In Touch with Bramford - October 2015

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with Bramford, Offton & Somersham

Volume 5 • Issue No. 12 • OCTOBER 2015

Image by Svetlana Sewell www.fotobay.co.uk 07971 850 910

Whole School Open Morning Saturday 3rd October 2015, 9.30am Sixth Form Open Evening Wednesday 14th October 2015, 7pm For further information please contact our Registrar on 01473 201034 admissions@ihs.gdst.net | www.ipswichhighschool.co.uk Comprehensive coach service across Essex and Suffolk

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In Touch online:

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR I was busily, and rather angrily, removing ice-pop wrappers from down the side of the sofa when I heard Jack say “Is that a real boy mum? Is he really dead?” Needless to say I turned rather quickly to discover that Jack was sitting on the floor watching the news. It was the horrific story of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old who drowned as his family tried to flee from Kobani to Europe. The image of his tiny body being carried from the beach was still on the screen, but at that moment it was the shock on Jack’s face which made me catch my breath. What was I to say? Jack often sits to watch the news with me and we have had some good discussions about elections, bank robberies and the like, but was this a subject I was prepared to deal with?

I sat beside him on the floor and we listened to the end of the report together. Aylan drowned after the boat ferrying him from the Turkish beach resort of Bodrum to the Greek island of Kos capsized, killing 12 passengers. Aylan’s five-year-old brother, Galip, and his mother, Rehan, were also among the dead. His father, Abdullah, was the only family member to survive. Aylan’s journey was supposed to end in sanctuary in Europe; instead it claimed his life.

I then tried to explain why Aylan and his family were in the boat, but the subject is just too big and too complicated for a five-year-old to digest. The image of Aylan, pictured face down in his red shirt and blue shorts, has shocked the world and highlighted the plight of desperate people caught in the gravest refugee crisis since the Second World War. Suddenly my token donation to ActionAid felt entirely insufficient so I abandoned the sofa and Jack and I went to the post office to make a donation. Jack donated the contents of his money box saying “this is for Aylan’s daddy”.

We can learn a lot from children, not least how to be better humans.

In Touch

with Bramford, Offton & Somersham

In Touch with Bramford, Offton & Somersham is published by:

Mansion House Publishing (UK) Ltd, 20 Wharfedale Road, Ipswich, IP1 4JP Editor: Sharon Jenkins Email: sharon@intouchnews.co.uk

01473 400380 Send editorial copy to:

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Readers are invited to submit articles, illustrations and photographs for publication. The Publishers reserve the right to amend such submissions and cannot accept responsibility for any loss.

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NEWS MICK’S TWILIGHT RUN In August we published a short piece about Mick Russ running the Twilight 10K in memory of James Rowe and Jim Thacker. Well he did it and would now like to thank everyone who generously supported him. The total raised was £710 which will be shared equally between Diabetes UK and Macmillan Cancer Care in memory of James and Jim respectively. Mick finished the race in one hour 15 seconds and, in his words, “lost three pints of Ghost Ship in fluid.”

Well done Mick.

EUSTACE BROKE LORAINE TRUST (BRAMFORD) The trust was set up in 1935 by Sir Percy Loraine to provide money for the "further or higher education of children whose parents are or have lately been permanent residents of Bramford and who have been educated in one or other of the Bramford schools."

The role of the trust is to allocate small grants annually to former pupils of Bramford School who are carrying on their education at university or college.

The trust has a small sum of money available at present and the trustees are willing to award grants to pupils who are undertaking further or higher education provided their application fits in with the above terms of the trust deed. The pupil is allowed to use any grant for the purchase of such items as books and equipment, and is not expected to use the grant for everyday living or travelling expenses.

I would be pleased to receive applications from students who fit in the above categories. The student should write to me explaining what he/she is studying at college or university, and what he/she would use any grant for. The sum of money available is finite, and therefore the more applicants there are, the less potentially each could get.

The trustees will meet in October to consider any applications, so if we can receive your applications by the middle of October it would be appreciated. If you have any queries prior to writing a letter, please do not hesitate to telephone me on 01473 461208.

Christopher M Bush, secretary/treasurer

IN TOUCH WITH . . .

NOVEMBER DEADLINE 10 OCTOBER 2015 is the final date for both advertising & editorial copy

www.keepingintouchwith.com/bramford

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NEWS BRAMFORD WATER MEADOWS

Membership is free – are you missing out?

We are very pleased to see the number of new members who joined us at the fun day in July.

Just to remind everyone who we are. Bramford Open Spaces is a charitable trust set up by the parish council to manage the picnic site and nature reserve that span Ship Lane alongside the Gipping – known generally as the meadows. In 2011 Suffolk County Council decided not to support this local green space any more. The parish council took up the option to buy it for £2. The main cost to Bramford Open Spaces is grass cutting and litter collection. This money, along with the cost of repairing vandalism and tree maintenance, is taken from your parish rate. So you do have an interest.

Each year the trust holds an AGM. This is normally for members, but this year we would like to invite all the residents of Bramford who contribute through their rates to come along to see a slide presentation on what we are up to. The meeting will be in the Church Rooms on Thursday, November 26. Full details next month.

If you are interested in keeping the meadows open, either for walking, watching wild life or just for quiet contemplation then why not join us too? This year we have had held walks to find new species of birds, plants, butterflies and bugs (invertebrates). Each has been well attended and everyone has fun finding out new things about our meadows.

What would you like to see happening on the meadows? Join as a member and get your chance to vote for ideas each year at the AGM. Or join as a friend and have no need to worry about meetings. Either way there is no commitment and no cost if you live in Bramford.

In this magazine we touch on the important things that are happening, but as a member you get newsletters giving all of the up-to-date information as well as pictures of interesting plants and birds seen. You also get the opportunity to join us for specific activities or walks.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/qfhlaps to sign up or contact me at the number below. You can also get to this via: www.bramfordopenspaces.onesuffolk.net For anyone living outside Bramford please note that a donation of £5 is asked for membership, but friends pay nothing.

John Hooker, trustee, 240843

SOMERSHAM PARISH COUNCIL Parish council meetings You are very welcome to attend any meeting of the parish council that, unless stated, start at 7.30pm in the village hall, with future meetings on Wednesdays, October 7, November 4 and December 2.

Members of the parish council are: Chairman: Richard Browne, 831321 Vice-chairman: Nick Dodd, 832806 SALC Representative: Chris Mills, 831667 Community Association Representative: Alan Bromwich, 832900 Village Hall Representative: Richard Browne, as above Footpaths Representative: Penny Pearson, 831436 Wattisham Liaison Representative: James Caston, 809413 Councillor: Keith McKeown, 832000 SUMMARY OF THE SEPTEMBER MEETING Appointment of new parish clerk: The chairman on behalf of the parish council welcomed the new parish clerk, Mrs Claire Lee. County councillor’s report included: • SCC’s bid for devolution – this is a potential bid to government

to be given devolved powers in the future.

• Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards who have responsibility

for ensuring that appropriate local procedures are in place to

tackle child exploitation.

• Suffolk Walking Strategy and the Aviva Tour of Britain – Stage 7.

District councillor’s report: Councillor Card reported on a recent planning application in Baylham for a mobile caravan and a further application for pig buildings at a local farm, the Community Infrastructure Levy, the office accommodation for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, the new Tenancy Agreement, the treasury management strategy, devolution and the Joint Strategic Plan.

Councillor Bromwich has become a trustee for the Somersham Town Land.

