assembly time, poppy collections and class based activities. Headteacher Mrs Sharon Waldron

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SPORT CLAYDON FC

TALES FROM THE 19TH HOLE Christmas comes early for the Claydon Under 7s as Suez very kindly presented a new kit to the team recently. The club wishes to thank Suez for the new kit and the lads were absolutely delighted to pose in them in the Claydon Pavilion.

The season is well and truly underway and all teams are now entrenched in Saturday morning football across the county. Supporters are always welcome at ‘The Circle’ where we have fresh bacon rolls, hot drinks and other culinary delights designed to warm the soul while watching our teams on the pitch. Of course, this also applies to Saturday afternoons where the seniors play on the award winning pitch and at the time of writing the First team are top of Division 1 and the Reserves second in Division Intermediate B. We are running our annual Christmas Draw to raise money for such things as new floodlights and other ground improvements – tickets will be available from the players and I would be grateful if you have a go with a chance of winning a range of prizes including an Xbox One, a Fire Tablet, hampers and other goodies.

It’s strange writing for the December edition, reviewing meetings stretching back to September; where has the year gone? On a sunny Sunday morning, 10 of us played at Cretingham. The club was going through the process of being sold and, although the course wasn’t in as good condition as previous years, the welcome and hospitality was as warm as always. We hope that this will continue under the new ownership as we look forward to a 2018 return. We would be playing a ‘blind pairs’ competition due to reduced attendances, the groups being drawn back in the clubhouse, so it was every man for himself and hope for the best in the draw. There were few notable incidents on the day although Nick gave a good demonstration of how not to tee off – he had hit several trees throughout the round but surpassed this on the 18th by first hitting a tree on the left then one on the right with his ‘reload’. The comfort of a beer, pie and chips couldn’t have come soon enough. This performance secured him the unwelcome accolade of winning the Golden Boot for the third event on the bounce. For the fourth round in a row the same person won both the LD and NP prizes. Alan lost the flight of his drive in the low autumnal sun and, although not convinced it was his, his playing partners had tracked his ball. He had no such issue in seeing his ball ‘nearest the pin’. The top scorers of the day were Terry’s Lawrance and Aldis with 32 and 30 points respectively. A blind pairs draw often doesn’t result in the best performers winning, but on this occasion Terry L was matched with Mike Mann to give a combined winning score of 59. Terry A finished runner-up with Brian on 56. Our last event before Christmas was at Bury Golf Club in mid-October. A lovely autumnal day, surprisingly warm for the time of year, but with that pesky sun sitting low in the sky once again. We played a new format called ‘Shambles’, a mixture of ‘Texas Scramble’ and ‘Stableford’ play. It was great fun and relied on good camaraderie with fellow team members.

Our Under 16 Tigers are doing well in Division 1 of the Suffolk Youth League and looking excellent in a new kit sponsored by Compass.

BRAMFORD TENNIS CLUB Greetings guff lovers, rather a thin month news wise this time (please leave the room whoever said “what’s new?”). The Winter League progresses with no weather breaks yet to date, and Nick and Graham have recorded two victories, a notable season already! The Floodlit League team have played some games and I’m sure that they will get around to emailing me their results any month soon! The tennis club will have held their quiz night by the time your budgie is sitting on this and no doubt the Mastermind quiz scouts will have been impressed enough to offer me a place on the famous TV show... carrying the chair on set . I will wish you all a very Merry Christmas and leave you the best Christmas present ever, a joke of the month. A man rushes into a busy pub and says to another man drinking at the bar: “George! I have just seen a man drive away in your new Jaguar.” George said: “Oh my God, did you get a good look at him so that we can get a description for the police?” The man said: “Sorry it was all too far away, but luckily I took down the registration number!” Let’s hope things pick up in the New Year, Mick Russ

Being a new competition, it was hard to gauge what level a winning score might be, however Team 2 felt confident in their front nine performance finishing 11 under par. It transpired later that they were two ahead of both the other teams. Their performance started to fade midway through the back nine and Shaun felt a team pep talk was in order. Steve, who was having a great day personally, confidently stated “we’ve done so well on the front nine that we could pack up now and breeze this” (or words to that effect). This would come back to haunt him as his team finished last with six under par. We played two NP holes, Alan and Steve winning these while a popular winner on the LD hole was Ian, returning after a short absence. The shot of the day goes to Scott who nearly holed in two, pitching in from 170 yards, hitting the flag on the seventh. With both teams finishing 12 under par, the team prize on ‘countback’ went to Ian, Mike, Paul C and Scott. Finally, thanks to all those who attended our annual quiz night on October 28. We filled the hall and with around a third coming from outside the village it is testament to word-of-mouth and the power of advertising in this magazine (thanks Ed). Everyone appeared to enjoy the evening, not only warming up the brain cells, but giving the taste buds a treat with the three course meal freshly prepared by ‘The Henley Chefs’. We are extremely grateful that they volunteered to cater at our event, and impressed that they managed 86 covers in around 25 minutes – some achievement for such a small team. Cheers guys! On behalf of the HOG, may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Good Health and Happiness for 2018.

