In Touch News with Stowmarket December 2018

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& Stowupland Vol. 19 • Issue No. 2 • NOVEMBER 2013

FREE to24 STOWMARKET & STOWUPLAND 50p where sold2018 Volume • Issue No. 3 • RESIDENTS DECEMBER

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR I hate winter! There, I’ve said it. I’ve tried to appreciate the positives but I spend every long dark evening longing for spring, which for me starts on February 11. For this reason I love Christmas; it gives us something to look forward to and brings family and friends together with time to relax. Of course it can be an expensive time and requires a huge amount of planning, but somehow it’s always worth it.

So bring it on I say! Let’s embrace this time to relax and to enjoy the company of those we may not see as regularly as we’d like. This year I’m determined to make Auntie Mary smile, even if I have to spend all day working on it.

I’m going to find the perfect non-gift for the impossible aunt who says she doesn’t want or need anything, until she doesn’t get anything of course.

I’m going to make the bread sauce nobody eats just so my brother can’t complain that it’s not the same without it! I’m going to discuss the timings with absolutely everyone so nobody comes to the table saying ‘I wish I’d know we were eating this early as I wouldn’t have had that fifth mince pie for breakfast’. I’m going to serve custard, brandy butter, ice cream and cream with the Christmas pudding so mum, my husband, my brother and my nephew have no cause to complain, and for those who always say ‘I don’t really like Christmas pudding’ I shall be serving chocolate mousse.

My approach to Christmas present shopping has changed over the years.

Where once I might have spent hours online looking for something unusual or quirky, this year I’m focused on finding more thoughtful gifts; this requires a hands-on approach so it’s local shops and markets for me this year. I’m taking the same approach with my son. We’ve been influenced by TV ads for the latest gadgets and plastic monstrosities in the past; recent mistakes include Boom Boom Balloon Game, Chippies Robot Dog, Zoomer Dino Robot Dinosaur and Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage. This year I’m determined to find things I know he will enjoy well into 2019 and I’ll be having a word with Father Christmas too.

I hope this month doesn’t cause unnecessary stress in your home. Please do support local businesses and local markets in the coming weeks and together we can look forward to a Happy New Year.

InTouch

with Stowmarket & Stowupland

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

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JANUARY DEADLINE

4 DECEMBER 2018

is the final date for both advertising and editorial copy

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

NEWS CHRISTMAS POST SERVICE 1st & 3rd Stowmarket (Phoenix) Scouts Let us deliver your Christmas cards in Stowmarket (inc.

Combs Ford), Stowupland and Onehouse and you will be supporting a local youth group.

Post your cards together with just 25p per card into one of our collection boxes and we will make sure they are delivered in time for Christmas. You can find our post boxes from Friday, November 23 at: Stowmarket Library / Stowmarket Rugby Club Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre / StowHealth Baldwins / M&M Butchers (Stowupland) Combs Surgery / ZarKeys (Meadow Centre) / Hughes Tesco / Co-operative (Combs Ford) Cedars Park Community Centre The last date for posting is Wednesday, December 12.

Please remember to fully address your cards.

We will not deliver to addresses outside the areas indicated above.

For more details of our service, or if you would like us to collect cards specifically from your organisation, contact Dave Newbery: 01449 672344

MUSEUM OF EAST ANGLIAN LIFE The team at the Museum of East Anglian Life is delighted to announce that they have been awarded a grant of £158,610 from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and Defra towards their Heritage Farm project.

The grant will allow the museum to build a new attraction at the site, with new displays in a new building, an animal handling and learning area for visitors and better conditions for collections. New paths will make the site more accessible for all visitors.

The Heritage Farm will open in April 2019. As well as the new building at the heart of the attraction, there will be a brand new orchard and animals to meet, representing the key East Anglian breeds.

The museum’s director, Jenny Cousins, said: “We are delighted to have received this support. Together with a grant from Viridor and the money that the public have given, we will be able to create a new and exciting attraction at the museum. There will be hands-on activities available in all weathers and much better conditions for our collection. We’re really excited about the project!”

The grant has been awarded by the Rural Payments Agency as part of its Rural Development Programme for England. The programme seeks to support the development of tourism and recreational infrastructure, to create jobs and growth in the rural economy.

STOWMARKET BELLS UPDATE A huge thank you to everyone who has supported our fundraising during 2018.

Alongside our open days at the tower, other events have included a murder mystery evening, a plant sale, bingo, a quiz night and a talk on advertising during the Great War. Together we have now raised over £48,000 which includes pledges and grants.

We still have more to do to achieve our aim of £112,000, but are delighted with the response so far. We look forward to seeing you again in the New Year; watch out for our next events. If you would like to know more, please contact us at: stowmarketbellsproject@gmail.com

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NEWS MUNTONS HELP STOWMARKET COMMUNITY CENTRE The old Muntons and Fison Room in Stowmarket Community Centre has been brought up-to-date and has been renamed the Muntons Room. Along with the updating of the room name and room sign, Muntons, the Stowmarket based malt and malted ingredient manufacturer, have also made a donation to contribute towards improvements to the room for disabled users of the facility.

Stowmarket Community Centre was originally a primary school and was acquired by Stowmarket Town Council in 1982. The centre, affectionately known as ‘Hillside’, is located in the Combs Ford area of the town and is used by approximately 85,000 people each year. It has one large hall and several smaller rooms.

Community Centre Manager Heather Tooke said “I’ve been here 10 years and have seen the centre go from being an underused facility to one that is much loved and frequently used. I have immense pride for all that goes on here.”

ROOKERY BOWLS CLUB Rookery Bowls Club and their volunteers are working very hard to help disadvantaged groups and individuals living in Stowmarket.

Carol Pybus and Chris Brooks have been recognised for their efforts working with a host of groups in the town.

At two separate events on Thursday, October 18, Mrs Pybus won Community Hero of the Year at the Stowmarket Town Council Stars Awards, while Mrs Pybus and Mr Brooks picked up the joint Mid Suffolk Volunteer of the Year award at the Babergh and Mid Suffolk awards event.

The club visits three care homes and helps keep around 60 residents active each week, as well as working with several groups in Stowmarket, including the Dementia Action Alliance. This summer, the club welcomed its first blind bowler, who now competes with sighted players and is entering the National Visually Impaired Bowls England Championship 2019 in Weston-Super-Mare.

Melissa Abbott from Muntons commented: “One of the rooms in the centre had always been known as the Munton and Fison Room, a name which is quite out of date, so we decided to provide the centre with a shiny new ‘Muntons’ sign for the door and a donation of £100 towards new accessibility equipment for the room.” She continued: “Although no one could remember exactly when or why the room was given its name, they do know that originally Munton and Fison paid for carpeting and some wall pictures.“

The club has now launched a new ‘Happy Days Fun Club’ at its Finborough Road base on Tuesdays and Fridays. The sessions are open to people living with dementia, recovering from strokes or with disabilities.

The room has since been refurbished to include a kitchen area and Muntons donation will go towards equipment to make the tables more accessible for wheelchair users. Approximately fifty groups, clubs and commercial organisations use the centre each year and the Muntons room is particularly favoured by sign language course providers, the Pop Chorus choir, AXIS – the support group for older people including those with disabilities, the camera club and local music bands who need practise space.

The club is currently fundraising for specialised paving to allow those living with dementia, visually impaired and disabled in wheelchairs and their carers to visit in the summer. They have a fundraising slot at Stowmarket Tesco’s Bags of Help for this month so please pop your tokens in for a good cause!

TREE-MENDOUS TEAM WORK! A day of action was held at Wood Ley Primary School in Stowmarket when Timberwolf and Stowmarket Town Council joined forces to repair, and make safe, a woodland area adjacent to the primary school which had been vandalised earlier in the year.

Over 15 tonnes of timber were put through a shredder, producing wood chip which will now be used to resurface some of the footpaths at the school.

The work will be completed during a second day of action planned for Easter 2019.

Deputy Town Mayor, Councillor Paul Ekpenyong said: “My confidence in human nature has been restored through the actions of Timberwolf who have gladly stepped in to lend their staff and specialist equipment to this project. This is a really good example of partnership working and demonstrates the great things that can happen when we all work together.”

Headteacher Sandra Renwick said: “We are truly grateful for the work that has been undertaken. The woodland area is really important to us and it is wonderful to see our children develop their confidence through the activities that they are able to undertake in this natural environment.”

OPEN MIC NIGHT Needham Market Community Centre on Thursday, December 20 from 8pm Come along and do your thing or come along and watch for an interesting and entertaining night out and enjoy some of the real ales straight from the cask.

For more information contact Martin: 07756 575158

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Mrs Pybus said: “We are encouraging everybody, even those without any disability living at home, to come and join us for some fun, games, and activity and a cup of tea, biscuits and to meet new friends.”

For more information contact Chris: 01359 241046 / chris@todd.co.uk

BREASTMATES EXCEED FUNDRAISING TARGET Breastmates is a small regional fundraising group for Breast Cancer Now, the UK’s largest breast cancer charity.

This year we set ourselves a target of £5,000 which we have just exceeded!

Fundraising events included three bingo nights, a quiz, a tombola at Mendlesham Street Fair, a collection at Tesco’s and a meal at Thornham Coach House.

Breast Cancer Now uses the funding to support research into 30 projects around the UK working on prevention, early detection and effective treatment of this disease.

Breastmates would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported us this year and enabled us to achieve our target.

Best wishes, Terry Groom

STOWMARKET CAROLS FOR ALL Stowmarket Salvation Army is delighted to announce that the Stowmarket Christmas Carols for All concert will be on Wednesday, December 5 at the Salvation Army Hall on Violet Hill Road. The concert will feature all your favourites and starts at 7pm. Doors will open at 6pm for you to take your seats.

All proceeds will go to a local charity. To reserve tickets, please call the Salvation Army on 01449 614133.

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STOWMARKET’S

Aw Win ard FOR THOSE: n Living with Dementia Grouing p Visually impaired Recovering from a stroke Living with a disability A carer just wanting some chill time!

