In Touch with Sproughton - May 2016

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Volume 6 • Issue No. 7 • MAY 2016 Sproughton Playing Field News See page 14

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

NEWS

Yesterday we had thunder, lightening, rain, hailstones… Today the most glorious spring day of the year so far. I think this is it! I can feel it in my bones. Summer is finally on the way. Time to get out the sun cream, to pack away the woolly jumpers and to open the doors and windows and let the fresh air in. At last!

It’s a busy, busy year with many extra events to celebrate the Queen’s 90th Birthday in addition to annual fun days, galas, regattas, fairs and fetes. There isn’t a single weekend between now and the end of June when there isn’t at least one event every Saturday and Sunday and many more on Bank Holiday Mondays. I’m currently trying to organise a Star Wars birthday party for my six-year-old son and the kitchen table is covered in scrapped invitation cards (Jack was writing the names!), lists (food, games, shopping, goodie bags, decorations), recipes (Chewy Wookiee Cookies look particularly challenging!), and information about keeping rabbits! Don’t ask! This I have to do but those who plan, organise and promote local events often do so by choice and I can only imagine how much time and energy, never mind the blood, sweat and tears, they invest to bring it all together and pack it all away again.

I’m hoping at least 10 of Jack’s friends turn up, but at least I’ll know in advance and can plan accordingly. I may not need 16 inflatable lightsabers after all and I may be eating Obo-Wan Kabobies for a month, but I’m not sure I could cope with not knowing if anyone would turn up! Yet our valiant teams of local event organisers do it year after year, hoping the weather will play along, hoping their neighbours will roll up, hoping there will be a sufficient number of people to make all the effort worthwhile, hoping to raise a significant sum for the cause, whatever it may be.

SPROUGHTON PRIMARY SCHOOL SET TO PACK A MIGHTY PUNCH Sproughton Primary School, one of the smallest schools in Suffolk with just 105 pupils, is set to pack a mighty punch, slip, slide and other fun and raise some much need funds this summer at the first annual Sproughton Family Knockout – and they need you!

Surely the least we can do is turn up. Make the effort this year and you may find new reasons to appreciate your local community.

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The fun and frolics will take place on Saturday, July 2, 10am-4pm, at Jimmy’s Farm and local businesses, friends and families are invited to enter a team or simply come along and watch the hilarity as the charity teams pit their agility and wits against their peers as they are pushed to their absolute limits. Giant inflatable courses, water and full-on games warfare, the event is all in the name of some jolly good fun and all for a worthy, local cause.

Paul Baker, chair of Sproughton School Association, said: “We are really excited about the It’s a Knock Out event and are looking for teams to compete and join in the fun. The event is to raise much needed funds to replace the playground equipment at Sproughton Primary School and simply by entering you will help the school and have a great laugh!”

There will be free entry for families to come and watch the tournament, visit the market stalls, enjoy the children’s entertainment, take up the sport and health opportunities on offer and to savour some of the most spectacular summer activities seen in the area, sponsored by First Strokes Swim Schools. An event simply too good to miss!

To learn more about booking a charity team to compete for your chance to win great prizes please visit: www.pta-events.co.uk/sproughton

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NEWS SPROUGHTON PARISH COUNCIL The last full council meeting was on Wednesday, April 13. Draft minutes can be found at http://sproughton.onesuffolk.net/parish-council and on the noticeboards on the village green (Lower Street) and Hadleigh Road.

The next scheduled meeting is the Annual Parish Council Meeting (not to be confused with the Annual Parish Meeting – see below) to be held at 7.30pm on Wednesday, May 11 in the Barley Room at Sproughton Tithe Barn. At this meeting, the chairman and vice chairman are elected for the forthcoming year. Agendas can be found on the council website and noticeboards. Meetings normally conclude by 9pm. Members of the public are always welcome to attend.

Calendar of parish council meetings for 2016/17 The council has agreed a calendar of parish council and planning committee meetings for the period April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.

Dates, times and venues are published on the council website.

Annual Parish Meeting The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Tithe Barn, Lower Street, Sproughton at 7.30pm on Wednesday, May 4. This is the meeting at which your council presents a report of its activities for the year ending March 31, 2016 together with its accounts for the same period, and invites community organisations like the community shop, millennium green and playing field management committee to report their activities over the past year. Please come along; it’s a fully interactive meeting and lasts no longer that 90 minutes. Look for the agenda on the council website and noticeboards.

Update on the proposed Wolsey Grange Development Currently, the parish council, along with a number of residents, are waiting for responses from Babergh on a number of topics relating to decisions made at the planning committee meetings in November 2015 and February 2016. Babergh have not yet issued the official decision notices of these two meetings. Until these and the responses to our enquiries have been received, the parish council will proceed with the intended legal challenge Sproughton Tithe Barn The barn is an iconic and valuable local resource which is owned, managed and maintained by the parish council and used by the community and the wider private and corporate community. Buildings of this nature have their challenges and can be expensive to maintain. Costs associated with the ownership are covered by precept money (from Council Tax) and hire charges from bookings. Bookings and the related revenues have grown and remain strong. There is capacity and demand to take more bookings but the council is mindful of its neighbour’s wishes and so therefore puts a cap on the number of bookings it takes. Revenue from bookings for the year ending March 2016 were £15,816, up from £11,652 in 2013/14.

Sproughton Community Shop annual licence The shop premises are owned by the parish council as part of the Tithe Barn complex, and the shop occupies them under a formal agreement, an Occupational Licence, granted by the council and reviewed and renewed on an annual basis in consideration of an annual licence fee. That fee to date has been £500 per year plus a contribution of £120 for insurance plus electricity costs. There are a number of other hidden costs which the council hadn’t to date separated out or made a specific charge for but assumed the flat £500 would cover. In reviewing the licence for the April 2016-March 2017 period, the council decided to charge a nominal licence fee of £50 (reduced from £500) plus the costs associated with insurance, waste collection, electricity, rates and water usage. The resulting sum will amount to a saving for the shop in the region of £190 per year. It is hoped that the shop company will accept this more transparent and equitable approach to determining the annual licence fee.

Celebrating HM Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday: Saturday, June 11 The parish council is planning an event for Sproughton residents to celebrate the Queen’s birthday. There will be children’s activities and party tea in the afternoon and a family ceilidh in the evening at the Tithe Barn. This will be an event for Sproughton residents. If you would like to volunteer to help on the day, please contact the parish clerk.

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The council would like to give each of the children in the village a commemorative mug to remember the Queen’s birthday by (we did a similar thing in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee). Please contact the clerk if you have a son or daughter of school age (primary or secondary school) so that we can organise for them to receive this gift.

