In Touch News with Capel – June 2016

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CAPEL CAPERS Volume 6 • Issue No. 8 • JUNE 2016

Image by Stephen Rogers

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR I’m gotten to know the lollipop lady outside Jack’s school quite well over the years. We have talked about her daughter, who is in high school, her son, who is in college, the fact that she’s been on a diet and her yellow coat is now far too big… Now you may wonder when we have time to chat and rather surprisingly it’s as we stand waiting for cars to stop each morning.

She holds her lollipop aloft, arm outstretched to prevent eager children from running across the road, and we wait, and wait, and wait as driver after driver pretends not to see us, gaze focused directly ahead, determined to get to somewhere awfully special (I assume). Occasionally they will wave as if to say “I acknowledge your existence but you must realise how incredibly busy and important I am so I’m going to ignore your request”. And we carry on waiting. Just the other morning a driver stopped, forcing the driver coming from the other direction to reluctantly (there are some words it’s rather easy to lip read!) to do the same thing. Just as the lollipop lady set off another car overtook one of the stopped cars, forcing her to jump back onto the footpath. What was he thinking? If the prospect of being 30 seconds late is so appalling then get up earlier or take a different route.

If you are driving past a school please be sensible and respectful and let’s show those impressionable boys and girls waiting to cross how it should be done.

On the subject of responsibility, we just got two rabbits, yet unnamed but very cute. I’ve been telling Jack it’s his responsibility to look after them, stressing time and time again how important it is to make sure the hutch is properly closed. As we came downstairs this morning he shouted “the rabbits are running around the garden” – and so they were! And who was the last person to visit the hutch? Me!! By the time we got to school Jack had told eight people what I’d done, including the lollipop lady. My authority has been completely undermined, but I’ve come up with a way to make this work to my benefit. Clearly I’m not up to the task so Jack really has to take over in order to keep those rabbits safe!

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

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

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IN TOUCH WITH . . .

• Hadleigh • Stowmarket • Bramford, Somersham & Offton • Claydon, Barham, Henley & Whitton Rural • East Bergholt, Dedham & Flatford • Needham Market, Creeting St Mary & Creeting St Peter • Sproughton & Burstall • Manningtree, Mistley, Lawford & Brantham • Kesgrave & Rushmere St. Andrew • Martlesham Heath & Old Martlesham • 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

NEWS SURGERY TRANSPORT SCHEME For the past three years there has been an arrangement whereby a group of volunteers from the Anglican Church of St Mary’s have offered to provide transport from home to surgery for any patient unable to get to the surgery for an appointment. This arrangement was not often taken up and the new Patient Participation Group sought to revive the scheme to run along similar lines to that operating at the East Bergholt Surgery. The scheme provides transport to the surgeries of Constable Country Medical Practice from the geographical areas of Capel St Mary, Copdock, Bentley and the Wenhams. It operates under a Memorandum of Understanding which can be seen at the surgery on the noticeboard.

If you are offered an appointment and do not have transport, or the ability to get to the surgery, please tell the receptionist who will make the necessary arrangements. The surgery has a list of phone numbers of volunteers who are prepared to provide transport.

If you are willing to be part of the team of volunteers, please let me know and you can be added to the list. Obviously the greater the number of volunteers, the lighter the burden.

For details of the scheme please speak to Chris Yule on 310992 or Dr Frank Wells on 730101.

SCOPE COLLECTION Many thanks to Bushey Close residents who contributed to this year’s envelope collection. I have forwarded £30 to Scope on your behalf.

See you next year, Celia

CAPEL PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINIC LTD It is with regret and great sadness that I have to announce the closure of Capel Physiotherapy Clinic as I am semi-retiring and moving back to the north-east. Unfortunately, a buyer could not be found for the clinic so we are advising people to contact Gilmour Piper in Ipswich if they have any problems in the future (please mention our name). We do have gym equipment and other items for sale so if you are interested in having a look please call 310914.

I would like to thank everyone for their support over the past 31 years.

I’ve enjoyed living and working in Capel, and so have the many part time physiotherapists who have worked here. Thank you once again for the friends I have made in Capel through work as well as through a great village community.

Capel will be a hard act to follow.

Sue Wilshaw

IN TOUCH WITH . . .

JULY DEADLINE 10 JUNE 2016 is the final date for both advertising and editorial copy

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NEWS CAPEL CELEBRATES THE QUEEN’S 90th BIRTHDAY Seven hundred residents, a quarter of Capel St Mary’s population, gathered round the children’s play area for the lighting of the Queen’s 90th Birthday Beacon by the South Suffolk MP, James Cartlidge.

The beacon was lit at 8.30pm on Thursday, April 21, the same time as hundreds of others around the UK. The celebration started at 8pm with refreshments in the Methodist Church and a display of children’s work celebrating the Queen’s birthday. The bells of St Mary’s Parish Church rang out at 8.15pm and Scouts and Cubs marched to the Beacon. Their parade was followed by the singing of the National Anthem, led by members of Orchard Players.

Group Captain Gary Bunkell CBE, a serving officer who lives in Capel, read this message from Prince Charles: “I am delighted that so many people throughout the United Kingdom are coming together to light beacons in celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday. It’s a wonderful gesture which I know has deeply touched Her Majesty. Beacons are to be lit on mountain tops, on beaches, in farmyards and on church towers, uniting us all in our heartfelt appreciation of the Queen’s lifetime of service to the United Kingdom and other Realms, and to the Commonwealth.

Since time immemorial, the light of beacons has relayed important messages across the land. This message we proclaim with the greatest pride and affection. Your Majesty, we all wish you a Happy Birthday!”

In a tribute to Her Majesty, Methodist Minister, The Rev Andrew Sankey, said: “The Queen is by any measure a remarkable woman. She’s a 90-year-old senior citizen but still works over 40 hours a week. She is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, attends church weekly, even on holiday, and prays daily but never tells anyone to go to church.

“She has had a gruelling travel and work schedule for over 60 years, but as political commentator Andrew Marr pointed out: ‘There are no reliable recorded incidents of the Queen losing her temper, using bad language, or refusing to carry out a duty expected of her.’

“Most of us would find it hard to match that record for a week never mind 60 years. What is the secret of the Queen’s remarkable consistency of character and extraordinary contribution to nation, Commonwealth and the global community? It’s a question she herself answered in 2002: ‘I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God… I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.’

“A book titled The Servant Queen and the King She Serves has been published this year which has quotes and commentary about the Queen and her faith.”

After the tribute The Rev Andrew Sankey led a prayer for the Queen: “Heavenly Father, as we celebrate the 90 birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, receive our heartfelt thanks for all that you have given her in th

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these 90 years and for all that she has given to her people. Continue, we pray, your loving purposes in her, and as you gather us together in celebration, unite us also in love and service to one another; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” The chairman of Capel Parish Council, Les Bryant, welcomed Mr Cartlidge and all those present. He said: “Good evening. It’s great to see such a good turnout for this very special occasion.

In Capel St Mary we take pride in our strong sense of community, and your presence here underlines what a great village we live in. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to David Thompson and his team for working so hard to make this evening happen. I want to thank local organisations and individuals for their kind sponsorship of tonight’s event.

“An especially warm welcome for our Member of Parliament, James Cartlidge, and our thanks to you James for finding time in your very busy schedule to be with us tonight.

“Over the next few weeks we will be selling raffle tickets for 90 excellent prizes (see page 7). Watch out for a variety of events taking place in Capel over the next few weeks.”

Mr Bryant then invited Mr Cartlidge to light the Beacon.

Mr James Cartlidge MP said that he was very pleased to have been invited to light the beacon. In a tribute to the Queen, he said: “I recently attended the Conservative Party away day and we had a presentation from the journalist Andrew Neil about the US presidential elections and it was clear that Donald Trump could become the next US president. My response to this was to say, ‘well, thank God we have a constitutional monarchy.’ I pay tribute to Her Majesty and the way she has held so fast to the principles of duty and public service.”

When the Beacon was lit everybody sang Happy Birthday Your Majesty, Happy Birthday to you.

Mr Cartlidge joined the dozens of residents who signed the Birthday Book (which will be able at Capel Fun Day, see page 6) which had a background display of photographs of the Queen in Suffolk from the EADT archives. There was also a photographic display of the life of the Queen.

EVENTS ON JUNE 11 The Queen’s official birthday on Saturday, June 11 will be gloriously celebrated in Capel.

The Methodist Church is hosting a community breakfast on the village green between 8.30am and noon which is available to all. Donations to Help For Heroes and Capel War Memorial. For more information please contact: 01473 311389 The residents of Wenham View and Dove Close, would like to invite you to their garden party on Saturday 11 from 3pm at Wenham View, Dove Close (off Days Road) IP9 2AW. There will be music, a raffle, food and refreshments. Free entry – all welcome. Contact us: 01473 310032 / www.orwell-housing.co.uk It’s also the weekend of the royal-themed Scarecrow Trail.

The parish council is calling for the whole village, homes, shops, restaurants and offices, to fly the Union Flag and put up bunting.

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NEWS QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY BOOK IS GOING TO FUN DAY The Queen’s Birthday Book will be available for signing at Fun Day. It will be in an exhibition with photographic displays of the Queen, portraits of the Queen by members of the Capel Art Club and other exhibits.

Many Attractions including:

The Birthday Book is continuing to make the round of meetings of the village churches, groups, clubs, other organisations and the library. It will be sent to the Queen after her official birthday weekend, June 11-12, the weekend of the Scarecrow Trail. Watch out for royal theme scarecrows.

If any group or individual has not been approached, or feels left out, our apologies. Please make contact with parish council clerk Julie Lawes – 01473 314103 / capel.parishclerk@btinternet.com – or David Thompson – 01473 314185 / davidf.thompson@btinternet.com

INTRODUCING YOUR NEW SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM Dear Readers, Plus local group displays in the main ring And much, much more!

The new county policing model for Suffolk Police has been in operation since April 4. These changes have been made to the structure of local policing and the way in which we deliver our services to the public. There are now nine locality teams strategically located across the county who will work with partners to deal with local priorities.

Hadleigh Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) is currently based at the police station in Hadleigh, however, we do cover a vast area of some 49 villages – from Hemingstone to the north, Brantham to the south, Nayland to the west and Shotley to the east.

Funday@capelstmary.org.uk

THE TEAM Inspector Kevin Horton: covers whole of Ipswich West / Hadleigh Sgt Gary Milbourne: covering Hadleigh and surrounding villages) PCs: Chris Garrod, Enise Bala, Di Porter and Sarah George PCSOs: Julia Bignell, Jo Adams, Denise Ford and Stephen Cooper SNTs will work with partner agencies to deliver local solutions to local problems, focusing on early intervention and prevention. Emergency calls will be responded to by response teams covering the whole area.

In next month’s article I will go into more depth about the way we will be working and useful information regarding contacting us about issues within your community.

But for now, can I just remind you that the police station front desk at Hadleigh is no longer open to members of the public. The closest one for us would be Museum Street, Ipswich.

For emergency calls 999 / non-emergency calls 101 Email: hadleigh.snt@suffolk.pnn.police.uk Until next month, PCSO 3173 Julia Bignell, Hadleigh SNT, Magdalen Road, Hadleigh IP7 5AD

NEWDAWN INDIA A big thank you to everyone who supported the plant and cake sale and coffee morning on Saturday, May 7. A record total of £853 was raised in aid of the street children of Madurai, southern India.

The Friends of St Mary’s Registered Charity Number 286971

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NEWS NINETY ROYAL REASONS TO COMPETE

NEWS FROM CAPEL LIBRARY

There is £90 cash first prize in the 90-prize grand raffle and the odds of winning are better than the lottery and premium bonds.

Tickets, at £1, will be on sale throughout Capel. Please buy early and as often as you like. Any profit made will be donated to the War Memorial Monument Fund.

A 90-question quiz on the life of the Queen is casting fresh light on many aspects of her life. It could be a useful reference for the future, especially for young people. But, above all, it will be great fun.

Some questions are very easy, some more difficult so there is encouragement rather than restriction to finding answers from any source, including the internet.

