In Touch News with Manningtree – June 2016

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Mistley Church by Stanley Ramsbottom

Volume 6 • Issue No. 8 • JUNE 2016

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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!

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NEWS

You are invited to join Manningtree Benefice (the parish churches of Mistley, Manningtree, Bradfield and Horsley Cross) as we celebrate 90 years with the Queen.

As Defender of the Faith and a practising Christian, the Queen plays a really important role in the Church of England. We, likewise, are privileged to play a role within our community, getting to be involved in some of the most important days in people’s lives. We therefore want to take this opportunity to celebrate all the ways that the Queen has served her people, the church and God, and all the ways that we have been blessed to meet with the community and be part of their lives.

We are therefore holding a celebration from June 8-12. On Saturday and Sunday (June 11-12), we will be holding an exhibition in St Mary and St Michael’s Church, Mistley and St Lawrence’s Church, Bradfield of the Queen’s life and the lives of members of our communities, shown through pictures, memorabilia, dresses, certificates, flowers, music and more, giving us all an opportunity to find out more about the Queen, about our own community and how much it has changed in the last 90 years. There will be children’s activities and refreshments available at both venues, with free admission. Open from 10am-4pm at both churches on Saturday, June 11, and from 10am-3.30pm at Mistley and noon-3.30pm at Bradfield on Sunday 12.

We will also be holding three celebration services on June 12, welcoming all the community to join us and give thanks in a Celebration Service of Thanksgiving with Communion and children’s work in an All-Age Family Celebration and a Songs of Praise Celebration with the benefice choirs.

Please see the church schedule (page 21) for times and venues, or check the website.

Before all that, the weekend kicks off with the Bishop of Chelmsford’s Missionary Walk. Bishop Stephen is going to walk from Mistley Church right through to Harwich on Wednesday, June 8, and invites everyone to join him. It’s a great opportunity to meet both the bishop and others in our communities, to chat together, to walk together and to enjoy our beautiful surroundings. It’ll start with breakfast at Mistley Church at 8.30am, followed by a walk together to Bradfield Church, arriving at about 10.30am. There will then be a stop for more chat and coffee, before the bishop continues on his journey. Everyone is welcome to come and walk and/or meet the bishop over breakfast and coffee.

Please contact the church office to find out more.

From the Queen’s Christmas Broadcast, 2008 “I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life… He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than in being served.”

01206 392200 / info@manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.manningtreebenefice.blogspot.co.uk www.facebook.com/ManningtreeBenefice

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NEWS MANNINGTREE CELEBRATES SHAKESPEARE’S 400th Residents of Manningtree turned out in force to celebrate their distinction of being the only town in this part of Eastern England to feature in one of Shakespeare’s plays. On April 23, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and also the date of his birth, 141 people assembled in the town centre to make a world record attempt for the most people reciting Henry V’s famous St Crispin’s Day speech.

FAMILY FUN AT THE FURZE (FFF) The organisers of the local celebration Family Fun at the Furze are now putting the finishing touches to what should be an exciting family day out on Sunday, June 26 at Furze Hills Recreation Ground, Mistley, between noon and 6pm. The event has been provided by Lawford, Manningtree and Mistley councils.

Bring along your hampers to join in the family picnic, which will include a large range of bouncy castles, inflatable slides and children’s rides, all available for a one-off wristband fee of just £3 a child, giving unlimited access for the six hours of the event.

In addition, a range of entertainments have been booked, including demonstrations from dog agility groups, cheerleading teams and local dance schools, as well as live music from local artists: Fox, Wiggle and Sass, Amber Scott and Keystone.

The town’s fame in the time of William Shakespeare comes from its mention in Henry IV Part 1 (Act 2, Scene 4) where Falstaff is described as “that roasted Manningtree ox with the pudding in his belly”.

The town’s Rotary Club honoured this connection in the year of the Millennium by erecting a metal sculpture of an ox high on a wall in the centre of the town with a lighted globe inside it to represent the pudding. It was below this sculpture that the crowd gathered and were entertained by an excellent local folk group called Bards of the Heath led by John Goodluck, before being led in the speech by one of the Rotarians.

A number of local businesses and organisations have already expressed an interest in being part of the stalls area, along with a range of food and drink concessions. Further details of how to become a stallholder at the event are available via the contact details below.

The president of the Rotary Club, Rob Sharratt, said “We were delighted to have so many local residents join us on what was a very cold and slightly damp evening. They all clearly they share our pride in the town of Manningtree and its history.

I am certain that we achieved our aim of a world record for the speech, but this was entirely secondary to the fantastic community spirit that was generated by the event.”

Further details, including how you can be part of the day, are available via Lawford Council Office: lawfordpc@btconnect.com / Dave Ashley, 07503 186201

On Sunday 24 an evening of Shakespeare entertained a goodly audience with music and speech in the Methodist Church, suitably adapted as a theatre.

The finale was led by Jake Henson, Kitty Newbold and Laura Thomas who enacted a scene from The Tempest. Lindsay Gowers, accompanied by Peter Humphrey, sang five Shakespeare songs, Richard Blay and David Shearmur performed Brush up your Shakespeare, Rosamund Pettett gave the two sides of Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew, Adrian Bolton performed the famous Bottom speech from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gordon Prior gave a speech from All’s Well that Ends Well.

Three sonnets were read by Kate Sheffield and all was held together by Susanna Bishop, Val Taylor and David Shearmur with the backing of the Bards of the Heath.

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In order to alleviate parking issues in the local area, there will be a free park and ride service available from Manningtree Station, as well as other free local bus pick-up points around Lawford and Manningtree.

Further free parking will be available at the Edme site in Mistley.

The event organisers recently ran a poster competition through the local primary schools, and congratulations go to Jacob, Year 6 at Lawford Primary School, who won the first prize. His poster will now be used to advertise the event in the local area. Runners-up prizes were given to Phoebe, Year 4 at Lawford Primary, and Frances, Class 12CM at Highfields Primary School.

BRANTHAM PARISH COUNCIL The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 1. Come along to find out what your local groups and your parish council have been up to over the last year. This meeting will be followed by a parish council meeting.

You can find out more about Brantham Parish Council at: www.brantham.onesuffolk.net The site includes copies of recent parish council meeting minutes, details of upcoming events and other items of local interest.

The parish council meets on the first Wednesday of every month (except August) in Brantham Village Hall at 7.30pm. The public is welcome to attend.

You can contact Brantham parish clerk at: 07702 490212 / clerk@branthamparishcouncil.co.uk You can also follow Brantham Parish Council on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BranthamParishCouncil Parish clerk surgeries Brantham parish clerk holds monthly surgery sessions at Bake and Blossoms café so that parishioners and others can meet her, ask questions, raise concerns or even just have a chat and a cake. This is the perfect opportunity for you to get to know your parish clerk and chat through all those local issues that have been bothering you.

The dates of the next parish clerk surgeries are: Wednesdays, June 8 and July 13, 10am-noon

In Touch online:

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NEWS MANNINGTREE ROWING FESTIVAL: JUNE 4/5 Stour Sailing Club is once again holding its annual Manningtree Rowing Festival on June 4 and 5. Last year around 20 boats and crews took part in the two-day event in brilliant sunshine, with boats coming from all around the Essex coast and North Norfolk to join the local Claydon skiffs for two days of thrilling racing on the Stour Estuary.