Eighth annual Sproughton Beer Festival: Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 May If you’ve been in previous years, you’ll know what a good weekend it is. if you haven’t been before, then I can tell you, it’s a fab weekend.

• 25 Real Ales straight from the barrel, plus a number of ciders and perrys • Themed Festival Glass: Anniversaries • From 7pm on Friday 13: family disco, bar and BBQ for Sproughton residents. This is by ticket only, available at 50p from the school and the community shop.

• Saturday at noon: beer festival opens • Saturday night: live jazz band • Sunday at noon: bar reopens • Sunday night: quiz • Food available all weekend • Free entry Vacancies still exist for parish councillors There are now seven councillor seats remaining vacant on the council.

Simon Curl, chairman, Sproughton Parish council: 747114 Sue Frankis, clerk to the council: 463852 / pc@sproughton.suffolk.gov.uk Please call between 9am and 5pm weekdays only. In an emergency outside these hours you can contact the chairman.

POPLAR FARM I have discovered a little bit more about the people who lived at Poplar Farm.

George Ranson kept a diary from 1842 to 1848, from which we learn that his 22-year-old sister Sarah was married on a very wet day, May 21 1845, in Sproughton church by The Rev Edward Gould to a Joseph Cundall. The couple went by train from Colchester to Watford and later went to Edinburgh. Later they enjoyed racing at Ascot and visiting the Royal Academy summer exhibition.

The Ransons also knew Charles Lillingston of The Chantry.

Doreen Bradbury, Sproughton Local History Recorder

SPROUGHTON CHURCH HALL The application for a BIFFA grant to help with completing the major development of the hall failed last autumn as the landfill tax money available ran out. Meanwhile, we have continued fundraising so that we can eventually have new toilets, extra storage and an improved entrance foyer in a front extension to the hall, but costs are rising faster than we can fundraise, making a grant even more essential.

Now six months later we are allowed to re-apply and have so far sent in an ‘expression of interest’ form seeking BIFFA approval for a full grant application to be made. To help us with this, we need several supporting letters from interested users, so if you wish to support this venture, please write to me now. Just let me know how pleased you are with the hall refurbishment so far, and how much you feel that new toilets, extra storage and an improved entrance foyer would improve this essential local amenity.

Most of the organisations using the hall have already written to me.

Michael Earey

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NEWS TOP TIPS FOR SHED & GARAGE SECURITY Sheds and garages have always been easy-pickings for thieves. While the police are doing everything they can to prevent, deter and detect these offences, homeowners also have a clear part to play if we are to reduce these thefts and keep your possessions where they should be – in your shed or garage, not in the thief’s. Please take a moment to read through these ten top tips and implement as many of the suggestions as you can.

1. Site the shed as close to your house as possible. This will make it harder for the thief to break-in without being noticed.

2. Add a perimeter of crunchy gravel around the shed or garage, and plant some nice thorny plants under the windows. Pyracantha, Berberis and Common Hawthorn are popular and effective.

3. Obscure shed and garage windows with net curtains or whitewash. A burglar seldom steals what he can’t see.

4. If your garage has a rear door, fit it with a 5-lever mortise lock certified to BS 3621. Try to do the same for your shed, but if the door is not suitable, fit a close-shackled padlock instead and ensure that the fittings are bolted into the shed, not just screwed.

5. For garage rear doors, fit hinge-bolts in the back edge of the door.

These prevent a thief from opening it by removing the hinges.

6. For sheds, if the door isn’t suitable for hinge bolts, make the hinges harder to remove by bolting them to the door or by drilling out the screw heads.

7. If your garage has an up-and-over door, you can secure it from the inside by drilling a hole in each runner, just above the wheel (with the door in the closed position). Snap a padlock through each hole and you now have a simple device to block the wheel’s movement and stop the door opening.

8. Secure cycles, mowers, strimmers, hedge-trimmers and the like with a lockable steel cable and ground anchor. Thieves like to work fast, so slow them down!

9. Visibly mark removable items. Thieves seldom steal property that can be traced back to its owner. Visible marking makes it obvious to a thief that the item is traceable.

10. Fit an alarm. If you have a house alarm, you should extend it to cover your garage. Otherwise, you can always invest in a simple batteryoperated alarm to protect your shed, garage, caravan or boat. Most have a volume of around 130db and few burglars will be able to stay in the protected area for more than a few seconds.

SUFFOLK ENERGY-FROM-WASTE FACILITY SITA Trust is a funding organisation which distributes money provided by SITA UK (now SUEZ). In the last four years £553,000 has been given to Suffolk projects, most of which has been spent within a three-mile radius of the Suffolk Energy-From-Waste Facility.

The Enhancing Communities Fund has been available in this area since construction of the site began in January 2012. This funding is only available to projects close to a qualifying site. The first project was awarded funding in April 2105, and so far 14 projects have shared around £403,000, including: Great Blakenham: £103,000 to the village hall, bowls club and scout group Claydon: £80,000 to the football club (actually in Great Blakenham) and the community trust Bramford: £62,500 to the playing field, Lorraine Victory Hall, British Legion and tennis club Sproughton: £49,000 to the church

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SPROUGHTON VILLAGE FETE SUNDAY, JUNE 26 We need to enlist the help of a few strong people to help put up the marquees and tents before the fete on June 26, and to help take them down again immediately afterwards. We are fortunate to be able to borrow the tents for a modest hire fee from local scouts and guides, and because of that we don’t like to leave them on the green overnight, where they could be subjected to vandalism or damage. If you can help from around 9am on Sunday, June 26, or from 4pm the same day, please give me a call on 01473 741410. We’d very much appreciate it.

The programme is still being developed, but we already have enough attractions confirmed to be sure it will be a good day. One exciting development I must share with you is the confirmed return of the Knobbly Knees competition. Some folks are just born with beautiful, knobbly knees. Others have to work at it. Still others can only ever stand and admire from a distance. Whichever category you may be in, be there on the day to join in the fun.

Our grand draw tickets have arrived from the printers and are already on sale in the community shop and from some very persuasive sellers.

Please buy a few tickets for the chance to win one of the many fantastic prizes and by doing so help lots of local community organisations raise much needed funds. If you can’t make the fete itself on the day for whatever reason, buying a book of draw tickets in advance is a good way to get involved and do your bit. If anybody has anything to donate as a prize for the draw, please contact me on the number above and I will arrange collection.

