In Touch with East Bergholt - February 2016

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with Dedham, East Bergholt & Flatford Volume 3 • Issue No. 5 • FEBRUARY 2016

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NEWS

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR We had a friend coming over to play last Saturday and I asked Jack if we should invite him to stay for dinner. “He loves Chinese,” my ohso-quick sesame prawn toast loving son replied, so I said I’d send a message to his mum. “Is a message just a slow way of telling someone something?,” Jack asked and I must admit it would have been quicker and easier to pick the phone up and actually speak to Emma. Three texts later we knew Adam was staying for dinner, that he liked Spaghetti Bolognese and didn’t have any food allergies, so the answer to Jack’s question, at least in this circumstance, was probably YES. Information technology has transformed our lives for the better it so many, many ways, but nothing beats direct communication and social media can never replace actual physical, social contact. I’m reminded of a submission from Elaine Bamber in Washbrook which I’d like to share. I hope it gives you a giggle FACEBOOK FOR THE OLDER GENERATION For those of my generation who do not comprehend why Facebook exists!

I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles. Therefore, every day I walk down the street and tell passers by what I have eaten, how I am feeling at the moment, what I did the night before, what I will be doing later and with whom. I give them pictures of my family, my dog, of me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving round town, having lunch and doing what everyone and everybody does every day. I also listen to their conversations and give them the ‘thumbs up’ and tell them that I like them.

It works just like Facebook! I already have four people following me... two police officers, a private investigator and a psychiatrist!

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with Dedham, East Bergholt & Flatford

In Touch with Dedham, East Bergholt & Flatford is published by: Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd, 20 Wharfedale Road, Ipswich IP1 4JP Editor: Sharon Jenkins We also publish Email: sharon@intouchnews.co.uk

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IN TOUCH WITH . . .

• Hadleigh NEW • Stowmarket • Capel St Mary • Bramford, Somersham & Offton • Needham Market, Creeting St Mary & Creeting St Peter • Sproughton & Burstall • Claydon, Barham & Henley • Manningtree, Mistley, Lawford & Brantham • Martlesham Heath & Old Martlesham • Kesgrave & Rushmere • Woodbridge & Melton • Gt. & Lt. Blakenham, Baylham & Nettlestead • Westerfield, Witnesham & Tuddenham St. Martin • Copdock, Washbrook, Belstead, Bentley & Tattingstone • Ipswich East, Broke Hall, Ravenswood & Warren Heath • Shotley, Chelmondiston, Pin Mill, Holbrook, Woolverstone & Erwarton

EAST BERGHOLT HEARTWATCH East Bergholt Heartwatch is holding a Charity Race Night on March 12, 6.30 for a 7pm start, at the Constable Memorial Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt.

Come along and join in the horse racing fun and raise funds for your village community responder charity. Free snacks will be provided, a pay bar will be open and we will be holding a raffle.

Entry is £3 a head.

Tickets are available from the Fountain House Tea Rooms or from Val on 01206 298692. To sponsor a race and/or a horse please contact Val. Please support us in any way you can so we can support you.

Thanks from the Heartwatch Committee

CAN YOU HELP FOSTER A PET IN NEED? Blue Cross pet charity in Felixstowe is appealing to Suffolk animal lovers to join a volunteering scheme that offers temporary foster care to homeless pets until permanent homes can be found.

The charity is looking for volunteers within driving distance of both its current re-homing centre in Felixstowe and its new re-homing centre near Ipswich, which is due to open in 2016.

Volunteer foster homes offer essential care to pets that struggle to cope in a kennel or cattery environment, animals recovering from illness or operations, and litters of kittens and puppies that benefit from being raised in a home environment.

Blue Cross provides volunteers with all the equipment and skills needed to look after the pets in their own homes. Special training, costs towards veterinary treatment, pet food and animal behavioural advice are all taken care of by the charity.

To find out more about becoming a Blue Cross foster carer contact: 0300 777 1480 / felixstowe@bluecross.org.uk www.bluecross.org.uk

IN TOUCH WITH . . .

MARCH DEADLINE

© 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.

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© In Touch with Dedham, East Bergholt, & Flatford is published by Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd as part of the “In Touch with . . . ” series of magazines.

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NEWS SUPPORT THE NEPAL CHILDREN’S TRUST Monday, February 15 at Linderhof, Heath Road, Bradfield CO11 2XD 10am-12.30pm for a coffee morning / 3-5pm for tea and cake

EAST BERGHOLT PARISH COUNCIL UPDATE Matters at the December meeting •

Please call in for coffee/tea, enjoy an old-fashioned bring and buy stall, including some items from Nepal, have a chat with friends and support the Nepal Children’s Trust which is based in Brantham.

The trust was founded by a young woman from Nepal, Maya, who was frustrated that money from large charities wasn’t reaching remote Nepalese villages where people are struggling to rebuild their houses and schools following the devastating earthquake in April 2015.

Together we can help this small local charity to make a real difference because every penny will go direct to where it is needed. Please put our fundraising day in your diary. We would love to welcome you.

This is how NCT helped Basuki school in October last year:

Stage 1: By August we had raised £500 for desks which they desperately needed. The NCT local volunteer visited the school to find out exactly what they wanted.

Stage 2: Lots of emails went to and fro about costings and transportation.

1) The revisions to the B1070 is an urbanisation of a rural village, restricting further an already narrow road to provide pavement for pedestrians. The East Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan calls for preservation of the two green space triangles, one of which the proposals intend to replace with bollards which is an abomination. Highways England have not commented on the latest amendment.

2) Suffolk Education in their Neighbourhood Plan consultation response to a growth of 86 houses over the period of 15 years, have stated that the primary school will be above the 95% allowed and a contribution from the developer would be required to extend the primary school.

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Parish council representatives for Babergh planning committee site visit to Moores Lane on December 16 were appointed.

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Councillor Woodcock to consider Suffolk Fire & Rescue consultation response.

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Councillor Abbs to see if there is a young oak tree in the nursery to replace the felled tree on Richardsons Road.

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Recommendations from Neighbourhood Plan Committee were approved, clerk to enquire of Babergh re: the inspector appointment process; time plan for Section 16 consultation; referendum requirements; applying for funding for health check fee.

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Agreed to hold extraordinary parish council meeting on December 18 to consider release of NP draft 6 to Babergh (Sect 15) and if further action to be requested of Royds LLP Solicitors.

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Recommendations from Burial Grounds Committee approved – increase in burial fees from 1.4.2016; no unauthorised cars in cemetery; owners of dogs in cemetery to be written to.

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Clerk to write to Babergh seeking clarification on ‘ground level’ for Etheldene, Dazeleys Lane development prior to its commencement

Stage 3: In October the desks arrived at the school. Job done!

That’s how charities should work!

To find out more, call Dagmar on 07891 963005, find NCT on Facebook or visit: www.nepalchildrenstrust.co.uk

One planning application considered – a further amendment to Moores Lane. Councillors voted in favour of sending a reinforcement of the original refusal recommendation of July 10, 2015 supported by a copy of the NP survey and the Character Assessment. Two further comments were made:

Valerie Ayton, parish clerk

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NEWS REPORT TO PARISHES, MID-SAMFORD WARD: JANUARY 2016 BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCILLOR, SUE CARPENDALE Early warning on council tax After four years of ‘freeze’ it seems very likely that there will be a 3.5% hike in Babergh’s portion of the council tax from April. While this increase sounds dramatic, the actual impact will be £5 for the whole year, or less than 10p a week for a Band D property. The district council is the collection authority for the entire council tax, so people tend to see their total bills as our ‘fault’, but Babergh’s share is only about 10%. County council and police account for the rest. There is now a £5 principle for councils in the lower quartile of Band D; a 2% rise would normally trigger a referendum.

and Planning Bill requires households with incomes of over £30K to be charged higher rents, and further, that higher value council homes must be sold to fund Right to Buy (RTB) discounts for housing association tenants. These changes impact adversely on the business plan set up when Babergh had to take on over £80m of the so-called ‘self-financing’ debt. There will be less capacity for new build social housing. There are severe restrictions on RTB receipts. Only 30% can support new build, 70% has to come from matched funding – sourcing that will be a challenge. Furthermore, receipts not spent within three years will be clawed back by government.

