In Touch News with Woodbridge July 2018.pdf

In Touch

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with Melton, Rendlesham & Woodbridge Volume 8 • Issue No. 3 • JULY 2018

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09/05/2018 16:33

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR You know what it’s like when you have a few precious minutes to catch up on a million tasks. It’s usually a mad dash involving at least one bruise, multiple encounters with people you’d love to chat to at any other time (just not right now) and, almost always, a whole lot of frustration. Well, last Saturday I left home with a mile-long list and 30 minutes to complete them. Parking took at least 10 minutes so the pressure was on from the get-go. First, the library where I grabbed the first Jo Nesbo book I saw (turns out I’d read it before but I’m enjoying it nonetheless). Then I lost precious minutes standing in a queue at the pharmacy. Next the pet shop and then back to the car with a bale of hay. Round two took me first to the gift shop for a baby gift and card, then to the homeware shop for window cleaner and a new squeegee (still unused by the way) and finally to the hairdressers to make an appointment (which I’ll probably have to cancel).

I’m exhausted just writing about it, but as I raced from shop to shop and criss-crossed the market square at least four times, I noticed a father and son sitting on a bench under a shady tree. Each time I raced by I was struck by how still they were, dad with his arm draped over his son’s shoulders as they sat close together in silence watching the world go by. I stopped at one point to watch them from behind and in that moment I felt like a complete lunatic.

I tried to remember the last time I’d simply sat with my son, doing nothing, just being together, and it had been a while. With one last admiring glance at the relaxed pair on the bench, I headed to the car and home to Jack.

After a quick kick around (always his first choice) we snuggled up on the sofa to watch a movie.

Of course, I do wonder what the wife/mother was doing while the dad and son relaxed! Perhaps she was tearing about like me, but I hope not. That list of things to do will always be there, but I’m determined to find that happy balance and to spend more time with my nearest and dearest. Now who’s going to clean those windows?

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

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

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NEWS NEW MAYOR OF WOODBRIDGE, COUNCILLOR DAVID MORTIMER David has lived and worked in the Woodbridge area all his life. He grew up in Burgh and attended Grundisburgh Primary School, then Kingston Middle and Farlingaye High School.

After studying business studies he worked at a corporate estate agency in 1988, selling properties in and around the town. He then worked within the company in Ipswich, Woodbridge and Felixstowe.

In 1994 David met his wife Linda while working in Felixstowe. They moved into their first home in Woodbridge with their first son. They were married in 1997 at St Mary’s Church.

While working at a firm of solicitors in Ipswich, Linda persuaded him to go it alone and in 2001 they set up the Woodbridge branch of Hamilton Smith Estate Agents in Church Street. In 2002 Linda had their second son and she took over the business in 2008, allowing David to move into the emerging business world of energy surveying.

This business has evolved considerably and after qualifying as a commercial drone pilot he runs both the energy and aerial survey businesses side by side.

Having lived in Sutton for 12 years, they moved back into Woodbridge in 2016. In January 2017 Linda and their eldest son Dale rebranded the business under the family name of Mortimers and continue to move it forward. David works from home and spends most of his time out on the road surveying properties or using the drones to work overhead.

David has played a number of roles in Woodbridge over the years. He served as a special constable for 13 years and was predominantly tasked with policing the town centre on busy Friday and Saturday nights. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Woodbridge and was club president in 2015. Rotary is one of his chosen mayoral charities as they raise money for a number of local charities, including the new and exciting Jetty Lane project. He is also supporting the Woodbridge Soldiers Fund at Rock Barracks as there are strong links between the base and Woodbridge.

Elected as a town councillor in 2015, he has a keen interest in promoting Woodbridge as a tourist destination as well as getting people to shop locally and support the wide range of shops, restaurants and pubs that are offered in the town.

The Deputy Mayor for the Civic Year 2018-2019 is Councillor Patti Mulcahy.

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NEWS DEDICATED TIDE MILL VOLUNTEER RECOGNISED

COUNCILLOR CAROLINE’S COLUMN JULY 2018

Bob Spillett, vice-chair of Woodbridge Tide Mill Trustees since 2012 and a hardworking volunteer, has stepped down from the role after a busy five years.

Taking up the position after the mill’s extensive restoration with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Bob (supporting previous chairman Nigel Barratt) has been an intrinsic part of the effort to make the mill commercially capable of economic independence. Bob will continue to work with and help co-ordinate a busy roster of volunteers who look after the maintenance, show visitors around and keep the mill open through the season – and often beyond it. Such activity, as well as events such as taking part in the recent Beowulf Community Festival, keeps the mill in the forefront of visitor attractions.

I came along the Kesgrave road so early one morning that I was awake before the larks. That’s quite an achievement.

Bob also sells and delivers most of the flour produced by the mill and was recently to be seen at the Suffolk Show with one of the mill’s biggest customers, the East of England Co-op, promoting the mill’s excellent stoneground traditional and fine wholemeal flours.

John Carrington, chairman of the Tide Mill trustees presented an engraved glass bowl to Bob, commenting that: “The trustees are most grateful to Bob for his hard work and dedication to the mill without which it would not be in the strong position it is today. The fight to keep this symbolic town attraction robust, functioning and solvent continues however and I’m delighted that Bob will remain a trustee and volunteer.”

Bob is replaced as vice-chair by John Leming, a structural engineer and ex-junior chairman at Woodbridge Rugby Club.

TOURNAMENT REMEMBERS POPULAR COACH

From about 6am they are rising vertically from the remaining fields on the Woodbridge-Ipswich route, like a flight of song-powered helicopters – up and up into the blue, until all that is left of them is their song. Oh it’s lovely at six in the morning.

By seven it’s hard to hear them, loudly though they sing, as the noise of the traffic takes over the roads for the day. We lose the larks until late evening when – all quiet – we can hear the last songs before bedtime and the nightingales take over. Yes, really. Nightingales sing not just in Berkeley Square, but in Kesgrave Road too – and very lovely they are.

It’s sad to think of how much we are missing because of the sound and smell of traffic: birdsong, the rustle of a snake through the grass, wild honeysuckle, the chirrup of grasshoppers and the sound of silence. People seem to have airbrushed it out of their ears – or, safe in the virtual reality of the in-carexperience, to have covered it with electronic sound.

It’s going to get worse too. It looks as if Suffolk County Council will get its way with plans to decrease entitlement to free school transport for our county’s children. Not that they’ve ever had it very good. Not in comparison with, say, London’s young, who get unlimited free transport round the clock paid for by the taxpayer. In comparison, our Suffolk young people’s entitlement is only if the eligible child is more than two miles (under eights) or more than three miles (ages eight-16) from their catchment, nearest or transport priority school. There is not, and has never been, an entitlement to school transport for students living under this distance unless the route has been declared not safe to walk; or over this distance if the student attended through parental choice rather than place-entitlement.

Although the county council consulted, many people didn’t bother to answer because they had no school-aged children. What’s it to do with us they thought. Why should my council tax be spent on transporting other people’s children? They forgot that every decision will have unintended consequences.

If children lose their entitlement to go to school by school bus, they still have to get to school, but they have to try without buses. Remember, these are the ones living more than three miles away. Cycling on country roads is seldom an option in the rush hour. So, guess what? There are likely to be even more cars on the road and even less chance to hear our larks.

Unless you get up very early in the morning!

EAST SUFFOLK TRAVELLERS’ ASSOCIATION (ESTA) Members of Woodbridge and Kesgrave Tennis Clubs came together for an afternoon of relaxed competition on Saturday, June 14 in a tournament to commemorate former coach and tennis player Dick McDonald who passed away in 2016.

Players from both clubs joined members of Dick’s family to take part in the tournament, with new Woodbridge Town Mayor David Mortimer presenting prizes to the winners.

Dick was a popular coach at both clubs, training Woodbridge’s Deben Juniors and being made head coach at Kesgrave. In 2010, he was awarded the Suffolk Coastal Lifetime Achievement Award for services to tennis.