Any adults wanting to make new friends!

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PH ding FRI OTO DAY !

JOIN US NOW!! - Start making new friends today!!

Table Top Games!

New Age Bowls!

Craft Activities!

Music! Poetry!

New Age Kurling!

Singing!

Table Tennis!

Memory Ball!

Bean Bag Fun! Bingo!

Card Games! and lot’s more!

Stowmarket Rookery Community Bowls Group Finborough Road, Stowmarket, Suffolk. IP14 1PN

TUESDAYS: 10am to 12noon & 2pm to 4pm FRIDAYS: 10am to 12noon & 2pm to 4pm £3 per session (inc tea & biscuits) (carers free)

just drop in, email or ring us for more information: Chris Brooks: chris@todd.co.uk l 01359 241046 Carol Pybus: carolpybus@btinternet.com

ALL WELCOME LOT’S OF ACTIVITIES AND GAMES!!

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“Ph

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a Frid

STOWMARKET’S

“Happy Days” Fun Club!

PHOTOGRAPH LIKE A PRO!

e ut th !

P STARTING OW W o your FRIDAY int otos h ’t P 23rd NOVEMBER Don ut! o FRIDAYS: Miss OK 10am to 12noon BO W! O N £3 per session

Photography Lessons Beginner to Advanced

COMPACTS! PHONES! IPADS! TABLETS! DSLR’S! Grandchildren Family Portraits Using Flash Landscapes Stunning Holiday Photos Pets & Wildlife Q&A’s Garden Birds & LOTS MORE!

Stowmarket Rookery Community Bowls Group Finborough Road, Stowmarket, Suffolk. IP14 1PN Limited places please ring or email to book Chris Brooks: chris@todd.co.uk l 01359 241046

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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NEWS STOWMARKET STARS SHINE!

HOME-START MID AND WEST SUFFOLK CHARITY SHOP On Friday, October 26 Home-Start Mid & West Suffolk opened their second charity shop in Stowmarket. We were very excited to have the Mayor of Stowmarket, Councillor Linda Baxter join Angela Dennis from Home-Start Mid & West Suffolk, trustee Carol Read and shop manager Wendy Gausden to help officially open our store.

The Stars of Stowmarket shone brightly as they received thanks for their dedication and service to Stowmarket from Town Mayor Councillor Linda Baxter who said: “This has been a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the wonderful work and community spirit within our town. My congratulations to all who received an award.”

Fiona Palmer, winner of an award in the Community Hero of the Year category said: “It was wonderful to be recognised for the work we are doing within Stowmarket. As chair of Stowmarket Dementia Action Alliance, I am very proud to be involved with other local organisations and businesses who are all working towards making Stowmarket a dementia friendly town.

“This award for me is not just about my actions but all about linking with others to enable people living with dementia to feel valued, included and part of their local community now and in the future.”

If you would like to volunteer at the shop please download an application form from: www.homestartmidandwestsuffolk.org.uk

CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S LIFELINE & CHARITY SHOP

Photo by Johnny Richards

STOWMARKET & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE This month it’s all about Christmas! We’ve launched our reverse advent calendar to collect festive food donations for Stowmarket Foodbank. Buy one item a day, put it in a box and then bring your collection to the Christmas Lunch.

The December Coffee Morning will include a Christmas Bazaar on Friday, December 7 at Needham Market Community Centre starting at 10am for you to stock up on gifts or treat yourself.

Christmas Lunch will be at noon on Friday, December 14 at the Shepherd and Dog, Onehouse.

Don’t forget our second business exhibition MSBE2 on March 27 at The Mix in Stowmarket. Have you booked a stand yet? Do you want to ensure you get a goody bag? Sign up as a visitor to make sure.

To find out more go to: https://msbe.biz

A JOLLY, JINGLING CHRISTMAS What are you doing at 7.30pm on Tuesday, December 11?

Forget about sitting in your old armchair watching the same old TV programmes. Come along to the United Reformed Church, Stowmarket where you will receive a warm welcome from the Jubilee Ladies Choir, our conductor Simon Welham and accompanist Calvin Goymer.

For your evening’s entertainment we will be singing a selection of seasonal music. Tickets are £7 and include light refreshments. There will also be a raffle. Tickets can be purchased by ringing 01449 736374/723424 or at the door.

Why not take a look at our Facebook page where you can listen to our rehearsal and concert tracks?

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We are hoping that with the new shop opening in Stowmarket we will continue to reach families in need across the district. The day was filled with lots of shop visitors young and old who enjoyed looking around the new shop. The children especially enjoyed being able to talk with the mayor who was just as excited to talk with them about the town and things they were looking for, as well as helping behind the tills, serving and talking with customers. Following lots of positive comments and sales on the day we are very much looking forward to working in Stowmarket and meeting and helping more people.

We are delighted with the response to our appeal for the Father Frost Special Delivery program. Many people have pledged to send a Christmas stocking to a Chernobyl child and we are very grateful for all the support given to us for this program. We will travel to Belarus on December 28 with the children who will have visited for December and spend nine days distributing all the stockings to disadvantaged children in outlying villages and in the children’s hospitals.

We are still looking for hosts for our 2019 program; although it seems a long way off much preparation has to be done both here and in Belarus to allow the children to come. Next year’s visit will be from June 30 to July 28 and we would ask that anyone interested about finding out more about the program gets in touch with us as soon as possible for an initial discussion.

A reminder about our forthcoming events: We are holding a Christmas themed Chocolate Bingo event on December 15 at Stowmarket Football Club. Tickets are already selling strongly so make sure to get yours in plenty of time. Tickets (£6 / £4 for under-10s) are available from our charity shop in Needham Market or directly from the football club.

The charity continues to enjoy your support and for that we are extremely grateful. Please remember, if you are having a clear-out before Christmas, all those unwanted gifts you have put away and don’t know what to do with make fantastic raffle prizes for our fundraising.

We regularly receive new donations to our charity shop in Needham Market and stock is frequently rotated so the shop is well worth a visit. We provide regular updates regarding new items of interest via our shop Facebook page so keep checking back there. Donations are especially welcome at this time of year as we may be able to use some items for the children who arrive in December, or those that we are taking presents to at the end of the year on our Father Frost program. We are starting to build a really good stock of eveningwear for that special big night out during the festive season. Why spend a fortune when you can pick up something ‘nearly new’ instead?

As always we are extremely grateful for your support of our children and we can assure you that every penny raised stays in Mid Suffolk to use for the benefit of our local link and the children and families we support in Belarus.

Elizabeth Parker, Link Chair CCLL Mid Suffolk 01449 760343 / www.ccllmidsuffolk.org.uk

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NEWS

Mid Suffolk District Council Waste and Recycling

THE REGAL IN DECEMBER

Christmas & New Year

Christmas is finally upon us, which at the Regal means one thing…

PANTOMIME! The Stowmarket Operatic and Dramatic Society bring their new take on the classic Dick Whittington pantomime to the theatre from December 4-9. Tickets will be in short supply so don’t leave it too late.

Bin Collection Schedule 2018-2019

This month there is a rare opportunity to see two classic Christmas movies on the big screen, with charity screenings of The Polar Express and Home Alone on November 30. On December 10 country music legend Stephen Smith returns to the Regal as part of his national tour.

The National Theatre brings us a recorded live screening of Antony and Cleopatra from their Olivier Stage on December 20. This re-telling of the Shakespeare classic stars Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo.

Please ensure your bins are presented by 6.30am on the day of collection

Recycling

Refuse

Recycling

Usual Collection

Monday 24th December Tuesday 25th December Wednesday 26th December Thursday 27th December Friday 28th December Monday 31st December Tuesday 1st January Wednesday 2nd January Thursday 3rd January Friday 4th January Monday 7th January Tuesday 8th January Wednesday 9th January Thursday 10th January Friday 11th January

Revised Collection Monday 24th December Thursday 27th December Friday 28th December Saturday 29th December Monday 31st December Wednesday 2nd January Thursday 3rd January Friday 4th January Saturday 5th January Monday 7th January Tuesday 8th January Wednesday 9th January Thursday 10th January Friday 11th January Saturday 12th January

Change

None 2 days later 2 days later 2 days later 3 days later 2 days later 2 days later 2 days later 2 days later 3 days later 1 day later 1 day later 1 day later 1 day later 1 day later

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law and Johnny Depp. The second instalment of the Fantastic Beasts series set in J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world.

Bohemian Rhapsody: starring Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton. A chronicle of the years leading up to Queen’s legendary appearance at Live Aid. Nutcracker and the Four Realms: starring Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren. A young girl is transported into a magical world of gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice.

There will be no brown bin collections over Christmas and New Year (between 24th December and 4th January) Please refer to brown bin collection calendars available on: www.midsuffolk.gov.uk for details.

From Monday 14th January 2019 normal waste and recycling collections resume.

Waste Services: 0300 1234 000 (option 4) email: Recycling@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk

Widows: starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Liam Neeson. Four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities, take fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.

Robin Hood: starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx and Jamie Dornan. A warhardened crusader and his Moorish commander mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown.

The Grinch: voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones and Pharrell Williams. From the makers of the Despicable Me and Minions movies, a grumpy Grinch plots to ruin Christmas for the village of Whoville.

Nativity Rocks: voiced by Ruth Jones, Celia Imrie and Hugh Dennis. The staff and students from St Bernadette’s Primary School in Coventry audition for a place in a rock musical competition.

Ralph Breaks the Internet: voiced by John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Gal Gadot. Six years after the events of Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a Wi-Fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.

Mary Poppins Returns: starring Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Julie Walters. Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael’s children through a difficult time.

We’d like to wish all of our customers past and present a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. www.regalstowmarket.co.uk

DICK WHITTINGTON December 4-9 at the Regal Theatre, Stowmarket

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Stowmarket Operatic & Dramatic Society’s panto is creeping closer! Here are our junior rats trying out their costumes. Will they stop Dick becoming Lord Mayor of London? Come along and find out from December 4 at The Regal.