In previous years government offered a 1% extra grant inducement to councils that froze their council tax, promising to build this in to future Rate Support Grants (RSG.) However – there’s a catch: partly because when the council tax does need to be increased the margins are more noticeable, but also, and more cynically, the RSG is being wiped out altogether over the next three to four years and replaced by ‘incentivised’ funding linked to the number of new homes built in the district, plus a proportion of the growth in business rates. Grant support from government is being cut by 40% this year. Babergh’s draft core budget for 2016/17 is reducing by £22K to £10.116M.

Income management strategy for housing Forty-eight week rent payments will move into line with Mid Suffolk, with proportionately lower rents paid instead over 52 weeks. The introduction of Universal Credit is already rolling out in Babergh.

Given the likely difficulty some tenants may experience in managing monthly payments and budgets, the new strategy aims to offer support and guidance to tenants, helping them to open and maintain bank accounts so that their rents can be paid via direct debit. There could be beneficial spin-offs if council tax and bills such as water and energy are also paid by direct debit since this is cheaper for residents.

Babergh already has a small financial advice team in place but housing officers will also be primed to offer similar help.

Council owned housing The Welfare Reform and Work Bill requires all social landlords to reduce rents by 1% each year from 2016 to 2019 and also reduces the benefit cap for working age families from £23K to £20K. The Housing

sue.carpendale@babergh.gov.uk

BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCILLOR FENELLA SWAN Homelessness The Joint Scrutiny Committee met in December and received a report on homelessness across Babergh and Mid Suffolk. If a local authority has reason to believe that someone applying to the authority is homeless or threatened with homelessness within 28 days it must make enquiries as to that household’s circumstances in order to assess their level of priority. There are several categories of priority including having dependent children, pregnancy, being 16 or 17 and vulnerability due to mental illness or physical disability. An applicant is considered to be intentionally homeless if they deliberately do or fail to do something that results in the loss of accommodation or accommodation would have been available and reasonable for them to occupy.

Whenever possible the council tries to prevent homelessness by negotiating with friends or families who are asking someone to leave, assisting vulnerable single people and young parents to apply for supported housing and providing assistance from the rent deposit scheme to access a private tenancy. Since April 2015 a dedicated part time member of staff has been employed to administer the rent deposit scheme. Since April 2014, 78 households have been assisted to find a private tenancy. Both councils have temporary housing in their districts and use bed and breakfast when this is fully occupied.

Babergh has 22 units in Sudbury and four in Hadleigh. Since April 2015 there have been 100 households in Babergh provided with temporary accommodation.

Information about rough sleepers comes from members of the public, parish councils or other agencies. There is also a government-funded website and phone line called StreetLink which allows people to report

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rough sleeping. StreetLink forward information to the relevant local authority. Each autumn local authorities submit a return to central government giving an estimate of the number of rough sleepers on a particular day. Last year both Babergh and Mid Suffolk had a nil return. This year each authority reported two as at November 18. To inform the estimate a number of local agencies are contacted such as the police, Citizen Advice Bureau and voluntary agencies.

Suffolk and Norfolk devolution On December 7, Norfolk and Suffolk’s leaders met to consider the proposals and what more needs to be done before the final version can be sent to government. Good progress is being made with ongoing support from civil servants. The leaders also agreed to start a dialogue with colleagues in Cambridgeshire to explore the possibility of closer co-operation with those councils, although work on the Norfolk Suffolk proposals will also continue as planned.

On December 9, the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill reached its report stage in the House of Commons. Some new amendments were tabled, including those relating to the role of the Secretary of State. The government’s approach to devolution remains one based on collaboration and consensus as in the case of the Norfolk and Suffolk proposals.

A Grant Thornton survey of larger businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk showed that over half of respondents support having more local control over infrastructure, economic development and skills. fenella.swan@babergh.gov.uk

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NEWS CONSTABLE COUNTRY MEDICAL PRACTICE Practice rated as ‘Good’ by Care Quality Commission The practice was inspected by the CQC on November 2. This was a follow-up to their last inspection on March 10. Six inspectors spent the day at both East Bergholt and Capel St Mary sites. They spoke to patients, staff and members of the new Patient Participation Group (PPG). They also requested evidence that the practice was meeting its contractual and regulatory obligations, including infection control, staff training, prescribing and patient confidentiality.

After the inspection in March, the practice quickly put in place an improvement plan which it agreed with the CQC and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Over the following eight months, all staff have worked exceptionally hard to implement the plan. We have made many internal changes that aren’t immediately evident to patients, such as the way we review and learn from events that happen.

We have also made changes that have had a direct impact on patients, including the formation of our new PPG and a fundamental change to our appointment system. Judging by comments left on the NHS Choices website and comment cards in our waiting areas, the changes we have made have had a very positive impact on the quality of care we provide to patients.

This was recognised by the CQC and we are delighted that they have rated the practice as ‘Good’ overall, and ‘Good’ for every area they assessed.

The report is very positive and all issues highlighted in the March 2015 report have been addressed. The CQC were particularly impressed with how we had engaged with our patients to understand how they wanted us to improve the service we offer. This includes the open evening we held in June, which ultimately resulted in the formation of our new PPG,

and engagement with Healthwatch to survey patients and understand their needs.

Being rated as a ‘Good’ practice is a great achievement which we are all very proud of and we would like to thank all patients who have supported us through the last eight months. The environment in which we operate remains challenging and with increasing pressure on the NHS we cannot be complacent. We intend to continue to work with patients and other organisations to understand how we can deliver high-quality primary care health services as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The full report can be viewed at: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-557474454 We issued a press release on December 24 which can be viewed at: www.constablecountrymedicalpractice.co.uk We also welcome comments on the service we offer including any ideas on how we can improve it further. Feedback can be left via our website or using the Friends and Family Test or PPG comment cards available in the waiting areas.

Training Days A reminder that the practice will be closed from 1pm on the following dates for staff training: Wednesday, February 10 and Thursday, March 10.

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.

Pete Keeble, practice manager

CONSTABLE COUNTRY PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP (PPG) We were delighted that the practice received a Good rating from the Care Quality Commission following the re-inspection in early November. Staff have worked very hard and it’s a major achievement to go from being in Special Measures to a Good rating. We look forward to helping the practice maintain this improvement.

Thanks to all of you who have been giving feedback to the PPG either on the comment cards available in the waiting rooms or via our email address: constablecountryppg@gmail.com Contact phone numbers for the 12 members of the Patient Participation Group are available on the practice website and in both waiting rooms.

Appointments We have received a lot of positive feedback about the improvements in the appointments system. However, it can still be difficult to get an appointment with a GP of choice. Some of the GPs are part-time and we know that there are problems with booking follow up appointments.

Don’t forget that you can book an appointment online. If you don’t already have a username and password you can get one from the reception team.

Please be assured that we pass on all the issues raised with us and try to get a solution. If you have a complaint we would encourage you to put this in writing.

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Blood tests We continue to get complaints about delays in appointments for blood tests. This has been caused by the long term sickness of one of the phlebotomists. We know that the alternatives of the Riverside Unit on Landseer Road and/or Ipswich hospital are difficult to get to without your own transport.

