In touch news with manningtree may18

In Touch

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with Brantham, Lawford Manningtree & Mistley Volume 8 • Issue No. 7 • MAY 2018

A Sunny Winter Journey by Nigel Paul

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR I’m sitting at my desk with aching limbs after an unexpectedly adventurous morning. At approximately 7.30am I heard by son shout “Oh my God” from the sitting room. I could tell it wasn’t a normal ‘I’ve just spilt my cereal on the sofa’ howl so I ran to him. I found him staring at what can only be described as a flash flood running through the garden. We both ran to the front door and sure enough it was there too, rushing down our neighbour’s drive, into our garage and garden, and a short time later, into my kitchen.

I’ve often wondered how I would cope in an emergency situation and now I know. I shout very loudly! “We have an emergency down here,” I roared to Daniel as I grabbed my wellies and coat and went to investigate. When Daniel arrived on the scene I was waist deep in the ditch with a garden hoe, having assumed the culvert where it goes underground was blocked.

On further anaylsis we realised the problem lay elsewhere and Daniel set off to find the source.

I won’t go into the details here, but while others tried to fix the cause we set about trying to divert the flow away from the house and outbuildings using everything we could lay our hands on. Meanwhile Jack used every towel he could find (even the good ones we keep for guests!) to mop up in the kitchen. It was quite a team effort (practically a ‘meitheal’ as we might say in Ireland) and soon others, including neighbours, joined in and a pump was set up to divert water into the brook.

I left them to it at this point (it was deadline day after all) but I’m not sure I want to go home tonight! Just imagine how many towel washes I’ll have to do? And grandma’s garden hoe is still firmly lodged in the ditch!

Thank goodness better weather is predicated for next week and summer is on its way. And there’s still plenty of Easter chocolate in the cupboard! Perhaps the one positive I can focus on is the satisfaction of working together with others which I highly recommend. You’ll find many opportunities in the following pages.

In Touch

with Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree & Mistley

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NEWS FAMILY FUN AT THE FURZE Following the success of similar events run biennially since 2012, Lawford, Manningtree and Mistley Councils will once again be contributing towards a family fun day this summer.

Family Fun at the Furze will take place on Sunday, June 10 between noon and 6pm at Furze Hills, Mistley.

During this event there will be a wide range of inflatable castles and other activities for children (at a one-off cost of £5 for a wristband lasting the full six hours), and free sports coaching for children from local rugby and football clubs.

There will be a range of live music, including that of the local band Keystone, the 1940s music group Fox, Wiggle and Sass and Jade Mayjean who has previously appeared on The Voice.

There will also be demonstrations from local dance and cheerleading groups, a boot fair (pitches bookable in advance for local, non-commercial sellers at a cost of £10), and a range of charity stalls, food outlets and a bar.

The event will be free to enter, and a free round-robin shuttle bus will run between Lawford, Manningtree and the event in order to reduce traffic in the local area (please note that Furze Hills car park will be closed other than for disabled parking).

Further details will be posted on the three council websites and noticeboards, but if you want further details in the meantime, or if you feel that you are able to help sponsor the event or wish to be a part of it in some way, please contact Dave Ashley: dave.sam.ashley@btinternet.com

TEDDY BEAR PARACHUTE JUMP This year’s annual Teddy Bear Parachute Jump in aid of St Michael’s Church Brantham (CO11 1PZ) will take place on Saturday, June 30 in the church grounds.

Registration for teddy bear parachutists will open at 9.30am on the day with the first jump taking place at 9.45am.

The event, sponsored by Colchester and Clacton Solicitors Thompson Smith and Puxon (TSP) since the first teddies jumped, has the brave teddy bears, sporting parachutes designed and made by their owners, launching from the top of the church tower. Their descent to earth is timed, with the winner being the bear who remains airborne the longest. Ideally, trainers will have made parachutes for their brave bears before arriving to jump, but there will be a stall at the event for last minute parachute manufacture if needed.

It costs just £2 for a teddy bear to jump, and there are prizes of £50, £30 and £20 for first, second and third respectively for the brave bears and their owners. Repeat jumps are just £1, and if you have raised sponsorship for your teddy in aid of the church your bear can jump for free. Sponsorship forms can be collected from the back of the church. Refreshments will be on sale, so do please come along and support the church and the teddies on the day.

The winning bear in 2017 was Greg with the excellent flight time of 39.09 seconds, closely followed by Peace Parachute in second place with 31.22s and Amelia flying into third place with a time of 30.15s.

Pictured with the winners and their bears are Thompson Smith and Puxon Chief Operating Officer Sean Stuttaford (far right) and Rev Stephne van der Toorn (second from right). Sean said: “We are really pleased to be able to support the teddy bear parachute jump again this year. It’s a great event and would urge you all to come along on the day and support Rev Steph and the church.”

This month’s cover image entitled A Sunny Winter Journey features a passenger train heading for Manningtree.

It was taken by Nigel Paul.

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NEWS MISTLEY PARISH COUNCIL

BRANTHAM PARISH COUNCIL

The full unapproved minutes of the meetings are displayed at noticeboards near to the bus stop in Rigby Avenue and also outside Mistley Post Office in the High Street.

The next meeting of Brantham Parish Council will take place on May 2 at Brantham Village Hall; come along to find out what your parish council is up to and to raise any questions/concerns.

The approved minutes can be accessed online at: www.essexinfo.net/mistleypc/parish-council-meetings

Find out more about Brantham Parish Council at: www.brantham.onesuffolk.net

Dates of next meetings, all in Mistley Village Hall on Shrublands Road Thursday, May 10, 7pm: Planning Committee Saturday, May 12, 10.30am: Finance Committee Monday, May 21, 7pm: Full Council

The site includes copies of recent parish council meeting minutes, details of upcoming events and other items of local interest.

JAMES CARTLIDGE, MP FOR SOUTH SUFFOLK

You can contact Brantham Parish Clerk at: 07702 490212 / clerk@branthamparishcouncil.co.uk

There is no doubt in my mind that recent weeks have seen an acceleration in what might be termed ‘speculative applications’ for permission to build new homes in Babergh. I have had emails from constituents worried about applications in Belstead, Capel St Mary, Long Melford, Stutton, Elmsett, Chelmondiston and my own village of Assington. The reason is that our district of Babergh is deemed not to have a ‘five year land supply’, i.e. is not building enough homes. As such, while Babergh is still the planning authority, it has to give more weight to national planning policy than local priorities. This in turn attracts developers thinking that even if their application is rejected by Babergh, they have more chance on appeal.

In fact, the average number of new homes built in Babergh in the last five years is 213. In every year since 2001 prior to the last five years we built more than 213 homes a year, at an average of just under 300, including 537 in 2002.

Of course, many constituents have rightly argued to me that while our buildout rate is low, the number of permissions granted is far higher. I understand in Babergh there are around 2,000 permissions awaiting development to start compared to fewer than 200 where it is underway. It understandably irks those communities who go through the pain barrier of seeing controversial permissions granted, only for nothing to happen; and many have said, ‘James, they shouldn’t allow this latest application until the others have started’. A fair point.

In my view, nationally we need to urgently find a way to get builders building – in the Housing Secretary’s recent statement I proposed financial penalties on developers who fail to deliver on their permissions. Locally, communities concerned about development need to bring forward a Neighbourhood Plan that allocates sites for development at a sustainable level, giving greater certainty to communities, and – crucially – more control over where exactly in their back yard housing is sited. I wholeheartedly oppose unsustainable development, particularly in the countryside. But I do believe we can find a better way forward than the current mad dash for plots that may never be built.

I hold regular advice surgeries offering help and support to local people.

Please see page 12 for my contact details.

DEMENTIA Together Call Free 08081 688 000 email: SRYC. DementiaTogether@nhs.net visit: www.dementia-together.com

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The parish council meets on the first Wednesday of every month (except August) at 7.30pm. The public are welcome to attend.

You can also follow Brantham Parish Council on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BranthamParishCouncil Parish Clerk Surgeries Brantham Parish Clerk holds monthly surgery sessions at Bake and Blossoms café so that parishioners and others can meet her, ask questions, raise concerns or even just have a chat and a cake. This is the perfect opportunity for you to get to know your parish clerk and chat through all those local issues that have been bothering you! The next surgery dates are Tuesdays, May 1 and June 5, both 10am-11.30am.

MANNINGTREE TOWN COUNCIL 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 www.manningtreetowncouncil.org.uk

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.

CAMPAIGNING ON LOCAL ISSUES THAT AFFECT YOU A new branch of the Labour Party has recently been set up for the Manningtree area and we are keen to get involved in local issues. Please come along, whatever your political persuasion, to a public meeting where we will discuss new housing applications, particularly for Grange Road, Trinity Road and Colchester Road.

