In Touch with Manningtree - March 2016 by steve@intouchnews.co.uk

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with Brantham, Lawford Manningtree & Mistley Volume 6 • Issue No. 5 • MARCH 2016

Holbrook Creek by Robert Coles

Sales, Lettings and Property Management We always have high demand for quality properties in your area

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EssexCountryHomes.com Out and About is a country clothing store at agricultural specialists P Tuckwell Ltd, located at the company’s Ardleigh showroom in Colchester. We stock many of the leading outdoor and country clothing, footwear and accessory brands, such as Aigle, Alan Paine, Crew Clothing, Chatham Marine, Le Chameau, Joules, Jack Murphy, Pioneros, RM Williams, Vedoneire and more, including our own brand of trousers. We endeavour to keep adding new brands to our already impressive string. Stocking quality lifestyle clothing and footwear, at Out and About you will find a wide variety of products that balance function and comfort for on trend styling. With our full range of clothing for all occasions you can live and breathe the country life wearing the best selection of outfits to be seen in this season, whether it’s a day at the Races, off shooting or out for lunch in town! We have extensive off street parking facilities and our experienced staff will provide you with the support you need to make your visit an enjoyable shopping experience. Our customer service is top priority, our staff are always on hand to help, whether it is advice, information or ordering in a specific garment from our valued stockists. As well as our base in Ardleigh, we also travel to Country shows up and down the county such as The Tendring Hundred Show and The Suffolk Show, displaying the in season favourites!

For frequent up-to-date information on our events and new stock like our facebook page: Out and About at Tuckwell’s

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR I went along to an e-safety workshop for parents at Jack’s school last week and I’m still shaking my head in horror. I’m relatively tech-savvy, or at least I though I was, but I’m not what they call a ‘digital native’, i.e. a person born or brought up in the age of digital technology and familiar with computers and the internet from an early age. In fact I can remember being introduced to a fax machine in my first year at university and being utterly amazed that we could send a sheet of paper from one side of the room to the other! Those of us who aren’t digital natives acknowledge the wonder of digital technology and most of us use it daily, some more effectively that others, but I don’t suppose I will ever truly appreciate how ‘normal’ it is for natives like Jack. That said it is my responsibility to protect him from the negative aspects of digital communication – such as the possibility that someone could be watching him through the webcam on my iPad using a remote access tool! How creepy is that? Taking what I’d learned at the e-safety session I went into Settings on the iPad and set all the appropriate restrictions. I also downloaded a child-friendly version of YouTube called YouTube Kids and a childfriendly browser. Jack hasn’t actually noticed the difference yet, but I know he’s not going to be bombarded with inappropriate content or accidentally follow links to sites which aren’t age appropriate. For now he’s safe, but kids being kids, I know he will challenge the boundaries and find ways to circumvent my efforts to control his digital adventures so I have to stay one step ahead at all times. Ironically there are some very useful websites you can visit to learn more about setting restrictions and understanding how young people use social media. The e-safety session ended with a question: “Would you abandon your children in central London unsupervised and unaccompanied?” If No is your answer, find out what you can do to protect them online.

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with Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree & Mistley

In Touch with Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree & Mistley is published by: Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd, 20 Wharfedale Road, Ipswich IP1 4JP Editor: Sharon Jenkins Email: sharon@intouchnews.co.uk

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01473 400379 Disclaimer: The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine are accurate but the publisher cannot assume any responsibility for errors or omissions. While reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements or editorial, the publisher/editor will not accept responsibility for any unsatisfactory transactions and also reserves the right to refuse to include advertising or editorial. They will, however immediately investigate any written complaints. © Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, either wholly or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. © In Touch with Brantham, Lawford, Manningtree, & Mistley is published by Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd as part of the “In Touch with. . . ” series of magazines.

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NEWS FAMILY FUN AT THE FURZE (FFF), SUNDAY, JUNE 26

Following the success of the jubilee celebrations in 2012 and All The Fun At The Furze in June 2014, the councils of Lawford, Manningtree and Mistley are pleased to confirm that plans are now being made for another event in 2016. Family Fun at the Furze (FFF) will take place on Sunday, June 26 at Furze Hills Recreation Ground, Mistley, between noon and 6pm. There will be free entry to the event although a small fee will be charged for the children’s inflatable fun area, as outlined below. The aim is to offer a community event for local people at a low cost, organised and funded by the three councils and supported by sponsorship from local businesses. The event will be in the style of a giant family picnic, with a range of bouncy castles and inflatable slides, all available for a one-off wristband fee of just £3 a child at the inflatable fun area. This wristband will allow unlimited access for the six hours of the event. A number of local businesses and organisations have already expressed an interest in being part of the stall area along with a range of food and drink concessions. Further details of how to become a stallholder at the event are available via the contact details below. There will be live entertainments throughout the afternoon, including live music from local bands. It is hoped that local dance groups and other organisations will give demonstrations/presentations. In order to alleviate parking issues in the local area, the organisers are planning to provide a round-robin bus service to the event from a range of pick-up points around Lawford and Manningtree, including Manningtree Station where car parking is available. Further details will be made available closer to the date. The organisers are now looking to hear from anyone who would like to be involved in the event, be it individuals, local businesses or organisations. It may be that you are interested in having a stall, or willing to make a financial contribution towards the running and advertising of the event. Further details are available via Lawford Council Office: lawfordpc@btconnect.com / Dave Ashley: 07503 186201

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APRIL DEADLINE 10 MARCH 2016 is the final date for both advertising and editorial copy

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NEWS EXHIBITION TO CELEBRATE THE QUEEN’S 90th BIRTHDAY

PLEASE JOIN US FOR MISTLEY’S SPRING LITTER PICK-UP

Were you baptised, confirmed or married in St Mary’s & St Michael’s Church, Mistley or St Lawrence, Bradfield, or maybe at St Michael’s in Manningtree?

Saturday, March 19, 9.30-11.30am, meeting at Furze Hill Car Park

To celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday we are planning a weekend of special services and activities in both churches on June 11 and 12. As part of these celebrations, we hope to have an exhibition of photographs and mementos from baptisms, confirmations and weddings over the past 90 years.

Equipment to be provided but please wear sensible shoes and gloves. All welcome, including accompanied children and dogs! Complimentary tea, coffee and cake for participants afterwards. Please sign up by contacting the parish clerk: 01206 395696 / mistleypc@btinternet.com

If you have any memories, photographs or perhaps even a wedding dress that we could borrow, please contact: Joy Baker for Mistley: 01206 391918 Sue Reeve for Bradfield: 01255 870043 Or the church office: 01206 392200 Please help us to make this a very special weekend. Further details of the services and activities will be published shortly.

BRANTHAM PARISH COUNCIL The next meeting of Brantham Parish Council is on Wednesday, March 2. Come along to find out what your parish council is up to and to raise any questions/concerns. To find out more about Brantham Parish Council visit: www.brantham.onesuffolk.net The site includes copies of recent parish council meeting minutes, details of upcoming events and other items of local interest. The parish council meets on the first Wednesday of every month (except August) in Brantham Village Hall at 7.30pm. The public are welcome to attend. You can contact the Brantham parish clerk at: 07702 490212 / clerk@branthamparishcouncil.co.uk You can also follow Brantham Parish Council on Facebook: 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 dates of the next parish clerk surgeries, both 10am-noon, are March 9 and April 13.