The practice has tried to recruit a temporary replacement but so far without success. In the meantime nurses and other healthcare staff have been helping out. We hope that this situation will be resolved soon.

Magazines We are pleased to announce that there will once again be magazines available in the waiting rooms at Capel and East Bergholt. We also hope that children’s toys will return soon.

If you have any unwanted children’s books in good condition and with wipeable pages you may like to donate them to the practice.

Kathy Pollard, Chair Constable Country Patient Participation Group, 01473 311384 www.constablecountrymedicalpractice.co.uk

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NEWS REPORT TO PARISHES: DODNASH WARD District Councillor John Hinton December into January is normally a fairly peaceful time in parallel to the Christmas celebrations. This year has been similar, but I have learnt over the past 12½ years representing this ward, that no year is ever exactly the same as any before it.

The world and national economic situation coupled with the uncertainty around trade with China and oil prices has made all politicians and many others wary of being too optimistic. My own view is that 2016 will be a difficult year for all residents and we should be battening down the hatches and being prudent and conservative in our decisions.

The council’s budget will be agreed in February. Current discussions are continuing to address the shortfall between what central government gives us, a reducing amount, and what other sources of income are available. Elsewhere in the press, the ‘New Homes Bonus’ has been touted as saviour and nemesis! Which is correct? I think 2016 will tell us. Wiser financial heads than mine warn of a potential housing bubble similar to the 2007/8 crash. We certainly don’t want that, but we also have a demand for more homes. Perhaps we should concentrate on ‘need’ rather than encouraging housing ‘migration’ from other parts of the country! Balancing the two will be difficult as everyone from central government to proposals for the devolution of Suffolk and Norfolk talks

NOTES FROM THE CASE – Suffolk’s first co-operative pub Cask Marque Accreditation We’ve always known The Case is Altered was a great real ale pub – now it’s official.

In January we were delighted to achieve Cask Marque accreditation. Cask Marque is an independent organisation funded by breweries, pub groups and trade bodies that ensures pubs serve great quality cask ale. As part of our application, which was supported by Adnams, we received two unannounced visits from a Cask Marque inspector who checked all of our cask ales for temperature, appearance, aroma and taste.

This latest achievement reflects the great work done by David Telling when we reopened The Case in 2014. Applying his pub management experience, David taught our bar volunteers everything they know about looking after and serving top quality beer. The high standards David put in place and which our volunteers implemented have now been continued by Duane and Cindy, and our Cask Marque membership is a credit to all involved.

Come and inspect our great range of locally-brewed real ales for yourself.

Volunteers wanted If you’re thinking about taking up a new activity, why not consider volunteering at our community pub?

Our dedicated, multiple award-winning volunteers are an essential ingredient in The Case’s success and without them we wouldn’t have a pub in Bentley today. Our volunteers have become a unique selling point, and reinforce our status as a community pub.

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about lottery sized housing numbers. Localism was supposed to put the decision making in ‘local’ hands. Perhaps now, with Neighbourhood Plans nearing completion, is the time for true localism to be embraced?

As a proud nation we have lead the world in many areas. One where I feel we are slipping is balancing the need for infrastructure with housing.

Constable Medical Practice is out of special measures and should be congratulated for achieving such quick results. The number of GP surgeries closing their lists has been in the news recently. Will that be the next problem if the housing to infrastructure ratio is not balanced?

Housing today with services to follow is a recipe for chaos. We need growth, jobs, housing and everything that goes with them and I will be continuing to campaign for a balanced approach that reflects the genuine needs of the ward in line with the pressures on Babergh and Suffolk as a whole. I will not sacrifice Dodnash to save Babergh. We all have a part to play.

Let us hope for a balanced and peaceful 2016.

Councillor John Hinton

Volunteering is an incredibly rewarding experience and demonstrates tremendous community spirit. Our volunteers enjoy the interaction with our customers and making a contribution to the running of the pub (we hold regular volunteers’ meetings where our volunteers can provide feedback and suggestions).

Although we still have a large volunteer team (with more than 30 current bar volunteers alone), we would like to recruit additional volunteers.

Over the past year, some of our volunteers have ended or reduced their involvement due to other commitments, and a relatively small group are taking on a greater burden, particularly behind the bar.

While we have volunteers for tasks such as gardening and DIY, and always welcome additional help in any way, our main requirement is for bar volunteers. We also sometimes need people to take food out to tables and to wash up in the kitchen. We are planning to run training sessions for new volunteers, and Cindy and our existing volunteers will be happy to support and guide new recruits as they gain experience.

COMING UP AT THE CASE • Saturday, February 13: Bingo Night • Saturdays, February 27 and March 26: Quiz Nights • Saturday, March 12: Live music from The Preservatives singing covers from classic acts such as The Beatles, The Kinks, The Small Faces, The Rolling Stones, The Monkees, David Bowie, Otis Redding, Queen and more. For more information visit: www.thepreservatives.wix.com/band Food will be served from 6-8pm on the above occasions with events starting at 9pm.

For more information on these events, please visit www.thecasepubbentley.co.uk, follow us on Facebook (www.facebook. com/SaveTheCaseBentley), telephone The Case on 01473 805575 during opening hours, or email: savethecase.bentley@gmail.com

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OUT & ABOUT EAST BERGHOLT CINEMA The Constable Hall, Gandish Road Friday, February 5: 45 Years (15) Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling star as a couple about to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary when they receive a letter...

DISCOVER THE HISTORY OF THE RIVER STOUR Volunteers from The River Stour Trust (Lower River Group) invite you to an open evening at the Assembly Rooms in Dedham on Thursday, February 18.

Come and discover the history of The River Stour. Hear the story of this ancient navigation, its links with the Constable family and its natural history.

Learn about the ethos and principles of the River Stour Trust and how you can become a member and perhaps volunteer to help with their work maintaining the beauty of the waterway and its surrounding countryside, protecting its wildlife and operating its electric boats.

Filmed in Norfolk, the Independent describes it as: “An intense, slow-burning picture of a marriage,” and says that Charlotte Rampling “conveys every emotion from forgiveness to fury.” Rampling has been nominated for an Oscar for her performance.

Friday, March 4: Suffragette (12)

Doors open at 7 for 7.30pm. Entrance free. Refreshments and bar.

DEDHAM FILMS The Assembly Rooms, Dedham Wednesday, February 17, 7.30pm: Palio (12A / Subtitles) directed by Cosima Spender.

See how the bribery and corruption belies the colour and spectacle of the Siena Races.

Tickets £4 from Shakespeare House Gallery Dedham High Street or online at: www.dedhamfilms.co.uk DEDHAM FILMS LIVE Tuesday, March 1, 7pm: Les Liasions Dangereuses directed by Josie Rourke from National Theatre Live in collaboration with the Donmar Warehouse.

Tickets £10 from Shakespeare House Gallery Dedham High Street or online at: www.dedhamfilms.co.uk​

A fictionalised account of the fight for women’s votes starring Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff and Carey Mulligan.

Films start at 8pm. Bar and refreshments available from 7.30pm.

Tickets available on the door or in advance from the Fountain House Tea Room in East Bergholt: adults £4 / under 18s £2

BUMPER BOOK SALE At Manningtree Methodist Church, Easter Monday, March 28.

SUFFOLK DEMENTIA HELPLINE Call 01473 353350 We are here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The helpline can provide a listening ear as well as information and signposting to services that can help. The Suffolk Dementia Helpline can support anyone who needs to talk. Perhaps you have memory worries yourself or even a recent diagnosis and want someone to talk to. Maybe you have concerns about a loved one, or need support in your caring role. Perhaps it’s just information you are after, or a confidential chat with someone. The line can help anyone who is looking for practical support and is able to provide you with local information and get you in touch with organisations that can help.