A speaker from local government will address the meeting and we are keen to hear your views on the implications for local people in terms of traffic, provision of low-cost housing, safety, infrastructure and environmental issues.

The meeting is at 7.30pm on Wednesday, May 2 at Furze Hill Village Hall, Mistley. Do come along. All welcome. For more information phone Anne: 01206 393117

In Touch online:

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NEWS

REPORT TO PARISHES, ALTON WARD: MAY 2018 Babergh District Councillor Alastair McCraw BEING THERE People sometimes wonder why we are Councillors. Not so much why anybody voted for us, although that’s always a possibility, but why we did we stand and why do we do it? Obviously, there’s the glamour! We clearly have a very high boredom threshold, a love of jargon and long complicated sentences and a serious addiction to complicated sets of initials like NPPF and SHMA (you don’t want to know). But across the board, I’d say that we want to make a difference. That’s no bad thing in itself. Lots of people make a difference on a daily basis within all the communities. They run local groups, raise money, keep the day to day activities of all our lives going for the benefit of all. Some are appointed as parish councillors, school governors and officers in local societies.

Others just quietly get on with things, less formally but no less usefully, as local and national volunteers. If they get some pleasure, social contact and a sense of quiet satisfaction out of it as their reward that’s all to the good.

Small ‘p’ politics (which is what I believe a district council should be about) is just a bit of a step up from that. Surprisingly few have ‘large P’ politics as their primary motivation. Some do, it’s true, and some of the major changes made in the course of the last three years have been the result. But the majority of us are people who wanted to make a difference. In some cases, a choice of party was a mixture of inclination and the only viable means to actually get elected. For Independents it’s frequently out of frustration.

Now, we all differ a bit in our views on how to make that difference.

Loyalty to your party view, to their support in getting you there and potentially in taking a larger role may colour some thinking or voting.

Generally, you’re hoping that people are voting out of principle. You also hope that alternative arguments and views will be listened to, given consideration and affect a decision.

This roundabout explanation may explain some of the reasons why the character of Babergh has changed somewhat in the course of the last year or so. First two, then four, and currently six members of the Conservative administration have left the party whip to become ‘Independent Conservatives’. More often than not, they have been voting with the eight Independent, three Lib Dem and two Labour members on significant matters. Believe me, we are all aware of some of the resulting ironies! The relatively non-controversial matters continue as before. We have statutory responsibilities that go beyond any consideration of party lines.

It was that gradual shift, based upon solid reason and argument, that saw the resignation of one council leader (which was not the opposition’s purpose) and a declared commitment to a local poll, or ‘referendum’, over a possible merger with Mid Suffolk (which decidedly was).

We all expected the full business plan, which the opposition stated as one requirement, to be presented for examination by both scrutiny committee and council in preparation for some form of local poll

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to take place in the early summer of this year. And then everything changed again.

SCC Leader Colin Noble unilaterally commissioned a study into Unitary Council options for Suffolk, producing an almost instant request from all the other council leaders to stop. When he declined, Babergh & Mid Suffolk realised that there was little point in continuing to pursue their merger proposals while these possibilities existed. That shelves any referendum for now. Strangely, had the opposition not made their stand we might have been too far down the merger track to stop the merger process. We have no idea where this study will go or what options will be available, but I remain convinced that any eventual choices should be subject to a democratic vote on those options. Not by way of being seen to endorse a manifesto or leaflet, that few people ever read, but by a direct vote on the substantive issues.

GOING ON Over the last year or so, as those shifts have happened, Independent and opposition members have been taking an increasing (and sometimes vocal) role in briefings, meetings and committees. That work has now been reflected in the appointment of an Independent member, Derek Davis, to the Babergh Cabinet. Until this point we had been given a vice-chairmanship on the, admittedly important, Overview and Scrutiny Committee, currently to myself.

Derek has the Organisational Delivery portfolio which covers the, oftencriticised, experience that you face in dealing with the council by any means. He won’t be subject to any whip, but will deal with the issues as he sees them. He’s been quite critical himself and believes that you should be able to ‘put up or shut up’. My words, his sentiment.

What can I, you, or we expect? There’s a year left until the 2019 elections, so that’s a bit limited. I’d suggest we can expect a lot more than a sticking plaster and better than first aid, but major open-heart surgery seems unlikely. The cabinet now slightly better reflects the makeup of the council and the possibility of some consensus now exists.

Some decisions previously made cannot be reversed. We are where we are, no matter what we voted for or against. There will still be disagreement and controversy, but perhaps the party lines can be less strongly taken. I’ve just left the most co-operative and grown up cabinet meeting I’ve ever witnessed. This was part of the difference that Derek and I had hoped to make and that’s why I believe we should do it.

PS: I’ll do council spending, as promised, after the end of the financial year.

As ever, I’m around on that slightly rusty chained, blue Claud Butler bike. If it’s outside, I’m probably inside and you’ll know where. I can always be contacted as below.

Alastair McCraw 07812 564188 / alastair.mccraw@babergh.gov.uk Facebook: Alton, Alastair McCraw & Harriet Steer (a joint open group)

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NEWS / OUT & ABOUT ALL ROUND HEALTH FOR ALL CHILDREN

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM

Constable Country Medical Practice Patient Participation Group has arranged a talk on May 16 at 7.30pm at Capel Methodist Church entitled All Round Health for All Children.

The weather is finally getting warmer so it’s time to get out into your gardens. There are small changes that can be made outside your house to make it more secure.

A speaker from OneLife Suffolk will talk about healthy lifestyles and making physical activity fun. In addition, Jan Cavanagh, an experienced play therapist, will talk about the importance of play from infancy to adulthood.

For example having shingle put down instead of block paving or slabs will deter unwanted visitors because of the noise it makes on approach to your house. Making sure your fences and hedges around the perimeter are all secure and that repairs have been done after the winter. Perhaps having CCTV installed or a security light put up. All will keep your home more secure.

Representatives from Healthwatch Suffolk and Constable Country Medical Practice will also be there to answer questions. The East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group will be encouraging us to sign-up to share our medical records within the NHS. Parents, carers and grandparents welcome. There is no charge and light refreshments will be available. Capel St. Mary Methodist church is on The Street, adjacent to the village shops.

Constable Country Patient Participation Group Chair Kathy Pollard

SAVE MONEY ON YOUR UTILITIES Have you been on the same electric and gas tariff for years?

Would you like to save money by changing your supplier but don’t know how to do it?

Come to the Hub, 1 The Lane, Manningtree (next door to the Mogul Indian restaurant) between 11am and noon on Friday, May 11 where a representative from the Citizens Advice Bureau will be on hand to help. You will be shown how to compare energy prices and choose the best and cheapest deal for you. Further follow up can be arranged.

There is no need to be stuck on an expensive tariff. Drop in, have a free tea or coffee and get some advice in a relaxed way.

CONSTABLE SINGERS: SONGS OLD AND NEW Constable Hal, East Bergholt on Saturday, July 21 at 7pm Tickets £7 to include tea and coffee Up to June 11 contact Mel for tickets: alantuttlebury@hotmail.com After June 11 contact Paula: paulagraham716@btinternet.com

STOUR CHORAL SOCIETY Stour Choral Society held a very successful concert of Handel’s music in Mistley Parish Church which was well attended in view of the snowstorm preceding and at the end of the performance.

SCS’s programme of Acis and Galatea and the Dettingen Te Deum was joined with three excellent young soloists, Jennifer Lloyd (soprano), Sam Oladeinde (tenor) and Marcin Gesla (bass). Stephen Smith accompanied the choir and created excellent orchestral backing with great skill, all conducted and directed by Duncan Archard making a very worthy performance.

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Make sure you put your garden furniture and garden tools away at the end of the day, preferably in a locked shed. You could also have a shed alarm fitted for added security.

Try marking your property with a UV marker pen which is only visible using a UV light.

Finally, we have received a number of reports of vehicles being broken into.

Please do not leave any valuable items on display, including sat navs, even if your vehicle is parked on the driveway. Take them indoors or lock them away in the boot. And keep your keys safe.

If you require further crime prevention advice please do not hesitate to call 101 and ask to speak to a member of the Safer Neighbourhood Team.

And remember to call the police on 999 in an emergency and 101 in a nonemergency.

