In touch news with manningtree apr18 by steve@intouchnews.co.uk

In Touch

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with Brantham, Lawford Manningtree & Mistley Volume 8 • Issue No. 6 • APRIL 2018

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River Days are Coming by Michael Rice

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR Some years ago I was invited to take part in a ‘Grumpy Women’ segment on Radio Suffolk. Each guest was asked to choose one topic, a task I set about with relish. When I met my fellow grumpy women in the green room before the show we chatted about how difficult it had been to choose. I was embarrassed to discover that while they had struggled to find a topic, I had struggled to select from a rather long list. I’d chosen people who eat from noisy packaging at the theatre or in the cinema, but the shortlist had included people who interrupt all the time, rude drivers who don’t acknowledge when you give way, the pseudoscience used to sell skin creams and cosmetics (just what is a free radical?), people who spit in the street… When I told my husband about the green room conversation he howled with laughter, until he noticed my silence. “Well you’re hardly surprised are you,” he said. “I’ve never known anyone who gets so easily annoyed about small things.” I’m sure you can imagine how that conversation went, but I’m making no apology for my grumpiness, though I prefer to see it as sensitivity! Of course this conversation took place at least 10 years ago and I think I’ve become a nicer person since I started working at In Touch. It’s impossible to be angry and judgemental when I’m constantly reminded of the good in people. Every month I hear from people who are raising funds for charity, organising local events (a significant and often thankless undertaking), setting up or leading support groups, promoting social opportunities for people who are otherwise isolated… the list goes on. We are so fortunate to live in a society where people care, where they look out for each other and give their time to make local communities stronger. The least the rest of us can do is turn up. Of course locally owned businesses are the beating heart of every strong local community, often supporting local causes, investing in the local economy and creating local jobs. Support each other and together we can look forward to a ‘grump free’ future!

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NEWS WOMEN’S AND GIRLS’ RUGBY WARRIOR CAMPS Over the last eight to 10 years rugby has become one of the fast growing female participation sports in the UK with in excess of 18,000 women and girls regularly playing in England alone. That number is increasing all the time and the RFU is working to grow this to 100,000 through a number of strategies. Success at the top level with England’s Red Roses lifting the World Cup in 2014 and finishing runners-up in 2017, along with the creation of the Tyrrells Premier 15s women’s league, have helped to raise the sports profile and the opportunities now available, but where can they go to begin to fulfil their potential? It’s not all about being the best and playing for England. Rugby is a sociable game; more women and girls are playing because rugby clubs have a welcoming, family atmosphere and the sport is a great way to get fit. Mistley RUFC is one of those clubs which has been offering girls aged 11 and below the chance to learn and play rugby in a mixed environment with the boys. Now many of those girls are reaching the age where they can no longer play alongside the boys, so Mistley have launched a girl’s section this year for 11 to 18 year olds who want to continue playing or want to take up rugby with an eye on progressing to a full women’s team in the future. Mistley Rugby Club will be hosting an ‘Inner Warrior’ camp which is a fun-packed, commitment-free way for girls to get outside, get muddy and experience the dynamic, exhilarating sport of rugby for the first time. With plenty of help on hand, we will introduce you to the basics of rugby – passing, kicking and tackling, coupled with enjoyable fitness routines – helping you step out of your comfort zone and unearth your Inner Warrior. This free event will take place on Tuesday, April 17 from 6-8pm at Furze Hills Playing Fields, Shrubland Road, Mistley CO11 1HS and is open to all girls in School Year 6 and above.

with Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree & Mistley

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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 Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree, & Mistley 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 •B ramford, Offton, Somersham & Willisham •C apel St Mary •B arham, Claydon, Henley & Whitton •B elstead, Bentley, Copdock, Tattingstone & Washbrook •D edham, East Bergholt, Flatford & Stratford St Mary •B aylham, Gt & Lt Blakenham & Nettlestead • I pswich East •K esgrave & Rushmere St Andrew •M artlesham Heath & Old Martlesham •N eedham Market & The Creetings •C helmondiston, Erwarton, Harkstead, Holbrook, Pin Mill, Shotley, Stutton & Woolverstone •B urstall & Sproughton •S towmarket & Stowupland • Ashbocking, Tuddenham St Martin, Westerfield & Witnesham •C hattisham, Hadleigh, Hintlesham, Holton St Mary, Layham & Raydon •M elton & Woodbridge

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MAY DEADLINE

Every Tuesday 10am-12.30pm Telephone: 07870 967353 Our local Food Bank can be found at Foundry Court, Colchester Road Are you struggling at the moment to make ends meet and just need a little help to get you over a crisis point in your life? Do you know someone that could just do with a little help to turn the corner? As well as help with food, we also work with One Support, a service that is at the Food Bank each Tuesday. They will give free advice about benefits, housing issues and financial problems. To use the Food Bank you will usually need a voucher, but you can come along on a Tuesday or telephone the number above to speak with someone for advice about what help you need. Vouchers are available from One Support, The Hub, local churches, local doctors, social workers and health visitors. The Food Bank can also provide vouchers once we have seen you and/or deliver food parcels to you by special arrangement. Why not pay us a visit or telephone us? LET US HELP YOU GET THROUGH A CRISIS WE ARE HERE FOR YOU

10 APRIL 2018

is the final date for both advertising and editorial copy

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NEWS REPORT TO PARISHES, ALTON WARD: APRIL 2018 Babergh District Councillor Alastair McCraw COUNCIL TAX As I write, Council Tax bills are being issued by Babergh. That might make it look like we get all that money, but in fact we’re just the billing authority. We pass more than 90% of it on and our share is 9.6% of the total. The vast majority (75.6%) of it goes to Suffolk County Council. You may notice that the amounts for SCC are split to include a special Adult Social Care precept. The total increase from last year is 5%. The next largest component of your bill (11.5%) goes to the Police and Crime Commissioner to use for Suffolk Constabulary. A very large increase of 6.8% has been applied this year. Babergh have increased their bill by £5, the maximum we are allowed without having to have a precept referendum. It is not a coincidence that this increase and a minimal one at Mid Suffolk bring our Council Tax into much closer alignment. One more year could see them being identical, hypothetically, maybe, possibly, probably. Draw your own conclusions. To achieve a balanced budget at Babergh, we have had to transfer £329,000 from our reserves, but sometimes that is what reserves are for. Our parish councils, as ever, have shown restraint and are all at, or under, a 2% increase. I say this every year, and admittedly I may be biased, but they remain the best bargain in local government. We calculate the Council Tax on the basis of Band D properties. Those were assessed decades ago and remain unchanged. A Band D property (the sort of average) in Alton Ward will have a Council Tax bill of about £1,650 for the 2018/19 financial year. It varies a little between the three parishes due to differences in their precepts. How much are you paying per week to each of these councils? In Band D, about £1 a week goes to your own parish council (a bargain!), about £3 a week to Babergh (less than you may have thought), £3.65 a week to the PCC and £24 a week to SCC. It’s just under £32 a week as a whole. If you live in a Band C property (the most frequent size) you pay eight-ninths of the above figures, Band B is seven-ninths, and Band E is ten-ninths. Why ninths? Well I suppose Band A at six-ninths is two thirds and that seemed about right when this system was set up. I know figures can be a little dry, but it’s your money. We have to be aware of that! Next month, space permitting, I’ll run through our spending of that money at Babergh. ALTON WARD NO MORE? The Boundary Commission have come back with another set of new draft recommendations for Babergh. As before, we drop to 32 councillors, the peninsula from five to four. The new proposal in this consultation suggests a single member ward for Brantham, but a massive three member ward to stretch from Stutton and Tattingstone to Shotley and Belstead. I think that’s unwieldy and unlikely to serve you well. The consultation link is at https:// tinyurl.com/ya9ktc7w and it closes on April 30. My own work on this matter so far shows a possible ward for Shotley and Erwarton, leaving a two member ward elsewhere, which although not perfect would be an improvement. Unfortunately, the numbers projected (and the current ones) for Stutton, Tattingstone and Holbrook are just far too large for electoral equality and thus a viable new Alton Ward around Alton Water. I’ll be working further on this and will keep you posted (see below as to where). This has maybe been as dull as ditch water for you, but in both these subjects the numbers do matter. As ever, I can be contacted as below, and I’ll be out and about on that old blue Claud Butler pushbike. Alastair McCraw 07812 564188 / alastair.mccraw@babergh.gov.uk

OGILVIE HALL, LAWFORD Most local people will know of Ogilvie Hall at the junction of Wignall Street and Church Road, on the corner opposite the War Memorial. Just in case the history of the hall is not known you may wish to know why it is called ‘Ogilvie Hall’. Mr and Mrs Ogilvie lived in what are now flats in the large building in Parrington Way. They had the hall built for the people of Lawford and set up the Ogilvie Trust to manage it with the rector and churchwardens as trustees. It was opened in 1910 and details of this are on the plaque in the main hall. Originally it housed a district nurse’s surgery in what is now the small hall and the large hall was used for educational purposes and to keep the men out of the beer houses. Many local people use Ogilvie Hall. The small hall and gardens are now used by the Montessori school. The other halls are used during the day and evenings by a dance school and local community groups such as an indoor bowls club, table tennis club, a horticultural society, a Friendly Club (mostly for senior citizens) and Trefoil Guild (for adults previously associated with Guiding). Lawford Parish Council offices are also housed in the building. Unfortunately, the hall now needs urgent repairs in the sum of £55,000. Fundraising is essential for maintenance work to the roof, mainly the soffit boards. Users do not need to catch drips in buckets yet, but if these are not fixed then rain will certainly gain access and the hall will become unsafe to use. The management committee hopes to have the work done between July and August when the Montessori school is closed. The problem we have is that the scaffolding needed is very complicated and will inconvenience the adult users and be unsafe for the young children who attend the school. If we cannot get it done this summer we will have to wait until next summer, by then there probably will be leakage, and extra costs added to the current quote of £55,000, £17,000 of which is the scaffolding. We have to agree to a start date soon or lose the current quote. We have been lucky enough to have been awarded a £10,000 grant from Tendring District Council under their Big Society Initiative, as well as a similar sum from Essex County Council from their Community Initiative Fund. Lawford Parish Council has also provided a grant of £2,000 towards the work. FUNDRAISING QUIZ: BOOK A TABLE NOW The funds raised from two quizzes last year totalled £750 and we will be holding two more on April 21 and May 26; tables can be reserved for either of these dates by calling Steve Marr on 01206 390293. We have also applied to the Co-Op Token Scheme and are awaiting the outcome of that. We are considering applying to Tendring District Council to register for a Small Society Lottery (cost £40) so we can hold a lottery and also considering additional fundraising events.