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OUT & ABOUT CAPEL LIBRARY

FRIENDS OF CAPEL LIBRARY

Now the nights, and soon the days, are beginning to draw out it feels time to look around us and survey what needs doing in the garden.

By now shoots are beginning to show and the gaps in the garden are more evident. Did you forget to plant the spring bulbs?

By the time you receive this, we will have held our AGM and started a new year, hopefully with some new faces on the management committee. Last year was a year of consolidation for the friends – both the membership and the 100 Club grew slowly over the year and we were able to provide equipment for the library and some essential repairs.

Many good gardening books are available from the library catalogue to suit any type of garden, large or small. Maybe you want to rework the layout to create more interest like adding a pond or water feature. Be inspired with a good book. Check the catalogue online at www.suffolklibraries.co.uk. You need your library card and pin number to order into the nearest library of your choice.

We have been ‘weeding’ our shelves of stock and have lots of fiction and non-fiction books for sale. Fiction books are 30p each and non-fiction are 10% of the original price. Do come and take a look especially if you may be off on your travels and don’t wish to take a library book on holiday with you. We also sell books of first and second class stamps and book tokens.

Babybounce continues each Tuesday this month, including school half term holiday, at 2pm. Do come along and join in nursery rhyme singing, shaking of instruments and hand rhymes. Open to all up to the age of five.

The library bookgroup will meet on Friday, February 19 at 2.30pm.

There is space for new members to join so don’t be shy. A wide variety of books and genres are read and discussed.

OPENING TIMES Monday: Closed Tuesday: 9.30am-12.30pm and 2-5.30pm Wednesday: 9.30am-12.30pm Thursday: 9.30am-12.30pm Friday: 2-5pm and 5.30-7.30pm Saturday: 9am-3pm Sunday: 10am-3pm

Our first event of the year will take place on Wednesday, March 30 at 7.30pm when Andrew Bailey will present a talk on wildlife photography handsomely illustrated by many of his photographs.

Please put this date in your diary and come along to support your local library.

THE ORCHARD PLAYERS The Orchard Players next production will be Jukebox Summer Time, produced and directed by Val and Len Munns with musical director Maria King.

The show dates are July 7-9. To find out more, come along to our preliminary meeting in Capel St Mary Village Hall on Thursday, February 11 at 7.30pm.

New members are welcome.

This show has a summer theme with all the fun and excitement of holiday time. The songs are mostly from the jukebox era of the 1960s and offer great solo opportunities for both male and female singers, as well as chorus and dancing for performers of all ages. Our list of songs includes numbers from iconic artists such as The Beatles, The Kinks, Dusty Springfield and The Beach Boys.

Contact Val: 01473 310814 / 07766 577196

CONSTABLE SINGERS

Contact: 01473 311699

STOUR VALLEY ARTS & MUSIC Beauty of The Bossa Nova with award-winning jazz singer Georgia Mancio Join us for a thrilling evening of Brazilian jazz with piano, guitar, bass and drums combo at Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TP on Saturday, February 20 at 7.30pm.

Georgia Mancio has made her name as a jazz vocalist/lyricist and has a wide-ranging repertoire influenced by her Anglo/Italian/ Uruguayan heritage. She is an adventurous artist with originality who delights her audiences. A must for jazz enthusiasts!

In 2015 she was nominated in the Jazz Vocalist of the Year category of the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and was in the short list alongside the legendary Norma Windstone. BBC Radio 3 have twice broadcast her live concerts. A true artist.

Constable Singers had some very good pre-Christmas concerts/events at Flatford, Wivenhoe, the Hare and Hounds in East Bergholt and at Claydon and Capel.

We meet at East Bergholt Lamb School each Thursday at 7pm (apart from the second Thursday when we are at Holton Village Hall) to sing songs from the musicals and popular music. We welcome new members so come and have a free session. There’s no need to be able to read music and we sing along to CDs or guitar.

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

CAPEL SINGERS We are planning to perform Stainer’s Crucifixion on Sunday, March 20 at 6.30pm. If you want to take part please contact Chris Yule: 01473 310992 / chris.yule2@tiscali.co.uk Thanks to all those who attended the carol concert and helped to raise £360 for Save the Children refugee appeal.

Tickets: 01206 298426 / tickets@svam.org.uk

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alentine’s Day at SbN Romantic Candlelit Dinner | Valentine’s Disco | Romantic Spa & Dining Break

Romantic Candlelit Dinner – just £39pp

Join us on Friday 12th, Saturday 13th or Sunday 14th February for a bespoke 3-course Valentine’s dinner, glass of champagne each on arrival and a special red rose for your valentine.

Valentine’s Disco, Saturday 13th February – just £24.95pp Fancy celebrating Valentine’s Day in a unique way? Get friends, family and partners together for a party with our school disco themed event including live DJ and 2-course buffet!

Find out more about our Romantic Spa Break (from £130pp) by visiting our website!

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OUT & ABOUT BRANTHAM BOX OFFICE Presents Film Night Wednesdays at Brantham Village Hall: doors open at 7pm, film starts at 7.30pm, refreshments available.

Wiggle-a-Thon 2016 Raising money for Suffolk Charities

Join FunDancing's

NO SHOWING IN FEBRUARY DUE TO PANTO

Wiggle-a-Thon 2016

Wednesday, March 16: Woman in Gold (12A)

Age UK Suffolk

Wednesday, April 20: A Royal Night Out (12)

and help to raise money for on

Wednesday, May 18: Mr Holmes (PG)

Saturday 27th February 2016

Find out more at: Facebook.com/BranthamBoxOffice

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Capel St Mary CEVC Primary School Nearly New Sale BBC Big Band, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading and most versatile orchestras, is to perform at The Royal Hospital School in Holbrook on Saturday, February 6.

Described as “a wonderful band” by the legendary Tony Bennett, BBC Big Band is hailed as one of the leading performers of the music of the great swing bands, and they themselves will be in full swing as they put on an evening of music inspired by some of the giants of the 20th century big band scene such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Artie Shaw.

During the afternoon the pupils at the school will have the unique opportunity to take part in a workshop with the band’s musicians, followed by a concert at 7pm in the assembly hall. The band’s lead trombonist, Gordon Campbell, said: “We love the opportunity to work with and hopefully influence the next generation of young musicians, and we as a band see it as an important part of what we do.”

Under the direction of their conductor, Barry Forgie, the band has recently performed with stars such as George Benson, Van Morrison and Georgie Fame, and in the past has backed the likes of the late, great Ray Charles.

To book for this unforgettable event visit www.ipswichregent.com or call 01473 433100.

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).

This event is sponsored by Colourplan.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/eastbergholt

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OUT & ABOUT OPPORTUNITY TO EXHIBIT AT MANNINGTREE METHODIST CHURCH Manningtree Methodist Church will be holding its 44th annual Easter Art Exhibition from Good Friday through to Easter Monday at the end of March.

Anyone wishing to exhibit or requiring further information should phone either 01206 298635 or 01206 391145.

BRANTHAM’S CHARITY GARAGE SALE 2016 This year’s garage sale will be on Saturday, June 11.

Spring is just around the corner and its time to start spring cleaning and tidying up after Christmas and to think about all those items that are looking for a new home.

Maybe you’ve got some unwanted Christmas presents – they make great tombola prizes, as do any good condition spare items.

For more information or to book your garage or a table at the village hall call Yvonne (01206 392296) or Ronnie (01206 395557).