Have a great month, PCSO 3048 Denise Ford Safer Neighbourhood Team, Hadleigh Police Station, Magdalen Road, Hadleigh IP7 5AD

BRANTHAM BOX OFFICE Film Night Wednesdays at Brantham Village Hall Doors open at 7, film starts at 7.30pm Wednesday, May 16 THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (PG) Starring Hugh Jackman, the film celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

Wednesday, June 20 PADDINGTON 2 (PG) Now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, Paddington picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

Wednesday, July 18 THE POST (12A) A cover-up that spanned four US Presidents pushed the country’s first female newspaper publisher and a harddriving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.

In Touch online:

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OUT & ABOUT 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.

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

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.

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

ST MICHAEL’S MONTHLY MARKET The next market at St Michael’s, The Church on the Park, Woolverstone is on Saturday, May 12, 9am-12.30pm.

The theme this month is Royal Weddings as well as your favourite market stalls; fruit, vegetables, cakes, bread, meat and an interesting range of handcrafted items.

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

EAST BERGHOLT HIGH SCHOOL

EVENTS AT MANNINGTREE LIBRARY FREE IT SUPPORT Tuesday from 11am and Thursday from 4pm Hints and tips on using computers Bring your own tablet or laptop / Beginners welcome For further information contact Essex Libraries: 0345 603 7628 FAMILY HISTORY TASTER SESSION On the fourth Thursday of the month from 4pm.

Research your family history / Pick up hints and tips Access to free library resources Bookings can be made at Manningtree library or contact Essex Libraries: 0345 603 7628

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Sunday, May 20, 9.30am-noon Admission 50p, Refreshments available Free Car Park PITCHES In advance: cars £5, with trailers £7, domestic vans £10 On the day £1 extra No traders. Gates open 8.30am for sellers ( 07776 291445

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OUT & ABOUT SPRING CONCERT AT LAWFORD CHURCH Lawford Church welcomes you to a Spring Concert in aid of East Anglia Children’s Hospice and St Mary’s Church, Lawford on Saturday, May 5 at 7.30pm.

Suffolk Constabulary Male Voice Choir and Spectrum, a local ladies choir, will entertain us with a delightful programme of light and seasonal music. Refreshments will be served.

Tickets £7 from 01206 392873 / 01206 392572 or on the door.

ART EXHIBITION AND SALE The 46th four-day art exhibition and sale at Manningtree Methodist Church was again very successful despite the very wet weather.

Although takings were down on last year, over 40 pictures were sold and the two halls and church displays were greatly appreciated.

FAMILY BEETLE DRIVE Brantham Village Hall Saturday, May 12, 6.30-9pm Buffet supperA at approximately 7.30pm war, a clarinet, a girl, and – thanks to the enemy – life.

Tickets £5 per adult, £2.50 per child

s y d ’ d a D Diaries Bring your own drinks

For more details or to book contact Pat Smith 07714 940491 / 01473 871814

DADDIES DIARIES

BY JANE BOWER

At 7pm on Friday, May 4, Manningtree Methodist Church Devised, written hosts a one-woman play called Daddies Diaries by actress and performed and storyteller Jane Bower. This play has toured across the

by Jane Bower UK to great acclaim and is based on the wartime diaries of her father Leonard Bower. “ The concept and delivery is masterful...

integrity, talent and love run through it like Tickets are £8 and there will be refreshments and a raffle.

Blackpool rock.”

For further information and to funny book tickets contact: “ By turns and touching.” “ The whole piece was remarkable....

07867 546484 very moving.... very redolent of Alan Bennett.”

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

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

THOMAS KING MEMORIAL GOLF DAY AT HINTLESHAM GOLF CLUB Keen golfers in the Hintlesham and Ipswich area are invited to play in the Thomas King Memorial Golf Day at Hintlesham Golf Club on Sunday, June 10.

Jack and Larissa King are organising their second golf day event to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) who supports families who have children in hospitals far away from home.

Jack and Larissa’s son Thomas was born with a heart condition and rushed to Evelina Hospital in Central London. He was looked after for six weeks until he sadly passed away from his condition.

They continue raising money for RMHC after raising almost £4,800 at last year’s event. The charity allows families to stay free of charge in a house which has 59 rooms, kitchens and other essential facilities and support networks to enable families to live near their children who are being cared for in intensive care units in such hospitals.

The golf day is £45 per player which includes 18 Holes at Hintlesham Golf Club and a meal following your golf round. Competitions on the day include individual prizes for first, second and third including an engraved claret jug for the winner to keep for a year. There will be team prizes and individual prizes for nearest the pins, longest drives and holes in one (TBC) and a raffle on the day.

Jack and Larissa are also looking for hole sponsors with good exposure on the day and through their Facebook event page, and prize donations to help them raise money for this important but relatively little known charity.

If you would like to participate or support the day through sponsorship or donations please contact: Jack King 07971 210690 / Larissa King 07707 785868 / thomas_kingfundraising@hotmail.com Facebook: Thomas Kings Memorial Page

For photos and reviews see www.janebower.com

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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OUT & ABOUT

AUTUMN DAYS AT MISTLEY

MAYFLOWER CROSS COUNTRY RUN AND WALK 2018

Are you interested in an afternoon out once a fortnight? Join Autumn Days at Mistley, we have some interesting entertainers and speakers, club days which include beetle drives, horse racing, hoy or bingo, and once or twice a year we have fish and chip lunch, a harvest tea, lunch at the environmental centre and an annual Christmas lunch. We also have an annual holiday arranged for us.

Preparations are now well in hand for Manningtree Rotary Club’s 2018 Mayflower Cross Country Run and Walk which will be on Sunday, May 27. It will follow the usual route of the beautiful Essex Way from Harwich to Manningtree through 13 miles of lovely Essex countryside. For walkers wanting a shorter route there is an alternative finish at Wrabness.

Do come along to Mistley Village Hall to see what you think. Lifts to and from the hall can be arranged for just £2 per member. The next meeting is on Thursday, May 3 at 2.30pm, then fortnightly thereafter.

If you would like to come along and need to be picked up by the community bus please contact Mrs Peacock: 01206 395907

Registration is now open online at www.eventrac.co.uk/listed-races/ mayflower and entries are coming in steadily. Entry costs £12 in advance and £14 on the day. Children under 12 go free, but must be registered. The entry fee covers the administrative costs of the event and contributes to the club’s own charity fund. It’s also a great opportunity for participants to get sponsorship for their own favourite charity.

LAWFORD MAKERS AND CRAFTERS MARKET We are proud to announce a local makers and crafters market at The Venture Centre on Saturday, May 19 from 10am-3.30pm.

Please come and support all the very talented craftspeople in our area.

Stalls will include hand-made cushions, tote bags, kid’s furniture, Fairtrade items, lots of jewellery, Mrs Pink’s Sewing Basket, and lots more to tempt you.

Check in on the day is at the Harwich Low Lighthouse from 9.30am where friendly Rotarians will be ready to greet you. Runners will start at 10.30AM and walkers will leave 10 minutes later.

Rotary President Paul Leech said: “The runners loved it last year, but it’s still a great day out for walkers, picnic friendly, and dog friendly.”

The Rotary Club of Manningtree Stour Valley is a friendly club of men and women who meet every Thursday night at The Crown Hotel, Manningtree.

Our members work together to support local and international charities, and do hands-on local projects while enjoying the fellowship of friends in the club. We also enjoy social events throughout the Rotary year. If you wish to know more about the club, please contact David Willis: 01473 310076.

Something for everyone and plenty of refreshment, including the now infamous royal lovebird biscuits as it’s the day of the royal wedding.

STOUR VALLEY U3A On April 11, Professor Wendy Harwood, a senior scientist at the John Innes Centre who works on genetically modified crops, gene editing and similar, presented a talk entitled GM Crops – Where Are We Now? on April 11. Wendy has 20 years’ experience in the GM field and she covered 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’s subject is chocolate and he will tell us of the spread of the hot drink in Europe, the astonishing aspects of chocolate and an overview of its financial importance 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.

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A celebration of 40 years of entertainment from The Manifest Theatre Group Featuring many of your favourite performers and performances Tuesday 8th to Saturday 12th May 2018 Curtain up at 7.30pm Tickets prices are just ÂŁ7.00 for members and ÂŁ9.00 for non-members to include membership for 2018 Tickets will be on sale at the Manifest Theatre, 2 Oxford Road, Manningtree on Saturday 17th and Saturday 24th March from 10.30am to 12.00pm Tickets also available via our online box office on our web site

manifesttheatre.co.uk

Alternatively, you may telephone our dedicated box office line

07444 724271

or email us at boxoffice@manifesttheatre.co.uk Tickets requested by telephone or email may be collected from the theatre on Monday and Wednesday evenings between 7.30pm and 9.00pm from 26th March.