Dick’s widow, Jill McDonald, joined in with the commemorative tournament and commented: “Dick passed away in August 2016, but even when he was in hospital he was trying to get the nurses to take up tennis.”

Woodbridge Tennis Club Chairman Steve Lemon said: “It was great to see so many people come along to remember Dick in such an enjoyable and social way.”

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ESTA, the voluntary body for local train and bus users, has stepped up the pressure on Greater Anglia to take action over the condition of Saxmundham Station following the fire last winter.

Previous approaches to the railway franchisee had brought forth a response that they were still awaiting the results of a structural survey, but now ESTA chairman Trevor Garrod has pointed out that the fence erected on the platform to keep the public away from the station wall has been there a considerable time and it is preventing access to the Help Point at the unstaffed station.

Mr Garrod has said in his note to Greater Anglia: “Is not the provision of accessible help points required under the franchise agreement?”

In his same email to the franchisee, Mr garrod accepts that the longer-term future of the station building will take time to be resolved and points out that the passenger organisation is interested in what may happen. In particular, he points out that the Victorian postbox in the station wall, and from which services have had to be temporarily suspended, has both practical and heritage aspects. He adds: “We firmly hope that the postbox will be retained in whatever form the station building takes in the future.”

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OUT & ABOUT GETTING THE BIG PICTURE

MELTON OLD CHURCH

The Longshed on Woodbridge waterfront has been humming with activity as new stairs are fitted to give access to the mezzanine, holes are cut through the floor for the lift to be installed and office walls spring up to be plastered.

On the ground floor the formwork for the skiffs has progressed and the Anglo-Saxon longboat has had a stronger deck fitted to take the hundreds of visiting feet that clamber aboard at various events.

March 2017 – March 2018 saw the committee members very busy with organising information in order to promote our request for a possible grant to preserve our precious First World War Crosses. To our great delight we were successful following Claire Mc Burney and Carol Duce working on all the information needed. Charmian Berry put together a photographic exhibition of work done in the church which in turn was made available to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their records. We had already had a lot of work carried out on the belfry and repairs to shutters including making the bell tower structure safe. We are now able to ring our single bell which has a beautiful tone and will be rung alongside St Andrew’s Bells on November 3, remembering 100 years since the First World War ceased, 1918 – 2018

In May, besides being seen on the waterfront it visited Haughley Park and then together with the National Trust arranged a joint display at the Suffolk Show (image by P Bradbeer). The weather was so hot at times that eggs could have been cooked on the warrior’s steel helmets. In June the boat was at Rendlesham Show, Woodbridge Regatta, St Gregory’s Church, Rendlesham and West Stow Dragonfest. The re-enactors are looking forward to visiting the foreign land inhabited by the ‘North Folk’ when it goes to Ely in July.

Back in the Longshed the wonderful workshop volunteers have produced a range of benches, fitted out tool racks and installed machines to begin to provide the working facilities that can be used by community groups for various tasks. While all this is going on, casual visitors wander into the Longshed and begin to ask questions. There is universal approval of all that is happening, but it does slow down progress. We don’t mind.

Perhaps the most important developments which are in the pipeline concern the building of the full-size reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo ship. It is being organised by a group called The Ship’s Company. Currently they have three core objectives during this year. In September, they will ‘Loft’ the ship. This means drawing it accurately on full-size on boards set out on the floor of the shed. This will be a spectacular exercise. There will be ongoing news about this which you can follow in future editions. It will be the biggest technical picture ever drawn in Suffolk… probably!

In October, an invitation-only symposium will be held. Experts and academics from the UK and abroad will examine the ship building proposals by checking the lofting. They will assess it critically. Following this there will be a consultation period. The feedback will be absorbed before irreversible commitments are made on the reconstruction itself, hopefully in November.

If you have knowledge of the ship, the history or craft construction you may wish to have input into this process. What things could the experts discuss?

What issues do you think the symposium and the ship could be used to address? The Ship’s Company invites readers to send in their suggestions and is also looking for a volunteer to assist with some administration: contact@saxonship.org To find out more about activities in the Longshed visit: www.woodbridgewaterfront.co.uk / www.woodbridgeriversidetrust.org

WOODBRIDGE FARMERS’ MARKET Our small farmers’ market runs twice a month, usually on the second and fourth Saturday mornings from 9am-12.30pm at Woodbridge Community Hall. It usually has between 10 and 14 stalls. Each stall is run by the person who has baked, preserved, grown or blended the produce on sale (or is closely linked to the person who has) and over 90% of the producers are based in Suffolk, with an occasional interloper from Essex!

We have a friendly cafe and there’s always a good atmosphere at the hall.

The market recently became a Community Interest Company meaning that we are not-for-profit and we have charitable aims. The market provides an alternative to out-of-town supermarkets, reinforcing the foodie culture of Woodbridge (by showcasing it) and being accessible to all.

We’re exist on a shoestring and while we have a bunch of loyal customers we would like to reach out and attract new clientele. We’re also always interested to hear from anyone who would like to run a stall (but no more cake makers please).

Our markets in July will be on Saturdays 14 and 28.

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MUSICOLOGY Melton Old Church on Saturday, July 21, 7.30pm Enjoy an evening of wonderful music Tickets £8.50, refreshments, free parking Tickets from Carol Duce: 01394 386321

STEP DANCING AND DIABOLO TOSSING AT DANCE FOLKUS Dance Folkus finish their 2017-18 season with a spectacular dance spot on Friday, July 6. The young step dancer Lou Beal, accompanied

by Lindsay, will demonstrate Suffolk step dancing and give the audience a brief chance to have a go at some of the moves. She will finish her performance step dancing while at the same time showing us some diabolo tricks… amazing!

The rest of the evening will be our regular English (and sometimes American) barn dancing. As it is our last dance before we take our August break, it is fitting that our caller for the evening will be Helen Howe. Helen calls for many local Suffolk social dance clubs and was the caller who enabled Dance Folkus to get established. She freely gave her time when Dance Folkus was first started and called for the majority of our first year’s dances. She has some interesting dances so it should be another great dance night.

The band will be our resident Dance Folkus Come All Ye band led by Harbour Lights. Discounted tickets can be booked by emailing dancefolkus@aol.com (no payment in advance) or you can simply come along on the night for £6.

Students or children are half price. If you need further information give Rob a call on 01473 610951. Visitors to Woodbridge and new first-time dancers are always very welcome to attend our dance at Woodbridge Community Hall, Station Road IP12 4AU from 7.30pm.

The musicians will be off attending various festivals in August so you may catch us at Sidmouth, FolkEast or even Towersey Festivals. Our next dance will be Friday, September 7.

BEER FESTIVAL AT THE CHERRY TREE INN The Cherry Tree Inn (opposite Notcutts) will be holding its beer festival from July 27-29. There will be at least 20 real ales from all across Great Britain, including Top Out of Edinburgh, Turpins of Cambridge, Black Tor of Devon, Signature of London, Old Spot of Yorkshire and of course, our local Adnams from Southwold.

This year the festival will have some vegan beers and one which is gluten free!

The festival will run from 10.30am-11pm. Hot and cold food will be available from noon-9pm on Friday and Saturday and from noon-8pm on Sunday.

For more information contact 01394 384627 / info@thecherrytreepub.co.uk or visit: www.thecherrytreepub.co.uk

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OUT & ABOUT WOODBRIDGE LIBRARY Don’t forget that the Summer Reading Challenge starts on July 21. This year’s theme is Mischief Makers to tie in with Beano’s 80th anniversary year.

Free computer help and advice: Contact the library to book a session or to find out more.

The Summer Reading Challenge takes place every year during the summer holidays. You can sign up at your local library, then read at least six library books of your choice to collect special stickers and other incentives along the way – all for free There’s a website to add to the fun too. You can explore a map of Beanotown to find the mysterious buried treasure and become ultimate mischief makers! Dennis, Gnasher and friends will help you solve clues and collect stickers, having lots of fun and adventures along the way!

SNAP (Support & Advice Project): A SNAP support worker will be available every second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 10am-noon for advice on all housing related issues, rent payments, arrears, budgeting and benefit changes.