Finally, please start saving all your old crockery for the crockery smash stall – our top earning individual stall for the last two years. Every penny raised goes straight into fete funds, securing next year’s fete and helping our community. It’s a smashing way to get involved and to dispose of old stuff that’s no longer all it was once cracked up to be (groan). Call me and I’ll pick up what you have before the day.

That’s all for now. Watch out for a final update in the June edition of In Touch.

Ken Seager Somersham: £22,000 to the tennis and football clubs Little Blakenham: £4,000 to St Mary’s Church Applications for funding must be done online and the next deadline is July 25, 2016. Grants of up to £20,000 are available for smaller projects with a total value up to £40,000 and grants of up to £50,000 for projects with a total value up to £250,000.

SITA Trust also has other funds available, which are not specific to this site, and in January this year Little Blakenham Parish Council was awarded just over £9,000 from The Big Play fund to refurbish a play area.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust has had over £130,000 for various projects including protecting dormice, saving Suffolk barn owls and improvements at Rendlesham Forest.

SITA Trust funding officer for this area is Pete Sessions: 01454 262943 www.sitatrust.org.uk USEFUL NUMBERS Site offices: 01473 839149 To book a visit: 01473 836812 Environment Agency: 0800 807060

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NOW RECRUITING JUNIOR ARTWORKER Mansion House Publishing, Ipswich seeks to recruit a junior artworker who is competent in InDesign and Photoshop to join our small and very busy team.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS At least one year’s experience in a studio environment The ability to work well within a team To work effectively under pressure and to tight deadlines A keen eye for detail Natural creative flair If you meet the criteria outlined above, or wish to discuss the position further, please contact our studio manager Jo Wain as soon as possible: jo@intouchnews.co.uk / 01473 400380 To see some of the publications we produce visit http://issuu.com/mansionhousepublishing or www.GrapevineLIVE.co.uk Mansion House Publishing 20 Wharfedale Road • Ipswich IP1 4JP

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NEWS SPROUGHTON COMMUNITY SHOP: Something for everyone Well, Easter is behind us, the weather wasn’t too bad and many children from Sproughton Primary School came to claim their free Easter Bunnies. This offer was part of an outreach initiative to bring new people into the shop, an objective which was certainly fulfilled. In fact April was a good trading month, and we apologise for having run out of eggs for the very first time. You must all have been baking like fits for Easter. Our eggs, of course, are top quality free range from Flowton, and sell at £1.25 a half dozen. We also sell jumbo eggs, £1.85 a half dozen, which have to be seen to be believed. They have a dedicated clientele, so if you would like to try some, come in early on a Tuesday when they are delivered.

There have been some significant changes to our stock since I last wrote. Did you know you could buy tracing paper and all manner of stationery needs from us? We have blue tack, sellotape, post its, envelopes and bubble wrap. We’ve also got torches! As the weather gets better inevitably the bluebottles wake up, and for those of you who prefer a less chemical way of getting rid of them, we also have fly papers.

You may know what “Sloightly on th’ huh” means in Suffolk dialect but what is a Jasper or a Bishy Barnabee? To find out the meaning of these and another 40 Suffolk words and phrases, why not buy one of our

Suffolk Dialect tea towels or mugs on sale in the shop?

On the edible side of things, the gluten- and dairy-free muffins and loaves are selling well. They are also low glycaemic index, containing only a very small amount of maple syrup. We have custard tarts every weekend, along with vegetarian sausage rolls. Of course, Daphne’s delicious cakes are always in stock, and never fail to please. The lemon and white chocolate cheesecakes quickly disappeared from the freezer over Easter.

Four of our volunteers will have attended the ceremony for the Community Service Awards at Wherstead Park and no doubt will have a very pleasant evening. We are grateful for this acknowledgement of the many dedicated hours our volunteers give to the village. As you know, having a shop creates a stronger and safer community, not to mention the increased value to all our properties. We know each other better, we have met new friends, we have been able to invest in community projects, and all our customers are most supportive of our efforts. Thank you faithful volunteers and loyal customers.

Rosalind Lavington 01473 748478 / www.sproughtoncommunityshop.co.uk

COFFEE CUSTARD FILLED PUFFS Once upon a time when things were perfect, my grandfather, who could bake anything and whose baked goods were ordered from and sent to the farthest corners of the world, would surprise me with custard or cream-filled puffs, one of my very favourite treats. He was one of a previous age when measurements were made in his own hands – a sprinkle of this, half a handful of that – no measuring spoons, and certainly never written down. I hope you enjoy these custard-filled puffs, a fair approximation of a long-ago memory of perfection. Most, if not all, ingredients are available from Sproughton Community Shop.

Mary Bright Basan Email: ms.bb@talktalk.net CHOUX PASTRY 8oz water 3oz / 6tbsp butter, cut into pieces Pinch salt 5gm / 1tsp sugar Pinch nutmeg 110gm sifted plain flour 4 large eggs 1 egg plus 3fl gm water, beaten together In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring the first five ingredients to a boil, gently boiling until the butter is melted. Take off the heat and add the flour, all at once. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Then,

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beat over high heat for one or two minutes, until it pulls away from the side, forming a blob, leaving a film on the bottom. Remove from the heat, make a well, and drop in one egg. Beat it until it becomes well absorbed, a couple of seconds. Do this again until all four eggs are used. The absorption will be slower, but beat until blended and smooth.

COFFEE CUSTARD ½lb / 225gm sugar 5 egg yolks 5oz sifted plain flour 16oz boiling milk ½oz / 1tbsp butter 10ml vanilla 2-3tbsp instant coffee

Heat the oven to 220°/gas mark 7. Using a pastry bag and ½” round tube opening, squeeze a mound 1” in diameter, ½” high onto a baking sheet. You may also use spoons if you don’t have a pastry bag. Space them 2” apart. Dip a pastry brush into the beaten egg, and gently flatten each puff with the side of the brush, being careful not to slop it over the sides, as it may not rise. Put the sheets on the top and third racks of the oven for about 20 minutes. They are done when double in size, golden brown, and firm and crusty to touch.

With and electric mixer or wire whip gradually beat sugar into the yolks and continue to beat for two-three minutes until pale yellow and forms a ribbon. Beat in the flour. While beating the mixture, gradually – in a stream of droplets – pour in the boiling milk. Transfer to a large saucepan (2½ litre) and set over moderately high heat. Stir with a wire whip that reaches the bottom to avoid scorching. If lumps appear, continue beating to smooth it. Once boiling, turn down the heat for two-three minutes, all the time continuing to beat. Finally, remove from heat and add butter, vanilla and instant coffee. Fill the puffs just before serving to avoid sogginess. Sprinkle with confectioner’s powder and drizzle melted chocolate across the top as an extra touch.