All tickets are £10 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Get your tickets from 01449 612825 or online at: www.regalstowmarket.co.uk

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NEWS REPORT FROM KEITH WELHAM: November 2018 District Councillor for Stowupland Ward Locality Grants I still have a small proportion of my locality budget available to be used for any project in the village which will benefit the community of Stowupland.

Please get in touch with me if you have something in mind.

Tree for Life scheme A Green Party initiative funded from MSDC’s 2018/2019 budget, the scheme encourages the planting of a tree for new born and newly adopted children. All families within Mid Suffolk who have received a new family member between 1 January and 31 December 2018 are welcome to apply for a free tree to celebrate a new life or adoption. The scheme aims to encourage the planting of trees and promote the benefits which trees bring to communities.

Details and an application form can be found at: www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/news/mid-suffolk-offers-new-arrivals-a-tree-for-life Investment in Stowmarket I am pleased to see that the council is investing in Stowmarket (rather than just investing in warehouses and shops in other parts of the country).

Having purchased the former NatWest bank, Mid Suffolk has recently acquired the building formerly occupied by food store chain Aldi and more recently by Family Bargains, including its car park on Gipping Way. We are waiting to see what the plans will be for the building, but the council will now be managing and collecting revenue from parking on the site.

Work on the car park has started and is expected to take approximately two weeks.

Gateway 14 As chair of the council’s Scrutiny Committee, and as the local councillor, I am asking for details of the business plan for the development to be available. Development details will need to be taken through the planning process so that all reserved matters can be considered. I will keep you informed as and when more information becomes available. We need to make sure that measures are put in place to prevent extra traffic using unsuitable local roads as rat runs to the site.

Consultations The district council are currently consulting on a Homes Strategy and a Homelessness Reduction Strategy. Consultation on both will end on December 7. It is hoped that consultation will begin on a Community Strategy before the end of 2018. Next up will be the consultation on the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan; this will be a key document to help prevent inappropriate speculative housing developments obtaining planning permission.

Energy and Water Efficient Homes The first motion that I put to council after my election in 2015 was to propose that MSDC draw up plans for energy efficient council homes.

Conservative councillors were against my proposal and voted instead

‘to investigate how to achieve the aspiration’ to build energy efficient homes. No progress has been made towards achieving that aspiration and so, at the October meeting of council, I called upon the cabinet member for Housing to give a firm commitment. All I have received from the cabinet member so far is a response that the council has built 38 new council homes in the last three years, none to the standard that I have been seeking, and a statement in the draft Homes Strategy that, in the period 2019 to 2024, the development of an energy efficient standard for some new builds will be explored. So by 2024 MSDC may well have taken nine years and still not built a single new home to a high standard of energy efficiency.

Five-Year Land Supply for New Housing Developments Members were given a briefing recently following the planning inspector’s decision to allow an appeal made by a developer against MSDC’s decision to refuse an application for 49 homes in open agricultural land south of Woolpit.

Rachel Eburne, leader of the opposition group, asked again that extra staff be appointed to ensure as far as possible that developments which have been permitted come forward to construction rather than sit in a land bank or stall due to the slow pace of negotiations between relevant parties. Once again we were told that existing staff would be covering this extra work. Our fear is that other planning work could be delayed or be less effective if extra staff are not taken on.

Scrutiny Committee In the next few months, some major issues will be matters for the Scrutiny Committee, which I chair. One of these will be the business case for the development of the land in Needham Market where the MSDC HQ buildings and car parks currently are. I am hoping to see a high standard of housing, including units for sale and for social rent. The refuse collection contract is due to be renewed, either by negotiated extension or re-tendering; likewise the recycling contract, and the contract for provision of leisure facilities at our sports centres at Stowmarket and Stradbroke.

The business cases and contract procedures for all these are likely to come to the Scrutiny Committee early in 2019. It is the job of the committee to question the work of cabinet members and officers to ensure that they give good service to residents in a lawful, effective and cost-effective way.

Needham Lake Needham Lake is one of the most popular free all-year-round visitor attractions in the East of England, but it has very limited facilities for visitors. I welcome proposals by MSDC to provide more facilities, especially an outlet offering a variety of refreshments, better toilets and more on-site supervision.

Keith Welham Keith.Welham@midsuffolk.gov.uk

March Accounting & Taxation Services Ian Coombes FCCA MBA

• FREE initial consultation to discuss any tax, accounting and general business issues • Payroll, Auto Enrolment,VAT, Self Assessment, and full accounting service • Personable and professional tailored support • Fees agreed in advance • Out of office hours service available Individuals, self employed and limited companies

01449 770704

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

Please call Ian on: 01449 740285 / 07939 837939 E: ian@marchconsultingltd.co.uk

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Are you in pain?

Chiropractic may help with many problems including lower back pain, neck pain and related headaches as well as arm and leg pain.

STOWMARKET CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CLINIC

Providing Health Care to the Community for over 35 years.

Michael T E Bailey Doctor of Chiropractic Registered with the General Chiropractic Council

7 Stowupland Rd Stowmarket IP14 5AG

Tel/Fax 01449 612620 www.michaelbailey.net

ALLERGY THERAPIST Suffolk Foot Health at Woolpit

(Brickfields Business Park) Testing for food, environmental and chemical sensitivities – as well which can cause unpleasant symptoms and illnesses.

For an appointment contact Helen Parsons Dip Allergy Therapy, Food Studies Cert.Ed, B.I.A.E.T.

Tel: 01531 670746

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Jane Robinson MCFHP MAFHP Calluses Corns Verrucas Ingrowing Nails Fungal Infections Athlete’s Foot Nail Trimming Diabetic Foot Care

HOME VISITS Mobile: 07916 143618

In Touch online:

OUT & ABOUT AVOID THE FESTIVEOVERINDULGING SYNDROME The Christmas season is nearly upon us, time to relax and enjoy a variety of food and drink. Overindulging is easily done with all the fun. An average UK person might consume as much as 6,000 calories just on Christmas Day, far more than the daily intake guidelines of 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 calories for men. It’s easy to see why some start off the New Year a bit heavier.

Furthermore, overindulging is not limited to Christmas Day alone as celebrations can begin much earlier in December. An average person consuming an extra 500 calories per day might easily see an increase in weight of 5lbs by the New Year.

So, what can be done to ensure we can still rightfully enjoy ourselves over Christmas but don’t end up being too heavy in January?

First up, get your portion sizes right. Aiming for a plate that is around one third vegetables is a good start and helps reaching the five-aday target. Try to cook for the shortest required time without excess water to retain as many nutrients as possible. Vegetables are a great source of dietary fibre so can be beneficial for digestion and gut health too, so maybe give the Brussels sprouts a moment of your time this year.

How about avoiding the offerings at work and Christmas parties?

Well you could always try other festive foods like satsumas at work instead of the communal office chocolates or mince pies. The average mince pie can contain about 250 calories, before it’s covered in cream or brandy butter.

If you have a work party, it’s easy to forget those excess calories in alcoholic drinks that soon add up. Instead of focusing on sweet cocktails or creamy liqueurs, consider alternating with a glass of water, calorie free drinks or using low calorie mixers and unsweetened fruit drinks if you cannot give up your mixer drink so easily.

When it comes to shopping for the big day, make a list and stick to it as best as possible. Avoid tempting aisles where you can and try not going overboard. Alternative festive snacks could include plain popcorn, pretzels, and veggie crudités with low-fat dip.

STOWMARKET CONCERT BAND As 2018 comes to a close we have our last few events to enjoy, culminating in our own Festive Brass concert at Stowmarket’s URC on December 15 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available and selling quickly. This is always a great night with performances from a range of our ensembles. If we miss you there, we will be carolling at Snowfiesta and various other locations too. Come along and request your favourite carol!

We are currently open to recruit a next batch of trainees to our training band.

Our trainees have the benefit of a number of our main-band members being available to lead the whole training band as well as group tuition, one-toone tuition and preparation for music exams if desired. A number of our trainees have also graduated to the main band, all under one happy roof. If you would like to learn a brass instrument, or look to continue or revitalise an old interest, please do contact us.

2019 is looking to be another great time in SCB’s journey and we are already booked for various weddings, concerts, fayres and services. We are also looking to reinstate our ‘beer-night’ group to add further versatility to the events and ensembles we can offer. If you would like to book a group for 2019 please do contact us as soon as possible to secure your space in our calendar.

Our main-band membership continues to be really strong, but we do have a possible vacancy for an Eb Bass player. Please do contact us if this could be you!

For any queries, or to book tickets for our Christmas Concert on December 15, please contact us at: info@StowmarketConcertBand.org.uk / 01449 677924 For our full calendar and lots more information visit: www.StowmarketConcertBand.org.uk / Facebook

IT SUPPORT AND ACCESSIBILITY ADVICE Need help with your device? Come to Stowmarket Library on the first Tuesday of the month from 2-5pm (no session in January) for help and advice on using devices and apps.

Our volunteers are happy to help anyone get online, but do specialise in accessibility and assistive technology.

For more information contact: 01449 700549 / itsupport@westsuffolksight.org.uk

Whether setting up your own buffet table, or attending another, try to encourage one table visit, using smaller dessert sized plates, avoiding the high saturated fat offerings like sausage rolls and quiche, in favour of fruit, skinless turkey and veggie crudités.

For the big day itself, if you are going for the traditional turkey, great – it’s a good protein source and low fat, so long as you remove the skin before tucking in. Around the rest of the plate, try dry roast potatoes with a non-stick baking sheet or use an oil spray instead of smothering them in goose fat. You can try your gravy using veggie stock instead of meat juices, accompanied by a fruit-based stuffing with bread sauce made with low fat milk.

It does take discipline to manage the festive calories. If you feel your festive eating habits have got a little out of control and you need some specialist help to reverse it effectively and efficiently, consider seeing a qualified nutritionist or dietician.

Gavin Moore RD, BSc, UKAD HCPC Registered Dietician Sports and Performance Nutritionist PhysioFixx Physiotherapy Clinic

It’s that time of year again for The Vinyl Lounge Christmas Party! Don’t miss our ever-popular event with great people, great tunes, great dancing… and the beer is great too at only £3 a pint.