Do you need help with computers?

As part of his Duke of Edinburgh volunteering section, student Will D’Arcy will be available to help in with computer and tablet skills, e.g. email, documents, forms, printing, scanning, etc. There is no charge for this assistance and it’s available on a drop-in basis from 3-5pm on Tuesday 10, Thursday 12, Tuesday 17, Thursday 19, Tuesday 24, Thursday 26 and Tuesday 31.

July 1-31: A Baker’s Dozen – ArtLib exhibition of drawings and paintings by Michael Richards Book Group (meets the first Thursday of the month at 2pm) On July 5 we will be discussing Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver.

From Saturday, July 7 throughout the month: Sale of withdrawn nonfiction books. All proceeds go to Woodbridge Library.

Saturday, July 14, 10.15-11.45am: Everything Everything!, a talk by life coach and mental health educator Mia Philips. Mia will explore how understanding the foundational principles behind our experience of life changes everything, from our relationships, health and wellbeing, to our careers and finances! £5 on the door.

Saturday, July 21, 9-11am: County Councillor Caroline Page will be holding her surgery at the library.

Citizens Advice Bureau: Someone from the CAB is available for help and advice every Tuesday, 10am-noon.

Flagship: Someone from Flagship is available for help and advice every Tuesday, 10am-noon.

Writers’ Workshop: Meets once a month on Tuesdays at 5.30pm. Interested?

Please email jeannie@butterwicks.com to open doors to creative writing.

Creative Writing for All: Meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 2-4pm. For more details contact: jeannie@butterwicks.com Knitting Club: Every Friday at 2pm. For all types of knitters, expert to beginner, come and share your knowledge or pick up some tips.

Drawing Group: Meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 10am. Each month this group explores a different aspect of drawing. No experience necessary but numbers are limited and this group is currently full. A voluntary contribution of £2 goes towards the Friends of Woodbridge Library.

Arts and Crafts Group: Meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 10am. Enables older people and their carers to take part in activities such as collage, card making, printing and modelling.

Play Reading: Meets on the third Thursday of the month at 2pm. Come to listen or join in for an afternoon of light-hearted drama, comedy or mystery.

All welcome.

Tuesday, July 24, 10-11.30am: Visit by the Woodbridge & District Safer Neighbourhood Team

Games Club: Meets on the fourth Thursday of the month at 2pm. Now includes dominoes. Improve your vocabulary and exercise your mind muscles with Scrabble or practise strategy or balance with dominoes.

Woodbridge Novelists: Meets fortnightly on Wednesday mornings.

This is a reciprocal critiquing group for novel-writers who are working towards publication. For more details and contact information please visit: https://sites.google.com/site/woodbridgenovelists/home

Woodbridge Area Gamers: Meets on the second Saturday of each month from 1-5pm in the library meeting room. For more information contact nigel@foden.me.uk / 07740 173091 or visit: www.boardgamegeek.com/guild/1150

Costa Coffee Book Sale: Costa Coffee on The Thoroughfare now have a book shelf selling donated fiction. All titles are 50p and 100% of the money raised goes to support Woodbridge Library. Drink coffee while supporting your local library.

Friends of Woodbridge Library Goodies: Show your support for your local library by carrying a cotton shopping bag bearing the Friends logo. It’s only £3. There is also a bookmark for £1.

Meeting room and display boards available for hire • Community, charity, private groups: £10 per hour (minimum two hours) • Commercial, statutory groups: £15 per hour (minimum two hours) • Display boards: £10 per week • Staffed table display in the main library: £10 per half day

ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN Every Wednesday • 10.30-10.50am: Bookstart Baby Bounce – soothing songs and gentle nursery rhymes for babies and their grown-ups.

• 11.15-11.45am: Bookstart Tot Rock Rhyme and Rhythm – music, songs and action rhymes for toddlers with their parents and carers.

Every Friday • 10.30-11am: Bookstart Story and Rhyme Time Stories and more for young children accompanied by an adult.

Every Sunday • 10.30am-noon: Kid’s Club Craft Activities

WOODBRIDGE MUSEUM AFTERNOON TALKS The talk in May was about the twin National Trust sites in Coggeshall – Paycockes and the Grange Barn. Paycockes is a fine example of a 16th century merchant’s house, with impressive carvings and panelling. Thomas Buxton, who built the house, was one of the many wealthy cloth merchants of the time. Ros Gurling traced the history of the house from riches to rags to its rescue from demolition in the 20th century. The National Trust continued the restoration of the house, which is now presented to illustrate the different lives of the house and garden.

cared for by the National Trust. This Grade I listed building was built by the Cistercians in the 13th century to serve Coggeshall Abbey and it underwent significant structural alteration in the 14th century.

We were also introduced to the impressive 13th century monastic barn,

For further information on the above please contact: 01394 385572

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In July we have a visit to Coggeshall to see the full glory of these properties for ourselves.

We also heard the welcome news that a team of volunteers has been able to start on decorating and fitting up the new museum.

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OUT & ABOUT BRING AND BUY CAKE AND COFFEE MORNING

WOODBRIDGE ROTARY CLUB

In aid of dementia research at 12 Fynn Road, Woodbridge IP12 4LS on Saturday, July 28, 10am-2pm.

We have a series of varied events coming up and would love everyone to join in.

Sue’s mum died in November 2013 from vascular dementia. Last year we raised well over £450 for dementia research at our coffee morning which brings our ongoing total to almost £1,500.

Sunday, July 8: Royal British Legion – 100 years since the end of the First World War We will be at Kingston Field with another bottle stall to support SSAFA, a charity that provides lifelong support and advice to servicemen, veterans and their families, and other charities supported by Woodbridge Rotary.

Please come along again and support us this year, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a piece of cake and, of course, good company.

Please bring (and buy) cakes with you so that we may sell them to raise even more money.

BRESSINGHAM GARDENS ART EXHIBITION AND COMPETITION Bressingham Gardens have long been inspirational to gardeners, from novice to expert, opening up the world of plants and design, illustrating the excitement and passion of gardening.

Now the Bloom family are pleased to invite artists to share in that beauty by creating a piece of work based on their interpretation of the internationally renowned gardens, as Shirley Hayes has done in this painting of Bressingham Hall.

Open to all artists’ styles and mediums, the exhibition and competition is a wonderful opportunity to exhibit their piece of original artwork in Bressingham High Barn during the Bressingham Garden Inspiration Weekend September 8-9 and win a free three night stay in Bressingham Hall, a lovely Grade II listed mansion house set amongst the 12 acres of gardens, sleeping up to 18 guests in seven bedrooms. For more information and to enter please go to: www.thebressinghamgardens.com/art-competition-and-exhibition

WOODBRIDGE ART CLUB At the end of May the club had a changeover of paintings and restocked the shelves with more pottery so there are plenty of new exhibits to be seen if you have already visited the club gallery this summer.

The pottery group decided to hold another competition for whacky egg cups this time.

Each potter had to make a pair of egg cups and visitors were invited to drop beads into a pot by the egg cups they liked best. Andy Wright was the winner (top image) with Helen Mecrow a close runner-up. The public seemed to enjoy the exercise and often had difficulty deciding where to put their beads.

I think this may become an annual event as it amuses both potters and public.

On August 11 and 12 we plan to hold an outdoor exhibition in what I believe is called Waterside Square, but which I can’t help thinking of as Whisstocks Square! It’s still in the planning stage so more details next month.

In the meantime you can visit the club gallery in Tide Mill Way any Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday Monday between 10am and 5pm. Besides the paintings, pots and lace you will find a selection of original cards, maps and, of course, the club’s calendar for 2019.

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Tuesday, July 10: Charity Golf Day Charities supported are EACH, Fresh Start – New Beginnings and other charities supported by Woodbridge Rotary.

Saturday, July 28: Rock Barracks Open Day Bottle stall to raise funds for the Woodbridge Soldier and rotary charities.