Facebook: Alton, Alastair McCraw & Harriet Steer (a joint open group)

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NEWS

CONSTABLE COUNTRY MEDICAL PRACTICE Requesting Repeat Prescriptions When a repeat prescription for medication is generated by one of our doctors, it will normally be authorised for up to six months of medication. This means that when the white repeat slip is received by the practice, our admin staff will print out a prescription for the requested medication ready for a doctor to review and sign. It is then sent either electronically or by paper to the patient’s nominated pharmacy, or held by the practice for them to collect. It may take up to three working days to process a repeat request. The nominated pharmacy will then need time to dispense the medication. When the authorised date has passed, the prescription will need to be reauthorised by a doctor before it can be issued again. A review date is stated on the white repeat slip and this is the date by which all medication must be reauthorised by a doctor. Depending on the medication, reauthorisation may entail a review of the patient’s record, a telephone call with a doctor or a face-to-face consultation. Please ensure you submit repeat requests in plenty of time if you are nearing your review date. You can order repeats online, drop a white repeat slip into the practice or ask your pharmacy to complete the white slip for you. However, if you ask your pharmacy to complete the white slip for you they still need to send it to the practice for the prescription to be issued and signed by a doctor, then sent back to the pharmacy to be dispensed. We regret that we are unable to accept requests for repeat medication over the phone. This is to ensure appropriate and safe prescribing. Use of Antibiotics You may have seen the recent TV adverts about limiting the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics are used to treat or prevent some types of bacterial infection. They work by killing bacteria or preventing them from reproducing and spreading. But they don’t work for everything. When it comes to antibiotics, take your doctor’s advice. Antibiotics don’t work for viral infections such as colds and flu, and most coughs and sore throats. Many mild bacterial infections also get better on their own without using antibiotics. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them encourages dangerous bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. That means that antibiotics may not work when you next need them most. This puts you and your family at serious risk. Training Days The practice will be closed from 1pm on the following dates for staff training: Wednesday, April 25; Thursday, May 24; Thursday, June 28. On these afternoons the Capel St Mary building will be open to enable access to the pharmacy, but the practice reception will be closed. East Bergholt reception will be open. Please note that there will be no clinicians at either building after 1pm as they will be attending training off-site. If you phone the practice the recorded message will ask you to ring 111 for medical assistance if your problem cannot wait until the next day. Practice Manager Pete Keeble

CONSTABLE COUNTRY PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP Remember this date: May 16 Our next talk, aimed at families, will be on May 16 at 7.30pm at the Methodist Church, The Street, Capel St Mary. Jan Cavanagh, a qualified play therapist from OneLife Suffolk, will be talking about nutrition and healthy lifestyles and there will be presentations on all round health for children including ideas for play. Medical Record Sharing: Why you need to take action now Until the end of March this year if, for example, you used the GP+ or the GP Out of Hours service they could access medical records held by your GP with your verbal consent. However, from April 1 onwards you will need to give permission to your GP practice in advance. If you were entitled to a free flu vaccination this winter you would have had a form printed on the back of your flu invitation letter and we know many patients filled this in. You can still fill in a form to give your consent. Please enquire in the surgery. Volunteer Patient Transport Service We are pleased to say that the Capel and East Bergholt volunteer transport services are both running again. Thanks to all those who volunteer their time. If you need transport to either Capel or East Bergholt surgeries then please tell the receptionist when you make your appointment. If you need to contact us: Email us at: constablecountryppg@gmail.com Fill in a comment card at either of the surgeries Phone Kathy on 01473 311384 Notes of our monthly meetings are available on the Constable Country Medical Practice website: www.constablecountrymedicalpractice.co.uk Just click on the ‘Patient Participation Group’ link on the right hand side. PPG Chair Kathy Pollard

FRIDAYS AT THE HUB The Hub in Manningtree is a youth café open three times a week, but every Friday morning from 10am to 12.30pm it’s open for people of all ages. Fridays at the Hub are a welcoming drop-in for chat and support over a cuppa and a biscuit. We are at 1 The Lane in Manningtree (next to the Mogul Restaurant). Colchester Credit Union is also open at The Hub every Friday morning from 10am-noon. Supported by Tendring District Council, Colchester Credit Union is a community bank for savings and loans which keeps your money as safe as any high street bank. Just £1 is enough to open an account; currently a £25 voucher is available for new savers (ask for details). Loans are available to regular savers. All services at The Hub are provided by local churches. For more information about the drop-in and Credit Union please call Dagmar: 07891 963005

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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!!!

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NEWS MANNINGTREE TOWN COUNCIL

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM

The minutes of Manningtree Town Council meetings are available on their website, on the two town noticeboards (one at the Co-op Fiveways store and one beside the library) and at the clerk's office by appointment: 01206 390285

Hadleigh SNT (Safer Neighbourhood Team) is based in Hadleigh and cover 49 parishes in parts of Babergh & Mid Suffolk. The area is diverse, covering a predominantly rural area, but also the Pinewood Ward on the outskirts of Ipswich and the Shotley peninsula south of Ipswich.

www.manningtreetowncouncil.org.uk

Hopefully by the time you read this the weather will be getting warmer and you will be thinking about getting into the garden or onto the allotment. We are fortunate that many of the areas we cover have access to allotment space; on the downside, due to the locality of many allotments they can often be vulnerable targets for damage and thefts.

Lawford Parish Council You can read council minutes on the parish council noticeboards and at: www.essexinfo.net/lawford-parish-council Minutes can be collected from the parish office by prior arrangement as the offices are not open to the public.

MISTLEY PARISH COUNCIL The full unapproved minutes of parish council meetings are displayed at the noticeboards near to the bus stop at Rigby Avenue and also outside Mistley Post Office in the High Street. The approved minutes can be accessed online at: www.essexinfo.net/mistleypc/parish-council/meetings Dates of next meetings, all in the village hall Thursday, April 19 at 7pm: Planning Committee Monday, April 23 at 7.30pm: Full Council preceded by the Annual Parish Assembly at 7pm

It is worth considering the guidelines below to ensure you do not become a victim of crime. • Fit good quality mortise locks to BS 3261 standard or closed shackle Sold Secure police approved padlocks and hasps. • Don’t forget hinges as they can be a weak point, so use coach bolts or oneway security screws so they cannot easily be undone. • Cycle locks and good quality closed shackle Sold Secure approved padlocks and chains can be used to secure equipment to a strong anchor point or to each other using a closed shackle padlock. • Protect your shed with a ‘shed bar’ across the door to prevent access. This and other approved security products will improve the security of your shed or outbuilding and can be found at www.soldsecure.com or www.securedbydesign.com. • Consider whether you really do need a window as it is another way in for thieves. Make sure you lock windows and either paint over or cover the glass to avoid people looking in to see what you have to steal. Wire mesh can be used on the inside to improve overall security. • Remove high value items and store at home. • Gates should be securely locked out of hours and have anti-climb features. • Perimeter fencing should be in good condition, visually open, 2m high, (removed) so any suspicious or criminal activity can be seen. • Consider planting thorny shrubs inside the fence at low level to stop climbing. Shrubs/trees adjacent to fencing gates should not provide climbing aids. • If shed alarms are in use, consider noise to adjacent properties and have procedures in place for if the alarms are activated. If secluded, consider GPS alarms or similar. • If there is an electricity supply, good levels of lighting are advised especially if allotments can be seen from passing members of the public via footpaths, adjacent properties and roads. • Make a property list detailing the make, model, serial number, value and description of valuable items. Use photographs to aid identification. • Overtly mark your property with your house number and postcode so that marking is permanent and property is less attractive for a thief to sell. See property marking section for more information. • Consider setting up an ‘asset register’ for the whole allotment scheme. • Consider investing in one large secure metal alarmed container for the storage of valuable items for all allotments. • Consider holding property marking days with the local Safer Neighbourhood Policing team. • Register your property at www.immobilise.com. This is a free web based property registration service approved by the police. See details below for help organising a property marking day or to contact police on any other matter. The next parish forum meeting is on Wednesday, April 11 at 7.30pm at Hadleigh Leisure Centre; all are welcome to attend to discuss local priorities and concerns. EMERGENCY: ALWAYS CALL 999 NON-URGENT INCIDENT: CALL 101 EMAIL: hadleigh.snt@suffolk.pnn.police.uk (non-urgent, should you wish to contact local officers FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @HadleighPolice

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OUT & ABOUT EAST BERGHOLT DRAMATIC SOCIETY

MANIFEST MOVIES

Presenting the hilarious farce Don’t Get Your Vicars in a Twist by Ann Gawthorpe and Lesley Bown at The Constable Hall, East Bergholt from April 19-21 at 7.30pm.

Films are shown on our big screen with high definition and cinema quality sound and comfortable theatre seating. The projectionist is Nigel Lister.

Desperate to find the funds to pay for his daughter’s wedding, churchwarden George seizes the opportunity to rent out the vicarage for a murder mystery weekend while waiting for a new vicar to be appointed.

Friday, April 20: Victoria & Adbul (PG13) Abdul Karim arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favour with the queen herself. As Victoria questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance that her household and inner circle tries to destroy. As their friendship deepens, the queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes, joyfully reclaiming her humanity.