We hope that even more boats and crews will take part this year, and we are looking forward to welcoming many different types of boats including the Harker’s Yard Gigs. These colourful, traditional East Coast boats are built by marine apprentices at the Pioneer Sailing Trust’s Harker’s Yard in Brightlingsea, ensuring that traditional wooden boat building skills are kept alive. The sight of so many colourful rowing boats together on the estuary should not be missed.

Racing will take place from around 11am on both days and the boats will launch from the Town Beach on Quay Street.

On Saturday, June 4 we are planning something new, with teams from local businesses and organisations taking part in short races in our local Claydon skiffs. There will also be races for more experienced crews.

Come along and cheer on your local teams.

On Sunday, June 5 crews in many different types of boats will be tested by a 7.5-mile race down the estuary towards Harwich and Felixstowe, starting and finishing in front of Manningtree Town Beach. The fastest boats will complete the course in around one hour and 15 minutes in good conditions.

Spectators are very welcome to join us on the beach, and you will find more information on our Manningtree Rowing Festival Facebook page or the Stour Sailing Club website.

Traditional fixed seat coastal rowing is an increasingly popular and fast growing sport. If you are interested in rowing with us at Manningtree you can contact us at: rowing@stoursailingclub.co.uk

LAWFORD PARISH COUNCIL NOTICE OF A VACANCY FOR A PARISH COUNCILLOR Notice is hereby given that two casual vacancies exist in the office of parish councillor for the parish of Lawford.

The parish council can now fill the above vacancies by the method of co-operation.

Anyone interested in becoming a parish councillor should contact the parish clerk (details below) who can advise re eligibility. If eligible a brief summary of your community activities past and present together with any relevant experience or local knowledge will be requested.

The last date for applications is June 27.

You will then be contacted to attend an informal meeting with the personnel committee.

If you would like to see councillors in action come along to the council meeting on June 20, 2016. The meeting will be held at 7.15pm in the Wignall Room, Ogilvie Hall, Wignall Street, Lawford CO11 2JG. Mrs Peachey, clerk to the parish council: 01206 395898 / lawfordpc@btconnect.com You can read the council’s minutes on: • www.essexinfo.net/lawford-parish-council • on the parish council’s noticeboards • minutes can be collected from the Parish Office by prior arrangement as the offices are not open to the public

Caroline Cunningham

ARDLEIGH SURGERY NEWS You quickly learn when you work within the NHS that things are constantly being changed – some changes good and some maybe not so good. The practice itself has undergone some changes recently which you may have noticed.

Our new website went live in March, and if you haven’t seen it but have access to the internet, I would encourage you to visit it. It contains a whole host of information about the surgery and the services that we offer, together with some helpful tips and links. I would be grateful for any feedback about the website which can be found at: www.ardleighsurgery@nhs.uk In March we also went live with EPS, the Electronic Prescription Service.

Although patients will not really notice the difference with this scheme, it means that when you order your prescription as a non-dispensing patient, it will be sent to the pharmacy of your choice electronically rather than as a printed piece of paper. This should result in less prescriptions going astray and the pharmacies receiving the prescription quicker. We have the ability to track the prescriptions so can see where they are in the dispensing process at any time.

At our recent Patient Participation Group meeting, the difficulty in getting through on the prescription ordering line was discussed. I would encourage you to use other means rather than the telephone if you can – either by dropping in your repeat slip at either Ardleigh or Dedham surgeries at your convenience or by registering to order online using our bespoke system. You can also make appointments online and, from this month, you can view parts of your medical records online, such as immunisations, problems, test results and letters. Because of the sensitive nature of the information, registration for these services

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requires you to complete a form and bring in some ID so that we can verify we are giving access to the correct person.

We introduced a text messaging service in April. If you have given us your mobile phone number, we will confirm your appointment by text. This will give the date and time of your appointment, the name of the clinician you are seeing, and whether the appointment is at Ardleigh or Dedham.

You will receive the text within an hour of making the appointment and then a reminder 48 hours before the appointment. To help us, if you change your mobile number, please let us know. If you don’t wish to receive these text messages, please let the receptionist know and we will ‘opt you out’ of the system.

However the biggest change of all for the practice is the retirement of Dr Jane Owens at the end of June this year. Dr Owens has been at the practice for many years and I know she will be greatly missed by all of us at the surgery and by you too. A book is available at both surgeries if you would like to record your best wishes to Dr Owens. She has asked that no personal gifts are made, but if people would like to give something, a donation to either Save the Children (www.savethechildren.org.uk) or Médecins Sans Frontières (www.msf.org.uk) would be appreciated.

Many local surgeries have had difficulty in recruiting GPs to replace doctors who leave, but fortunately we have recruited Dr Emily Foster to join the practice when Dr Owens leaves. Some of you will remember Dr Foster, who completed some of her GP training at Ardleigh. In addition, both Dr Rob Lenart and Dr Lisa Gladwin are increasing their working hours.

Practice Manager Stephanie Durrant

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NEWS END OF YEAR REPORT TO THE PARISHES, ALTON WARD 2016

By Alastair McCraw & Harriet Steer This has been an interesting year for us both, learning to fill our roles as quickly as possible. This report covers some of the more important matters dealt with at Babergh in the 2015/16 council year.

FINANCIAL & ORGANISATIONAL Devolution as an issue has developed from a Suffolk bid to first include Norfolk and then Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Many hold reservations and this not a ‘done deal’. It still requires consultation with the public and ratification by each council.

The 2016/17 budgets for all the councils resulted in an average 2.1% increase in Council Tax across the ward. Babergh increased its, small, part by 3.5% or £5, the maximum allowable. This had been frozen for some years though.

BDC’s Joint Strategic Plan has been updated. It is somewhat jargon laden and a little incomprehensible. We will report further on this through the year. This was approved at the Annual Meeting of BDC held on April 26 and should be available on the council website.

The same Annual Meeting appointed Peter Burgoyne as the new chairman of the council and Peter Beer as vice-chairman. Six members have been appointed as members with special responsibilities to assist each of the six portfolio holders. The portfolios are in Housing Delivery, Business Growth, Community Capacity Building, Enabled Organisation, Assets & Investments and Environment.

A new post of deputy chief executive will be created as part of the ongoing Focused Management Review. This will also see considerable changes in Babergh/Mid Suffolk’s senior management structure.

Subsequent to the Annual Meeting, it was announced that the current chief executive, Charlie Adan, will be leaving within the next three months to take up a post as chief executive of Kingston upon Thames Borough Council.

HOUSING Babergh/Mid Suffolk have started to build the first new council houses in the area for roughly 30 years. The first of these has been handed over.

None of these are local to us, as yet.

A revised Tenancy Agreement has been approved and adopted for council properties. This is more in line with other tenancy agreements and provides for an initial five year period for new tenancies.

A Help to Buy scheme allows tenants to apply for £20,000 grants to get

SUFFOLK DEMENTIA HELPLINE Call 01473 353350

We are here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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

So call us today, we are here to help.

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on the property ladder and free up much needed council housing.