Saturday, December 15, 7.30pm-late at The John Peel Centre £3 admission in aid of The John Peel Centre.

7.30-9.30pm: VINYL SHARE Two hours of your vinyl being played by our DJ. Bring a couple of your favourite tracks and we’ll do our best to play them.

9.30pm-late: VINYL PARTY Dance the night away! Our own and guest DJs playing more requests and classic vinyl from all genres.

So, do join us for a unique night in an environment like no other. Get into the attic, dust off your records and bring them down to the iconic John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket and have a boogie.

No vinyl? No problem, we’ve got loads!!

Find us on Facebook for updated information

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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STOWMARKET CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL 2018 This year there will be over 450 fantastic Christmas trees on display throughout the Christmas Tree Festival in Stowmarket Town Centre.

They are decorated by local groups and businesses as well as individuals. It is a community event by the community for the community, so do have a look and be amazed. There is no entrance charge although donations are encouraged.

DATE Friday, Nov 23

ST PETER & ST MARY’S PARISH CHURCH

Monday, Nov 26

5.45pm: Doors Open for Opening Ceremony at 6pm. Children’s Christmas Tree Fancy Dress Prizes presented. Christmas Tree lights switched on by Jack and Tim, Golden Buzzer Finalists from this year’s Britain’s Got Talent.

9am-noon: Indoor Boot Sale in St Peter’s Hall. To book a table (£5) phone: 01449 678623 10am-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments Noon-3pm: Live music and tower bells to be rung 7.30pm: Festival Concert with Stowmarket Combined Churches Choir, The Kettle Girls & Mid Suffolk Brass. Interval with wine and mince pies.

Adults £7.50, children £2.

10am: Festival Communion Service 10am-noon: Messy Church for ages 3-9 and their families Noon: Open to see the Christmas trees / Christmas cake served 1-4.30pm: Live Christmas songs and music Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available

Tuesday, Nov 27

Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available

Wednesday, Nov 28

Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available

Thursday, Nov 29

Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available

Friday, Nov 30

Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available

Saturday, Dec 1

10am-4pm: Open to see the Christmas trees with live music throughout the day / refreshments available

Sunday, Dec 2

9am Communion Service 10.45am Family Service 12.30-4pm: Open / refreshments available 6pm: Stowmarket Churches Together Advent Carol Service 10am-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments 6pm: Cedars Park & Combs Ford Primary Schools 10am-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments 6pm: Chilton and Wood Ley Primary Schools 10am-4pm: Open / refreshments available 6pm: Abbots Hall Primary School and Stowmarket Concert Band (junior section) 10am-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments Noon: Communion Service in the Memorial Chapel (limited access to see the trees) 6pm: Trinity CEVA Primary School Schoolchildren in church until 11.30am 11.30am-4pm: Open / refreshments available 10am-4pm: Open / refreshments available 7pm: Simply Brass Christmas Concert

Saturday, Nov 24

Sunday, Nov 25

Monday, Dec 3 Tuesday, Dec 4 Wednesday, Dec 5 Thursday, Dec 6

Friday, Dec 7 Saturday, Dec 8

Sunday, Dec 9

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9am: Communion Service 10.45am: Family Communion Service 12.30-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments

ABBOT’S HALL AT THE MUSEUM OF EAST ANGLIAN LIFE

STOWMARKET LIBRARY Open with access to see the trees and to use the library

5-7.30pm: Drop in and meet Santa, say hello to his reindeer and send a letter to the North Pole. For details: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

Open 8.30am-6.30pm 4-6pm: Christmas Crafts organised by The Friends of the Library

10am-4.30pm: Open to see the trees, museum exhibitions, Santa at Home, family trails and activities. For more information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

Open 8.30am-4pm

11am-4.30pm: Open to see the trees, museum exhibitions, Santa at Home, family trails and activities. For more information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

Open 10am-4pm

Tuesday 27 – Friday 30 10am-4.30pm Open to see the trees, exhibitions, family trails and activities.

For information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk 10am-4.30pm: Open to see the trees, museum exhibitions, Santa at Home, family trails and activities. For information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk 11am-4.30pm: as on Saturday 1

Tuesday 4 – Friday 7 10am-4.30pm Open to see the trees, exhibitions, family trails and activities.

Open 8.30am-6.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-6.30pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-4pm / Coffee

Open 10am-4pm / Coffee

Open 8.30am-6.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee

For information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk Open 8.30am-6.30pm / Coffee 10am-4.30pm: Open to see the trees, museum exhibitions, Santa at Home, family trails & activities.

For information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk 11am-4.30pm: As on Saturday 8

Open 8.30am-4pm / Coffee

Open 10am-4pm / Coffee available

In Touch online:

STOWMARKET CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL 2018 DATE Monday, Dec 10 Tuesday, Dec 11 Wednesday, Dec 12 Thursday, Dec 13

Friday, Dec 14 Saturday, Dec 15 SNOWFIESTA IN THE TOWN CENTRE Sunday, Dec 16

Monday, Dec 17 Tuesday, Dec 18 Wednesday, Dec 19 Thursday, Dec 20 Friday, Dec 21 Saturday, Dec 22

Sunday, Dec 23

Monday, Dec 24 Christmas Eve Christmas Day Wednesday , Dec 26 Thursday, Dec 27 Friday, Dec 28 Saturday, Dec 29 Sunday, Dec 30 Monday, Dec 31 Tuesday, Jan 1 Wednesday, Jan 2 Thursday, Jan 3 Friday, Jan 4 Saturday, Jan 5

ST PETER & ST MARY’S PARISH CHURCH Schoolchildren in church until 11.30am 11.30am-4pm: Open / refreshments available 10am-1.30pm & 3-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments available 1.30-3pm: School Carol Service Schoolchildren in church until 11.30am Open 11.30am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Noon: Communion Service in the Memorial Chapel (limited access to see the trees) 7.30pm: East of England Co-op Funeral Services Christmas Carol Service Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available 7.15pm: Rotary Christmas Concert 10am-12.30pm & 3-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments available

9am: Communion Service 10.45am: Morning Worship 12.30-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments 4pm: Christingle Service – make your own Christingle to take home with you Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Noon Communion Service in the Memorial Chapel (limited access to the trees) Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available

9am: Communion Service 10am: Family Communion Service 12.30-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments 6pm: Town Carol Service, collection to the Town Mayor’s chosen charities, refreshments provided

by Stowmarket Town Council.

10am-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments 6pm: Crib Service especially for children 11.30pm: Midnight Communion 10am: Christmas Family Communion Service See website for opening times Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available 9am Communion Service 10.45am Communion Service 12.30-4pm: Open to see the trees / refreshments Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm / refreshments available Open 10am-4pm: Last day / refreshments

ABBOT’S HALL AT THE MUSEUM OF EAST ANGLIAN LIFE

Tuesday 11 – Friday 14 10am-4.30pm Open to see the trees, exhibitions, family trails and activities.

STOWMARKET LIBRARY Open with access to see the trees and to use the library

Open 8.30am-6.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee available Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee

For information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk Open 8.30am-6.30pm / Coffee 10am-4.30pm: Open to see the trees, exhibitions, Santa at Home, family trails and activities. For information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk 11am-4.30pm: As on Saturday 15

Open 8.30am-4pm / Coffee

Tuesday 18 – Friday 21 10am-4.30pm Open to see the trees, exhibitions, family trails and activities.

For information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk 10am-4.30pm: Open to see the trees, exhibitions, Santa at Home, family trails and activities. For information or to book Santa at Home: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk 11am-4.30pm: as on Sat 22

Open 8.30am-6.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee

Open 10am-4pm / Coffee

Open 8.30am-6.30pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-4pm / Coffee

Open 10am-1pm / Coffee

Open 8.30am-6.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-6.30pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-4pm / Coffee Open 10am-4pm / Coffee

Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-5.45pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-6.30pm / Coffee Open 8.30am-4pm: Last day / Coffee

The museum will be selling real Christmas trees but the supply is limited. For more details see: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk If you are inspired by the Christmas Tree Festival or Christmas trees in general, we would love you to put your thoughts into a story, poem or prose, or draw or paint a picture. We are planning to publish the best for next Christmas. Hand your work in at the library, the church or the museum.

For the latest information and opening time: www.stowmarketparishchurch.co.uk-01449 774652/678623

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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In Touch online:

OUT & ABOUT NEW MONEY FOR OLD NEWTON

COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS PARTY

Christmas Bonanza Weekend at Old Newton Village Hall

Stowupland Cricket Club invites you to a Community Christmas Party on Sunday, December 9 from noon to 3pm at Stowupland Village Hall.

Old Newton Fundraising Group and Old Newton Under Fives present a Christmas Bonanza Weekend on Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8, a festive feast of shopping and entertainment for all at the village hall in Church Road, Old Newton.

Featuring stalls from local organisations and artisan traders selling gifts, novelties, soft toys, seasonal food and produce, handy crafts, greetings cards, cosmetics, health and skincare products, fresh flowers, stationary and jewellery to name but a few.

The hall will be open from 6-8pm on Friday evening and again on Saturday afternoon from noon-4pm with a Christmas Market theme, mulled wine, sausage rolls, mince pies, refreshments and musical entertainment.

A raffle, to be drawn on Saturday, will also run throughout the event with a £50 cash first prize. Proceeds go to the organising charities, Old Newton Under Fives and the Old Newton, Dagworth and Gipping Village Hall. The hall is about to undergo an exciting renovation project in the coming year with the plans already approved so please come along and support this event, organised by the village for the village, and enjoy some local festive cheer while helping to raise much needed funds.

STOWMARKET ARTISAN MARKET We had a great turnout at our November market with 20 stalls displaying a cornucopia of crafts and Christmas gifts.

The refreshments raised £220.52 for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, so thank you to everybody who turned out to support us.

