www.stradbrokemonthly.co.uk
£1 where sold
December 2016/January 2017
No.428
Christmas Events in Stradbroke Carol Singing is planned at the Church on 4th December (see page 18), around the village on 9th December (see page 17) and again at the Church on 18th December (see page 3)! Come and take part and get into the Christmas spirit. Don’t miss ‘Stradischeer’ at the Community Centre on 23rd December (see page 18). ‘A Christmas Carol’ is being put on at Wingfield Barns before Christmas (see page 20), or if you prefer a pantomime, Red Riding Hood is being performed in January (see page 20).
The Stradbroke Monthly Editors and the Governance Board would like to wish all readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous and Healthy New Year.
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Sponsored Page
Local Churches
Stradbroke Baptist Church
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Stradbroke Baptist Church, Laxfield Road, Stradbroke, Suffolk We welcome you to join us - Sundays in December 4th 11am Joint Gift Service at All Saints 11th 10:15am Carol Service followed by Christmas Lunch* (please book) Morning Worship December 18th and Christmas Day 10:15am Village Carol Service with music from Castleton Brass Date: Sunday 18th December 3pm Venue: All Saints Church - Everyone welcome
We welcome you to join us – our activities for December Sat. 10th 10am Create & Chatter Tue. 13th 7:30pm Bible study Wed. 14th 12:30pm Christmas Lunch Club January at Stradbroke Baptist Church -- join us for Sunday Worship each week at 10:15am Wed. 11th 12:30pm Lunch Club Sat. 14th 10am Create & Chatter Tue. 17th 7:30pm Bible study Wed 25th 10am Drop in for coffee Zozulenka from Ukraine Wednesday evening 9th November was an outstanding evening as we were treated to a superb performance of Ukrainian singing and dancing in addition to songs in English. All brilliantly performed by “Zozulenka”, a group of young people from Chertassy in central Ukraine who together with their teacher and helpers tour the UK on behalf of the Christian Charity “Hope Now”. We look forward to the next visit of these talented young people, and would thank those local friends who helped in providing accommodation and friendship for our visitors. Christmas past, Christmas present. Over sixty years ago, whilst I was still at school, a family friend who was also a local preacher used to invite me to accompany him and take part in services at a church in Ipswich. This was quite an adventure for a country lad, it was exciting to go to Ipswich on the Eastern Counties bus, but that was only the beginning as we then caught the Trolley Bus and ventured towards Bramford village where we were guests of a Church family for high tea. After tea we journeyed by car back into Ipswich where my friend conducted the evening service. I recall one year just before Christmas I was asked to recite a short poem, I can recall the first part of the poem but my memory fails to recall the ending. It went like this: It was Christmas in the city, the people were buying stores. The crowded shops were busy as buyers flocked the doors. But how few thought of the Christ who came………. My lack of memory is not important but it is important if we neglect to acknowledge that at its heart Christmas is the Bithday celebration of Jesus Christ, reminding us of God’s love being shown to the people whom He had created. After all the festivities, the headache, the heartache, the good times or the bad times this truth remains: Christmas is the birthday celebration of the Christ Child. As the gospel writer John puts it. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3v16 We hope you have a brilliant Christmas and a New Year of joy, peace and goodwill, and finally we at the Baptist Church invite you to join us as we celebrate the most important birth in history. Jackie Please contact: John Ling 388751 (Church Elder) Jackie Hughes 384112 (Church Administrator)
Can We Help? Our telephone number is 07749 445531
The Stradbroke Good Neighbours
Need a lift to the Surgery or for an appointment at hospital? Collect a prescription? Change a light bulb? Check your smoke alarm or an odd job done? Our Volunteers will be happy to help you. There will be a mileage charge for journeys undertaken by our drivers and we will inform you of the mileage charge when you phone for assistance. We would appreciate at least 24 hours notice and will be happy to assist you.
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Local Churches
All Saints, Stradbroke
All Saints Church Stradbroke. Revd Susan Loxton 01379 388493 Church warden, Peter Chetwynd 01379 384069 If you have any questions about Baptisms, Weddings or Funerals, or any questions about the Faith, please contact Revd Susan. 2017 1st Jan 10.30 am Benefice Holy Communion 4th Dec 11 am Family Gift service + Coffee/Tea At Mendham 11th Dec 8 am Holy Communion said service 8th Jan 8 am Holy Communion said service 18th Dec 3 pm Village Carol service + mince pies 15th Jan 11 am Holy Communion + Coffee/Tea 24th Dec 6 pm Crib service 22nd Jan 8 am Holy Communion said service 24th Dec 11.15 pm Midnight Holy Communion 25th Dec 11 am Holy Communion on Christmas Day 22nd Jan 10 am Family@church in Fressingfield 29th Jan 10.30 am Holy Communion at Metfield The Village Carol service will be celebrated and shared with the Baptist church friends in All Saints. There will be candles, familiar carols accompanied by Castleton Brass and Handbells. Join us all, with time to chat afterwards over a hot drink and a mince pie. The Crib service is a re-telling of the Nativity, taking a modern journey but ending around the crib scene of the first Christmas. It’s aimed at children, but enjoyed by all ages. Come and see. Family@church is a new initiative in the benefice. A themed time of song, activities and sharing with a simple worship structure for all ages, and especially families, in a relaxed atmosphere.