The Manifest Theatre 2 Oxford Road, Manningtree, Essex CO11 1BP

www.manifesttheatre.co.uk

info@manifesttheatre.co.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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OUT & ABOUT TEA & SUPPORT Tea & Support, the friendship and selfhelp group formed some five years ago for those who have been bereaved or are living alone, meets from 2-4pm on the third Wednesday afternoon of each month, 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 homemade 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.

MANNINGTREE & DISTRICT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

Forthcoming Meetings May 16: Collectables and Curios!

New programme from May for remainder of 2018 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 MEN’S PROBUS CLUB Our AGM was held on Wednesday, March 21 when Graeme Forsyth (president), Paul Holmes (vice-president), Peter Stanway-Williams (treasurer), Hew Naylor (secretary), Dave Carman (speaker secretary), Russell Howe and Paul Oliver were voted in to form the new committee.

Bob Milne presented a talk entitled The Assignation of the Italian Barber on April 4 and Oliver Paul from Suffolk Food Hall presented Food and Farming Heritage on April 18.

We have two interesting speakers in May. On May 2 Joyce Kimber will speak on Britain’s Finest Hour and on May 16 Brain Kelly will enlighten us on The Life of a British Consul. On June 6 Dr John Knight will talk on the life of John Betjeman in a talk entitled The Man & His Poetry, and on June 20 Chris Parfitt will present A Portrait of a Suffolk River. On July 4 John Field will introduce us to The Treasures of Ipswich.

We hold our summer buffet at the popular Haywain on July 18 when our spouses and Probus widows join us for what is sure to be an enjoyable event and a tasty meal.

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

MANNINGTREE POETRY GROUP The next meeting of Poetry Plus will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday, May 8 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

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

Will this picture titled Sweet Purple by Bradfield photographer Hasje Mousley capture your heart as it did for guest judge Peter Espley at our March wildlife and nature competition? Overwhelmed by the sheer quality and the fact that these blooms were actually escaping from the frame, Peter awarded ‘Best in Show’ to Hasje. Amongst other top scoring projected images were entries from Martyn Scurrell, Russell Hynard and Mark Rivers. Leading contenders in the printed entries were Ian Parker, Ann Laverock, David Garnham and David Edwards.

This evening really did mark a milestone in the development of the society, notable for the high standard now being achieved from a group that developed from a small cluster of local enthusiasts only a few years ago.

Visiting judges like Peter have such a depth of knowledge and impart their advice so generously that a very fulfilling evening can follow for all.

Don Thompson introduced some light relief in late March with his homely presentation titled Action, Water and Luck reflecting Don’s natural modesty.

Much of it centred around his home near Thames Estuary. Showing us professional quality prints ranging from table top still life to industrial landscapes, Don was happy to pass on useful tips, using simple techniques, hard won, I’m sure, during a lifetime of photographic experience.

Early April featured a regular competition with our neighbouring club in Harwich, and we were grateful for their welcome and usual generous hospitality.

Harwich usually win, but in a really close competition Manningtree finally edged it, helped no doubt by a reappearance of Sweet Purple, endearingly familiar to judge Peter Espley, whom we had seen only a week or so before.

Future Meetings April 26: A Walk on the Wild Side with Kevin and Margery Maskell FRPS & ARPS May 10: Some Special Places with Colin Westgate FRPS, a local landscape photographer based in West Mersea May 24: Annual General Meeting We meet twice monthly on Thursday evenings until May 2018 at 7.30pm 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).

Please contact Margaret, our secretary, for details: 01206 396958 / madps@post.com www.manningtreeanddistrictphotographicsociety.co.uk

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OUT & ABOUT 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.

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.

New members are welcome and anyone interested in attending a coffee morning should contact our president, Doreen Gant: 01206 395548 / deegant@tiscali.co.uk

VILLAGE LINK CLUB For our March meeting Barbara Faulkner spoke on the history of scarecrows.

Our meeting on May 9 features a talk on the history of Butley Priory, followed by our AGM. A new programme of talks is currently in development and should be available at the May meeting.

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

RSPB FLATFORD WILDLIFE GARDEN Following a rather damp and cold re-opening at Easter, the RSPB Wildlife Garden at Flatford is now fully back into the swing of things for the new season. As I write this our nestcams are showing us lovely clear images of what’s going on inside four different nest boxes. One blue tit nest is well under way, with the female forming a cup among all the moss and grass that she has brought in. The next stage will be for her to line it with soft material such as feathers before she lays her eggs. Her partner has occasionally brought in material, but it’s mainly the female who builds the nest.

MANNINGTREE FIT CLUB Open to anyone looking to lead a healthy active lifestyle Every Wednesday evening from 7-8pm at Mistley Village Hall, Shrubland Road, Mistley CO11 1HS. Contact: Bridie 07403 316735 / Tanya 07920 76245 Follow us on Facebook at: Manningtree Fit Club

ORWELL DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS SOCIETY Wednesday, May 2: Image and History: Art at the Landsdowne Club by Pamela Campbell-Johnston Landsdowne House, now a private club, has a wonderful art collection.

Robert Adam’s original plan and changes made by later renowned architects will be explored. Eighteenth century prints, oils, mixed media and modern acquisitions are all part of the collection. We are promised stories of intrigue and passion as we learn the history of this fascinating building.

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

She will start to lay eggs soon, usually one a day. She could lay up to 16 eggs, but blue tits usually lay between eight and 12. Our nestcam blue tits at Flatford produced 11 eggs last year, with 10 of them hatching successfully.

The female bird will start to incubate the eggs the day before the clutch is complete and she will do all the ‘sitting’ until they hatch. The male will bring her some food, but these are gestures rather than life-supporting and she will leave the clutch regularly during the day to feed herself. This is one of the reasons why it’s good practice for us to keep providing food throughout the year, and not to stop just because the winter has ended. If the female can find nutritious food quickly, she won’t need to be away from the eggs for too long at a time. Similarly, it’s helpful for us to provide clean drinking water too.

If all is well, the chicks will hatch after about two weeks and they will be completely dependent on their parents bringing in suitable food for them.

Their main food will be caterpillars and so it’s very important that their hatching coincides with the time when these are plentiful – another reason for making sure our gardens include butterfly friendly plants! At this stage, the male plays a full role and both parents can be seen flying back and forth from the nest as they try to keep up with their hungry brood. Each chick can eat about a hundred caterpillars a day! The chicks are usually ready to fledge by about early June, depending on the season, and their parents will call them from outside the box to persuade them to join the big wide world.

Once outside, they will stay fairly near to their parents for a couple of weeks as they learn to find their own food and avoid predators.

Why not come along to see how our nestcam families are progressing? The screen is in the barn, where we also have plenty of information about how to make all of our gardens more wildlife-friendly. At half-term we’ll have family activities available as usual. Please see our webpage for more details. We look forward to seeing you.

We’re Walking for Parkinson’s Join us

dge Glemham Hall, Woodbri Sunday 10 June

mhamintouch

parkinsons.org.uk/gle

0207 963 3912

Sharon Barker www.rspb.org.uk/Flatford

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www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree ParkinsonsUK_WalkAdvert_63x132mm.indd 1

09/04/2018 13:02

OUT & ABOUT / SPORT LAWFORD & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

BRANTHAM FOOTBALL CLUB

Well, despite all that weather in March, we held two very successful events.

The quiz night proved to be fun thanks to Richard and Tracey Pilkington (quizmaster and glamorous assistant) and helped with the fundraising for the year. The spring show had only three days of sun beforehand and it was enough to bring on the flowers and blossom to make a fabulous sight in Ogilvie Hall as usual. Many thanks to the entrants and visitors who came along and made all the effort worthwhile.

The April meeting was unusual as we had no idea that scarecrows had such a history. We finished the evening singing I’m a Dingle, Dangle Scarecrow.

On May 12 we will be holding our plant sale in the Wignall Room at Ogilvie Hall. There will be plenty of parking space so you can easily load your car up with seasonal plants. We will be open from 10am to noon.

The May 17 meeting is entitled Sculptures in the Garden and our speaker will be Lucy Redman. Hope to see you there.

MANNINGTREE HIGH SCHOOL As part of the Year 7 Curriculum Day on Friday, March 23, students have been exploring disability awareness, what it means to be disabled in school and the challenges this presents.

Curriculum Day is a cross curricular project where students look at different ways to work together and learn life skills suitable for school and beyond. Two of our Year 7 students, Terry Riley-Deeks (pictured) and Hollie Reeve, came up with the idea to raise awareness of disabilities among their peers. Terry is a wheelchair user and said: “Hollie and I came up with the idea because lots of other children don’t really know much about different disabilities. We came up with ideas for blindfolds, weighted boots and arms tied to show people what it is like to have those sort of disabilities.”