Babergh have adopted CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) as its standard means of supplying infrastructure for developments and communities. This gives developers a clearer idea of costs and town and parish councils a 15% share with fewer restrictions on its spending. This will largely replace previous Section 106 agreements.

Neighbourhood Development Plans and Orders are being looked at by a number of parishes. These aim to provide communities with a stronger voice in the ‘Material Considerations’ of planning applications. This may prove to be of greater significance if the current Housing and Planning Bill becomes law. A simplified two stage process of basic ‘In Principle’ and ‘Detail’ approach is proposed. The latter will be subject to ‘optional’ consultation. Should that option not be given the Neighbourhood Plans and Orders may be the only way for communities to influence planning decisions.

GROWTH & BUSINESS As a local approach to our tourism strategy, a free tourist magazine for the Shotley Peninsula will shortly be available. Councillor Derek Davis (Berners Ward) is editing and preparing this. Funding is by advertorial and BDC. We have been granted a Food Enterprise Zone. The Orwell FEZ will cover Jimmy’s Farm and Suffolk Food Hall and promote these and other local businesses.

Capital Grants are available to support village halls, community centres and shops and other local events. In 2015/16 £104,000 was allocated across Babergh. Please contact us or BDC to enquire.

BDC/MSDC are looking for ways to improve the experience of businesses with the councils. The Open for Business pilot scheme provides business account managers to act as a single point of contact for businesses for all their regulatory and service needs. This aims to provide a more proactive, pro-business and responsive experience for all existing and potential businesses. Both of us will be taking an active interest in this, hoping to see it rolled out to the full council area during the coming year.

GENERAL We have worked as a team within this ward since the election in May 2015 with constant discussion of any local issues we become aware of.

This will continue to be our approach to fulfil our responsibilities to you.

We can be contacted as below.

Alastair McCraw: 07812 564188 / alastair.mccraw@babergh.gov.uk Harriet Steer: 07545 961629 / harriet.steer@babergh.gov.uk Facebook: Alton, Alastair McCraw & Harriet Steer (a joint open group)

MANNINGTREE TOWN COUNCIL The minutes of Manningtree Town Council meetings are available on their website, on the two town noticeboards (one at the Co-op Fiveways store and one beside the library) and at the clerk's office by appointment: 01206 390285 www.manningtreetowncouncil.org.uk

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

The minutes can also be accessed online at: www.essexinfo.net/mistleypc/parish-council/meetings The next meeting of the parish council is on Monday, June 27 at 7.30pm in the village hall.

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NEW OPENING TIMES: Monday to Friday 50 weeks per year

Little Pumpkins Pre-School C.I.C. Inclusive independent Pre-School settings suitably located on the grounds of local primary schools. We offer quality childcare and nurturing early years education in a play based environment for children from 2 years of age.

Bradfield Setting:

Lawford Setting:

The Orchards Bradfield Primary School Heath Road Bradfield Essex, CO11 2UZ

The Ling Hall Lawford C of E Primary School Long Road Lawford Essex, CO11 2EF

Tel: 01255 870768

Tel: 01206 391412

Ofsted Reg: EY471126

Ofsted Reg: EY409411

Email: admin@lawfordslittlepumpkins.co.uk www.littlepumpkins.org.uk

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From September 2016 Lawford’s new opening times are: 8am—5pm

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OUT & ABOUT THE BIG FRIENDLY READ SUMMER READING CHALLENGE 2016 July 16 – September 3 in all Essex Libraries Children will have a scrummdiddlyumptious time when they join The Big Friendly Read. As they read or share books of their choice they will collect Roald Dahl character cards and earn a medal and certificate.

Children aged 10 and over can take part in a new activity called My Zine where they can create art inspired by a book.

For more information visit: www.essex.gov.uk/libraries

BRANTHAM VILLAGE HALL BUY A BRICK APPEAL Donate £2 per brick to help build disabled facilities at Brantham Village Hall and your name will be added to a commemorative plaque that will be displayed in the village hall.

For more information contact Sarah: 07702 490212 / clerk@branthamparishcouncil.co.uk Or come and buy your brick at the village hall on Garage Sale Day, Saturday, June 11

BATS PRESENT HOLIDAY SNAP Holiday Snap, a comedy by Michael Pertwee and John Chapman, runs 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’S 2016 (and maybe LAST *)

ANNUAL CHARITY GARAGE SALE Open garages selling items throughout the village. look for the balloons & signs throughout Brantham, on the A137

TABLE TOP SALE at the Village Hall with WI REFRESHMENTS, HANDICRAFTS and PRESERVES. TOMBOLA, BBQ, ICE CREAM VAN and much much more so please make a note in your diaries and calendars:

Saturday 11th June 2016 From 9:30am till 4:30pm

We need a £5 minimum donation to book your garage / village hall table.

For more details call: Ronnie 01206 395557 or Yvonne 01206 392296 If you would like to help in any way either on or before the day, or donate items for the Tombola, please contact Ronnie or Yvonne. Every offer of help is welcome.

Proceeds will go to St Elizabeth Hospice (Carla Dawson's Tribute Fund) and other local charities.

*

see In Touch, Volume 6, Issue No.4, February 2016 - page 3.

We Need Volunteers to help organise future Garage Sales.

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OUT & ABOUT ACORN VILLAGE FITNESS CHALLENGE 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 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.

VENTURE CENTRE 2000 1st Lawford Scouts 1st Lawford Scouts will be hosting a live music night on Saturday, July 2 with DARC and James Burrage, 7.30pm-midnight. Fully licensed bar and ploughman’s supper, £10 a ticket. For further information and tickets please contact Mick Lang: 01206 395581 Wednesday, June 1: Stour Valley Flower Club demonstration with Crystal Dyball Thursday, June 2: Public meeting re leave EU, 7.30-10pm Hear from our local MP and parliamentary candidates as to why we should leave the EU. Speakers: Bernard Jenkin, Maria Vigneau and Mark Cole.

MANIFEST MOVIES 2 Oxford Road, Manningtree, CO11 1BP Films shown on our big screen which fills the stage, high definition and cinema quality sound, comfortable theatre seating, projectionist Nigel Lister.

Friday, June 24: The Martian When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meagre amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilise his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission.

Doors open at 7pm, seating from 7.30pm, movie starts at 7.45pm. The bar will be available after the film until 10.30pm. Entrance by £5 ticket only on the night for members. Non-members will be required to join at a cost of £2 enabling them to attend all films and stage productions at The Manifest Theatre for the whole of 2016 at members prices.

For more information please visit: www.manifesttheatre.co.uk / Facebook or Twitter Tuesday, June 21: Link Line Coffee, Chat and Cake.

Meet for a chat with light refreshments in the Ivell Suite, 10am-noon.

Thursday, June 23: EU Referendum voting, 7am-10pm Thursday afternoons: New Baby Ballet Baby Ballet Movers, 3-5 years, 1.20pm / Baby Ballet Tinies, 18mths-3yrs, 2pm / Baby Ballet Tots, 6-18mths, 2.45pm Contact Katie: 01206 210522 / 07960642467 / colchester@babyballet.co.uk Every Thursday morning: Music is Fun with Jo Jingles The country’s largest pre-school music and movement provider.