STOUR VALLEY MEN’S PROBUS CLUB Recent meetings On Wednesday, January 6, Ian Rose spoke on Kathmandu and the Jungles of Nepal and on Wednesday, January 20, Peter Gant presented a talk entitled The Route of The Stour. Our popular New Year Lunch took place at the Venture Centre on Sunday, January 24 and was enjoyed by members and their guests alike.

Future meetings On February 3 Jessica Lewis will speak on The History of the Cutty Sark and two weeks later on February 17 member Dick Patterson will talk on a most interesting subject, the history of and living in Sierra Leone during its last colonial days.

Meeting venue We meet at the convenient St John Ambulance HQ, Manningtree CO11 1EB. New members 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 to providing 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

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STOUR VALLEY U3A Recent meetings On Wednesday, January 13, film and TV actor Bryan Thurlow spoke on Music Hall Memories – a pocket history of music hall featuring songs and monologues. We heard about the artistes, their songs and the many other acts that contributed to the success of British music halls.

Future meetings On Wednesday, February 10, Brian Barker of E J Barker & Sons will talk on Farming with Wildlife in Mind – a presentation showing how a commercial farm can maximise wildlife diversity. The speaker’s farm won the FWAG Silver Lapwing award in 2009 and P and B Barker were named Countryside Farmer of the Year by Farmers’ Weekly in 2010.

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 every month, except August and December.

Membership Our main purpose is to encourage lifelong learning for those who are no longer in full time employment. The 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, 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.

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

MANNINGTREE TO CELEBRATE SHAKESPEARE Manningtree is planning to celebrate 400 years of William Shakespeare’s death on the weekend of April 23/24 as we celebrate the town’s links with the ‘Manningtree Ox with a pudding in his belly’. So brush up your Shakespeare and watch this space.

VILLAGE LINK CLUB Eve Regelous gave a talk entitled It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our December meeting in which she explained what Christmas means to her.

Pip Wright will present a talk on Lady Alice de Breyne at our next meeting on Wednesday, February 10.

Future talks will include: NT Coast of East Anglia, Secrets of the Royal Jewels and The Galapagos Islands.

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. Funds permitting, we hold a members’ lunch after the August and February meetings.

Roger Felgate, 01473 311684

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/eastbergholt

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OUT & ABOUT

MANNINGTREE & DISTRICT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Two well supported events took us to the end of our first half programme on a high. More than 100 entries in the seascape competition would prove a challenge for any judge, but Peter Norris rose to the occasion and pressed gamely on, despite teething troubles with our new projector. A memorable ‘getting to know you’ Christmas social opened with members and guests sharing their own particular photographic interests and backgrounds. Harold Mousley brought along one of his first cameras, the Praktica LTL.

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 and 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

This East German made SLR camera was the prized possession of many photo enthusiasts in the 1970/80s. Rumoured to be made out of metal from old T34 Russian main battle tanks, it was an exceptional tough work tool. People bought it because it was affordable, looked good, felt right and did what it said on the tin. It was a heavy camera with a Zeiss lens capable of delivering enviable sharp images. Photographers owning modern computer driven cameras with massive and often never read instruction manuals, fondly look back to the time when their prized possession was a basic 35mm manual Praktica camera.

A lot of work went into preparing the evening and buffet which we all appreciated. Members made their own entertainment, including a number of impromptu party pieces, culminating in that well known monologue which left ‘Albert’ in the lion’s mouth and the rest of us in stitches.

Future meetings February 1:

Inter-club competition at the Harwich & Dovercourt club

February 11: Studio workshop evening February 25:

Results of the studio workshop evening

The workshop evenings give an opportunity for members to help each other with indoor photography, usually with fellow members volunteering as subjects and with other more experienced members and guests available to assist.

New members are welcome to join the society or may attend initially as a visitor (£3). Meetings are held at the St John’s Centre, Station Road at 7.30pm.

For more information please contact our secretary: 01206 396958 / madps@post.com www.manningtreeanddistrictphotographicsociety.co.uk

EAST BERGHOLT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Probably by now the daffs will have finished and the bluebells are out.

Or maybe we are under a foot of snow. Who knows?

A committee member will be calling during February and March for your subscription and dropping off the annual show schedule so you can start planning your entries. Again membership remains at £2 a person. Please contact John on 01206 396230 if you wish to join or pop down to the store on a Sunday morning.

The store (behind the Alms Houses beside the church) will opens its doors again to members on Sunday, February 14, 9.30-10.30am, through until the end of September for all your gardening basics. www.eastbergholthorticulturalsociety.onesuffolk.net / ebhs@btinternet.com SPEAKER EVENING Friday, March 11, 7.30pm in Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt.

Natalie Finch will give a talk on Fragrant Plants to Use in the Garden Throughout the Year.

Tickets are available from the Fountain House Tea Room.

DEDHAM AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY The society is holding its March meeting on Wednesday 2 in the Assembly Rooms, High Street, Dedham starting at 7.30pm. The speaker for the evening is Peter Morris talking on the subject of Deep Bed Vegetables – How to Reclaim an Allotment and Working with a Traditional Allotment.

All welcome.

Admission free for members and £2 for guests. Light refreshments are provided as well as the usual raffle.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/eastbergholt

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OUT & ABOUT APRICOT CENTRE AND TRANSTION STOUR VALLEY Digging and Delving in the Dedham Vale evening workshops for children in partnership with the AONB and local craftspeople have been great fun. The highlight of Foraging with Jess Noy from East Bergholt must have been the ‘Kentucky fried squirrel’ around the campfire on the last evening! This was followed by candle making from local beeswax, Christmas lanterns from local willow, and making new paper from old paper for Christmas cards.

We are about to embark on sewing and stitching sessions with the Cloth Clinic in Dedham, up-cycling an old piece of clothing and then wild weaving and natural dying with Rachel Phillips. The final sessions in March are exploring the stories hidden in the fabric of the buildings and landscape of Flatford for the Walter Scott Young fiction prize.

The community garden at Manningtree Station is still growing food and flowers if you would like to join in.

Local organic vegetable bags are available from Bennison Farm for a weekly cost of £11, incredibly good value. Contact: info@bennision.co.uk Local organic meat is available from David Hampton at Willow Hall Farm Wix. He delivers or you can collect. Contact: hamptwix@myfwi.co.uk A new weekly forest school is opening in Lawford, with mother and toddler groups every Friday morning from 9am-12.30pm and home education groups every Friday afternoon from 1-3.30pm. The Huathe Forest School practitioners will be leading the sessions, which will be in private woodland on an organic fruit farm so there will be lots of scrumping in between whittling sticks, sitting around a campfire, making dens and learning the names of trees. There will be no learning objectives and no attainment targets apart from ‘generally having a good time in nature’.

For more information on all the above contact: info@apricotcentre.co.uk

FLATFORD WILDLIFE GARDEN One of the most intriguing aspects of wildlife gardening that we have learned over the last few years is how we can help our wildlife get through the winter. Some of it is quite unexpected. For instance, did you know that many frogs while away the winter in a state of torpor, deep in the mud at the bottom of ponds? Or that in bumblebee and wasp colonies, the only ones to actually survive the winter are the new generation of young queen bees or wasps which hibernate after mating.

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Sa Why not come along to the RSPB garden to see the carpets of snowdrops on your Office Supplies that will be providing that much needed nectar, as well as cheering us all with their resistance to the winter weather?

For the third year running our volunteers will open the garden on the weekends of February 13/14 and 20/21.

This will enable everyone to enjoy the many snowdrops and other early spring flowers that cannot be seen from the road. By then there should be primroses and hellebores in flower; hazel catkins on the trees and the birds singing their mating songs.

There will be plants for sale, especially snowdrops and primroses. Also available should be some plant supports woven from willow grown in the garden and our unique wildlife cards designed by two of our volunteers.