The quiz offers a single prize of £90 for the entry form with most correct answers. If the are several entries with all the same correct answers, they will be drawn from a hat. The first quiz form drawn out of the hat will be the winner.

The parish council wants your photographs of all the Queen’s 90th birthday events for our records. We are happy to receive them as prints or via email. Please send them to the Parish Office, 27a The Street or email them to: capel.parishclerk@btinternet.com

June will see longer days and shorter nights and just the right time to spend reading books in the shade with a nice glass of lemonade or a cup of tea – or whatever your fancy is at the time. It depends on your taste just as selecting your books to read, some of us like thrillers and crime, others just wish to delve into a novel. Whatever your choice is come into the library and choose or select from the online catalogue at: www.suffolklibraries.co.uk

NOTES FROM THE CASE

Library Book Group: meets on Friday, June 17 at 2.30pm

Suffolk’s first Co-operative Pub! Garden Party to celebrate The Queen’s 90th Birthday On Saturday, June 11 we will be holding a garden party at The Case to celebrate the 90th birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II. The event will run from 3-6pm and will be open to all.

We will be serving free tea and cake, and the bar will be open throughout the afternoon, with our usual range of alcoholic and soft drinks on sale. At the time of writing we are also hoping to put on some live music. To claim your free afternoon tea, please pick up a ticket from the pub before the day.

While the event will be free, we will be gratefully accepting donations on the day towards the start-up costs for Bentley Stores.

The theme for the garden party will be red, white and blue, so we would ask everyone to wear something in those colours on the day.

Coasters Scooter Club Pre-Rally Event On Sunday, June 12, the Coasters Scooter Club, who meet at The Case every week, will be holding a pre-rally event at the pub from 3-6pm in aid of the East Anglian Childrens’ Hospice. As well as a number of classic scooters on display, there will be a barbecue and live music from Louie 2 Tone. The pub will still be open to the public at the same time, and we will still be serving Sunday lunch at the usual time, so come along and join in the fun.

Quiz Nights For the first time our popular monthly quiz nights will continue throughout the summer months this year, with the next quizzes on Saturdays, May 28, June 25 and July 30. The quizzes start at 9pm with food served from 6-8pm.

Staff Changes at The Case In April we welcomed new paid staff: Chef Jayne, supported by new kitchen assistant Becky, and Yolande, who is running front of house.

We also said goodbye to Ellen who has decided to move on to new opportunities, and thank her for all her great work over the past year.

Our new staff will continue to be supported by our dedicated volunteers as always. We still have a need for more bar volunteers, with a relatively small number of volunteers currently doing the lion’s share of bar shifts, and we also have a need for more green-fingered volunteers to help keep the garden looking its best.

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

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Storytime and craft: Friday, June 10 at 4pm and Saturday, June 11 at 12.30pm Do come and join us for the telling of The Queen’s Knickers by Nicholas Allan and then make a pair of knickers suitable for the Queen. All items will be displayed on our very own washing line for everyone to admire and possibly a photograph of them to be included in the Birthday Book!

Baby Bounce: every Tuesday at 2pm. It’s good to see some old faces coming back again, as well as some new mums joining our little group.

Come and shake some instruments and join in with some nursery rhyme singing and action songs. Suitable for everyone under-five and their parents and carers.

Minecraft Club: meets on Sundays, June 12 and 26 Don’t forget that we also sell book tokens in any denomination and books of first and second class stamps.

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 Contact: 01473 311699

FRIENDS OF CAPEL LIBRARY Gradually our membership increases. It was good to meet folk outside the Co-Op on April 23 when we were able to distribute the free books available from World Book Night. Interestingly it was quite hard to give away the free book, and it took us most of the morning to distribute the 25 books we had been given. Still, it was an opportunity to advertise the work of the Friends, and one or two people signed up as members.

At our management meeting we agreed to go ahead with the I-pad project, and those who have registered an interest will soon be able to borrow one from the library, though we are only starting with two. This has been made possible by Katherine and Ali’s run in the Colchester Half Marathon. Thanks to all of you who sponsored them.

We also decided to increase the prize level in the 100 Club so that our main winner in April receives £15. The April winners were: Sue Edwards £15, Alison Stewart £5, Clive Powell £5.

Looking ahead we will see many of you at Fun Day when we will have lots of books available for sale, as well as other activities within our gazebo.

Further ahead we plan an astronomical evening on September 10, more on this later.

We would still welcome new people who want to support the library by becoming a trustee, as well as possibly being prepared to become chair.

Chris Yule

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NEWS CAPEL ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL Capel St Mary Annual Parish Council Meeting held Monday, May 9.

Present: Councillors Bishop, Bryant, Fenn, Harris, Kilby, Matthews, Powell, Rogers, Streatfield, Thomas, Thompson, Weaver, White, County Councillor Jones, District Councillors Carpendale and Swan, Julie Lawes (clerk) and two members of the public.

The meeting commenced with the election of a new chairlady, Councillor Matthews, and vice-chairman Councillor Bryant. Following the vacancy for a councillor we are delighted to welcome Michael Hole on to the parish council. Councillor Hole has much experience and we are sure will be a great asset to the community. Working groups and committees were also allocated for the coming year.

The following planning applications were recommended for approval to Babergh District Council: Les Viviers, London Road and 60 The Street.

The Housing Need Questionnaire will have now been completed and data will be analysed by Community Action Suffolk. This will then Babergh District Council has rejected a call to seek the views of parish and town councils before it votes in June to accept or reject devolution proposals. The rejection of the call by Capel St Mary Parish Council was condemned as “unsatisfactory and undemocratic” at the parish council meeting on Monday, May 9.

Capel’s call was for district councils to seek the views of parish and town councils because they are closer to their communities and voters than the district and county councillors who will decide whether to accept or reject devolution.

Devolution negotiations with government, Capel stated, has been conducted by county and district council leaders without a mandate from voters, without the full knowledge of all district and county councillors and a referendum has been refused.

The rejection was in a letter from Babergh Chief Executive Charlie Adan, who said that in the devolution voting “there is no formal role

form our Housing Need Survey. A summary of the information will be made available.

A tree is to be planted in memory of Councillor Clive Amoss who served our community greatly for 25 years on the parish council.

Julie Lawes, clerk The next meeting of Capel St Mary Parish Council will be in the library on Monday, June 13. There is an open session at each meeting when members of the public can air any problems.

The actual minutes of the meeting are available for viewing at the parish council office at 27a The Street, Capel St Mary (to the rear of Mallwoods Insurance Services) which is open on Tuesdays from 10amnoon and on Fridays from 1-3pm.

The parish clerk can be contacted on 01473 314103 during these times. An answer phone operates outside these hours and messages are picked up everyday. Alternatively contact can be made by email to: capel.parishclerk@btinternet.com for parish and town councils in the statutory process”. She also said that the parish council’s request “cannot be accommodated in the statutory process”.

In reply, Capel said that “councillors were and are fully aware that they have ‘no statutory process’. The parish council did not ask to be ‘accommodated in the statutory process’. The parish council asked for Babergh not to vote for or against devolution until all parish and town councils in the district had expressed a view. Babergh has thus rejected what the parish council did not request and has failed directly to respond to what the parish council did request.”

In rejecting the parish council’s request, Babergh states that it will take on board ‘the views of our many communities’. Capel’s reply to that was: “A good way to do that would be to accept Capel Parish Council’s request and seek the views of all parish and town councils.”

Recently our unit annual review was undertaken and it is encouraging to note that, once again, many of the Explorers have completed various levels of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. The unit has been running the award scheme alongside the three levels of the scout awards for just over 10 years.

Twenty-five Explorers will have achieved their Silver level awards and 12 so far the Gold Award with eight of those completing the further challenges to complete the Queen’s Scout Award. Two members of the unit have completed the Explorer Belt an international challenge held in Poland and last year in Finland.

At Bronze level three further awards have been achieved following their qualifying expedition in Thetford Forest and with four Explorers from the same team due to complete their programmes before the summer break the unit total for Bronze level achieved will have exceeded forty.

As the Bronze team above are completing their programmes we will set up our eighth Silver team before the summer break.

With six new members joining the unit in recent months we will be setting up a new Bronze team, our eleventh, very soon.

Five Silver level participants have achieved their award following their qualifying expeditions in the New Forest and South Downs National Parks and a further four from the same two teams will complete their awards before the summer break. Three of those participants have started their Gold level / Queen’s Scout Award programmes and will be joined by a further three from the Silver teams for the summer and autumn expeditions.

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Although the unit has recently recruited an additional leader to support the award programmes the rising numbers of unit taking part in the scheme has resulted in the need for further additional adult support so if you are a holder of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and would like to help more young people achieve theirs too, or wish to know more, please contact Roger for an informal chat.

Cattawade Explorer Scout Unit: Roger S Dann, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Leader 01206 395285 / 07778 463172 / catt-explorers@outlook.com www.wolseyscouts.org.uk/explorers www.brantham.onesuffolk.net/the-parish-council/groups

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NEWS HER MAJESTY DELIGHTED WITH BIRTHDAY WISHES On April 21 a significant element of the local population gathered in Capel St Mary to witness the lighting of a beacon to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday. I was pleased to be able to read out a message from HRH The Prince of Wales in which he expressed her delight in the good wishes she had received.

Over the last 25 years I have been privileged to meet Her Majesty and other members of the Royal Family on a number of occasions through their connection with the armed forces. On the death of her father, Her Majesty became the Air-Commodore-In-Chief of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) and has remained so ever since. The RAuxAF is the RAF’s reserve element and an essential part of the UK’s frontline forces. As a squadron commander I had briefed Her Majesty twice in the 1990s during visits to RAF Markham in Norfolk, a station she has particularly strong links with due to its proximity to Sandringham.

Air Vice Marshal Barry Newton, Sir Michael Oswald, Group Captain Bob Kemp, Wing Commander Gary Bunkell

In 2002 members of the RAuxAF funded the creation of a bronze statue in the form of a golden eagle to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. This picture was taken in the library at Sandringham when the eagle was presented.

As a recently promoted wing commander I was very much the junior in the gang of four making the presentation but we were all invited for drinks in the drawing room afterwards. We had agreed in advance that if I had the opportunity I would ask Her Majesty for permission to take the eagle away so that it could be circulated around our units for everyone to see. At these events no one is left out and after a few minutes I found myself in conversation with Her Majesty. She noticed from my uniform that I was a member of the RAF Regiment at which point she expressed the hope that this wasn’t going to be a repeat of her last experience with our corps. She explained that they had given her a painting and then promptly taken it away again! Based on her smile I am sure that she had guessed our intentions, but for a split second my life flashed before me!

In 2010 the RAuxAF was granted a replacement Colour (ceremonial flag) and these have huge significance in the history of any military organisation. Original designed as a rallying point on the battlefield they are treated with reverence as they represent the ethos, honour and traditions of the unit. They are quite delicate being made of silk and through wear and tear need to be replaced about every 25 years. I was by then Group Captain, Inspector of the RAuxAF and an Aide de Camp to Her Majesty so responsible for any engagements between our force and the palace. So in late 2009 I found myself at Sandringham meeting with

Her Majesty’s military equerry. She had agreed to make the presentation and we needed to discuss the details of the parade.

Needless to say the planning and preparation for a royal parade is done in fine detail; Her Majesty has been to a number of these in her lifetime so would tend to spot glitches. A comprehensive administration order is prepared, detailing down to the last item timings and responsibilities so that it goes well on the day. July 18, 2010 dawned warm but very windy so not much fun for the Colour Bearer. The parade went off without a hitch and for a man who often forgets where he left his keys I managed to remember the 90 or so words of command and equally important got them in the right order!

Her Majesty’s program included posing for a team photo with the squadron commanders and the RAuxAF hierarchy. When the parade finished I thanked the personnel who had taken part and dismissed them. I and the other parade officers turned to get the transport back across the airfield to be in time for the photograph. It was at that point that the small flaw in the comprehensive administration order reared its head; there was no transport!