Councillors were updated on the progress of the fundraising campaign to save The Duke of Marlborough pub and advised that the greenhouse application had been approved by MSDC. Claire Lee, parish clerk 01473 462164 / somersham.pc@btinternet.com

SUFFOLK ENERGY-FROM-WASTE FACILITY The Suffolk energy-from-waste facility is preparing for its first annual shutdown since it began full operation last December.

Since then the facility has burnt around 196,500 tonnes of waste and in the process produced over 135,000 megawatt hours of electricity, 6,800 tonnes of metals, which have been recycled, and 52,700 tonnes of bottom ash, which is used as an aggregate for building projects.

Starting on Monday, October 26, the shutdown is expected to take just over three weeks, finishing on Tuesday, November 17. Work on the two lines will be staggered, so there will only be about four days (November 4-7) when both are off-line together.

This means household waste will continue to come to site throughout, although business waste will be diverted elsewhere so we can

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cope with the reduced capacity of the plant.

During the shutdown all equipment will be thoroughly inspected, maintained and cleaned and around 50 extra contractors are expected on site. Parking for them has been arranged at the nearby Claydon Football Club, so there should be no extra congestion around the site and no other impact for local residents.

Useful contact numbers Site offices: 01473 839149 Site control room: 01473 836828 Environment Agency: 0800 807060 SITA Trust: 01454 262910

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/bramford

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NEWS COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT John Field’s report to Gipping Valley There were few formal meetings during August with many councillors on holiday, but the administration has been at work on a proposal for devolution of powers from Westminster to Suffolk.

Suffolk is one of four two-tier areas invited by the government to bid to run functions currently delivered by the government. In return, Suffolk would need to deliver agreed and improved outcomes without increasing costs.

The Suffolk Public Sector Leaders’ group, health, police, and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership have constructed the bid. They believe that by having more control over what goes on in the county, we can deliver better outcomes for all of Suffolk’s communities.

Local knowledge and expertise of councillors will lead to more effective decision-making on issues that affect Suffolk’s communities.

Summarising a 14-page document is difficult but I believe the essentials are: The bid proposes “a new public sector board, a simple development and continuance of the current Suffolk Public Sector Leaders Group”.

This would organise the efforts of the current local enterprise boards, county and district councils, health, police and perhaps the local employment and pensions service.

The leaders want: • More autonomy and certainty on funds such as New Homes Bonus • Devolution of funding and decision making for investment in a modern transport system with a secure future

• Devolved multi-year settlements for health, care and safety • The devolution of decision making over European structural funds • Further enterprise zones focused on agri-tech, food and drink and ICT and enhancement of the growth hub • Devolved responsibility for the apprenticeship grant and successor schemes • Freedom to establish a new local employment service which can deliver universal credit • First rights on government estates in Suffolk They promise: • 70,000 new homes by 2031 • 5,000 new apprenticeships by 2020 and a further 2,500 in Suffolk by 2025 • A radically different approach to local public service finances where greater local autonomy creates an environment that supports investment, is more sustainable and less reliant on central grants • To increase Suffolk’s total annual gross value added by a third to over £18billion by 2025 • To provide more effective and joined up planning so we can use assets to invest in growth and transformation • They would design a new local employment service that helps people to progress into work and reduces dependency on benefits • To invest in infrastructure to stimulate growth such as delivering on the commitment to 100% coverage of superfast broadband by 2020 Councils will agree these proposals across the county and, if all goes well, they will have been submitted to government on September 24.

If government accepts the bid, it will have an important impact on us all. I believe it looks rather light on a believable democratically controlled structure capable of driving the improvements promised. It also appears to confuse wishes, wants and intentions, but it will develop and I hope succeed.

County scrutiny Scrutiny of the follow-up of the Ofsted inspection of the council’s school improvement service produced a number of recommendations. Two important ones are: • That officers should provide the committee with regular updates of the action plan, with information in the 'Evidence of Impact' column showing the current status of, and any changes to, each of the actions in the plan.

• That officers provide the committee with information on the effectiveness to date of Raising the Bar, with details of the actual and planned expenditure, what parts of the initiative have been successful, or unsuccessful, and including details of utilisation of the challenge fund.

Scrutiny forward plan The next round of scrutiny of the Keir contract has been organised for October and we will be looking at the energy from waste programme at the same meeting.

If you have queries please contact me: 01473 831306 / john.field@suffolk.gov.uk www.john.field@suffolk.libdems.org

DAVID CARD, MID SUFFOLK DISTRICT COUNCILLOR

Covering the parishes of Barking, Baylham, Darmsden, Nettlestead, Offton, Somersham and Willisham Follow up from previous newsletters The Baylham planning application was debated on Wednesday, September 9. I had asked that it be “called in” for committee decision. Following a full and open debate where all sides had the opportunity to state their case the committee decided to follow the officer’s recommendation and refuse permission.

Treasury management plan I have tabled a question for the September full council meeting that seeks clarification on the idea of making long term investments of up to £10million from reserves to provide a new income stream of some £250,000 per annum.

Food enterprise zones I have suggested that all local food businesses

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be invited to a meeting to learn what this could mean for them.

The Save the Somersham Duke campaign has issued their prospectus inviting investors to help.

An emerging debate: Devolution of powers The Government’s Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill is being talked about. The bill makes provision for the public sector including local authorities to ‘bid’ to run functions currently delivered centrally by devolving powers to a more local level. While most attention has been given to the so-called Northern Powerhouse, other councils in other parts of the country have also been talking with government. This includes a consortium from Suffolk.

All Suffolk councils (district/borough and county) agreed to register a statement of interest as a starting point for future and more detailed discussions with ministers and civil servants. The areas being considered are education and skills, health, housing, and productivity and growth. It may be a couple of years before the work needed to plan for these devolved powers and responsibilities is agreed by central government and we see the changes begin to happen.

If you have any questions or require more information do let me know.

David Card: 01449 722267 / david.card@midsuffolk.gov.uk

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/bramford

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BRAMFORD ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Entertainment for October www.bramfordrblclub.co.uk Tel: (01473) 745198 or join us on Facebook Thurs 1 Sat 3

Quiz Macmillan Night with The House Shakers.

Tickets on sale from the bar Thurs 8 Jazz Night – The Savoy Jazz Band with Barry

Palser Sat 10 The Mean Eyed Katz. New to Club Thurs 15 Quiz Sat 17 The Inflatables - all round function band Thurs 22 Bingo Sat 24 The Dave Drain Band - County and Western Wed 28 Karaoke Thurs 29 Quiz Sat 31 Halloween fancy dress party with Mid Life Crisis

Bingo every Sunday night from 8pm.

As well as a snooker room and pretty outside seating area we now have hot drinks available at the bar, so come and join us for coffee or beer.

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In Touch online:

NEWS CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S LIFE LINE For the first time since this link began we are going to bring a second group of children in the same year, this time during the winter months.

The group will be much smaller than usual and we have decided to try to give a chance to some slightly older children who wouldn’t normally be on the selection list. Further details of the children will be given after I have returned from my forthcoming visit to Belarus to discuss this with the education authorities who are responsible for selecting the children.

Forthcoming Event PIG RACING!

Saturday, October 17 Cedars Hotel Stowmarket Supper of “Pigs in Blankets” & dessert included Tote and Pig Races hosted by Stowmarket Lions Doors open 7pm / first race 7.30 prompt

!