Unfortunately for George, a new female vicar is appointed to the parish before this murder mystery can take place. He is delighted though when the new vicar, Caroline, announces that she is attending a college reunion. However, events take a turn for the worse when Bishop Herbert rings to announce that he is coming to visit his new incumbent today. Chaos ensues as half of Dickie’s cast fail to make an appearance and the remainder including a bishop and a female vicar, spend most of their time either fighting with each other, getting drunk, or both. This is even before we meet the guests! Come along to this fast-moving farce full of fun, frolics and lots of doors! Tickets are £6 in advance and available from 01473 311553 or 07803 475750.

STOUR CHORAL SOCIETY Rehearsals starts again in Manningtree Methodist Hall at 7.30pm on Monday, April 9 for a combined performance with the local children’s choir in Old Hall, East Bergholt on June 23. New singers very welcome; came and give us a try.

Doors open at 7pm, bar available. Seating will commence from 7.30pm with films starting at 7.45pm. Entrance will be by £5 ticket only on the night plus £2 for non-members (£2 annual membership). The bar will be available after the film showing until 10.30pm 2 Oxford Road, Manningtree, Essex CO11 1BP / 01206 391309 For more information please visit: www.manifesttheatre.co.uk / Facebook / Twitter

BRANTHAM AMATEUR THEATRICAL SOCIETY PRESENTS BREEZEBLOCK PARK BATS enjoy plays which are that little bit different. Breezeblock Park by Willy Russell is certainly that. This amusing comedy tinged with some more sober social comments is one for the adults. You may not know this play but may remember Educating Rita which was made into a film. It’s the early 1970s and Sandra, the daughter of Syd and Betty, is finding out that there are other attitudes to life and living it outside the conventions of the council house estate she has been brought up in. She is ready to challenge her parents and move on. Her new boyfriend, Tim, is partly responsible for this simmering awakening. Watch it explode and then see the aftermath. Meet Sandra’s other close relations and especially her cousin, John. Is he about to move on too? Or is he too heavily influenced by his mother? These fascinating characters will be brought to life by BATS from June 7-9 at 7.30pm in Brantham Village Hall. Tickets (£7 if ordered in advance / £8 on the door if any remain) are on sale from May 1 from Bakes & Blossoms Café, Acacia Court, Brantham, or online from: www.ticketsource.co.uk/branthamamateurtheatricalsociety No concessions, not suitable for under-18s

BRANTHAM ANNUAL GARAGE SALE 2018 Saturday, June 16, 9.30am-3pm Open garages throughout the village. Come and browse through a treasure trove of household items needing a new home, all at bargain prices. Look for the balloons and signs throughout Brantham on the A137. The village hall will host a table top sale with WI refreshments, handicrafts, preserves and plants and much more. There will be a BBQ, a tombola and an ice cream van. Make a day of it, grab a bargain and help St Elizabeth Hospice and Nepal Children’s Trust. For more information contact: Maya Watling: 07508 430671 / mayawatling@hotmail.com Margaret Woods: 07867 546484 / maggie1woods@googlemail.com Louise Madley: 07792 236414 / louloumadley@btinternet.com

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OUT & ABOUT

BUMPER BOOK SALE AT MANNINGTREE METHODIST CHURCH Saturday, April 28, 10am-3pm Bacon rolls, fresh homemade cakes and tea and coffee, all at £1 each

bentley toddler group FUNDRAISING JUMBLE SALE Saturday, May 12 from 2pm at Bentley Village Hall If you have anything you wish to donate, please bring it along to the hall from 9am on the day or contact Pam (01473 310283) or Aimée (01473 311311) who will arrange to collect it from you. If you would like to come to our sale, the hall will be open from 2pm. Tea and coffee will also be available. We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your support.

DADDIES DIARIES BY JANE BOWER ST MICHAEL’S MONTHLY MARKET The next market at St Michael’s, The Church on the Park, Woolverstone is on Saturday, April 14, 9am-12.30pm, when there will be a car boot sale in addition to all your favourite market stalls. Fruit, vegetables, cakes, bread, meat and an interesting range of handcrafted items which helps present buying. East End Butchers are pleased to be the market’s resident meat supplier. If you would like to place on order with them it can be collected at the market each month. Their number for orders is 01206 392190. Come along to mingle with your friends, have a cup of coffee and a bacon buttie and enjoy the lovely venue. New stalls welcome. Contact Jane Gould: 01473 780777

FREE IT SUPPORT AT MANNINGTREE LIBRARY Tuesdays from 11am and Thursday from 4pm Hints and tips on using computers Bring your own tablet or laptop Beginners Welcome Our volunteer is here to help you For further information contact Essex Libraries: 0345 603 7628

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

At 7pm on Friday, May 4, Manningtree Methodist Church hosts a one-woman play called Daddies Diaries by actress and storyteller Jane Bower. This play has toured across the UK to great acclaim and is based on the wartime diaries of her father Leonard Bower. Tickets are £8 and there will be refreshments and a raffle. For further information and to book tickets contact: 07867 546484

FREEDOM FROM STRESS Dr Charlotte Bech will present a talk entitled Freedom from Stress at Firstsite Art Gallery, High Street, Colchester CO1 1JH on Sunday, May 6 at 2.30pm and Wednesday, May 9 at 7.30pm. She will talk about using simple natural procedures such as the right light, timing, diet, oils, spices, mental and emotional training, yoga and meditation. Dr Bech is the author of seven books, two of which have been best sellers in Denmark, on the topics of healthy diet, fertility, hormones, women’s health and children’s health. She has a weekly column in the largest national ladies’ magazine in Denmark and is frequently on Danish radio and TV. Dr Bech studied medicine at Copenhagen University and has taught at the medical school there. She has worked as a surgeon in gastrointestinal surgery, as a medical doctor in the area of haematology at the most renowned referral hospital in Denmark and in the field of internal medicine/ obstetrics in Tennessee, USA. She has her own private clinic in Copenhagen, supplementing modern medicine with Ayurveda, the world’s oldest system of natural medicine. To book phone Barry Spivack on 01394 420455 or visit: http://uk.tm.org/web/essex

OUT & ABOUT THE ART OF FLOWERS

TEA & SUPPORT

The Friends of St Lawrence Church in Bradfield (CO11 2US) will be holding a flower festival from Saturday, May 5 to Monday 7.

Tea & Support, the friendship and self-help group formed some five years ago for those who have been bereaved or are living alone, meets on the third Wednesday afternoon of each month from 2-4pm, normally in the Church Hall, New Road, Mistley (see below). These meetings usually consist of a talk or activity followed by an opportunity to chat over tea and home-made cake. Several times a year we have an outing to somewhere local for either lunch or afternoon tea. As our numbers have increased we have needed to hire transport for these outings. To cover our costs we now ask our members for a donation of £1 each per meeting attended.

Entitled The Art of Flowers, the festival will include flower arrangements inspired by local art which will also be on display in the church. The festival, which takes place in St Lawrence Church, will be open from 10.30am until 4.30pm each day. Light refreshments will be available. Admission £3.50. Contact Norma Barrow: 01255 870681

JUBILATE SUNG EVENSONG AT WOOLVERSTONE Jubilate return to St Michael’s Church, Woolverstone on Sunday, April 22 to offer a real treat in the form of a Sung Evensong. Jubilate is a choral group under the directorship of Martyn Bagnall and have delighted a full church in Woolverstone with their sung evensongs before. The service starts at 4pm and is on Sunday, April 22. Tea, chat and cake to follow the service.

MANNINGTREE & DISTRICT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Pictures by their very nature will always involve places and people and it’s our fascination with the latter and the challenges that brings, which has stirred our interest of late. Of the 58 entries in the People competition in February there were again several stunning entries captured from both home and abroad. Joining the regular top performers was Jenny Tucker with this colourful and vivid image from the Maasi Mara National Park in Keyna, which caught the judge’s eye and was one of the seven prints earning top marks. The studio evening in March hosted by George Fossey, assisted by Stephanie, brought home to us the difficulties of indoor photography. Once George had insisted that we all turned off the auto settings on our cameras we really had to think about the right combination of settings for studio lighting. It was a useful and good-humoured evening with an opportunity for members to improve their technique. In addition to our regular fortnightly meetings, committee member Tim Stott has kindly organised a number of informal tuition evenings. Although titled the ‘Rookie Club’ with the intention of helping any newcomers, these friendly sessions have also been attended by more experienced hands and have turned out to be a useful and social learning experience for all. The Stour Estuary continues to inspire many local photographers, as can be seen by the array of equipment often on show along the ‘Walls’, the grassed area linking the shoreline between Manningtree and Mistley. But there are also plenty of photographers pleased to share their work via Facebook. Our society has its own Facebook group for members, but those of you with an interest in local photography may wish to visit the recently introduced ‘Manningtree and Surrounding Area Photographers’ page. Although this publicly available Facebook page has no association with our society, it does promote a common local interest. FUTURE MEETINGS March 29: Action, Water and Luck with Don Thompson April 12: Long Exposure Competition / Judge: Dave Wilcox April 26: A Walk on the Wild Side with Kevin and Margery Maskell FRPS & ARPS

MEETINGS THIS SPRINGTIME April 18: Spring outing for afternoon tea May 16: Collectables and Curios! PLEASE NOTE: until work has been carried out on the ceiling of Mistley Church Hall, Tea & Support meetings will be held in St Mary & St Michael’s Church, New Road, Mistley. For further information please contact Joy or John Baker on 01206 391918 or for transport please call Paskell’s on 01206 396709. The 2018 programme is available from Paskell’s in Manningtree, in St Mary & St Michael’s Church and Bradfield Church.