Do come along and enjoy the first signs of spring. No entry charge to the garden. Car park is free for National Trust members, £3.50 for others.

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In Touch online:

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SCHOOLS EAST BERGHOLT HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

LITTLEGARTH ENCOURAGES EXCELLENCE FOR THE FUTURE

TABLE TOP SALE

East Bergholt High School Sunday, February 28, 10am-noon Admission: 50p Refreshments and free car park available For sellers: tables in advance £5 / on the day £7.50 Doors open 9am to set up 01206 298122

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

Year 6 Littlegarth children will approach the challenges of 2016 with quiet determination, safe in the knowledge that they have been well prepared for whatever challenge comes their way.

Results from the past five years highlight outstanding successes with over 100 Littlegarth children gaining scholarship awards to independent schools and a high proportion also gaining places at our prestigious grammar schools. Results this year already look extremely promising.

Littlegarth moved from Dedham to Horkesley Park, Colchester more than 20 years ago and the school has just celebrated its 75th anniversary with a wide range of activities involving past and present friends.

This year will be one of the most exciting years in the history of Littlegarth as the school embarks on a building project that will see the children benefit from a significant number of new facilities including six classrooms, a library incorporating extra IT facilities, art and DT facilities, a learning support centre and a performing arts department incorporating specialist music and drama facilities.

Littlegarth headmaster Peter Jones feels that the new build will help the children become even more successful. He says: “Each child is unique and our teachers work extremely hard to identify where individual strengths lie. Our broad and balanced curriculum ensures that all our children are provided with numerous opportunities to succeed across a wide range of curriculum subjects. The excellent new facilities will only serve to enhance the learning experience of each child and we are all looking forward to seeing our school develop in such an exciting way in 2016.”

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SCHOOLS NEWS FROM BENTLEY CEVC PRIMARY SCHOOL AMAZING RESULTS As you may have read in this and other publications, Bentley CEVC Primary School was placed in the top 10 primary schools in Suffolk in the league tables published in the national press. We are so proud of our pupils whose hard work and determination secured fantastic SATs results that placed us eighth in the whole county.

Every pupil who sat the tests last year achieved at least a Level 4 in maths, reading and writing, and a record number of pupils achieved Levels 5 and 6. All our pupils have shown improvement and determination throughout all the year groups and have embraced the Growth Mindset program that has been put in place in both this and our sister school, Copdock. This program teaches children perseverance and a desire to ‘grow their brains’. The results from both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are improving every year, and as our catch phrase says, we are ‘Going from Strength to Strength’.

As well as the excitement around our results, we have had a busy and fun-filled month of learning here at Bentley. Every half term, parents are invited to come in and share their child’s learning by looking at the work they have done and talking to them about their learning. This month saw the first sharing of learning for this new year and it was so encouraging seeing so many parents coming in and getting involved with school life. The children felt a great sense of pride and ownership by sharing their achievements with the adults in their lives. We hope to be able to continue these sessions throughout the year as we have had such positive feedback from families and children alike.

Epiphany was celebrated right at the start of the month with creative and beautiful Epiphany crowns being made by the children. The lovely Sandra Mehen from St Mary’s Church, Bentley kindly interrupted her birthday celebrations to come and speak to the children about Epiphany and to judge the crown competition. Amongst all the fun, the children learnt a great deal about Epiphany, its meaning and importance.

Here is what a group of pupils said about the day and what they had learned: “Jesus is like the torch because he is the light of the world and lights the way.” Iona, Year 5

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“I will give him my courage by not getting upset when I am not able to do something.” William, Year 5 “He is like a map so he can show us the way. Wine is for the blood of Jesus.” Myles, Year 2 “They gave him gold because they wanted to show he was the king and the people wanted him to be a king.” Bridy, Year 1 “Jesus is like a first aid kit because he helps us when we are hurt.” Alena, Year 3 “When Jesus died on the cross, they put myrrh on him and he went to heaven. He was God’s son and helps him in heaven.” Elise, Year 1 “Jesus wipes the slate clean, like some wet wipes.” Charlie, Year 3 A big thank you to everyone who supported our birdwatch this month in aid of the RSPB; it was surprising how many types of bird we saw.

GRAMMAR WORKSHOP We will be holding a grammar workshop for parents/carers to find out more about teaching and expectations in the new curriculum on Thursday, February 11, 6-7pm, at Copdock Primary School. Please let either school office know if you are attending. And finally, we are in need of old newspapers for a variety of reasons in school. If you are passing the school and have any unwanted newspapers, we would be very pleased to receive them.

Thank you.

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SCHOOLS ROBIN’S NEWS Baby Bears We have been creating some lovely owls and hedgehogs with our handprints for our sleep room. Our sleep room has been decorated with lots of stars which add to our beautiful night time scene. We have also been outside, transforming our garden with lots of new ideas, planting and activities.

Graham Napier to set up cricket academy at the school on retirement at the end of the 2016 season

Toddling Tigers The Tigers have been having so much fun learning while getting messy.

They have been exploring painting with cars and Duplo while painting their hands and feet. They have looked at different textures and sounds, crunching and squeezing cereal that they used in their small world play farm, talked about the different farm animals and practised the noises they make which has been really fun. The Tigers have also been practising their scissor skills, snipping and cutting ribbons and card to create some lovely fairy crafts.

Gruffalos The Gruffalos have been looking at the fairy tale classics The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. These stories have been great at introducing shapes and sizes and practising our facial expressions, which is very good for our emotional development. We have been using the school hall to explore our interpretations of how the bears and pigs move. We’ve also been exploring colour mixing to make our very own pig masks and brought the outdoors in, using sticks, bricks and straw to make our own houses If you would like any further information about Robin’s Childcare please contact Vicki on 01473 310767 or email: info@robinschildcare.co.uk Don’t forget you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Essex County Cricket Club stalwart Graham Napier has announced his plans to retire from the professional game at the end of the 2016 season.

Napier will take up a role at the Royal Hospital School (RHS) as director of the Graham Napier Cricket Academy as his 19 year First-Class career with the county draws to a close.

Napier made his debut for the club in 1997, and has gone on to play 157 First-Class matches, 213 List A games and 97 Twenty20 clashes for his county. A bowling all-rounder, Napier boasts impressive statistics; a batting average of 29.86 in all First-Class cricket, with a bowling equivalent of 31.40; a batting strike-rate in Twenty20 of 148.27, with 142 wickets at 24.38 in the shortest format; and in List A cricket, Napier took 287 wickets over his career, at 26.04.

Many Essex supporters will remember Napier for specific moments in his career; his equalling of his own world record 16 sixes in a mammoth 196 made against Surrey in 2011; his four wickets in four balls against the same opponents in 2013; his efforts in that year, which saw him crowned Player of the Year. The moment that will spring to mind for most Essex supporters, however, was his innings against Sussex Sharks on June 24, 2008. When Napier came to the crease, Essex were 13-1. When he returned to the pavilion at the end of the 20 overs, Essex had reached 242-3, and Napier had smashed 152 off just 58 balls. He set his original sixes record in the course of that innings.

Cricket committee chairman Ronnie Irani paid tribute to the long serving all-rounder. “Graham has had a fabulous career in all three formats of the game for us, and has been the very definition of loyalty over the past 19 years which is what Essex County Cricket Club and its supporters are all about. We naturally wish Graham all the best with his next career move and he will be sorely missed.”

Graham said: “The opportunity at RHS is one that I could not turn down. I feel the time is right to move on, and give back to the game that has given me so much. I have loved every second of playing for Essex, and will be doing my best to make sure I retire with a bang at the end of the season.”

The Graham Napier Cricket Academy at the Royal Hospital School launches in September 2016 with the aim of establishing a high profile centre of cricketing excellence which develops young cricketers to fulfil their potential as well as promoting participation at all levels and ages.