We eventually commandeered a passing minibus on the grounds that our need was greater. By the time we arrived in officers’ mess the party for the group photo was in place, including Her Majesty. As we approached, the equerry who was an old friend mumbled something about keeping Her Majesty waiting which everybody including her seemed to find quite amusing. I remember thinking that the outcome might not have been quite so happy had the HRH The Duke of Edinburgh been in attendance.

In the picture I am third from the left in the front row and the slight rosy complexion was due to the sun, not the embarrassment!

Her Majesty’s interest in the welfare of her service personnel is deep and genuine. That is reciprocated in the affection that our armed forces feel for her. Personnel who have met her invariably tell the same story. Her Majesty was genuinely interested in them and what they had to say; they can tell when somebody is just going through the motions.

Countless books have been written on the subject of leadership and a recurring theme is leading by example. Her Majesty demonstrates exactly what we ask of our service personnel; complete dedication and sustained commitment. For her armed forces that might mean a working career but for her it means a lifetime. Long may that continue!

Group Captain Gary Bunkell CBE QVRM

ST ELIZABETH HOSPICE

BUMPER BOOK SALE

I will be holding a coffee morning in aid of the hospice at 86 The Street on Saturday, June 25, 10-11.30am. There will be a cake stall, books and plants for sale as well as a raffle so I hope to see you there. Admission, which includes coffee/tea and cake plus a stroll round the garden, is £2.

Another Bumper Book Sale will be held at Manningtree Methodist Church in South Street, Manningtree on Saturday, June 25, 10am-3pm.

Admission is free with all hardbacks priced at £1 and all paperbacks 50p.

Linda Morrison, hospice rep for Capel St Mary

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presents

Bring your dog along to the first doggy tea party at Gladwells Pet & Country Store in Copdock!

In association with WOOF&BREW. From 10am, WOOF&BREW will be serving their delicious herbal infused teas*, designed especially for dogs!

Copdock Mill, Old London Road, Copdock, IP8 3LA Tel: 01473 731 117

*SERVED FREE TEAS, TONICS & TREATS FOR DOGS

www.woofandbrew.com

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

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NEWS

REPORT TO PARISHES, MID-SAMFORD WARD: MAY 2016 BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCILLOR, SUE CARPENDALE Planning Development Management introduced extra mornings to its nonappointment pre-application advice service from Monday, May 16.

Residents and developers will be able to drop in on Monday, Thursday and Friday mornings at both the Needham and Hadleigh offices.

Appointments for application advice can still be made for MondayThursday afternoons. There will shortly be new email and contact details for the area teams.

Food Safety Apparently an ‘average’ person eats one in six meals out-of-home in restaurants, cafés and other locations. The checks of premises and kitchens by the council’s food safety teams are an important part of helping businesses to grow and contribute to Suffolk’s thriving tourism industry. Inspections cover food preparation methods, storage, cooking temperatures and cleaning regimes. Walk-in freezer curtains, chopping boards and even the staff changing rooms are examined.

Fridge temperatures are regularly checked and so is the temperature of fresh products being unloaded from delivery vehicles. Nothing is taken on trust. This work helps to create a level playing field for all food establishments, working to consistent standards and ensuring that businesses don’t cut corners in pursuit of securing an unfair advantage against their competitors. Local businesses are keen to maintain their coveted level 5 Food Hygiene Rating.

Waste Disposal and Composting If you are taking some bricks or garden rubble to the household recycling centres in Suffolk, be aware that you will now be charged £2 per bag (supposedly a bag weighs 25kg) or £2.50 for ten bags or more. Hopefully

the centre operatives will use some sensible discretion for small amounts, but some residents have already been caught out by this change.

On a more positive note, the Suffolk Waste Partnership has launched a new scheme to help people compost garden waste at home across the county. A number of items can be purchased through www. getcomposting.com to help people reduce their garden and kitchen waste. You can buy a 220 litre compost bin for £8.99 or a 330 litre bin for £9.99 – 50% off the normal retail price. If you buy one compost bin you can get another of the same size for half price. The usual limited stock warning applies, so order soon. The Suffolk Waste Partnership can also help with lots of information and tips on how to get the most from composting at home. To purchase, go to the website or call 0844 571 4444 quoting SUF16L. Councils on the look-out for fraud It’s not just residents who are targeted by telephone fraudsters. Someone tried it on with a parish clerk recently, claiming they were phoning on behalf of Norfolk Police (they are near the border) and asking for a donation towards a youth project they are running. Attempts to defraud organisations and individuals are becoming more audacious and, in many cases, more convincing.

To report scams visit: www.actionfraud.police.uk To complain about premium-rate telephone scams visit: www.phonepayplus.org.uk The local police and trading standards are among the other options. sue.carpendale@babergh.gov.uk

BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCILLOR FENELLA SWAN Babergh AGM At the annual meeting of Babergh District Council on April 26, senior positions were filled for the coming year. Councillor Jennie Jenkins was re-elected as the leader of Babergh and Councillor Simon Barrett as her deputy. The role of chairman was handed over to Councillor Peter Burgoyne and his vice chairman Councillor Peter Beer. A senior team of portfolio holders were also approved as well as members with special responsibilities.

Councillors also approved a ‘refreshed’ Joint Strategic Plan for the next four years, as the foundation for change, growth and a sustainable legacy for future generations. The focus for the ‘refreshed’ plan still reflects the ambition of both councils to improve the prosperity of our area, through growing new homes, new jobs and new businesses. It outlines the context in which we are operating at the moment and the challenges and opportunities of the future that will influence how well we do.

Chief Executive Following the Babergh AGM, Chief Executive Charlie Adan announced that she would be leaving in the summer to take up a new role as chief executive of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. During her five years in Suffolk Charlie has seen the integration of the award winning ‘smaller, smarter, swifter programme’, which transformed the workforces of Babergh and Mid Suffolk into one shared service. Work has already begun to find her replacement.

Community Achievement Awards 2016 The winners of the first-ever joint Babergh and Mid Suffolk Community Achievement Awards were recognised at an awards ceremony on Thursday, April 21. Both district councils have previously run their own Community Achievement Awards, but this year marks the first time the two councils have run a joint awards event.

The awards, which were judged by a panel including district councillors and young people from local schools, recognised 30 members of both communities across four categories:

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Rising Star: a young person or group of young people (under 18 years) who has made an outstanding contribution to their local school or community Community Hero: a person who has provided selfless service to a voluntary body or made a significant contribution to their community Action in the Community: for the work of groups of people whose actions affect the wider community Outstanding Local Business: a business located within Babergh or Mid Suffolk which has made a significant contribution to their social or environmental wellbeing of the district and its residents These awards are organised by both councils in partnership with the East of England Co-Op who are the main sponsors with support from the Landscape Group and SERCO. Adapted Accommodation The official opening of Babergh and Mid Suffolk’s first new-build council property in over 20 years took place on April 26. The new tenants were identified by the occupational therapy team as having an urgent need for adapted accommodation. The specific needs of the family have been incorporated into the build specification of this three-bedroomed, wheelchair accessible bungalow and it has been designed to be futureproofed and easily adapted for the family’s ongoing needs.

This development forms part of our new-build programme and supports a key strategic priority for the two councils in delivering new homes. It is the first property out of eight schemes to be completed as part of a joint project to deliver 65 new council homes across both districts (38 in Mid Suffolk, across six sites and 27 in Babergh, across two sites). It is expected that all of the homes will be finished by mid-2017; they will be run and managed by both councils and will form part of their housing stocks. fenella.swan@babergh.gov.uk

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OUT & ABOUT CLASH AVOIDER

COFFEE SHOP NEWS

This diary has been introduced to help avoid date clashes in the village.

Every effort will made to keep this list up-to-date, but please be aware that sometimes dates may be cancelled, postponed or re-arranged at short notice. This diary is not intended to be an all-inclusive what’s on and will only highlight significant dates.

On Thursday, April 21 Joan’s Coffee Morning Club celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday by having a party! The village hall was decorated with Union Jack flags, bunting, balloons, table decorations and party poppers. Thanks to all who gave up their time to help to make it a festive atmosphere.

If you want to add an event please submit in the following format (date, event, venue and contact) to sharon@intouchnews.co.uk with Capel Event Diary in the subject line.

Saturday, June 4, 1-5pm: Capel Funday Contact: fi-ruth-entertainments@hotmail.co.uk

Ninety-two people sat down to a superb two-course lunch catered by Mrs Chapman and served by her team of dedicated ladies. The music of Gordon Blackwood entertained us after the meal, with everyone singing and dancing to burn off the calories. It was a very enjoyable afternoon, well appreciated by all who attended.

Saturday & Sunday, June 11 & 12: Friends of St Mary’s Scarecrow Trail Friday, June 24: Friends of St Mary’s Replay Cabaret and Dance Evening with paella supper or veggie alternative Contact Chris Terry: 01473 311102 Saturday, June 25: St Elizabeth Hospice coffee morning/open garden at 86 The Street, Capel St Mary, 10-11-30am Sunday, June 26: 2016 Orwell Walk, Run and Ride July 7-9: The Orchard Players present Jukebox Summertime at Capel Village Hall. Box Office: 07754 175399

Above we see the regulars waiting for their lunch, and below Joan Goulding (fourth from right) with her volunteers.

Saturday, July 16: 1940s Afternoon Tea, 2-5pm, in the village hall Contact Tracy: 07917 440459 / novatrax@hotmail.com Saturday, July 30: Allotments BBQ Contact: info@capelallotments.co.uk Saturday, August 20: Quiz Night at the Village Hall Contact Tracy: 07917 440459 / novatrax@hotmail.com Saturday & Sunday, September 3 & 4: Allotments Flower & Produce Show. Contact: info@capelallotments.co.uk / 01473 310384 Saturday, September 10: Barn Dance at the village hall Contact Tracy: 07917 440459 / novatrax@hotmail.com Sunday, October 9: Allotments Autumn Work-In Contact: info@capelallotments.co.uk Saturday, October 15: The Orchard Players Quiz Night at Capel Village Hall. Contact Sue: 01473 311061 Saturday, October 22: Friends of St Mary’s Trianon Community Concert Contact Chris Terry: 01473 311102 Saturday, November 5: Capel Bonfire Night Saturday, December 3: St Mary’s Christmas Coffee Morning, 10am-12.30pm Saturday, December 12: Capel Christmas Fair, 10am-2pm, in the village hall Contact: fi-ruth-entertainments@hotmail.co.uk

Our summer season is well on it’s way. For further information join us on Thursday mornings at the coffee shop or contact Joan Goulding: 01473 310929 JOAN’S UPDATE The coffee shop is doing very well and all the events for the year are in place. I now have an excellent social secretary, Sheila. Our first outing is a mystery tour. Unfortunately as the coffee shop has gotten so big I am unable to take everyone, but I hope to remedy this soon with a larger coach.

We are returning to Brick Lane on October 18 by popular request. The price is £60 including the coach, a three-course lunch and a show with lots of laughs. Why not give yourself a treat and come with us?

We must just wish Sue Gilson the very best and our prayers are for her and Mick. Pray God it all comes right in the end. To all our sick and troubled, if you wish to come and have a moan and get things of your chest we are always there on Thursday mornings. I know that we might seem a scatty lot but we are lovely really.

George (Budgie Boss)

CAPEL IRISH SET DANCE GROUP

Thank you to everyone who helped and supported our latest jumble sale and made it a success.

If you missed this last sale, there will be another in October or November so please save all your goodies. If this is a problem we can collect before then.

Pam Rayment, 01473 310283

Capel Irish Set Dance Group meets at St Mary’s Church Hall on the third Sunday of every month (except August and the second Sunday in December) from 2-5.30pm.

We are a friendly group and it’s not necessary to have a partner. In fact you’re welcome to come along just to enjoy the music.