ARDLEIGH SURGERY NEWS Those of you who have visited the surgery or one of the local hospitals over the last year may well have already filled in the Friends & Family Test (FFT) survey. This is an NHS initiative and our contract requires us to both offer it to patients and then report the findings to them on a monthly basis. You may well be asked to complete one after every visit to the surgery or hospital, meaning you fill in several in a year. But for those of you who haven’t, what is it? Essentially it is just one question: How likely are you to recommend our GP Practice or hospital? You choice of reply can be either extremely likely, likely, neither likely nor unlikely, unlikely, extremely unlikely or don’t know. Then there is a space for you to write a comment about why you chose that answer. While filling in surveys can be annoying, the comments left can be very useful for the practice. Overwhelmingly, patients here choose extremely likely or likely, which is very pleasing. We have just completed our FFT return for January, and I thought I would share the results with you. We had 32 completed forms, of which 26 (81%) said it was extremely likely they would recommend the practice to others and a further five (16%) said they were likely to do so. Only one person said that they were unlikely to recommend the surgery, but they chose not to add any comment as to why. When reading through the comments, lovely statements have been made about the helpfulness of the staff and the professionalism and caring nature of the doctors and nurses, such as “Exceptional treatment and service from all the doctors, nurses and staff” and “Amazing staff, amazing doctors, best surgery that I have ever been registered with”. At Ardleigh we strive to be the best practice we can, and it’s nice to know that for some of you we are achieving that. We do receive some comments regarding things patients feel we could do better. Generally these fall into three categories – the car parking situation, getting through on the telephone and the appointment system. Please don’t feel that this is your only forum for raising issues. I am more than happy to talk to you about suggestions or grumbles that you may have. SURGERY WEBSITE

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

The surgery is building a new website, which we hope will be a little more interactive than the current one. It is anticipated that the new website will have comprehensive information about the staff and services available at both the Ardleigh and Dedham sites, and have links to other NHS organisations. From the website you will be able to access the online services to order a repeat prescription, book or cancel an appointment or to check some of your medical records. It is anticipated that the website will be online from the beginning of April. Don’t worry if you use our current website as you will be automatically re-directed. Practice Manager Stephanie Durrant

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NEWS REPORT TO PARISHES: DODNASH WARD

CHARITY CURRY AND QUIZ NIGHT

District Councillor John Hinton

There will be eight rounds of questionable fun at a charity curry and quiz night at The Crown in Manningtree on Saturday, March 12, 7pm.

January was a strange month! Planning applications for a large housing number refused by committee were withdrawn by the monitoring officer and a new committee ‘selected’ to decide it in the appropriate manner. The council’s constitution is in a shambles as it only applies when appropriate. I am sure we will get to the bottom of it but perhaps not without some major changes. The budget is nearly upon us but now government has added some more money to the pot it will need to be adjusted. The news of more police officers for rural areas is encouraging in a reassuring way but as the confirmed old cynic that I am I will believe it when it happens. No news on the highways front except to keep dodging the potholes on the Four Sisters Exit, and to watch out for the new 60mph with average speed cameras across the Orwell Bridge. There are still large applications pending in Brantham, East Bergholt and over the river in Tendring. Co-operation between the councils will be essential, but their record of talking to each other is not good. I am working behind the scenes to try and improve things. The weather keeps being changeable, so take care out there and hopefully the news in the next edition will be better. Councillor John Hinton

LAWFORD PARISH COUNCIL You can read the council’s minutes on: • www.essexinfo.net/lawford-parish-council • on the parish council’s noticeboards • minutes can be collected from the Parish Office by prior arrangement as the offices are not open to the public

MISTLEY PARISH COUNCIL Edited extracts from the minutes of the meetings held on January 18 and February 4. The full minutes of the meetings are displayed on the noticeboards near to the bus stop at Rigby Avenue and also outside Mistley Post Office in the High Street. The minutes can also be accessed online at: www.essexinfo.net/mistleypc/parish-council/meetings Public Voice County Councillor Guglielmi provided a report about the work of Essex County Council. Les Nicoll, on behalf of Essex Fire and Rescue Service, gave a presentation about the need for and the recruitment of two parish safety volunteers for the parish. They would be responsible for advising residents about fire and safety measures, including installing smoke alarms. Full training and support would be provided by Essex Fire and Rescue Service and Essex Police, together with a uniform and out of pocket expenses. Clerk’s Report A problem with one street light had been dealt with by the contractor. It was agreed that the next litter-pickup event take place on Saturday, March 19, 9.30-11.30 (see page 4). The Three Parishes Trust had kindly donated £300 towards the cost of the upgrading work to the Half-Pipe Skateboard Ramp. Work was in progress to replace some and treat all of the posts on The Green and clear the wall of ivy, and also to repair, clean and treat benches around the village.

Tickets cost £8 per person and include curry and a prize for the winning team. There will also be a charity raffle. All money raised will go to the Sumatran Orangutan Society. Tickets are available from 07522 420564 / sitavs@gmail.com or from the Crown, Manningtree. For more details visit: www.facebook.com/therunningape www.justgiving.com/simon-tavner

IT’S FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT Ever had Divine Chocolate? It really is out of this world! Members of Trinity Free Church, Manningtree, in collaboration with The Fair Trade Shop in Ipswich, will be bringing a wide range of Fairtrade goods to the Old St Michael’s School building in town for you to see and buy. There will be experienced and knowledgeable people on hand to talk about the Fairtrade movement or you can just browse the catalogues for a wider selection of items and enjoy a cup of fairly traded tea and coffee at no expense. Always popular – a choice of fairly traded Easter Eggs. Why not get the real meaning of Easter when you buy one of these fabulous fairly traded Easter eggs this year? Phone now to pre-order yours. Saturday, March 12, 10am-12.30pm at Trinity Free Church, Manningtree. For more information please contact Sheila Morris: 01206 391557

Meetings Attended The chairman provided a report of a meeting of the Tendring District Council Planning Committee which determined the proposed development of land south of Long Road. The applicant has submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Fun at the Furze Biennial Event The biennial event will take place at Furze Hill on Sunday, June 26, noon6pm (see page 3). There will be a mixture of stalls and day-time activities for children including a bouncy castle extravaganza. Live music and displays would be provided by local groups. Planning The council agreed to: make no comment to three planning applications; object to one planning application; and noted one appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. For the three proposed large-scale developments – 15/01787/FUL land to the south of Pound Corner, Harwich Road; 15/01810/OUT land to the north of Stourview Avenue; and 15/01869/ OUT Mistley Place Park – the council agreed to submit objections to all three. Finance In addition to the regular finance items, the council agreed the budget and that there be no change to the precept for 2016-2017. Approval was given to the following special projects: repair fencing at Railway Allotment; repair/clean out gullies and re-mark the village hall car park; update the village hall lavatories. It was also agreed to adopt updated Financial Regulations and Standing Orders for the parish council. Date of next meeting: Monday, March 7 at 7.30pm in the village hall

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NEWS CONSTABLE COUNTRY MEDICAL PRACTICE Managing winter demand and prescribing This is one of the busiest times of the year for the practice and on some days demand can be extremely high. Since last September we have operated a triage system. When all our doctor appointments are full and you feel you need to speak with a doctor, you will be placed on a list for the doctor to phone you back and either address your problem over the phone or ask you to attend an appointment later in the day. Each day, one doctor has responsibility for contacting patients added to the list. Some days, this list has extended to more than 40 patients and the nominated doctor for that day will contact them all in addition to their morning surgery and dealing with the clinical administration work (test results and letters from the hospital relating to patients they have referred). Many of the problems patients present with can be addressed by our excellent nurse practitioners and our minor illness nurse. Many of their appointments are pre-bookable as well. These include problems such as cough/colds, rashes, headache, earache, minor injuries and

conjunctivitis. Our reception team can advise on whether our nurses can treat you. Also, pharmacists can provide sound advice on many conditions and treatments are often available over the counter without prescription. Please note that the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have issued guidelines for our clinicians not to prescribe treatments that are available over the counter. Paracetamol, for example, is available very cheaply in supermarkets but cost to the NHS is significantly greater if it is prescribed. The CCG have recently issued guidelines on prescribing gluten free products. These can no longer be prescribed for patients over 18 years old and only in limited quantities for patients under 18. Our clinicians have also been asked to reduce antibiotic prescribing. This is because many viruses are becoming more resistant to antibiotics and very few new antibiotics have been discovered over the last 20 year or so. This means that if they continue to be prescribed at high rates then there is a very real danger that the antibiotics currently available cease to

become effective. Our clinicians will, of course, prescribe the medication they believe is most appropriate to treat a problem. Christmas gifts Thank you to all patients who handed presents to the practice over the Christmas period. All these gifts were distributed to all doctors and other members of staff. Last year was very challenging for us and we were all very grateful, and moved, to receive so many gifts of appreciation. Training days Just a reminder that the practice will be closed from 1pm on the following dates for staff training: Thursday, March 10; Wednesday, April 13; Thursday, May 19 On these afternoons the doors will be closed so please ensure any prescriptions are picked up well beforehand. If you phone the practice the recorded message will ask you to ring 111 for medical assistance if your problem cannot wait until the next day. Practice Manager Pete Keeble