If anyone would like to find out more about Woodbridge Rotary please contact us at: enquiries.woodbridgerotary@gmail.com

NEW CLASSES IN ARGENTINE TANGO As the current series of beginner’s classes come to a close, Suffolk Tango, a not-for-profit group run by volunteers, is pleased to announce the next opportunity for more people to start learning Argentine tango. Staring on Monday, September 17, Richard and Mandy from Suffolk Tango are offering a new course to learn the elegant, evocative social dance of Argentine Tango on Mondays.

The 10-week course (in two five-week blocks) aims to provide a solid foundation in the key elements of Argentine tango in an enjoyable sociable environment. It concentrates on how to lead and follow the fundamental steps and the dance is improvised to the music so there are no long sequences to learn.

Richard says that our current dancers are of all ages, some coming with a background of ballroom, salsa or modern jive, but many have never attended dance classes before. Once you try Argentine tango you will soon get hooked and an exciting range of dancing opportunities near and far opens up. After this course you will be able to progress into our structured courses for improvers and intermediates.

Prior booking is essential, but there is no need to book with a partner as we will match followers and leaders as you apply to achieve a balanced class.

However, it is better to come together with a partner if you can. What is more, we always rotate partners during the class to speed the learning process and to make the evening more fun.

Held at the Richards Room at Martlesham Community Centre (behind Tesco) from 7.30-10pm on Mondays from September 17. You can apply via the online form at www.suffolktango.org.uk or contact: Mandy@suffolktango.org.uk / 07766 694618

WOODBRIDGE PROBUS We were treated to fascinating tale of travels in Burma when member Max Pemberton talked to us at our June meeting.

Our meeting on July 2 is a lovely social occasion when we get the opportunity to entertain our ladies and partners at the summer lunch.

On August 6, John MacNamara from EDF will give us an update on Sizewell C. This promises to be interesting and perhaps contentious. Looking forward to September we have what promises to be a riveting talk on the fall of the Yarmouth suspension bridge, something I must confess I know nothing about.

For an informative look at what we are and do visit: www.woodbridgeprobus.org.uk

In Touch online:

For you, your family and your business

01394 388605 Offices in Woodbridge, Ipswich, Hadleigh and Felixstowe www.gotelee.co.uk www.keepingintouchwith.com/woodbridge

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OUT & ABOUT BUSY PERIOD FOR DEBEN ROTARY On May 24 Deben Rotary were pleased to be able to assist Gorseland School by manning the car parks for their pop-up circus. Despite the unfavourable weather, attendance was good and the circus was enjoyed by children and parents alike.

By the time this article goes out you may have seen us at Kesgrave Fun Day and also at Woodbridge Regatta with our new gazebo. In July we will be at both Melton and Martlesham Village Fun Days on July 14. Do come along and see us and talk to the Rotarians on duty about any aspects of Rotary that may interest you.

Our annual Charity Golf Day is on July 19 at St Audry’s Golf Club and we are looking for teams of four to compete for the Marie Hunt Shield. Entry is £20 per player and the event is in support of East Anglian Children’s Hospices and Rotary supported charities. Further details are available from Rotarian Simon Smith (01473 612410) or on our website where you can also download an entry form: www.debenrotary.org.uk

CRAFTERS UNLIMITED

ORWELL DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS SOCIETY The title of our lecture by Dr Matt Lodder on June 6 was The Untold History of Tattooing, a subject that is perhaps not usually associated with a fine arts society. Nevertheless, Dr Lodder gave us an insight into a fascinating and unusual area of art about which most of us know very little. More questions were asked at the end of this lecture than at any other we can remember, testament we feel, to Dr Lodder’s lecturing skills.

We are now taking our usual summer break, but why not join us when our new season starts on Wednesday, September 5, when Rosalind Whyte will be giving a talk entitled 250 Years of the Royal Academy.

We meet at Tower Hall, Broadlands Way, Rushmere St Andrew on the first Wednesday of most months. Talks last about an hour, commencing at 2.15pm, with tea and coffee served from 1.30-2pm. Guests and non-members are welcome provided we have enough space. Exceptionally popular lectures will have a visitor limit of 20 spaces. Please contact Wendy Robbins in advance on 01394 823807 to check if there is available space.

For the latest events and news please visit: www.orwelldfas.org.uk

A craft club for people who like to try different crafts in a light hearted atmosphere with refreshments, we meet on the fourth Thursday of each month in Rushmere Village Hall from 7.30-10pm.

Thursday, July 26: Deco-patch mini Birdhouses with Emma There are always other projects available with assistance from the committee and other club members.

New members are always welcome. For details contact Emma: 01787 373850

IPSWICH AND DISTRICT SOROPTIMIST CLUB We are feeling really at home this year. All the celebrations for the centenary of (some) women getting the vote chime with the Soroptimist vision of a world where ‘women and girls achieve their potential and have an equal voice in creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide’. We marked the centenary of the franchise in February and have more plans for the autumn.

Meanwhile our local focus is to make ourselves more aware of the lives of different groups of women in Ipswich. At our meeting on July 11 our speaker will be Maureen Reynel, founder of FIND, Families in Need. We are concerned about the situations in our society which bring some of our fellow citizens to their food bank. We feel she will have a lot to share with us.

You would be very welcome to join us for this talk on July 11. Please contact our secretary Joyce on 01394 615659 for more information and directions.

On May 15, WCC members invaded Orford for an evening photoshoot. The weather favoured us and we lined up on the quay to have a fun photograph taken by Charmian Berry. Then, taking full advantage of the ‘golden hour’ before sunset, we all went our own ways to capture images of different subjects around the town. Afterwards we congregated at the Jolly Sailor for a drink, a meal and to share stories about what we had found to photograph. ​July 17: Print Competition Water / Judge: Andy Wilson LRPS We meet in the meeting room at Woodbridge Quay Church on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Guests are always welcome. Members £2, guests £5.

For more information please visit: www.woodbridgecameraclub.co.uk

MARTLESHAM BRIDGE GROUP Would you like to play duplicate bridge in a friendly atmosphere?

We are looking to increase our membership. Although not affiliated with the English Bridge Union we do abide by all the laws and standards associated with the playing of the game. We welcome players of all ability.

We meet on Wednesday evenings from 7-10pm at The Martlesham Pavillion by the green.

Please do come and join us. For further information please contact Mrs Joyce Marshall: 01473 727539

www.keepingintouchwith.com/woodbridge

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OUT & ABOUT 1st RENDLESHAM SCOUT GROUP Scouts Survival Camp

Having spent the previous two weeks earning their F.A.S.K (Fire, Axe, Saw and Knife) permits, the Scouts then met up with leaders Tim and Russell early on Saturday morning to complete their Survival Skills Badge. This involved surviving in the woods for 24 hours with only the most basic of tools, equipment and rations, and not a tent in sight!

Having been split into groups, the Scouts were required to find themselves a suitable site to camp for the night, build themselves a shelter, dig, light and maintain a fire over which to cook their own food.

The menu for the weekend involved a variety of survival type foods including nettle fritters, damper bread and rabbits which the Scouts had the opportunity to learn how to skin and cook if they wanted to do so. Apart from surviving, there was also time for the Scouts to thrive by playing a variety of games including wide game Cluedo, a night time glow stick hunt and a campfire before heading to their shelters for the night. Having survived till morning there was time to enjoy a hearty ‘mountain man’ breakfast cooked in a Dutch oven before breaking camp and returning the forest to its natural state and heading home. On behalf of the Scouts and Leaders we would like to thank Andrew and Lilias Sheepshanks at Rookery Farm, Eyke for allowing access to and use of their woodland to complete this fantastic activity.

WOODBRIDGE FLOWER CLUB The demonstrator for our June meeting was Vickie Hease and the title of her demonstration was That’s Not What It’s For! She then explained that her title referred to the fact that she was going to create her arrangements in unusual containers.

One of the arrangements developed from a demonstrators’ refresher day where Vickie had to create an arrangement on a very limited budget.