As well as this activity, students looked at hidden disabilities such as autism and ADHD as well as the impact of bullying on disabled people. Two Year 7 students led a PE lesson, doing sports such as blind football and crab basketball. Students then used the information to create an information podcast on disability.

One of the students involved said: “The day made me think about the difficulties that a lot of different people face. I’m really glad we did this.”

For the disability awareness day we were kindly loaned a set of wheelchairs from The Short Term Wheelchair Charity based at the county hospital on Lexden Road, Colchester. The charity provides short term loans of wheelchairs and can be contacted on 01206 744696.

Brantham Athletic is a local football club which runs a senior section, junior section, Sunday and Ladies teams. Our home ground is The Leisure Centre, New Village, Brantham.

March has seen a change of fortunes for our three teams. The 1st Team played four matches in March, winning two, drawing one and losing one to remain fifth in the league. However, they won their league cup semi-final and now look forward to the final where they will play Thetford. This game will be on Monday, May 7 at 3pm and all roads will lead to Diss. If you want to support the team on this momentous day, there will be a coach running from Brantham Leisure Centre for £10; please contact the club if you wish to go.

There will also be an entrance fee for this game.

The Reserves have had a good month culminating in beating Harwich and Parkeston 5-0 with a really good display and are still in mid table position. The A Team also had a good month with several good victories and have moved up the table.

There is also a thriving junior section with ages ranging from Under 7s to Under 16s. Our Sunday teams play their matches on Sunday mornings at the leisure centre while our ladies team play on a Sunday afternoon at the centre, The 1st Team play their home matches at the leisure centre, kicking-off at 3pm on Saturday and at 7.45pm on weekday evenings. The Under 18s play on weekday evenings, 7.45pm kick-off, and the A Team play at Raydon.

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

Because of the league the 1st team and Under 18s play in, there is an entrance fee to watch these games. For the 1st team its £7 adults and £3 concessions and children under 16. For Under 18 games its £3 and £1. There is a friendly atmosphere at all the matches and there is always a friendly welcome to anyone attending a home match, so if you would like to see a good standard of football come and support your local team. The Centre Bar is open during all senior games and the kitchen during 1st Team and youth football on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Any young or old players wishing to join a friendly, exciting, fun football club should contact the club via the details below or email our football club secretary There is a clubhouse at the leisure centre where food and drinks can be obtained. The leisure centre is also home to a lot of other activities including fireworks display, a fun run, 5-a-sides, bowls, cricket plus many other social events. There is a website for more information. Plus the leisure centre has an excellent private function room with its own self-contained bar for hire out for a multitude of events such as wedding receptions, birthday parties, children’s events, conferences and meetings. Just contact the centre on 01206 392506. branthamath@hotmail.com www.branthamathleticfc.co.uk Twitter: @branthamath

Every Tuesday 10am-12.30pm / Telephone: 07870 967353 / 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 who 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

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SPORT EAST BERGHOLT TENNIS CLUB Spring is here, so why not shake the dust off your racquet and come along to East Bergholt Tennis Club for a game of tennis? We welcome new members of all ages and abilities on our all-weather floodlit courts located behind the playing fields at Gandish Road, East Bergholt. Whether you are a complete beginner, coming back into the game after a number of years off or a regular player, there is something in it for you.

The club will be offering a range of coaching programmes for members and non-members, catering for both children and adults.

Annual membership subscriptions (allowing free use of the courts until 10pm every day subject to prior booking) are: adults £50, family £70100, juniors (under 18) £15, students £25, junior summer special £10. Prices for coaching programmes, which are higher for non-members, will depend on the course.

All enquiries about the coaching programmes should be directed towards Pete Richmond, whereas membership enquries can be directed to either Pete Richmond or Paul Lake.

Chairman/Coach Pete Richmond: NEETacademyHQ@gmail.com Acting Membership Secretary Paul Lake: 55paullake@gmail.com

STOUR SAILING CLUB Stour Sailing Club has a packed programme of activities planned over the spring and summer with lots of opportunities for local people to get involved both on and off the water.

Our small and friendly club based in Quay Street, Manningtree offers a warm welcome to anyone who wants to be active on the water. Our members are involved in a range of activities including cruiser and dinghy sailing and racing, coastal rowing and racing, fishing and canoeing. We also have a very active programme of social events. After a long winter spring is in the air and it is an ideal time to get out on the water.

On Monday, May 28 (Bank Holiday Monday) the club will once again be Pushing the Boat out as part of a national RYA initiative. Come along and meet us and have a go at some of the activities that the club offers, including going out as part of a coastal rowing crew, sailing with club members, or simply going out on the water on a boat and enjoying a whole new view of the beautiful Stour Estuary.

On Saturday, June 16 and Sunday 17 rowing will be to the fore with the Manningtree Rowing Festival. On Saturday there will be the chance to join local rowers and have a go at coastal rowing and see why it is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. On Sunday you will be able to enjoy the sight of a variety of gigs and skiffs with crews from the Stour Sailing Club and clubs from all round the East Coast and beyond battling it out for the honours in a race to Wrabness and back (around seven miles).

July is the time for the traditional regatta including the famous Manningtree Mud Sports. This year the regatta is on Saturday, July 14 and Sunday 15. Sailing races take place on both days.

Saturday concludes with a firework display in the evening and Sunday morning starts with the mud sports including the famous tug-of-war competitions, the races across the river and back and fun children’s races and activities on the beach, continuing a long local tradition of water sports as part of the regatta. Who needs a ‘tough mudder’ when you can run across the estuary and back or enjoy an even more luxurious mud bath in the tug-of-war? Why not get a team together for the tug-of-war, or take the mud race challenge, enter the sail racing, try rowing or just come along and watch the fun?

More information will be coming soon and we will be publishing regular updates on our Facebook page and website: www.facebook.com/stoursailingclub / www.stoursailingclub.co.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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SPORT MISTLEY CRICKET CLUB All cricket preparation has been affected badly by the rain, so much so that the first week of the season has been re-arranged to the end of the season, thereby extending the league for the 1st Team until September 15.

Approval for our coach has been received and the club extends a warm welcome to Pabasara Waduge. Pab is a well-qualified Sri Lankan who has played elite level cricket in Sri Lanka and we are looking forward to him helping many of our, particularly younger, players progress. We also welcome our old friend Dylan Day back from his winter in Australia.

Coming Up Cricket, for all teams in the club. The club will also be wearing new playing and training shirts this season bearing the names of new sponsors, Ilecs and EGS. The club is very grateful for this support.

Training will be under way too. Seniors will be on Wednesdays from 6.308pm, Ladies from 6-8pm on Thursdays and Juniors on Tuesdays from 6-8pm.

It’s the intention that all training sessions have coaches in attendance this season to enable everyone to get the most from their time.

SATURDAY FIXTURES 1 Team / Two Counties Div 1 Sat, April 21: Witham (A) Sat, April 28: Halstead (H) Sat, May 5: Maldon (A) Sat, May 12: Ipswich (H) Sat, May 19: Worlington (H) Sat, May 26: Hadleigh (A) Sat, June 2: Coggeshall (H) st

2nd Team / Two Counties Div 3 Sat, April 21: Bury St Edmunds III (H) Sat, April 28: Tuddenham (A) Sat, May 5: Walsham Le Willows (H) Sat, May 12: Kesgrave (A) Sat, May 19: Haverhill II (A) Sat, May 26: Brockley (H) Sat, June 2: Easton (A) 3rd Team / Two Counties Div 9 East Sat, May 5: Nacton II (H) Sat, May 12: Ipswich III (A) Sat, May 19: Yoxford II (A) Sat, May 26: Felixstowe & Corinthians II (H) Sat, June 2: Kesgrave II (A) SUNDAY AND MIDWEEK CRICKET NECL Sun, May 6: Copdock & OIs (A) Sun, May 28: Wivenhoe (A) Two Counties Sunday Div Sun, Apr 22: Abberton (H) Sun, April 29: Ardleigh (A) Sun, May 13: Harwich (H) Sun, May 20: Frinton (H) Sun, June 3: Wivenhoe (A) Ladies Two Counties Sun, April 22: Copdock & OIs, Friendly (A) Sun, April 29: Copdock & OIs TC T20 (H) Fri, May 4: Sudbury BSL (A) Fri, May 11: Eight Ash Green BSL (H) Sun, May 13: Saffron Walden TC T20 (A) Fri, May 18: Copford BSL (H) Fri, June 1: Colchester BSL (A) March 2018 100 Club Winners 1: Guy Lennox (32) £110 2: Darren Kempster (66) £50 3: Peter French (42) £50 New players are always welcome; for more information please email: mistleycc@btinternet.com. Mistley CC is a community club with strong traditions. Please come along and give us a look sometime.