Stradbroke All Saints Fundraising Committee
Our next events for 2016 are; Coffee Morning 19th November – with a lovely Xmas Hamper, 10-11.30 at the Community Centre. Then on December 10th a Xmas Cake Stall (donations gratefully received!) at 8.30am in Church Street. At the October Cake Stall we raised £75. Hopefully our depleted committee will raise £5000 by the end of the year. We have £4516.35 to date. We have had offers of help but no committee members at present, still waiting. Our committee wishes everyone a happy and peaceful Xmas and New Year and look forward to your continued support in 2017. We are holding a book sale in church in March, so could you donate your unwanted books, any sort. Thanks. On 21st January we are having a Cake Stall in Church with Tea and Coffee to show the plans of the church which the Friends have put in place. Do make an effort to view them. Our programme of events 2017: Jan 21 Cake Stall + tea and coffee + church plans in church. Feb 28 Pancakes + beetle drive, Chapel hall. March 11+12 Book Stall in church. April 24-May 2 Art Exhibition. June 24 Coins + cakes. July 22 Village Produce + flower show. Sept 24 Harvest Lunch 12 onwards in Community Centre. Nov 3 Wine Tasting with Adnams in Community Centre. Nov 18 Coffee Morning with Xmas Hamper in Community Centre. Dec 9 Xmas Cake Stall. Other village organisation please note these dates are booked and try to avoid them. Mary Ellis
All Saints - From the Rectory
Dear Friends and Neighbours, I can hardly believe December is here! Still, I have most of the gifts I need to buy, just got to wrap them, then I can enjoy the lovely season of Advent leading to my favourite night of the year; Christmas Eve with its holy mysteries and the joy of celebrating the birth of the Christ child, Jesus. Christmas can be full of excitement and happy memories, although for some, the jollity of Christmas just emphasis their sadness, whether that be from grief, poverty, loneliness or something else, but celebrating Christmas without God, can make the celebrations feel hollow and unreal. And just like some of the gifts we receive that lose their appeal by the New Year, so too can the happy feelings we had during Christmas fade very quickly. The answer? Well, I think the answer is to accept the most wonderful, unique, extravagant gift of all time - the gift of God’s love shown through his Son, Jesus Christ; the baby who grew up and died on a cross so that we could be forgiven and free, children of a loving heavenly father. With every Christmas blessing, Susan
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Stradbroke Parish Council
The Clerk’s Report
Next meeting of Parish Council is Monday, 12th December 2016, 7.30pm at the Community Centre
MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL 14th November 2016 The Chairman welcomed all to the meeting. Planning Applications supported 4365/16 Doggetts, New Street IP21 5JJ Permissions Granted 2462/16: 26 Shelton Hill, 3074/16: Cushion Farm Barn, 2980/16: The Paddocks, 2652/16: Hubbards, 3150/16: Mulberry Lodge Public Forum: A member of the public spoke and asked the Councillors to consider a vote of thanks to the long serving members that resigned at the last meeting. It was proposed that the Chair should write to all 3 councillors and this was accepted. The village archive now has a copy of the 1841 Tithe Map if any one wishes to view it. Improvements to play parks: The community centre reported that they are not able to contribute the £10,000 they had pledged at the present time. They hope to have a better idea of the funds available in the new year. Following comments received at the open day a revised schedule is being prepared by the preferred supplier. A grant for £1,000 has been received from Adnams. The Fundraising group continue to hold events and have recently raised £189 from the Bake Sale and £113 from car boot sale. Thanks were expressed to Peter Johnson for sponsoring the Family Bingo Night. It was noted that no planning permission is needed for the works to replace the play equipment however the Parish Council will need a lease for the land at the community centre before any works can be undertaken on that site. Other: A letter from the Stradbroke Trust and a statement from the Clerk were read at the meeting. A copy of both will be appended to the minutes. A meeting between Trustees and Councillors will take place immediately before the December meeting. Around 60 people attended the Neighbourhood Plan open day. Feedback from the event is being reviewed and all information is available on the neighbourhood plan website found at http://www.stradbrokeonline.org.uk/index.php/stradbroke-neighbourhood-plan-home-page. The next stage is to draft a skeleton plan. A new bench in memory of Jack Cook has been installed at the Playing field. The bench near the pedestrian entrance to the High School on Wilby Road is in desperate need of replacement; if anyone would like to sponsor a bench here, please contact the Clerk (details below). Councillors’ Reports: Cllr Flatman (District Councillor) reported that she had attended a disability conference where the major area for concern was issues with community transport. There is a big push on improving recycling and all residents should have received a leaflet about this. Cllr McGregor (County Councillor) reported that it is hoped that the council tax should only increase to take account of the adult social care. Parish Councillors asked Cllr McGregor to follow up various issues concerning the traffic/highway improvements in Stradbroke. Finance: Councillors reviewed a planned expenditure schedule and noted the projects they are undertaking at the present time: Play park equipment replacement, new goalposts and swings at Westhall, highways improvements, spoil clearance at Cemetery, repair to gatepost at Churchyard, repairs to the Chapel at the Cemetery and purchase of defibrillator cabinet and emergency phone. They noted new projects that may also be undertaken; relocate a dog litter bin to further along Wilby Road, works on the Churchyard grounds and the replacement of a bench at Wilby Road. Parish Council drop in clinic: The council drop in clinics will run on the Tuesday in the week following a Parish Council meeting. The next clinic will be: Tuesday, 20th December 2016 at 2.15pm in the Library. Members of the public and press are very welcome to attend meetings of the Parish Council and to bring matters of concern or information to the attention to Members in the time allocated to the Public Forum. Dog owners are requested to clean up after their pets and only use the bins designated for dog waste. Do not to use the litter bins when disposing of dog waste. If the designated bins are full, please take your bags home. Clerks contact information: Odile Wladon Mobile: 07555 066147 email: stradbrokepc@outlook.com
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Organisations
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Life in the Legion—The Royal British Legion (Stradbroke and District Branch) Since my last notes the branch has been very active, the AGM, Remembrance Sunday and the poems from students at Stradbroke High School. The AGM, I missed through illness, the first time since I joined the branch in 1980. From reports it went well, two new officers, Andrew Davidson from Occold is our our new Treasurer and the new Membership Secretary is Samantha Cutler. £40 was raised from a draw for the Poppy Appeal. Remembrance Sunday, as usual, was well supported 14 wreaths laid around the War Memorial, thanks to all the local organisations who continue to support us. Finally our next event is the annual Christmas Carols and Lunch to be held on Thursday, 8th. December at Laxfield, Royal Oak, starting at 11.30 am. A letter regarding this event will soon be sent out to all members. Happy Christmas to all readers. Michael Burton (Branch Chairman)
Stradbroke over 60s