Remove from the oven and pierce each one on the side with a sharp knife to let out steam.

Put them back into the hot oven, turn off the heat, and leave for 10 minutes with oven door ajar. Transfer the puffs to a rack to cool. Test one for hollowness by cutting the top off, and scrape any residue out and discard. Do this to avoid sogginess. If you want the puffs to remain whole, scrape with a spoon handle through the slit. When cool, they are ready to fill.

The custard may be kept refrigerated with softened butter dotted on top to avoid a skin forming. It can be refrigerated for up to one week.

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NEWS SPROUGHTON MILLENNIUM GREEN WORK PARTIES AND AN AMAZING TRUE TALE

SAVE THE DUKE UPDATE

The change of day of the monthly work parties to Sunday (the third Sunday in every month) has proved a winner. The last couple of work parties have been well attended, enabling us to get a great deal of clearing up and sprucing up work done in each of the two hour sessions.

You can’t fail to have noticed the cleaned millstone at the entrance to the green – now dazzlingly bright and almost sparkling. The riverbank has been cleared of branches, rubbish, twigs and tall weeds; new planting has been done on the far end of the green and the grass around the entrance slope has been strimmed. Thanks are due to Roger and Terry, Paul, David, Jack, Glenn, Ralph and Tess especially.

The next work parties are on Sunday, May 15 and Sunday, June 19, from 10am-noon. Please come along and lend a hand – you’ll be made most welcome. And you’ll get a cup of tea or coffee.

While on the subject of the green, here’s a little true story of travel and adventure that will amaze you. Recently, we noticed that the plaque we set up by the oak tree planted on the green to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee in 2013 was missing. It had been concreted in place, so it had to have been uprooted and stolen. We searched the green high and low but couldn’t find it anywhere. It wasn’t very expensive, but the children from Sproughton School helped us plant the oak and set the plaque in place and in that sense it was special.

We head into spring full of optimism as the campaign continues to raise money and step closer towards re-opening the pub doors and ‘Saving the Duke’. Having raised over £200,000, and nudging nearer £210,00, the goal is in sight. Still more help is needed and anything more you can do to chip in or encourage others to chip in will help make it into a reality!

Buying the Pub, Adapting the Plans The priority is to get enough money to buy the pub and open the doors.

Loans and selling a few more shares will help us to do this. It’s taking longer than we’d have wanted, but we will get there!

We can start off with voluntary staff, opening at the most popular times and offering simple food on a limited basis. That way a cash flow can be built up. Once there’s enough profit, we can look to employ people.

We’ve seen firsthand how other community-owned pubs have done it.

They have gone on to flourish, run by paid staff or a combination of paid staff and volunteers, and providing great menus. We will do it!

Having given up all hope of finding it again, I was in the process of ordering a replacement. A knock at my door one evening turned out to be our neighbour Angela, who had the plaque in her hands. That was amazing enough, but when she told me how she’d come by it, I was astounded.

Loans We’ve been expecting HRMC approval for the SITR 30% tax relief on loans for some time – and are hoping that by the time In Touch is published we will have confirmation. If so, we’ll be talking to lenders who have promised support to organise the loans. Then there will be nothing stopping us from putting in an offer on the pub. Exciting times!

Angela’s husband Chris is into sailing. On a recent trip to Woolverstone Marina to meet a friend, Chris was presented with the plaque by the friend who had found it washed up on the foreshore there. He would have left it or thrown it back into the Orwell if he hadn’t noticed ‘Sproughton’ on it, and connected that with his friend Chris, who lives just outside the village. He kept it and returned it when they next met.

Pub For Sale The current owners are keen to sell, and have put the Duke on the market again. You may have seen the sign up. By way of re-assurance, the property has not been de-licensed and can’t be sold off as a house. It has been listed as an Asset of Community Value (AVC), which means the community will have first option over a period of time. In the end, we want the pub to open again and to secure its long term future.

The plaque, now a little scarred and distressed by its journey – we assume from the river on the green downstream through Ipswich and out into the Orwell on its way to the sea – deserves to be reset in its original place next time there’s a work party. It’s the least we can do for such a charmed little thing. Come and see it!

Ken Seager

REFERENDUM DEBATE 7.30pm on Thursday, May 26 at Harkstead Village Hall We will be staging another one of our popular hustings, this time to give everyone the chance to listen to the pros and cons of Britain remaining in the European Economic Community. We will have a panel of politicians and other experts, including MP Ben Gummer, to answer your questions.

This is probably the most important decision that British people have had to make since the referendum of 1975, when we chose to stay in the Common Market, as we then knew it.

Come along and make your views known!

Fundraising Campaigners hosted The Bash in the Barn, a party and auction designed to raise money for the Duke campaign. It seemed to go down a treat, with 180 people attending and raising an impressive £3,300 for the campaign.

The community banded together to provide food, live music and auction prizes.

Thanks to Lucy for taking control and doing such a great job, to all those who helped her with the organisation and running of the event, and to the many people who brought along scrumptious desserts!

There were even some signed Coldplay goodies donated by Rupert Berryman, father of Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman. Ed Sheeran isn’t the only celebrity who wants to see the Duke re-open!

Chipping in a bit more We hope to be back soon with news of SITR confirmation. In the meantime, if you could afford to buy shares or simply donate a sum to the cause, please visit our website. You can do it all on our investment pages at: www.savetheduke.net

For details contact Kester Clarke: 01473 780564

If you’d rather send a cheque or make a BACS payment please contact Gerard, our treasurer: grdkroon@gmail.com / 01473 657178

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Trusted by local families since 1925 47 St Helens Street Ipswich 01473 257242 283 Norwich Road Ipswich 01473 232837 364 Foxhall Road Ipswich 01473 728445 Meredith Greengrass 9 Marriotts Walk Stowmarket 01449 612765

The East of England Co-op has been your local funeral service for 90 years.

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

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OUT & ABOUT LENT LUNCHES Thank you so much to everyone who supported in any way the six Lent Soup Lunches, which through your generosity raised £370. A cheque has been sent to World Vision, an international Christian charity working continuously in many places but also among the first to respond with practical help in emergencies.

Rosie Wilcox

SUFFOLK BLUE CROSS ANIMAL REHOMING CENTRE This year’s Paws for Tea event is at our new flagship centre at Bourne Hill, Wherstead, Ipswich IP2 8NQ on Saturday, May 14, 11am-3pm. Entry is free, but donations will be gratefully received.