Saturday, December 1 will see our last market of the season and again we will have 20 stalls offering some very unique gifts, ranging from inexpensive stocking fillers to one-off recycled lamps (all PAT tested with certificates), woodcrafts, jewellery, textiles, hats, pictures, book art, up-cycing and objet d’art plus much more. Do come and see us for your last chance before Christmas to get some handmade gifts from our talented artisans.

We are located at the Scout Centre, Milton Road North, Stowmarket.

Admission is free and the market is open from 10am-1.20pm. Accessible parking opposite and refreshments available.

Sue Delf: 01449 613224 Facebook: Stowmarket Artisan Market

Everyone welcome – The More the Christmas Merrier!

All we ask is for you to bring one plate of savoury food and one plate of sweet food. The bar will be open.

To confirm your places contact: stowuplandcc@gmail.com Father Christmas will be visiting too! Provide a gift to the value of £10, wrapped and tagged with the child’s full name if you wish your child to receive a present from Faster Christmas.

STOWUPLAND CRICKET CLUB QUIZ NIGHTS What Friday nights are made for!

Friday, December 7 from 7.30pm Up to six per team, £5 per person to include food To book your table email: stowuplandcc@gmail.com www.stowuplandcricketclub.co.uk

MINECRAFT CLUB If you are the parent of an autistic child who enjoys Minecraft, then come along to our Minecraft Club held fortnightly on Fridays at Needham Market Internet Café from 5.30-7.30pm.

It’s just £2 per child and a hot food menu is available. The next session is on Friday, December 14. For more information contact Dawn Spurling: 01449 401443

STOWMARKET LOCAL HISTORY GROUP Monday, December 17: Christmas Celebration (quiz, raffle and buffet) Monday, January 21: Some Bury Street Folks by Jeannette Baldry Meetings are held at 7.30pm at Hillside Community Centre: members £1, non-members £3.50. For further details contact Jeannette Baldry: 01449 675271 / www.stowmarket-history.co.uk

REINDEER RAMPAGE Christmas Eve was unusually mild this year, so Father Christmas turned out the reindeer into the paddock for some well-earned exercise before their great efforts the next day.

As reindeer are want to do, fun and games soon followed, with much chasing and rough and tumble. Blixen scurried after Vixen, who bumped into Dancer, who in turn sent Prancer flying and crashing into the paddock gate, which slowly swung open. Someone had forgotten to lock it!

The neighbour maintained a convincing rant and urged Father Christmas to be more careful, but was secretly glad because he didn’t really like Brussels sprouts anyway, and when he thought about it bit more, if there were no Brussels sprouts, at least they wouldn’t have to go through that incident with the fire brigade when Uncle Fred ate too many three years ago.

The whole incident had to be reported to Mrs Christmas, of course. “You really must be more careful with that sort of thing,” she said. “This could have been a costly mistake,” she added, while clutching the paddock gate key tightly in her pocket, just in case it should fall out, or worse, be seen

by Father Christmas.

Seizing their chance, the reindeer charged forth out of the gate and into the next-door neighbour’s vegetable patch. Within minutes, each reindeer was soon munching their way through the crop of Brussels sprouts, grown especially for Christmas dinner.

On seeing this, Father Christmas’s neighbour flew out of his back door and yelled to Father Christmas to collect his animals immediately before they caused any more damage, which Father Christmas did as quickly as possible, fearing that he would be liable for the costs as he was responsible.

Buttermarket, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 1ED Telephone: 01449 613101 • Fax: 01449 615087 Email: info@gudgeons-prentice.co.uk

Gudgeons Prentice wish all our clients and everybody we work with a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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The great taste of Malt!

Whether you’re grabbing a sandwich or going for a full-blown meal, the chances are that malt will be in the mix. From granary bread to malt vinegar, malt makes foods taste great.

And at Muntons we know a thing or two about malt, after all we have been making it here in Stowmarket for the last 70 years. www.muntons.com

www.muntons.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE TEAM AT

PARKYNS ESTATE AGENTS

01449 674941 stowmarket@parkyns.com

SHOPPING, ICE S

Christmas really comes to Stowmarket on SnowFiesta Christm

As well as the traditional Christmas Market and festive

New for 2018: free seasonal face painting for th giving people the chance to win fa

Santa will be at his Stowmarket home at the Mu at The Mix will also b

Stowmarket Town Coun “It’s going to be a fantastically festive day, a great oppo at this time of year, and the chance

Once all the shopping done, a visit to the Christmas T way to complem

SnowFiesta runs from 9am-4p

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In Touch online:

SKATING & SANTA

n Saturday, December 15 when the annual mas Fayre hits town.

e music, families will have the chance to try ice skating.

he children and a Christmas Selfie competition, amily tickets to the Regal Theatre.

useum of East Anglian Life and the indoor market be well worth a visit.

ncil’s David Marsh said: ortunity to experience all that Stowmarket has to offer e to try a free session of ice skating!”

Tree Festival at the Parish Church would be the perfect ment SnowFiesta.

pm on Saturday, December 15.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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OUT & ABOUT CHAMBERLIN HALL CHRISTMAS MARKET

If you’re on your own, or perhaps you care for someone or are new to the area, or perhaps you just like getting together with people for a chat! We are up for that!

Join us at Needham Market Internet Café on Tuesdays between 10am and noon for free tea and coffee and a chance for a natter.

Whatever your circumstances, we will be happy to see you there.

For more information contact Dawn Spurling: 01449 401443

STOWMARKET CHORALE

Come along to this free event on Saturday, December 8, 9.30am-2.30pm, for the opportunity to browse at more than 20 stalls selling local crafts, produce, jewellery, spices, pickles, jams, cards, gifts, cakes, homewares, beauty and much more besides.

The entire family is catered for, with a free Santa’s grotto for children and Post-a-Letter to Santa activity.

It’s the perfect place to find that perfect gift, sample some local produce or source a unique item for your home.

Free entry, plenty of free on-site parking and seasonal refreshments available.

Find us at Chamberlin Hall, Chamberlin Close, Bildeston IP7 7EZ

On Saturday, November 3, Stowmarket Chorale, formed in 1901, performed Handel’s Messiah in their first concert under recently appointed music director Tom Appleton. Although the choir has performed this piece before, Tom brought his own interpretation to this well-known music.

The audience heard the choir sing For unto us a Child is Born and Hallelujah, amongst others, interspersed by solo pieces such as Ev’ry Valley and The Trumpet Shall Sound by the soprano and bass soloists. The choir was complemented by a string quartet, our regular accompanist on harpsichord and a trumpet player who took a prominent place in the pulpit. The fireworks display going on outside added some unexpected sound effects!

Under Tom’s guidance, the choir seems to have found a new energy and enthusiasm. Rehearsals are a lively affair, bringing the music ‘off the page’, which resulted in a moving concert. To their delight the choir received a standing ovation. Tom’s hard work with the choir has obviously paid off!

The choir will next be performing at The Apex in Bury St. Edmunds on December 1 for BBC Radio Suffolk as part of Children in Need, where they’ll be singing a selection from the Messiah and various carols. In March 2019 they will be back for a concert at Stowmarket Parish Church to sing Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem in German.

For more information about the choir, please contact choir secretary Mary Payne: secretary@stowmarketchorale.org.uk

The Mix is hosting its third free indoor Christmas Market in partnership with Stowmarket Town Council’s Snowfiesta on Saturday, December 15 from 10am-2.30pm.

Alongside our indoor market, the town centre event will include an outdoor market, ice rink and live music. There’s free parking in all Stowmarket MSDC car parks to help you make the most of the festivities.

The indoor market at The Mix will have a large selection of beautiful gifts and treats to buy your loved ones. We’re fully booked with a wide range of stalls to make your Christmas shopping a breeze!

Our Cabbages & Kings cafe will also be serving delicious festive food.

This year there’ll also be a family zone downstairs in our performance hall, perfect for the little ones. Find our online event via our Facebook page and share it with your friends to spread the word!

Put Snowfiesta in the diary now and help us make this the biggest and best one yet. We hope to see you there Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the team at The Mix.

NEW CHILDCARE SETTING IN COMBS

ROTARY CLUB OF STOWMARKET GIPPING VALLEY

We are very excited to tell you about First Den Childcare, a new childcare setting opening in Combs in January 2019.

The Rotary Club of Stowmarket Gipping Valley is once again organising their annual concert of Choirs and Christmas Trees at the Parish Church of St Peter and St Mary in Stowmarket.

We are a term-time setting offering childcare for children from the age of two years through to school age in a rural setting with a large indoor and outdoor play area. Our highly qualified staff have many years’ experience working within the childcare sector.

This year they are pleased to welcome the return of the Suffolk Rock Choir who have proved to be ever-popular, and for the first time Ipswich based Stella Acappella who are gaining a reputation as a very accomplished choir.

We are holding open mornings on Mondays, November 26 and December 10 from 9.30-11.30am, giving families a chance to meet us and have an informal chat about childcare requirements. If you are unable to make these dates and would like further information, please contact us via: info@firstden.co.uk / 07747 840215 / 07796 273201 (please leave a message and we will get back to you) Alternatively you are welcome to contact us via our open Facebook page, First Den Childcare.

Please follow our open Facebook page and visit our website for updates and important information: www.firstden.co.uk Rosemary and Laura

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This year’s supported charity is Age UK and, of course, other local good causes. The date for your diary is Friday, December 14 with doors opening at 6.30pm for a 7.15pm start. Tickets are £10 and are available from the Age UK shop on Ipswich Street, Stowmarket, at In Harmony, 33 High Street, Needham Market or from the organiser Arnie Bennett: a.bennett16@btinternet.com The Rotary Club of Stowmarket Gipping Valley meets fortnightly on Thursday evenings at the Cedars Hotel and members of the public are very welcome to come along to sample one of our lively meetings. Further details can be obtained from Arnie Bennett (email above).

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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In Touch online:

OUT & ABOUT WOMEN’S SECTION ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, STOWMARKET STOWMARKET BRANCH

Since our last report, we have completed our Annual Wings Appeal. Many thanks to Tesco, East of England Co-op and Morrisons at both Ipswich and Hadleigh for allowing us to collect onsite. Thanks also to David Marsh at the Regal Theatre for letting us collect during the showing of the film Spitfire.