Our coffee morning and Sale in October went well. All of our members were very generous in donating items to be sold and raffle prizes, most also helped to man the stalls. Well done to all. We wish to thank you all who came along that day, we made a total of £500. Your participation helped make it so successful. We do not get any grants to help run the club, we are self supporting, so this Annual Event is a great help to us. In December we are having a Christmas Party on the 1st and on the 8th we are going to Fressingfield Swan for lunch. Then we have a break and will continue our meetings on Thursday 16th Feb 2017, when as usual all will be made most welcome. May we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Healthy Christmas, along with our very best wishes for 2017. Joan Grimes and all members
Parish Council Vacancies
Stradbroke Parish Council has 3 vacancies. The council are looking to co-opt 3 new members at the meeting to be held on 9th January 2017. Applications are invited from people who wish to be considered. Please feel free to speak to any of the existing Councillors or the Clerk if you want any information on what the role entails. The Parish Council meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every month. To apply, please write a letter explaining what you would bring to the role and either; Email it to the Clerk at: stradbrokepc@outlook.com Or post to: Stradbroke Parish Council, Mill Hill House, Church Lane, Wickham Skeith, Suffolk IP23 8NA Closing date for receipt of applications is 21st December, with all applicants being invited to the January meeting. The Parish Council are also interested to hear from anyone who would like to take on the role of Footpath Warden. Please feel free to contact the Clerk. Odile Wladon. Clerk, Tel: 07555 066147
Go wacky in wool for the hospice this Christmas
St Elizabeth Hospice is urging friends, colleagues and classmates to go wacky in wool this December, as part of their Woolly Pully Week. Following from last year’s success, the local charity is holding this years’ event on the week between 12 – 16 December, and is appealing for local schools, businesses and groups to pull on their craziest knit and do their bit for their local hospice. Organisations choose a day during the Woolly Pully Week and on their nominated day, everyone has to wear their silliest sweater and donate £2 to St Elizabeth Hospice. This year the hospice also has a fabulous, fluffy mascot, the very lovable ‘Woolly’ the sheep! Woolly is also available to request for a special visit to local schools and organisations who sign up to the week. Felicity Rook, St Elizabeth Hospice’s head of fundraising, said: “Christmas jumpers have become such a popular phenomenon in recent years, nearly everybody has a festive top, and Woolly Pully Week is a great excuse to get yours out and wear it to work, school or wherever. “Holding a jumper day is sure to get you in the festive spirit in the run up to Christmas and is an easy and fun way to raise vital funds for your local hospice and help ensure nobody has to face their illness alone this Christmas.” Find out more or to request your Woolly Pully Week festive fundraising pack, visit www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/woollypully or call 01473 723600 or email fundraising@stelizabethhospice.org.uk Sophie Johnson
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Organisations
Stradbroke Primary School
We come to the end of an exciting first half of the Autumn Term. Our Farmer’s Market was a great event with the “Stradbroke Primary bake off”. Parents and pupils baked a great range of cakes, biscuits and buns. Our judges were extremely impressed. The market had a wonderful range of produce including soup and chutney made by the children, plants, art and crafts and speciality bread from Stradbroke Bakery. We were also really pleased to host a stall run by pupils from Stradbroke High. A huge thank you to everyone who attended we raised £222! Early in November Year 5 and 6 are taking part in the “Shakespeare Schools’ Festival”. Miss Legood is once again our artistic director, this time the children are performing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. This Autumn we are hosting transition days for our new Reception children for September 2017. Our first taster session was a great success and parents reported that their children really enjoyed coming to school for their very first hour there. Our next session is on Wed 30th November 9.30-10.30am (Parents/ Carers are welcome to stay with their children). Please come along if you have a pupil due to start school next year. Also remember if you are still deciding which school to send your child to remember I am happy to give guided tour of Stradbroke Primary. Next term we are looking forward to a range of festive events including our Key Stage One Nativity Play, Christingle service, annual visit to the Pantomime at Norwich Theatre Royal, Christmas Fair, Joint Pyramid Carol Concert and many other events including a visit to the Harry Potter Studios for Year Five and Six. Have a wonderful half term! Melanie Barrow, Executive Headteacher
Brownies and Rainbows in Stradbroke!
Brownies – 7yrs to 10yrs After 50 years based in Fressingfield, our Brownie Unit decided to liven things up with a few big changes! We are now thoroughly enjoying our new home at Stradbroke Primary School and would like to thank all the staff there for their enthusiastic support!! We now meet on a Thursday, from 3.20pm until 5.20pm, with drinks and snacks provided after a busy day. However, badge work starts at 4pm, in order for our Brownies attending other schools to reach us. We’ve just completed out ‘Splosh and Splat’ Badge!! The Brownies have taken part in lots of messy activities including; Ketchup Archery, Pass the Splat and Spell that Spaghetti. We’re looking forward to Christmas craft and planning our sleepover for March. Rainbows – 5yrs to 7yrs Every week brings a new adventure; with fun games, silly songs around our very own campfire and creating amazing crafts. We are soooo excited about Christmas and planning our next big challenge badge for 2017! Rainbows meets every Wednesday and would love to meet new faces! If you would like to know more about our units, offer your help or register your daughter, please contact us at stradbrokebrownies@gmail.com or stradbrokerainbows@googlemail.com Alternatively, you can go straight to Join Us on the Girlguiding website. Candice Dudley
Saving All Saints
Congratulations to all those who entered the logo competition last month. We have chosen 3 designs that were equally powerful in their message and Hannah Weeks , a professional illustrator who lives and works in Stradbroke (please see Hannah's advert in the magazine) has very generously offered to give her professional attention to merging these 3 to create our new logo and motif. One designer remained anonymous so we are unable to celebrate her/his picture publicly but the other 2 winners are: Lauren Hallums and Jessica Brown. Well done to everyone. We want to share the proposed plans for the alterations of the church interior with everyone and gather your responses to these. Therefore, we would like to invite you to visit a display of these in the church on Saturday, January 21st. 9.00am - 11.30am. We will be present to explain the fund-raising project in more detail and how the changes in the church will open it up to many more community events in renovated, comfortable surroundings. At the same time, Mary Ellis and her wonderful team of cake-bakers will be selling their wares in the church alongside teas and coffees so even more reason to come along. We look forward to seeing you there in the New Year. Gillian Rennie-Dunkerley, On behalf of Saving All Saints Committee
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KENT SKIPS
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Organisations
Friends of Stradbroke High School Update