Tickets £8 each Tickets available on the door or call 01449 760343/07770 478933 A charity event for Chernobyl Childrens Lifeline Mid Suffolk Registered Charity Number: 1014274

To help finance the visit we are holding another pig racing evening on Saturday, October 17 at The Cedars Hotel in Stowmarket. This promises to be an exciting event with the tote and pig races being provided as always by Stowmarket Lions. Supper will be pigs in blankets together with a dessert and is included in the ticket price. Tickets can be purchased at our charity shop in Needham Market or at Stowmarket Tourist Information Centre. I do hope you will be able to come along and support the event.

We are also preparing for the 2016 visit and would like to hear from anyone who might be interested in hosting children. Please do get in touch as soon as possible as we have to have all placements confirmed by the end of December.

We are looking for families to host one or two children for four weeks from the beginning of July. All that is needed is a minimum of a mattress to sleep on and a loving home with people who care. Financial circumstances are immaterial.

Age is not a barrier and single parents will be considered. Families may or may not still have their own children at home. Hosts are able to follow their own occupation and interests as the children meet daily Monday-Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm and helpers are on hand to collect or look after children at other times if needed.

Recycling The collecting of textiles, clothing, shoes, bags and belts which go for recycling and for which we are paid is a great asset to our fundraising.

We take everything with the exception of pillows and duvets (coverings are fine). Shoes must be in a wearable but not necessarily in perfect condition. Clothing does not have to be in a wearable/saleable condition.

We have been told that some schemes offer to take these items as “your local charity shop will not take them”. This is definitely not the case as far as we are concerned. If you have more than you are able to drop into the shop please call me and we will arrange collection.

With grateful thanks as always to all of our supporters.

Link Chair Elizabeth Parker 01449 760343 / 07771 550868 www.ccllmidsuffolk.org.uk

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.

So call us today, we are here to help.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/bramford

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OUT & ABOUT HENLEY PLAYERS

BURSTALL ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

We are delighted to present our fifth pantomime HENLEY PLAYERS PRESENTS OUR FIFTH AND BIGGEST PANTOMIME YET

AT

Wri$en by Tom Hitchcock

This year’s panto has been HENLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE written by Tom Hitchcock

who(2:30pm lives& 7:30pm) locally Fri 8th Jan (7:30pm) and Sat 9th Jan 2016

in Barham. It’s a traditional HOW TO BOOK TICKETS PRICES panto, but Adults with a £7few hence £4the Email: henleyplayersboxoffice@gmail.com ‘added’ twists, Concessions Box office open every Sunday from 3pm to 4:30pm (From November) Family of 4 slightly different title. £18 Our auditions were held in late June and we are already well into rehearsals. We have recruited some new faces this year as well as our established panto cast members. This production is the biggest and most challenging the players have produced in our last five years and we know the set will be great as well as being different to previous years.

Book your date – Friday, January 8, 7.30pm, or Saturday, January 9, 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

To launch the village oral history project Burstall WI members would like to invite all those who have lived in the village, have memories, souvenirs or photographs of Burstall, or an interest in local history, to a coffee morning/reunion on Saturday, October 31, 10am-noon, in Burstall Village Hall.

There will be displays from the Burstall archive, teas, coffee and homemade cake. All are welcome, particularly present day villagers.

Please contact Ann (652619 / annfday@gmail.com) if you would like to be involved in the project but cannot come to the coffee morning.

GREAT BURSTALL BOOK SALE In addition there will be the opportunity to purchase books from The Great Burstall Book Sale in aid of Bumblebee Children’s Charity.

There will be books of every description including all your favourite authors and many non-fiction books to teach you new skills and help you to win that next quiz.

All welcome.

Tickets (adults £7, concessions £4, family of four £17) are available at our box office every Sunday from 2.30-4pm, or email: henleyplayersboxoffice@gmail.com There will be a raffle, refreshments, ice cream and candy floss.

AUCTION OF PROMISES On Saturday, November 21 in aid of the roof repair fund for the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Needham Market.

Entrance by ticket only, sold in advance, at £18 per head. Tickets are available from Ann Levett (01449 721502) or from Paul’s Hardware Store, High Street, Needham Market. If you wish to place a preauction bid please contact Ann Levett (01449 721502 / ann.levett@ btinternet.com) for a list of the auction items and details of how to bid.

For those who are unaware of the problems the church faces, the roof is leaking, which has resulted in wet rot and an infestation of death watch beetle. The PCC wish to ensure the repairs are carried out as soon as possible to ensure the community are able to continue access to this wonderful 15th century building. However the estimated cost of the roof repairs is £250,000 – hence this, amongst other, fundraising events.

The Limes Hotel is offering a special B&B rate of £75 per room for the night should anyone attending the auction wish to stay over. If you are unable to attend but would like to make a donation to our roof fund this can be done online at: www.bt.com/mydonate

The evening starts at 7pm at The Limes Hotel, High Street, Needham Market, with a three-course meal and coffee being served from 7.30pm, followed by the Auction of Promises at 9pm. There will also be a raffle during the evening.

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Click on ‘Donate to charity – BTMyDonate’ then type Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Needham Market in the ‘search’ bar. If you are a UK tax payer please tick the Gift Aid box and the government will add an extra 25%.

In Touch online:

HENLEY PLAYERS PRESENTS OUR FIFTH AND BIGGEST PANTOMIME YET

AT

Wri$en by Tom Hitchcock

HENLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE Fri 8th Jan (7:30pm) and Sat 9th Jan 2016 (2:30pm & 7:30pm) HOW TO BOOK TICKETS Email: henleyplayersboxoffice@gmail.com Box office open every Sunday from 3pm to 4:30pm (From November)

www.keepingintouchwith.com/bramford

PRICES £7 Adults Concessions £4 £18 Family of 4

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OUT & ABOUT CLAYDON AND BARHAM COMMUNITY CENTRE The summer holidays have come to an end, the children are all back at school and everyone is starting to turn on their heating, including us.

We have finally completed this stage of work on the community centre. It looks amazing – clean and tidy, much smarter and warmer than it was. It's now been properly insulated for noise abatement and against heat loss, with fantastic new walls, doors, windows and cladding. The new central heating system will reduce our overheads and help towards reducing our carbon footprint. This current round of works has been kindly funded by a generous donation from SITA. We have had lots of weddings over the summer months and we wish all of the happy couples good health, fortune and happiness and thank them for using the community centre for their receptions.

We are always pleased to welcome new members to the club. Membership is just £10 for over 18s or £5 for over 60s. Grab a membership form from the bar and enjoy reduced hall and event rates.

As the darker nights of autumn creep in, we have started hosting our second half of the year’s activities and live music events. Our Annual Beer Festival at the end of September saw a wide selection of real ales and ciders from local breweries being consumed, while a large

number of revellers also enjoyed the Friday night music of Stevie with his Rat Pack style.

There was a return from The Houseshakers on the Saturday night supplying hits from the 60s to present day. A fantastic weekend, and our thanks go to all of the staff and volunteers who helped run and organise everything. Our thanks go also to you our members and customers. We hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as we did.

Forthcoming events Friday, October 2: Black Katz – country/ rock/various. £5 open to members and non-members. Tickets available at the bar.

Organised by Mr Derek Chilvers. Raffle prize donations very much appreciated.

Saturday, October 3: Tricks of the Trade provide an evening of entertainment in aid of Papworth Hospital’s charitable trust. Organised

by Mr Colin Dedman. Tickets available at the club; £5 open to members and non-members.

Any donations including raffle prizes gratefully appreciated.