2016 Dates: June 19, July 17, September 18, October 16, November 20 and December 11.

Hope to see you, Hille and Trevor Peartree, 01473 310146

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OUT & ABOUT VILLAGE HALL DIARY – JUNE 2016 Wednesday 1 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Thursday 2 Coffee Shop, 10am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Capel Ladies, 7.30-10.30pm, Vine Lounge Saturday 4 Dog Training, 9.30-11.15am, hall Capel Fun Day, 2-5pm, Playing Field Sunday 5 Trampoline Club, 9.30am-noon, hall Tuesday 7 Beacon Coffee Shop, 9am-12.30pm, Vine Lounge Carpet Bowls, 1.30-5.30pm, hall Under 16s ballroom and Latin, 6-7pm, hall Courses/private lessons ballroom and Latin, 7-8 pm, hall Ballroom and Latin dance adult, 8-9pm, hall Wednesday 8 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Flower Arranging, 6.30-10.30pm, library Thursday 9 Coffee Shop, 10am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Women’s Institute, 7.30-10.30pm, library Sturday 11 Dog Training, 9.30-11.15am, hall Association Karaoke Event, 7.30-11pm, Vine Lounge Sunday 12 Trampoline Club, 9.30am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 2-6pm, hall Monday 13 Parish council meeting, 7.30-10.30pm, library Tuesday 14 Beacon Coffee Shop, 9am-12.30pm, Vine Lounge Carpet Bowls, 1.30-5.30pm, hall Under 16s ballroom and Latin, 6-7pm, hall Courses/private lessons ballroom and Latin, 7-8 pm, hall Ballroom and Latin dance adult, 8-9pm, hall Wednesday 15 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Thursday 16 Coffee Shop, 10am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Bingo, 7.30-10.30pm, Vine Lounge

Monday 20 Community association meeting, 8-10.30pm, library Tuesday 21 Beacon Coffee Shop, 9am-12.30pm, Vine Lounge Carpet Bowls, 1-5pm, hall Under 16s ballroom and Latin, 6-7pm, hall Courses/private lessons ballroom and Latin, 7-8 pm, hall Ballroom and Latin dance adult, 8-9pm, hall Wednesday 22 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Thursday 23 EU Referendum voting, all day, hall Saturday 25 Dog Training, 9.30-11.30am, hall Sunday 26 Trampoline Club, 9.30am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 2-6pm, hall Monday 27 Capel Community Trust meeting, 8-10.30pm, library Tuesday 28 Beacon Coffee Shop, 9am-12.30pm, Vine Lounge Carpet Bowls, 1-5 pm, hall Under 16s ballroom and Latin, 6-7pm, hall Courses/private lessons ballroom and Latin, 7-8 pm, hall Ballroom and Latin dance adult, 8-9pm, hall Wednesday 29 Carpet Bowls, 6.30-10.30pm, hall Thursday 30 Coffee Shop, 10am-noon, hall Orchard Players, 6.30-10.30pm, hall FUNCTION ROOMS FOR HIRE Are you organising a birthday, anniversary, wedding, engagement, christening, children’s party, celebration, social event, business meeting or just want a get together with family and friends?

Why not book the village hall, Vine Lounge, library or stage? We can cater for parties between 20 and 200 people at very competitive rates.

Rooms are available during the daytime or evenings.

Facilities include a fully licensed bar and kitchen preparation area with prices starting from as little as £10 an hour for the library, £15 an hour for the hall, and £88 for an evening in the Vine Lounge.

A CELEBRATION OF LIFE If someone you loved has passed away and you wish to celebrate his/ her life, you can hire the Vine Lounge in the village hall complex most weekdays for just £75. For more information please contact Mandy.

Saturday 18 Dog Training, 9.30-11.15am, hall

CONTACT

Sunday 19 Trampoline Club, 9.30am-noon, hall

Mandy Marshall, events and hiring: 01473 312026 / bookings@capel-trust.freeserve.co.uk

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Village bar: 01473 311766

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CAPEL ST MARY & LITTLE WENHAM COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

IN THE VILLAGE HALL COMPLEX

BT SPORT Available on the Big Screen in the Vine Lounge!

“FUNDAY” SATURDAY 4th June 1pm-5pm At Capel Playing Field Lots to see including “Gemmas Farm” & “Yak Aeroplane Display” Plus local displays and much, much more!

FREE ADMISSION

“A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR 3 MAIN SPONSORS OF THIS EVENT”

T & L BANKS

BONFIELD BROTHERS

DAVID MARTIN GROUP

FREE WI-FI In both Bars!

“KARAOKE” SATURDAY 11th June - DOORS OPEN AT 7.30pm In the Vine Lounge

CARD PAYMENT SERVICE now available!

“BINGO” THURSDAY 16th June - DOORS OPEN AT 7.30pm In the Vine Lounge Books £1 Or 6 Books £5 EYES DOWN 8.30pm

FREE TABLE TENNIS Subject to Hall availability!

The Member’s Draw takes place every Friday night in the Vine Lounge.

BIG CASH PRIZES The winning member must be present in the Village Hall Complex to win or have had a go on the FRIDAY NIGHT DRAW!

“RACE NIGHT” SATURDAY 2nd July - DOORS OPEN AT 7pm In the Village Hall Adults and Children welcome!

Come and have a fun night betting on races Bets £1.00 If you would like to own a horse, these are available @ £5 each!

If your horse wins the race…...you win £20!

To buy Tickets or book Quiz Teams, call in the Village Bar or ring Ruth - 07548130293 Tracy - 07917440459 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE EVENTS MENTIONED ON THIS PAGE VISIT CAPEL VILLAGE BAR FACEBOOK PAGE OR THE WEBSITE

2016 Association Membership Membership renewal is due in January each year. The costs for 2016 are: Junior 16-17 £2.50, Single including Over 65’s £6, Family £10

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

www.capelstmary.org

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OUT & ABOUT BATS PRESENT HOLIDAY SNAP Brantham Amateur Theatrical Society presents Holiday Snap, a comedy by Michael Pertwee and John Chapman, from Thursday, June 9 to Saturday 11 at Brantham Village Hall with performances at 7.30pm.

This tale of comic predicament and mistaken identity unfolds with real wit and style. A Portuguese time-share villa has been double-booked, but the company rep, the myopic tippler Commander ‘Chitto’ Chittenden, is in the dark. When Mary and Henry arrive shortly after Eve and Leslie, Chitto manages to remain unaware that there is more than one couple on the scene. Watch the confusion compound with the missing housekeeper and her husband.

How will the arrival of Henry’s mother-in-law cause even more problems?

Who is the real Sir Piers? Answer these questions by coming along to see this hilarious play.

Tickets are £7 and available from: Bakes & Blossoms Café at Acacia Court / 01206 396674 / 07891 974844 (text).

BRANTHAM BOX OFFICE Film night Wednesdays at Brantham Village Hall; doors open at 7pm, films start at 7.30pm.

Wednesday, June 15: The Lady in the Van (Cert. U) The charming true story of playwright Alan Bennett who forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman (Maggie Smith) living in a van in his driveway.

Wednesday, July 20: Suffragette (Cert. 12) Starring Carey Mulligan, the moving portrayal of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement.

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

Find out more at: Facebook.com/BranthamBoxOffice

BRANTHAM’S ANNUAL MEGA CHARITY GARAGE SALE Saturday, June 11, 9.30am-4.30pm

ACORN VILLAGE FITNESS CHALLENGE

Open garages throughout the village will be selling a treasure trove of household items needing a new home at bargain prices. Look for the balloons and signs throughout Brantham on the A137.

Acorn Village would like to invite you to join in a 12-hour fitness challenge on Monday, June 13 to raise money for adults with learning disabilities. This is Louise’s third year to run the event and she would love you to get involved. Pick up a sponsorship form from the coffee shop, email info@acornvillages.com or visit: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/12hrfitnesschallenge/302776

The village hall will host a table top sale with WI refreshments, handicrafts, preserves and plants. There will be a barbecue, tombola, ice cream van and much, much more.

Ronnie and Yvonne presenting a cheque for £750 to Clic Sargent in 2015

Why not make a day of it, grab a bargain and help the charities? Last year’s grand total was £6,000, with half going to St Elizabeth Hospice (Carla Dawson’s Tribute Fund) and the other half split between Clic Sargent, Lego Therapy at Brooklands School, the Maisie Hayward Charity and Woolverstone Wish at Ipswich Hospital.

Over the last 12 years we’ve raised more than £36,400 for charity, but this year may be our last event unless we get more volunteers to help organise it. Come along and help us make it a huge success.

For more information contact Ronnie Dawson (01206 395557) or Yvonne Amoss (01206 392296).

REPLAY CABARET AND DANCE EVENING Friday, June 24 Tickets are now available for The Friends of St Mary’s annual Replay evening with paella (or veggie alternative) supper.

Tickets are £13 (£12 for members) and are available from Chris Terry (31110) and Ondra Butler (310524).

Please bring your own drinks and glasses.

Numbers are limited so please book early.

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If you can’t make it to Acorn Village why not get a group together for the evening and do 12,000 steps instead (approximately six miles and should take two hours)? Make sure to send us your photos so we can share them. For more information please call 01206 394124.

Our Sunday Service at 4pm on June 26 is open to all. With music from Sounds Alive this is a come and go as you like event.

We are still looking for volunteers. If you love gardening or fancy working in the charity sheds we’d love to hear from you.

HADLEIGH HIDDEN GARDENS Saturday, June 11 Plans are progressing for this popular and enjoyable day. A variety of gardens, both large and small, will be open from 11am-5pm. Refreshments will be available in the church and The Row Chapel will be open for visitors who can also take a guided tour of the medieval Guildhall Complex.

This event is organised by The Friends of St Mary’s Church, a charitable organisation dedicated to preserving the architectural heritage of Hadleigh’s magnificent historic church and deanery tower It is perhaps not as widely known as it should be that some 92% of the buildings in Hadleigh’s long High Street are listed, one of them at Grade 1. How many towns can claim this? Many of these buildings were refronted in earlier times, but the rear elevations often give the game away. So visitors should not limit their time to admiring the three Grade 1 buildings surrounding the churchyard, but get into the town where there are still many attractive town houses and local shops and several side streets also likewise well endowed. www.hadleighgardens.co.uk

In Touch online:

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For you and your family it’s got to be Gotelee

01473 211121 Offices in Ipswich, Hadleigh, Felixstowe, Melton and Woodbridge www.gotelee.co.uk

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OUT & ABOUT CHATTISHAM OPEN GARDENS Sunday, June 19, 11am-5.30pm A great family day out with 14 gardens open in this friendly village.

Visit a wide range of types and ages of gardens including formal, natural and aquatic features. Attractions include plant sales, cakes, lunches, cream teas and a family competition.

Admission £4, accompanied children under 14 free. Tickets on the day.

All proceeds to Chattisham Church Restoration.

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

CAPEL ST MARY GARDEN CLUB On April 28 Rodney Tibbs, who has been growing vegetables in his garden for 50 years, gave us an overview of his experiences. He explained that most of us grow vegetables due to the war years and the ‘Dig for Victory’ ethos.

This necessity turned into a hobby and interest for a lot of people and is very popular to this day. We were shown pictures through the seasons and Ronnie discussed his successes and failures over the years and provided us with some good tips and photographs.

Ronnie also mentioned composting and soil enrichment from our kitchen and garden waste. He showed us an Earthmover composter he purchased for his own garden and while the outlay was expensive, the benefits mean no more heavy ‘turning’ of his waste as necessitated by more traditional compost bins.

He was an enjoyable speaker who had the misfortune to be interrupted mid-session with a fire alarm test in the village hall complex!

A reminder about our Suffolk Punch visit. We leave Capel at 9.30am on Monday, June 20. If anyone has a problem please let Louise (311284) or Eddie (311121) know.

By now members should have all had details of our lunch menu for July 19 at Hintlesham Golf Club. I will need your order and payment by Sunday, July 3 please.

2nd CAPEL ST MARY BROWNIES This term, the Brownies have been hard at work in preparation for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. The beginning of the term saw the girls brainstorming ideas about things that reminded them of the Queen and what they would like to do to celebrate her milestone birthday.

Firstly, the girls got stuck into making crowns, complete with jewels and a fur trim. Their next project is making their very own Royal capes – a messy and fun activity which has definitely brought out the fashion designers within!