STOUR VALLEY U3A The Life and Times of Sir Alfred Munnings was the subject of Marcia Whiting’s talk on March 14. On April 11, in a talk entitled GM Crops – Where Are We Now?, Professor Wendy Harwood will cover what the technology is, how it has developed from the first GM crops, how the new technology of gene editing fits in, the current situation worldwide and what’s in the pipeline. Roger Kennell will present William Pretty – A Suffolk Family & Corset Manufacturer on May 9. His illustrated presentation follows the major corset making business of William Pretty & Son at Ipswich (and its outpost factories) which was part of the Footman Pretty department store, now Debenhams. On June 13 Tony Diamond will tell us of the history of the colourful discovery and spread of the hot drink to Europe, astonishing aspects of chocolate and an overview of the financial importance of chocolate to the UK. Our main purpose is to encourage lifelong learning for those who are no longer in full time employment and emphasis is always placed on making learning active and fun as well as helping in developing friendships. We have a wide range of groups including language study, country walking and computer studies and groups that visit gardens, churches and historic buildings. In the main, membership is drawn from communities in the lower Stour Valley and adjacent areas including Brantham, Capel St Mary, Dedham, East Bergholt, Holbrook, Lawford, Manningtree, Raydon and Stratford St Mary. We are affiliated to the ThirdAge Trust, have over 260 members and 21 groups. For further information please visit www.stourvalleyu3a.org.uk where membership secretary Gillian Gibbs may be contacted. 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. It’s never too late to learn! Join the 361,477 members across 969 U3As throughout the UK today.

STOUR VALLEY LADIES PROBUS CLUB Stour Valley Ladies Probus Club meets at Brantham Leisure Centre at 10am on the first and third Thursday in the month. The first meeting in the month includes lunch and the second is for coffee. At every meeting there is a general interest speaker.

We meet twice monthly on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm until May 2018 at the St Johns Centre, Station Road, Manningtree CO11 1EB. New members are welcome to join (subscription £40) or may attend initially as a visitor (£3).

The aim of our club is to encourage interest and fellowship among our members, all of whom are retired and have a lively and informed outlook on life.

Please contact Margaret for details: 01206 396958 / madps@post.com

New members are welcome and anyone interested in attending a coffee morning should contact our president, Doreen Gant: 01206 399049 / deegant@tiscali.co.uk

www.manningtreeanddistrictphotographicsociety.co.uk

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

THE MANIFEST THE You ain’t seen nothing yet!

Unfortunately, I missed the heady excitement of the formation of the Manifest Theatre Group. I first became a member of the group in 1987, but due to work commitments it wasn’t until 1992 that I first trod the boards in the Rogers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Bitten by the acting bug and the amazing camaraderie that exists between the actors, crew and all involved in Manifest productions, I became a regular performer as well as working behind the scenes on many subsequent productions. After serving on the Manifest Theatre Committee for some years I was elected as chairman in 2012 and have held the post since then. During the years I have held the office, there have been a number of significant developments.

Dreams can come true

Forty years on I can hardly believe it! Who would have thought that those 16 people who met that night in 1977 with their heads full of dreams and a shared love of theatre would have those dreams fulfilled and that today we are the proud owners of our own theatre? Pauline Emeny came up with the name of The Manifest Theatre, a great name but the snag was we had no theatre! But one evening I was telling Robin Wilshaw about our dreams and he said “you can borrow the building in my garden until you get on your feet”. We just couldn`t believe our luck. The building he referred to was a former chapel with beautiful proportions and double height, ideal for our purposes. We called it Robin’s Shed and spent seven glorious years there. It is largely due to that amazingly generous man and his wife Hilary that the Manifest Theatre exists today. The productions we put on there were many and various, usually one musical a year such as Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago, Sweeney Todd, Good Companions, and at least two plays a year, the first being Breath of Spring by Peter Coke and Habeas Corpus by Alan Bennett and many, many more plus various music halls and reviews. How we worked and how we loved it! To start with Dennis Murfitt and I co-produced. He and most of the actors had previously been with the Bromley Pantomime Group where he played the best Dame I have ever seen and was also a very talented straight actor with whom I have had the pleasure of working many times. Eventually Dennis did most of the directing with everybody pulling together to tackle any and every job from costume and set painting to cleaning and make-up, with Bruce overseeing the lighting board up in the gallery.

For some years plans had been drawn up to extend the theatre. We obtained planning permission and in 2012 fundraising began in earnest. Much of the building work was done by volunteer members and by some miracle we managed to complete the project by the end of 2013. The facilities were greatly improved for our audiences and performers with new toilets both front of house and backstage. But it was our offstage areas which were most appreciated by the actors. Whereas before they had had to brave the elements to enter stage left and stage right, these entrances were now totally enclosed. There was also a much larger stage management and scenery dock area. One of the fundraising events we held was a film night when we screened the modern silent film The Artist. Due to the popularity of the screening we began a regular monthly film night at the beginning of 2014. These Manifest Movies have continued ever since. But it is the core purpose of the group that has gone from strength to strength. Our dramatic and musical productions have won awards year after year and we have been nominated again by NODA (National Operatic and Dramatic Association) for two more awards for our 2017 production of The Lady in the Van. We eagerly await the results in April. And to foster interest in young budding actors and actresses, our junior group which started last year, has become very popular. This group meets every Thursday during school terms. It has been an honour and a privilege to chair the committee during these past six years and I look forward to seeing our further plans come to fruition ensuring the Manifest Theatre Group has an equally bright future in the years to come. To re-coin an old cliché – ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’. Alan Wheeler, Chairman of Manifest Theatre Group

Then in 1985 our dreams came true with Dennis Murfitt being the prime mover. We actually bought our very own place, formerly The Wesley Primary School, coincidently the very school where I myself had been a pupil which makes it very special to me then and now. Once again we did everything ourselves which included a lot of building work, including putting in a stage. All the work was done by volunteers, from building a bar to erecting a lighting gallery and moving the iron seats. Our stalwart members put their shoulders to the wheel and our first production, Alan Ayckborn’s Bedroom Farce, took place eight months later. Now here we are 40 years on. Obviously there have been a few hiccups over the years, but we have overcome them and gone from strength to strength with the support of our loyal members whose continued support we couldn’t do without. Val Taylor, Founder Member, Director and Actor 16

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EATRE: 40 YEARS ON From Humble beginnings...

The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations on the Welcome Home Field in Mistley in 1977 was the location where our theatre group was conceived. It was the heady excitement of the day that spurred Dennis Murfitt to discuss the possibility of forming a theatre group of local enthusiasts in Manningtree. Following eager conversations between Dennis, Val Taylor, Viv Wheatley and myself we decided to pursue this idea. Dennis was the inspiration and driving force during the early stages of the group´s formation. So many people worked tirelessly to make the dream a reality. The inaugural meeting took place at the Waggon and Horses public house, now sadly gone but not forgotten, on the 10th July 1978. The first management committee was elected, the business of running a theatre group discussed and an implementation plan agreed. The committee was made up as follows: Chairman Ernie Norfolk; Secretary Irene Hacon; Treasurer Jack Hacon; Producer Dennis Murfitt. Other committee members: Val Taylor, Viv Wheatley and yours truly. Others present were: Adrian Bolton, Kevin Brown, Brenda and Bill Chapman, Yvonne Cobbold, Jane Cousins, Sally Mann and Jean Murfitt. Special mention must also be made to Geoff Taylor and Terry Cousins for their skills in realising a vision and turning a hall into a working theatre. My wife Pauline thought up the name of the group. Man – Manningtree: Manifest – as to show or appear. Thus we arrive at The Manifest Theatre Group.

Here’s to the next 40 years

I missed out on The Manifest Theatre’s first 15 years, but feel very fortunate that I have been involved in all aspects of our theatre in the last 25 years, both on and off stage, and enjoyed every single moment. I feel privileged that not only do we have a unique theatre which serves our community with diverse entertainment at least three times each year, but also to be part of a talented team of volunteers who work together to ensure that we strive to put on productions we can be proud of. My first production as an actress was Daisy Pulls it Off, but I discovered that my first love was directing and in the last few years I have loved working with various casts that have added to the sheer fun of creating theatre for the local community. I am also a trustee of The Manifest along with Bruce Emeny, Terry Cousins and Bob Wheatley and I think I can speak for the four of us when I say that we are not only very proud to hold this position, but extremely proud of our theatre. Here’s to the next 40 years. Kerry King, Trustee and Director Photo Top Left: Breath of Spring – 1979: standing (l-r) Brenda Chapman, Dennis Murfitt, Viv Wheatley, Adrian Bolton & Kevin Brown; laying/kneeling (l-r) Val Taylor, Jane Cousins & Yvonne Cobbold Photo Bottom Left: RolePlay – 2015: (l-r) Helen Bridge, Albert Horn, Paul George, Roger Atkins, Angie Smith, Alison Baker & Amanda Rowe

The first venue we appeared at was the Old British Legion Hall, affectionately known as Robin´s Shed, at the top corner of South Street, Manningtree. Due to the enthusiasm and dedication of the membership the hall was transformed into a theatre in time for our first production in May 1979. Genuine tip-up theatre seats, sets and scaffolding for lighting positions were erected. The first production was the comedy Breath of Spring by Peter Coke. Nineteen productions were performed in our first venue. In 1984 a former primary school in Oxford Road, Mistley, came up for sale. We purchased the property and transformed the building into a fully functioning theatre. The first production in our own theatre was in October 1985, a comedy by Alan Ayckborn called Bedroom Farce. Thanks to our active membership and fundraisers we are now what can be termed a fully self-sufficient and self-supporting theatre. From humble beginnings in 1978 with just 16 members, the group now has a membership of over 700. In June 2013 it was decided to extend and improve our unique theatre. The new build included new toilet facilities, a new stage management and scenery dock area. Over the 40 years we have won many awards for our productions, which is a testament to the work of our talented cast, crew, musicians and directors. But it is our audiences that matter most. We always strive to be extremely professional in all we do. With a varied mix of thought provoking plays, hilarious comedies and highly acclaimed musicals, we endeavour to perform exciting live theatre in the Manningtree area. Bruce Emeny, Founder Member, Lighting Designer and Trustee www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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www.nantmorblinds.com In Touch online:

OUT & ABOUT STOUR VALLEY MEN’S PROBUS CLUB Grant Elliot returned on Wednesday, March 7 and this time his subject was The Life of Chic Murray. Our Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday, March 21 when the president, treasurer, secretary, speaker secretary and committee were voted in. On April 4 Bob Milne will talk on The Assignation of the Italian Barber and Oliver Paul from Suffolk Food Hall, voted the best local food venue in the UK and Ireland in the Countryside Alliance Awards (Rural Oscars), will present Food and Farming Heritage on April 18. We have two interesting speakers in May; on May 2 Joyce Kimber will present Britain’s Finest Hour and on May 16 Brain Kelly will enlighten us on The Life of a British Consul. 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. 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

VILLAGE LINK CLUB For our February meeting Dave Steward gave us a potted history of Dad’s Army and its main characters. Afterwards, members enjoyed lunch at a local hostelry. The title of the talk on April 11 is Pray Silence for ?. We then look forward to The History of Butley Priory and a further programme of talks is currently in planning. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month in Tattingstone Village Hall at 10am. 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. Roger Felgate: 01473 311684

ORWELL DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS SOCIETY In February Barry Venning kept us all spellbound with a talk on the local and world famous animator and cartoonist Carl Giles. Entitled Giles – His Life, Times and Cartoons, the humour and stories of the cartoons and captions had the audience both laughing and sometimes mulling over his reasoning. The cartoons were also interspersed with the life story of Giles from his schooldays until his death. A near full house enjoyed a thoroughly well rounded talk, excellently presented.