For this Vickie used a black bucket and draped an old cardigan over the top to hide the oasis. She then used raspberry canes to give height and arranged orange gerberas in a spiral going down to form a striking design.

Another arrangement used a shopping bag made from recycled plastic. Vickie used ivy, choisia and hosta leaves at the base. She then added magenta spray carnations, pink lilies and dark peonies to give contrast to the green foliage.

It was a very informative and enjoyable afternoon and it was lovely to see such beautiful arrangements. Vickie has encouraged us to use more imagination when thinking of containers for our own designs.

Rendlesham Show 2018

One of our main events of the summer is Rendlesham Show which allows us the opportunity not only to raise funds but also to be involved in the community and show everyone what we have been up to in the last year.

This time round the group were pleased to be able to have their stall housed inside a large new tent which has been purchased thanks to a grant from the Adnams Community Trust. The new tent will be used in future not only for fundraising events, but also as a mess tent for our young people to cook and eat in while on camp.

The stall itself saw a return of our popular smoothie bike which allowed people to choose their own fruit options before using some pedal power to make a delicious chilled fruit smoothie, ideal for a warm summer day.

In addition, we had children’s games including Splat the Rat and a sweet tombola run by our three Jamboree Scouts as part of their fundraising efforts to make it to West Virginia next summer with the rest of the Suffolk Teagulls.

Thank you to Rendlesham Parish Council as always for their support and for organising this fantastic event, and to all our young people, volunteers and everyone who visited our stall.

Membership We have a waiting list for all three current sections: Beavers (six-eight years), Cubs (eight-10 years) and Scouts (10-14 years). However, we are looking to start an Explorer Unit (14-18 years) very soon and are particularly keen to hear from any young people interested in joining this new section. We are currently planning our first activity ‘Theme Park Camp’ at Thorpe Park.

We are always happy to hear from any child interested in joining any section of the troop or adults who would be willing to volunteer no matter how much time they might be able to spare. Please don’t hesitate to contact us via www.rendleshamscouts.org.uk, on Facebook or alternatively via Keith Gleen (Acting Group Scout Leader): 07944 297184 / info@rendleshamscouts.org.uk

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On a sweltering Sunday afternoon in June, as we approached high tide, a group of intrepid 5th Woodbridge Sea Scouts together with some volunteers from Deben Rowing Club set sail for the opposite riverbank to clear it of rubbish. On the town side, 23 volunteers and the Sea Scouts’ families set about clearing along the riverbank and litter picking the surrounding areas of the boating pond, Kingston Fields, the community hall and railway station car parks.

Two buoys, one 200ltr drum, a large piece of polystyrene (probably off a pontoon), an old link of chains, a tyre and other bits and pieces of sailing equipment were some of the rubbish the Sea Scouts collected! Thirty-two bags of rubbish were left quayside for Norse to collect.

Thanks to everyone who helped; volunteers from Deben Rowing Club, River Deben Association, Transition Woodbridge, Veronica from the town council and, of course, the 5th Woodbridge Sea Scouts and Explorers, including their families.

An evening of TEDx talks on Plastic Reduction We are proud to announce our next free film night will be a group of TEDx talks on the issue of Plastic Consumption, Reduction and Action on Friday, July 6, from 7-9pm at the Salvation Army Hall, Woodbridge.

We will be showing several talks by inspiring speakers from around the world and there will be time for discussions regarding individual actions we can take ourselves and locally. Booking is not required, but we advise people to turn up early as seats were all sold out when we screened A Plastic Tide.

Refreshments will be available and donations will be very welcome.

For more information and other events being planned, please do get in touch on: ttwoodbridge@gmail.com Transition Woodbridge is a community-led group that aims to strengthen the local economy, reduce the cost of living and prepare for a future with less oil and a changing climate. Find us and ‘like us’ on Facebook or on Twitter @transitionWDB. http://transitionwoodbridge.onesuffolk.net

In Touch online:

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Tuesday 25th & Wednesday 26th September 2018

Fine Art & Antique Auction featuring East Anglian Art

Entries invited Closing date for entries : 5th September 2018 Please call Jonathan Benson or Daniel Wright for further details

Sir Edward Seago (1910—1975) Watercolour, Norfolk Landscape Estimate £2,000 - £3,000

THE COLCHESTER AUCTION HOUSE WITH AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION 8 Wyncolls Road, Severalls Business Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 9HU Tel : 01206 754754 Fax : 01206 754750 Email : auctions@reemandansie.com Web : www.reemandansie.com

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OUT & ABOUT SUFFOLK BOOK LEAGUE WELCOMES LAURA JAMES SUMMER BUTTERFLY WALK IN BONNY WOOD Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Woodbridge Wildlife Group invites you to join them for a butterfly walk to the ancient Bonny Wood near Barking on Sunday, July 15 at 2pm.

“We are meeting at Barking Tye Village Hall from where we will take the 15-20 minute walk along public footpaths to this delightful reserve,” said chair of the group Phil Smith. “Bonny Wood is part of Barking Tye Woods, a site of special scientific interest, and, weather permitting, is a good place to spot a range of butterflies. We’ll also be on the lookout for woodland flowers and birds.”

The walk starts from the village hall car park (IP6 8HP / TM 076524) and participants should wear strong, waterproof footwear as this reserve can be wet and muddy. The walk is free, but donations to Suffolk Wildlife Trust are appreciated.

Laura James, a businesswoman, publishing editor, PR consultant and mother of four, was diagnosed with autism at 45. Her memoir, Odd Girl Out, draws on her professional and personal experiences and reflects on her life in light of her diagnosis, answering the question ‘what do you do when you wake up in your forties and realise you’ve been living a lie your whole life?’.

Join us on Thursday, July 5 at Ipswich Institute Reading Room, 15 Tavern Street, Ipswich IP1 3AA. Doors open at 7pm and the event will start at 7.30pm. Members £4, non-members £8, students free with ID. To avoid disappointment on the door seats can be reserved by emailing: tickets@sbl.org.uk Payment required on arrival at the event preferably by cash (no cards accepted). Tickets for reserved seats need to be collected by 7.15pm. Pop-up bookshop courtesy of Woodbridge Emporium. https://suffolkbookleague.wordpress.com

There’s no need to book, but for further information please contact: 01473 625630 / swtwoodbridge@outlook.com

DEMENTIA Together Call Free 08081 688 000 visit: www.dementia-together.com

SUMMER OPEN DAY AT OAK TREE LOW CARBON FARM Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm has its summer open day on Saturday, July 21 between 10am and 4pm. You can enjoy a tour of the farm and learn about how to grow food and flowers in an environmentally-friendly way.

The farm is home to Suffolk’s first Community Supported Agriculture Scheme.

It supports up to 60 local households providing them with a weekly veg box containing freshly harvested food, with free range eggs, fruit and flowers in season. Produce is grown without the use of artificial chemicals and in a way that supports the land and its wildlife.

There will also be cut flowers available to buy. These are flowers grown from seed at the farm. Many people don’t realise that the flowers bought in supermarkets, online and from florist shops are usually imported from overseas and grown intensively using chemicals including pesticides and herbicides. Oak Tree Farm offers a ‘green’ alternative. Its flowers are grown without the use of artificial chemicals and because they are grown at the farm there are no air miles involved!

As highlighted at the Royal Wedding this year, British-grown flowers are becoming increasingly popular. Flowers from Oak Tree Farm include many species and varieties which cannot be found in local florists. The flowers are vibrant, beautiful and evocative of the English countryside and of oldfashioned cottage gardens. At a time when our bees are threatened, it’s also worth mentioning that bees love the flower garden at Oak Tree Farm – the flowers grown there are bee-friendly.

Oak Tree Low Carbon Farm is located in Playford Lane, Rushmere St Andrew IP5 1DW. It is a not-for-profit social enterprise and more details can be found at: www.the-oak-tree.co.uk For the farm tour please wear sturdy footwear suitable for walking on uneven ground. A donation of £5 per adult is suggested. Accompanied children can visit free of charge. Refreshments are included.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/woodbridge

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OUT & ABOUT PROJECT WINSTON BUILDING PROJECT

THE NEARLY FESTIVAL: JULY 28 & 29 The Nearly Festival is a unique two-day tribute band festival which gives local music lovers an affordable and alternative festival experience in or near their local community. Nearly Festival goers can expect a fun filled weekend with the world’s best tribute acts live on stage alongside a mostly free ‘Kidzone’, tasty street food market and a pub priced Pub in the Park.