Do come and support us.

SPROUGHTON SENIOR CITIZENS CLUB By the time you read these notes we shall have held our AGM and, hopefully, will have a full committee and some proposals for our 2016 outings program. I will supply details in my next report.

John Bates

IPSWICH HOSPITAL BAND CELEBRATES 40th ANNIVERSARY Ipswich Hospital Band is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and is holding a celebratory concert on Saturday, July 9 to mark the occasion.

We would particularly like to invite past conductors and band members, including those who have learnt to play as beginners in our training band, to celebrate with us at the concert which, as well as playing some of our favourite music, will be a trip down memory lane.

Past conductors and members are invited to join current members for a get together party after the concert. Tickets are £5 and will include concert admission and after party refreshments. Admission to the concert will be by ticket only. We are hoping that many will come along to celebrate with us. To reserve a ticket please contact Betty Green: bgreen144@btinternet.com / 01473 725144

IPSWICH MOBILE LIBRARY ROUTE 15 Route 15 MIP/15A MIP/15B MIP/15C MIP/15D MIP/15E MIP/15F MIP/15G

Town/village Washbrook Washbrook Washbrook Burstall Elmsett Whatfield Hintlesham

Location Pearson’s Way Brook Inn Car Park Fenn View Telephone Kiosk Rose and Crown Wheatfields Timperleys

Time 9.50-10.40 10.45-11.15 11.20-11.40 11.50-12.15 12.40-13.05 14.05-14.50 15.05-16.00

2016 DATES: May 25, June 22, July 20, August 17, September 14, October 12, November 8, December 7

By the time you’ve read this magazine another child will have come into care.

In all likelihood you read faster than I give you credit for, but still recent statistics from the Fostering Network suggest that on average in the UK one child comes into care every 20 minutes.

Why?

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

www.keepingintouchwith.com/sproughton

The fact remains there are many reasons for a child to come into care: poverty, debt, homelessness, breakdown of relationships, war, drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, ill mental health, sexual abuse – the list goes on.

The reasons are varied and as a result the needs of the children in care differ greatly. However, many of these children are looking to foster care to support them. The Fostering Network estimates that fostering services in England need to recruit approximately 7,600 foster carers this year to stand a chance of meeting this evergrowing demand.

“There is a massive shortfall of foster carers in this region,” says Eleanor Vanner, director of Eastern Fostering Services, an independent agency providing services in Essex and Suffolk. “People often don’t know why children can’t live with their birth families and labour under misconceptions around who can and can’t foster.”

Common themes are cited as barriers to fostering: being in full time employment, being a single parent, not owning your own home, being too young or too old, not fitting the mould. Eleanor says that very few applications to foster are rejected for any of these reasons: “Children come in all shapes and sizes and so should foster carers so that the differing needs of all children can be met.”

If you would like to find out more about fostering please visit: www.easternfosteringservices.com

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OUT & ABOUT / SPORT GREAT BLAKENHAM OVER 50s CLUB

COUNTRYSIDE WALKS

The club is open to anyone of that age living in Great Blakenham and the surrounding area. We meet from 2-4pm on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month in the Parish Room, Stowmarket Road, Great Blakenham. The cost per meeting is £1.50 which includes whatever activity is programmed for the afternoon, refreshments and a raffle.

The walkers went to Bridge Wood for their Sunday ramble in April and joined many others in the sunshine. For the midweek walk the group went to Waldringfield, again in sunshine, and enjoyed walking from the church to the River Deben and along the shore past the new flood defences to the new wildlife reserve and back to the church.

On afternoons when we play a couple of games of bingo the tickets are £1 each. Members take it in turns to make the tea. The Parish Room is the building with a green door more or less opposite the Chequers Public House and it has its own parking area at the rear. It is fully accessible for anyone in a wheelchair and has disabled facilities within.

The walk on Sunday, May 8 will leave the church at 2pm and the midweek outing will be on Tuesday, May 17, leaving at 10am. Destinations will be decided later.

We had a very enjoyable meeting in March when Mr Tyler of the River Gipping Trust presented a slideshow of the work the trust has been doing along the Gipping with pictures of the various locks and sluices along the route.

Our meetings for the next few months are: May 11: Social Afternoon May 25: Mrs Jane Paley with her lighthearted talk What do you know about tea?

June 8: To be confirmed June 22: To be confirmed July 13: Mrs Pauline Walker on The History of the Co-Op Juniors Theatre Company July 27: Social afternoon including quiz time with Brenda Cooper We would be pleased to welcome anyone who would like to come to one of the talks. There is no obligation to become a member, so do come and join us.

Jackie Durrant, 01449 672690

GARDEN OPEN IN AID OF AGE UK SUFFOLK Sunday, May 22, 2-5pm, at Windmill Cottage, Mill Hill, Capel St Mary IP9 2JE Tea/coffee, homemade cakes, books and plants for sale. Admission £3 (children free / no dogs).

If anyone would like to make a cake or has any books for the book stall, please let me know. Any books left over will go to the Age UK shop.

We hope, with a bit of luck, that our very rare and beautiful tulip tree will be out.

Eddie Cox, 311121

PLANT SALE AND COFFEE MORNING Burstall Village Hall, Saturday, May 28 10.30am-noon

CLAYDON FC CLAYDON FC SCORES NEW GOALS Claydon Football Club entered the Harrod UK competition to find the areas saddest goal posts and tweeted a picture of our senior portable training goals which are well past their best and not portable any longer. We were delighted to find out we had won one of the sets available to the Suffolk entrants and so we will be receiving a new set of senior goals for the adult and older junior teams.

After the success of last year’s plant sale, St Mary’s Church, Burstall will be holding another plant sale and coffee morning in aid of church funds. There will be homemade cakes and pies for your freezer, bric-a brac, books, tombola, a raffle and free children’s activities.

Please come and join us for coffee and cake in our wonderful village hall.

SPROUGHTON TENNIS CLUB

The club would like to thank Harrod UK for this fantastic prize and look forward to using the new goals for a long time to come.

Sproughton Tennis Club is holding an Open Day on Sunday, May 15 from 2pm.

NEW MEN’S 1st TEAM MANAGER APPOINTED

This is part of the LTA Great British Tennis Weekend and is your opportunity to come along and play for free for the afternoon.

We expect families to come along between 2 and 4pm while from 4 to 6pm it’s the turn of over 14s and adults .

Claydon Football Club are pleased to announce the appointment of a new men’s First team manager who takes over with immediate effect.