MANNINGTREE POETRY GROUP The next meeting of Poetry Plus will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday, April 10 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

GOOD NEWS IN HARWICH The Embroiderers’ Guild is opening a new branch in Harwich with the first meeting on Tuesday, April 17, 10am-12.30pm. Meetings are held at The Mayflower Heritage Trust, George Street, Harwich CO12 3ND. There is car parking and the building is adjacent to the station and bus stop for Colchester and Clacton Buses. If you haven’t stitched before and would love to learn the techniques and skills, or you are experienced in the art and enjoy being in the company of likeminded people, or love textile art in all its complexities, then come and share in our creative process. All abilities are welcome. For further information please contact Linda Watts: 01206 392348 / lindawatts1@sky.com There is also a branch of the guild at Firstsite in Colchester. Meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month from 10am-12.30pm. For information please contact: chair.colchester@embroiderersguildeast.org.uk

LAWFORD & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY We were pleased to see so many former members return, and to welcome several new members on the opening evening of 2018. Mr Barry Gayton gave a very comprehensive talk in his relaxed, gentle style, on one of his favourite plants, hellebores. The seeds of these plants sow themselves around quite freely, but each one can be different and you need to see plants blooming to see that you like them. They may be a completely new flower. After his instructions for growing, propagating and displaying the hundreds of different hellebores that he has in his garden, he showed slides of his cacti collection, shrubs, trees and flowers. It must be an amazing sight, and site. Next month, on April 19, the speaker will be Mrs Jenny Francis, who will be telling us about Wildlife on Parrington’s Farm. Do come along if you are interested.

On Wednesday, April 4, John Benjamin, familiar to all those who watch The Antiques Roadshow, will give a talk to mark the Golden Jubilee of NADFAS. A History of Jewellery from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth Taylor is a lecture close to one given in early 1969 which looked at the evolution of design in jewellery. We will see beautiful things. Here we see The Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I c1600 (unknown artist). 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

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

SCHOOLS MANNINGTREE HIGH SCHOOL Year 9 student Mia Reed was one of the Manningtree High School students who entered the Lions/United Nations International Peace Poster Competition. The Peace Poster competition is a widely supported international competition. There were 600,000 entries worldwide and Mia’s entry won the district competition before going on to win the East Anglia region prize. Next, her poster was selected as the UK national winning entry. This was considered alongside the winning entries from 59 other countries. To crown her triumph, Mia’s entry was awarded one of just 24 merit awards. This is only the second time that a UK entrant has achieved such recognition in the 30 year history of the competition. In March, Mia and her family will be heading to the Palace of Westminster for a special national award ceremony. Mia’s art teacher Mr Rowe said: “Mia is a very committed student and has a real passion for art. Although Mia is very humble and would likely be very modest about her success, I know that she worked extremely hard on her poster, trialling different ideas before deciding on her final design. I am delighted with what Mia has accomplished and am excited to see what Mia can achieve in the future.” Mia said: “I found the idea of peace really interesting and just wanted to enter. I was really happy and surprised when I won.”

BROOKLANDS PRIMARY SCHOOL Brooklands has recently been awarded a £2,885 grant from the Ernest Cook Trust. This grant will fund an outdoor learning project linked to science. Our science leader will be leading this project which we hope will support us in making effective use of our school grounds. Brooklands Friends and Family (BFF) plays a huge part in the life of Brooklands, providing fun activities for our families from discos to quiz nights. BFF works hard each year to raise money for school projects and items for the school that might not otherwise be funded or possible, most recently enabling us to develop our wonderful mud room which provides a hardworking space for our children to kick off their muddy boots and forest suits after outdoor adventures. BFF are also supporting the rejuvenation of the school pond area. The pond, within the school grounds, is one of our amazing learning resources that brings delight and learning each year for our children. The pond provides a home for frogs, toads, dragonflies, pondskaters and much more and also features on the list of ‘50 things to do before you leave Brooklands’. Do you know of families moving into the area who would like to come to us? We currently have a limited number of places in Years 2, 3 and 4. For information on how they can apply for their child to join Brooklands during the school year (in-year applications) please contact school admissions: admissions@suffolk.gov.uk / 0345 600 0981

VALUING THE IMMEASURABLE BY NICOLA MITCHELL Head of The Abbey & Queen’s House at Woodbridge School Becoming a parent is an exciting time. Our first thoughts as parents are that we want our children to be healthy, fulfilled and happy; ready to enjoy their journey, embracing challenges along the way. At what point does this change? Parents in the past have informed me that they have decided that Kate (not her real name) is destined for Oxford and will have a career in Medicine. Kate was three at the time and struggling with the concept of sharing her tractor. All parents want the best for their children (and if they don’t, we should be questioning; “why not?”). Sending a child to school should enable the team behind the child; the parents, grandparents, friends, extended family and school staff, to work together to ensure that each individual is supported in the best way possible. Schools should be about educating the whole child. They should have breadth and balance in the curriculum, value the Arts, enable the gifted, support those with additional needs, encourage independence, promote collaboration, celebrate success, develop individuality, advance academics and advocate teamwork. The educational environment should be all things to all pupils. Schools should be unashamedly all-encompassing and concerned with developing every aspect. School life should go beyond the basics of academic rigour and, if that is the single most important focus of a school, I would argue the point is being missed. We should be educating the mind, the body and the spirit. Supporting children to know themselves, recognising their strengths and weaknesses in order that they may continue to grow and develop in all areas. At the end of their time in school our children should emerge as happy, confident and well-rounded young adults; equipped with the examination results to open doors and the skills to ensure the paths that lead from them can be followed. A good education should be a happy one, filled with positive memories (box-cart racing, productions, recitals, achievement, matches, friendship; not just tutoring and exam prep) and the chance to feel fulfilled, challenged and engaged. If this is achieved then the adults of the future will have been educated beyond the basics and have the transferable skills to cope with the everchanging workplace. If you are a parent and you are reading this, do pause for a moment and ask yourself: What do I want for my child? The Abbey & Queen’s House will be holding an Open Day on Saturday, April 28, 10am-12.30pm. For more information please visit: www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk

Headteacher Christine Davy

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Woodland & Wonder Come and experience Learning@Woodbridge at our woodland themed, interactive Open Morning. Pre-booking is essential. To book a place, or for more information, please contact Mrs Karen Virr.

OPEN MORNING QUEENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HOUSE & THE ABBEY Saturday 28 April 10am - 12.30pm

Telephone: 01394 382673 Email: kvirr@woodbridgeschool.org.uk www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk

Untitled-1 1 www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

14/03/2018 10:06:03 21

SPORT MISTLEY & MANNINGTREE BOWLS CLUB OPEN DAYS Discover the pleasure of playing bowls at Mistley & Manningtree Bowls Club Open Days on Saturdays, April 28 and May 5 and 12, 10am-4pm. The only requirement is to wear flat shoes or trainers. Bowls can be provided. For further information contact Stephen Langridge: 01206 395083

MISTLEY CRICKET CLUB February 2018 100 Club Winners 1: Pat & George Bibby (70) £110 2: Guy Lennox (32) £50 3: Neil Grover (80) £50 Indoor nets got under way for the seniors at the Royal Hospital School and at Manningtree Sports Centre for the juniors. Everyone at the club is looking forward to the new season with great anticipation. SATURDAY CRICKET 1st Team: Two Counties Div 1 Sat, April 14: Wivenhoe (H) Sat, April 21: Witham (A) Sat, April 28: Halstead (H) Sat, May 5: Maldon (A) 2nd Team: Two Counties Div 3 Sat, April 14: Abberton (A) Sat, April 21: Bury St Edmunds III (H) Sat, April 28: Tuddenham (A) Sat, May 5: Walsham Le Willows (H)

BRANTHAM FOOTBALL CLUB February was not a successful month for our three teams. The 1st team played four matches in February, winning just one and losing three they have now dropped to fifth in the league and also lost the Suffolk Premier Cup quarter-final, although they did have one good away win at Newmarket. They have league cup semi-finals to look forward to away at Wroxham; we hope for the right result there. The Reserves lost their Suffolk County Cup quarter-final after two postponements and are still mid table. The A team had a mixed February and are still sitting mid table. They have a quarter-final at home on March 30 and we hope for a win then. Unfortunately the weather has now taken a hand and the first Saturday in March saw all the games postponed. Still if it’s good enough for Ipswich Town, it’s got to be good enough for Brantham! There is also a thriving junior section with ages ranging from under-7 to under-16. Our Sunday teams play their matches at the leisure centre on Sunday mornings while our Ladies team play on Sunday afternoons. The 1st Team play their home matches at the leisure centre, kick-off 3pm on Saturdays and 7.45pm on weekday evenings. The A Team plays at Raydon. The under-18s play on weekday evenings, 7.45pm kick-off. HOME FIXTURES FOR APRIL 1st Team at Brantham Leisure Centre / KO: 3pm Monday, April 2: Stanway Rovers Saturday, April 7: Ely City Saturday, April 14: Thetford Town Saturday, April 21: Kirkley and Pakefield Saturday, April 28: Gorleston Reserves: See Twitter feed A-Team: See Twitter feed

3rd Team: Two Counties Div 9 East Sat, May 5: Nacton II (H)

www.branthamathleticfc.co.uk

SUNDAY AND MIDWEEK CRICKET

BRANTHAM BOWLS CLUB

NECL and National Village Competition Sun, April 15: Elmstead (A) Sun, May 6: Copdock & OIs (A)

New Village, Brantham (behind the village hall) Why not try the game of bowls? It’s great fun and very sociable.