Local organisers Danny Banthorpe from Rushmerere St Andrew and Andy Collins from Woodbridge have years of experience in local event management and production so have combined to create the Nearly Festival brand which has a family friendly ethos and targeted to all ages, not only with content but across the line up too.

There was excitement at the RSPCA Animal Centre at Martlesham with the start of Project Winston, a £420,000 building project to replace six kennels and provide new facilities for animals, volunteers, staff and visitors.

Project Winston will allow the RSPCA Animal Centre to continue its work in rehabilitating and rehoming all sorts of animals, especially dogs, from the local area. The build will replace six of the animal centre’s oldest dog kennels with new, up-to-date facilities, as well as building a new support block to include a cattery, sluice room, toilets, office, staff room and shower. The project also sees the construction of new drainage and extra car parking, plus the refitting of the old staff room into a grooming room with new equipment and fittings. Leading on construction will be RG Carter, a family-run company with 96 years’ experience delivering projects across East Anglia.

Jean Short, Honorary Chairman of the branch, explains: “As half the new kennels will be bigger than normal, to provide better accommodation for bigger dogs, we’ve named the rebuild Project Winston after Winston, a sweet Newfoundland dog who came into the centre as a cruelty case. He finally found his forever home with a family that loved him dearly, so it seemed appropriate to put his name to a project that will help many more dogs find the thing they want most – a loving forever home.

“Each local RSPCA branch is a separately registered charity and as such we have to raise the money we need to pay for our ongoing animal welfare work and projects such as this mainly through our own fundraising efforts. We have already raised over £300,000 in grants, donations and legacies for Project Winston, and we’re raising the additional money through activities, including collections, events, a sponsorship scheme and asking our supporters to organise fundraising events on our behalf.”

If you’d like to find out more about how to help raise money towards Project Winston, please visit: www.ipswich-rspca.org.uk To keep staff, volunteers and visitors safe during the build, the centre will be running an appointment only service until the new kennels are finished in October. For members of the public wanting to look at any of the animals on site, please call 0300 999 7321 to book an appointment.

Many decades have been covered across the Ipswich line-up with Rock, Pop, Ska, Reggae and Indie. Highlights will surely include an eight-piece Bruno Mars band on the Saturday night and the amazing Trenchtown Experience, another eight-piece band honouring the late great Bob Marley. Local lad Ed Sheeran has a few mimicking his talents now but the Nearly Festival brings the best one in the world, Jack Shepherd, The Ed Sheeran Experience. Jack has perfected the show down to the live looping, and even has the same guitars (and the same tattoos).

The Nearly Festival launches at Trinity Park (aka The Suffolk Show ground) after two successful years at Holywells Park. The move to accommodate the growth of the event and to include camping (optional) and event parking.

The Kidzone takes a healthy approach this year with free activities, sports and a healthy kids bar with all soft drinks only 50p. Most bouncy attractions and interactions are free with a few paid for premium rides. Local partnerships this year include Ipswich Town FC, David Lloyd Kids Club, Moo Music, Starz Dance Performance who will all feature.

The charity partner is St Elizabeth Hospice who will be in attendance throughout the festival too.

The event also runs in other impressive locations across East Anglia: Chapelfield Gardens, Norwich, Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds and Castle Park, Colchester.

Day or weekend tickets are available for all events. For more information and tickets visit: www.nearlyfestival.com

A NEW BREAST CANCER UNIT AT IPSWICH HOSPITAL Towards the end of last year, Ipswich Hospital launched a new fundraising campaign, The Blossom Appeal, to build a new Breast Cancer Unit at Heath Road. In support of the campaign there will be a charity dance on Saturday, July 28 at Kesgrave Social Club, Edmonton Road, Kesgrave IP5 1EE. Doors will be open from 7pm. Three bands have kindly agreed to perform through the evening from 7.30-11.30pm.

Tyler-Kemp (Jane & Roger), a very professional duo, will start the evening off and their repertoire covers music from the 1940s (the war years) to the present time. Next will be Rave-On (Tony, John, Curtis and Keith) playing music from the late fifties through to the seventies, with their blend of vocal harmonies. The final band will be Rich Clifford & The Young Once, a five-piece band who will be producing authentic sounds of Cliff & The Shadows. There will also be a raffle during the evening.

For those who have not attended before, the club has a well-stocked bar with hot food available to purchase if required. The stage is set at one end of the dance hall with the large dance floor ideally situated with tables and seats set around it. So come along and have a great night out while supporting a really good cause. The club always welcomes new members.

Tickets cost £10 and can be obtained, in advance, by contacting Keith on 01473 624538.

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ON THE GRAPEVINE

NEW HORIZONS CLUB New Horizons provides an invaluable service for older people in the Woodbridge area. Last year we won the Woodbridge Potter Cup for the group that provides the most benefit for the community.

We meet twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am2.30pm at St Mary’s Church Hall, 11 Market Hill, Woodbridge IP12 4LP. People over the age of 55 who live in Woodbridge and the surrounding villages are invited to come along and join us.

Come and sample the happy atmosphere we generate in the process of providing companionship and a range of activities. These include art, crafts, slide shows, games, flower arranging, quizzes, armchair exercise and musical entertainment. There are also refreshments and a good two course home-cooked meal included in the cost of £8 per session.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Transport may be available for a small additional fee. However, more drivers are needed to accommodate prospective new members. For some the club provides a lifeline for loneliness so please help us transport people there.

We also need a volunteer to help with crafts once a fortnight on a Monday from 9.30am-12.30pm and on alternate Thursdays from 12.30-3pm to help with games and afternoon tea.

If you can help lease contact Brenda Jackson: 07514 364752 / newhorizons912@gmail.com

LOTTERY AWARD SECURES FUTURE OF IPSWICH WOMEN’S FESTIVAL Ipswich Women’s Festival Group, together with many other organisations across Ipswich, are planning a festival to celebrate 100 years since the first women got the vote. Now, with a generous £10,000 award from lotterybased Awards for All, they are able to go ahead with their ambitious plans.

The project, Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes – 100 Years On, aims to reach out to all parts of the community to celebrate together the achievements of women in the last 100 years, to explore how far women still have to go to be equal, and to encourage women and young people to become more involved in civic life.

The focus will be an exciting one-day festival on October 6 at the University of Suffolk. There will be performance poetry, drama, film, action through crafts, music, inspirational talks, mentoring, exhibitions, voting and much more – all aimed at women whatever their age, ethnicity or sexuality (while still welcoming men) – and with young people particularly in mind.

This initial award enables the lead-in events to start. In June and July EqualiTeas will begin – a series of tea-parties with women in communities all over Ipswich, where over a cup of tea and a cake they will be invited to talk about their experiences, and what needs to change. Similar events will go on in a number of schools and youth groups. In the autumn, there will be a women’s walk around the main suffragette sites in Ipswich, with dramatic reconstructions of what local women did to get the vote.

The festival is already bringing women and girls together; it is being shaped not only by Ipswich Women’s Festival Group, but by representatives of organisations throughout Ipswich, including the Future Female Society, Tusk Theatre Company, Volunteering Matters WASSUP, SPILL Festival, PHOEBE, Realise Futures, WI, Bangladeshi Support Centre, East of England Co-op and Wolsey Women, as well as the town’s libraries, museums, theatres, political parties and IBC. Further information from project chair Joy Bounds (01473 250400), or project co-ordinator Nikki Packham (07855 547128).

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SUFFOLK RESIDENTS URGED TO BE SCAM AWARE As part of Scams Awareness Month, Suffolk Trading Standards is urging Suffolk residents to not miss a trick and be scam aware. Last year, Citizens Advice found that almost three quarters of people surveyed had been targeted by a scam in the previous two years (2015-17). It’s estimated that only 5-15% of scams are reported, and some people don’t even know they have been scammed.