Friday, October 15: Hot Tramp, £1 members and £3 guests. We welcome this fresh, local, vibrant young band who bring an original blues and rock and roll style to the club. They performed on the Ed Sheeran Stage at Ipswich Music Day in July and at the Bullstock Music Festival in Colchester on September 12.

JIGSAW EVENING The Friends of Bramford Church are holding a jigsaw evening on Thursday, October 8, in Bramford Church Room, 7pm for a prompt 7.15pm start.

This popular event will include refreshments and a draw. The entry is £3 a person.

Come either as a team of four, or as an individual – we can make teams up as necessary. Proceeds go towards the upkeep of the church building.

BOOK SALE On Saturday, October 10, 11.30am-2pm, in St Mary’s Church Room, Ship Lane, Bramford, with hundreds of books from as little as 30p.

Refreshments will be available. Proceeds will go towards the upkeep of our historic church, St Mary the Virgin in Bramford.

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Friday, October 30: Halloween Family Disco.

This is free event for all and a chance to wear your scary costumes.

Saturday, November 14: Live music will be performed by The Harley Street Band. This very popular band has been operating in West Suffolk and Cambridge and has a large following. The evening will be a dance frenzy.

These guys cover a wide range of material so we are sure there will be something for everyone. Songs range from the 60s such as Mack the Knife, Mustang Sally and Dock of the Bay, the 70s Waterloo and I Hear You Knocking, the 80s A Town Called Malice and Living on a Prayer, the 90s Livin La Vida Loca, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Angels through to the 00s with Sex Bomb, Bad Day, Valerie, Have a Nice Day and many more.

Saturday, November 21, 10am-2pm: Craft and Gift Fair. Stallholders should contact us via www.candbcc.co.uk or call 01473 831805.

Limited availability. Our main hall and members’ lounge will host a number of stalls offering a variety of crafts and gifts. We have already received a good number of booking forms and fees from stallholders. Profits from the day will help support the ongoing and continued development of the community centre. Free to enter, come and grab some special or unusual Christmas gifts. www.candbcc.co.uk / 01473 831805

IPSWICH MOBILE LIBRARY ROUTE 5 Route 5

Town/village

Location

Time

MIP/5A

Sproughton

Church Lane

0910 – 0925

MIP/5B

Sproughton

Wild Man

0930 – 0945

MIP/5C

Bramford

St Mary’s Close

0950 – 1005

MIP/5D

Bramford

Paper Mill Lane

1010 – 1025

MIP/5E

Great Blakenham Chequers

MIP/5F

Great Blakenham Blue Leighs

1035 – 1055

Mobile Home Park

1100 – 1115

MIP/5G

Baylham

Post Box

1125 – 1145

MIP/5H

Claydon

Crown

1155 – 1300

MIP/5I

Claydon

Edinburgh Gardens

1405 – 1420

MIP/5J

Claydon

Bacon Road

1425 – 1550

MIP/5K

Bramford

Packard Place

1600 – 1630

Calling every four weeks on Tuesdays: 2015: 27 October, 24 November, 22 December 2016: 19 January

In Touch online:

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0 1 47 3 6 0 4 3 8 5 In Touch online:

OUT & ABOUT ANNUAL PHOTO SHOOT At Bramford Pre-School, Thursday, October 29, 1.30-3pm Booking of time slot recommended.

Open to all family and friends: ideal Christmas presents!

For further information please contact the playgroup: 01473 740782

BRAMFORD LOCAL HISTORY GROUP We start our 22nd season this month with a talk by Anthony Cobbold about his family, which in Suffolk is best known for their brewery, but the wider family had connections in lots of surprising places.

The talk will be on Thursday, October 22 in the Church Room starting at 7.30pm as usual. As this is the first meeting of the new season membership subscriptions of £10 a person will be payable, but if you don't want to join you can just pay £3 on the night.

Hope to see you then.

BRAMFORD WI PAMPER AND SHOPPING EVENING

At our meeting on Monday, October 12 at 7.30pm in the Victory Hall our speaker, Colin Hopper, will tell us all about optical illusions. No doubt he will have some examples to baffle us. The competition is an old or unusual bottle.

At Bramford Primary School on Tuesday, December 1, 6.30-10pm.

Come along to have a massage, get a manicure or a pedicure, get some Christmas shopping done.

Tickets (£3 in advance / £5 on the door) include a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie.

For tickets or if you are interested in having a stall contact Karen on (07875 552236) or Claire (07507 126876).

BRAMFORD CRAFT AND CHATTER GROUP Our meetings this month will be on Tuesdays, October 13 and 27 in the Loraine Victory Hall, 9.30am-noon. Some of us will be doing marquetry, painting, woodwork, knitting, sewing, card making, weaving or playing Scrabble (other crafts available on request).

If you would like to learn a new craft, or just have a relaxed morning of socialising, you are welcome to come along. We just ask for £3 to cover the hire of the hall and refreshments. Look forward to seeing you.

BRAMFORD ART GROUP We have now moved into the Loraine Victory Hall and at present we are able to invite more budding artists and beginners to join our group.

We meet on Wednesdays morning between 10am and noon; the cost is currently £8 a month.

For further details please contact Ann Woolnough on 01473 743794 or come along and meet us any Wednesday after 10am.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/bramford

SPROUGHTON SENIOR CITIZENS’ CLUB As some members, mainly those suffering with mobility problems, found it difficult to go on outings, it was pointed out that they were losing out on the main events arranged, provided and paid for from club funds. It was suggested that an alternative to an outing could be to provide a local lunch paid by the club.

This arrangement was tried for the outing in August – a full-day mystery tour by coach for nine, to include a fish and chip lunch in Great Yarmouth on August 27. This proved popular; the coach was on time, the meal was good and the weather allowed us to sit out along the front having our ice creams and coffees in the sunny breaks. The driver was knowledgeable and assisted everyone on and off the coach. The nine members who took the alternative option had lunch at The Wild Man, Sproughton the preceding day. I hear that it was an excellent meal and the arrangement to give members the choice of an outing or local meal was popular and will be offered again.

Looking ahead, British Summer Time ends on October 25 and club meetings will start at 1.30pm from Wednesday, October 28. Looking further ahead, the last club meeting in 2015 will be on December 16 and the first in 2016 on January 6. Please make a note of these dates in your diary.

As stated in last month’s In Touch magazine, the Wild Man restaurant will charge over-60s £7.50 for carvery meals. They will also make a reduction of £1 for over-60s lunch menus (Mon-Fri) and evening meals (Mon-Thur).

ST MARY’S CHURCH GATHERING Every third Tuesday in the month, 2.30-4pm, in the Church Room.

Do come and join us; we will be very pleased to see you.

If transport is required please contact Janet: 741331

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OUT & ABOUT BRAMFORD TREFOIL GUILD

On September 7, 20 members of Bramford Trefoil Guild enjoyed an afternoon of songs and fun from the 40s by Julie and Jane.

Both extremely talented, they sang beautifully, and played a selection of musical instruments. We were given the words to a number of songs and flags to wave enabling us to join in. During the break for tea and biscuits, we were given a picture quiz and war related anagrams.

Later in September was our annual ploughman’s, held to raise funds for Suffolk Family Carers (with the emphasis on young carers). This is the 2015 project for Suffolk Trefoil Guild.

We were very pleased to welcome Sue as an enrolled member of Bramford Trefoil Guild.

In October we welcome a speaker with a talk entitled Nature. In November, under the guidance of our guild secretary, we will be making material wreaths for Christmas.