There is still a lot of preparation for the girls to do before our very own Brownie Celebration for the Queen in June – all parents are invited, special homemade Brownie invites will be sent out soon!

Also this term, we took the Brownies on a night walk and saw the sights of Capel Castle (and got stuck in some mud). The girls made their own reflective gear and brought their torches to make sure they could be seen in the dark. Although it was tiring, the girls enjoyed being out and about and have now earned their seasons badges – well done girls!

If your daughter is interested in joining Brownies please visit: www.girlguiding.org.uk/joinus

MANNINGTREE & DISTRICT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY The final Open Colour competition of the season drew a large number of entries, gamely judged by Gill Adams. Among the top entries were vivid night-time pictures by Jonathan Day and David Garnham, together with captivating scenes from David Edwards, Jill Sullivan and Russel Maynard.

Entries from our society were submitted for the annual GranvilleFoulger Trophy Competition, held in April and organised by the East Ipswich Camera Club. We achieved third place. A commendable effort against several larger and more well established clubs. The winners were Bury St Edmunds.

Our 2016/17 season will begin in September and run through to May 2017. Another full programme of talks and competitions is promised which we hope will further your enjoyment of this fascinating hobby.

New members are welcome to join the society or may attend initially as a visitor (£3).

We are always happy to welcome new members (£8 a year or £2 if you want to just come to a particular meeting as a visitor). Any queries, please let me know.

Meetings are held at St John’s Centre, Station Road at 7.30pm. For more information please contact our secretary, Margaret: 01206 396958 / madps@post.com

Edwina Cox, chairman, 01473 311121

www.manningtreeanddistrictphotographicsociety.co.uk

TEA & COMPANY

TEA AND CHAT

Monday, June 20 at Wenham View, Dove Close

Tea and Chat will continue to meet bi-monthly in St Mary’s Hall behind the church. We meet for a sociable hour or two from 2.30pm over tea or coffee together with a nice piece of homemade cake. This is totally informal, providing a meeting place for old and young, individually or as a group. A drink and slice of cake is just £1.50.

All welcome to come along from 2.30pm

We welcome you to join us on the following dates (always the third Monday of the month): July 18, September 19 and November 21.

£1.50 for tea/coffee and homemade cakes Raffle Supported by The Capel Ladies

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

Hope to see you there!

Jean Yule, 310992

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OUT & ABOUT CAPEL LADIES CLUB

VILLAGE LINK CLUB

Thursday, April 28 – Visit to Stowmarket Museum of East Anglian Life

Our next meeting will be on June 8 when our talk will be on the Galapagos Islands and dive presented by Lesley Krohn. This talk was originally programmed for May but was a late change due to the unavailability of the speaker.

The Museum of East Anglian Life is one of the biggest museums in Suffolk, occupying more than 80 acres of countryside in the heart of Stowmarket. The land was originally part of the Home Farm for the Abbot’s Hall estate, an outlying medieval manor of St Osyth’s Priory in Essex. It passed through numerous owners until it was purchased by the Longe family in 1903.

Future talks this year will be: Wills, Inheritance Tax and Protecting Assets; Silver and Gemstones; The History of War Memorials; A Naval sailor’s life is a merry life in the 18th and 19th centuries – with music; Creative story writing – new book: Pavements we walk on; Nothing Like a Dame; Dedham, Lavenham and the Cloth Trade; Chaplin of the Methodist Homes; Wolves, Dogs and Us; Easter Parade; The Building of Bury Tower.

Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month in Tattingstone village hall starting at 10am. Following the speaker we have refreshments (when there is time for a chat with other members) and a raffle. New members and visitors are welcome to join us. After the August and February meetings, we normally hold a members’ lunch – funds permitting.

Roger Felgate, 01473 311684

Huge changes in the 1950s and 60s meant England was in danger of losing long established skills, equipment and buildings if something wasn’t done to rescue them. Individual collectors, local farmer Jack Carter and the Suffolk Local History Council worked to collect, preserve and display objects from rural East Anglia. After several years of temporary exhibitions Misses Vera and Ena Longe placed 70 acres of farm land, Abbot’s Hall and its gardens, as well as 18/20 Crowe Street, in trust to be used as a museum. And so the Museum of East Anglian Life opened in 1967 and is a modern memorial to this foresight and vision.

The party of Capel Ladies (plus two Capel gents) began their visit with a delicious lunch at the on-site Osier Cafe, where an ex-member, Joan Molle, joined us. Catherine, our guide, then took us into the huge tithe barn to tell us the story of how the museum began, and how it has evolved since. We then walked to Crowe Street Cottages, two semidetached dwellings near the entrance to the museum, which had been built in the early 18th century as farm-workers’ cottages, and which had been occupied until the 1960s.

Afterwards we were free to explore buildings and displays on the rest of the site, and the exhibits we saw included a Victorian schoolroom, some shops laid out like the early 50s, and a collection of gypsy caravans. There was so much to see none of us could do it justice in the time remaining, but after this taster we all decided that we would each pay a further visit later in the year.

For further information visit: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk Thursday, May 5 – Frock Horror! talk by Pauline Baker Our speaker in May was Pauline Baker, a dress designer who had gained her qualifications at Leicester College of Art. With her love of the performing arts she got a job at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where she started as a ‘finisher’, working on ballet costumes as part of a team. Here, she sometimes got to see some of the rehearsals in between sewing tasks, including at one time Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn.

After this she worked as a maintenance wardrobe master, responsible for supervising all wardrobe-related activities during the course of a theatrical run. She then became a dresser and was back to sewing costumes, working at the BBC Studios at Shepherds Bush as well as at Ealing Studios. After a break in her career to have her family she decided to go freelance and worked for different television companies on various drama series.

Future entertaining activities for Capel Ladies include our summer social, Fun Day stall, evening river cruise and a walk at Felixstowe. See anything you like? Then join us.

For more information visit: www.capelladies.com

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STOUR VALLEY U3A On Wednesday, May 11 Dr Roger Simpson BFA Calgary, MA Victoria and PhD Essex Universities, talked on John Constable – Man in a Landscape. He asked that having seen The Hay Wain so often do we no longer see it at all? He also confirmed that Constable was one of the greatest religious painters that this country has ever produced.

Meet the U3A Coffee Morning Friday, June 17 Members and potential new members are invited to join us at the Constable Hall on Friday, June 17 at 10am. The benefits of joining our U3A will be explained together with details of the many activities of the interest groups. The committee and interest group leaders will be present to answer your queries and light refreshments will be provided.

On Wednesday, July 13 Brian Cornell, a former Thames lighterman on the River Thames, will talk on The Thames Watermen and Lightermen.

This promises to be an interesting first-hand account of the operating practices of the Port of London in the post-war era.

We don’t have a speaker meeting in August but hold our popular Summer Dinner on Friday, August 5 at the Constable Hall.

On Wednesday, September 14 Dr John Ashdown-Hill FSA, FRHistS, historian, writer and lecturer will talk on Mythology of Richard III. He will explore the traditional mythology and modern myths which have emerged since the discovery of his remains in 2012. Was he a usurper?

How many did he kill? Who was really responsible for finding his remains?

We meet at The Constable Hall, Gandish Road, East Bergholt CO7 6TP at 2.15pm. Annual membership costs £12 a year and this entitles members to attend the meetings that take place on the second Wednesday of each month, except August and December.

Our main purpose is to encourage lifelong learning for those who are no longer in full time employment and emphasis is always placed on making learning active and fun as well as helping in developing friendships. We have a wide range of groups including language study, country walking, 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, & Stratford St Mary. We are affiliated to the ThirdAge Trust, and have more than 230 members and 21 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 across 969 U3As throughout the UK today.

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

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OUT & ABOUT CAPEL ST MARY WI We are pleased to inform you that our spring lunch held in March to celebrate HM Queen Elizabeths II’s 90th birthday made a profit of approximately £250. This will enable us to make donations to both the village War Memorial and to Denman WI College.

Amanda Brinkley was our speaker in April and she gave us a very informative slide show on Sizewell C. While it showed that EDF have been very aware of environmental issues, I felt there were both advantages and disadvantages of this new site.

Our book group’s recent novel, The Swimmer by Roma Tearne, was set in Suffolk. Despite this novel having many likable characters it received mixed reviews with only half the group feeling they would recommend it.

It’s hard to believe that when you read this it will be June. The Queen’s birthday celebrations will be in full flow and our WI will have hosted the refreshment stall at Capel Fun Day. Our next two meetings at the village hall are: Thursday, June 9: The work of DEBRA, the national charity that supports individuals and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), with Audrea Newman Thursday, July 14: A Life on the Road with Peter King

WEA CAPEL ST MARY BRANCH Summer outing to Audley End, Sunday, July 10 Audley End House is a largely early 17th century country house outside Saffron Walden, Essex. It was once a prodigy house, a palace in all but name and renowned as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England.

The extensive park was designed by Capability Brown and the walled kitchen garden has been beautifully restored. There is a cafe and a tea room. Everyone is most welcome to join us.

• Price of outing including entrance fee: £35 • Price of coach for English Heritage members: £21 • Depart Capel St Mary Shopping Precinct at 9.15am • Depart Audley End at 4.30pm For bookings or further details contact: Beryl Ellul, 310350 / Veronica Bramer, 310685

CAPEL ST MARY COUNTRYSIDE CLUB At our last meeting before the summer break we had a very informative talk by Ann Day from Ipswich Tourist Information Centre on Ipswich Waterfront.

Using slides and old pictures she showed us how the waterfront has evolved through the centuries since the first Anglo Saxon settlement to the present day student accommodation, apartments and restaurants.

This was a very interesting talk for members as some could remember the old factories and buildings before the new developments.

The speaker drew our attention to the guided walks being organised from May to September, starting from the Tourist Information Centre at St Steven’s Church on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and a few evenings.

Our next meeting is on September 13 and the subject will be North Carolina.

See you after the summer break.

Doreen Parker

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In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

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OUT & ABOUT CAPEL ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION’S GUIDE TO GARDENING IN JUNE info@capelallotments.co.uk / www.capelallotments.co.uk

LAWNS Mow weekly. Apply weed, feed and moss killer.

ALLOTMENT NEWS SUMMER BBQ (RIO and RIBS) 2016

Hoe weekly or apply a weed killer. Kill weeds on paths and drives.

Top-dress containers and feed weekly.

Members and their guests can join us from 5.30pm on the allotment site on Saturday, July 30. Join in the games, quiz and treasure hunt or sit back and relax. A three-course meal plus cheese board will be served from around 7.30pm. B.Y.O drinks. Teas and coffee available all night from our pop-up kitchen. Tickets (£8.50) are available from The Hut, Graham or info@capelallotments.co.uk.

THE VEG PLOT

POND & WILDLIFE AREA

NEWS FLASH BBQ (RIO and RIBS) TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW

Plant brassicas, sweetcorn, leeks and celery. Sow or plant runner beans in two rows 2½ to 3 feet apart, cross canes as low as 3 feet from the ground to allow the maximum number of beans to hang outwards and grow straight for easy picking and for the show bench. Tie in other canes at 45o and through the cross over point to strengthen the structure. Sow salad crops; French beans, carrots and swede. Plant marrows, courgettes and tomatoes. Earth up potatoes. Harvest asparagus, new potatoes, carrots, peas and broad beans and Japanese onions. Thin seeds sown in May.

The daffodils and snakes head fritillaries have been magnificent, the bluebells and wood anemones are starting to bulk up and the shrubs and perennials are making an impact with a stunning array of colour. There is an established stock of newts in the deeper water and a myriad of pond skaters, diving beetles, water snails and dragon fly larvae.

FRUIT

Membership is just £5 a year and anyone can join.

Spray fruit trees and soft fruit and protect against raspberry beetle and red spider mites. Protect fruit and plants from bird attacks with netting.