As well as the store collections, we had our annual street collection and the ‘Brew for the Few’ coffee morning. We would like to sincerely thank the people of Stowmarket and the surrounding villages for their very generous donations. The total raised this year was £5,795.84, a wonderful achievement in this centenary year commemorating the end of the First World War. There were no expenses so all proceeds will go to helping less fortunate service and ex-service personnel. The cost of running the convalescent homes and the sheltered housing developments is increasing all the time. Help is also available for people in their own homes when needed.

Since our last report a group of 23 members and friends have enjoyed a holiday in Eastbourne. The weather was very kind and an enjoyable time was had by all. We visited the Eastbourne RAFA Club; it was very nice to meet members from another Branch.

We will be celebrating the 70 anniversary of the formation of our Branch on November 24 with a meal and entertainment from G&T at the Royal British Legion Club. Our meeting in December will be a social occasion with Kelly at the Royal British Legion providing a buffet for us. Our first meeting in 2019 will be on Wednesday, February 6. th

We are always pleased to welcome any prospective new members. We meet at 7.30pm on the first Wednesday in the month at the Royal British Legion Club. For further information, please contact our secretary on 01449 676871.

JAM COMMUNITY POT

In partnership with the United Reformed Church DON’T BE ALONE ON CHRISTMAS DAY Although events throughout the year are most enjoyable, JAM’s highlight is undoubtedly Christmas Day. We are one big family of over 100 people! If you are an individual or couple who would otherwise be on your own and fancy being part of our JAM family on this special day, you are very welcome. There is no charge; all we want is for you to enjoy a traditional three-course lunch, entertainment and company. Transport to Stowmarket and back home to local villages (or the town) can be sorted if that is a problem. Many friends help us on the day and we have never turned anyone away (even if the odd unexpected guest arrives at lunchtime).

However, we have to be realistic; there are limits to the number of guests we can seat on the day so please book your places, either by phoning Michelle Frost on 07810 456512 or calling in to see us on a Monday morning at the URC hall. It will be good to welcome existing and new friends.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

Our last meeting was held at the RBL Branch on October 17 with 24 members present. As Anne Whybrow, our president, had passed away, the committee voted Maggie Abbott to take over the role, which she agreed to do. Our new chairlady will be Sue Priest. As a treasurer hasn’t been voted in yet, Josie agreed to stand in until somebody takes over the position. Hazel said she will stay on the committee.

Hazel gave her address as outgoing chairlady and thanked her committee most heartily for all their hard work over the past year. Hazel was subsequently thanked for her leadership over the past few years and we welcome her as committee member.

We will be having a Christmas tree in the church – our theme is The Holly & the Ivy. Any help would be appreciated.

Jenny Gibbs was our speaker and her topic was Christmas in Turkey. Jenny brought some items for sale and also judged the competition. There were only two entries; Gloria was first and Liz second. The overall competition for the year was won by Liz, with Josie second and Lynda third. They each received a small monetary gift and Shirley thanked those who gave raffle prizes over the year.

At the end of the meeting Hazel was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a gift and Maggie was also given a gift. Mick was thanked for printing our posters and helping at the jumble sales.

This month’s meeting will be our Christmas dinner at the Legion on Wednesday, December 19. Names to Janet please who also has the menus.

Since our meeting another dear member has died, Hazel Hill. Hazel was one of our longest serving members and held many positions. She was vicechairlady and, up until a few years ago, Standard Bearer. She was the welfare officer for the main RBL and was currently still a member and vice-president.

Our condolences go to her family as she will be sorely missed and our thanks go to her for all her loyal service.

Lynda Farr

STOWMARKET MONDAY CLUB Stowmarket & District Monday Club continues with its activities in the run-up to Christmas. We enjoyed an evening of Hoy, followed by a craft evening. This involves making Christmas tree decorations for members to take home. This was organised by Linda and Thelma. Craft evenings are always enjoyed by the members and we will have another evening before Christmas to make cards.

We will also have an evening of music, with entertainment provided by Slightly Soiled. This will involve dancing and singing along with the band. On another evening we will have a quiz compiled by Liz. To finish off the session we have a party and Christmas evening when our friends Yesterday will be with us again. We then have a three-week break, recommencing with a disco on January 14. Happy Christmas everybody!

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OUT & ABOUT STOWMARKET ROTARY

STOWMARKET BRIDGE CLUB

Stowmarket Rotary held a presentation evening at the Cedars Hotel in Stowmarket on Monday, October 1 to present two donations each of £1,271 to SARS (Suffolk Accident and Rescue Service) and East Anglian Children’s Hospice. The donations were made possible through our annual charity golf day held on June 22. Over the years in which it has been run, this event has raised on average £4,000 per year, benefitting a great many deserving causes.

A number of members took part in the Felixstowe Congress in early October. Two teams in the Swiss teams of four competition, both containing Stowmarket members, tied for first place; David Willson and Simon Riley made up half of one of one winning team while Norman Less was a member of the other. David Willson and Simon Riley came top in the qualifying heat of the Pairs Championship and a very creditable seventh in the final with Sam and Bim Wilson coming tenth. Jan Wynne and Jim Sawyer came seventh in the Consolation Final with John Heath and Caro Hunt eighth. New Stowmarket members Alison and Conrad Simons won the Really Easy Pairs.

Following a tractor run and raffle jointly organised by Stowmarket and Gipping Valley Rotary Clubs in July this year, we were delighted to be able to present £1,130 each to St Nicholas and St Elizabeth Hospices. A cheque for £250 was also presented to Stowmarket Food Bank, which was over and above £500 donated earlier in the year.

Every year we support local charities and individuals in Stowmarket. We also support Shelter Box, an international disaster relief charity that provides temporary shelter and lifesaving supplies to displaced families in disaster areas. Many of these boxes will now be heading to Indonesia.

Rotarians are not just fundraisers; we also help organisations with advice and assist the young people of our area with mentoring, mock interviews, etc. We also enjoy the friendship of the Rotary movement and in these days where loneliness is becoming a major factor for retired people in particular, what better than to come and see what we do and join a movement whose aim is to give something back to our local community?

This said, clubs such as ours cannot be relied upon to be around indefinitely.

We and others like us are a hidden source of charitable funding, most of what we do is below most people’s radar. Perhaps this is best illustrated by way of an analogy; we are like an endangered species which will not be missed until it is extinct!

Please don’t let this happen; we are a sociable bunch and really, really need new blood so if you are reading this, give us a call. We need you!

If you would like to talk to a Rotarian, please contact our president, Tom Lund Lack: 01449 771123

STOWUPLAND LOCAL HISTORY GROUP Wednesday, December 5: The Angel Roofs of East Anglia by Michael Rimmer Angel roofs – elaborate timber structures adorned with carvings of angels – were often too difficult for Reformation iconoclasts to reach. As a result, they comprise the largest surviving body of major English medieval wood sculpture. Michael Rimmer’s talk will show the artistry and architecture of these inaccessible and little-studied medieval artworks and explain how they were made and why. Small contributions of festive fare will be very welcome.

We meet at 7.30pm in Stowupland Village Hall IP14 4BQ where there is plenty of space to park. Visitors are always welcome and refreshments are available.

Admission is £1 for members, £3 for non-members.

Please note that we do not meet in January but have an exciting programme in store for 2019. For more information, contact Judy Clarke: 01449 615386

STOWMARKET RAMBLERS Sunday, December 2: 6 mile walk around Stowmarket via Harleston Church.

Park and meet at Stowmarket Football Club at 10.30am / GR. TM 046596.

Leader: 01449 612093 Sunday, December 9: 5 mile walk in Dedham Vale followed by Carol Service at Lawford. Park and meet in the car park near Red Lion pub in East Bergholt at 10am / GR. TM 068347. Leader: 07519 164931 Sunday, December 16: Short walk around Thornham Estate. Park and meet at Thornham Walks Centre car park (fee payable) at 10.30am. Leader: 07919 350170 Sunday, December 23: 4.5 mile walk in Great Barton village and countryside. Park and meet at Great Barton Village Hall (opposite garage on A143) at 10.30am / GR. TL 894670. Leader: 07795 574762 Sunday, December 30: 10 or 6 mile walk along Felixstowe Prom. For longer walk park and meet at Landguard Point Visitors Centre (GR. TM 284322) at 10am and for shorter walk park in town where legal and meet at Felixstowe Pier at 10.50am. Lunch at one of the Felixstowe Ferry cafés or bring a picnic.

Leader: 01449 781917

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On November 9 club members will take part in a nationwide simultaneous pairs competition in aid of Children in Need. On November 23 the club is holding a teams of four competition in which members of other clubs are invited to take part, while on December 16 the duplicate pairs session will be accompanied by festive drinks and bites.

Stowmarket’s final position in the county summer league for teams of eight depends on the result of one outstanding match, but whichever way that finishes Stowmarket while finish mid-table, a creditable position for one of the smaller clubs.

Visitors and new members are welcome. For more details contact Arthur Winchester on 01449 612105 or visit: www.bridgewebs.com/stowmarket Mervyn Pearson

NEWS FROM RED GABLES Red Gables has been a hive of activity in the last month.

The Volunteering Day was a big success with over 70 people coming along to find out more about volunteering in the Stowmarket area. The 22 organisations that attended said that it had been useful and several have reported that they have found new volunteers after the event.

Maggie Campbell’s teacup sculpture has now been completed and the Garden Project volunteers have planted it with flowers. We are grateful to Suffolk Axis for sponsoring this sculpture which adds to the beauty of our grounds. A large cup and saucer is a welcoming sight to people coming up the drive as it reminds people that Red Gables is the place to come for a cup of tea and a chat.

More secondary glazing has been installed in the main building and our tenants report that the rooms are already warmer and quieter. The wooden floor in Redwoods main hall has just been refurbished with many blocks being replaced. We have been keen to preserve rather than replace as the wood is the original flooring from 1939 and so is an important feature. Many visitors remember it from when the building was used as the town library.