Contact Beth: 07877343307 / jojinglestendring@hotmail.com

Saturday, June 4: Vinyasa Flow Yoga and PiYo, 9.30-10.45am

REGULAR CLASSES

Vinyasa Flow yoga incorporates yoga sequences with the breath to help build flexibility, strength, mindfulness and relaxation. PiYo is a music-driven athletic workout, inspired by the mind/body practices and pilates and yoga. If you want to get fit, strong and lose weight, while enjoying the benefits of yoga and pilates, then this is the class for you.

Ktcourts@gmail.com / 07990 640311

Monday: Table tennis, quilting, patchwork classes, Active 4 Life keep fit, Debbie Miller Dance

Monday, June 6: Little Acorns demonstration of clairvoyance, 7.30-9pm, admission £3.50 Tuesday, June 7: Emperor Theatre Art’s weekly classes in dance, drama and singing.

Ages 5-11: 4-5pm dance / 5-6pm drama Contact Faye Simons: 01449 722354

Tuesday: Quilting, yoga, art classes, Emperor Theatre arts, choir Wednesday: Weight Watchers, body conditioning and pilates beginners and improvers, art classes Thursday: Self-help upholstery, Jo Jingles, Baby Ballet, Slimming World Friday: Active 4 Life and Pilates, Boogie Shoes Saturday: Vinyasa Flow Yoga and PiYo, and available for private hire Sunday: Fortnightly Link Line meetings, and available for private hire

Thursday, June 9: Blood day

Sunday: 11am-noon, New Fellowship

Tuesday, June 14: Bishops & Miller Auctioneers free valuation day, 10am-2pm.

Monthly meetings for the flower club, the Lymphedema Support Group, Link Line Coffee, Cake & Chat.

Items are welcomed for consignment to auction or if you are just curious: 01449 673088

For further information on times and contact details visit: www.venturecentre2000.co.uk

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www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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OUT & ABOUT STOUR CHORAL SOCIETY The last of this season’s concerts is on Saturday June 25 in Old Hall, Chapel, East Bergholt at 7pm. The children’s choir and choral society are combining for a very popular concert based around The Sound of Music.

Tickets are limited so early booking is necessary. Tickets (£5 with family tickets at a concessionary price) and full information can be had from 01206 395263 and usual outlets.

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

BRANTHAM BOX OFFICE

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). 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 www.manningtreeanddistrictphotographicsociety.co.uk

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

MANNINGTREE FREEMASONS

Wednesday, June 15: The Lady in the Van (Cert. U)

Manningtree Freemasons have donated £116,000 to Essex Scouts, £4,000 to the Essex Air Ambulance and help to the East Anglia Children’s Hospice.

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

BUMPER BOOK SALE 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.

About six months ago it was announced that Essex Scouts were to be given £100,000 by Freemasons in Essex as part of Freemasonry’s Tercentenary celebration. Well the money will soon be on its way to them and the good news is that they are getting more than we promised. So far we have raised £116,000 and the sum is still rising.

Many of our members work within scouting and the youth service in general and we are forging firmer links of mutual support. There are many lodges catering for specific group interests such as youth work, sport, music and the arts. Plans are afoot to extend such special interest by inviting youth leaders, including scouts in North Essex, to form a new lodge. For details contact brianwatts2339@g.mail.com or visit: manningtree-freemasons.co.nr The two local lodges have had lectures from Mark Smith, the medal expert on The Antiques Roadshow, the first commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and the second being an interesting talk entitled The Men behind the Medals. Mark has raised substantial amounts of money for various charities with his lectures.

Several members said that they had learnt more about conflicts listening to Mark than they had ever known before We can also announce that the Essex Air Ambulance has received a donation of £4,000 from the province while our own Mistley Lodge have made a substantial donation to the East Anglian Children’s Hospice.

Both lodges meet in the Masonic Hall in South Street, Manningtree, but are now closing for the summer and will be reopening in September. This doesn’t mean that we will be inactive. Barbecues are planned to celebrate the Queen’s birthday and annual luncheons and ladies’ festivals will continue as normal. We will also be getting ready to welcome new members.

If interested in joining us you will receive a warm welcome at any of our summer functions.

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OUT & ABOUT MANNINGTREE AIR CADETS RECRUITING ROTARY CLUB MANNINGTREE Are you looking for something to give you the edge in life? Then welcome STOUR VALLEY to the RAF Air Cadets. Better known as the Air Cadets, we’re a UK-wide cadet force with more than 40,000 members aged between 12 and 20 years. As a cadet you’ll have the opportunity to do things that others only dream about.

Want real flight experience? No problem. How about heading out on adventurous training and camps, sometimes overseas? Normal for cadets. Competitive sports, drill, shooting, music, abseiling, engineering projects? Our list of activities is long, varied and open to all cadets.

Yes it’s a challenge, but that’s what life’s all about and you could be one of them...

The 1334 (Manningtree) Squadron, Air Training Corps meets in the Cadet Centre, Mill Lane, Manningtree on Monday and Wednesday evenings, 7-9.30pm. Why not give us a call on 07702 232507 or drop in for a chat on parade nights?

VILLAGE LINK CLUB Our next meeting is on June 8 when Lesley Krohn will present a talk entitled The Galapagos Islands and Dive. This talk was originally programmed for May but was a late change due to the unavailability of the speaker.

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; Creative Story Writing; 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 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 Roger Felgate, 01473 311684

CHARITY TOOL COLLECTION The Rotary Club of Manningtree Stour Valley is supporting Tools with a Mission, a Christian charity dedicated to sending recycled tools across the world.

Do you have hand tools that you no longer require? Then please help us put them to good use.

We need the following: Construction/Mechanics Tools Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical, General Building Mechanics/Engineering Tools (including electric power tools) Garden Tools: spades, forks, hoes, rakes, pick axes, sledge hammers… (including petrol lawnmowers, strimmers, and chainsaws) If you have any of these items to donate please take them to our local drop off point which is: Valley Garden Supplies Wignall Street, Lawford, Essex CO11 2JL MANNINGTREE ROTARIANS CLEAN FOR THE QUEEN Anyone travelling to or from Manningtree by train recently may have noticed that for once there is no rubbish to be seen. Several members of the Rotary Club of Manningtree Stour Valley spent a Saturday morning removing all traces of litter from the footpaths and hedges on the station approach, as well as the roadside verges between there and the Suffolk boundary.

The Rotarians were taking part in the national Clean for the Queen initiative organised for her 90th birthday year. This is their second outing and they were previously loaned litter pickers by Tendring District Council. However, as this is to be a regular event, they have now purchased their own equipment. They have also obtained some of the regal purple bin bags, which have been produced especially for this event.

ORWELL DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS SOCIETY The society has its final meeting of the season on Wednesday, June 1.

The society AGM will start at 1.45pm, preceeding a talk by Oliver Everett entitled George IV – the Greatest Royal Collector of Art. Oliver is Emeritus Librarian at the Royal Library in Windsor Castle.

On a warm May afternoon the meeting heard from Tobias Capwell, Curator of Arms and Armour at the Wallace Collection. With many beautiful illustrations Tobias showed how the great Italian Renaissance artists like Donatello portrayed knights like St George in a style resembling Roman and Classical heroes. Tobias is an expert on medieval armour and he illustrated the many details of this ‘heroic-style armour’ seen clearly on many medieval tapestries, paintings and sculptures. A very interesting and informative lecture.