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EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB The very poor weather that we experienced through March and into April meant that games were few and far between, which has left the end of the season far more congested than is desirable. The 1st Team managed two games and achieved victories in both of them to cement their mid table position. The Reserves had only one fixture, another emphatic win, which leaves them just outside the top five in League A. One big win and a narrow defeat kept the A Team just above the relegation places with games running out.

UPCOMING FIXTURES 1st Team / Senior Division Fixtures should be completed, but if the rain continues, who knows?

Reserves / League A Sat, Apr 28: Old Newton Utd Res (A) A Team / League B Sat, Apr 28: Wickham Market Res (A) Fixtures are subject to change. Please refer to the fixtures website to confirm: http://fulltime.thefa.com/Index.do?league=4358069 End of Season Awards: Saturday, April 28 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

CAPEL PLOUGH FOOTBALL CLUB The wet weather throughout March meant that most of the club games were postponed with several evening games now due to be played before the end of the season. The clay soil on the Playing Field does not help the drainage with the 1st Team pitch under pools of water on more than one occasion.

The only game played in March by the Saturday 1st Team saw them win 2-1 away against Westerfield United with both goals coming from striker Sean Gunn. Two youngsters from the village, namely Joe Bigmore and Joe Whitley, played in this game with both players coming through our Reserve set-up and doing well at the higher level.

Our Reserve are second in their league and beat Kesgrave Kestrels 2-1 with goals from Daniel Hudson-Smith and Jack Reddington, this being the only game that they played in March.

Our Sunday team drew 3-3 at Elmsett with goals from Bill Boosey and a brace from Abdul Kaium, while our Veteran side beat Witnesham 2-1 thanks to goals from Chris Stewart from the penalty spot, with the winner coming from Pat Tynan.

With the season drawing to a close it will give all our hard working coaches a chance of a break and time to recharge the batteries ready for the World Cup! With 11 youth teams to look after it means that there is a lot of dedicated people in our club who seem to enjoy the coaching as much as the youngsters enjoy playing.

Long may it continue!

BOB THE PLOUGHMAN

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ON THE GRAPEVINE FROM THE ARCHIVES: ROMAN ROAD TO MISTLEY Anyone who has regularly commuted from Manningtree to Colchester will tell you how wiggly, twisty, up and down the route is. Bizarrely there is a roman road that runs from the Clacton road by Acorn Village all the way into Colchester – straight as a die, shaving a mile off the modern route. It is also runs flat, right up to the outskirts of Colchester. The route lay undiscovered until the 1970s when aerial photographs first revealed crop marks in fields along large sections of the route (pictured here as it crosses Tendring Showground). An excavation in 1976 found it was a three lane construction, one each for heavy carts, horse riders and a pedestrian lane in the middle. It was a major and rare discovery.

Why the road was built is still a bit of a mystery, most likely it was to provide access to the sea from Colchester (Camulodunum), the River Colne being too narrow and shallow for larger ocean going craft, particularly as sea levels were then much lower. We know the Emperor Claudius briefly came to oversee the final conquest of the Brittannia and could have hastened his return to Rome by sea by going out through Mistley. The Roman army also used roads to help dominate new territories. The river crossing at Manningtree and the road would have been caught up in Boudicca’s revolt and its aftermath. It might even have been used to speed her chariot to the destruction and burning of the undefended town (Colonia). Towards the end of the Roman occupation a series of defences were organised to keep out raiders from across the North Sea and the road may have played a part in this as well.

More evidence of Roman settlement has been coming to light in both Manningtree (Stour Street) and Lawford (Dale Hall) and, like the Mistley Roman road, more of the history of that time lays safely preserved in the ground. Since its discovery the Mistley route has been protected against modern development. Now under threat by housing development is one large section in the large field south of Long road. Starting at the southern entrance to Acorn Village off the Clacton road, the Roman road runs southwest across the field to the far corner where it then crosses Dead Lane. In the aerial images one can even see here pits dug alongside the road as part of its construction.

Other pits at Mistley would have provided clay, used to form a water proof membrane under the road on top of which layers of gravel would have been graded and built up to form a camber, otherwise known as the ‘Agger’. Large ditches 13 metres apart dug for drainage would later silt up, holding onto moisture longer than the surrounding soils, creating the distinctive crops marks observed from the air nearly two thousand years later.

If the purpose of the road was to subdue the local population, the presence in this field of what appears to be a large Iron Age enclosure, just south of Long Road, should come as no surprise. This settlement has a square ‘pie’ shape with one small entrance and an internal feature that may have been a homestead. There is also an ancient trackway running from the enclosure across to the Roman road just behind.

Following a recent geophysics survey of the Long Road field, Essex County Council have asked for further archaeological study, but the route of this important Roman road is beyond doubt and the best way of preserving this part of our history, along with the unusual Iron Age enclosure, is to leave the evidence in place and undisturbed for future generations to explore and finally work out why the road came this way.

SOLICITORS fOR IndIvIduaLS and buSIneSS T 01206 574431 tsplegal.com

TEDDY BEAR PARACHUTE CHALLENGE

Saturday 30 June from 9:30am St Michael’s Church Brantham

1st Prize £50 2nd Prize £30 Sponsorship forms are available in the church

Philip Cunningham, Manningtree Museum and Local History Group

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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ON THE GRAPEVINE

MASQUERADE CHARITY BALL IN AID OF THE BLOSSOM APPEAL The Ipswich Hospital Charity are excited to announce the Masquerade Charity Ball at The Venue at Kersey Mill on Friday, June 22, 2018 at 7pm in aid of the Blossom Appeal.

This glamorous evening will include a night of live entertainment with a drinks reception, a three course meal with wine in a beautiful location. Ticket price is £50 per person.

JS and The Lockerbillies will be our band for the night who have previously played at Glastonbury! So get your dancing shoes ready to ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’!

All money raised will go towards The Ipswich Hospital Charity, supporting the Blossom Appeal. Help us build a new £2.5million Breast Care Centre at Ipswich Hospital where every breast care patient can have the best possible experience when they come to hospital.

The new centre will bring all elements of breast care at The Ipswich Hospital under one roof and provide an environment where patients can be imaged, biopsied where necessary, and see their clinician in one appointment without the need to get dressed and undressed several times. There will also be new dedicated clinics for men and young people.

Your support can help patients like Jo… “There is a lot of getting up and down and walking to and from for imaging and treatment, and it’s a very impersonal space.”

Former breast cancer patient

Jo Whitelaw remembers the experience of visiting the hospital all too well.

But the now 55-year-old also remembers the “amazing” care she received. She said: “The hospital was my security blanket. I got all the support and reassurance I could’ve asked for from the team. They were always there when I needed them.”

Jo, from Great Blakenham, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 after discovering a lump in her breast. Initially she thought it was benign as she’d had others removed in the past. But it did turn out to be cancerous. When the lump was removed cancer cells were still found so Jo went on to have her breast removed and gruelling chemotherapy and drug treatment to fight the disease.

She said: “It’s a very open and impersonal space. I remember when I first went to hospital I sat there and looked at all the people in the waiting room and felt very alone.

“The new centre could be more personal, but then there would be opportunities and spaces to talk if people wanted to.”

Jo, married with two children, four grandchildren (and another on the way) has now been clear of cancer for five years.

While the hospital team were Jo’s security blanket, she turned to the animals in her yard to relax. A keeper of horses, sheep and chickens, Jo credits them to helping her relax both during and since her cancer.

Help us build a new Breast Centre at Ipswich Hospital whilst enjoying a glamorous night.

To purchase tickets please visit www.ipswichhospitalcharity.co.uk contact 01473 702929 or email at: charity@ipswichhospital.nhs.uk

MAN’S BEST FRIEND TO HEADLINE STONHAM BARNS MAY EVENTS Doggy wellbeing, behavior and all-natural food is topping the bill at a full programme of Stonham Barns events this May. The Natural Dog Show 2018, on the first weekend of the month, kicks off a full bill of family and educational events at the Stonham Aspal venue. Canine owners can book themselves on to specialised training, natural nutrition and ‘canine enrichment’ talks and seminars at the event which is tailored to everything a health-conscious pooch could ever wish to enjoy.

Visitors will learn how to improve the holistic health and wellbeing of their beloved pet from a host of renowned experts including Sue Williamson, an expert in TTouch, a technique aimed at reducing stress and boosting wellbeing in dogs through improving body posture.