THE HUB Fridays at The Hub on The Lane, Manningtree, is your weekly all-age drop-in with credit union. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open every Friday from 10am-12.30pm, with the credit union closing at noon. The volunteers who run Fridays@theHub are a sociable lot. Why not come in for a chat and a cuppa? Want to talk in private? Just ask â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we are there for you! Need information or help with a form or letter? Please ask, we may be able to help. At the same time, the credit union is open for business, until noon. This offers the perfect way to save for a rainy day or for something special. Also, regular savers can apply for a loan at reasonable rates. Come in to find out more, to pick up a leaflet or to open an account. Once you are an account holder you can pay into your account by cheque or cash, set up a standing order and withdraw money (with notice for larger amounts). We are a co-operative bank run by volunteers, but regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and your savings are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. To find out more about any of the above, please call Dagmar: 07891 963005 All services at the The Hub are offered by local churches for all members of the community.

Manningtree and District Food Bank, set up to help local people going through financial difficulties by supplying short term food supplies, is now in its third year. The food bank can be visited each Tuesday from 10am-12.30pm at Foundry Court, Colchester Road, Manningtree. If you feel that you need some support to get you through a bad time and that receiving food items and talking through things would help, please come along and see us. We also have a member from One Support on hand who can offer advice about finances and housing. We may need a referral from your doctor, social worker or other support organisation but it is

possible to organise urgent food supplies for you by just talking to one of us at the food bank. If you are unable to come along on a Tuesday please telephone the food bank on 07870 967353 and speak to either Pat or Kerry. The food bank trustees and volunteers would like to thank One Support, the Co-op and of course a big thank you to all you generous people for donating food which has helped so many families. Food can be donated at Fiveways store in Manningtree and the Co-op in Brantham. We are here for you if you need a helping hand to get you through a rough patch.

MANNINGTREE COMMUNITY FIRST RESPONDERS Manningtree Community First Responders would like to thank Lawford Councillor Andy Baker for their nomination for a Pride of Tendring Award. The group has now been running for 11 years with five of the original founding members still volunteering. In 2015 the group of 24 volunteers covered 14,623 hours (the equivalent of just over 609 days) running with three kits, one based in the Manningtree area, one in Bradfield and one in Brantham. They went out 482 times to 375 calls. Please remember if you do need to call an ambulance at night to make sure the lights in your home are on and always ensure your house number/ name is clearly visible so they can find you.

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By combining their knowledge and experience they have created five pre-payment funeral plans for you to choose from. Alternatively, a member of their team can help you create an entirely bespoke plan, so you can rest assured that every last detail will be just as you wish so you can get on with enjoying life. Clearly priced, and with no hidden costs, their plans allow you to pay for your funeral in full now, or in manageable monthly payments over a time that suits you. All of their funeral plans are completely inflation proof, so by planning ahead you pay today’s price no matter how much costs may rise in the future. If you are a member of the East of England Co-op you can also collect dividend points on your pre-payment plan, which you can use visiting new places, treating yourself or doing things with friends and family.

Find out more about East of England Co-op pre-payment funeral plans, or order a brochure, by visiting eastofengland.coop/funerals. Alternatively, you can contact your local funeral branch who can also arrange a home visit for you. Your local East of England Co-op funeral branches are: • Century House, Station Road, Manningtree 01206 391855 • 47 St Helens Street, Ipswich 01473 257242 • 283 Norwich Road, Ipswich 01473 232837 • 364 Foxhall Road, Ipswich 01473 728445

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OUT & ABOUT ACORN VILLAGE

EAST BERGHOLT DRAMATIC SOCIETY

Join us for our Easter half term coffee shop events. From 2pm on Tuesday, March 29 there will be story time in the onsite bookshop with one of our volunteers and coffee shop table activities all day. At 2pm on Wednesday, March 30 there will be the Easter egg treasure hunt followed by a relaxing story time. At 3pm on Thursday, March 31 we will be planting flowers in pots in the coffee shop gallery, and from noon-3pm on Friday, April 1 we will be having a ‘Fools Fancy Dress Day’ with a fool’s themed lunch and music. Call 01206 394124 (ext 239) to book your lunch with the coffee shop.

Old Actors Never Die… They Simply Lose the Plot by Lynn Brittney

Don’t forget to come and visit our onsite charity shop and furniture shed open between 10am and 4pm. If you love up-cycling you will find the perfect pre-loved piece at Acorn Village and help raise money for adults with learning disabilities at the same time. Save the date: Due to popular demand Marc Winter and the team will be coming back to help celebrate St George’s Day on April 23 with an antiques valuation day.

VENTURE CENTRE 2000 ITALIAN EVENING Colchester Gateway Clubs is a local charity which runs social clubs for adults with learning disabilities in Colchester and Tendring. Fundraising is an essential part of the charity’s income and for the first time, an Italian evening is being held at the Venture Centre on Saturday, March 12. Local support for this event would be greatly appreciated.

The Mount Home for Retired Theatricals is more like posh hotel than a home for the elderly and the residents are very happy at being waited on hand and foot. When Walter Neville (veteran of over 200 films) arrives, he’s delighted to find his best friends living there and looks forward to many enjoyable hours living in peace and harmony. But when the serial womaniser ex-husband of three of the ladies (Mrs Sullivan 1, 2 and 3) goes missing – apparently on the run from the Russian Mafia – the peace is about to be shattered. Come and enjoy this very funny play which is full of wonderful characters ranging from the dramatically eccentric to the downright scary at The Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 14-16 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £6 in advance (£7 on the door if any left!) from Fountain House Café and from 01206 396674 / 07891 974844

LET’S HAVE A BEATNIK PARTY At The Institute (Church Hall), New Road, Misely CO11 1ER on Saturday, March 5. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Ends at 10.30pm. Hosted by David Stephenson and Mistley Caroe Gothic Society, this will be an evening of music and spoken word using the natural acoustics of William Caroe’s beautiful 1911 Arts & Crafts hall. A variety of artistes will be featured, including SAMO HURT & The Beatnik Messiahs (who will be filming a video for their Howling Beatnik Blues as part of this event), Chris & Paddy, Mike Gosling, Glen Campey, The Caroe Singers and Natasha Robertson.

Please contact charity manager Mandy Hudson: 07999 278472 / thursdaygatewayclub@hotmail.com

BUMPER BOOK SALE At Manningtree Methodist Church in South Street on Easter Monday, March 28 from 10am4pm

HADLEIGH CHORAL SOCIETY St Mary’s Church Hadleigh, Saturday, March 19, 7.30pm, with Colchester Symphony Orchestra Handel: Overture to the Occasional Oratorio Dettingen Anthem Chandos Anthem No 11 Let God Arise Zadok the Priest Dettingen Te Deum Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Trumpets in C Major Conductor: Christopher Phelps SOLOISTS Soprano: Zoe Brookshaw Counter tenor: Tim Travers-Brown Tenor: Julian Alexander Smith Bass: Christopher Borrett Natural Trumpets: Victoria Rule, Stephen Keavy and Darren Moore Tickets (£14 / £12 concessions / under 16 £2) from The Idler Bookshop, Hadleigh or on the door. www.hadleighchoralsociety.org.uk

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Bring your own drinks; glasses and free tea/coffee/squash and snacks will be available. Pay on the door: adults £2 / children under 18 £1 Dress: beatnik/hippe For further details contact: dgastephenson@btinternet.com / 07719 846699 All monies taken will go to the upkeep of the hall.