Sunday Div Team: Two Counties Sunday Div Sun, April 22: Abberton (H) Sun, April 29: Ardleigh (A)

We run a weekly Saturday Morning Club from 10am-noon especially for beginners and practices for bowlers. Come along on April 21; everybody very welcome.

LADIES TWO COUNTIES Sun, April 29: Copdock (H) Fri, May 4: Sudbury T20 (A)

Only flat shoes/trainers required, all equipment provided. Tea/coffee available.

New players are always welcome; for more information please email: mistleycc@btinternet.com

OPENING DRIVE FOR MEMBERS Saturday, April 14 at 2pm For further details please phone Mervyn: 01473 827447

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SPORT / ON THE GRAPEVINE EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB DANCEEAST OFFER DANCE FOR The 1 team had a very mixed February with one win, one loss and one PARKINSON’S & CARE TO DANCE? st

draw. This leaves them in a low mid table position as the season moves to its conclusion.

The Reserves had only two fixtures with one emphatic victory and one heavy defeat. Unfortunately, the defeat saw them exit the Travel Plus Tours Cup so they will not repeat the trophy success of last season. One win and two defeats mean the A Team’s efforts to maintain their League B status continue. UPCOMING FIXTURES

DanceEast offers a range of dance to health classes including those for participants with Parkinson’s and Dementia. Based on English National Ballet’s contemporary and classical repertoire, Dance for Parkinson’s classes provide a fun and informal way for participants to discover the themes, choreography and music of the ballets. Participants also have the special opportunity to attend exclusive behind-the-scenes events and see the company perform. This programme is proven to support people with Parkinson’s to develop confidence and strength, while temporarily relieving some participants of symptoms in everyday life. Classes are expressive, creative and promote feelings of freedom from the physical and social constraints of having Parkinson’s. Classes take place on Wednesday afternoons in term time. Booking is essential prior to attending Dance for Parkinson’s classes.

1st Team: Senior Division Sat, March 31: Capel Plough (A) Sat, April 7: Benhall St Mary (H) Sat, April 14: AFC Hoxne (A) Reserves: League A Sat, March 31: AFC Hoxne Res (A) Sat, April 7: Westerfield Utd Res (A) Sat, April 14: Framlingham Town Res (A) Sat, April 21: Wenhaston Utd Res (A) A Team: League B Sat, April 7: Trimley Athletic Res (H) Sat, April 21: Bacton United 89 Res (A) Fixtures are subject to change. Please refer to the fixtures website to confirm: https://tinyurl.com/yb9x9ejp It has been decided to put the race night on hold for the time being. We are always looking for people who can help the club as committee members, whether 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 match days are all potential exposure for your business while supporting a local organisation. Steve Butcher: stevebutcher55@btinternet.com

Care to Dance? classes are designed for family carers and those they support in the early stages of Dementia to share the experience together. The classes create the opportunity to socialise with like-minded people, benefit from improved mental and physical wellbeing and most importantly have fun in a high quality, energising dance class. Dance for Parkinson’s: Wednesday, April 18 – Wednesday, July 4 (half term: Wednesday, May 30) Care to Dance?: Thursday, April 19 – Thursday, July 5 (half term: Thursday, May 31) DanceEast, Jerwood DanceHouse, Foundry Lane, Ipswich IP4 1DW Box Office: 01473 295230 / www.danceeast.co.uk

CAPEL PLOUGH FOOTBALL CLUB The Saturday 1 team were beaten 2-1 by league leaders Achilles at the Playing Field on February 24 with the top of the table game being watched by a crowd of 92 spectators, our largest attendance of the season (so far). st

Two goals down at the break, the team pulled a goal back from leading scorer Daniel Alderson with ten minutes remaining, but despite a lot of pressure were unable to get an equaliser. Crowds have increased this season with most home games being watched by 50 or more people and the club is grateful to those who buy half time refreshments in the warmth of our clubhouse. A goal from Andy Wilshaw gave us a 1-0 win away to Haughley United with Andy having joined the club as an eight-year-old many seasons ago and he is still enjoying his football. The side lost 3-0 against Crane Sports

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in the Bob Coleman Cup quarter final. The Reserves are second in the Inter C League after an 8-0 win against Somersham Reserves which included a hat trick for Alex Parry and two goals for Matt Noble. This was followed by a 2-1 victory over Ufford Reserves thanks to goals from Daniel Hudson-Smith and Matt Noble. Our Sunday team lost 3-2 against Ipswich Rangers with our scorers being Abdul Kaium and Joe Bigmore. All other games were called off due to the weather. The weekend of March 3 saw our pitches under several inches of snow with all local games in the Suffolk and Ipswich League and Sunday Morning League postponed. Roll on spring then! BOB THE PLOUGHMAN

ON THE GRAPEVINE QUESTIONS ON CASH With Independent Financial Adviser Nick Plumb David from Bramford writes: “My father left £100,000 to my son in his will. The executor (a local solicitor) says that as my son is eleven years old, this gift will need to be held in trust until my son reaches age 18. He says that I have been appointed as trustee, and that I should invest the money into stocks and shares. My own financial adviser has said it would be better to invest into an investment bond, but I am concerned that he is just suggesting this as he will earn commission. Who is right?”

BUBBLE RUSH IS BACK! Bubble Rush is a bubbly 5km run which will be taking place at High Woods Country Park in Colchester on Saturday, June 9 in support of St Helena Hospice.

I think your financial adviser is offering the best advice here David. Investments like stocks and shares are deemed by the Capital Taxes Office to be ‘income bearing’ assets. That means they produce interest or income. When held in a trust, any such interest or income is taxed at the Trustee Income Tax Rate, which is currently 45%. However, an investment bond is a very ‘trust-friendly’ investment in terms of taxation, as unlike stocks and shares, an investment bond is not deemed to be an ‘income bearing’ asset. The ‘income’ produced by an investment bond is very tax efficient, particularly when held in a trust fund. Under current rules, you may withdraw up to 5% of the original investment from the bond each year and advance this money to the beneficiary, without any liability to income tax, for up to 20 years. This is because the Inland Revenue deem that the 5% ‘income’ is technically not income, but a withdrawal of the original capital. If you don’t take the full 5% in any year, you can carry it forward to another year and take 10%, and so on. In my opinion, providing the wording in the will allows you as trustee to invest as if beneficially entitled, and to advance income or capital to the beneficiary, an investment bond would be a much more suitable investment than stocks and shares for your son’s trust fund. As for commission, this should remunerate your adviser for his advice, and the work he undertakes for you in the same way a stockbroker would earn commission for buying or selling shares for you. If you are concerned that the amount of commission might be excessive, ask your adviser to rebate some of his commission into the bond for you, or ask him to work on a fixed fee basis. 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, 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.

A total of five bubble cannons will blast out colourful bubbles as you run, walk or dance around the 5km course. This is a family friendly event for all ages and abilities. Wheelchairs and prams are welcome, but please be aware of the hilly terrain around the park. This family day out will also feature a bubble village where there will be activities and refreshments for both participants and spectators to enjoy! Sign up now to be part of the bubble fun by calling St Helena Hospice’s Fundraising Team on 01206 931468 or online at: www.sthelenahospice.org.uk/bubble18

PEDAL FOR THE J’S 2018 Chelmsford’s popular annual cycle ride, Pedal for The J’s, will be returning to Admirals Park for the ninth year on Sunday, April 15. Cyclists have a choice of three rides – 15, 35 and 50 miles – through the beautiful Essex countryside. If you are a novice rider, the 15 mile route may be ideal for you, 35 miles is a slightly bigger challenge and 50 miles is perfect for the more experienced cyclist – so there really is a route for everyone! There will also be cycling activities for children in Admirals Park. Over 950 cyclists took part last year, raising in excess of £42,000 for The J’s Hospice charity which supports young adults with life-limiting conditions and their families across Essex. Organisers at The J’s hope to raise even more this year and they are very grateful to Beaulieu in Chelmsford for sponsoring this event. You can sign up now at: www.havenshospices.org.uk/pedal

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Relaxed and Friendly Mondays During Term Time 09:30 - 11:30 Brantham Village Hall

Shimmy, Shake, Wiggle & Giggle Dance Fitness

FunDancing Classes £1.50 per family including a well earned cuppa for grown ups and a healthy snack for the kids Come and join us and meet other local mummies, daddies, grandparents & carers Every third Monday of the month we are joined by the Hadleigh Health Visitors for your local Baby Clinic

Wed

10am 7pm

Nayland Village Hall Boxford Village Hall

Thu

10am 7pm

St Mary’s Church Capel St Mary

Fri

10am

The Institute Stratford St Mary

spaces are limited to reserve yours

Call Janet on 07506 350 455

Contact Charlotte on 07858 891217 for more information

janet@fundancing.co.uk www.fundancing.co.uk

FunDancing.Suffolk FunDancing

Mind Body Moment teaching the safe & personalised Solomon Yogalates™Method to adults of any age, gender & ability Start with a Welcome 121 (1 client) Then join Mind Body Moment Classes

www.mindbodymoment.co.uk Capel St Mary East Bergholt, & Raydon 07506 350 455 janet@mindbodymoment.co.uk