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Headmaster of the Royal Hospital School, Simon Lockyer, said: “We are delighted that Graham has agreed to work with the school building upon the excellent reputation for cricket built up over the past 23 years by Don Topley and his team of coaches. With Graham’s extensive experience the academy will take provision at the Royal Hospital School to the next stage, widening access to the sport for both girls and boys throughout the region.”

In Touch online:

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

ÂŁ1.50 per family including a well earned cuppa for grown ups and a healthy snack for the kids Come and join us and meet other local mummies, daddies, grandparents & carers Every third Monday of the month we are joined by the Hadleigh Health Visitors for your local Baby Clinic Contact Charlotte on 07858 891217 for more information

www.keepingintouchwith.com/eastbergholt

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SPORT EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB THE LAST MONTH The club entered 2016 in good shape. The First team have enjoyed a successful season thus far and are well placed in fourth position in the Senior Division. They also advanced to the fourth round of the Bob Coleman Cup in the opening fixture of the New Year.

The Reserves are in a mid-table position with games in hand and have a third round fixture in the Goals of Ipswich Cup on January 16, while the A team is also fourth in their division after some impressive results.

UPCOMING FIXTURES & EVENTS Fixtures DATE

1st TEAM Senior Division

RESERVES Intermediate A

A Team Intermediate C

Sat, Jan 30

Westerfield Utd Bob Coleman Cup R4

Achilles Res

A

Trimley Red Devils Res

A

Sat, Feb 6

Achilles

Old Newton Utd Res

H

Old Newton Utd A

A

Sat, Feb 13

Leiston St Margarets

Mendlesham Res

A

Debenham LC Res

H

Sat, Feb 20

Stanton

Sporting 87 Res

H

Bramford Road Old Boys Res

A

Sat, Feb 27

Ipswich Athletic

Stowupland Falcons Res

H

Sat, Mar 5

Felixstowe Harpers Utd

Leiston St Margarets Res

A

Felixstowe Harpers Utd Res

A

Fixtures subject to change. To confirm please refer to: http://touchlinesil.co.uk/fixtures-results/ Events Saturday, May 21: Awards Dinner We are always looking for people who can help the club as a committee member, whether it be on the playing side or in the background.

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

Steve Butcher, secretary – stevebutcher55@btinternet.com

CAPEL PLOUGH FOOTBALL CLUB The football club has been forced to call off several home games during the past month because the two pitches on the playing field have been unfit due to the wet weather. This is nothing new to the club and it’s hoped that the club and the community trust that owns the field can sort out the ongoing drainage problems during this year.

On the field of play, the Saturday First team continued their excellent season gaining a hard earned point after a 1-1 draw away to Ipswich Athletic with our equalising goal coming from a penalty scored by Stephen Morrison, before beating Grundisburgh at home 3-0 thanks to goals from new signing Ben Baldwin, Shaun Webb and a 30-yard piledriver into the top corner from Adam Rawthorn. The three points from this game saw the side remain in second place in the Senior League.

Tom Williams has been playing well in goal with Chris Stewart putting in some classy displays in midfield.

After losing 1-0 to Old Newton, the Reserves recorded their first league win of the season by beating Grundisburgh 1-0 thanks to a Joe Bigmore goal. Gideon Spencer and Oliver Miller have been playing well at the back while Daniel Dixon has worked hard in midfield.

Our Sunday morning team beat Northam Celtic 9-2 with Abdul Kaium scoring five of the goals, but lost 2-1 to the same team in the Junior Cup. Funny old game.

Finally the charity match played on the training pitch on Christmas Eve was well supported by the players who raised £100 which was passed on to our youth teams. This game replaced the Married versus Single match that used to take place on Boxing Day when the good old Plough Pub, run by the legends that were Ivor and Jill, was open several years ago.

Divorced against Partners didn’t sound right so we now play a charity game instead!

Bob the Ploughman So Much More Than a Dance Class Any Age & Ability Very Welcome No Partners Required

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The Street Capel St Mary every Thursday 10am & 7pm spaces are limited to reserve yours

Call Janet on 07506 350 455

classes also in: - Brantham - East Bergholt - Hadleigh - Nayland, & - Stratford St Mary

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In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/eastbergholt

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CHURCH NEWS 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 February Tuesday 2 9.30am Morning Prayer

The Presentation of the Lord

10am Mass Sunday 7

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 9am Mass

Tuesday 9

9.20am Eucharistic Adoration 10am Mass

Sunday 14

First Sunday of Lent 9am Mass

Tuesday 16

9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass

Sunday 21 Second Sunday of Lent

9am Mass / Children’s Liturgy Tuesday 23

9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass

Sunday 28 Third Sunday of Lent

9am Mass Catholic Commentary The Rome Synod of the Family in the context of the New Evangelisation was brought to a close in October with the final document being approved by a two thirds majority. While re-affirming traditional church doctrine on marriage and the family, as expected, the synod significantly closed no doors. It has been left to Pope Francis to respond to unanswered questions in a future magisterial (teaching) text.

On December 8 the church launched a Year of Mercy with the opening of the original Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome to mark the official start. So

LINK LINE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES AT LAWFORD FEBRUARY Saturday 6: Café/Oasis Outreach and Sales Event at Ogilvie Hall, Wignall Street, 9.30-11.45am

what does it mean? The clue to the aim of the Year of Mercy is in its name; a time for the church itself and for Catholics everywhere to show mercy and compassion, in thought and word, and focus on forgiveness, reconciliation and doing good in concrete ways for the needy and those on the margins of society.

Moreover Catholics who have lost touch with the church, for whatever reason, can make full use of the Year of Mercy to put things right.

Diary Dates 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 coffee morning is on Thursday, February 25.

100 / AKA 200 Club We continue to grow and welcome new members to the club which was set up to raise much needed funds to support the life and mission of our parish. Already a member? Then why not take out another number? Application forms may be found at the back of the church or at: www.stmarksparish.org.uk The next monthly draw is planned to take place at Holy Family after mass on Sunday, February 21 when the prize pool of £133 will be shared among three winners.

Children’s Liturgy Children are very welcome to join the Liturgy of the Word that takes place on the third Sunday of each month.

Supporting our local hospice All parishioners are being 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 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.

MASS FOR CATHOLICS IN ARDLEIGH AND MISTLEY There is a mass each Sunday in St Mary’s Church, Ardleigh, at 8.50am, and in St Mary’s & St Michael’s Church, Mistley, on Wednesdays at 9.45am and on Saturdays at 6.30pm.

Father Jon Ravensdale, 01206 870460

Sunday 7: Songs of Praise at The Venture Centre, Lawford, 3pm Friday 19: Prayer Meeting at Honeycroft, Waldegrave Way, Lawford, 10am Sunday 21: Outreach Service at The Venture Centre, 3pm A warm welcome is extended to all. A designated minibus service covers the district. Contact: 01206 272064

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HOLY FAMILY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, BRANTHAM Services on Sundays: 9am • Holy days anticipatory: 7.30pm Tuesdays: 10am Father Christopher Smith, 180 Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich IP2 0QQ 01473 684963 • office@stmarksparish.org.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/eastbergholt

CHURCH NEWS BENEFICE OF EAST BERGHOLT AND BRANTHAM SERVICES FOR REBRUARY Sunday, January 31: Candlemas 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 11am Benefice Communion, Brantham Wednesday, February 3 9.30am BCP Communion, East Bergholt Sunday, February 7: Next before Lent 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Benefice Communion (Healing), East Bergholt Wednesday, February 10: Ash Wednesday 9.30am Communion and Imposition of Ashes, East Bergholt 7.30pm Communion and Imposition of Sshes, Brantham Sunday, February 14: Lent 1 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Communion, East Bergholt 11am Family Service, Brantham Sunday, February 21: Lent 2 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Baptism of Imogen Evans, East Bergholt 11am Communion with Healing, Brantham Sunday, February 28: Lent 3 8am BCP Communion, East Bergholt 10am Choral Matins, East Bergholt 11am Informal Service, Brantham Wednesday, March 2: Anskar, Bishop Missionary 9.30am BCP Communion, East Bergholt Friday, March 4: Women’s World Day of Prayer 2.30pm Ecumenical Service, Holy Family This schedule may change without notice if needed.