Following all the successful fundraising events throughout 2016, including the latest “ best ever” scrap metal collection, the Friends of the High School have just ordered a “hamper" of goodies for the benefit of the all the pupils. The bumper hamper includes: þ New Microscopes for science lessons. þ Additional kitchen equipment for the new extended food room. þ Sewing machines for the new Design and Technology course. þ Sound proofing for an additional music practice room. þ Sound and lighting equipment for future school productions. þ An outdoor volleyball court for the rear field. þ Eco-friendly recycled plastic picnic benches for breaks and lunchtimes and a new outdoor table-football game. New clothes recycling bins raise over £600 for the Stradbroke Schools. As a result of all the donations of into the new 2nd hand clothes recycling bins - located in the Community Centre car park by the bottle banks - the Primary and High School Friends have received over £600 to spend on the pupils. The recycling bins are now a permanent fixture and you can drop off any clothes or shoes 24/7. The Friends would like to thank the whole community for their continued support in their Mission of "supporting everyone at Stradbroke High in any way we can, so it can become an outstanding School for the pupils.” If you wish to provide any feedback or help us out in any way at our events, please do not hesitate to make contact via 07771 838957. Happy Christmas from the Friends of the High School. Nigel Brown
Library/Post Office/Court House Café News
Christmas is getting very near so visit the Library/Post Office for Christmas stamps, a selection of lovely Christmas cards (V&A as well as charity cards) and gift vouchers for any denomination you wish for presents. We also have a 2017 Stradbroke Calendar for sale at £6 in aid of the new playpark equipment funds. Liven up the grey days of winter with Stradbroke’s very own male models on parade! On Monday 28th November Police Officers from the Crime Reduction Office are coming to the Café room from 12.30 to 4pm, to discuss home security and general crime prevention advice to our local community, so do come along and talk to them if you need any help or have any concerns that they could give you advice on. Sandra from SNAP will be in the Café room on the second Tuesday in each month to help with Housing Related support. SNAP has been established since 2008 and offers free housing advice, support and guidance to those whose housing is at risk for whatever reason. SNAP workers can provide support with form filling, help set up utilities, maximise income, advise on applicable benefits and offer budgeting and debt guidance. They can also signpost those with additional needs for example mental health issues, severe debts, physical, sensory and learning disabilities to appropriate organisations who work alongside SNAP to offer a holistic approach. The next date is Tuesday December 13th 2-4pm. Our car park is being resurfaced from Monday 21st November until Friday 2nd December so could all our customers park on Queen Street during this time. I apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience. The result should be a smart new car park and walkway (without ruts) for which I have been campaigning for a long time. Our Thai community supper went really well and everyone really enjoyed it, as there were loads of compliments. I would like to thank everyone who helped make it such a success. Kamal for the Norwich trip to pick up the ingredients, June/Ros for chopping mountains of veg, June again flowers, Alison for doing all the fruit kebabs/lime syrup for 2 nights (delicious and helped Marianne and I enormously), Toni and Claire for washing up on both nights (heroic!!), /Alex, Kara and Owen for waiting at tables and helping clear up afterwards. A splendid Courthouse Team effort. My very personal thanks to Marianne PierceSaunderson, whose help and culinary expertise guided us through. Happy Christmas and New Year to you all. The Library/ Post Office and Courthouse Café will be open on Christmas Eve Saturday 9.30 to 12.30pm so do come along for some Christmas Cheer!! We will also be open on Saturday 31st December (New Year’s eve). Maureen John, Stradbroke Court House
Christmas Posting Dates at Stradbroke Post Office
Tuesday 20th December: 2nd Class and 2nd Class signed for Wednesday 21st December: 1st Class and 1st Class signed for Thursday 22nd December: Special Delivery Guaranteed* *The latest recommended posting date for Special Delivery Guaranteed with Saturday delivery is Friday 23rd December. Exceptions apply visit royalmail.com/specialdelivery for details or ask at Stradbroke Post Office!
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Antique Restoration
Ian Brown LCGI
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Organisations
Stradbroke Play Park
We have a whole host of fantastic updates for you this month, starting with the wonderful news that Stradbroke Parish Council applied and were successful in receiving a grant from Adnam’s Community Trust, I Received the letter and a cheque for £1000 2 weeks ago, which is a fantastic boost for the project fund and testament to what an important project it is! We had the Parish Council Open event that was organised by the working group from the PC (Myself, Don Darling & Ollie Last) at the courthouse on Saturday 22nd October, both companies, Streetscape and Sutcliffe, who had met the spec from the original results of the village wide survey we gave out, were present at the event to meet and discuss the plans with those in attendance. We had a brilliant response and the courthouse was a hustle and bustle of activity and views for the majority of the 3 hours that we were there for, we had a voting slip to gauge which plan in each person’s view met their view of what they would like to see and included a spot for everyone to add their own comments. The outcome of this event is that Sutcliffe came out the winning company, everyone commented on the look and style, the sturdiness of the products and the knowledge and information easily available to them from the company and the fact there are several Sutcliffe play areas around the local area to go view or that people already had been to and enjoyed. The most important was the extra feedback we had with things coming up that were found from the original survey results, trying to cater for more age ranges and more variety of equipment, the latter is very much down to grant funding and fundraising, the more we raise the bigger the budget to work with. With all of this fresh in our heads myself and Don met with Peter from Sutcliffe to go over the feedback and see what we could do with the plans within our current set budget and the space in which the improvements are to be done. Both myself and Don thought the meeting was very successful and are just waiting on the new plans and costings to come through. As soon as these new costings come in there are 3 more grants we plan to apply for ASAP and we are still waiting to hear on the outcome of the Tesco community bid grant. As if that’s not enough update for one month I haven’t even got on to the fundraising group efforts! We ran an amazingly successful bake sale on Monday 24th October raising £189!!! Thank you to everyone who came along a purchased some goodies and also a big thank you to all of those kind enough to bake something for us! We also had some toys and a whole lot of Jigsaws donated to us by the very wonderful Claire Hubbard (and her family) and a few bits from Bev Goddard too, we took them with us on our trip to sell calendars at the Fressingfield car boot on Sat 29th October and advertised the jigsaws on Facebook selling sites, we have sold all of the Jigsaws donated now and along with the car boot have raised a fantastic £113, so a big thank you to the Hubbard and Goddard families for their generosity! Calendar sales are still going extremely strongly and I am waiting to give you a grand total once we have sold out, which after the Christmas fair at the high school on Sat 26th November may not be far away, so please if you would like one get to the bakery or Library to get yours now! We also have big Thank You to say to Peter Johnson’s Agricultural Engineers who have kindly offered to sponsor our next event which is the Christmas Prize Bingo at Stradbroke High School 7.30pm (Eyes Down 8pm) with Bar, Mince Pies and a whole host of fantastic prizes including our top prize of a Christmas hamper worth over £40, Plus a Norfolk Gift Box, Ufford Park Golf voucher of 18 holes for up to 4 people, Champagne, Chocolates, Bottles of Wine, Aldeburgh Cinema Voucher, Earl Soham Brewery gift set and that's not including any of the prizes available in the raffle too! So please come on down and support us, all ages welcome so bring along some family members too! Wishing all Stradbroke residents and those of the surrounding area a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Ellie Wharton