Zoe Willingham, a dog trainer and behaviourist, will also be on hand to teach visitors about canine body language while expert canine nutritionists such as Jessy Chaston, from Doodledales which is organising the event, will talk dog owners through the best nutrition for their animals.

The Natural Dog Show is on May 6 and 7 between 10am and 5pm. Tickets are £6 for adults; £5 concessions; five-15 year olds £3 and a family ticket of two adults and two children £14; under-fives are free.

Later in the month, the Steam and Vintage Show rolls into Stonham Barns, a brand new educational event shining a light on rural history. There will be a gathering of traction engines, steamrollers and other historic exhibits.

Aimed at providing a practical backdrop to school-based educational Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes, visitors will also be encouraged to learn about and have a go at practical crafts such as

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metalwork, woodwork and blacksmithing. Tickets cost £7.50 for adults; £5 for concessions and four-15 year olds; £20 for a family ticket (two adults, two children); under-fours go free. The Steam and Vintage Show takes place on May 19 and 20 from 10am-4pm.

New to Stonham Barns this year is the Children’s Fest, a two-day extravaganza of everything designed to keep your little ones busy during the May half term.

There will be a silent disco, puppet making, theatre, sports, music, arts, circus skills and dance workshops and the inflatable world will allow them to let off some steam. For older children there will be an open mic event and some demonstrations from local artists and performers. A specially commissioned family and children’s market will be selling gifts, books, toys and clothes while hot food, picnic packs and drinks will be available throughout the day as well as disabled facilities, showers and baby changing areas.

In addition, Stonham Barns has a wide variety of attractions suitable for children including the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, Tumbledown softplay barn and a giant bouncy pillow.

Pre-book your packed lunch for just £5 containing a sandwich, fruit, crisps, snack bar and drink via: www.ticketsource.co.uk/stonham-barns-/events The Children’s Fest takes place on May 19 and 30. Tickets for three-15 year olds are £10; accompanying adults, those aged 16 or over and under-threes are free. All adults and over 16s must be accompanied by a paying child.

Stonham Barns is located on Pettaugh Road, Stonham Aspal IP14 6AT. www.stonhambarns.co.uk

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ON THE GRAPEVINE NORDIC WALKING TASTER SESSIONS Four Nordic Walking taster sessions, each lasting approximately an hour under the professional instruction of Lesley Krause from Suffolk Striders, are to be held in Capel St Mary for anyone looking to benefit from this healthier way of walking (poles will be provided).

The dates and time depend on the interest and the availability of those wishing to take part. After the recent demonstration at the Countryside Club several members showed an interest but more are required to make Capel a viable centre of this activity to grow.

For more information please contact Linda Evans giving times and days available: 01473 311262

CHATTISHAM OPen GARDENS Sunday, June 17, 11am-5.30pm A great family day out with 12+ gardens open in this friendly village. Wide range of types and ages of gardens including formal, natural and aquatic features.

Attractions include plant sales, cakes, lunches and cream teas. Family competition. Admission £4, accompanied children under-14 free. Tickets on the day from car park or any open garden. All proceeds to Chattisham Church Restoration.

Location three miles west of Ipswich, one mile south of the A1071 at Hintlesham. Sat Nav ref IP8 3QE. Further information: 01473 652359 / r.d.chase@uwclub.net www.hintleshamandchattisham.onesuffolk

CAPEL 5 2018 TONY KING MEMORIAL RACE: SUNDAY, JUNE 17 1 Mile Fun Run starts at 9.45am 5 Mile Capel 5 starts at 10.30am (minimum age 15) Capel St Mary Playing Field, Friars, IP9 2XS A new, out and back route is planned which will include a 300-metre off-road section. It will not go alongside the A12, but there are still a couple of hills.

ST ELIZABETH HOSPICE St Elizabeth Hospice has been part of our local community for nearly 30 years and it’s a local charity that many people have come into contact with in that time, either through receiving care themselves or by knowing someone who has. Each year the hospice needs to generate £10.5million with over seventy-five per cent of that coming from the local community – from people like you. This month we take a look at a few of the ways you could support the hospice including a new family friendly event.

This June the team behind Bubble Rush, The Midnight Walk (May 12) and Who’s Afraid of the Park? will be bringing a brand new family friendly event to Ipswich to test your nerve and agility. The hospice has recently announced that they will be bringing Extreme Ninja Assault to Ipswich Rugby Club in Humber Doucy Lane on Saturday, June 16.

The Great Garden Trail also returns this year with some favourite gardens re-opening for all to explore along with some new ones showcasing their owner’s horticultural talents. Trail maps are available in locations across Suffolk, including the hospice shops, or to find out more about the gardens that are open visit: www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/greatgardentrail

RSPCA PROJECT WINSTON Help us complete Project Winston, a £420,000 building project at the RSPCA Animal Centre at Martlesham, which will replace six of our old dog kennels with new, up-to-date blocks, as well as improving staff, volunteer and visitor facilities.

Half of the new kennels will be bigger than normal to provide better accommodation for bigger dogs, like Winston. Winston was a sweet Newfoundland dog who came into the centre as a cruelty case, but he finally found his forever home with a family that loved him dearly.

The branch already has £316,586 in grants, donations and legacies, and we’re raising the additional money through activities, including collections, events, a sponsorship scheme and asking our supporters to organise fundraising events on our behalf.

This project is for Winston and all the animals that are still looking for the thing they want most – a loving forever home.

Find our more and make a donation at: http://ipswich-rspca.org.uk/project-winston-fundraiser

The race this year will be titled Capel 5 Tony King Memorial Race in memory of a much loved and respected club member who passed away five years ago.

Affiliated runner fee £8 / Un-affiliated runner fee £11 – will increase on the day Please contact Sandra for more information – 01473 312114 / sandrabumphrey@talktalk.net – or visit: http://capelcheetahs.co.uk Entry through Run Britain: www.runbritain.com Please come out and cheer the runners on; the route starts on Rembrow Road, crosses The Street into Days Road, then to the Wenham Queen, turns right and heads towards the airfield, turns right at a footpath, then heads back towards the village, again passing the Wenham Queen and back down Days Road, then Rembrow Road and the finish is as usual in Playfield Road.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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CHURCH NEWS

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

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.

Last month Dom wrote about the great message of good news of the Christian faith: that Jesus died and rose again for all of us, to give us life forever. It’s amazing, life-changing news, but when you realise that some of Jesus’ own friends couldn’t believe it until they saw Him face-to-face, you might think that if they struggled with it, how on earth are we supposed to get a hold of this today, 2,000 years later, half a world away?

Here’s the thing – we might now be in a different time, a different place and a different culture, but the same Jesus is available to us all, individually and together, near and far, yesterday, today and tomorrow. The life-changing work of Easter was completed with a series of events which, if possible, sounded even weirder than those that had gone before. Jesus ascended into heaven in front of His friends’ eyes, disappearing from view as they watched, and then, ten days later, His Spirit poured out of heaven on them all, causing them to do the impossible, be the impossible, and believe the impossible; that first Pentecost, Jesus became available to everyone, not just face-to-face but heart-to-heart.

£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

In a culture where we have never been so well connected before, and yet probably have never been so isolated from each other, the good news of Pentecost is that we are not alone. Jesus is available to all who call on His name, and He longs to stand with us as we face into the future.

Every third Monday of the month we are joined by the Hadleigh Health Visitors for your local Baby Clinic Contact Charlotte on 07858 891217 for more information

Jesus isn’t just alive. He’s available to make us more alive than ever.

Services for May 2018 Sunday, May 6 10.30am Joint Worship with Communion & Treasure Seekers* at Mistley 6pm Evening Prayer at Bradfield Thursday, May 10 9.30am Ascension Day Service at Mistley Sunday, May 13 10.30am Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Bradfield 10.30am Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Mistley 6pm Evening Prayer at Mistley Sunday, May 20: Pentecost 10.30am Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Mistley 10.30am Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Bradfield 6pm Quiet Communion at Bradfield Sunday, May 27: Trinity Sunday 8am Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at Mistley 10.30am Morning Prayer at Bradfield 10.30am Café Church with Treasure Seekers* at Mistley *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.