SSALG STAND AT THE SUFFOLK SHOW, JUNE 1 & 2

GREENHOUSE

BONFIRE

Ventilate, provide shade and maintain humidity. Water daily. Take softwood and semi-ripe cuttings. Sow hardy perennials. Plant tomato, cucumber, pepper and aubergines. Feed weekly when fruits begin to swell with tomato feed (£2.50 per ltr.) Pinch out melon plants at four leaf stage and hand pollinate.

FLOWERS Plant half-hardy annuals. Tie in sweet peas. Cut back flowered heather’s.

Plant containers with summer bedding. Stake tall herbaceous plants.

Mulch borders.

STOUR VALLEY MEN’S PROBUS CLUB On Wednesday, May 4 Grant Elliot presented the musical story The History of Jazz and on Wednesday, May 18 Harry Parsons gave a most interesting talk about the building of the Millennium Tower at Bury St Edmunds.

On Wednesday, June 1 John Field will present Giles, The Cartoonist, and his Adopted Town and on June 15 John Tingey will talk about the great work undertaken by the RNLI. On July 6 Lewis Tyler will talk about The River Gipping Trust and David Brown will present a talk entitled The Land of the Dragon on July 20. Our popular summer lunch takes place at the Lawford Venture Centre on Sunday, July 17.

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 providing the opportunity for development of acquaintances. New members are welcomed.

We meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month at St John Ambulance HQ, Manningtree CO11 1EB at 10.30am.

For further details please contact secretary Brian Rolfe: 01206 393665

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PHOTOGRAPHY TROPHY 2106 The 2016 subjects are: Open Sky or Sun Sets, Taken in Capel St Mary, Weather Extreme, Reflections or Shadows, Photo of Your Choice.

JOIN ‘N’ SAVE

Dennis and Graham are again growing plants to fill two raised beds. Our thanks to Kings Seeds for providing the seeds for this project.

The bonfire will be closed from Monday, June 20, re-opening on Friday, August 5. Please keep materials on your plot.

OPEN GARDENS Many local villages are opening their gardens this month.

Visit www.opengardens.co.uk, click on the date search and add month and county.

A more extensive version of this report appears on our website: www.capelallotments.co.uk

CRAFTERS UNLIMITED Monday, June 6: Talk and demonstration on basketry Monday, July 4: Heartysoft clay (Janet) Other kits are available and samples of each month’s project are displayed the month before.

Saturday workshops (10am-4pm) and Monday meetings (7.30-10pm) are held in Wherstead Village Hall Meeting Rooms. For more information contact Ann (01473 780298) or Jill (01473 713534).

CAPEL ST MARY CARPET BOWLS Our April AGM is a distant memory. We found a secretary – thank you Robert for stepping into the breech. Thank you too to the retiring secretary, Louise, for eight years of service and for easing Robert into the new job. We could do with some more committee members, but business goes on as usual.

So the usual cry goes out, do come along on a Tuesday afternoon or a Wednesday evening to see what the game is all about. It won’t cost you anything and the least you can get is tea and biscuits (more on a Wednesday). But beware you might get hooked on the game.

For more details speak to any player or contact Mr Carpet Bowls (Ernie): 310628

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

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In Touch online:

SCHOOLS BENTLEY CEVC PRIMARY SCHOOL

CAPEL ST MARY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Hooray, summer is finally here and at Bentley CEVC Primary School, we are making the most of it. Learning and fun go hand in hand and we have been taking part in a host of practical activities to support our topic work and beyond.

Finally some lovely weather arrives and we are able to spread out onto our massive field. It’s at times like this that we feel incredibly privileged to have such a huge outdoor space for the children to use – many town schools struggle with much less space than we take for granted.

We are so incredibly proud of our Year 5 and 6 pupils. The Year 6 pupils conducted themselves magnificently throughout the whole of the SATs process and no matter what the outcome, we can say hand on heart that every single one of them tried their very best and gave it their all. Well done. The Year 5 and 6 netball team competed in the pyramid netball competition at East Bergholt High School, going up against teams from much bigger schools but demonstrating what a tight knit group they are.

Year 5 also had a series of assessments while the Year 6 pupils sat their tests and equally gave it their best. They have shown a confidence and determination that will put them in good stead for moving up to the final year of primary in September.

Adventurous explorers from Adders class ventured out into the grounds for a special Forest Schools day, making wattle and daub from straw (kindly donated by the White family) and mud to enhance their practical understanding of life in the Anglo-Saxon period. This topic has now been completed and Adders class are now working on the human body and how to keep healthy. When the dental team came in to talk about how diet affects your health and your teeth, they brought with them disclosing tablets that show how well we really brush our teeth; we had great fun with huge purple grins in class for the afternoon but learnt some really important things about dental hygiene along the way.

Wolves class have been just as hands on this term with their topic on butterflies. They have had caterpillars in class that have now turned into chrysalises and we are eagerly awaiting the hatching of our own beautiful butterflies. They have been looking at ‘warm’ and ‘cold’ colours, blending colours and creating wonderful butterfly pictures using a variety of techniques.

The whole school took part in a special Ascension Day where we were again supported by The Rev Don Mehen from St Mary’s Church and Craig Whale from Bentley Baptist Church. The children took part in a range of activities including putting the order of the events leading up to the Ascension in order, making and decorating crosses and making sculptures from paper cups and cotton wool of Jesus ascending into heaven. We all learnt a great deal from the day and we can’t wait to put all the children’s work on display in the school hall.

We are very excited to share with you that we are taking on an additional part-time teacher from September with the growing number of pupils here at Bentley, particularly at the lower end of the school. Miss Becca Wilding has previous experience of teaching children in Reception and KS1 and is very excited about joining our school team. The interviews for this post were supported by three of our children, Nathan, Charlie and Dylan, who were extremely professional in their approach. Not only did they have fantastic questions, but they were also able to follow up answers with additional questions too. Some super skills that will support them well into future life. Well done boys.

We have been asked by some local families about the wrap around care we provide here at Bentley so we thought it worth sharing with you some of the things we do. Our breakfast club runs every morning from 8am and provides a host of activities for the children attending, games mornings, homework catch-up, Wii Sports mornings and art sessions to name but a few. Next term they are even offering a special Forensic Crime Lab club on Friday mornings. After school care is provided by Copdock After School Club who send cars to take the children to their site next to Copdock Primary School. Our aim is to make coming to our school as accessible as possible to our families and to ensure each child is given every opportunity to thrive.

Finally, we are pleased to announce that the new school website is up and running. The next time you are surfing, please take a few minutes to have a look round the site: www.bentley.suffolk.sch.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

Each unit is as busy as ever with exciting projects and lots of learning.

In our Early Years, Nursery and Foundation children are having fun learning about animals and habitats. They have even made a huge rainforest in one corner of the classroom with snakes, monkeys, leopards and much more hidden amongst the leaves and trees. The children also had a go at maypole dancing to celebrate the May Day holiday which was enjoyed by parents and grandparents at a special show.

In Unit 1, children are learning all about two very important people from history and art, Columbus and his explorations and Lowry and his paintings, perfect for this term as they spend lots of time sketching and drawing outside. They are also growing lots of plants this term to see how seeds grow and how some of our vegetables develop.

In Unit 2, children are learning all about healthy living and how to have healthy teeth and healthy bodies. The ‘tooth fairy’ lady has come in for several lessons to show children what teeth are like and how to look after them. Do you remember using the plaque disclosing tablets when you were at school, where your teeth went red? They are even going to have a go at that. The children also looked at the new sugar app and discovered how much sugar was in different products. In some cases it was terrifying. Makes you think twice about that little treat… Reach for a piece of fresh fruit instead.

In Unit 3, children are preparing for their tests and Year 6 are getting ready for high school. In addition they have Bikeability coming up, activity weeks and an end of year production – very busy! Alongside this they are also learning lots about how bodies work and what’s inside.

There have been some very exciting lessons where they have found out what happens to food as it travels through our digestive systems using plastic bags and pairs of tights – very noisy and urrg!

Our PE this term has been very challenging as Units 1, 2 and 3 have extra coaching to prepare for inter-class competitions like mini-Olympics.

We have had school teams enter basketball, netball and football competitions. The Year 6 team even came first in the cross-country competition held at Holbrook on a chilly day in March. The netball team came second in their recent competition and are due to attend the finals at the end of May, and the basketball team reached the county finals and came seventh in the whole county, an amazing result. We are so very proud of their achievements and their great team play and sporting attitudes.

I hope this gives a really positive flavour of the fun and exciting things thae children do when they are with us. Often in the news today schools are thinking about tests and scores and Ofsted, but even in this climate of change and challenge our children still have a fantastic experience. We work hard to make sure we work our children hard, but also make sure they have fun and feel good about themselves.

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SCHOOLS / SPORT ROBIN’S NEWS

CAPEL PLOUGH FOOTBALL CLUB

Baby Bears

The village football club finished its season in early May with the four adult teams and eight youth sides all enjoying a well deserved break.

After leading the Senior Division of the Suffolk and Ipswich league last October and November the Saturday first team could not maintain their excellent early season form and ended up in seventh position after losing seven games by the odd goal.

The Baby Bears have been making the most of the wonderful weather, spending lots of time outdoors playing in the garden. They have had a great time eating snack and picnic teas on the decking area and their handprint minibeasts and summertime artwork have been displayed in the garden, making it look much brighter and summery. Something new that the Bears have tried is painting on tin foil and we think the end result looks fab displayed in the room.

Toddling Tigers

At the club’s presentation night on April 30 the leading scorer award went to Stephen Morrison while other awards were handed out to Gary Collins and Shaun Webb. A new manager is required for our reserves who finished second bottom in the senior reserve league after having problems finding enough players to play some weeks despite having 35 players signed on, something which is not uncommon in today’s local football. Leading goalscorer went to Joe Bigmore with Kieran Tynan winning clubman of the year.

The Tigers have created and explored a jungle in their room. Sharing Handa’s experience from the beautiful story Handa’s Surprise has been such good fun, looking at all the animals of Africa and finding them in the jungle. There has also been lots of different yummy fruit tasting including avocado, guava, passion fruit and pineapple.

Our Sunday team finished mid table after most of the players seem to enjoy their football despite one or two having to play with a hangover from the previous night. Our Veterans (over 35) team played some good football although they also struggled to field a full side some weeks and had to call some games off.

Gruffalos

The club would like to thank all the youth coaches who give up their spare time so that local youngsters can learn more about the game they love. We have had a few youth players from the club who have gone on to play professional football so if you keep working hard you never know where you might end up.

May has been a busy month in the Gruffalos! We have planted the rocket seeds, watered, monitored and measured, carefully recording the results for the RHS Rocket Seed Campaign. We are looking forward to finding out whether it was the seeds in the blue or red packet that have been on the International Space Station! Tim Peake will be sending a message to let us know.

We have also been learning about the life cycle of chickens by observing some eggs in an incubator, watching them hatch (it was so eggciting!)! and then caring for them. The children very carefully held the chicks, noticing how soft and fluffy they were.

June will bring more fun and we look forward to celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday.

If you would like any information about Robin’s Childcare please contact Vicki on 01473 310767, visit www.robinschildcare.co.uk or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

TRAMPOLINING: A SPORT FOR ALL Did you know there is a trampolining club that runs a class on Sunday mornings between 10am and noon in Capel Village Hall?

We have with a fully qualified coach and good quality trampolines which means a large range of moves on the trampoline can be taught in a safe and fun way.

There is a friendly atmosphere with people of many abilities and you don’t have to be a great sports person to have a go and you may well surprise yourself on how well you can do.

Don’t be shy, come and have a go. Just come along on a Sunday morning for a free try; see VILLAGE HALL DIARY on page 16 for details.

Coach Sharon Haddock Club Chairman Richard Warr

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Finally, as well as a reserve team manager the club are also looking for more behind the scenes help on Saturday afternoons so if interested please contact club secretary Bob Morrison on 01473 311651. Enjoy the summer break.

Many thanks to all those who supported our 100 Club this season. The recent winners were as follows.