STOUR VALLEY ARTS & MUSIC Sunday March 13, at 4pm: Pirates of the Baroque, a family concert with Red Priest at St Mary’s Church East Bergholt This unconventional and virtuosic group of outstanding musicians has been described by music critics as “completely wild and highly imaginative” with a “break-all-rules, rockchamber concert approach to early music”. They have performed all over the world and thrill their audiences wherever they go. Their family friendly programme for our concert includes music by Vivaldi, Bach and Telemann. Bring the whole family and show your children or grandchildren that classical music can be great fun. Adult tickets are £14 and a family ticket (two adults and up to four children) is £16. For further details and tickets please contact Doreen Weatherall: 01206 298426 Tickets are also available from Grier and Partners and you can also book online at: www.svam.org.uk

OUT & ABOUT BRANTHAM BOX OFFICE Presents Film Night Wednesdays at Brantham Village Hall: doors open at 7pm, film starts at 7.30pm, refreshments available. Wednesday, March 16: Woman in Gold (12A) MT, CAP, COP & EAST B Wednesday, April 20: A Royal Night Out (12) Wednesday, May 18: Mr Holmes (PG)

Tickets £4 in advance from Bakes and Blossom café, £4.50 on the door, £2 for under 16s.

SET UP AS A POSTER

MANNINGTREE IN SHAKESPEARE We are very proud that Manningtree is one of the very few towns in East Anglia mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays and the town marks this with a life size sculpture made of coated metal straps with a light in its middle at the Market Cross to depict the Manningtree Ox with a pudding in its belly. The quotation comes from Henry 1V Part 1. To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the bard’s death the Rotary Club Manningtree Stour Valley is arranging a street event in lower South Street, Manningtree on Saturday, April 23 from 5-7pm. There will be music, entertainment and a world record event. Then on Sunday, April 24 at 7pm there will be more music, excerpts and entertainment in Manningtree Methodist Church. All events are free. The full programme will be published in the next edition of In Touch.

Find out more at: Facebook.com/ BranthamBoxOffice

EAST BERGHOLT HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

QUIZ NIGHT

EAST BERGHOLT HIGH SCHOOL East Bergholt High School ASSOCIATION Friday, March 11, 7.45pm QUIZ NIGHT Teams of up to eight East Bergholt High School 11, 7.45pm Friday, March Bar open from 7.15pm Teams of up to eight Bar open from 7.15pm Tickets £5 per person including nibbles Tickets £5 per person including nibbles ( 01206 298122 01206 298122

STOUR VALLEY MEN’S PROBUS On February 3 Jessica Lewis spoke on The History of the Cutty Sark and two weeks later on February 17 member Dick Patterson talked on a most interesting subject, the history of and living in Sierra Leone during its last colonial days. On March 2 Richard Walker will present When Pirates Ruled the Waves and we will hold our annual general meeting on Wednesday, March 16 when Graeme Forsyth will step down after his year as president. We meet at the convenient St John Ambulance HQ, Manningtree CO11 1EB. 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 Wednesday of each month in Manningtree at 10.30am. For further details please contact secretary Brian Rolfe: 01206 393665

STOUR VALLEY U3A Capel St Mary CEVC Primary School

Nearly New Sale Saturday, March 19 1.30-3pm Capel Community Church Days Road, Capel St Mary

Maternity clothes, baby equipment, clothes (aged 0-11 years), toys, books and games 50p Entrance fee (children free) Do you have any baby/children’s items which you would like to sell? You choose the price: 70% goes to you, 30% goes to our charity (+ £1 administration fee per seller) For more information or a free sellers pack please contact Lisa (01473 312248) or Jo (01473 730771).

Recent meetings On Wednesday, February 10 Brian Barker of E J Barker & Sons spoke on Farming with Wildlife in Mind. It was a most interesting presentation showing how a commercial farm can maximise wildlife diversity. Future meetings On Wednesday, March 9 Charlotte Harding will present An Introduction to Warner & Sons, a talk on the 120 years of textile design and manufacture in London and Braintree, highlighting the company’s royal connections. Meeting venue We meet at The Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TP at 2.15pm. Annual membership is £12 and this entitles members to attend the meetings that take place on the second Wednesday of each month. Membership 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 to develop friendships. We have a wide range of groups including language study, country walking, computer studies and gardens, churches and historic buildings visits. 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 Third Age Trust and have more than 200 members and 18 groups. For further information please visit www. stourvalleyu3a.org.uk where membership secretary Val Pretty may be contacted.

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OUT & ABOUT MANNINGTREE & DISTRICT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY What better start to a New Year than to be invited into the colourful and creative world of local photographer Barbie Lindsay. Her talk in January opened the door to the fun, excitement and mastery of the photographic art. This poignant example is one of the range of topics presented, featuring the former plastics factory at Brantham, now quiet but in it’s heyday alive with the unforgettable heat, fumes and clatter of the busy production line of our largest local employer.

Factory Floor by Barbie Lindsay

TEA & SUPPORT IN MISTLEY Tea & Support, the meeting place for those who have been bereaved or left living alone, is held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Church Hall, New Road, Mistley. Meetings are usually from 2-4pm, are free of charge and transport can be arranged. Come along to meet new friends in a safe, friendly environment. Our next meeting is on Wednesday, March 16 and will include a talk by members of the Colchester Rifle Club who are helping disabled servicemen and women. For more details please contact the church office of St Mary’s & St Michael’s Church (01206 392200), Paskell’s of Manningtree (01206 396709) or Joy Baker (01206 391918). Copies of our 2016 programme will be available shortly from Paskell’s in Manningtree or from the church.

MANNINGTREE MUSEUM AND LOCAL HISTORY GROUP The speaker at the January meeting was museum curator Peter Gant who took the audience on a journey up South Street, illustrated with photographs from the group’s large collection. Peter started his journey at Market Cross where South Street crosses the High Street. He displayed a 1777 map of the area which showed clearly the pronounced kink round the green of an otherwise straight road. He said speculation about the reason for the kink had produced no feasible answer. A member of the audience wondered if it was to give horses a brief respite from the steepness of the hill. Barbie and husband Rusty have a large website featuring the whole range of their work which is well worth a visit: www.barbielindsay.co.uk Our monochrome competition later in the month was ably judged by Peter Epsley with that refreshing Yorkshire frankness that really made us think about our work. In February we were invited to a friendly competition at the Harwich & Dovercourt Camera Club. We were royally welcomed and they provided a splendid buffet in the interval. Manningtree won this close contest for the first time. Future meetings March 10 Street Scenes / Competition Judge: Roy Essery DPAGB March 24 Members Critique Evening March 31 Animals & Geysers in Yellowstone National Park with Ian Rose New members are welcome to join the society or may attend initially as a visitor (£3). Meetings are held at St John’s Centre on Station Road at 7.30pm. For more information please contact our secretary: 01206 396958 / madps@post.com www.manningtreeanddistrictphotographicsociety.co.uk

VILLAGE LINK CLUB For our February meeting Pip Wright gave a talk on the Lady Alice de Breyene. She was a noble lady who lived in Suffolk during the 14th century and was present at the court of King Richard II. She owned many large estates and Pip showed examples of the type of house she was likely to have lived in. Inventories which still survive show what they would have eaten throughout the year. Our next meeting is on March 9 when our talk will be on the NT coast of East Anglia. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month in Tattingstone Village Hall starting 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