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SPORT / CHURCH NEWS GIPPING VALLEY BOWLS CLUB It may be the closed season for outdoor bowls, but most of our players are playing indoors and keeping their eye in. We don’t sit around during the winter; our social functions are in full swing with lunch club once a month, a games afternoon once a month and computer club. Mick, our greenkeeper, and his helpers are busy giving the green a makeover during the winter months, meeting every Wednesday to do maintenance work, although much of the time is spent drinking coffee and eating bacon rolls prepared by Norman. Our annual dinner and presentation evening is due to be held in January, where we all meet for a meal, natter and presentation of trophies. We are always looking for new members and will be starting a vigorous recruitment campaign in the New Year to get local people to come along and try their hand at bowling – watch this space for information. However, if you need to contact us in the meantime please call Rita on 01473 830845.

BACK ON TRACK

CHRISTMAS SERVICES AND EVENTS IN THE CLAYDON GROUP OF CHURCHES Serving the parishes of Claydon and Barham, Henley and Great Blakenham Saturday, December 2, 7.30pm: Christmas Cabaret, Barham Church December 1-3, 10am-4pm: Crib Festival, Gt Blakenham Church Church open, refreshments served in the Parish Room Sunday, December 3: Advent Sunday 10am-3pm: Gt Blakenham church open, refreshments served 4pm: Advent Carol Service, Gt Blakenham Church Saturday, December 9 10am-noon: Christmas Fayre, Gt Blakenham Parish Room 7pm: Christmas Quiz, Gt Blakenham Parish Room Tuesday, December 12, 7pm: Carol Service at St Peter’s Church, Claydon (please walk if possible)

The top 20 must have toys for Christmas this year doesn’t appear to include a train set. I don’t remember it, but I am told when I was four years old I asked for a train set. Forty years on I still have the original locomotive and some of the original contents of that set. Over the years I collected more locos, rolling stock and accessories. In my youth I would take the engines apart to try and see why they weren’t working properly and in the process making them worse.

Wednesday, December 13, 4.15pm: Pre-school Nativity, Barham Church,

These past few weeks, my son and I have been looking at trying to restore the locos in order to get them back on track. Videos on YouTube have proved helpful and gradually the non-running locos are running again.

Sunday, December 24: Christmas Eve No 8am, 10am or 11am morning services 3pm: Service of Light, Barham Church 4pm: Christingle Service, Gt Blakenham Church 5pm: Crib Service, Henley Church 11.30pm: Midnight Mass, Barham Church 11.30pm: Midnight Mass, Gt Blakenham Church

As we approach Christmas we see God at work to restore the broken fellowship that existed at the beginning with Adam and Eve. When I first got them, the locos were in perfect condition, as was God’s creation. Now damaged because of what I had done I needed someone else to restore them because I couldn’t. In the same way God’s creation was damaged because of Adam’s disobedience and we need someone else to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. The birth of Jesus was the next part of God’s unfolding plan to make it possible for us to have fellowship with Him again. We celebrate not only Jesus’ first coming, but look forward to His second coming having died, been buried and risen again in order to get us back on track. Carols by Candlelight: Sunday, December 17 at 4pm, followed by mince pies WEEKLY EVENTS Monday fortnightly: Little Owls Toddler Group, 10am-noon

Saturday, December 16 10am-1pm: Vestry Café, Henley Church 7pm: Advent Prayer Evening, Gt Blakenham Church Sunday, December 17 3pm: Carol Service, Barham Church 5pm: Carol Service, Gt Blakenham Church 7pm: Carol Service, Henley Church

Monday, December 25: Christmas Day 10am: Christmas Day Service, Henley Church No services at Gt Blakenham or Barham Sunday, December 31: New Year’s Eve 10am: New Year’s Eve Celebrations, Henley Church An informal all age service to unwind after Christmas! Wishing you all a peaceful and joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Claydon Group of Churches For more services visit www.claydonchurches.com or contact The Rev Carl Melville: 01473 833542 / carlmelville@hotmail.com

Tuesday: Weekly Prayer Meeting, 7.30-8.30pm Wednesday: Coffee Morning, 10am-noon. All welcome. Thursday: Home Group, 10-11.45am Friday: Children’s Club (primary school age), 6.30-7.30pm Sunday Morning Service: 10.45am-noon For more information contact Michael: admin@blakenhambaptist.org.uk 01473 839785 www.blakenhambaptist.org.uk