Scammers target people by post, phone calls, text messages, emails, and they even visit homes without any warning. Scams come in a variety of forms, from lottery scams to fake ticketing and emails, but ultimately a scam is any attempt to fraudulently obtain money or something else of value.

While new scams crop up all the time, the tactics of scammers remain the same. They will often: • Contact you out of the blue • Ask for personal or financial details • Put you under pressure to respond quickly • Ask you to keep their offer secret • Make promises or offers that sound too good to be true Suffolk Trading Standards is advising residents to: • Verify the identity of strangers • Look out for grammatical or spelling mistakes in letters or flyers • Never give out bank details • Never send money to strangers • Say no to persuasive sales talk Suffolk Trading Standards has the ability to prosecute those who undertake these misleading actions and provides support and advice to victims of scams.

As part of the fight against scammers, Suffolk Trading Standards implements ‘No Cold Calling Zones’, just one way that doorstep scams can be stopped.

More information is available at: www.suffolk.gov.uk/nocoldcallingzone They also manage a Consumer Champion Network, where residents receive the latest information on scams which they pass on to their local communities.

To become a Consumer Champion visit: www.suffolk.gov.uk/JoinTheFight Throughout June, the Consumer Champions are working with Suffolk Trading Standards to raise awareness of scams and ‘Meet up Monday’ organisers will be talking to residents at events. More information about Meet up Mondays is available at: www.meetupmondays.org.uk Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Public Protection, said: “Scammers often target the county’s most vulnerable residents, but this is not always the case, therefore all Suffolk residents must be vigilant. I urge anyone who is concerned that they or a friend or family member might have been scammed to call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on: 03454 040506 or Action Fraud, the UK national fraud office on: 0300 1232040.”

WICKHAM MARKET FLOWER CLUB Our demonstrator in May was Ann Colby and she took us from the 1950s right up to the present with her beautiful arrangements. The first was a landscape design with a variety of foliage from Ann’s garden or acquired from her neighbour. Born during this time, she remembered rationing in 1954, Cliff Richard singing Living Doll in1959, and seatbelts being introduced in cars.

The design included deep purple clematis and white chrysanthemums. As she worked we listened to Johnny Rae singing Just Walking in the Rain.

For her next 60s inspired arrangement Ann used rolled bergenia leaves, fatsia and choisya foliage and constructed a frame with sticks. Stunning crimson gerbera called Whisper was placed against the sticks and fixed for stability.

Next, using some beautiful pots and various frames, Ann lead us through the 70s, 80s, 90s and right up to the present. The arrangements filled the stage with colour and were all sensational. In all there were 11 designs.

For further details please contact June Allum: 01394 384803

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ON THE GRAPEVINE/ schools QUESTIONS ON CASH With Independent Financial Adviser Nick Plumb Charles from Manningtree asks: “In order to reduce the value of our estate for Inheritance Tax purposes, my wife and I intend to gift our house to our two sons. We will live in the house for the remainder of our days under a ‘peppercorn’ rental agreement with our sons. After we have both died, they would be able to sell the house. However, a friend tells us that they don’t think this would save Inheritance Tax. Why is this?”

MARTLESHAM & KESGRAVE PLAYSCHOOLS

Many people who have substantial property assets believe that to reduce the potential Inheritance Tax liability on their estate, they can gift their house to their children during their lifetimes and carry on living there. There is a common misconception that after seven years have elapsed, the house would then no longer form part of their estate for Inheritance Tax purposes.

From September 2018 Kesgrave Playschool will be extending its term time opening hours – Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9am-noon and noon-3pm and Friday 9am-noon. Of course, if you’d like some holiday bookings as well these can be taken at Martlesham Playschool.

A ‘peppercorn’ rent is one that is well below the true market rental value of the property. While peppercorn rental agreements may have stood up to the scrutiny of the Inland Revenue many years ago, such schemes will not pass muster now. In reality, if you gifted your main residence to your sons and you continued to live in the house rent free, or by paying a so-called ‘peppercorn’ rent, the Capital Taxes Office of HMRC would almost certainly deem the transfer to be a Gift With Reservation (of Benefit).

If you’re looking for a playschool for your child, come and take a look at Kesgrave on one of our sessions or contact 07746 907060 to arrange an appointment. We are based at the Millennium Jubilee Hall overlooking the Millennium fields and woodland.

Our Martlesham and Kesgrave Playschool Facebook page offers lots of photographs and reviews and enables you to message any questions.

In effect, this means that although you made a gift of the house to your sons, you continued to enjoy the benefit of living there for less than the proper market rate of rent. On this basis the gift would not be recognised and in the event of your deaths, the full value of the house at the date of death would be included in your estate for Inheritance Tax purposes. Your sons would be the legal owners of the house (assuming you transferred the property title to them by a deed of gift) and they would not need grant of probate to sell it, which means they could raise the money to pay the tax bill with, but the Inheritance Tax bill would still be there.

As the summer term draws to an end we are looking forward to our annual summer trips. Kesgrave have a leavers’ farewell family picnic; we all have our fingers crossed for more sunny weather on the day. We will wave a sad goodbye to our biggest boys and girls, but hope they will pop back to show us, and the younger children, their smart new uniforms!

You would be far better to meet with a good independent financial adviser to review your position and to explore your estate planning options. That meeting might open up some other options for your financial planning that would help to reduce or mitigate the Inheritance Tax that might be due on your estate.

Nick Plumb is an Independent Financial Adviser. Send your questions to Nick at Plumb Financial Services, Baylham Business Centre, Lower Street, Baylham, Suffolk IP6 8JP, email them to nick@plumbfs.co.uk, or telephone Nick on 01473 830301. Nick’s answers to reader questions in this column are provided only as a general guide and do not constitute personal financial advice. Any readers who require specific financial advice should contact Nick to arrange a complimentary initial meeting to discuss their own position. Plumb Financial Services are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Martlesham have a leavers’ graduation evening to celebrate their time at playschool. Martlesham children will have the opportunity to visit the farm this half term and will have a chance to feed the animals and learn about how to care for them. The farm also allows the children space to play on various climbing equipment as well as swings and dens to explore.

At Martlesham Playschool we can offer you term time and holiday spaces. Spaces are available from September for 15 and 30 hours of funded childcare, two-year funded and non-funded sessions.

Call Martlesham on 01473 625986, visit our Martlesham Playschool Facebook page or: www.mandkplayschools.co.uk

SUMMER TERM at bright stars Fun activity sessions for pre-school aged children with parents, grandparents, friends, family and/or carers on the second and fourth Mondays of each month during term times from 10.30am-noon at St Michael’s Church Centre, Martlesham Heath IP5 3PL. The last date in the summer term is July 9, but look out for our autumn term dates in the august issues of local magazines and on our posters.

A BIG THANK YOU Wednesday, March 8 was designated as World Kidney Day and to raise awareness of this various activities took place in The Renal Unit at Ipswich Hospital. The driving force behind it all was Tonya Overett, a health care assistant in the unit. By providing a cake stall and running a series of pub cards, Tonya raised the magnificent sum of £662 over two days.

Of the four charities being supported by World Kidney Day, Tonya chose to donate the money raised to Kidney Research as it was felt this would provide long term benefit for more people in the future.

On behalf of the charity, the committee of Ipswich and District Kidney Association would like to say a very big thank you to Tonya for all her efforts and also to all the patients and staff who got involved to support her in this worthwhile cause.

www.keepingintouchwith.com/woodbridge

For further information please contact Sonya & Maureen Burrows: 01473 625196

NATIONAL HANDBALL CHAMPIONS Farlingaye High School is celebrating a spectacular win at the national finals of the English schools’ handball competition.

The school entered a girls’ U13 team in the national competition as one amongst 1,500 schools. They won the Ipswich and South Suffolk, the county, and the regional finals to go to Worcester for the national finals. It was a tense and tight match, going into extra time and then penalties.