Using a mixture of modern and early 20th century photographs Peter introduced us to various houses of note in the street. Examples of architectural details, not normally noted by the casual passerby, were highlighted. It was especially interesting to see interior shots of the houses that revealed cellars, ‘haunted’ staircases, shop interiors and details of roof timbers. Of particular interest was Bert Yeates’ old house which had a bakery attached to the rear. It had ceased producing bread before Bert lived there and Bert never removed the coating of flour dust from the cellar and staircases. On the cellar walls was an old painting of a hunting scene and in the attic was found two old pairs of shoes. Presumably meant to keep the house free from witches, the shoes are now on display in the museum. In the garden of number 48 can be found the old Congregational Church which was built in 1818. It is now used as a function room for private parties. Just up the hill, round the kink in the road is the oldest Methodist Church in Essex. Still in use, it was built in 1807. The original Chapel of the Holy Trinity was in a neglected and ruinous state at the beginning of the 17th century and a new church was built in the High Street. The site of the original chapel is unknown but Peter says that present speculation places it off South Street somewhere near the Methodist Church. Peter had a great number of photographs to show as he took the audience to the top of the hill and round the corner to Brook Street where he briefly discussed Grimble Cottages, the old hall house with the fire-mark on its front wall. In the older photographs that Peter used it was easy to see the band of triple blue bricks along the road edges of South Street, now mostly tarmacked over, although long stretches are still visible in South Street and elsewhere in Manningtree. The audience was greatly entertained by the talk and joined in with comments both during and after the talk. One lady was thrilled to discover that the museum could supply pictures of her house when it was a shop. Our next talk will be on Wednesday, March 30, 7.30 for 7.45pm in the Methodist Hall, members free, visitors £3. After a very brief AGM and election of officers, Dr Tim Gardiner will present East of Arras based on his First World War poems and the diaries of his great uncle. Everybody welcome as usual.

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North Eas t Essex

North East EssEx ProgrammEs: • •

Football Coaching Centres Development Centre

• •

Goalkeeper Centre Soccer Schools

all abovE sEssioNs takE PlacE at thE followiNg vENuEs: •

•

Tendring Education Centre, Clacton-on-sea (formerly known as Bishops Park) East Bergholt Sports Centre

• •

Little Oakley Football Club Philip Morant Secondary School, Colchester

To find out more details including days, times, age groups and prices etc, or to be added to the mailing list please contact: Sean Hillier | Chelsea FC Foundation North East Essex Development Officer sean.hillier@chelseafc.com or call 07720 975 201

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OUT & ABOUT 75 ANNIVERSARY OF RAF AIR CADETS Hundreds of people turned out to watch the services held in Lowestoft, Swaffham, North Walsham, Bury St Edmunds and Felixstowe. In Felixstowe, the cadets and staff paraded through the town centre to St John’s Church. Squadrons in attendance were 188 (Ipswich), 356 (Felixstowe), 432 (Woodbridge), 1287 (Wattisham), 1334 (Manningtree) and 1379 (Leiston). This was a celebration to the founders of the organisation and all the members to this day, thanking all those who have and are dedicating countless hours and tremendous amounts of effort into keeping the machine of the Air Cadets running smoothly. The Air Training Corps (ATC), which is affiliated to the Royal Air Force, was the first of its type in the world when it was formed on February 5, 1941. To celebrate reaching three quarters of a century, the 29 squadrons in Norfolk and Suffolk gathered among five parades across the two counties.

Officer Commanding, Flight Lieutenant Janet Brown, said: “The cadets have done fantastically well, and I was very proud of every one of my cadets and staff on parade, which kicks off a year of celebrating the formation of the Air Training Corps, February 1941.”

MANNINGTREE AND DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION The branch would like to thank Andrew Petts and his staff at Geo Paskell Funeral Services for making the Royal British Legion its charity of the year. With the help of the people of Manningtree and surrounding areas they raised an amazing £255.75 through Light a Light for a Loved One over the festive period. The cheque was presented to branch chairman Jamie Robinson. The Royal British Legion spends £1.4million a week delivering welfare to members of the Armed Forces community both serving and ex-service personnel and their families who find themselves in difficulties. You don’t have to have a military background to join The Legion – it’s open to men and women of all ages. You can join online at www. britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved or by contacting membership secretary Dave Brown: 01206 395989 / budgiebrownuk@yahoo.co.uk Alternatively come along to one of our branch meetings which take place at the Crown Hotel in Manningtree on the second Wednesday of each month, 7pm for a 7.30pm start. The next meeting is on March 9. Jamie and Sharon Robinson receive a Community Award from Manningtree Town Council This trophy is awarded annually to an individual or group that has contributed towards the community and has achieved something of great benefit to the town. Sharon and Jamie are passionate about the Royal British Legion and know first hand how it helps people from the armed forces community. In 2012 they took on the roles of county recruiting officers and promoted the Legion thought the district. On moving to Mistley in 2013 they discovered that this area had not had a

Legion branch since 1979. The feasibility study they carried out had an amazing response and in June 2013 Manningtree and District Royal British Legion was formed. In the last two years, Jamie and Sharon have certainly ensured that the legion has made a significant impact on our community, extending to both Mistley and Lawford. The very first parade in the town took place to commemorate D Day 2014 and saw people turn out and line the streets to see the parade which was led by nine standard bearers and veterans alongside the two local cadet units. Several services have since taken place and British Legion representatives attend both Mistley and Lawford War Memorials. The latest service at the memorial on Armistice Day 2015 was attended by veterans, all the local schools and various local organisations and cadets, with members of the local community joining us in order to show their respect to all of the Armed Forces. The Manningtree and District British Legion founded by Jamie and Sharon has grown in strength during the last two years and because of their passion, commitment and dedication and the support of its members it will, no doubt, continue to be a thriving part of our community. In addition to the community award, our branch has been awarded the Nigel Bird Shield for membership recruitment and again this is down to Jamie and Sharon’s’ continual drive to up the membership.

Ceremonial dates for 2016 VE Day: Sunday, May 8, 3pm – parade and service Battle of Jutland: Sunday, May 29, 11am – parade and service Battle of the Somme: Sunday, July 3, 11am – parade and service VJ Day: Sunday, August 14, 11am – parade and service Armistice Day: Friday, November 11, 11am – service only around the war memorial Remembrance Sunday: November 13, 3pm – parade and service

EASTER ART EXHIBITION AND SALE AT MANNINGTREE METHODIST CHURCH This is the 44th year of the popular art show at Manningtree Methodist Church. The first show was held in 1972 in the old maltings in North Street, near the quay, the inspiration of three church members, Eddie Acres, Lionel Lay-Flurrie and David Shearmur. The venue was pigeon ridden and insecure, which required someone to sleep-over each night. The show quickly moved into the church hall and expanded into the new hall in 1982. As an open show, any artist may enter. The rules are few and the charges modest, which results in a colourful show in all styles and mediums. Originally a week-long show it is now held over the Easter weekend from Good Friday to Easter Monday.

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OPENING TIMES Good Friday, March 25: 2-5pm Saturday, March 26: 10am-5pm Easter Sunday, March 27: 2-5pm Monday, March 28: 10am-4pm Additional attractions include a craft stalls and a photo exhibition. A large book fair on the Monday attracts many additional visitors and refreshments are available in the Red Dot Cafe. Enquiries to: 01206 298635 / 01206 391145

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OUT & ABOUT / SCHOOLS BRANTHAM OVER SIXTIES CLUB

BROOKLANDS PRIMARY SCHOOL

A nautical end to January with a welcome visit from Sister Marian Davey, the Stella Maris Port Chaplain based at the Seafarers’ Centre at Felixstowe Docks, and her fifth talk to the club since taking up the post in 2007. Always interesting facts about her daily routine and dealings with Seafarers’ problems – undertaken with good humour – and we were pleased to hear she was given the authority to go on board the world’s largest container ship on its first visit to the port last year.

Brooklands Friends and Family (BFF) has recently purchased a greenhouse to be installed in our gardening area which will be sure to challenge the team’s green fingers. Over the next few months BFF funds will enable us to extend our science area to encourage a variety of wildlife for our children to observe. I am delighted to see so many new and exciting events scheduled over the next few months including a car boot sale and a secondhand uniform sale. Plans are also being made for familiar events such as the Easter egg hunt and a repeat of our successful summer music event later in the year.