Why not come along and enjoy some good company and an interesting talk? We meet at Tower Hall, Broadlands Way, Rushmere St Andrew on the first Wednesday of most months and we also organise interesting day visits. The wonderfully illustrated lectures are presented by national and international lecturers and start at 2.15pm. A 2pm arrival is advised. Guests and non-members are welcome, provided we have available space. A £5 donation is asked.

For more information contact Jean Bradberry: 01473 710921 / odfasmemsec@btinternet.com. www.orwelldfas.org.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

Club president Rob Sharratt said: “As well as being very satisfying to see the improvements we also actually enjoyed ourselves. We were greatly encouraged by the public’s positive comments and the many motorists who sounded their horns as they passed us. Most local residents only meet us when we have collecting tins in our hands and we are always really grateful for their support and for trusting Rotary to put their very generous donations to good use. However, it is also good to be able to show them that Rotary is often hands on as well and it isn’t always about asking for money for charity, however worthwhile and necessary that may be.

“Rotary Clubs are very much part of their community and all our members all take areal pride in their local environment. We plan to repeat the operation regularly and would welcome suggestions from the public about any other locations they feel are in need of attention.”

In total seven full bags of rubbish and a car tyre were collected from the roadside and properly disposed of by the Rotarians taking part.

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OUT & ABOUT STOUR VALLEY MEN’S PROBUS CLUB

STOUR VALLEY U3A On Wednesday, May 11 Dr Roger Simpson BFA Calgary, MA Victoria and PhD Essex Universities, presented a talk entitled John Constable – Man in a Landscape. He asked if having seen The Hay Wain so often 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 The 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 is £12 which entitles members to attend meetings 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 and 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.

TEA AND SUPPORT IN MISTLEY Tea and Support, the meeting place for those who have been bereaved or left living alone, is held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Church Hall, New Road, Mistley. Meetings are usually from 2-4pm, are free of charge and transport can be arranged. Come along to meet new friends in a safe, friendly environment.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday, June 15, when Karen Thompson will be giving an interesting and lighthearted talk on taking care of our feet.

For more details please contact the office of St Mary’s and St Michael’s Church (01206 392200), Paskell’s of Manningtree (01206 396709) or Joy Baker (01206 391918). Copies of our 2016 programme are available from Paskell’s in Manningtree or from the church.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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

Recently our unit annual review was undertaken and it’s 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.

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 40. 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.

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.

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

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. If you hold a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and would like to help more young people achieve theirs, or wish to know more, please contact Roger for an informal chat.

Roger S Dann: 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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OUT & ABOUT / SCHOOLS CAPEL ST MARY COUNTRYSIDE CLUB

BROOKLANDS PRIMARY SCHOOL

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.

The excitement around our summer term is almost palpable as a few warmer days reminds us of what is awaiting our children over the coming weeks. Our amazing Brooklands Friends and Family (BFF) have been working hard in their fundraising efforts and thanks to them the children can look forward to playtimes on the field enjoying a game of football with their new football goals.

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

LAWFORD & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY At the April meeting William (Bill) Butcher was a good and polished speaker on the creation of Bressingham Gardens. He has worked as a radio presenter in the past and kept us entertained with his quips and gentle humour. One of his passions is Bressingham Gardens where he worked for several years. He recalled Alan Bloom’s life and the construction of the original gardens with his iconic steam trains, and the differences in design with his son’s garden next door at Foggy Bottom.

Alan Bloom introduced dozens of excellent plants to the public via his garden and nursery, and his son and grandson continue his work. It’s well worth a visit.

On June 16 Robert Gould will present a talk entitled Wine Making, from Hedge and Garden.

MANNINGTREE HIGH SCHOOL The spring term finished on a high note at Manningtree High School with the news that they have been awarded a government grant for £1million for building repairs and the construction of a new art and classroom block.

Meanwhile in our allotments, the children will be preparing their beds for planting and to help their green-fingered efforts we are delighted to also boast a new greenhouse and water butts funded by our BFF. We also have brightly coloured benches adding some eye-popping colour to the playground too, and we will be keen to see how our extended science habitat is received by the local wildlife. All of this combined with swimming and performances on our fabulous outdoor stage and you will understand and hopefully share in our summer anticipation. All we need now is some warm sunshine and I will be digging out my summer heels.

Our Ducklings have enjoyed their first beach school visit this term, exploring rock pools, making sand sculptures and splashing in the river.

Our website has some photographs that capture the excitement of their visits. Living as close to the coast as we do we are thrilled to be able to take learning beyond the school grounds and draw from such an inspirational learning environment.

Following the coin trail around the school hall our school council raised a magnificent £410 for their chosen charity. Coming up, we will also be taking part in the Cystic Fibrosis Trust’s Wear Yellow Day on July 1. Getting involved couldn’t be simpler and more fun. All our children need to do is wear something yellow. So whether it’s their favourite yellow tie or a sneaky Big Bird costume they just happen to have tucked at the back of a wardrobe, July 1 is going to be our yellow day.

This half term staff have taken part in two staff training sessions led by the Suffolk Dyslexia Outreach Centre which focused on what dyslexia is and the range of dyslexia strategies for the classroom.

It was great to see so many parents at our information session at the end of April and we hope that the children enjoyed looking through their new book bags. In total, Brooklands has 30 new faces starting school this September and we are looking forward to welcoming all our new children in June and July when they get to spend some time in their new classroom with their first teacher, Miss Glazin.

Jack Somers visited the school in April to talk about his success in karate and representing Great Britain in the sport. We are very fortunate at Brooklands to be able to share and learn from such inspirational and motivated people. Jack showed us how trying new things can lead to a huge amount of reward and enjoyment.

For our Year 6 children the transition from primary to high school is an exciting time, full of challenges and new experiences. This term will see them complete their SATs, perform in their last Brooklands production, shirt signing on their last day, as well as spending some time in their new school before they start in September.

Christine Davy, headteacher

Headteacher Sally Morris praised Carol Sinclair, the school’s director of operations, for her efforts in winning this competitive bid. Carol says: “We have tried for several years to get the money we need for essential repairs and refurbishments. Preparing each bid requires a really significant amount of work. I’m so pleased that we have been successful this year and that our persistence has been rewarded. While our old art block is quite picturesque from the outside, it is, structurally, in a very poor state. It will be fantastic to give staff and students better facilities in which to work.”

The school have worked closely with building consultants Ingleton Wood of Colchester, who have supported them with project planning and advice throughout the entire successful bid process.

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BRANTHAM TODDLER GROUP This relaxed and friendly group meets from 9.30-11am on Mondays in term time at Brantham Village Hall.

Just £1.50 per family includes a well earned cuppa for grown ups and a healthy snack for the kids.

Come and join us and meet other local mummies, daddies, grandparents and carers.

Every third Monday of the month we are joined by the Hadleigh Health Visitors for your local baby clinic. For more information contact Charlotte: 07858 891217

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Fresh veg delivered to your door!

Part of Realise Futures Horticulture

We provide fresh, local, seasonal vegetables and produce that are low in food miles and high in freshness through a box of veg scheme.