Richard ‘Kenny”’ Kennedy lives in Claydon and previously managed the Reserves, but left in 2011 to manage Somersham who he took to Division 1 before leaving in October 2015. He will assume First team duties for the last match of the season on Saturday, April 23 against Coplestonians at Greshams Sports Club.

Club chairman Tim Carr said: “We had a few applications for the role and the standard and competition was very high which shows the quality and commitment of coaching in local football. This made our job all the more harder in selecting someone who shares the ethos of the club and will drive the senior section forward, improving the status of not only the men’s standard of football but also provide a focus for the youth section of the club to aim at.”

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We hope to see people of all ages, not only juniors. So, if you have played tennis in the past or just want to try something new, dig out that racket and come along. If you don’t have a racket, come along anyway and we will find you one to play with. We’re hoping for fine weather and there may even be prizes available too.

The club can be found at The Playing Fields in Church Lane, Sproughton IP8 3AX. For further details visit: www.sproughtontennis.co.uk/gbtw

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SPORT

SPROUGHTON PLAYING FIELD NEWS Here’s the latest update on what the Playing Field Management Committee (PFMC) has been doing, and what changes you may see around the playing field in the coming months.

To benches like this:

Benches You may remember us telling you last year that we’d approached Sproughton Primary School to ask each class to design a more suitable colour scheme for the new benches. We gave no guidance or theme; it was over to the children to decide what’s suitable.

Well, what we got back was an amazing number of really great designs, that were well thought out and pretty much capture what the playing field is all about.

Now, clearly we didn’t have enough benches to paint a design on each, and although all the designs were really excellent, we’ve finally been able to ask our graffiti artist Scott King from Aroma Designs to choose the pictures with the most impact to go on the benches. The results, we hope you’ll agree, are amazing.

We’ve gone from designs like this:

To deliver this project particular thanks need to go to Abellio Greater Anglia for the donation of the benches, Tom Blake for providing the transport to get the benches back to Sproughton, the PFMC volunteers for giving up their time to install the benches, Karen Read and the children at Sproughton Primary School for their designs, PSCO Denise Ford for organising the funding for the painting and Scott King for doing the artwork. A real team effort.

What next? Well, apart from hoping the benches last for years (they should do, they’re commercial steel), some of you may have noticed one of the benches was accidentally damaged and ultimately removed for safety reasons last month. Don’t worry – it will be replaced by one of similar quality (hopefully by the time you read this article).

Clubhouse development No material changes to report since last month. We won’t really be able to discuss or share our vision until we have some architects’ drawings.

Hopefully you’ll appreciate this will be a fairly lengthy process, as we have to be able to demonstrate we’re engaging the most appropriate support. We’ll give more information as and when we have it.

Sproughton club update The next Super Saturday is Saturday, May 8, when the club will open from 7pm (a week earlier than usual to accommodate the village beer festival). To encourage residents to attend we’ll be holding another quiz night – it’s an 8.30pm start with teams of around four. You don’t need to come with a team – we’ll find one for you.

Please drop in to see what it’s all about – you’re more than welcome. The club is a facility for the benefit of the village and the last few Super Saturdays have been busy and a great laugh.

Volunteers – the big ask (as usual!)

The playing field is run by Sproughton residents for the benefit of the village by way of the Playing Field Management Committee. The committee contains the registered trustees of the Playing Field Trust. We are always looking for new members – you’d be very welcome if you’d like to join us. The only condition is that you’re a Sproughton resident. If you’re interested in joining this relaxed and friendly group please give me a call, or ask one of the other trustees what it’s all about.

Damian Lavington, chairman: 01473 809512

14

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SPORT

Sproughton Bowls Club Founded 1913

GIPPING NETBALL Over 16s club with two teams in the South Suffolk Netball league

By the time you read this, the green will have been opened and the first silverware of the season awarded to the winners of the Club Blocks competition played on the day after the opening drive. As we move towards the start of the league season, we will also have played friendlies against Trimley and East Bergholt as well as matches against Bramford for the Peter Taylor Cup and Woodbridge for the Roy Mills Memorial Trophy. Both cups are played for annually and both currently reside in the Sproughton Trophy Cabinet. Results next time.

We run 10 teams every week in various league competitions, starting from the first week in May, so the summer promises to be a busy time for all.

This season has been full of ups and downs for both squads. The First team are currently second in the league with only six games left. This fantastic result is testament to everyone’s hard work and commitment.

The Second team, who got promoted to Division 2 last season after a three year unbeaten streak, have had a mixed season so far. However, they continue to fight hard to win every match and will hopefully finish mid-table.

With the end of season fast approaching this is a great time for any budding netball players to join our club. We train from 7-8pm once a week at Needham Market Community Centre. Come along and join us for a training session or contact Emily for more information: 07963 377007 / elp653@gmail.com

If you would like to find out more about our club or just follow our results, please visit: www.sproughtonbowlsclub.com

EAST BERGHOLT UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

BURSTALL CARPET BOWLS CLUB IS LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS

The last month Inactivity as a result of Storm Katy and a couple of indifferent results had seen the First team concede top spot in the senior division. The team has still seven fixtures to play in April, which is quite a tough task. However, that is also true of our rivals for the title and fixture congestion often brings some odd results, so there is still everything to play for.

The Reserves have continued their good run of results and now look likely to finish as runners up.

The A team has now completed their fixtures and will finish in a very creditable third position in the table.

You can follow the progress of our teams at http://touchlinesil.co.uk/, referring to the Fixtures and Results tab, and selecting the appropriate date(s) and competitions.

Fixtures Tuesday, April 26: First Team v Capel Plough (H) Thursday, April 28: Reserves v Capel Plough Res (A) Saturday, April 30: Final matches of the 2015/16 season First Team v Grundisburgh (A) Reserves v Ipswich Valley Rangers Res (H)

The club meets twice a week on Mondays and Fridays at 7.45pm in Burstall Village Hall IP8 3DR.

Fixtures are subject to change. To confirm please refer to http://tinyurl.com/hlv54p6 and chose the appropriate competition.

We are looking for new members of all ages, including families from the village or the surrounding area. The game is easily learnt and lots of help and encouragement will be offered to anyone thinking of taking it up. All equipment is provided so there is no expensive outlay. Please call in and join us at any time.

Events Saturday, May 21: Awards Dinner We are always looking for people who can help the club as a committee member, whether it be on the playing side or just in the background.

If you would like to sponsor the club in some capacity we would also be delighted to hear from you.

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

Steve Butcher, secretary: stevebutcher55@btinternet.com

www.keepingintouchwith.com/sproughton

In addition to social play, the club competes in the winter and summer Suffolk Carpet Bowls Leagues and individual members play in various other inter-club competitions.