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CHURCH NEWS THE CLAYDON GROUP OF CHURCHES The Church of England in Claydon and Barham, Henley and Great Blakenham We offer you a warm welcome to all our events and services. For enquiries about baptisms, weddings and funerals contact Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Carl Melville 01473 833542 / carlmelville@hotmail.com Services in December Barham Church – every Sunday at 10am Henley Church – every Sunday at 10am Gt Blakenham Church – every Sunday at 11am Please see below for service time changes and additional services during Advent and Christmas. Sunday, December 3 – Advent Sunday 8am Holy Communion 10am Holy Communion 10am Holy Communion 11am family@blakenham 4pm Advent Carol Service

Barham Church Barham Church Henley Church Gt Blakenham Church Gt Blakenham Church

Sunday, December 10 – Advent 2 No morning services today, all welcome at: 10am Confirmation Service St John the Baptist, Needham Market 4pm Advent Holy Communion Gt Blakenham Church Tuesday, December 12 7pm Carol Service

St Peter’s, Claydon

Saturday, December 16 7pm Advent Prayer Evening

Gt Blakenham Church

Sunday, December 17 – Advent 3 8am Holy Communion 10am family@barham 10am Holy Communion 11am Holy Communion 3pm Carol Service 5pm Carol Service 7pm Carol Service

Barham Church Barham Church Henley Church Gt Blakenham Church Barham Church Gt Blakenham Church Henley Church

Sunday, December 24 – Christmas Eve No morning services 3pm Service of Light 4pm Christingle Service 5pm Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Mass 11.30pm Midnight Mass

Barham Church Gt Blakenham Church Henley Church Barham Church Gt Blakenham Church

Monday, December 25 – Christmas Day 10am Christmas Day Service Henley Church Sunday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve 10am New Year’s Eve Celebrations Henley Church Christmas Services: Please see the separate notice about Advent and Christmas Services (p21), including Carol Services and Children’s Services. Information about our Christmas Services are publicised at our three churches and can also be found at: www.claydonchurches.com A peaceful and joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Claydon Group of Churches.

Hall Bookings Barham Church Hall: Zoe Groom, 831804 Gt Blakenham Parish Room: Paul Corbett, 830201 Henley Church Vestry: Margaret Gerrard, 831463 Weddings November 3: Kate Ockleton and Thomas Lehkyj Baptisms November 5: Ella Mai Durrant Light Party: What a wonderful Light Party we had on All Hallows’ Eve. Everyone had a great time playing games, singing songs and making crafts with lights in them. Thank you to all who helped organise this event, and to all who were involved on the evening. God is our Light, and we welcomed him and you to our party. Sunday’s Cool: Meets on the second and third Sunday of every month in Great Blakenham Parish Room from 10.30am (December 10 & 17 / January 14 & 21). Under-fives should be accompanied by an adult. Older children can be left unattended. Stories, games, songs, loads of fun! It’s free – no need to book! Contact Irene for more info: 01449 676567 Crib Festival: This year we are holding a Crib Festival at Gt Blakenham Church from December 1-3, 10am-3pm daily. There will be displays of different crib scenes from various village groups. Refreshments served in the Parish Room on Saturday and Sunday. Services on Sunday 3 will be at 11am and 4pm. Christmas Bazaar: Gt Blakenham Christmas Fayre is on December 9 from 10am-noon. Refreshments available. Holy Conversations: Group meeting once a month for those new to church who want to explore spirituality and faith further. The next meeting is on Tuesday, December 5 at The Rectory, Back Lane, Claydon from 7pm. All welcome. Letter from the Vicar Advent is the run up to Christmas and for Christians it means preparing ourselves for a massive celebration. At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of the Baby Jesus in the manger, cared for by Mary and Joseph. The twist to the celebration is that Jesus is God’s own son. In other words, God stepped down to earth, to be one with us and one of us. In Jesus we see God as flesh and bone. That is worth celebrating! Why? Because we love doing things our own way, we just can’t help it. Doing things our own way tends to get us into trouble, just look at the mess our world is in! Jesus came so that we might do things his way. Christmas is a reminder that God is with us and that his coming to earth in Jesus was the greatest sign that he loves us and wants us to live life to the full. God is with us, he wants to save us and he loves us so much. That alone is worth celebrating. Whatever you’re doing for Advent and Christmas, make sure you are celebrating with all you have! Why not celebrate with us? The Revd Carl Melville carlmelville@hotmail.com www.claydonchurches.com /The Claydon Group of Churches

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