If you want to know more about Bramford Trefoil please contact me, Pat Caddick: 01473 402152 / pandj83@gmail.com

ST PETER’S 60 PLUS CLUB, CLAYDON Are you perhaps a little bored, lonely and wanting more company? If so, why not consider joining us at St Peter’s 60 Plus Club. We have recently celebrated our sixth anniversary during which time we have enjoyed many interesting events and outings.

We meet at 2pm every Thursday afternoon at St Peter’s Court, Station Road, Claydon, a group of residents from the local community and the sheltered accommodation. We have a varied and interesting two hours of chat and entertainment.

If you enjoy a fun game of indoor bowls, cards, outings for lunch once a month, a selection of good speakers (including musicians and singalongs), an annual outing (destination chosen by members) or just a really good chat, why not consider joining us? We have a wide variety of members who all get on well together, and laughter is one of our biggest entertainments.

We celebrate Easter, Wimbledon, and harvest-time with a tea to suit the occasion. At Christmas we go out for a meal and have a party at the club when each member receives a present. This year we are looking forward to being entertained by the Constable Choir.

The membership fee is £5 a year and members pay £1 a week which includes tea and biscuits – and cake when we celebrate a member’s birthday.

For more information please contact Maureen Thurkettle (839032) or Martin Redbond (831645).

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Mark Goucher & Mark Rubinstein present P.G. Wodehouse’s JEEVES AND WOOSTER IN PERFECT NONSENSE

After one year in the West End and two successful tours, the award-winning hit comedy Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense returns to UK theatres including the New Wolsey Theatre from Tuesday, October 13 to Saturday 17.

Winning Best New Comedy at the 2014 Olivier Awards, the charmingly incompetent Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet Jeeves are brought to life in this highly acclaimed comedy by brothers Robert and David Goodale. Based on and adapted from the established literary works of P.G. Wodehouse.

Perfect Nonsense has starred Stephen Mangan, Matthew Macfadyen, Robert Webb, John Gordon-Sinclair, Mark Heap and James Lance.

When a country house weekend takes a turn for the worse, Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker and also to steal a silver cow creamer from Totleigh Towers.

Naturally, the ever dependable Jeeves is there to prevent Bertie from making a fool of himself in front of a cast of Wodehouse’s finest characters.

Enjoy an evening of raucous comedy in the company of Gussie Fink-Nottle, Madeline Bassett, Sir Watkin Bassett, Dahlia Travers, Roderick Spode and Constable Oates!

“Devour every last drop of this Wooster sauce with relish” Tim Walker, Daily Telegraph “P.G. Wodehouse would have loved this production” Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph “An inventive evening of bonkers comedy” Quentin Letts, Daily Mail “Laugh out loud funny, Perfect Nonsense is the comedy of the year!”

Original Director – Sean Foley Perfect Nonsense is produced by Mark Goucher and Mark Rubinstein.

To book call 01473 295900 or visit: www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

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We are not part of the national Co-operative Funeralcare chain based in Manchester.

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OUT & ABOUT / SCHOOLS SOMERSHAM AND DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB We meet again at 7.30pm on Monday, October 12 when Gill Stitt will give a talk on groundcover plants.

Our meetings take place in Offton and Willisham Village Hall, and we have a very varied programme. Visitors will be made very welcome, so come and give us a look.

For any further information contact Janet: 01473 831949

CAPEL FLORAL CLUB It was lovely to catch up with friends and start our flower arranging year again in earnest at our first meeting after the summer. We made decorative floral handbags led very ably by our tutor Janet after a very short AGM.

GREAT BLAKENHAM OVER 50s CLUB The Great Blakenham Over 50s Club is open to anyone of that age living not just in Great Blakenham, but anywhere in the surrounding area. We meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month in the Parish Room, Stowmarket Road, Great Blakenham from 2-4pm. The cost per meeting is £1.50 and includes whatever activity is programmed for the afternoon, refreshments and a raffle. On afternoons when we may play a couple of games of bingo the tickets are £1 each. Members take it in turns to make the tea.

The Parish Room is the building with a green door more or less opposite the Chequers Public House. It has its own parking area behind the hall and it’s fully accessible for anyone in a wheelchair and has disabled facilities within.

Our programme for the remainder of 2015 is: September 23: Social afternoon featuring Quiztime with Sandra.

October 14: Members to bring along their oldest or most favourite item and tell a little of its history and what it means to them. The idea is to get everyone talking and stir a few memories about the changes we have seen in our lifetime.

Our next meeting is on October 14 at 7.30pm when we shall be flower arranging with a wedding theme and we will be having a go at making buttonholes, pew ends, and a wedding crate to be used as a table decoration. If any future brides are reading this article, please come and join us – it will be invaluable to you.

October 28: Social afternoon and bingo plus Christmas bring and buy. Items in excellent condition, still packaged, which would make a suitable Christmas present may be brought in to sell. Members to indicate on an easily removable label the price they would like. In return 10% of all monies taken to go to club funds.

We have an extremely varied programme set for the year and feel sure that any ladies who would like to join us will find it very interesting.

November 11: Napkin Folding for Christmas, with everyone having a go at different designs.

Capel Floral Club meets on the second Wednesday of the month (excluding January, February and August) and subs for the year are £35.

We are a group of ladies of all ages and abilities, even beginners, with a love of flowers and flower arranging. We meet in the library at Capel St Mary (plenty of parking), 7.30-9.30pm.

November 25: Social afternoon featuring Quiztime with Brenda.

If you would like any further information, please contact Janet (01473 313191) or Sylvia (719893).

December 9: Christmas party. Social afternoon with afternoon tea and games, everyone to contribute a ‘plate’. Details to be agreed nearer the time.

Jackie Durrant, 01449 672690

We would like to ‘kick off’ our new school year by saying a big thank you to everyone who came along to the school summer fete. We hope that you had lots of fun, enjoyed the refreshments and with your support we raised £2,500, which is a fantastic amount and will benefit the school immensely.

We would also like to welcome the new children and parents who are joining the school this year and hope that you will enjoy taking part (and perhaps helping) at the events we run throughout the year. We have lots of fundraising events coming up over the next term, which we hope you will continue to enjoy and support: October 22: Snap, Crackle, Bang A fun filled evening of games, arts and crafts and food for all the family in the village hall. Open to everyone.

November 7: Family photographs by Rob Sambrook Photography (by appointment only – www.robsambrookphotography.com) November 27: Psychic Night with Stephanie Carr in the village hall. Adults only.

We are always collecting: All supermarket ‘schools’ tokens. These can either be sent in via the children or dropped off at reception Remember: Join our Facebook group ‘Friends of Somersham School (FOSS)’ to keep up to date with our events Email: fossnet1@gmail.com

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SCHOOLS / SPORT CLAYDON HIGH SCHOOL I would like to start this article by congratulating last year’s Year 11 students on a fantastic set of GCSE results.

Sixty-nine per cent of students achieved 5 GCSEs A*-C including English and maths, a 7% increase on last year. The English pass rate was a fantastic 78% A*-C, with 83% of students making expected progress, and the maths pass rate was excellent at 80%, with 76% achieving expected progress.

Pupil Premium and SEN students all performed significantly above the national average and we had particularly strong performances in sciences and many other subjects including art, music, drama, PE, leisure and tourism and child development.