February 9 was also nautical with an illustrated talk about Manningtree and Mistley Quays by Mr Peter Gant. He spoke of the ancient origins of trade from Manningtree quay and how it expanded with the opening of the Stour Navigation to Sudbury. Sailing barges carried goods from the area all along the Eastern coastline. Peter illustrated his talk with pictures of the local barges and the ‘Stackies’ carrying hay from the Stour round to London stables. Pictures of the old cottages on the quayside and the families who made a living from fishing and punt gunning as well as using the river for recreation and pleasure reminded members of a nearly forgotten world of hard work and home-grown play. March 15: Beetle Drive March 22: To Petra and Beyond by Mr Chris Parfitt March 29: Annual General Meeting Visitors are always welcome at our Tuesday meetings, 2.30-4.30pm in Brantham Leisure Centre. More details from Mrs Jean Lace: 01206 396242

Explorer Scouts are young people aged 14-18. Cattawade Unit meets on the second Friday of each month in Cattawade and our meetings on the fourth Friday of each month are usually outdoor activity meetings or weekend events. We occasionally meet at other times for other activities including county events. Some members have taken part in ocean going offshore sailing and others have been to Switzerland, Sweden and, in 2015, to Finland. The unit is registered through Suffolk Scouts to offer Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme at bronze, silver and gold level. Twelve members have achieved DofE gold. Over the last 10 years members have taken part in unit expeditions in Thetford Forest, the Peak District, Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, the Lake District, The New Forest the South Downs and Dartmoor National Parks for their bronze, silver and gold levels of the award. If you are a holder of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and would like to help young people achieve theirs, or wish to know more, please contact Roger for an informal chat. Roger S Dann, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Leader: 01206 395285 / 07778 463172 / catt-explorers@outlook.com

LAWFORD & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Saturday, March 12 is the date for our annual fundraising quiz night. We hope you will make up a team of up to eight people to join us at Ogilvie Hall, Lawford at 7.30pm. Please bring your own drinks and nibbles and contact me to book your table at only £5 per person. On Thursday, March 17 Peter Booth-Smith will present a talk on Tea as a Crop. It should be an interesting evening with a whole new topic! We will be serving tea in the interval, unless he provides his own samples. Liz, 01206 393580

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This year the school will be supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as its chosen charity. One of our children has a younger sibling who has recently been diagnosed with the disease and while the family wish to remain anonymous as they are coming to terms with the news, they are happy for us to name the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as our chosen charity for 2016. Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited, life-shortening disease which currently affects more than 10,000 people in the UK and over the next year our school council will be putting forward fundraising ideas. Visit www.brooklandsprimary.co.uk to view our new school website. We hope you will find a number of interesting features. Over the next few weeks we will be updating the site with new photo galleries of experiences our children are enjoying in school. A huge £750 raised from Brantham Garage Sale has been used to purchase items for Lego-based therapy. Lego therapy is a structured, group based approach designed to help children learn and practise social skills such as turn-taking, listening, sharing ideas, communication, compromise, problem solving and shared attention. We have been introducing Lego therapy across Key Stage 1 and 2 and this tremendous donation will pay for Lego kits and training for a member of staff. Thank you to all those involved in this fundraising event. Congratulations go to five members of staff for achieving the Society for the Advancement of Philosophical Enquiry and Reflection in Education Level 1 accreditation (SAPERE). Using philosophy stimulates rich discussions among our children and helps to develop our children’s questioning and thinking skills. Our Early Years children have been using their imagination to create cars, towers and army bases with the use of a range of new outdoor role play equipment including tyres, tubes, crates and large wooden sticks. Brooklands has been chosen for this round of the East of England Co-op token scheme which will run until the end of April. Participating stores include Brantham, Manningtree and Holbrook. The more tokens in our box means a bigger share of the £1,000 which will awarded to fund resources for our Beach School activities. Best wishes Christine Davy, headteacher

BRANTHAM BABY AND TODDLER GROUP Meeting from 9.30-11.30am every Monday morning in Brantham Village Hall (term time only). The session costs £1.50 a child, and 50p for every additional child. We have a huge selection of toys and most weeks there is an activity on offer for you and your child to enjoy from arts and crafts, baking, a visit out or a stroll to the local pond. The group is open to mums, dads, grandparents and carers so if you have a baby, toddler or pre-school child come along and join us for a cuppa and a chat while the children play. We also offer a healthy snack for the kids half way through the morning and on the third Tuesday of the month the Hadleigh Health visitors hold a baby clinic. We’d love to see you there. Contact Charlie: 07858 891217

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SCHOOLS / SPORT MANNINGTREE HIGH SCHOOL New minibus for the school We are pleased to have acquired a new minibus which will enable us to get involved with even more sporting fixtures, events and competitions and so enhance students’ experience. It’s an ideal billboard for local advertisers as it will be seen by hundreds of people while out on the road. The prime positions are the back doors, the bonnet and side panels. The school would offer to pay an amount towards sign writing if you were to take advantage of this exciting opportunity and sign up for three years. To discuss this further please contact Mrs Carol Sinclair: 01206 399624 / csinclair@manningtreehigh.com

challenges with Essex University and the final preparation of an advert for the Tasty Trash concept. James Mason, Lyrica Wilsdon, Eleanor Chandler, Susie Gee and Tiarnie Stammers worked really hard to bring the trophy back to MHS. Mr Colley, ICT Technician Charities’ week and assembly

MHS wins young apprentice competition

Despite tough competition from five other local secondary schools, our team of Year 10s won the annual young apprentice competition on Friday, January 22 at Stanway Federation Learning Centre in Colchester. Last year we came second in the competition, so the pressure was really on for 2016. The team had to come up with a new environmentally friendly product idea, along with a business name and slogan. They chose Tasty Trash. During the day, they were challenged on their product and business plans by a radio presenter from British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS), Colchester, along with a panel of top judges from the Rotary Club of Colchester. Other tasks included legal

Following the busiest and most action-packed Charities’ Week, we held the traditional Charities’ Assembly on the last day of term. The assembly was led by the Senior Prefect Team and included a range of awards and presentations of cheques to the various charities.

Flurrie, whose performance was note perfect. Our Head Boy, Elian Shipp, took great delight in ‘splatting’ our Head Girl, Jodi Thomas, with a cream pie after he won their challenge in raising the most money for the hospice. There was a particularly emotional moment when the school was able to give a special contribution to Lucy Balham and her family who were facing a difficult Christmas as Lucy’s sister is seriously ill at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The assembly finale was the announcement of the final total. This year, we raised a record breaking and amazing £7,084. This is just an incredible effort from the whole school community and just shows what a brilliant school Manningtree is. Our efforts are summed up in a letter we received from St Helena Hospice: “We really do appreciate the support of the school and it is truly inspiring to see how well all the students take to fundraising and raising an incredible amount of money for all the chosen charities. We really do not know of a school as charitable as Manningtree High School.” Thank you to all the students, staff and the parents who contributed. Nick Farrow, assistant headteacher

It wasn’t possible to invite representatives from all 25 charities, but we were delighted that representatives from Cancer Research, Help for Heroes, St Helena Hospice, Multiple System Atrophy Trust and the RNLI attended to receive their donations. Mike Doogan, from the RNLI, was able to show the protective clothing that the money raised will provide and Darren Couchman from Cancer Research said that the school has raised more than £6,000 for his cause in the last 10 years. The assembly included performances from the staff band, student Sophie Elmes, the school choir and our X Factor winner Daniel Lay-

Harrison Philingham and Holly Foskett, both Year 9, planting a walnut tree as part of the Dedham Scattered Orchard Project.