Our AGM was well attended and we were delighted to welcome Stephen Singleton of Suffolk Community Foundation who gave an interesting, challenging and thought provoking speech. We were sorry to say goodbye to Tony Fowler, our long serving chairman of trustees, and would like to thank him for all his hard work.

Funding News The floor repairs have been funded largely through the generosity of the Alfred Williams Trust and a smaller amount from the Big Lottery’s Awards for All programme. We have just been awarded almost £10,000 towards repairs to the Redwoods building which will also include new chairs, better lighting, replacing the remaining metal windows and other general improvements.

The bid will also enable us to replace the Garden Project tool storage shed in the near future.

Spotlight on one of our regular users Hannah Harris runs a yoga session at Red Gables on Friday evenings. It’s the perfect way to relax after a stressful week and can help you to get more enjoyment from your weekend. The class runs from 6-7.15pm and is a mix of meditation, breathing and relaxation techniques. To find out more contact Hannah on 07770 970079 or visit: www.yogaintheearth.co.uk Assistant Manager Robert Horn

In Touch online:

A Great day out for the whole family

18-HOLE PIRATE THEMED ADVENTURE GOLF COURSE

Christmas Quiz Night

Delicious Food

Doors open 7.00pm.

Quiz starts 7.30pm

SATURDAY 8TH DECEMBER

7 days a week

Breakfast l Lunch l Dinner

Saturday 15th December Doors open 6.30pm Sit down for dinner 7.30pm

Christmatascular Spec

Alex Morley Productions Presents

20TH DECEMBER UNTIL 31ST DECEMBER

TEAPOT POTTERY

(NO SHOWS 25TH AND 26TH DECEMBER)

THE MARKET SQUARE SHOPPING VILLAGE

PAINT YOUR OWN MASTERPIECE

You will find all your essentials at the convenience store.

There is also a post office and a range of individual shops with gifts, crafts, books, jewellery, clothes, furniture, aquatics, toys, garden products, beauty treatments, homewares, holidays, hot tubs, sweets, restaurant and lots more Come and take a look.

www.stonhambarns.co.uk

Pettaugh Road, Stonham Aspal, Suffolk IP14 6AT.

Tel 01449 711111

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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STOWMARKET C ENTRE C OMMUNITY HILLSIDE, STOWMARKET IP14 2BD

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Stowmarket Community Centre offers

A Spacious Main Hall ~ 2 Lounge Rooms (one with kitchenette) ~ 2 Standard Rooms to hire for your event, party or group (we will set your room up for you prior to your arrival if desired) ~ Well Equipped Kitchen ~ Full Disabled Access to Centre and all Rooms ~

Room Hire

Starts from £7.75 per hour for a Small Room ~ Up to £13.50 per hour for Main Hall (weekdays) ~ Prices Available for Events / Clubs at Weekends

Lots of organisations use us Come and see if there is something for you Make New Friends, Achieve, Enjoy Contact Heather Tooke on 01449 613084 Email: heathert@stowmarket.org In Touch online:

OUT & ABOUT / SCHOOLS JOIN THE WI – FIND OUT WHAT YOU’RE MISSING!

STOWMARKET ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION

Early Birds WI are a morning group that meet on the third Monday of the month at Cedars Park Community Centre, Pintail Road, Stowmarket IP14 5FP. We meet between 10am and noon and within this time we have a variety of activities from cooking, craft, visiting speakers and community projects.

In October, the branch held its annual Trafalgar Night Dinner, which was well attended and proved to be a great success, with shipmates and guests raising a total of £750 for local causes and charities. Those charities and causes that will each receive £150 include Needham Market Phoenix Youth Club, Stowmarket Town Pastors and Stowmarket Town Mayor’s charity appeal.

Our age group varies from 30-80, so there’s something for everyone. We are a very friendly group. Every month we have a raffle, a trading table for members to sell various items, refreshments and time to catch up and natter.

We also run a monthly outing and lunch club which is optional, but gives extra opportunities to socialise.

Suffolk East Federation of WIs will be celebrating its centenary during 2019, with lots of extra activities taking place.

Your first meeting is free so why not come along and see what you’re missing out on? Our next meeting is on Monday, January 18 when Brian Heard will present a talk entitled Hong Kong and the Triads. Brian is a former ballistics officer with the Royal Hong Kong Police.

We look forward to welcoming you to Early Birds WI. Facebook: Early Birds WI Stowmarket / Email: earlybirdswi@hotmail.co.uk

To prepare for the branch Christmas Party, which is on the evening of Tuesday, December 18 at the Royal British Legion Club, and in true Royal Navy tradition, the ship’s company saw the senior and junior shipmates of the branch stir the Christmas pudding.

We believe it should be ready for our Christmas party, if it hasn’t rotted the bottom of the mixing bowl before then! Pictured stirring the pudding mix are Olga Anderson (Branch Chair, therefore deemed ‘senior’) and Jason Sewell (who it was agreed looks a lot younger than most of us).

www.sefwi.org.uk / 01473 251632

If you would like to come along to one of our gatherings, feel free to do so. You never know; you might like us and want to join our branch.

STOWMARKET & DISTRICT FLOWER CLUB

We meet at 7.30pm on the third Tuesday of every month at Stowmarket Royal British Legion.

There will not be a meeting in December, but instead the club’s Christmas Party will take place on Wednesday, December 5 at Stowmarket Golf Club

WETHERDEN REMEMBERS Wetherden History Group has produced a book to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice and it is dedicated to the men of Wetherden who served.

The research started back in 2014 with a list of the 88 men on the Wetherden Roll of Honour which was published in July 1917. Of those, thirteen had already given their lives for the great cause, two were prisoners of war and three were reported wounded. They were the sons, brothers or husbands of people living in Wetherden at that time. The book tells the stories of those men and of another 57 we discovered had connections with Wetherden and who served in the Great War, 1914-1918.

Of these 145 men, 16 are remembered on the Wetherden War Memorial and another 16 are remembered on memorials elsewhere.

The book is £10. For more information contact Pat Tuffin: 01359 240396 / tuffinswetherden@tiscali.co.uk

WOOD LEY PRIMARY SCHOOL Junior Road Safety Officers raise money for Road Safety Signs Junior Road Safety Officers have been working hard to promote safe parking and driving around the school entrance. They launched a superhero dress-up day on Friday, November 2 to raise money to purchase safe parking signs for the area around the school gate.

They also presented an assembly to the school, continuing the road safety theme about the ‘common sense criminals’ which included the ‘mobile phone monster’, the ‘distraction demon’ and the ‘road rage rascal’.

We are continuing to work with the police to ensure the safety of our children.

It was fantastic welcoming both children and staff into school dressed as their favourite superhero and £262 was raised in support of this valuable cause.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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SCHOOLS / SPORT THE RISKS OF IDLING Chilton Primary School Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSO) created a poster to highlight the importance of reducing idling in vehicles. This included the increasing health risks associated with asthma and the financial implication. For example, idling for 10 seconds uses more fuel than starting your car and just two minutes of idling is equal to the cost of driving one mile.

The JRSOs have been out in the local community sharing posters with the police station and our neighbours Truck East as part of their aim to achieve the gold award in this year’s Suffolk Junior Road Safety Awards.

ST PETER & ST MARY’S PRE-SCHOOL This term we have welcomed lots of new children and parents into pre-school who have all settled really well.

Our staff are recording Learning Journeys onto tapestry and we have all enjoyed the fantastic weather. In the garden we have had lots of fun looking at all the colourful leaves of autumn as well as the acorns, helicopter seeds, pine cones and conkers.

Now it’s coming to the end of term and we will be thinking about all our usual exciting seasonal activities. Watch out – here comes the glitter! It’s time to make the decorations for our Christmas tree in the church for the Christmas Tree Festival. And of course we will be making lots of decorations to take home to decorate our own trees and our budding actors will be practising for the nativity play.

St Peter & St Mary’s Pre-school would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

NEEDHAM MARKET BOWLS CLUB We are now well into the indoor bowls season at the Meadlands; for information contact David Hindley on 01449 613144 or 07717 940270.

But now to the most important events of the winter seasons, the socials!

As you read this we will already have had our November social which was signing-on night for the 2019 season. If you missed it you can pay your membership at any of the following socials detailed below.

Friday, December 17 from 7pm is our Christmas social. Various games will be played and the food will be sausage rolls and mince pies. It’s a good chance to dust off your Christmas jumpers and hats and to kick start the festive season.

Raffle prizes would also be appreciated. Members £3, non-members £6.

Friday, January 25 sees the return of the Stowmarket Strummers who are always a popular attraction so come along and enjoy an entertaining evening.

Food will be sausages, jacket potatoes and beans and again raffle prizes would be appreciated. Members £3, non-members £6.

SCORPION ACADEMY It has been a very busy time for Scorpion Academy with our family fun day at the Hunt Outdoor Centre. We started with a short martial arts training session followed by tree planting where everyone had the chance to name lots of trees, a barbecue fed everyone then games of laser tag finished off the fun day. Such was the success of this family fun day we plan to make it an annual event. Hunt Outdoor Centre along with Scorpion Academy can host laser tag events, outdoor martial arts training and team building events.

Three members of Scorpion Academy recently travelled to Brigg near Scunthorpe to take their blackbelt upgrades. After a long and hard day of physical and mental training which saw nearly 30 students on the floor, the following were presented with their new grades: Master Josh Trent – 4th Dan in Kickboxing, Sam Corsie – 2nd Dan in Universal Karate, Chief Master Andy Lewis – 6th Dan in Universal Karate and 5th Dan in Kickboxing.

The grading was also made very special with a visit from one of the founders of the British Taekwondo Association, Grandmaster Lee Chee Kin – 9th degree blackbelt. The grandmaster was very impressed by the standard of everyone taking their blackbelts and mentioned that it was an honour to be at the gradings. Not only is Grandmaster Lee Chee Kin a very famous tae kwon do master, back in his prime he was a top kickboxer and trainer having worked with names like Chuck Norris, Simon Rhee and the legend Bruce Lee. Five senior members recently took part in the Mount Snowdon martial arts challenge which saw them travel to Wales where they spent time rock climbing and sightseeing before the climb. We are planning to run challenges like this on a regular basis next year.