Community Centre Booking System
We now have a new online booking system which will be of great help to us all when wanting to check availability before organising an event or just to see what’s on at any given time. The system will also make life considerably easier for the booking administrator/s and our Treasurer. All Community Centre bookings can now be viewed on the Centre’s pages on the village website – www.stradbrokeonline.org.uk We have previously appealed for volunteers to help with bookings and with the new system it is possible to share the load with two clerks. This is a key role without which the Centre cannot function. Please consider this opportunity to help the Centre and your community and get in touch. Roger Turkington, 01379 384248
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Organisations
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Recognising the Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Most people believe that if you are having a heart attack you will experience pain in your chest. However, not everyone does and there are many other warning signs to look out for. A heart attack is when your heart is starved of oxygen, causing damage to your heart muscle. Please call 999 without delay if you believe you or someone else is experiencing a heart attack. Signs and symptoms vary from one person to another, below are the most common signs and symptoms: Chest Pain – your chest may feel tight or heavy. You may experience pain or a burning feeling in your chest. Not everyone experiences chest pain. You may have pain which radiates down your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back. You may only experience pain in one of these places. This pain or tightness may be severe, or may just feel a bit uncomfortable. Shortness of breath and sweating – often to touch the person feels cold and clammy. Feeling light headed, you may experience nausea or vomiting Some people may have a feeling of indigestion or reflux. Generally feeling unwell or lethargic can be an indication of a heart attack when accompanied by chest pain or discomfort. Having a heart attack is a frightening experience, however after a heart attack many people make a full recovery within a few months, but some people find they can’t do as much as they could previously. This is due to damage to your heart muscle, so act quickly and call 999, as the sooner you receive treatment you will prevent further damage to your heart muscle. If you would like to know more, please visit the British Heart Foundation website www.bhf.org.uk Maggie Fisher is a Director at My Care at Home based in Stowmarket. Tel: 01449 763086 www.mycare-athome.co.uk
Neighbourhood Plan Up-date
The Neighbourhood Plan Open Day on November 6th attracted many Stradbroke residents who were able to view displays of the questionnaire results and participate in making further comments on those and a new category - views of Stradbroke. If you were unable to attend please look on the village website at www. stradbrokeonlin e.org.uk where all the displays and comments are reproduced plus details of the next steps. We would like to thank everyone who has participated in continuing development of the Neighbourhood Plan. Gillian Rennie-Dunkerley, Chair of the Neighbourhood Planning Committee
Mothership Choir
We are a group of mums who were brought together, having never sung in front of others before, to perform at Stradisphere 2016 and we haven't stopped since! Mothership is a fun and friendly choir that is all about enjoying yourself whether as a member of the choir or a member of the audience. We are currently working on our set for Christmas and have several performances lined up, by the time you read this we will have already performed to a local women’s group and at the Christmas Craft Fair at Stradbroke High School and we would like to thank both for having us. Our next performance will be Christmas caroling around Stradbroke on Friday 9th December from 6.30pm IAO Stradbroke Play Park, it would be lovely to see as many residence as possible as we make our way round the village and singing along with us will be more than welcomed, we will also have collection buckets on hand for anyone who would like to donate to the play park fund! If you are interested in joining or interested in having Mothership perform at one of your events then head on over to our Mothership Choir Facebook page. Ellie Wharton
The Poppy Appeal
The Poppy Appeal is now drawing to a close, and donations are still being received. The organiser, Peter Chetwynd, thanks all The House to House Collectors who go round the village, and who raise a magnificent total for The Appeal, to all those who have donated so generously, and also to all The Village Groups and Organisations, who donate so generously for the wreaths that are laid. So far this year I have banked £2861 for The Appeal and on behalf of The Appeal again thank all those who have given so generously to this essential cause. Peter Chetwynd
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Forthcoming Events
Radio Stradbroke
Radio Stradbroke & Christmas fit together like turkey & indigestion. This year the boat is pushed well & truly out. In addition to the usual December ‘Sunday Sessions’, on Sunday 18th between 10:00 – 16:00, the six wise persons will each provide festive (& non-festive cheer) & as traditional as the Queen’s Speech, Christmas Morning 9:00 – 12:00 sees ‘Martys Christmas Crackers’, brought to you by the man who hates mince pies. Sandwiched in between (mixed food metaphors, there), in association with Stradbroke Playpark Fundraising Group, & Stradisphere, we present “Stradischeer”, on Friday 23rd December, from 7pm til midnight. Featuring ‘Wallys Festive Disco’, there will be a bar, hog roast, raffle & prize for the best Christmas jumper. Tickets are just £5 (£6 on the door), available at Spar, the Library or any Radio Stradbroke DJ or Playpark committee member. Profits will be shared between these two organisations. We hope to make up some hampers as part of the raffle. Any donations of produce, either festive or otherwise, to make up hampers, would be most welcome. There will be a box in the Library to put them in. Please buy a ticket, have a fun evening, & help your local community radio station to keep broadcasting, & the Playpark group as they seek to improve facilities for the youngsters of the village. Thank you for keeping it Radio Stradbroke in 2016. Michael Hugman
Christmas Carols in the Churchyard
Please join us for a pre-Christmas celebration with Carols, Sausage Rolls, Mince Pies & Mulled wine. Now an annual event we will be switching on the Christmas lights and having carols food and beverages on Dec 4th at 4:30pm outside the front entrance of the church. This is very much a family event and we hope to have one or two surprises for the children as well! Everybody welcome, so come along for a good old singsong and pre-Christmas celebration. Don Darling (on behalf of the Parish Council)
Stradbroke Sports and Community Centre – Family Social Evening
Friday December 16th 2016 from 6pm – 8.30pm. Sometimes you just choose the wrong day!! On November 16th, 12 of us had a really enjoyable evening and although our numbers were few, we scored on the Playstation and Table Football, laughed over Giant Jenka, watched ‘Bambi’ and played games of Cards and Darts. On the basis of feedback from a number of residents, we have changed to a Friday evening, so please come and join us next time. The bar will be open, with tea and coffee, too and we will ensure you will have a good evening. Jane Merritt
Prize Bingo
Prize Bingo for Burns Night on Friday 27th January 2017 at 7.30pm. To be held in the Community Centre to raise funds for Stradbroke White Hart Bowls Club. Many excellent prizes, raffle, refreshments. Plus a flyer to win a hamper. Julie Ward
Christmas Cracker Night!