CHARITY

QUIZ

NIGHT

Saturday 7th April

St Michael’s Church Centre Martlesham Heath IP5 3PL 7pm for a 7.30pm start Tickets £8 each (includes jacket potato supper with a choice of fillings)

Soft/hot drinks available (Please feel free to bring your own drinks/nibbles) Raffle (prize donations very welcome!) Pre-booking only please – teams of up to 6

Please contact Kate on 01449 614057 or kategrimwood.rspca@btinternet.com

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ON THE GRAPEVINE / CHURCH NEWS WALKERS IN SUFFOLK ASKED TO UNITE AGAINST PARKINSON’S Suffolk residents are being asked to unite with thousands of people across the UK and Walk for Parkinson’s at Glemham on Sunday, June 10. The event will raise vital funds for the charity Parkinson’s UK, and is one of many walks taking place all over the UK throughout 2018. Two people are diagnosed with the condition every hour in the UK and Walk for Parkinson’s events aim to raise over £500,000 for research to step closer to a cure. There are longer and shorter distances to choose from, so whether you’re up for a challenging walk or a gentle stroll, there’s something for everyone. At Glemham Hall distances include a 1.5-mile, 3.5-mile and 5.5-mile walk to choose from. Last year, 180 people took part in the walk at Glemham Hall to raise £17,000 between them, and Parkinson’s UK hopes to raise even more this year. Sky Sports Presenter and Champion of Walking for Parkinson’s UK Dave Clark was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011. He is a keen walker himself and is encouraging people to get involved. He said: “We want to make 2018 our biggest year yet for the Walk for Parkinson’s series. I’d like to invite everyone, whatever their level of fitness, to take advantage of the many different types of walks, scenic routes and distances available. Exercise can be really beneficial to people living with Parkinson’s. It is as important to me as my medication in helping me take control and manage my symptoms. “So please join us at Walk for Parkinson’s at Glemham Hall. Every step takes us closer to a cure and our goal of improving the lives of everyone affected by Parkinson’s.” The registration fee is £10 for adults and £5 for under-16s. Everyone who registers will receive a free Parkinson’s UK t-shirt, fundraising pack and at the end of the walk, a finisher’s medal. As the charity is hoping to raise over £500,000 from the 37 events it suggests walkers aim to raise at least £50. All the money raised from the event will fund research to help to find a cure and improve the lives of the 145,000 people in the UK living with Parkinson’s.

BENEFICE OF EAST BERGHOLT & BRANTHAM Sunday, April 1: Easter Sunday 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Communion, East Bergholt 11am Communion, Brantham 4pm Family@Church and High tea, East Bergholt Sunday, April 8 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Benefice Communion, East Bergholt Sunday, April 15 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Communion, East Bergholt 11am Communion, Brantham Sunday, April 22 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Choral Matins, East Bergholt 11am Informal Service, Brantham Sunday, April 29 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 11am Benefice Communion, Brantham Wednesday, May 2 9.30am BCP Communion, East Bergholt Sunday, May 6 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Benefice Communion, East Bergholt 4pm Family@Church and High Tea, East Bergholt Check the website for details. In East Bergholt there is a BCP Communion every Sunday at 8am and Choral Matins is usually on the fourth Sunday. This service schedule may change without prior notice if needed. The Rev Steph is on sabbatical doing some writing and will be unable to respond to any messages until after June 1. If any need should arise, the churchwardens or verger will be able to help you. East Bergholt: Fiona Trott 01206 298205 / Liz Digby 01473 312281 / Rodney Brundell 01206 298607 Brantham: Jane Pavitt 01473 328512 / Ken Stuttaford 01206 394446 www.constablecountrychurches.co.uk

Family @ Church First Sunday of every month at 4pm Sunday, April 1 – Easter Sunday

Parkinson’s UK is also looking for volunteers to help register people at the start/finish area, or to be a walk marshal at various points on the route during the day.

Totally Family Friendly Services at St Mary’s Church, East Bergholt

To find out more, or to sign up to walk or volunteer at the event, call 02079 639367, email fundraising@parkinsons.org.uk or visit: www.parkinsons.org.uk/walkglemhamhall

For further details, contact Fiona Trott (01206 298205) or Liz Digby (01473 312281)

Followed by tea and cakes!

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CHURCH NEWS

Manningtree benefice Welcome to Manningtree Benefice, an all-age Anglican Church, meeting in St Lawrence’s Church, Bradfield and St Mary & St Michael’s Church, Mistley. He is risen! There really is only one thing that I can say, and that needs to be said at Easter and this is it. Jesus died, was buried, and on the third day was raised from the dead so that we can have hope and life in him, and receive forgiveness for all that we have done wrong. This is the Easter message, and it’s the great message of the Christian faith. He is risen! I realise that this may sound hopelessly naïve to some, but the truth is that Christians throughout the centuries have lived in this faith, and still do today. Indeed, many have given their lives because of the truth they hear in this statement – including many of those who saw Jesus die, saw him buried, and testified that they had encountered him in the days following those events. People don’t give up their lives for nothing, and so those early followers must have had good reason to believe so thoroughly that he did indeed rise from the dead. And this is the hope of Easter: people don’t give their lives for nothing. Jesus gave his life for you, so that you might be able to come into relationship with God, and have life forever with him. This is the Easter story, and it can be your story too, if you want it to be. He is risen – Happy Easter!

Sunday, April 8 10.30am: Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Bradfield 10.30am: Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Mistley 6pm: Evening Prayer at Mistley Sunday, April 15 10.30am: Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Mistley 10.30am: Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Bradfield 6pm: Quiet Communion at Bradfield Sunday, April 22 8am: Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at Mistley 10.30am: Café Church with Treasure Seekers* at Mistley No morning service at Bradfield Sunday, April 29 10.30am: Joint Worship with Communion & Treasure Seekers at Bradfield *Treasure Seekers is our children’s programme for ages 3+ All services are at St Mary & St Michael’s Church, Mistley (CO11 1ER) or St Lawrence’s Church, Bradfield (CO11 2US) unless otherwise stated.

SERVICES FOR HOLY WEEK & APRIL 2018

CONTACT INFORMATION Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Dom Turner 01206 391218 / dom@manningtreebenefice.co.uk

Thursday, March 29 7.30pm: Maundy Thursday Communion Service at Mistley

Associate Minister: The Rev John Brien 01206 397549 / brienfamily@btinternet.com

Friday, March 30: Good Friday TBC: Walk of Witness (please see further publicity for info) 2pm: Good Friday Service at Bradfield

Curate: The Rev Claire Scargill 01206 395417 / revclairescargill@gmail.com

The Rev Dom Turner

Sunday, April 1: Easter Sunday 6.20am: Sunrise Service on Bradfield Beach (Shore Lane) 9.30am: Easter Communion at Bradfield 10.30am: Easter Worship with Communion & Treasure Seekers* at Mistley

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Church Office: Available at least 10am-1pm, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 07436 398801 / info@manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.facebook.com/ManningtreeBenefice

CHURCH NEWS

HOLY FAMILY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Ipswich Road, Brantham CO11 1TB

Parish Priest: Father Christopher Smith 01473 684963 / 180 Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich IP2 0QQ We are part of St Mark’s RC Parish, Ipswich. For up-to-date information please visit: www.stmarksparish.org.uk SERVICES FOR APRIL 2018 Sunday 1 9am

Easter Sunday Mass

Tuesday 3 9.30am 10am

Morning Prayer Mass

Sunday 8 9am

Second Sunday of Easter Mass

Tuesday 10 9.20am 10am

Eucharistic Adoration Mass

Sunday 15 9am

Third Sunday of Easter Mass

Tuesday 17 9.30am 10am

Morning Prayer Mass

Sunday 22 9am

Forth Sunday of Easter Mass

Tuesday 24 9.30am 10am

Morning Prayer Mass

Sunday 29 9am

Fifth Sunday of Easter Mass

The weekly newsletter, with weekly mass times, is always displayed in the cabinet alongside the front door of the church. Catholic Commentary The family as constituting the basic building block of civil society is an important and special teaching of Catholicism. In the past there have been ideologies intent on destroying the family and in our own time there are new ideologies that undermine the family unit: man-womanchildren. It is strange that we are so aware of the natural environment

and the urgent need to protect it, yet seem happy to allow families to disintegrate or be undermined by new norms. Pope Francis in his keynote document, Laudato Si’ (On the Care of our Common Home) called for an integral ecology – environmental, economic and social – and the late Pope, St John Paul II, often said “the future of humanity passes by way of the family”. The Sister Act musical recently performed at Brantham Village Hall was expertly staged and brilliantly performed by BATS and anybody remotely familiar with Catholics and convent life would have had a good few laughs. The storyline may even have been based on true life events. Readers may also have seen and enjoyed the Channel 5 series in October called Bad Habits, Holy Orders about nuns and their ‘party girl’ guests in the Swaffham convent. A link with Sister Act perhaps? Events & Diary Date The 100 Club draw took place on Sunday, March 18 when three lucky winners shared a record £151 prize pot. The next draw takes place on Sunday, April 15 at St Mark’s. The club, set up to support the life and mission of our parish, has grown from strength to strength since its launch. New members are always very welcome and the newsletter, that includes an application form, can be found at the rear of the church or at: www.stmarksparish.org.uk. Every last Thursday of the month a Bring & Buy Coffee Morning takes place at Viv and Wyn’s home, Paddock Gate, Whitehorse Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TR from 10.30am to noon. We are raising funds for church maintenance and all are very welcome to join us. The next coffee morning is on Thursday, April 26. Supporting our local hospice All parishioners are asked to collect used postage stamps, all year, not just at Christmas, and place them in the box at the rear of the church to help support the outstanding work of our local hospice. Catholic Chaplain at Ipswich Hospital Father Adrian Gates is the Catholic Chaplain at Ipswich Hospital. Please contact him (01473 726701) if you or a Catholic is in or due to go into hospital and requires his services. All are very welcome at Holy Family, Brantham All are very welcome to attend Holy Family services, it is not necessary to be a Catholic and enquiries about the Catholic faith are always welcome. Please contact the presbytery, as above, or a local person whom you know is a Catholic.