Eleven members travelled to Sheffield to attend the BTA and UFKKWA British Invitational Championships. We came away with a gold medal and a title for Danielle Kay in the ladies kickboxing section, silver medals for Master Dave Fell in kata and Grandmaster Mark JR Trent in veterans sparring, a silver medal in ladies sparring for Hayley Langley, silver for India Langley in girls sparring, bronze medals in sparring for Ben Langley, Josh Smith, Ash Abbott and Christian Graham and special attendance medals to Chief Master Andy Lewis and Grandmaster Mark JR Trent for specialist kata and to Will Ribbons for sparring.

Scorpion Academy was awarded the Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Council Sporting Achievement Award 2018. Mark JR Trent had been nominated and, much to his surprise, he won the category which was great news for the academy and for all members past and present who have made it such a special place to train, make friends and achieve.

Scorpion Academy has been running for nearly 30 years and takes great pride in the high standard of martial arts that it has to offer.

Top quality tuition in universal karate, tae kwon do, kickboxing and muay thai means that there is something for everyone. We offer one month free to all new members and we look forward to meeting you. All main classes run out of the Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre with a junior karate class running at Needham Market Community Centre on Tuesday afternoons.

For further information please contact Mark JR Trent: 07708 644162 / scorpion.ufkkwa@gmail.com

Further socials will be on February 22 and March 22 with the opening drive on April 13. Details will be published in a later article. Meet and Greet days will be Saturdays, April 27 and May 4 from 10.30am.

The way the green played came in for a lot of praise. It has now been put to bed but work will continue throughout the winter to ensure it is in the best possible condition for the 2019 season. Anyone interested in helping with the green will be warmly welcomed and should contact Alistair Bailie.

Anyone wishing to discuss any aspect of NMBC can contact either Alistair Bailie on 01449 720759 or Pat Hadden 01473 831308.

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SPORT / CHURCH NEWS

STOWMARKET TENNIS CLUB It’s up! Our winter airhall, or ‘dome’, was successfully installed on October 19 after a very long day. Over a dozen volunteer club members came along to lend many hands, but a particularly huge thank you to David Stamp and Carol Clements for working right through until tea time in order to help get the job completed. It’s a wonderful facility, very rare to find in a club of relatively modest size, and is something that many larger and more expensive tennis clubs can’t offer. The dome enables three of our five courts to be virtually winter-proof and have uninterrupted play right through the coldest, wettest months of the year. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that if any snow comes our way we only get a couple of centimetres!

Competitive play is in top gear at the moment with many of our members involved in the Ipswich & District Winter League. Each match involves home and away ties so any home advantage is balanced across the fixture. We have particularly slow, bouncy macadam courts here but some clubs, such as David Lloyd, have incredibly fast carpet.

It often takes quite a while to ‘tune in’ to the different surface and often the only way to be totally at ease is to play for an hour or two every day for a week. Not possible when you’re visiting the away club for just one match, but something the pros do regularly before starting a tournament. Good luck to all our doubles pairs as they chase wins and promotion for next season.

The coaching program is also firing on all cylinders. The juniors are enjoying eight weeks of ‘open’ style coaching focussing on performance fundamentals – court position, footwork, targeting the shots, recovery, etc. Often it gets a bit too cold inside the dome to slow down and work through the nuances of technique so instead the sessions open up and we get the players moving constantly which keeps everyone nice and warm.

Adult disco tennis is now on Saturdays only from 9-10am, which is a great way to start the weekend, burn a few calories (or pre-burn a few ready for the weekend!) and no tennis experience is required.

The class is a superb way to try a bit of tennis, chase a load of balls, all while some fantastic disco tunes drive you along. Brand new faces get the first session for free so why not give it a bash?

Lots going on, loads of activity, so all you have to do is get in touch.

See you on court.

Senior Club Coach Chris Cunningham chris@chriscoaching.plus.com / 07761 142372

STOWMARKET UNITED REFORMED CHURCH May I start by wishing all readers season’s greetings with an invitation to attend our Christmas Services where a warm welcome awaits?

The festive season will see the church decorated and open Monday to Friday from 10am until 1pm, with family services each Sunday at 10.25am.

Our traditional Candlelight Carol Service is on Sunday 23 at 4pm. Followed by a Watchnight Service at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day will be celebrated with a short Family service at 10.25am.

Our popular Thursday Coffee Mornings are between 10am and noon and Coffee and Cakes is on Saturday, December 15 as part of SnowFiesta. Come in out of the cold for free refreshment (donations welcome) and view our nativity scene.

ELMSWELL BOWLS CLUB I begin this article written on November 5 with an apology to Pam Riches and Joan Davies. Included in the November issue were the results of our in-house competitions and for the Ladies Targets, Joan Davies was shown as runner-up when it should have read Pam Riches. Apologies ladies.

Recently we held our annual dinner at The Crown in Stowupland where we received a warm welcome, good food and the staff attended to our every need. Thank you to all at The Crown from all of us. After the meal it was time to hand out our competition awards to all those worthy winners, but on this occasion an extra prize was given. This was to Nick Chamberlin with the gratitude of all members for his very hard work to produce an excellent green to play on. Many senior and/or county bowlers from a wide area gave high praise and the comment that it was one of the best they had played upon during the season. Then it was on to the raffle with a wonderful assortment of prizes. Thank you to everyone.

This month we have our AGM and we hope to have three teams participating in the Stowupland Village Quiz. Shortly afterwards we will have our Christmas Party. In between times we are working hard on our clubhouse, green and surrounding areas in preparation for next year as time quickly passes.

There is plenty of time for anyone residing in the area or close surrounding districts who may be interested in trying their hand in the grand game of bowling to contact us. We will give a warm welcome to our genuinely happy club, one of the oldest established in Suffolk. People of the younger age group, established players and anyone willing to give it a go should contact our secretary, Graham Newman, who will be more than happy to speak with you: 01359 240846 Elmswell Bowls Club wishes In Touch and its readers a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful, healthy New Year. Finally, a thank you to In Touch for the assistance shown us over the past months.

David Begg

STOWMARKET CRICKET CLUB The annual end of season cricket match and awards saw Stowmarket Cricket Club celebrate a third successive promotion, its first team playing next year in Division Three of the Two Counties League.

As well as an enjoyable cricket match, our main sponsor, Andrew Bingham of Andrew Bingham Independent Funeral Services, presented the awards to seniors and juniors, the winners including Dale and Ady Watling, Clive Witherly, Paul Bird, Nick Pyke, Mike Ives, George Tillbrook and Ashley Lilley.

We welcome players of all ages and abilities. Please consult our website or contact Clive Witherly for further details: wgg51@btinternet.com

GOSPEL HALL, STOWMARKET Christmas is a great time of the year for many reasons but, at the Gospel Hall, the most important is that it gives us an opportunity to celebrate the birth of the Saviour.

We have our special Christmas Trailblazers for children on Saturday, December 8 from 10.30am-noon. Of course we’ll be singing Christmas carols and listening to the Christmas story, and there will be lots of Christmas crafts to suit all ages. We’ll also be practising for our Family Carol Service on Sunday, December 16 at 4pm. The children from Trailblazers and Friday Club will be helping us to celebrate the Christmas story and there will be a short message from Luke Howden.

We hope you can join us and we wish everyone reading this a very blessed Christmas. We hope that you will be able to rejoice that God sent His son in to the world for each one of us.

Why not come and see what’s on at the URC?

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In Touch online:

CHURCH NEWS

THE SALVATION ARMY Violet Hill Road, Stowmarket Saturday, December 1 10am Band Carolling at Asda Sunday, December 2 11am Meeting & Toy Service 6.30pm Churches Together Advent Service – Parish Church Wednesday, December 5 7.30pm Carols for All at Salvation Army Friday, December 7 7.30pm Band at Community Service in Bury St Edmunds Saturday, December 8 10am Band Carolling in the Market Place Sunday, December 9 11am Service 4pm Messy Church 3pm Band at Hitcham Village Hall Monday, December 10 7pm Band at St Edmundsbury Cathedral for Emergency

Services Carol Service Wednesday, December 12 7.30pm Live lounge at Costa Thursday, December 13 7pm Young People’s Band at Target Club

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Saturday, December 15 10am Band Carolling at Tesco 6pm Band at Onehouse Village Hall Carol Service Sunday, December 16 11am Young People’s Carol Service Tuesday, December 18 11am Songster Party to Cedrus House Saturday, December 22 10am Band Carolling at Asda, Ipswich Sunday, December 23 11am Service 5.30pm Carol Service Monday, December 24 10am Band Carolling in Market Place Tuesday, December 25 10.30am Christmas Day Service From 9.30am Coffee & Mince Pies Sunday, December 30 11am Service WEEKLY EVENTS Some activities are reduced this month due to the Christmas programme.

Monday 9.30-11.30am: Funky Monkeys (Parent & Toddler Group) Tuesday 10am: CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other) Tuesday 2pm: Over Sixties Club Wednesday 5.45pm: Kidz Club (ages five plus) Wednesday 7.30pm: Live Lounge at Costa Coffee (first in month) Friday 7-9.30pm: Café at the Rec Saturday 10am-noon: Coffee Morning (third Saturday in month) We have interesting and varied activities during the week and well attended Sunday Services.

For more information, please ring Jenny: 01449 614133 To advertise in this section, which appears in 18 magazines in areas across Suffolk and Essex, please contact a member of our sales team on 01473 400380

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SAXON MONUMENTAL CRAFT Best quality memorials, pet stones and marble for fireplaces Contact Sally Nice on: 01284 754512 / 01284 735797 07799 376105 (mobile) sallynice@hotmail.co.uk 55 St Andrews Street North, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1TZ

To advertise in this section, which appears in 18 magazines in areas across Suffolk and Essex, please contact a member of our sales team on 01473 400380

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

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