From the creators of Stradisphere. On Friday 23rd December from 7pm late at Stradbroke Community Centre. · Festive Disco · Slow cooked pork · Raffle, party games and stalls Free glass of bucks fizz on arrival on a first come, first served basis! FUNDRAISING FOR RADIO STRADBROKE AND STRADBROKE PLAY PARK GROUP. Advance tickets £5.00 available from the Spar and Library (£6.00 on door). Vicky Collins
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Registered childminder and qualified Montessori teacher. Set in the beautiful hamlet of Wilby. Funded places for 2, 3 and 4 year olds. Full and part-time places available for all ages. Open 8am–6pm Monday to Friday all year round. For all enquiries, contact Stephanie on: Phone: 07787154143 Email: stephanie.a.harvey01@gmail.com
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Forthcoming Events
Stradbroke Sports & Community Centre cinema
In December we are showing two great films. Absolutely Fabulous (12A) will be screened on Thursday 8th (7pm for 7.30pm), please note the change of date – a week earlier than usual. On Thursday 22nd we shall be showing the BFG (PG) in the afternoon at 3pm, doors open at 2.30pm. Our January film will be shown on the 19th January but at the time of writing we have yet to choose the films for the new season. You can find out by checking the Cinema pages on the village website – www.stradbrokeonlne.org.uk and you can subscribe to our cinema mailing list simply be emailing stradbrokecinema@gmail.com. We are often asked to show a greater variety of films and more showings for children but we can’t do this without more assistance. We have great facilities at the Community Centre; new super bright projector, large screen and comfortable chairs but we need your help. Please get in touch and help us make the cinema even better or maybe help with other aspects of running the Centre. Jane Merritt & Roger Turkington, 01379 388382 or 384248
December Events at Wingfield Barns
Looking ahead to the festive season here at Wingfield Barns, we have a trio of evening events coming up in December which all have the makings of a great night out and shouldn’t be missed! Saturday 10th December 8pm Made To Measure Theatre Company present ‘Black Ice’ – a play by Eileen Ryan. In a remote Alpine resort, four characters find themselves thrown together après-ski over a glass of schnapps. Outside, the snow is deep and crisp and even and, as the shadows lengthen, the storytelling begins. Stories about the peculiar characters who used to live on the mountain and a mysterious furry beast that terrorises the valley. Add a generous measure of seasonal music from local choir Crossing the Border and, voila! - a potent cocktail that’s a real killer. Tickets £8. Sunday 18th December 7.30pm - RoughCast Theatre Company present ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. The story of the reclamation of that self-confessed “Humbug”, Ebenezer Scrooge, never fails to delight audiences of all ages with its colourful cast of famous characters both real and ghostly. RoughCast’s promenade performance has carols to sing along to and dances to join in with (for those so inclined). Tickets £9/£7 conc/£28 family. New Year’s Eve from 8pm - Ceilidh with the fabulous Harbour Lights Band. Are you looking for something different to do this New Year? If so, come along to the Barns for a fun-filled night of music, dancing, floor spots and entertainment. Tickets include a hot supper, glass of fizz at midnight and a great way to dance out the Old and see in the New with family and friends. No experience necessary! The bar will also be open. Tickets £20. Tickets for all of the above are available from the Box Office on 01379 384505. Visit www.wingfieldbarns.com for more info. Anna Castleton, Operations Manager
Red Riding Hood
Puzzle House Pantomimes present a traditional fun-filled family pantomime based on the story of RED RIDING HOOD. It is fifty years since Granny Smith led the chase to turn the evil wolf pack out of Longfern Wood. Now, after all this time, the leader of the pack is back! He is determined to seek revenge on Granny Smith's beautiful granddaughter Rose, known to everyone as Red Riding Hood. Squire Cheatem and his useless helpers, Medle and Muddle, are also up to no good, so Red Riding Hood will need some help. The audience can help her, by joining in with some songs and solving some puzzles on the way. Six actors play a range of characters in a show full of songs, live keyboard music, thrills, spills and fun! All tickets £7. Telephone 01379 384 656. January 2017 tour dates: Sun 8th, St Edmund's Hall, Hoxne. Sat 14th, Little Bealings Village Hall. Sun 15th, Crowfield Village Hall. Sat 21st, St Michael's Room, Framlingham. Sun 22nd, Roydon Village Hall. All shows start at 3.00pm. Roy Preston
Rummikub Club
We would like to start up a Rummikub Club. To be held weekly on a Thursday afternoon at the Court House 25 pm. If you are interested in learning or playing this stimulating game and get together socially, please contact Mike or Yvonne 388955 anytime or leave a message. If there is enough interest we will start up early in the New Year. Thank you. Mike & Yvonne Wilkins
Lottery Bonus Winners
23 C Howes £50 42 Michael Ellis £25 27 W Clover £25 8 D Cracknell £25 £96 donated to village organisations. Thanks to all who contribute each week. Sorry if no winnings. We have reached £35,000 raised by lottery for the village by myself. Mary Ellis
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Etheridge Nurseries Laxfield Road, Tel: 384204 Mob 07881 440140 Wide Selection of Christmas Trees from Potted to 9/10ft tall (Norway Nordman) Wide Selection of Home Made Holly Wreaths Ready Now. A wide Selection of Home and Local Sourced Fruit and Vegetables. Sprout Stalks available. Bags of Potatoes £7 Onions Net £2:50. Fruit Trees and Hedging plants now in stock Compact Tractor available for Rotovating, Grass Mower and Finishing Mower for Hire. Also Trailer Hire.