OPEN DAY We are holding an open day on Saturday, June 11, 10.30am-4pm, so come and have a try at this friendly sport.

For more information contact Wendy Minchin (01473 652487) or club secretary Jane Sago: 01473 742468 / j.sago@btinternet.com Further bowls information can be found at: www.carpetbowls.org/suffolk

15

ON THE GRAPEVINE

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.

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.

WIN A WEDDING WITH ST ELIZABETH HOSPICE fundraise as much as they can for St Elizabeth Hospice, with the top three fundraisers going into the final. The final three couples then have another four months, until February 2017, to raise even more charity cash, with the couple raising the most winning their dream wedding.

Would you like to get married for free? St Elizabeth Hospice is offering one lucky couple the chance to Win a Wedding!

The local charity launched the new challenge at Glemham Hall which has also been donated as the venue for the big day. Local businesses have sponsored the challenge, donating their services for the wedding, including the dress, suits, rings, catering and everything you could want for your special day.

The wedding package is worth £15,000 and couples can now enter the competition to win their big day, all paid for!

When the couples enter, they have to give reasons why they deserve to win the wedding package. Their stories will then be shared on the hospice’s social media pages and the public will vote for the six couples they want to go forward to be semi-finalists.

The six semi-finalists then have four months to

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The runners-up are also rewarded for their hard work and support of the hospice, and they will win vouchers for money off their wedding.

Joanne Rodger, the hospice’s events and challenges fundraiser, said: “We’re really excited to be launching our Win a Wedding challenge and we’re sure that there are lots of local couples who are planning to get married, but can’t meet the expense of a £15,000 wedding at the moment.

“By entering our competition they can not only win their wedding, all paid for, but they will be supporting and raising vital funds for their local hospice to help provide care and support for local people living with a progressive illness, such as cancer, motor neurone disease and heart failure. We are extremely grateful to all the local businesses who are sponsoring the challenge, donating their services to give the lucky winner a beautiful and special wedding package.”

Sponsors of Win a Wedding include: Glemham Hall, providing the venue; The Bridal Lounge supplying the wedding dress; bridesmaid

dresses from Just a Day; makeup up by Victoria Bradfield; hair and nails by Hair Ministry; suits from Coes; chair covers by Table Angels; catering by Serendipity Street; rings from Carats; cake made by Amelie’s Kitchen; invites, name cards and seating plan by Lemon Pie Stationary; flowers by Kaye Souter; mobile recording studio from Songstream Studios; photography by Patrick Stockley; videography

by TJS Video; aerial videography by Echo Alpha; and registrar from Suffolk County Council.

Miss Rodger added: “If you just got engaged this is the ideal opportunity for you to get married for free, whilst supporting the hospice and helping make a difference to the lives of our patients and their families.”

To enter the competition to Win a Wedding and for full terms and conditions, please visit www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/winawedding, call 01473 723600 or email: fundraising@stelizabethhospice.org.uk St Elizabeth Hospice provides vital care and support to around 2,000 local people every year. It costs millions of pounds a year to run the hospice and it relies on the generosity and support of the local community to meet the majority of these costs through fundraising, donations and the income generated from its shops. www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk

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CHURCH NEWS THE NORTH SAMFORD BENEFICE Sproughton with Burstall, Copdock with Washbrook and Belstead & Bentley with Tattingstone For parish queries please contact: The Rev Annette Shannon The Rectory, Glebe Close, Sproughton, Ipswich IP8 3BQ revannettes@aol.co.uk / 01473 807674 Benefice Administrator Hayley Purnell northsamfordbenefice@gmail.com / 07713 863023 Friends, May is quite a special month for me because it’s the month I married John and when I know that summer is just around the corner. I think of flowers, trees, shrubs and landscapes, full of life and colour – God’s wonderful creation wherever I look.

But there are many, many people who have had to flee from their homes which have been destroyed. They now live in tents or makeshift shelters, cramped and squashed together and I wonder where they look to see God’s wonderful creation.

Last month I was asked to give a short talk about study at a Cursillo weekend, a talk to encourage others and to show that study isn’t always as daunting as it seems. Initially my heart sank because I wasn’t keen to give a talk, even if it was short. It reminded me of when I was asked to study in order to become a reader. I always thought study was for others, not me, and I was too old. The last time I had written an essay was at school.

But study doesn’t always mean head down in a book or writing essay after essay. That is very important, but there is a different form of study which I think is important too – and we don’t always know we are doing it. Every day I look out of my kitchen window. I see plants, trees and a beautiful landscape which changes from day to day throughout the year.

I watch birds and insects and see the wind blowing through the trees and hear birds singing. Because I study the view regularly, I soon spot if anything has changed or if something is there that wasn’t before. I stand in awe of God’s wonderful creation.

Then I go to church on Sundays, where God’s word is read and then taken apart in the sermon. And often something makes me think, ‘O I hadn’t thought of it that way – it makes sense of what is happening to me now.’

I don’t think of this as study, because I am with my friends in the church I love, but in fact it is study because it is helping to develop my spiritual growth. I have time to sit and listen, trying to discern what God wants me to do.

This year the Lent group I belonged to studied the Beatitudes. There is a quote by Philip Yancey in The Jesus I Never Knew, which says: “The more I study Jesus the more I realise that the statements contained in the Beatitudes lie at the heart of his message. If I fail to understand this teaching, I fail to understand him.” As a group we discovered each Beatitude begins “with the assurance of God’s blessing, each one describes a kingdom characteristic which Jesus says is foundational to living as a child of the Heavenly Father, and each one ends with a promise of what lies ahead for those on this particular path.”

None of us thought of this as study. We were a group of friends meeting and chatting. But taking part in the group opened our eyes and developed what Christ meant to us. Study has turned out not to be as intimidating as I thought it would be, in fact it has become a pleasure and a joy.

All these thoughts came to mind as I stood at my kitchen window studying the world in front of me. And as I listen and let God in I have found he is with me, guiding me towards him. I think this is called ‘work in progress’. I’m not sure if that refers to the actual study or to me, in reality I expect both.

In the Cursillo Lay Talk Workbook it says: “Study can be seen as an ongoing process of growth in Christ. We never stop learning in our faith, and our learning leads us to deeper holiness.”