I am delighted that this dedication to learning throughout the past five years has been rewarded collectively with our best ever result. As well as celebrating exam results, I would also like to pay tribute to the contribution these students made to school life in sport, music, drama, art and the many other areas of achievement and creativity in which they excelled. I wish them all the very best with the next stage of their education and training.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank parents and carers for their fantastic support and to highlight the hard work and commitment of all the teachers, staff, governors and wider community who has

contributed to our success this year and helped students on their journey.

Moving forward to this new academic year, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our new staff and Year 7 students and their parents/carers. We have had a very busy start to the autumn term and I am delighted at how well our new students have settled in. Starting high school can be an exciting but nervous time, so it is pleasing to see how brilliantly they have adapted to the big changes in their school day and environment.

We have lots of events and activities organised for this half term. Year 11 students are particularly busy with planned trips for several departments including business studies, geography, physics, textiles and history. Business studies students will visit Colchester Zoo to look at how their organisation is structured and physics students will be travelling to Cavendish Laboratories at the University of Cambridge to see the Physics at Work exhibition.

This exhibition includes interactive demonstrations in a working laboratory and aims to show the many and varied ways in which physics is used in the real world and to stimulate interest and encourage participation.

As I write this article, staff are busy planning for WOW Week at the end of October. This

will be three days of specially-designed activities for each year group. Year 7 will be camping at Mersea Outdoor Centre, taking part in various team-building activities such as orienteering and rocket building.

Years 8-10 will participate in an Enterprise Challenge Cup Tournament. This will focus on creating an entrepreneurial spirit, developing leadership skills and accelerating employability skills. Year 11 students will spend a day at a college, sixth form or university, work with the YMCA on activities in school and will finish the week with a trip to Trinity Park for the Suffolk Skills Show. I will let you know how they all get on in the December edition.

Finally, I would like to inform prospective parents and carers of our open evening on Wednesday, October 7. I would be delighted to welcome you into our school to experience our superb facilities and resources and to talk to our staff and students as they proudly showcase their work. The evening will begin at 6.30pm with a presentation at 6.35pm.

If you are unable to attend the open evening, or if you would like to visit the school and see us in action during the day, please telephone my PA, Mrs J Pedersen, on 01473 836110 to book a place on one of our open mornings in the autumn term. The next one is on Friday, October 9.

Mrs S Skinner, headteacher

BRAMFORD TENNIS CLUB Greetings guff lovers.

As the last of the empty bottles of summer season league winners’ champagne is cleared away (not by us, but trust me, somewhere they are) our thoughts turn to the winter league just around the corner, usually followed by a sense of foreboding such as Arctic adventurers might have prior to their expeditions.

Those (fool)hardy souls who venture out on a crystal clear night when the mercury is falling faster than an England innings deserve respect, perhaps not for the quality of their tennis but more for the fact that they are managing to hit the ball at all while doing an impression of Bambi on ice. The Eskimos are reputed to have 50 words for snow, but I have more than 50 different excuses for missing a shot – and that’s in good weather.

So while I commend them all for their efforts, I have no wish to join them given my advanced years and preference for being able to feel my fingers and toes while engaged in exercise, preferring instead a nice warm hostelry while engaged in weightlifting (a pint is normally the weight I prefer).

Winter leagues usually start around late September/early October, and the results can vary, with the temperature/clothing ratio having an effect on mobility (it would be interesting to see if said mobility increased if everyone had to wear a T-shirt and shorts in January). This winter will see the ladies stepping up to the plate (usually the one with biscuits on) and entering a side in the floodlit league again. Well done to all concerned who volunteer to play, and if you are unsure as to how cold it is then look

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to our Radio Suffolk celebrity Corrinne: if it’s above freezing point she will be in her customary T-shirt. When she turns up to play in a sweatshirt the Met Office normally sends out a red weather warning.

No such problems for Nick as he is usually partnering me throughout the winter, thus ensuring that he gets to cover 99% of the doubles court. Nick (or “Yours!” as I usually call him on court) values these games as fitness tune ups. At least I think that is what he said – the oxygen mask kept muffling his words, and that’s why I let him buy the drinks afterwards as I view it as a coaching fee.

To join our merry band of tennis stalwarts contact our treasurer, Clive Jones: 01473 464589 / bramfordtc@outlook.com JOKE OF THE MONTH A man sees the neighbours’ young daughter digging a large hole in her back garden.

When he enquires why, she tells him that she is burying her dead goldfish.

“Why dig such a large hole for a goldfish?” asked the man.

“Because it’s inside your cat!” came the reply.

More guff next month, Mick Russ

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SPORT BRAMFORD BOWLS CLUB The end of the season, which unfortunately has gone at a rate of knots, is fast approaching.

The quarter-final of the Men’s Millennium Trophy was held on August 16 against Stone Lodge. We unfortunately lost the 2-wood singles played by Christian Barber 9-18, but Jason Smith won the 4-wood singles 21-14 – at this point one rink each. The pairs’ rink of Steve Zarkos and Chris lllman had a very close game, but were unfortunately pipped to the post 17-18.

Also the triples rink of Maurice Woollard, Roy Prentice and Peter Rudge went down, as did the fours rink of Lewis Smith, Colin Mortimer, Martin Barber and John Sharman. Oh well, there is always next year.

The club pairs’ competition was held on August 16. It was a good afternoon, punctuated by a barbecue prepared by Joyce Thompson, and the two pairs with the most points having won all their games were Maurice Woollard and Rachelle Barber who will play Mary Saunders and Jason Smith on finals day.

The Invitation Charity Day run by Steve Zarkos attracted 24 entries. We were very lucky that the rain stayed away and it was a very enjoyable day.

We played four games of eight ends with points being awarded for each end won plus for winning the game. The winners were Joy Mackie, Les Smith and Arthur Lockwood, with Peter Dodds, Maurice Woollard and Yot Dodds runners up. Allen Tredray, Jo Whiting and Diana Wolton beat Lewis Smith, Brendan Keegan and Jason Smith in the play off for third and fourth places. The money raised during the day amounted to just over £1,100 and will go to the Tree House Charity.

We played the final of the Stan Wright Charity Cup at Stone Lodge Bowls Club against Marlborough on August 31. It was a terrible day weatherwise and only stopped raining about 10 minutes before the end of the game. However, our team played magnificently against a very strong Marlborough team and finished up winning by 19 shots. The individual rink scores were Lewis Smith, Arthur Read and Jason Smith 20-19; Yot Dodds, Martin Barber and John Parker 23-18; Colin Mortimer, Maurice Woollard and Allen Davey 30-16; and Peter Dodds, Colin Morgan and John Parnell 19-20.

SPROUGHTON BOWLS CLUB The end of our summer season is nearly here but we still have a few more games to play, mainly club competitions that are always very competitive. Looking back one month, our Sandford Cup semi-final versus IDBC resulted in a loss for us but we got very close to a final this year. At the time of writing the Tuesday pairs competition had one more game to play on September 15 and has been run once again by Margaret Garnham and helpers.

Our president, Jo Whiting, held her President’s Day on September 6. The weather was set fair for what promised to be a good afternoon. We all played four games of six ends and the winner with the most shots overall was Maurice Woollard with Colin Mortimer runner-up. Thanks to Bridget and Pat, ‘keepers of scores’, and ‘runners’ Jill and Sue. We had a ‘spider’ during the course of the afternoon and a draw, the proceeds of which will go to the club. After the proceedings we all retired to the clubhouse for an excellent three course meal, plus wine, hic hic. Well done Jo for a super day enjoyed by all.