MISTLEY CRICKET CLUB Pre-Season Nets Starting on Wednesday, February 24, 8-9-15pm, at Royal Hospital School in Holbrook. If you are new to the area and fancy joining us, please contact us as detailed below. Mistley Cricket Club provides cricket to a large number of men, women girls and boys in the area. We run sides in Divisions 1, 3 and 8, Division C of the Two Counties Championship and Ladies Challenge as well as a team in the North Essex Cricket League and a ladies team in the Beaumont Seymour League. We are always in need of players to maintain and strengthen these sides. If you are new to the area or fancy a game let us know. Our ground is one of the most picturesque in Essex or England and our pavilion and changing facilities are second to none. We also have our own bar so you can enjoy a beer after the game. Men practise on Wednesday nights from 6pm and ladies on Thursday nights from 6pm.

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We also run a junior section with teams competing in age groups from Kwik Cricket through to U15s. The juniors are coached by a number of ECB Level 2 Qualified Coaches. There is plenty of opportunity for youngsters to play competitive cricket against other local clubs in the Tendring peninsula with age group sides from U11 through to U15. The youngsters practise on Tuesday nights from 6.30pm. The club is always looking for sponsorship packages and would like to hear from any business that may be interested in supporting the club by advertising their business at the club in various guises. For more information contact the club using the details below. Should you wish to know more about the club please contact: mistleycc@btinternet.com / 07742 293830 / 01206 396147

SPORT / CHURCH NEWS EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB THE METHODIST CHURCH The First team are now leading the field in the Senior Division having been unbeaten through January. They have also progressed to the quarter-finals of the Bob Coleman Cup, a competition in which they reached the final in 2014. The Reserves are in a lower mid-table position (Intermediate A) but have a number of games in hand, while the A team lies second in their division (Intermediate C) after some impressive results and stretching their unbeaten run to eight games. Perhaps the success this season is in part at least due to the smart new team wear that players and officials are now wearing, which has been generously sponsored by Travel Plus Tours. FIXTURES DATE

RESERVES Intermediate A

1 TEAM Senior Division st

Sat, February 27 Sat, March 5

Old Newton Utd Res Felixstowe Harpers Utd

Sat, March 12

Wenhaston Utd

Sat, March 19

Bramford Utd

Mon, March 28

Capel Plough

Sat, April 2

Westerfield Utd

Sat, March 26

Felixstowe Harpers Utd Res Ipswich Valley Rangers Res

“A” Team Intermediate C Stowupland Falcons Res

A A

Cedars Park Res

Leiston St Margarets Res Somersham Res

Bacton United 89 Res

Westerfield Utd Res

Wenhaston Utd Res

Capel Plough Res

Fixtures subject to change. To confirm please refer to the SIL website: http://touchlinesil.co.uk/fixtures-results EVENTS Quiz Night: March 19 / Please contact the secretary for more details Awards Dinner: May 21 We are always looking for people who can help the club as a committee member, 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.

South Street, Manningtree

Minister: The Rev Andrew Bell, 4 Elmdale Drive, Mistley CO11 2HP / 01206 396654 Sunday Service: 10.15am Second Sunday: Holy Communion Bible Study: First Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm in the Committee Room Holy Communion: Fourth Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm Welcome Wednesdays: 2.30pm every Wednesday; drop in for a chat and tea/coffee. Activities on the second and third Wednesdays. Also meeting on the premises: Monday

September to May, Stour Choral Society WEA (during sessions), 2.30pm

Tuesday

Co-op Women’s Guild, 7.15pm

Wednesday

Gentle Fitness Class, 9.30am Art Group, 10am-noon Manningtree and District Chess Club, evenings Museum and History Group, 7.30pm bi-monthly

The third session of the Manningtree Methodist Lent meetings, entitled Alternative Approaches to Worship, will be held on Thursday, March 3 at 7.30pm in Foundry Court, Colchester Road, Manningtree. The fourth session on March 10 is entitled The Passover Celebration and the fifth session on March 17 is Multi-sensory Worship. Both will be held at Foundry Court at 7.30pm. On March 24, Maundy Thursday, a Tennebrae Service takes place at Manningtree Methodist Church at 7.30pm. Secretary: Mrs M Cuthbertson Treasurer: Mr G King Contact for church hall bookings: David Shearmur, 395263

Steve Butcher, secretary stevebutcher55@btinternet.com

RAYDON HALL ARCHERY CLUB – INDOOR AMERICAN

More than 80 archers from across Essex and Suffolk, including some of the counties elite archers, attended Raydon Hall Archery Club’s sixth annual shoot at the Wix Equestrian Centre. The competition, based on the American round but set as an indoor shoot, comprises of 90 arrows split over the distances of 60, 50 and 40 yards. Raydon Hall Archery Club have already booked the venue for next year, and have also set a date for their annual soup shoot in April at their shooting ground in Raydon. If you would like further details please contact tha club by email: richard@raydonhallac.co.uk

ST MARY’S CHURCH, LAWFORD Priest in charge: The Rev Simon Heron, 01206 392659 Services for March Sunday 6

8am 8.45am 10am

Holy Communion BCP Prayer Breakfast Holy Communion

Sunday 13

8am 10am 6.30pm

Holy Communion BCP Family Service Evensong

Sunday 20

8am 10am 6.30pm

Holy Communion BCP Holy Communion Café Church

Thursday 24

Maundy Thursday 7.30pm Night Prayers and Holy Communion

Friday 25

Good Friday 10am Messy Church 2pm Devotions at the Cross

Sunday 27

Easter Sunday 6am Sunrise Service 8am Holy Communion BCP 10am Morning Worship and Holy Communion

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Mon

Seated Exercise Counselling with Hannah

Tue

Farmers Market 9.30am - 12.30pm Beautician 9.30am Complementary practitioner 12.30pm Relaxation and meditation 7pm

Wed Podiatry Belly Dancing Choir Wednesday Paper Craft (last Wednesday of month) Thur Massage Therapist Hearing Aid Specialist Fri

M J ENOCH TREE SURGERY & LANDSCAPES

1.30pm 9am

9am 7 - 8pm 1pm 1.30pm

10am Alternative weeks

Tai Chi Computers for the Terrified

• • • Foundry Court Community Centre Colchester Road, Manningtree

1pm 1.30pm

01206 397283

www.foundrycourt.co.uk

Physio and Acupuncturist available on Monday and Friday afternoons - appointments required. Venue available for hire for parties, wakes and anniversaries - all occasions considered. For more details or to make an appointment please contact Carole on 397283

• • • •

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CHURCH NEWS BENEFICE OF EAST BERGHOLT AND BRANTHAM

TRINITY FREE CHURCH Meeting at Old St Michael’s School on Trinity Road, Manningtree

Wednesday, March 2: Chad, Bishop Missionary 9.30am BCP Communion, East Bergholt

Hope!

Friday, March 4: Women’s World Day of Prayer 2.30pm Ecumenical Service, Holy Family

We are faced with many different situations in life. Perhaps some of us have financial worries or we are concerned about our health, or the health of our loved ones. Maybe we are concerned about our work… or a job interview?