With love and prayer, Gwen Runnacles All services and events are updated at: www.facebook.com/northsamfordbenefice

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Bentley Evening Prayer: Fridays, May 13 & 27, June 10, July 1 & 15, August 5 & 26 and September 2 & 23, all at 6.30pm in the church Copdock Plant Sale: Saturday, May 14 in the Church Room, 9am-noon Pentecost Service, Sunday, May 15: Holy Communion Service at Burstall at 9am and outdoor Benefice Service at Nine Oaks, Tattingstone, at 11am. Please bring a picnic if you would like to stop for lunch afterward.

Tattingstone Finnish Service: Noon on Saturday, May 21 at St Mary’s, led

by The Rev Mariaana Harkonen Belstead Plant Sale: Saturday, May 21 in the village hall, 10am Sproughton Concert: Saturday, June 25 at 5pm. English music performed

by London Choir Illumination. Tickets £5 on the door, including tea and cake with the singers afterwards.

FROM THE REGISTERS Weddings Robin Johnson and Laura Quinn, Belstead Robert Shaw and Lucy Lavender, Tattingstone Chris Reid and Emily Andrews, Sproughton Edward Day and Morag Constable, Bentley Baptisms Freya Brennands, Sproughton Freya Regan, Sproughton Funerals Gwendolin Etheridge, Sproughton DIARY DATES MAY 4 Bentley Home Communions, 10am 5 Burstall Community Lunch, 12.30pm

Bentley Coffee & Company, 10am 7 Copdock Morning Market, 10am 13 Bentley Evening Prayer, 6.30pm 14 Sproughton Monthly Market, 10am

Copdock Plant Sale, Church Room, 9am-noon

Copdock PCC meeting 15 Pentecost Burstall Benefice Service at 9am and Tattingstone

at 11am 18 Copdock Home Communions, 10am

Churchwarden’s meeting, Church Room, Copdock, 1pm 21 Belstead Plant Sale, village hall, 10am

Finnish Service at St Mary’s, Tattingstone / Led by The Rev

Mariaana Harkonen, noon

Sproughton Beetle Drive, 7.30pm 26 Ministry Meeting at The Rectory, 7.30pm 27 Bentley Evening Prayer, 6.30pm 28 Burstall Coffee Morning and Plant Sale, village hall, 10.30am JUNE 1 2

4 10 11 14 15

16 22

25 26

Bentley Home Communions, 10am Burstall Community Lunch, 12.30pm Bentley Coffee & Company, 10am Copdock Morning Market, 10am Bentley Evening prayer, 6.30pm Sproughton Monthly Market, 10am Copdock PCC meeting Burstall PCC meeting Copdock Home Communions, 10am Benefice Coffee Morning at Belstead Hall, 10.30am Ministry meeting at The Rectory, noon Tattingstone PCC Sproughton Concert, 5pm Tattingstone Pet Service Patronal Service Copdock

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CHURCH NEWS SERVICES IN THE BENEFICE Sunday, May 1 8am 9.30am 10am 10am 10am 11am

Copdock Burstall Bentley Copdock Tattingstone Sproughton

Holy Communion Holy Communion Family Service Morning Prayer Holy Communion Holy Communion

Thursday May 5 7.30pm Belstead

Ascension Day Service

Sunday, May 8 9.15am 9.30am 10am 10am 6pm

Sproughton Burstall Copdock Bentley Tattingstone

Croissant Church Family Service Holy Communion Holy Communion Evensong

Friday, May 13 6.30pm

Bentley

Evening Prayer

Pentecost Sunday, May 15 9am Burstall 11am Tattingstone

Holy Communion Nine Oaks outdoor service

Sunday, May 22 8am Sproughton 9.30am Burstall 10am Copdock

Holy Communion Matins Holy Communion

10am 10am 10am 11am

Bentley Belstead Tattingstone Sproughton

Holy Communion Morning Worship Family Service The Fourth Sunday

Friday, May 27 6.30pm

Bentley

Evening Prayer

Sunday, May 29 10am Copdock

Benefice Communion Service

Sunday, June 5 8am 9.30am 10am 10am 10am 11am

Copdock Burstall Bentley Copdock Tattingstone Sproughton

Holy Communion Holy Communion Family Service Morning Prayer Holy Communion Holy Communion

Friday, June 10 6.30pm

Bentley

Evening Prayer

Sunday, June 12 9.15am 9.30am 10am 10am 6pm

Sproughton Burstall Copdock Bentley Tattingstone

Croissant Church Family Service Holy Communion Holy Communion Evensong

Church letters and copy for the June edition of In Touch to Hayley Purnell by May 4 please: northsamfordbenefice@gmail.com

VILLAGE CONTACTS LIST

Details for organisations and activities in Sproughton Allotments

Sue Frankis (clerk)

01473 463852

Parish Council Chairman

Simon Curl

01473 747114

Almshouses (Cooper Trust)

Ken Sheppard

01473 743122

Parochial Church Council

Jan Hart (sec)

01473 740434

Badminton Club

June Jackaman Jean Mardon

01473 745246 01473 461568

Playing Field Management Committee

Damian Lavington

01473 809512

Burial Ground

Sue Frankis (clerk)

01473 463852

Lunch Club

Sheri Walne

01473 602717

Bowls Club Chairman

Mike Snell

01473 748848

Quilters

Julie Hodges

01473 226004

Brownies

Debra Last

01473 741773

Ramblers

Doreen Bradbury

01473 210008

Carpet Bowls Club

Bob Jones

01473 744093

Gwen Moore

01473 740629

Children’s Play Area

Sue Frankis (clerk)

01473 463852

Reading Room and Caretaker’s House Charity

Church Hall Booking

Jill Quadling

01473 464336

Senior Citizens Club

John Bates

01473 743476

Mrs G Studd

01473 747017

Community Shop

Rosalind Lavington

01473 747768

Sports & Social Club

Craft Group

Julie Hodges

01473 226004

Sproughton CEVC Primary School Karen Read (head)

01473 742182

Football Club

Mrs G Studd

01473 747017

Suffolk Guides

June Webb

01473 742778

Footpath Warden

Sue Frankis (clerk)

01473 463852

Tennis Club

John Tallent

01473 402307

Jigsaw Pre-school

Rosemary Laflin

01473 745716

Tithe Barn Bookings

Sue Frankis

01473 463852

Ralph Earey

01473 743812

Millennium Green Trust

Ken Seager 01473 741410 07578 552324 / keseager@sky.com

Tower Captain (church bells) Tree Warden

Sue Frankis (clerk)

01473 463852

Mother and Toddler

Sam Pateman-Gee

01473 464595

Village History Recorder

Doreen Bradbury

01473 210008

Parish Council

Sue Frankis (clerk)

01473 463852

www.keepingintouchwith.com/sproughton

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