CONTACT INFORMATION Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Dom Turner 01206 391218 / dom@manningtreebenefice.co.uk Associate Minister: The Rev John Brien 01206 397549 / brienfamily@btinternet.com Curate: The Rev Claire Scargill 01206 395417 / revclairescargill@gmail.com Church Office: Available at least 10am-1pm, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 07436 398801 / info@manningtreebenefice.co.uk

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www.manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.facebook.com/ManningtreeBenefice

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CHURCH NEWS ST MARY’S CHURCH, LAWFORD Priest-in-Charge: The Rev Simon Heron, 01206 392659 Sunday, May 6 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am Holy Communion Thursday, May 10: Ascension Day 7.30pm Holy Communion Sunday, May 13 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am Family Service 6.30pm Evensong Sunday, May 20 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am Holy Communion 6.30pm Café Church Sunday, May 27 8am Holy Communion BCP 10.30am Morning Worship SPRING CONCERT Spectrum & The Suffolk Constabulary Male Voice Choir Saturday, May 5 at 7.30pm in St Mary’s Church Lawford Entry £7; tickets available from 01206 392873 / 01206 392572 In aid of East Anglian Children’s Hospice & St Mary’s Church Lawford Flower Festival St Mary’s Church Lawford, Flower Festival from Friday, June 8 to Sunday 10 More details to follow.

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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BRANTHAM & CAPEL METHODIST CHURCHES A FRAGILE WORLD We are living in days when there is much tension and uncertainty in the world scene. By the time this is printed, I don’t know what other things might have happened. At the time of writing we have had the tit for tat expulsion of diplomats/intelligence officers from over 20 countries in response to the nerve gas incident in Salisbury. There are more threats of further action.

Then there is the awaited response to the chemical weapons used again in the Syrian war. Some world leaders are using inflammatory language and the danger of conflict erupting is very real. There is tension and division at local, national and international levels on many issues. I don’t think in my lifetime (post Second World War) it has been as tense and as unpredictable. Where are the peacemakers?

With so much disturbing news, it is great to come across a good news story.

A father was distraught with grief when his son was killed in an accident.

Doctors asked his permission for them to transplant some of his organs to a patient in the hospital who was in urgent need of a transplant. You may say that often happens, but what was extraordinary about this case is that the donor was an Arab and the patient an Israeli! The father explained: “I wanted my son’s death to bring life, whether it be to a Jew or Arab”. It was an amazing gesture in the midst of loss and grief, but even more remarkable considering the pattern of enmity and hatred between Jew and Arab. It was a gesture that spoke of peace and reconciliation. I ask myself would I have been able to do the same thing if I were in that man’s place.

Our situations are probably very different to the Arab/Israeli conflict, but there are ways in which we can act as peacemakers in our communities. All of us have the opportunity in our daily relationships to work for harmony and reconciliation, but few of us take the opportunity as often as we could. Are we peacemakers or do we prefer to allow disharmony to continue?

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 SERVICES AT BRANTHAM Sunday 6 11am Worship with Mrs Maggie Finbow Sunday 13 11am Worship with Mr Bryan Nichols Sunday 20 11am Worship and Communion with Rev Andrew Sankey Sunday 27 11am Worship with Rev Michael Allen SERVICES AT CAPEL Home Groups on various days and times – contact the minister for details Sunday 6

Sunday 13

Sunday 20

Saturday 26 Sunday 27

10.30am 6.30pm 10.30am 6.30pm 10.30am 7pm 3.30pm 10.30am 7.30pm

Worship with Mr Rod Stone Prayer Worship with Mr Mark Firmin Worship with Rev Andrew Sankey Worship with Mrs Gloria Theobald Informal worship with Jim Ross and band Messy Church Worship and Communion with Rev Andrew Sankey United Prayer Time at St Mary’s

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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 MAY 2018 Tuesday 1 9.30am 10am

Morning Prayer Mass

Sunday 6 9am

6th Sunday of Easter Mass

Tuesday 10 9.20am Eucharistic Adoration 10am Mass Sunday 13 9am

7th Sunday of Easter Mass

Tuesday 15 9.30am 10am

Morning Prayer Mass

Sunday 20 9am

Pentecost Sunday Mass

Tuesday 22 9.30am 10am

Morning Prayer Mass

Sunday 27 9am

The Most Holy Trinity Mass

Tuesday 29 9.30am 10am

Morning Prayer Mass

The weekly newsletter with weekly mass times is always displayed in the cabinet alongside the front door.

Catholic Commentary Pope Francis recently spoke about the importance of the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, asking if when we pray it we understand whom we are praying to and the relationship we are called to have with him. “How many times there are people who say, ‘Our Father,’ but do not know what they say!” he said. “Do you feel that when you say ‘Father,’ that he is the Father, your Father, the Father of humanity, the Father of Jesus Christ?” he asked. “Do you have a relationship with this Father?” When we pray this prayer, we are connecting with a loving Father, he continued, explaining that it is the Holy Spirit which gives us this connection with him, the feeling of being God’s child. This request opens our hearts to God, but “also disposes us to fraternal love,” he said, noting that this is not always an easy thing to say.

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“It’s not easy to forgive those who have hurt us. It’s a grace to say: ‘Forgive me as I have forgiven [others]...’ it’s a grace...” the Pope said.

“The Lord gives us peace; he also gives us the grace to forgive”. In the prayer we also ask God to “deliver us from evil,” which is another cause of separation between us and God, and us and our brothers and sisters, he continued. He also pointed to the line where we ask God to “give us our daily bread,” which is something “we need to live as children of God”.

After the Our Father we exchange the sign of peace with those around us, a concrete sign expressing “ecclesial communion and mutual love,” Francis said, quoting from the Roman Missal. He also emphasised that this peace is Christ’s gift to us – a different peace from that offered by the world, it helps the church to grow in unity and peace “according to his will”.

Events & Diary Date The Diocesan Pilgrimage to Walsingham takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7. A parish coach has been booked with pick up points at Holy Family, Brantham and St Mark’s Ipswich. The fare is £15.

Please sign the list at the back of church if you wish to come.

The 100 Club draw took place on Sunday, April 15 at St Mark’s, Ipswich when three lucky winners shared a record £151 prize pot. The next draw takes place on Sunday, May 20 at Holy Family, Brantham. 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, which 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, May 31.

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 MANNINGTREE METHODIST CHURCH South Street, Manningtree CO11 2JB Minister: The Rev Tom Osborne, 01206 396654 Sunday Services in May Sunday 6 Rev Derek Lang with Holy Communion, 10.15am Sunday 13 Mr David Bavister from Gt Holland, 10.15am Sunday 20 Pentecost with Rev Peter Ball, 10.15am Sunday 27 Trinity Sunday, Manningtree Churches Together,

3pm at Manningtree Market Square Saturday, June 2: Church Gift Day, 10am-12.30pm Sunday, June 3: 211th Church Anniversary Holy Communion Services: please check date and times on the noticeboard outside the church Welcome Wednesdays in May Wednesday 2 Bible Study Wednesday 9 Chocolate Tasting Wednesday 16 Tea Party Wednesday 23 Holy Communion Wednesday 30 Tales from Chile Treasurer: Mr Gordon King Church Bookings: David Shearmur, 01206 395263 ALSO MEETING ON OUR PREMISES Monday Workers Education Association, nine lectures in autumn and spring, 2.30pm Stour Choral Society (Sept-June), 7.30pm 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 Friday, May 4, 7pm Daddies Diaries, a theatre production based on the wartime diaries of one man. Tickets £8 from Maggie: 01206 616067 / 07867 546484 Built in 1807 THE oldest Methodist church in Essex & Suffolk

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.

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CHURCH NEWS 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

LINK LINE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES Un-denominational / meeting at the Ogilvie Hall, Wignall Street, Lawford CO11 2JG (unless otherwise stated) Saturday, May 5 Our popular monthly Cafe Oasis Coffee Morning, 9.30-11.15am Community Praise & Worship, 11.15am-noon Friday, May 18 Prayer & Praise Fellowship, 10-11.30am Thursday, May 22 Open Road Fellowship Visit to Kersey Mill & Gardens. In partnership with Key to Love Fellowship Services at 11am every Sunday at the Venture Centre on Bromley Road For Pastoral visits, further information and bookings, contact: 01206 272064 / linklinecm@hotmail.co.uk We warmly welcome people of all ages.

BENEFICE OF EAST BERGHOLT & 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 Thursday, May 10 9.30am Ascension Day BCP Communion, East Bergholt Sunday, May 13 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Communion, East Bergholt 11am Family Service, Brantham Saturday, May 19 Noon Wedding of Danielle Cope and Matthew Norrington, East Bergholt Sunday, May 20 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 11am Benefice Communion for Pentecost, Brantham Sunday, May 27 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Choral Matins, East Bergholt 11am Informal Service, Brantham Sunday, June 3 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 11am Benefice Communion (Open Gardens in East Bergholt), Brantham 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

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