Sunday, March 6: Mothering 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Family Service, East Bergholt 11am Family Service, Brantham Sunday, March 13: Lent 5 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Communion Service, East Bergholt 11am Communion Service, Brantham Sunday, March 20: Palm Sunday 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Family Service with Procession, East Bergholt 11am Family Service with Procession, Brantham Monday, March 21: Holy Week 7.30pm Tenebrae, Brantham Tuesday, March 22 7.30pm Worship led by the choir, East Bergholt Wednesday, March 23 9.30 BCP Communion, East Bergholt Thursday, March 24: Maundy 11am Renewal of priestly vows, cathedral 7.30pm Maundy Communion with stripping of the altar and washing of the feet, East Bergholt Good Friday 10am 2pm

Family Service, Brantham At the foot of the cross, East Bergholt

Easter Saturday 7.30pm Easter Vigil and lighting of the fire, East Bergholt Easter: Resurrection 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Communion Service, East Bergholt 11am Communion Service, East Bergholt

What do we put our hope into? Seeing our children grow up and prosper? Or seeing our grandchildren thrive? Do we pin our hopes on the medical profession? All these hopes can turn to dust and ashes. Yet there is a greater hope. The Easter message is that we can know certainty and that we can have a wonderful eternal future. Jesus has promised eternal life for those who truly believe in him – that promise is recorded in Luke’s gospel and is our Easter message. People are still learning to have this greater hope and on March 13, during our morning service, two of our teenagers will proclaim their faith by being baptised. You’ll receive a warm welcome at our public worship services each Sunday at 10.30am (with an all-age programme) and again in the evening at 6.30pm. Services last between 60 and 90 minutes and refreshments follow the morning service. KEY NOTES FOR MARCH Mondays, March 7, 14 and 21: Monday Madness! our weekly youth work • 1.15-2.30pm: Trinity TOTS (pre-school plus carers); play, good company, refreshments, music and a Bible story • 4.30-6pm: KOGS (KS 1 & 2); crafts, games, tea and Bible stories (Children’s University Learning Destination). This month: What’s in the Bible? with Buck Denver. • 6.30-8pm: BRiaN Reloaded (11-18s); serious Bible study with some serious fun thrown in. Tuesday, March 1: Meeting Place (see below)

Sunday, April 3: Easter 2 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 11am Benefice Communion, Brantham

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday w/b March 6: Home groups, Bible study and prayer from Nehemiah

Wednesday, April 6 9.30am BCP Communion, East Bergholt

Saturday, March 12: Fairtrade Event (see page 6)

This schedule may change without notice if needed.

The Meeting Place at 3pm on Tuesday, March 1: Walk where He walked!

WEDDING/FLOWER FESTIVAL AT ST MARY’S CHURCH, JULY 2016

The poet, Seamus Heaney, wrote a poem called The Follower. In the first part of the poem, Heaney describes how, as a young child, he followed his father everywhere. He viewed his father as a hero and wanted to imitate him and grow up like him. Wouldn’t it be great to travel to Israel and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, and to see the places he saw? Peter and Julie Langstone, members at Trinity, have recently visited Israel. Come and hear what they have to say about visiting the historic sites of the Bible record.

St Mary’s Church will be holding a wedding/flower festival at the end of July. We would like to hear from anyone who was married at St Mary’s Church and still has their wedding dress and would be happy for this to be displayed in the church for the duration of the festival. We would also like to have a photo of your wedding day, clearly showing the bouquet as the flower ladies at the church will be making arrangements using (as far as possible) flowers that were in your bouquet. We are sure this will be a spectacular event and will hopefully show the different fashion in bridal gowns across the decades. So far we have wedding dresses from the 30s, 50s, 60s, 80s and 90s, but we do need more. We would also be grateful for any dressmaking dummies you may have to loan for the festival. If you have a dress, or a dummy to loan or need more information, please contact Liz Digby: 01473 312281 www.constablecountrychurches.co.uk

Our usual excellent tea will be had after the talk and transport is available to the church building on Trinity Road. Please call Andrew Rowe (01206 393586) or David Boorman (01255 671891) to arrange a lift or for more information. For the latest information on these or any of our activities call Pastor Gaius on 01206 393745 or visit: www.trinity-manningtree.org.uk

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CHURCH NEWS MANNINGTREE BENEFICE

LINK LINE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

An all-age Anglican Church, meeting in St Mary & St Michael’s Church, Mistley and St Lawrence’s Church, Bradfield

Sunday, March 6, 3pm: Neighbourhood Fellowship Service

Please join us for our Easter Services and events this year as we remember together the events that led up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are also holding a Messy Church at 4.30pm on Wednesday, March 16, at Mistley Norman School. Including crafts, games and activities, a celebration time of Easter songs and story and a meal altogether at the end, it’s a great event, costing just £2 per child or £5 per family. All children must be accompanied by an adult, but adults come along for free! Please contact the church office (see below) for more information and don’t forget to check the website and publications in and around the churches. If you’d like to get weekly up to date information of what’s going on in the Benefice, please email the office and ask to receive the weekly email. Services for March Sunday, March 6: Mothering Sunday 10.30am Joint Worship with Communion & Treasure Seekers* at Mistley 6pm Evening Prayer at Bradfield Sunday, March 13 10.30am Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Bradfield Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Mistley 10.30am 6pm Evening Prayer at Mistley Palm Sunday, March 20 10.30am Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Bradfield 10.30am Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Mistley 6pm Quiet Communion at Bradfield Thursday, March 24 9.30am Maundy Thursday Service at Mistley Good Friday, March 25 Noon Walk of Witness from Mistley Church 12.20pm Open Air Service at Manningtree Ox 1pm Reflections on the Cross Meditation at Bradfield 2pm The Nail Service at Mistley Sunday, March 27 6.30am Sunrise Service at Bradfield (nr CO11 2UP) followed by breakfast at the church 8am Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at Mistley 10.30am Easter Communion at Bradfield Easter Celebration with Communion & Treasure Seekers* 10.30am 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 Vicar: The Rev Christine Hills, 01206 392200 Associate Minister: The Rev John Brien, 01206 397549 Curate: The Rev Claire Scargill, 01206 392018 Church Office: The Rectory, 21 Malthouse Road, Mistley CO11 1BY 01206 392200 / info@manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.facebook.com/ManningtreeBenefice

Sunday, March 20, 3pm: Divine Worship Good Friday, March 25, 3pm: Service of Praise & Thanksgiving at The Ogilvie Hall, Wignall Street followed by Fellowship Tea Guest Speaker: The Rev Rodney Sawtell Wednesday, March 14: Church & Neighbourhood Outing For details call: 01206 272064 Friday, March 18, 10am: Prayer Meeting at Honeycroft, Waldegrave Way A warm welcome is extended to people of all ages. Our mini bus services cover Manningtree and surrounding locations.

HOLY FAMILY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Ipswich Road, Brantham CO11 1TB Parish Priest: Fr Christopher Smith, 180 Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich IP2 0QQ / 01473 684963 We are part of St Mark’s RC Parish, Ipswich. For up-to-date information please visit: www.stmarksparish.org.uk The weekly newsletter is displayed in the cabinet alongside the church front door. Services for March Sunday 6 Fourth Sunday of Lent 9am Mass Tuesday 8 9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass Sunday 13 9am Mass Tuesday 15 Fifth Sunday of Lent 9.20am Eucharistic Adoration 10am Mass Sunday 20 Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord 9am Mass / Children’s Liturgy Tuesday 22 9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass Sunday 27 Easter Sunday 9am Mass Tuesday 29 9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass Every last Thursday of the month a Bring and Buy Coffee Morning takes place at Viv and Wyn’s home, Paddock Gate, Whitehorse Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TR, 10.30am-noon. We are raising funds for the parish room refurbishment and all are very welcome to join us. The next event is on Thursday, March 24. Children’s Liturgy Children are very welcome to join the Liturgy of the Word that takes place on the third Sunday of each month. Catholic Chaplain at Ipswich Hospital Fr Adrian Gates is the Catholic Chaplain at Ipswich Hospital (01473 726701). Please contact him if you or a Catholic is in or due to go into hospital and requires his services.

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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.

BRANTHAM AND CAPEL ST MARY METHODIST CHURCHES AT BRANTHAM METHODIST Sunday, March 6 11am Worship with Mr Mike Stock Sunday, March 13 11am Worship with Mr Bryan Nichols Sunday, March 20 11am Worship Mrs Carole Almond Worship and Communion with Sunday, March 27 11am The Rev Chris Jowett

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.thekeytoloveministries.co.uk

AT CAPEL ST MARY METHODIST Sunday, March 6 Sunday, March 13 Sunday, March 20 Good Friday, March 25 Easter Sunday, March 27

10.30am 6pm 10.30am 10.30am 10.30am 8am 10.30am

Worship led by a Home Group Prayer Stations Worship with Miss Emma Bowyer Worship with Mrs Emily Hannah Worship with The Rev Sankey Communion with The Rev Sankey All Age Worship with The Rev Sankey

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