Passmore Weeks & Richardson
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Sports Roundup
Stradbroke Cricket Club
As this is the farthest point from the cricket season, there is not much to report. All you need to know is that a Cricket Club flier will arrive through your letterbox in the New Year. Please give it a read before burdening the recycling further. What the villagers think of us is vital to our future. The AGM will be held on Thursday 19th January. Can we possibly be the first to wish you all a Happy Christmas, & a less stressful 2017. Thank you for supporting us through a difficult year. Michael Hugman
Stradbroke Football Club
After a good start we have gone bad to worse. V Sax Sports Lost 11-2 V Elmswell Lost 6-1 V Cockfield Lost 7-1 Club Colours Cup V Sproughton Sports Res, won 5-3 after extra time on penalties after this visitors equalised in the final minute of full time. Our November Bingo raised £57. Our next one is he Christmas one on 9th December with a Xmas Hamper Raffle. Please note – we like the younger members of the F. C. playing in the nets on the field, but please, please do not pull up the net pegs and throw them away. 5 were needed before the Sproughton match. M Ellis
Update on maintenance work at Stradbroke Swim & Fitness Centre
Stradbroke Swimming Pool (the original part of the building) was built in 1991 and at the time had services installed to run the building. Over the past 25 years these services have been maintained to keep them running properly. Unfortunately with age comes degradation and it has been highlighted that some of these services are no longer running efficiently & effectively. A plan was devised to invest heavily into the Facility by removing and installing new services next year, but this has had to be brought forward for technical reasons which came about after the incident that occurred at the start of September causing damages to these services. The main works will be the removal of the 3 large boilers that service the building and installing new modular boilers. This work has started, unfortunately this caused an unexpected drop in the pool temperature which has now been rectified. The other main works will be on our air handling system that service the poolside changing rooms & reception area. This work will start once the new boilers have been installed and are working. There will be a requirement to shut off these areas to customers for health & safety reasons. We will do one area at a time & reallocate the changing area to another changing room. These changes will be posted internally & will not cause any disruption to pool programmes. There will be NO closures or disruption to the gym side of the building as it is only 5 years old & all the services that are part of this building are state of the art and do not need any attention. There will be no changes to the group exercise programme. We will try to minimise any inconvenience to our customers & hope we can rely on your patience & understanding whilst these works are undertaken. These investments will not only benefit those who use the facilities now but also those who use us over the next 20-25 years. Once again we really do appreciate your understanding & patience. Stuart Murdy, General Manager
Christmas Opening Times at Stradbroke Swim and Fitness Centre For Christmas opening times, please see the website: www.everyoneactive.com
White Hart Bowls Club presentation night
S Murdy
On Sat 19th Oct we had our presentation night in the Whitehart. The cups were awarded as follows. Alec Abbott Cup won by M. Grigg runner up T. Brown. Chaudron Cup won by R. Ward runner up M. Grigg Spurling Cup won by Lynn Ruth runner up Les Ruth. Saunders Cup won by R. Ward runner up T. Brown Anson Trophy won by M. Smith runner up T. Brown. Chambers Cup won by Caroline Smith runner up Les Ruth Ward Trophy won by Lynn Ruth runner up M. Smith. French Trophy won by Julie Ward runner up B. Ransome. Two Wood Singles won by R. Ward runner up Les Ruth. Three Wood Singles won by M. Grigg runner-up Les Ruth. Four Wood Singles won by Les Ruth runner up B. Ransome Pairs won by Julie Ward & T. Brown runners up M. Garrard & C. Grosvenor Thanks go to Alison & Max for a lovely meal, a great time was had by all. Lynn Ruth
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Located in idyllic countryside, we offer accommodation in an annexe to our traditional period cottage. You will have private access, king size bed and en suite bathroom; a sofa bed will sleep two children. The room is well equipped and has internet access. We offer an extensive breakfast menu and seek to use local products.
To book contact Debbie GRIFFITHS on 07582 789782 or 01379 384873
We are on AirBNB
For your Lawnmower & Small Engine Repairs and Servicing Tel: Phillip Cleveland on 388306
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Painting and Decorating by Ron Rankin - 25 Years Experience For All Your Domestic & Commercial Property Maintenance & Decorating Competitive Prices - Professional Standards Reliable & Experienced - Highly Recommended Advice & Quotations With No Obligation Tel: 01379 388243 Mob: 07762 326226 Unit 19a Fuller Road Industrial Estate Harleston, Norfolk, IP20 9EA
eMail: johnbedwell18@yahoo.co.uk Web:www.angliansalt.co.uk For all your salt supplies of: Hydrosoft tablet & granular salt, pure dried vaccum salt, de-icing salt. Also we stock tablets & granular in 10kg bags. Please contact us for competitive prices either collected or delivered. Tel 01379 854061 Fax 01379 854 804
A complete hairdressing service in your own home. (trims, sets, blowdry, perms and colouring.) Specialising in herbal and organic products, Including Colour Herbe, Permanent Haircolour, Free from Ammonia Alcohol, Parabens, Perfume and Odour. Also Indian Head Massage
Hammond Garden & Countryside Services Matthew Hammond
Felix Cottage Horham, Eye Suffolk IP21 5EG Tel: 01379 384643
Specialising in Conifer reduction. All hedge work and garden clearance. Any size lawn mowed. Rough grass cut & strimmed. Hedges and trees supplied and planted. Small tree work - pruning/felling Lawns turfed and seeded All types of fencing Patios and paths laid. Free estimates, all jobs considered.