March: 1st Andy Mcdonald, 2nd John Revell, 3rd Shaun Cubbins April: 1st Stephen King, 2nd Brenda Nicholson, 3rd Alex Brown May: 1st Paul Morrison, 2nd Daniel Alderson, 3rd Christine Challenger Bob the Ploughman

EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB Well, the 2015/6 season has just completed and it has to be said that it has been a pretty good season for the club on the pitch.

Having said that, the First Team will be disappointed with a third place finish in the Senior Division after leading the pack for a number of weeks.

However injuries to key players as the fixtures came thick and fast in the run proved to be too much and they settle for third spot.

The Reserves did continue their good run though and finished as runners-up. The A Team as previously reported ended up in a very creditable third position in the table.

After a number of years at the helm, Tony Moss has decided to step down as chairman. He has led the club to a position of some strength at a time when many clubs are struggling, indeed a number have folded, so we are sorry that he is taking a break. Nonetheless this offers the opportunity for new people to join in the running of the club, continuing the progress that has achieved while Tony has been in the chair.

AGM: Wednesday, June 15, 8pm at Gandish Road We are always looking for people who can help the club as a committee member, whether it be on the playing side or just in the background.

If you would like to sponsor the club in some capacity we would also be delighted to hear from you. Club strips, dugouts, banners or boards on matchdays are all potential for exposure for your business while supporting a local organisation.Steve Butcher, secretary, stevebutcher55@btinternet.com

In Touch online:

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

Shimmy, Shake, Wiggle & Giggle to Dance Fitness Fun

"Strictly" style Dance-a-cise

St Mary's Church Hall

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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janet@fundancing.co.uk www.fundancing.co.uk FunDancing.Suffolk FunDancing

In Touch online:

SPORT / ON THE GRAPEVINE CAPEL ST MARY BOWLS CLUB The waiting is over and our season is now underway. As always the lead in has been hectic. Firstly, a big vote of thanks to all those who came along on April 17 to help get the club open for play, and not forgetting those who undertook tasks ahead of the day.

More than 16 members took part either on the day or before, which is an excellent effort. Our new veranda is almost completed, with just a couple of teething problems to resolve. On the social front, our pre-season dinner on Saturday, April 23, attended by 28 members and guests, was dedicated to the Queen’s 90th birthday and our pavilion was decorated with balloons, bunting and table decorations. Everyone joined in the spirit of the evening by donning something in red, white and blue, which gave the pavilion a lovely atmosphere (see photo). Thanks to Pam and Malcolm Peers for organising, and to all the ladies who helped with catering.

Sunday, April 24 saw our annual opening drive. We had 24 attend on a bitterly cold afternoon. We played two games, which were enjoyable (apart from the cold). Most decided to stop play after two games and retreated to the pavilion to warm up with tea and coffee. However eight people played on. As usual there was good camaraderie and we got the season started in style.

As I go to press, our leagues season has just started with unusual warm and sunny weather. Both squads have high expectations in their respective leagues, but time will tell.

IMPORTANT DATES Saturday, June 4: Capel Fun Day Saturday, June 11: First round of Club Singles competition Saturday, June 18: President’s Day/Burman Bowl

MAKE A NEW FRIEND AND CHANGE A VULNERABLE PERSON’S LIFE! The Befriending Scheme is looking for volunteers, aged 16+,​to become One-to-One Befrienders for vulnerable people in Suffolk.

Our members may have a learning disability, be rurally isolated, elderly or suffer with mild mental health illness. You might share shopping trips,​ a coffee, mutual hobbies ​or simply have a chat about your favourite things. There are over 130 people in our county, some in your area, who would love to find a​friend, but the right person hasn’t yet come forward.

One success story is Duncan, who became a Befriender last year. From helping at a Hub group each week, he formed a friendship with David, agreeing to become his One-to-One link.

They regularly enjoy socialising together and there has been a big improvement in his David’s quality of life, with support being provided

by The Befriending Scheme to help manage changes to his life to improve wellbeing and ensure the help needed from social care is now being received. Duncan has played a crucial role in supporting his friend too. Duncan said: “Befriending is one of the most rewarding ways to give your time, making a connection and a difference in someone’s life day to day and since I have been here I have seen how life changing that is.

“It’s important to understand that you are not there to help cook, clean or tidy up, just as a friend. Like any friendship there challenges, but you get through them together. Each small victory is one that you can both enjoy and every obstacle is a challenge you can both overcome. I’d encourage anyone to get involved with befriending because you get just as much from it as your new friend does.”

We match every link to make sure the right friends meet and are supported. There are no fixed times, just what is mutually convenient between you and your link.

If you would like to find out more or to become a Befriender, please contact Rob Taylor: 01787 371333 / info@thebefriendingscheme.org.uk

Saturday, July 9: Station Garage Trophy Saturday, July 23: Ferrari Cup Please do your best to support club events.

Jack High

GIVE VOLLEYBALL A TRY THIS SUMMER Volleyball is loads of fun and a very friendly game. It’s the only highenergy, no-contact mixed team sport you can play indoors and outdoors.

It’s energetic enough to help with your fitness but without placing high demands on your body, and good teamwork is important as well as individual skill. This summer is the perfect time to give volleyball a go and find out why it is one of the top three most-played sports in the world!

Stowmarket VC play on the Recreation Ground on Tuesday and Sunday evenings (all sessions are subject to weather and other fixtures).

All sessions are completely free!

The clubs are happy to accommodate people who want to play either competitively or at a more recreational level. All sessions are organised by a qualified coach who also gives playing advice to each individual. So why not go along and take a look? If you like what you see please introduce yourself and you will be very welcome to participate in a session under no obligation. To find out more, visit: www.suffolkvolleyball.org.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

VOLUNTEERS MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND Well, the hospice world that is!

Currently St Helena Hospice has approximately 800 volunteers of all ages giving their time to support the hospice in lots of different ways, whether on a regular basis or every so often to help at events for example. All of its volunteers play a vital part in the work that it does, and as its services expand, so does it need its volunteer team to!

Volunteering is a great way to increase confidence and make new friends, learn new skills, gain experience in a work environment and most importantly make a difference. By donating your precious time and valuable skills you could save the hospice money which it can use to support patients and their families and carers.

The hospice recently spoke to Bev Adams, one of its volunteers who works on the reception desk at its Inpatient Unit, Myland Hall, about what she would say to someone thinking about volunteering: “Do it. You would get so much satisfaction and you would know you’re helping to support people in your community. Those few hours from your day could make a huge difference to someone else’s.”

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer for St Helena Hospice like Bev please contact the volunteer team: 01206 931466 / volunteer@sthelenahospice.org.uk For all current volunteer and paid roles visit: sthelenahospice.org.uk/vacancies

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ON THE GRAPEVINE EBONY’S BLOG Life at The Shelley Centre

I’ve had a very interesting month since I last wrote. With my door almost permanently hooked open I have had lots to look at. Firstly, I’ve been watching Chloë Perry on her six months volunteering part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, which will count towards her Bronze award. She is 15 and a pupil at Hadleigh High School. Even though she has nearly finished helping Lyn up here she is hoping to keep on visiting on Mondays after school to help with the riding sessions. Good for you Miss Perry.

Six of our riders came for an Own a Pony day last month. They were really lucky with the weather and had a wonderful time. They had to put down the beds in the stables, have a snack, fetch in the ponies and groom them, have lunch outside in the yard, do a quiz, hack out

or practise dressage in the arena, have another snack, remount to play musical sacks in the arena, turn the ponies out and then have tea and prizes. Notice what they missed? Apart from washing the bits after riding, nobody had time to clean tack! Ha ha, you got away with it this time, kids, but I saw you.

In the photos you can see Abbie leading in Parys; Mia setting off to groom her pony; Lyn leading a warm-up session and (from left to right) Jack, Millie, Abbie, Howie, Mia and Jennifer showing off their certificates and rosettes.

This just leaves me to remind you about our Fun Dog Show on July 9. See our web page for details. Come and meet me and Babs in situ; we might have learnt to bark by then. www.rda-east.org.uk/shelley.html / 01473 824172

QUESTIONS ON CASH With independent financial advisor Nick Plumb A platform for investment success? Allan from Ipswich wrote to me to ask about investment platforms. He asked: “Our financial adviser is suggesting that my wife and I should move our existing investments onto a platform with Novia. We have ISAs with different companies and Investment Bonds with Aviva and Prudential.

Surely we would be better to keep these spread between several different companies rather than having all our eggs in the same basket?”

Investment platforms have become very popular in the last few years, for a number of reasons. Primarily, the main attraction of these platforms is investment choice. An investment platform will usually offer access to a range of investment wrappers, such as ISAs, collective investments, bonds and pensions, within which investors will have access to hundreds and in some cases, thousands of individual investment funds, and in particular, to managed portfolios, where a professional fund manager actively manages a portfolio of investments for you in line with your chosen risk profile.

No single fund manager will ever be top in all investment sectors and most fund managers have a specialist area in which they are known to have particular knowledge or ability. That is where a ‘portfolio’ manager will come into their own, as they can pick the very best investment managers and funds from each sector, thus giving you as an investor access to a wide choice of the best funds, rather than a range of funds that are ‘jack of all trades but master of none’.

You can also save money on charges by using a platform, particularly when you have older investments with high ongoing management charges, or if you currently have your ISAs with a lot of different fund managers. For example, in the case of Novia, our clients can access their platform for just 0.40% per annum with no initial charges deducted when you invest.

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Most platform managers will also have negotiated discounted initial and ongoing charges with many top fund managers, so you can often end up paying less to access those funds through the Novia platform than you would by investing direct with the individual fund or portfolio managers.

Having all your investments on a platform is not really a case of ‘having all your eggs in the same basket’, as the platform manager would not actually hold your money. Your investments would actually be held by each of the fund or portfolio managers that your money would be invested with, so your exposure to any one company will be greatly reduced as your investments are likely to be spread across several different investment managers and funds.

A final benefit of using a platform is simplicity and ease of access to information. Although you can hold many different investments on the same platform, you will receive just one statement from the platform provider, showing all your individual investments and their values. You can also access your account online at any time and get up-to-date investment valuations in between your usual statement dates, arrange a withdrawal or income payment, and even conduct investment fund switches if you wish to.

All in all, a platform can be a good way to simplify your current investment arrangements, and reduce your ongoing charges.

Nick Plumb is an Independent Financial Adviser and Practice Principal at Plumb Financial Services. Post your questions to Nick at Plumb Financial Services, Baylham Business Centre, Lower Street, Baylham, Suffolk IP6 8JP, email nickplumb@aol.com, or telephone Nick on 01473 830301.

Nick’s answers to reader’s questions in this column are provided only as a general guide and do not constitute personal financial advice.

Any readers who require advice should contact Nick to arrange a complimentary initial consultation to discuss their own position.

In Touch online:

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CHURCH NEWS CHRISTIANS in Capel The members of all the churches foster a closer fellowship and understanding between the respective Christian communities in Capel St Mary. They endeavour to co-ordinate common interests and where practical share common resources to meet specific needs.

COMING UP IN JUNE Dear parishioners and friends,

For times and details of Sunday services, Alpha and Home/Life Groups, please contact one of the following: The Parish Church, St Mary the Virgin The Rev Canon Jim Pendorf The Rectory, Days Road, Capel 01473 312225 / 07973 265037 The Catholic Church Father Christopher Smith, St Mark’s Church 180 Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich 01473 684963 Capel Community Church David Owen, 18 Bushey Close, Capel www.capelcommunitychurch.org.uk 01473 310454 / 07752 921135 The Methodist Church The Rev Andrew Sankey 8 Roundridge Road, Capel St Mary www.capelmethodistchurch.org.uk 01473 311178 / 07726 299968 INTER-CHURCH MIDWEEK ACTIVITIES The following church groups welcome new members: TREKKERS For ages 7-11, meets on Thursdays at the Methodist Church from 3.45 to 5.15pm during school term time. Contact Carolyn Love, 01473 311490 YOUTH GROUP Fridays at The Methodist Church, 7-9pm, for school years 7-9.