Large Box ‘o’ Veg Small Box ‘o’ Veg Bag ‘o’ Veg Bag ‘o’ Fruit

£10 £8 £5 £5

Call 01473 831224 Part of

www.growingplacessuffolk.co.uk www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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SPORT CAPEL PLOUGH FOOTBALL CLUB

MISTLEY CRICKET CLUB

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 season got under way in weather that was anything but suitable for cricket. The opening day results were very good with maximum points obtained. But since then the points tally has been quite low, although there have been some encouraging performances. Early days at this point, hopefully there will be many sunny days together with Mistley victories before the season is out.

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 isn’t uncommon in today’s local football. Leading goalscorer went to Joe Bigmore with Kieran Tynan winning clubman of the year.

April 100 Club Winners 1st

£100 71 Pat and George Bibby

2 £50

18 Paul Hutton

3 £45

63 Jayne May

nd rd

UPCOMING FIXTURES SATURDAY CRICKET 1st TEAM

2nd TEAM

3rd TEAM

Copford (H)

Tuddenham (A)

Yoxford II (H)

Sat, June 11 Braintree (A)

Coggeshall II (H)

Kesgrave II (A)

Sat, June 18 Coggeshall (H)

Kelvedon & Feering II (A)

Felixstowe & C III (H)

Sat, June 4

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.

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.

Sat, June 25 Worlington (A) Sudbury II (H)

For more information and results please visit: http://twocounties.com

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.

SUNDAY AND MIDWEEK CRICKET

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

NECL & National Village

Div C TEAM

Sun, June 5

Lt Barfield T20 (A)

Wivenhoe (H)

Sun, June 12 Stebbing (H)

Thu, June 16

Clacton T20 (A)

Sun, June 19

Elmstead (H)

Sun, June 26

Wivenhoe (H)

Thu, June 30

Colchester T20 (H)

Great Bromley(A)

EAST BERGHOLT TENNIS CLUB Braintree (A)

LADIES TWO COUNTIES CRICKET Fri, June 3

Colchester & EE (H)

Sun, June 5

Frinton T20 (H)

Fri, June 10

Sudbury (A)

Fri, June 17

West Bergholt (H)

Sun, June 19

Felixstowe T20 (A)

Fri, June 24

Abberton (H)

Sun, June 26

Copdock T20 (H)

New players are always welcome, please email: mistleycc@btinternet.com Mistley CC is a community club with strong traditions. Please give us a look sometime.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

Bob the Ploughman

East Bergholt Tennis Club is situated behind the playing fields in Gandish Road at CO7 6TP and welcomes new members of all ages and abilities.

The club has three all-weather floodlit courts and teams take part in inter-club friendlies with men’s, ladies and mixed league teams. Two professional coaches offer group and individual coaching sessions for children and adults. In particular, under the auspices of the North East Essex Tennis Academy (NEET), the club provides a high performance, tiered, group training programme for juniors (ages four to 16) more details of which are available at: www.neetacademy.co.uk Weather permitting, club night is on Tuesday from 7.30-10pm and all members are welcome.

Current membership subscriptions (allowing free use of the courts until 10pm every day) are: adults £50 or £90 per couple, juniors (under 18) £15, students £25, plus special offers for family membership.

If you would like to know more please contact the following: Pete Richmond, chairman/coach: 07932 815201 / richmondtennis@hotmail.co.uk Paul Lake, secretary: 01206 396556 / 55paullake@gmail.com

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CHURCH NEWS MANNINGTREE BENEFICE

THE METHODIST CHURCH

An all-age Anglican Church meeting in St Mary and St Michael’s Church, Mistley, and St Lawrence’s Church, Bradfield This month we celebrate 90 years with the Queen. Please see page 3 for more information about our exhibition, our celebration services and the Bishop of Chelmsford’s Missionary Walk on Wednesday, June 8. Please come along and join us for all our celebration activities.

South Street, Manningtree

In our sermon series, we will be wrapping up our series on God’s Spirit.

This is such an important theme, we really want as many people as possible to get involved and come along. Over our celebration weekend, we’ll be thinking about our Servant Queen and the King she Serves, and heading into July, we’ll be starting a new series on Battling Giants, looking at the life of David. If any of those themes interest you, please do come along and join us, and look out for more information on our services available on our website or on fliers in the churches.

Bible Study: First Wednesday at 2.30pm in the committee room

We will be holding Café Church again this month. This is church, but not as you know it. It’s the most informal service that we hold, gathering around tables for food and drink, children’s work, discussions, time to listen, things to watch, and lots of other ways to connect and find out more.

We run a lot of different groups and activities throughout the month, too many to list here. Please check the website and publications in and around the churches for more information on our Life Groups, prayer, social and support groups, how to get involved and much more. If you’d like to get weekly updates by email, please email the office (see below).

Services for June Sunday, June 5

10.30am Joint Worship with Communion & Treasure Seekers*

at Mistley 6pm

Evening Prayer at Bradfield

Sunday, June 12: Celebration Weekend 10.30am Joint Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving with Holy

Communion, with Treasure Seekers* at Bradfield 3.30pm All-Age Family Celebration at Mistley

Minister: The Rev Andrew Bell, 4 Elmdale Drive, Mistley, Manningtree CO11 2HP / 01206 396654 Sunday Service: 10.15am Second Sunday: Holy Communion Holy Communion: Fourth Wednesday of the month at2.30pm Welcome Wednesdays: 2.30pm every Wednesday; drop in for a chat and tea/coffee. Activities on the second and third Wednesdays.

Also meeting on the premises: Monday September to May, Stour Choral Society WEA (during sessions), 2.30pm Tuesday Co-op Women’s Guild, 7.15pm Wednesday Gentle Fitness Class, 9.30am Art Group, 10am-noon Manningtree and District Chess Club, evenings Museum & History Group, 7.30pm, bi-monthly Manningtree Methodist Church will be celebrating its 209th anniversary on Sunday, June 5 at 10.15am when we shall welcome The Rev Roger Parsons to lead worship. The service will be followed by a bring and share lunch. The day previous is the church’s Gift Day, with light refreshments from 10am to 12.30pm and a display of the year’s activities.

On Thursday, June 23 we welcome The Rev Curtis Goforth and his family from The Francis Asbury Memorial Church, North Carolina. Curtis was our minister for a period of 10 months. For details of his visit please call: 01206 395263

4.30pm Celebration Tea at Mistley

Secretary: Mrs M Cuthbertson

6pm

Contact for church hall bookings: David Shearmur, 395263

Joint Songs of Praise Celebration with Benefice Choirs at Mistley

Treasurer: Mr G King

Sunday, June 19 10.15am Family Worship with Treasure Seekers* at Bradfield

Methodist Church

LINK LINE CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

10.30am Holy Communion (Common Worship) at Mistley

Services and events in June

6pm

Saturday 4, 9.30-11.45am: Monthly Café / Oasis Event at Ogilvie Hall, Wignall Street, with stalls, information, refreshments and fellowship.

A warm welcome awaits.

Quiet Communion at Bradfield

Sunday, June 26 8am Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at Mistley 10.30am Café Church with Treasure Seekers* at Mistley 10.30am Morning Prayer at Bradfield *Treasure Seekers is our children’s programme for ages 3+ All services are at St Mary and St Michael’s Church, Mistley (CO11 1ER) or St Lawrence’s Church, Bradfield (CO11 2US) unless otherwise stated.