The play-offs for the BE Men’s Triples Leagues were held on September 6 also, but unfortunately due to being a player short we lost out in the semi-finals.

Mary Saunders

fysysssy

Claydon FC Video Race Night CLAYDON FC ARE HOLDING A FAMILY HORSE RACING NIGHT SATURDAY 17th October

The Sunday pairs tournament on July 19 was won by Joy Mackie and Les Smith. The runners up were Terry Brundish and Charlie from Stonelodge BC.

AT CLAYDON COMMUNITY CENTRE

The weather wasn't too kind for us on the tournament on August 23 and was cut short by one round of play. The win was shared between Graham and Margaret Martin and Terry Brundish and Ken King. The runner-up spot was shared by Brian Hunt and Doreen Smith and Stephen Page and Roger Christopher.

JUMBO SAUSAGE & CHIPS SUPPER

A majority of the club members went on a bowling tour to Scarborough from September 5-12 and hopefully had a good time.

Congratulations must go to Stephen Page and his EBF 3-wood triples team who have earned promotion to Division D after finishing runners up. Congratulations also to Ken Lucas's EBF 2-wood triple team who are promoted to Division D.

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The last of the mini-finals of the BE ladies competitions were played at the Rookery Bowls Club on September 4, but unfortunately Jean Taylor could not find her recent good form and lost in the semi-final of the Secretaries and Treasurers Cup.

7.30 TILL LATE

ADULTS £6 Children (U12s) £4 Please note this is ticket only

For tickets call 07796 785961 In Touch online:

SPORT BRAMFORD UNITED lead for the second match running we came back to earth with a bump as we lost our way in the second half to lose the match 3-1. Reserves had a better result at AFC Hoxne, beating them 2-1.

Looking ahead, the First team has been handed a tough draw in the first round of the Suffolk Senior Cup on October 17 as we travel to Lakenheath who knocked us out last season winning 4-2, with them going on to lift the cup.

Full match reports on First team matches and what’s going on at the club can be found at: www.pitchero.com/clubs/bramfordunitedfc Firstly, we have new First team sponsors for the coming season with Claydon Skip Hire taking over from Beeston Coaches, to whom we express our grateful thanks for the past two seasons.

After a successful pre-season for the First team we began league action on August 22 with a long trip to Leiston St Margarets. The 5-0 win made the long journey home bearable, with Paul Dodsworth scoring a hat-trick and new signing Reece Golding scoring twice.

Our next fixture was on August 29 with Wickham Market our visitors at ‘The Acton’. We notched up our second win of the season with a 3-0 result with Jamie Cowan scoring two and Jerome Murphy the other.

While we were playing Wickham Market our Reserves were strangely enough at Wickham Market, playing their Reserves in the opening match of their season. With new Reserve manager David Downes in charge they beat Wickham 2-1.

Brammie

WANT TO DO SOME EXERCISE OVER THE WINTER MONTHS? Why not try Badminton?

Claydon & District Badminton Club is a social badminton club which meets on Mondays from 7 to 9pm during school term time in Claydon High School Sports Hall. Although we are a popular club we have some space and you would be very welcome. If you fancy a game and you want to find out about us why not drop by any Monday night? Our season started in September.

For more information please contact Don Golding: 01473 747596 / don.golding@btinternet.com

Saturday, September 5 saw Achilles at The Acton. After taking an early

BRAMFORD COCK FC The new season kicked off with a mixture of sadness and great optimism. Sadness due to the loss of our chairman, Bill Stoddart, who passed away following a brain tumour after being in hospital. Bill had been involved with the club since taking over as landlord of the Bramford Cock in 1985. He will be greatly missed by many. The club are determined to make this a season the ‘big man’ would have been proud off.

Optimism then for this season as the club has a new management team of Gary Claydon and Damian Brown who have brought in some very good players. The squad is looking good and well balanced with a mixture of young players along with some experienced older players.

Sunday August 23: Our first match away to AFC Chelmondiston saw a number of new players make their league debuts. The first half was competitive but Bramford were playing the better passing football and went close to scoring on a couple of occasions. However, it was the home side that scored first in the 38th minute. Their lead was short lived as Bramford equalised in the 42nd minute with Yani Duka, one of the new debutants who was having a very good match, finding the net.

The second half turned out to be a stop-start affair with patchy football played due mainly to the indiscipline of some of the home players. In between all this it was Bramford who kept their discipline and scored in the 70th minute what turned out to be the winning goal, when Matty

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Sharland slotted home. Final Score: 1-2

requested by Bill.

Sunday August 30: The Bill Stoddart Cup took place in memory of our chairman and exlandlord of the pub. Our thanks to Yourshirts FC for agreeing to cancel the league match that should have taken place in the morning.

Sunday September 6: Return to league action with an away match against Clapgate Lane FC. Due to call offs and unavailability, we had only 10 players. However, you would not have noticed as Bramford played some delightful passing football and controlled the first half.

Against the run off play, the home side were awarded a penalty that brought out a superb double save from Marty Carey. Shortly after this in the 25th minute Bramford took the lead, when Liam Woodhouse stroked the ball home from 18 yards.

The Bill Stoddart Cup took place following an idea by Julie West to do something to thank the staff of Somersham Ward at Ipswich Hospital who cared for Bill.

So England v Scotland with Scotland winning on penalties following a 2-2 draw at full time.

A tremendous turnout of more than 150 people watched the match and more importantly, were prepared to give money for a really good cause. Both teams had plenty of players who wanted to take part and the afternoon showed how fond people were of Bill and how greatly he will be missed.

The match was followed by a fun day at the Bramford Cock.

Too many to mention, but many thanks to everyone, especially those behind the scenes who helped make this a day to remember. Well done to you all.

The actual amount raised was a tremendous £1,303, which as mentioned will go the Somersham Ward towards a bedside table in the cancer ward with Bill`s name on it and for the ward staff towards their Christmas party, as

They say football is a game of two halves and this unfortunately for Bramford was the case.

The home team used their extra man to their advantage and equalised almost straight from the restart. This was followed by further goals in the 55th, 75th and 85th minutes. While 3-1 down, Bramford were awarded a penalty that was superbly double saved by the home keeper. So a frustrating and disappointing ‘day at the office’. Final Score: 4-1.

Forthcoming fixtures: October 11: Away to Felixstowe Harpers October 18: Home to AFC Chelmondiston All home matches are played at Sproughton Sports Club, Church Lane, Sproughton with kick off at 10.30am.

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ON THE GRAPEVINE THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE OF BRAMFORD, SPROUGHTON & BURSTALL As many of you will know, my husband Jim Thacker, ex village policeman for Bramford, Sproughton & Burstall, died peacefully at home on June 23 after a valiant battle with cancer.

We as a family have had the most amazing support from these parishes that Jim served in one way or another for 35 years. Many of you attended the celebration of his life at Bramford Parish Church led by The Rev Jenny Seggar. We thank her for the lovely service and for ensuring that Jim's wishes were carried out! Everyone who attended agreed that we did him proud!

Jim's wishes were that any monies collected should go to MacMillan Cancer Support – Woolverstone Wish which amounted to £759.78 and to Hospice at Home which amounted to £407.23 – totalling £1167.01.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported these causes. They helped us as a family to keep Jim at home where he wanted to be and enabled him to keep in touch with as many people as possible! He was always pleased to see them.