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CHURCH NEWS LINK LINE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES Subsequent to prayerful administrative changes our ministry and outreach activities have been revised in order to sustain a more effective and purposeful presence in the neighbourhood. Activities for April Saturday 14 at the Ogilvie Hall, Wignall Street, Lawford 9.30am: Cafe/Oasis Coffee Morning 11.15am: Community Praise & Worship Service Friday, April 20 at the Venture Centre, Bromley Road 10am: Link Line District Prayer Meeting Thursday, April 26: Open Road Fellowship For pastoral visits and details of other Link Line community services in the area, contact: 01206 272064 / 01255 714544 / linklinecm@hotmail.co.uk

KEY TO LOVE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Where Jesus is Love and Love is Jesus COME AND JOIN US IN OUR NEW FELLOWSHIP – EVERYONE IS WELCOME Hear the teachings of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, with our lively worship and service. Refreshments served afterwards. Every Sunday morning at 11am in The Ivell Suite at Venture Centre 2000, Bromley Road, Lawford CO11 2JE. If you or someone you know needs prayer for anything, please contact us. David and Rosie Rhule 07787 572977 / 01206 397533 info@thekeytoloveministries.co.uk www.keytoloveministries.com

Meeting at Old St Michael’s School on Trinity Road, Manningtree WEIRD OR WONDERFUL? April 1 is usually known as April Fool’s Day. According to some this is because we have mis-read Chaucer and he actually intended it to be May 2. Some have even linked this back to Noah and the ark, saying it was Noah’s foolishness in sending out the dove before the waters had gone down! Rather weirdly April 1 this year is a more important day when we remember another piece of history recorded for us in the Bible: April Fool’s Day is also Easter Day this year.

MANNINGTREE METHODIST CHURCH

On that first Easter morning I don’t think there was much in the way of joking and tomfoolery going on. The women who had followed Jesus were distraught even as they came to ready His body for burial. The soldiers who had been guarding the tomb were petrified and then fled. The disciples did not believe the news when they first heard it, but then two of them raced off to the tomb to see for themselves.

Holy Communion Services: please check date and times on the noticeboard outside the church

The religious rulers of the day, who had had Jesus murdered, were beside themselves and paid lots of money to try and keep the truth from getting out. And that evening on the road to Emmaus, two despondent travellers quietly left town; they had given up all their hopes of what Jesus might achieve. It was all over. On their way the risen Jesus met them and walked with them. He told them that His death was necessary and He proved to them that He was now very much alive. When He left them, they raced all the way back to Jerusalem, late at night to tell everyone they could, He’s Alive!

South Street, Manningtree CO11 2JB Minister: The Rev Tom Osborne, 01206 396654 Sunday Services at 10.15am: we welcome visiting and outside preachers

Bible Study on the first Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm in the Committee Room, Holy Communion at 2.30pm on the fourth Wednesday and activities with tea and coffee on the second and third Wednesdays. EASTER CELEBRATIONS Maundy Thursday, March 29: Tenebrae Service, 7.30pm Good Friday, March 30: Service of Meditation on the Cross at 10.15am, followed with hot cross buns and a walk to the open air Churches Together Service in town at noon Easter Day, April 1: 10.15am service with Holy Communion and an Easter Egg Hunt led by The Rev Tom Osborne

That first Easter Sunday was a very serious day, the very centrepoint of our human history. The whole world and our hopes for what comes after this life changed that day. If you would like to find out more, then please join us.

Treasurer: Mr Gordon King Church Bookings: David Shearmur, 01206 395263

We have a special Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday at 6.30am on the Sea Wall by the Co-op and then we walk to Trinity for a gorgeous breakfast. But you can come and experience the new hope we have in Jesus with us at any of our Sunday services. You will receive a warm welcome, the worship will be passionate and afterwards the tea and coffee is hot! We meet at 10.30am and again in the evening at 6.30pm. Services last between 60 and 90 minutes and refreshments follow the morning service.

Monday Workers Education Association, nine lectures in autumn and spring, 2.30pm Stour Choral Society (Sept-June), 7.30pm

The Meeting Place Because of the Easter weekend our monthly meeting for older folks is moving back a week. So don’t show up on the first Tuesday, but instead come to church at 3pm on April 10 when our old friend Jim Spencer will give a talk titled What do I do now?. As always this will be followed by further conversations and a splendid tea. If you need a lift please give us a call. For all meetings in April please check out our new website or call Pastor Gaius on 01206 393745. www.trinity-manningtree.org.uk

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ALSO MEETING ON OUR PREMISES

Tuesday: Women’s Guild, 7.15pm Wednesday Gentle Fitness Class, 9.15am Art Painting Group, 10am-noon Manningtree & District Chess Club, 7.30pm Museum & History Group (bi-monthly), 7.30pm Easter Art Exhibition and Sale: March 30 to April 2 with hundreds of pictures stalls and refreshments; open each day, see poster for times. Saturday, April 28: Bumper Book Sale, 10am-3pm Friday, May 4, 7pm: Daddies Diaries, a theatre production based on the wartime diaries of one man (see page 13). Tickets £8 from Maggie: 01206 616067 / 07867 546484

CHURCH NEWS BRANTHAM & CAPEL METHODIST CHURCHES THE LORD IS RISEN Easter Day this year falls on April 1. It’s the day when Christians will proclaim “The Lord is Risen” and in congregations across the world people would respond “He’s risen indeed – hallelujah”. I could imagine a prankster in church might be tempted to say “April Fool”. Two thousand years ago (before the days of April fools jokes), people struggled to believe that Jesus, who was crucified, had been raised from the dead. His close friends didn’t expect it (although he had told them it would happen), and one of these friends (Thomas), who wasn’t there when Jesus appeared, refused to believe them for a whole week, until Jesus appeared specifically to Thomas (for this reason he is sometimes called Doubting Thomas). In 1930, Frank Morison, a solicitor, planned to write a book that looked at the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. As he set out to write, his presumption was that the evidence was based on very insecure foundations. He was confident that he could present a case in court that would convince himself and a judge that Jesus was not raised. However, the evidence led him to the opposite conclusion and he wrote a very different book proving the veracity of the gospel accounts. Over 85 years later the book, Who Moved the Stone?, is still in print and available. During the Russian revolution in Petrograd (now St Petersburg again) a Communist leader addressed a rally, promoting communist propaganda and denigrating the Christian faith. At the end of the hour-long speech, there was no applause, but a single person shouted out “The Lord is Risen”, to which the vast majority at the rally responded in one voice “He’s risen indeed – hallelujah”. The 60-minute anti-Christian polemic was dismissed in eight words (in Russian, just four words): Христос воскрес! Воистину воскрес! Khristos voskres! Voistinu voskres! It’s no April Fool’s joke; Jesus truly is alive and I would love to introduce him to you. The Rev Andrew Sankey Minister at Brantham & Capel Methodist Churches 8 Roundridge Road, Capel St Mary IP9 2UG apsankey@gmail.com / 01473 311178 / 07966 187216 BRANTHAM SERVICES Sunday 1 11am Sunday 8 11am Sunday 15 11am Sunday 22 11am Sunday 29 11am

Easter Day Worship with Rev Yvonne Haye Worship arranged locally Worship and Communion with Rev Andrew Sankey Worship with Rev Ian Gardner Worship with Mr Martin Ellis

CAPEL SERVICES Home Groups on various days and times contact the minister for details Good Friday 11am

Service

Sunday 1 10.30am Sunday 8 10.30am 6.30pm Sunday 15 10.30am Saturday 21 3.30pm Sunday 22 10.30am 7.30pm Sunday 29 10.30am

Easter Day Worship and Communion with Rev Andrew Sankey Worship with Mr Andrew Docherty Prayer Worship with Mr Andy Jelfs Messy Church Worship and Communion with Rev Andrew Sankey United Prayer Time at Capel Community Church Worship with Mr Richard Spencer

CATHOLIC MASSES Saturday at 6.30pm, St Mary & St Michael’s (Anglican) Church, Mistley Sunday at 8.50am in St Mary’s (Anglican) Church, Ardleigh Wednesday at 9.45am in St Mary and St Michael’s, preceded by Morning Prayer Manningtree, Mistley, Lawford & Ardleigh is served by the Parish of St John Payne, Greenstead, Colchester. The Parish Priest is Father Jon Ravensdale: 01206 870460 / sjpchurch@btinternet.com Also resident in the parish are Father Michael Rear (01206 392695) and Father Mathias Odigbo.

ST MARY’S CHURCH, LAWFORD Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Simon Heron, 01206 392659 SERVICES FOR APRIL 2018 Easter Sunday 6am Sunrise Service 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am Family Communion Sunday 8 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am Family Service 6.30pm Evensong Sunday 15 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am Holy Communion 6.30pm Cafe Church Sunday 22 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am Morning Worship Sunday 29 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am No Service at Lawford 10.30am Benefice Service at Little Bentley 6.30pm Churches Together Celebration at Lawford SOME OF OUR REGULAR GROUPS House Groups: Daytime and evening Lunch Club: First Tuesday of the month Solo Club: Third Monday of the month Pastoral Care: Upon request Art Club: Fortnightly on Thursday evenings Handbells: Every Monday Ladies in Friendship Together: Fourth Monday of the month Edward Bear: Parents, grandparents, carers with babies and toddlers, Monday mornings from 9.30am in term time Messy Church: Every half term, parents and children together Choir: Friday Practice Sunday School and Extreme: Sunday mornings during service Details from the rectory (01206 392659) or at: www.lawfordchurch.co.uk LOVING GOD – LIVING LIFE

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