Contact information Vicar: The Rev Christine Hills, 01206 392200 Associate Minister: The Rev John Brien, 01206 397549 Curate: The Rev Claire Scargill, 01206 395417 Church Office: The Rectory, 21 Malthouse Road, Mistley CO11 1BY 01206 392200 / info@manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.manningtreebenefice.co.uk www.facebook.com/ManningtreeBenefice

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

Sunday Services at The Venture Centre, Bromley Road, 3pm June 12: Outreach Service June 26: Guest Service Tuesday 21 and every third Tuesday: New Drop-in Cake and Chat event in the Irwell Suite at The Venture Centre, Lawford, 10am-noon. Free minibus service from Brantham, Manningtree and Mistley.

Thursday 23: Fellowship outing to Wroxham and afternoon Broads cruise Friday 17: Prayer & Progress Meeting at Honeycroft on Waldegrave Way, 10am Our free mini-bus service covers the district. For details and further information contact us on: 01206 272064

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CHURCH NEWS BENEFICE OF EAST BERGHOLT AND BRANTHAM JUNE SERVICES Wednesday 1

9.30

BCP Communion (Healing)

East Bergholt

Sunday 5

Trinity 2: Growing in God

8am

BCP Communion

East Bergholt

10am

Benefice Communion

East Bergholt

Sunday 12

Trinity 3: Growing in God / Queen’s Birthday

8am

BCP Communion

East Bergholt

10am

Communion

East Bergholt

11am

Family Service

Brantham

Saturday 18 1pm

Wedding of Lauren Shaw and Darren Ditton, Brantham

Sunday 19

Trinity 4: Growing in God

8am

BCP Communion

East Bergholt

10am

Choral Matins

East Bergholt

11am

Informal Service at Brantham with Diane Payne, who will speak of the Salvation Army’s work with regard to human trafficking and slavery.

Saturday 25 5pm

Ordinations at Bury St Edmunds Cathedral

Sunday 26

Trinity 5: Growing in God

8am

BCP Communion

East Bergholt

11am

Benefice Communion

Brantham

for the locality budget grant, Brantham Parish Council, Thompson, Smith and Puxon (TSP) for their sponsorship of the annual teddy bear jump, and Karen and Tim Harries of the Garden Café at Craft Garden Centre.

We also received a very generous legacy from a Brantham resident.

Thanks also to our architect David Whymark, the builders of Heronbuild and archaeological experts from Colchester Archaeological Trust.

My thanks go to my amazing churchwardens Jane Pavitt and Ken Stuttaford without whom this project would never have been completed.

We have twinned our toilet with a latrine in Haji Noor Nazamani in Pakistan through Tear Fund, so our toilet is helping to make a difference to other people’s lives.

Thanks be to God. The Rev Steph Wedding Festival at St Mary’s The festival will run between Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, August 7, 10am until 5pm. Admission is free, but donations will be gratefully received. Tea, coffee and cake/biscuits will be available in the West End. This is a wedding/flower festival celebrating weddings at St Mary’s Church from the 1930s until the present day. All dresses belong to brides who were married at the church. Flower decorations will accompany the displays using similar flowers to those in the brides’ bouquets.

On Sunday, July 31 we will be having a very special wedding-themed service, including a baptism and wonderful music.

Sunday, July 3: Trinity 6: Patronal Festival 8am

BCP Communion

10am

Benefice Communion

East Bergholt

This schedule may change without notice if needed.

RAMBLING RECTOR The project is finally completed at St Michael’s Brantham What a workforce. Two Kango hammers and some ‘old men’ and the old floor was broken up – then our willing team had to shift a foot and a half of soil. After years of negotiations with the various authorities and once the archaeologists were sure that there was nothing of interest (no kings buried or anything likely to assist Ipswich Town) work was allowed to proceed and we were able to celebrate the opening of our new facilities with a wonderful concert by the Stowmarket Salvation Army Songsters on May 7.

Over the years £60,000 was raised.

We would particularly like to thank everyone for many generous donations from the community, Friends of St Michael’s, church members, brave teddy bears and other fundraising events. In particular we would like to thank the following: Viridor, Garfield Weston, Suffolk Historic Churches Trust, Dave Wood

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BRAVE BEARS WANTED

TEDDY BEAR 1st Prize PARACHUTE £50 CHALLENGE 2nd Prize Saturday 16 July 2016 from 9:30am St Michael’s Church Brantham Sponsorship forms are available in the church

£30 In Touch online:

Mon

Seated Exercise Counselling with Hannah

Tue

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

1.30pm 9am

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

9am 7 - 8pm 1pm 1.30pm

10am Alternative weeks

Tai Chi Computers for the Terrified

1pm 1.30pm

Foundry Court Community Centre Colchester Road, Manningtree

01206 397283

www.foundrycourt.co.uk

Physio and Acupuncturist available on Monday and Friday afternoons - appointments required.

Venue available for hire for parties, wakes and anniversaries - all occasions considered.

For more details or to make an appointment please contact Carole on 397283

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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KEY TO LOVE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Where Jesus is Love and love is Jesus COME AND JOIN US IN OUR NEW FELLOWSHIP – EVERYONE IS WELCOME Hear the teachings of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, with our lively worship and service. Refreshments served afterwards.

Every Sunday morning at 11am in The Ivell Suite at Venture Centre 2000, Bromley Road, Lawford CO11 2JE. If you or someone you know needs prayer for anything, please contact us.

David and Rosie Rhule 07787 572977 / 01206 397533 / info@thekeytoloveministries.co.uk www.thekeytoloveministries.co.uk

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In Touch online:

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 9am

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass

Tuesday 14 9.20am

Eucharistic Adoration

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.

Sunday 19 9am

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass: Children’s Liturgy

Tuesday 21 9.30am

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.

Morning Prayer

10am

Mass

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.

Sunday 26 9am

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass

Tuesday 28 9.30am

Morning Prayer

10am

Mass

Meeting at Old St Michael’s School on Trinity Road, Manningtree I was surprised to discover that self-help is not the modern phenomenon I thought it was. For instance, Hesiod living 700 years before Christ, began one work about farming with moral instructions! The Stoics’ thinking has continued to have a great impact, even to our understanding of logic today, but they also gave much ethical advice. But before even both of these the Bible record includes the Proverbs. Advice for holy living!

If you have never considered this Biblical growth in holiness, or have become fed up with trying yet another self-help course, why not come and join us as we study Growing in Holiness on Sunday mornings in June?

Following the pattern laid down by Bishop Ryle when he was in Suffolk in the 1870s we are finding great encouragement to live well today.

You’ll receive a warm welcome at our public worship services each Sunday at 10.30am (with an all-age programme) and again in the evening at 6.30pm. Services last between 60 and 90 minutes and refreshments follow the morning service.

KEY NOTES FOR JUNE

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.

4.30-6pm: KOGS (KS 1 & 2) with crafts, games, tea and Bible stories (Children’s University Learning Destination).

This month: What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver 6.30-8pm: BRiaN Reloaded (11-18s), serious Bible study with some serious fun thrown in Tuesday, June 7: Meeting Place (see below) Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday w/b June 5 & 19: Home Groups for Bible studyand prayer THE MEETING PLACE Tuesday, June 7: 40 Years a Fireman For many years Jim Spencer was a firefighter at the RAF Wattisham air base. He has seen many types of military aircraft literally come and go!