Thank you all, Carol Thacker

HEALTH TEAMS IN SUFFOLK LAUNCH NEW CHILDHOOD ILLNESSES APP Public Health Suffolk and Suffolk’s clinical commissioning groups have launched a comprehensive guide to common childhood illnesses aimed at parents and carers. The new childhood illnesses booklet and app will provide a helpful information package during times when they may need a bit of extra help or advice.

The free booklet, The Guide: Common Childhood Illnesses and Wellbeing in Suffolk, contains information on wellbeing, common illnesses and how to keep children safe and healthy. It also provides advice on when to consult the GP or health visitor and information on common illnesses such as chickenpox, colds, sore throats and ear infections.

Suffolk residents can also download and view the information on their phones and tablets via the App Store and Googleplay by searching Suffolk Child Health.

Councillor Tony Goldson, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for health, said: “We’re very pleased that this handy tool will provide parents with vital information on many illnesses which can treated at home or by over the counter medicine. A child’s health and wellbeing is one of the most important things to a parent, and can also be their biggest worry.

“This guide is a fantastic idea that gives people an opportunity to learn more about their child’s health and to give advice on certain situations that could cause panic. As well as illnesses it also gives tips on healthy eating and breastfeeding and general tips to give Suffolk’s young people a healthy start to life.”

As well as a booklet, the information is available to view online in a downloadable form on www.healthysuffolk.org.uk to be used by everyone, including children’s centres, health visitors and other healthcare professionals.

BY-WASH AT PIPPS FORD LOCK TO BE REINSTATED underway and once completed will enable the lock to be drained and inspected for further restoration to take place as needed.

To assist in this work the River Gipping Trust has received a substantial donation from the Inland Waterways Association Ipswich Branch. This has enabled the purchase of a Kubota mini excavator which is already at work at Pipps Ford.

We also acknowledge the help of the landowners, the Greatrix family, both in facilitating the work which will eventually lead to the full restoration of the lock, and in providing a substantial donation towards the cost of the digger.

The mini-digger is seen here helping to re-install a coping stone at the head of the lock at Pipps Ford

The River Gipping Trust now has all the necessary permissions for work to commence on reinstating the original by-wash around the lock at Pipps Ford. This has involved many in-depth meetings, discussions and considerable assistance from the Environment Agency. Work is already

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The site can be seen from the Gipping Towpath in the Baylam area, and visitors are always welcome on working party days, which take place each Wednesday and the second Saturday of each month. New volunteers are also always welcome. For further details of the ongoing restoration of the river, please visit: www.rivergippingtrust.org.uk

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CHURCH NEWS ST MARY THE VIRGIN BRAMFORD, ST MARY NETTLESTEAD, ST MARY THE VIRGIN LITTLE BLAKENHAM, ST PETER BAYLHAM Priest in charge: The Rev Jenny Seggar 01473 748914 / stmarybramford@aol.com Assistant curate: The Rev Julian Fennel, 01473 833250 Assistant priest: The Rev Pat Wright

As usual we are actively supporting a local cause, the homeless families unit, and will be putting notices up in our churches about what we need to be collected between harvest and Christmas – the HFU is also there for refugees and immigrants as required.

www.stmarybramford.co.uk

Please check porch notices for any changes.

I would ask you to spare some thought and prayer for those affected by this crisis – many of them are ordinary folk like us, hardworking, family people who need help. Whatever you think about immigration, it is really hard not to be moved by pictures of people trying to walk to safety. We need to do what we can to help, give to the relevant charities, donate clothing and food, campaign on their behalf, even, if asked, take someone in. We will let you know what we are doing as a church.

October 1 3pm

Blessings to you all, Jenny

Morning Prayer at Bramford: 8.30am Monday to Friday Wednesday morning Communion Services: 9.30am at the vicarage, unless advised otherwise.

United Service at Cherryfields

October 4 10am 11am

6.30pm

Trinity 18 Parish Communion Bramford Harvest Festival Communion, Lt Blakenham followed by a bring and share lunch Harvest Festival Baylham

October 8 7.15pm

Jigsaw evening

Church Room

October 10 11am-2pm

Book Sale

Church Room

October 11 8am 10am 5pm

Trinity 19 Holy Communion Parish Communion & joint PCC 5 o’clock Service

Bramford Nettlestead Church Room

October 13 11am

Communion by extension

Baylham Care Centre

October 14 7.30pm

Healing Service

Methodist Church

October 18 10am 10am

Trinity 20 Parish Communion Parish Communion

Bramford Baylham

October 24 10am-noon

Coffee Morning

Church Room

October 25 8am 10am 10am

Last Sunday of Trinity Bible Sunday/Dedication Sunday Holy Communion Bramford Family Worship with Baptism Bramford Morning Prayer Nettlestead

Dear Friends I hope that all of you managed to have a good summer. John and I managed to have a relaxing time in Norfolk spending time with family.

The only down side was reading about the lead thefts from churches up there. Little did I know that I would come home to find that lead was also being stolen from churches in Suffolk.

As I write this (beginning of September) we are aware that St Mary’s Bramford could well be targeted. Mercifully it is the only church in our group with any amount of lead, but we are doing what we can to try to deter the thieves. I suspect that the crisis will have passed by the time this is published, but please keep vigilant, many of our buildings are quite remote, and it can take some time for damage to be discovered.

Please keep an eye out on your local church, they are after all community buildings.

Something else which is in the news at the moment is the refugee crisis.

There has been a great deal of discussion about whether we should accept asylum seekers, and this crisis will not go away. I know that the situation is complicated and raises many strong emotions, but as a church we will be doing what we can to help out. We will begin by donating our harvest collection to aid charities.

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Coffee Morning: October 24 is our coffee/tea morning in the Church Room, Bramford, 10am-noon.

Jigsaw Evening: Come along for a fun evening, 7.15pm for a prompt 7.30 start. This is an evening where we make up teams to see who can complete a jigsaw the quickest – but you don’t need to be competitive to enjoy the evening. Tea and biscuits served in the interval – all for a mere £3 each.

Parish Registers Baptism August 9 August 16 August 23

Mark Arthur Ellis and Brodie Flynn Ellis, Nettlestead Sophia Grace Hallatt, Bramford Poppy-Mae Kathleen Flowers, Bramford

May they grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. Funerals August 18 August 21 August 24 August 28

Blanche Elizabeth Sherman, Bramford

Burial of ashes, Sylvia Wilding, Bramford

Burial of ashes, Blanche Elizabeth Sherman, Bramford Bill Stoddart, Bramford

We extend to their families our sympathy and prayers.

Weddings August 15 August 29

Robyn Jones and Claire Louise Johnson, Baylham Gavin James Wood and Emma Lucy Stewart, Bramford

May they grow in their love for each other.

Floodlighting of the spire of St Mary’s Church October 7 In memory of Amy Fillis on her birthday If you would like to have the spire floodlit please ring 01473 462231. The requested donation is £10 a week.

Cleaning rota: J Sillett Flower rota: October 17 and 24, R Steward Lectionary Bible Readings for our Sunday Worship are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. It’s good to share the reading of scripture with Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, across the world.

October 4 Job 1:1; 2:1-10

18 Sunday after Trinity Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Green Mark 10:2-16

October 11 19 Sunday after Trinity Job 23:1-9:16-17 Hebrews 4:12-16

Green Mark 10:17-31

October 18

Isaiah 53:4-12

20 Sunday after Trinity Luke the Evangelist Hebrews 5:1-10

Red

October 25 Isaiah 28:14-16

Last after Trinity Eph 2:19-end

Green John 15:17-end

Mark 10:35-45

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