There isn’t a handball club within 60 miles of Woodbridge, and all the training was done in school. The girls are very talented in a range of other sports and transferred their skills onto the handball court.

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SPORT IPSWICH RAVENS OUTDOOR SESSIONS Volleyball is loads of fun and a very friendly game. It’s the only high-energy, no-contact mixed team sport you can play indoors and outdoors – whatever your ability. It’s energetic enough to help with your fitness, but without placing high demands on your body, and good teamwork is important as well as individual skill.

This summer is the perfect time to give volleyball a go and find out why it is one of the top three most-played sports in the world. Ipswich Ravens will be holding outdoor sessions at Copleston School (entrance off Foxhall Road) every Saturday from noon-2pm. In addition to our normal grass courts we will provide the opportunity to play beach volleyball on the sand court.

These sessions are open to everyone age 14+ and cost £2 for adults, £1 for juniors. We are happy to accommodate people who want to play either competitively or just at a recreational level. All sessions are organised by qualified coaches who also give some playing advice to each individual if needed.

So why not go along and take a look? If you like what you see please introduce yourself and you will be very welcome to participate in a session under no obligation. Wear your normal outdoor sports kit, and it’s a good idea to bring water, sun cream and cheap sunglasses – also insect spray if you are prone to being nibbled.

To find out more, visit: www.ipswichravens.org.uk

MELTON BOWLS CLUB

WOODBRIDGE BOWLS CLUB There comes a time in one’s life on the bowls green when you meet some situation that can only be described as a phenomenon. Recently, while playing for the club, I experienced one such occasion. I shan’t mention the opposition; suffice to say that their green was situated amidst some large scale building project.

It usually takes one or two woods before one can ‘read the green’, but in this instance it seemed no such ‘reading’ was possible. I’ll not try to describe what happened, but if Mr Nicholas Parsons of BBC Radio Four’s Just a Minute had been present he would have seen so much deviation, hesitation and repetition he would have worn out his buzzer.

Similarly, had Isaac Newton been around he would have had to go home and revise all his laws of motion. However, since we managed more fluke shots than our opponents, WBC prevailed.

I must mention our newly joined members, who have taken the club to heart and are, even at this early stage, actively participating in club and league events. Well done indeed.

Now for an early mention of an event taking place on August 19 when Woodbridge Bowls Club host The Royal British Legion for an event that marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. As well as a bowls match there will be other fundraising events taking place with all profits going to The Legion. Further news nearer the time, visit our Facebook page or: www.woodbridgebowlsclub.co.uk

MORE THAN one HUNDRED PEOPLE ‘TRY SAILING’ AT DEBEN YACHT CLUB Deben Yacht Club, with its iconic clubhouse on the river bank in Woodbridge, took part in the Royal Yachting Association’s ‘Try Sailing’ initiative on May Bank Holiday. This is also known as ‘Push The Boat Out’ and aims to give more people a chance to experience this great sport.

The D Sharp Landscapes Invitation Pairs Tournament resulted in a convincing victory for Mel Saggers and Eric Titshall (pictured with Peter Moyes and Derrick Sharp). They carded a record 64 points ahead of Ken Frost and Norman West in second on 55 points and Brian Pryke and Paul Hazelwood in third with 52 points.

The tournament, sponsored by D Sharp Landscapes for the first time this year, was played on Melton’s fast running green and attracted a full complement of 28 pairs. With one game remaining for each team, only three pairs from the two sections had won all their games and were still in contention to take the trophy.

Saggers and Titshall, who had won all their games by large margins, led with an impressive 46 points and a win in their last game against N Roberts, set the target for the rest of the field of 64 points. Darrell Howard and Mark Baker in second place on 44 points, were the only pair who could have overhauled the leaders but they required a maximum 21 points in their last game. They lost that game against K Cooper picking up only five points and finishing back in joint fourth place. Frost and West, who had also won all their games but only by narrow margins, had a good win in their last game, collecting 18 points in beating P Dodds to finish on 55 points in second place. Pryke and Hazelwood, who had lost one game, secured a 20 point win in their last game against B Moss which was enough to secure them third place with 52 points.

After the games were completed, tournament sponsor Derrick Sharp and event organiser Peter Moyes presented the trophy and prizes to the first, second and third placed pairs.

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The club supports both dinghy and yacht sailing, and on the bank holiday used six of its Wayfarer dinghies to give members of the public a free taste of sailing. Encouraged by perfect sunny weather and light winds, a total of 114 visitors had a go at sailing, a record for the club at a Try Sailing event.

RYA trained instructors took participants out on boats, while the club provided safety boat cover with trained safety teams, as it does at all its events. Other members of the club provided food and drinks on the balcony tables overlooking the river. Thanks to everyone who came and to everyone who helped make it a success. If you would like to learn to sail, the club is running an RYA course from Monday, August 13 to Thursday 16.

The beginning of the summer has seen a good turnout for racing and the lazy sailing is as popular as ever. The flotillas have been lucky with the weather and one went to Waldringfield, with the next one struggling with very light wind so enjoyed a picnic at Kyson Point.

The club’s regatta starts on July 28 and runs until August 1, five days of fun racing on the beautiful River Deben. This is a friendly and popular annual event open to any class of dinghy or yacht. In addition to slow, medium and fast handicap fleets we expect to have RS Feva, Topper and Laser fleets.

For any details about the regatta, the club or membership please contact membership secretary Frances Alexander on 01394 385221 or visit: www.debenyachtclub.co.uk

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SPORT

LOCAL SERVICES

WOODBRIDGE CRUISING CLUB The first real cruise of the season was the Deben Discovery, so named because its prime objective is to find the ever changing channel at the mouth of the river out to the sea. John White, the Felixstowe Ferry Harbourmaster, carried out a survey in April and found that while the route hadn’t changed much the depths had and so crews had to be on their mettle to avoid going aground. Once out they were off to Washington and back, which is not a transatlantic endurance test but a timed passage to the Washington Buoy some three miles offshore.

This year the weather was fine and dry, but the winds were rather gentle which reduced it to a bit of a drift, although that was better than being blasted by a fire hose! After a close finish, Andy Larwood in Aberration was the winner of the Aldred Cup. When the sailing was done, barbecues were lit ashore and although it got chilly as the evening wore on, a good time was had by all. Thanks to Jean and Colin White for organising and coping admirably with all the hiccups of this first event, and to Mark Barton of Waldringfield Boatyard for allowing us the use of his premises.

Now, ‘posh’ used to relate to those who could afford to stay in the shade on their voyage to India by travelling Port Outward and Starboard Home, but it could soon apply to those sailing to Orford where Mr Gove is proposing to prohibit anchoring in sections of the River Ore in an effort to preserve seahorses. However, that didn’t affect this year’s second cruise organised by Graham and Gillian Bush when nine boats set off on a five-day sail visiting Orford and Aldeburgh en route. At Orford, Graham organised a trip to the top of the lighthouse which stands defiant but holds onto the land by a mere thread and is no longer in commission. Unfortunately, the day of the visit was very misty and although they climbed to the light room at the top they could barely see the shingle beach, let alone the sea and the horses stabled beneath. In the evening the weather turned chilly and they were grateful to Orford Sailing Club for allowing them use of the club’s barbecue which, to the eternal joy of the cruise leader, was gas powered.

After a good sail next day the group picked up moorings at Aldeburgh and were able to enjoy the facilities of Aldeburgh Yacht Club, culminating in a cruise ‘dinner’ in their dining room. And it was nice that several of the Aldeburgh club members were able to join them. The food was delicious and much complimented, but the most memorable thing for most members were the four pint jugs of beer at very favourable prices!

By the time this is published, Woodbridge Regatta will have been and gone.

On occasions such as this the club is pleased to open its doors to the wider world and show off the facilities of which it is justifiably proud. If you have an interest in sailing and think you might like to join us, you can find more information and membership details at: www.woodbridgecruisingclub.org

www.keepingintouchwith.com/woodbridge

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