Contact The Rev Andrew Sankey, 01473 311178 PARENTS AND TODDLERS • Tuesday – 9-11.30am, Capel Community Church, Days Road Contact Margaret Beard: 01473 311219 • Wednesday – 9-11.30am, Busy Bees, Methodist Church Contact Maggie Boswell: 01473 310766 • Wednesday – 10am-noon, Twins & Multiples Group at CCC Contact Chris Matthews: 01473 311368 • Thursday – 1.45-3.30pm, Butterflies, St Mary’s Church Hall Contact Ondra Butler: 01473 310524 SENIOR CITIZENS’ LUNCH CLUBS • First Monday, Capel Community Church, 01473 311368 • Third Tuesday, St Mary’s Church Hall, 01473 310596 • Last Thursday, Methodist Church, 01473 310635 NETWORK FELLOWSHIP Third Tuesday, from 2.30pm, Methodist Church. Anyone welcome to come to the meeting. Contact Judy Steward, 01473 310799 BEACON COFFEE SHOP EVERY TUESDAY 9am-12.30pm, in the Vine Lounge, Capel Village Hall AEROBICS AT CAPEL METHODIST CHURCH Fridays from 10.45-11.45am, Young at Heart (slower paced).

Contact Jill Sharp, 01473 311546 PILATES • Tuesdays – 7 and 8.10pm, Capel Methodist Church • Fridays – 9.30am, Capel Methodist Church Contact Jill Sharp, 01473 311546

Did you know one of the best secrets in the district is All Saints Church, Little Wenham, less than a mile from the Parish Church of St Mary’s on The Street.

Although the building and churchyard are vested in the Churches Conservation Trust, their current policy is to keep all their buildings accessible all year round. One of my minor duties is to visit at least once a week to ensure the south door is left on the latch for easy entry and to keep the attractive noticeboard tidy with a list of current service times for the month at Capel and Great Wenham. As there is no electricity supply, an annual service is held every June. This year Evensong will take place at 6pm on Sunday, June 5, to which everyone is invited. I will preach (but not for too long!).

There is nothing better than a leisurely stroll on a warm June day to put the world to rights. Last year some 50 folk came along, some with picnic baskets. I hope more folk come along this year as it is the only time in the year that this lovely little church is used as it was intended in worship and praise.

On Wednesday, June 8, the new Bishop of Dunwich, the Right Reverend Mike Harrison, will be speaking at a 7.30pm open meeting of the Samford Deanery Synod St Mary’s Church IP9 2EL. This will be his first official visit to Capel, ahtough he has already preached at the 9.30am Service of Mattins at St John’s, Great Wenham on April 17.

On Sunday, June 12, there will be a special Ecumenical Evening Service at the Methodist Church to celebrate HM The Queen’s 90th official birthday.

I hope there will be standing room only for this unique occasion.

On Friday June 24, the Friends of St Mary’s will be holding their annual and very popular Replay evening with paella (or veggie alternative) supper in the church hall. Tickets are £13 (£12 for members) and are available from Chris Terry (311102) and Ondra Butler (310524). Numbers are limited so please book early. Please bring your own drinks and glasses.

St Mary’s second wedding of the season will take place on Friday, July 1, the 49th for my wife Sharon’s and I. This will be followed on July 16, August 13 at Great Wenham, and Bank Holiday Sunday, August 28. There is already a booking for June 22, 2017. It’s good there are still couples prepared to make such a life-long commitment.

Every blessing to you and yours throughout a pleasant summer.

Faithfully and fondly your priest and friend,

R.O.M.E.O. Lunch for Men at The Harvest Moon, Capel First Thursday, 12.30pm. Book with Peter Ellis: 01473 310096

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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 front door.

SERVICES FOR JUNE Sunday 5 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9am Mass Tuesday 7 9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass Sunday 12 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9am Mass Tuesday 14 9.20am

Eucharistic Adoration 10am

Mass Sunday 19 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9am Mass: Children’s Liturgy Tuesday 21 9.30am

Morning Prayer 10am

Mass Sunday 26 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9am Mass Tuesday 28 9.30am Morning Prayer 10am Mass Catholic Commentary Catholics have been urged by their bishops to reflect carefully when casting their vote in the referendum. We must think of the future generations and the consequences not only for the United Kingdom but for Europe and the world. They say three things are essential: prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit; listening to/reading both sides of the debate; exercising our vote with a view to the common good of all.

Of course the church is not telling Catholics how to vote, so the bishops’ statement should not fuel the old prejudice that we do as our priests tell us.

In the statement we are reminded how the European project has been shaped by the ideals of peace, subsidiary and solidarity. In the Treaty of Rome trade was harnessed to peace and we can recall how the nations of Europe recovered from the war and grew in prosperity. Now again we need to think how to promote justice and peace. Our focus should be on the human person, not reduced to economic pros and cons. Christians hold dear the dignity of the human person, of all people, around inalienable values and in the face of every issue we should ask how this dignity can be served in Europe and beyond.

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 from 10.30am to noon. We are raising funds for the Parish Room refurbishment and all are very welcome to join us. The next event is on Thursday, June 30.

Supporting our local hospice All parishioners are being asked to collect used postage stamps, all year, not just at Christmas, and to 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.

All are very welcome at Holy Family, Brantham All are very welcome to attend Holy Family services. It is not necessary to be a Catholic and enquiries about the Catholic Faith are always welcome.

Please contact the presbytery, as above, or a local person whom you know is a Catholic.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/capelcapers

CAPEL METHODIST CHURCH HOW DO YOU MAKE DECISIONS? Have you ever been invited to walk across hot coals? How did you decide whether to do it or not? As I arrived at a venue for a motivational talk there was a huge fire burning outside the venue. The speaker said we could, if we chose, walk across the hot burning coals, with the flames leaping five or six metres into the air. Most people’s reaction was no-way would they walk through that! By the time we got outside it was dusk, the flames were dying down and the coals had become glowing embers.

They laid the burning coals to form a long glowing carpet, two metres wide about 70mm deep. At intervals there was a person preparing you to walk across these hot coals with bare feet. By the time I got to the front of the queue, I had seen many people cross and appear unscathed the other side. I was glad not to be the first – it gave me the confidence as others had done it and now I have the certificate to prove that I did it. It felt great!

When someone is willing to lead it makes it easier for others to have the courage to follow. As a nation, we have a decision to make in the referendum this month. How are you going to make that decision? I still think that many of us are unsure, we don’t know all the facts and both sides are interpreting the facts and the potential outcomes in a particular way to support their view. This leaves us not knowing quite what to believe. It could well be you respect a particular person who is on one side or the other of the debate and you are willing to follow their leadership. That’s fine, but remember leaders can be fallible and there are positive and negative points on both sides. I certainly wouldn’t want to lead you astray by suggesting you vote one way or the other, and Jesus, whom I follow, doesn’t make any clear directive. He has given us minds to think through these issues and also principles which have impact on how to live in community. We are to care for widows and orphans, to care for the homeless, to look to the interests of others and not just ourselves – to love and to serve one another.

When I got to the carpet of hot embers, it was tempting to turn away. I made the decision to cross. The feeling of achievement was wonderful.

As a church we are sometimes making difficult decisions, about employment, buildings, relationships. We sometimes have to take a step of faith. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we make mistakes and we learn lessons. Jesus made decision to go to Jerusalem, knowing this would lead to his death. His disciples followed as they had learned to trust Jesus. The outcome seemed disastrous, but it was life transforming for those disciples and for the world. Jesus didn’t promise that if you believe in him all your troubles will disappear. However he did promise to be with us every step of the way, not simply by our side, but leading the way, one step beyond us.

The Rev Andrew Sankey, Minister at Capel Methodist Church 8 Roundridge Road, Capel St Mary IP9 2UG apsankey@gmail.com / 01473 311178 / 07726 299968 HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOUR MAJESTY A Birthday Celebration Service will be held at Capel St Mary Methodist Church on Sunday, June 12 at 6.30pm, followed by refreshments including a birthday cake. Free copies of a 64-page book entitled The Servant Queen and the King She Serves will be available. I’ve given hundreds of copies of this book away, and just placed my fourth order. If you can’t get to the service and would like a copy, contact me and I’ll drop a copy in next time I’m in your area. (Also see page 4 for details of the community breakfast on June 11) SERVICES IN JUNE Sunday 5

Sunday 12

Sunday 19 Sunday 26

10.30am Worship with Canon Paul Daltry 6.30pm Prayer Stations 10.30am Worship with Deacon Georgina Brooks 6.30pm Birthday Celebration Service

for our Queen 10.30am Worship with Dr Liz Cope 10.30am All Age Worship with The Rev Sankey 7.30pm United Prayer Time at St Mary’s (RC)

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CHURCH NEWS CAPEL COMMUNITY CHURCH Life for most of us is just busy, whether we have multiple deadlines at work, family commitments, or just things at home that need sorting out or cleaning. All too easily our to-do list grows faster than the jobs get completed. Perhaps you look at other people and think how do they manage to fit all those different things into their life, or wish you had as much free time as some appear to have. The challenge is not to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with others, but knowing that we have done a good days work – whatever that means for each of us.

As the Queen celebrates her 90th birthday this year, we are amazed at the amount and variety of things that she manages to fit into each day as she serves us as our Monarch. In a recent Christmas broadcast she said: “I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God… I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.”

On Sunday, June 12 at 10.30am at Capel Community Church we have decided to do things a little bit differently to mark this special occasion. We are going to have a family fun-filled birthday party to celebrate Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. We will have a Prince and Princess theme fancy dress, puppets, singing and crafts followed by a BBQ. This will be an ideal opportunity for the whole family – young and old – to leave the chores behind and create some special memories. All are welcome. For more details call David and Rachel Owen on 01473 310454 or just come along and join in.

Capel Community Church invites you to celebrate

The queen’s

90th

birthday Sunday 12th June – 10.30am Capel Community Church, Days Road, IP9 2JW

Loads of family fun, featuring:

Cemetery Lane, East Bergholt CO7 6RZ Pastor: Mrs Maralyn Bambridge 35 Birch Drive, Brantham, Manningtree, CO11 1TG 01206 393022 / maralyn.bambridge@yahoo.com Services Sunday morning at 10.30am; all welcome Communion at the end of the service on the second Sunday of each month Coffee Morning: Each Thursday, 9.30-11.30am Speakers, Services & Events Sunday, June 5

Member’s Service

Sunday, June 12

Ted Wheatley, with Communion at end of Service

Sunday, June 19

Chris Finbow

Sunday, June 26 Stephen Caley Sunday, July 3

Pastor Maralyn Bambridge

As I write this, Mike and I, and Brora our little Lhasa Apso, are parked in a beach car park on the Isle of Bute.

Watching the waves rolling onto the beach, seeing the mountains together with the green fields and the gorse and bluebells, really calms the soul and makes one realise afresh the beauty of Creation. Of course, we don’t have to travel so far, but we do need to open our eyes to the world around us to see the same beauty.

Last week we were in Rotherham which, on the surface, conjures up thoughts of industry with mainly built up areas. However, right across the road from where we parked I walked Brora in Clifton Park, a place I remember as a child. This has been created by man but the water for the waterfalls, the flowers for the beds, the grass and trees are still from the first creation and are a sight for sore eyes.

 Puppets

Of course, we do live in a wonderful area of England, especially the climate. Mike and I are never disappointed when we eventually return home but change is also good for the soul and it gives time to rest and reflect. Take some time out, read, meditate and thank the Lord for the wonder of this world.

 Pass the parcel

Maralyn

 Singing and crafts

Pianist/Organist

 Prince & Princess fancy dress

Prizes for the best dressed prince and princess

Followed by a BBQ and outdoor fun!

More information from: David & Rachel Owen (01473 310454) CapelCommunityChurch.org.uk 38

EAST BERGHOLT CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Due to health problems we no longer have a pianist/organist to accompany our services. If you play the piano and may be interested in playing for us on a part time or occasional basis, please contact John on 01206 298737 to discuss the position. Our requirements are flexible and need not be onerous.

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To advertise in this section, which appears in 17 magazines in areas across Suffolk and Essex, please contact a member of our sales team on 01473 400380

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