Phantom jets and Apache helicopters are just some of the aircraft that Jim would have been on ‘watch’ to deal with in adverse situations.

Like many firefighters there were alarming and also amusing situations and tales to tell. So please come and listen to a very able speaker/ conversationalist at 3pm at Trinity Free Church, Trinity Road, Mistley. Jim will be followed by our usual excellent tea.

Mondays 6, 13, 20 and 27: Monday Madness!

Please call Andrew Rowe (01206 393586) or David Boorman (01255 671891) to arrange a lift or for more information.

1.15-2.30pm: Trinity TOTS (pre-school plus carers) for play, good company, refreshments, music and a Bible Story.

For the latest information on these or any of our activities call Pastor Gaius on 01206 393745 or visit: www.trinity-manningtree.org.uk

www.keepingintouchwith.com/manningtree

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CHURCH NEWS BRANTHAM AND CAPEL METHODIST CHURCHES 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 and Brantham Methodist Churches 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 64page 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.

BRANTHAM METHODIST Sunday 5

11am

Worship with Mr Roger Theobald

Sunday 12 11am

Worship with Mr Martin Ellis

Sunday 19 11am

Worship with Mr Brian Loader

Sunday 26 11am

Worship with The Rev Chris Jowett

CAPEL ST MARY METHODIST Sunday 5

10.30am

Worship with Canon Paul Daltry

6.30pm

Prayer Stations

Sunday 12 10.30am 6.30pm

Worship with Deacon Georgina Brooks Birthday Celebration Service for our Queen

Sunday 19 10.30am

Worship with Dr Liz Cope

Sunday 26 10.30am

All Age Worship with The Rev Sankey

7.30pm

United Prayer Time at St Mary’s (RC)

ST MARY’S CHURCH, LAWFORD

Sunday 19

Priest In Charge: The Rev Simon Heron, 01206 392659

8am

Holy Communion BCP

10am

Holy Communion

6.30pm

Cafe Church

SERVICES FOR JUNE Sunday 5 8am Holy Communion BCP 8.45am

Prayer Breakfast

10am Holy Communion Sunday 12 8am Holy Communion BCP 10am Family Service 6.30pm

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Evensong

Sunday 26 8am

Holy Communion BCP

10am Morning Worship AFTERNOON TEA Lawford Church Flower Arrangers invite you to afternoon tea on Saturday, June 4 at Ogilvie Hall, 2.30-4.30pm, in aid of the flower festival fund. Adults £5, children £1.

In Touch online:

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ON THE GRAPEVINE FROM THE ARCHIVES

She had a large crew of nearly 1,300, captained by Cecil Prowse.

Battle of Jutland, May 31, 1916: John Henry Brunning, HMS Queen Mary

Following information gained from intercepted German messages, she was one of the first Battle Cruiser Squadron under acting Vice Admiral Beatty sent out to intercept a raid staged on May 31, 1916 to lure out and destroy part of the larger British fleet. Beatty’s scouts found the leading German group, acting under Admiral Franz Hipper, at around 2.30pm off the west coast of Jutland, Denmark. After small scale actions the two leading groups came together an hour later. The first salvoes were fired as the two groups started what became known as the Run to the South, as Admiral Franz Hipper lured Beatty towards the main battle fleet coming up from Germany.

John came from a family of steam engineers, his father Henry and uncle James both worked at Mumfords in Colchester. His father was sent to maintain the engines installed by the firm at the new pumping station at Mistley, formally opened in 1887 by the Tendring Hundred Waterworks Company. John was born a couple of years after they arrived. The family lived in Waterworks House which still stands on Mistley Hill. Behind was a set of large twin buildings and an 82 foot chimney that dominated the landscape. It was designed by Peter Bruff to draw from the chalk aquifers the increasing amounts of water needed at the EDME maltings next door and for piping 12 miles to Harwich via Wix, where it was desperately needed by the expanding town.

The exchanges increased in intensity and the first British battle cruiser, HMS Indefatigable, was hit and exploded just after 4pm. At 4.25pm the Queen Mary, the second ship in the line, was hit by a combined salvo, causing one or both of her forward magazines to explode, showering other nearby ships with debris. She quickly rolled over and sunk, taking John Henry Brunning and 1,265 other crew with her. Only a handful of survivors were picked out of the water by following British ships and two

by German boats.

After sighting the main German battle group coming up from the south, Admiral Beatty turned his squadron around and in turn led them towards the main British battle group coming up from behind under Admiral John Jellicoe. The main battle then took place between the two fleets and lasted throughout the night, involving 250 ships in all. Over 6,000 British and 2,500 German seamen were lost in just a few short hours.

There were nine children in the family and the boys had to help their father de-clinker the two steam boilers, which meant climbing inside the fire box with just a hammer and chisel to remove the residue that had built up. With such an upbringing it is a small wonder they in turn also became engineers. The two eldest, Charles and Arthur, joined Lever Brothers working on engines in Liverpool. George went to work in Nottinghamshire as an engine maker and married and settled there.

After his schooling in Mistley, John trained as an engine fitter and later found work in the shipbuilding industry in Lowestoft, where he was living in lodgings in 1911. He joined the Royal Navy in September 1914 and was assigned to HMS Vernon, a static training ship stationed in Portchester, at the north end of Portsmouth Harbour. There he received training on top of his experience as a turner and fitter, which included ship’s electrics and he was passed out as an Electrical Artificer, fourth class. This specialist trade was usually required on large cruisers to either deal with the high power installations or torpedoes.

On June 10, 1915 he was transferred to operations aboard HMS Queen Mary. At 26 years of age he was still single and described as five foot six inches with grey eyes and brown hair. Later in the year he sent home a special Christmas card from aboard ship.

The Queen Mary was a battlecruiser, the last to be built before the war started, armed with eight 13-inch guns. She was assigned to the fleet based in the North Sea to protect the British coast against raids by surface ships and maintain the blockade of German ports.

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John’s older brother Louis Frederick Brunning started at the Tendring Hundred Water works in 1900, aged just 14 years, working as a clerk at the new Manningtree office. He joined the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Bombardier, fought and survived the war, before going back to work in the accounts department. He was also secretary of the Manningtree British Legion for 25 years. Their sister Lillian taught at Mistley Norman School before going into nursing in Sussex, while Minnie Brunning looked after her parents at Waterworks House.

John is commemorated on the Portsmouth memorial and on his parents’ grave stone in Mistley churchyard. Information and photos supplied by Liz Herrett (Louis Brunning’s grand daughter).

Also at the battle of Jutland was HMS Abdiel, a minelayer commanded

by Captain Berwick Curtis who lived for a while at Abbot’s Manor, Church Hill, Lawford. Mentioned in dispatches for his conduct, Admiral Jellicoe wrote: “Abdiel, ably commanded by Commander Berwick Curtis, carried out her duties with the success which has always characterised her work.” Captain Curtis brought back the ship’s white ensign which had flown at the battle and presented it to Lawford church where it was put on display along with a plaque.

Philip Cunningham, Manningtree Museum & Local History Group

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