RAMBLING RECTOR UPDATE By the time you read this I will be away on residential training to learn how to work with my beautiful guide dog Coco.

She is a small black Labrador born in April 2014, eager to please and very friendly. She has a brother called Chips who is also being trained as a guide dog. Once the two-week residential is completed I then continue with two weeks of training in the parish.

I know you will be very pleased to meet her, but the rule will be that if she is in harness she is working and to be ignored totally. There will no doubt be times when she struggles to adjust to church life and I am sure you will all be very patient with us as we learn together.

On a separate note, during Lent we will be having a trainee reader in the parish. He is Andrew Taylor and I am looking forward to having him with us.

The Rev Steph

www.keepingintouchwith.com/eastbergholt

LENT COURSE: LET’S RE-IMAGINE CHURCH Dates: February 17 & 24, March 2, 9 & 17 and April 13 Our world and our lives change at an ever faster pace, but how do we respond to this change? Are new ways of being church possible? If so, what might they look like?

This year we are running a course called Mission Shaped Intro as our Lent course. Already used by 75,000 people worldwide the course will help us to reconnect with our communities and re-imagine the forms of church that are needed in the 21st century. It will take us on a creative and reflective journey (using discussion, film clips and prayer) looking at the need for new ways of being church. It will be a relaxed and fun time learning together, led by The Rev Matthew and The Rev Claire Ling.

The six-week course will be run from February 17 with the final session after Easter on April 13. Times are 2pm or 7pm, lasting 90 minutes, with tea and coffee, and will be held in the West End of East Bergholt church. There is a cost of £3.50 for the study material. Please book your place with The Rev Matthew as soon as possible before all the spaces fill up: 07486 449625 SPRING HARVEST 2016 Skegness: March 28-April 1 / Minehead One: March 28-April 2 Minehead Two: April 2-6 / Minehead Three: April 6-10 Booking opens: June 24 For further information and to book visit www.springharvest.org or talk to The Rev Matthew to find out how you can join in: 07486 449625 / revmatthewling@gmail.com BISHOP WOODFORD RETREAT If you have never been on a retreat before this is a good time to start.

Join us on the Benefice Retreat when we will be staying in Bishop Woodford House, the comfortable Ely Diocesan House of Retreat. There will be plenty of time to explore the lovely town of Ely, but also time to think and pray and worship. Dates: July 11-14. Cost (full board) is £240.25 en suite, plus transport. Places limited. If you are interested, please fill in the form at the back of the church and pay a £20 deposit to The Rev Steph.

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

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CHURCH NEWS / ON THE GRAPEVINE BRANTHAM AND CAPEL ST MARY METHODIST CHURCHES WHAT LIES BENEATH THE SURFACE? Part 2 Last month I wrote about the labels people put on us and how they only tell a fraction of who we are, the 10% of the iceberg that shows. I wrote about belonging and been accepted and loved and I promised more this month. (It’s a bit dangerous promising something like that – I obviously had a train of thought then which eludes me now!)

Thinking afresh now I am reminded of two books by John Powell that I read some 40 years ago, Why Am I Afraid To Love? and Why Am I Afraid To Tell You Who I Am?. The premise of the second book is that I am afraid to tell others who I really am because if they don’t like me that’s all I’ve got. So instead of being the real me with the fear you might reject me, I act out a part I think you will like because I want to be accepted. I want to belong.

This acting out is like putting a wall between me and you. it may protect me from being hurt by you, but I am then trapped behind that wall and that can be a very lonely place to be.

It may be you have had that experience of being rejected, possibly through bullying (verbal and emotional as well as physical). You have gone into a shell to protect yourself from being hurt again. But much of the rejection won’t have been through direct bullying, simply the fear we won’t live up to expectations (ours or others).

The Christian church, of which I am part, should be a place of acceptance, love, grace and forgiveness, but too often we make it a place of living up to certain expectations, and to admit weakness or failure would be frowned upon.

I love the description of the church as Sinners Anonymous. Just as in Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) participants admit they are alcoholic, and there is a commitment to help each other journey on from that place to a place less dependent on alcohol. So in the Christian church we need to admit that we have sinned and commit to help each other journey on.

It’s only as we are honest and real with each other that we can blossom.

I would love to be able to say that if you came to any of the churches I serve, you would be welcomed and accepted as you are. I think in most cases you would discover that yourselves, but all my churches are made up of fallible people, none of us is perfect, and there is the chance that one of us might inadvertently say or do something unkind. But if you join us we wouldn’t expect you to be perfect either, but with love, acceptance and forgiveness we journey on.

The Rev Andrew Sankey Minister at Capel and Brantham Methodist Churches 8 Roundridge Road, Capel St Mary IP9 2UG apsankey@gmail.com / 01473 311178 / 07726 299968 BRANTHAM METHODIST Sunday, February 7

11am

Worship with Mr Harry Chicken

Sunday, February 14 11am

Worship and Communion with The Rev Chris Jowett

Sunday, February 21

11am

Worship with Mrs Marilyn Watsham

Sunday, February 28

11am

Worship with Mr Roger Fern

CAPEL ST MARY METHODIST Sunday, February 7

10.30am Worship with Mr Andy Jelfs

6pm

Sunday, February 14

10.30am Worship with The Rev Diane Smith

6.30pm

Prayer Stations Healing & Communion with The Rev Andrew Sankey

Sunday, February 21 10.30am Worship and Communion with

The Rev Derek Grimshaw Sunday, February 28

10.30am Worship with The Rev Andrew Sankey

6.30pm United Prayer with Christians in Capel

at the Community Church

KENNY’S SESAW NEWS

By Ollie!

Someone’s getting a bit too big for his boots, me thinks. Kenneth is still prancing around in his smart new jacket from Betty’s Copdock and Washbrook Knitting Group so I’ve slipped into the office to meet Sharon’s deadline.

This gives me the opportunity to ask if you can help my dear friends, Baby and Julian. These handsome longhaired, black and white cats are looking for a special, child-free home where they would be the only animals.

Baby is extremely nervous and prefers to stay indoors except on really sunny days. Julian is an affectionate boy, quite nervous but loves being outside whatever the weather. If you are the special person they need, please leave a phone message or email mother.

I must add that once again, my fellow black cats and kittens have been overlooked while the pretty ones are snapped up. Please give us darkies a chance to prove you couldn’t wish for a better feline companion. After all, as the Bard might have written, if he were penning this article, a cat of any other colour would be as sweet.

Just time to say you can hire a table for £10 at our Spring Fair in Long Melford on April 10. Call 01206 263269 or email sesawcharity@gmail. com for a booking form. Don’t forget we are always glad of any saleable items for our fundraising events.

By the way, Barbara tells me she is planning another of her bazaars in Stratford St Mary soon. You would not have known about that had I not stepped into the breech once more. Perhaps Lucky should be my middle name!

Ollie (the Black) Cat Suffolk and Essex Small Animal Welfare, Stoke Road, Leavenheath CO6 4PP / 01787 210888 / info@sesaw.co.uk / www.sesaw.co.uk

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