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Dances, Discos Coffee Mornings Club Meetings Birthday Parties
Wedding Receptions If you need a venue for a function “Bring People Together” at
STRADBROKE SPORTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE
Steven Pleasance Carpenter and General Builder From hanging doors To Complete builds 01379 388253
Tel: 384439 for information & bookings
Debra Luton DHP (NC) MNRHP Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy. Do you need help with: Smoking cessation, weight loss, phobias, addictions, traumas, panic attacks, depression and anxiety I have over 17 years of experience working with adults and children Please telephone/email to discuss.
01379 384192 07888 651936 debra.luton@gmail.com
E J BROWN Builder
Service and repairs to all cars, light commercial and 4x4’s Specialists in vehicle diagnostics Free local collection and delivery Courtesy car available Prompt attention assured Competitive rates
Open 8:00am - 5:30pm Mon-Fri, 8:00am - 12 noon Saturdays Barley Hall, Laxfield Road, Stradbroke, IP21 5NQ Located on the B1117 1 3/4 miles outside Stradbroke towards Laxfield.
Forthcoming Events
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Mid Suffolk District Council Bin Collections
Refuse – Wednesday 21st December (no change) Recycling – Thursday 29th December (1 day late ) Refuse – Thursday 5th January (1 day late) There will be NO brown bin collections over Christmas and the New year (between 26th December and 6th January) From Monday 9th January, normal waste and recycling collections resume. Please see the website (www.midsuffolk.gov.uk) for more details. Susannah Foulger
WEA (Workers' Educational Association) Courses in Stradbroke
After a very successful 7 week course on Philosophy this Autumn we are offering another 7 week course on 'The Pastons - their lives and times'. This will begin on Wednesday, January 25th at 2.00pm - 4.00pm in the Community Centre. As the title suggests the course will focus on the Paston family and the records they kept of their daily lives in medieval Norfolk but we will also gain an insight into the political, social and economic background of this turbulent period. The cost for the full course is £49. After our 1st Day School in November we have a further extra course with Mark Mitchels on 'Dickens'. Mark is a renowned lecturer throughout East Anglia and always attracts a full house so booking early is essential for this presentation on Tuesday, February 28th morning only. The cost will be £10. Please look out for posters and flyers plus refer to the village website: www.stradbrokeonline.org for full details and information about the WEA in Stradbroke. If you have any queries, please contact me at; gillianrenniedunkerley@hotmail.com or 01379 384248
Stradbroke Church Village Show
Stradbroke church village show of flowers, vegetables and produce, will be held on Saturday 22nd July 2017. Advance notice of handicraft; Class 61 Crochet any item Class 62 knitted soft toy Class 63 knitted jumper for 5 yr old Class 64 any item of embroidery or tapestry Class 65 greetings card Class 66 a picture mounted, not framed either water colour or oils. With winter and the cold days upon us, consider doing one or more items for the show. The 2016 show was very good with entries up, but we still need more exhibitors. Potatoes and buckets for the heaviest crop will be on sale at a cake stall in Church Street Saturday 11th March. Any enquires to Roly Copping, Tel 01379 384839
Building work set to start
Building work on a valuable resource centre for people from north east Suffolk and south Norfolk with life-limiting illnesses is set to start after Halesworth Community Nursing Care Fund (HCNCF) secured planning permission for the £710,000 project. The charity was given permission for the single storey build, on land next to Cutlers Hill Surgery in Halesworth, by Waveney District Council last week. It comes after HCNCF hit its fundraising target following a generous £55,605 pledge from the Patrick Stead Hospital League of Friends. Once complete, the building will include space for local support groups to meet, a counselling room, small library and a comfortable area where people can relax and chat informally, with sliding glass doors leading to a landscaped garden. A therapy room, where patients can receive complementary treatments such as Reiki and massage, will also be included. Anyone from north east Suffolk or south Norfolk with cancer or other life-limiting illnesses, as well as their families and carers, will be welcome to use the centre. As well as help understanding a diagnosis, it will also offer family services, a raft of information and practical advice on finance, benefits and coping with bereavement. It is hoped that building work will begin early in 2017 and be complete by the end of the year, with the centre opening in early 2018. For more information about the project, or to make a donation to help with the centre’s running costs, visit www.halesworthhealth.org/information-and-support-centre Issued by Liz Hearnshaw at Zenith Public Relations on 01359 242581 or 07501 490308.
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This year several members are giving up or downsizing their allotments due to time constrictions. I myself am downsizing. As the years have gone by, I have discovered that I really should only grow what I like to eat and only the amount that we can eat without too much freezing. Freezing some vegetables are detriment to their taste. So to avoid wasting my time I decided to give up a third of my allotment. Which in a way is good, as we have a long waiting list of keen growers enthusiastic to get started. Hopefully by the end of January we will have a full site again. We are still digging manure in for the winter and most have winter onions and garlic in. A few brave souls have put broad beans in as well, but due to two years of poor germination, I shall wait until Spring. Hopefully we shall get a good hard frost to kill some pests off, (but not for too long!) Now is the time to sit back and get your seeds in good order. iscard any out of date. I always get new parsnips and carrots as my old seeds once opened rarely germinate. Plus it gives you a chance to try a new variety. We have a lively group of committee members that keep the site looking good and running smoothly. Special thanks must go to Gerald Clark and Ivor Hyde for maintaining the site so well. We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a successful new Gardening Year. Helen Pleasance
Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care
We are a charity set up to help bereaved people to understand their grief and cope with their loss. We provide information, one to one support and offer advice, education and training services. We also have a specialist Children & Young People Team. If you would like to volunteer to support bereaved people, help on our Area Committee or with publicity and fundraising please contact us. For help or information please telephone your local Branch: Ipswich 01473 230888 North Suffolk & Great Yarmouth 01502 722234 Suffolk Coastal 01394 670770 West Suffolk 01284 767674 Further information can be found at www.cruse.org.uk, www.suffolkcruse.co.uk or email suffolk@cruse.org.uk “I felt my counselling with my volunteer was very helpful indeed, at a time when I felt isolated and at times desperate”. Susannah DowningArea Co-ordinator Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care
Sponsor Page 2 with your own article or advert! Page 2 is a Sponsored Page, allowing any individual or organisation to request the page for their article or advertisement! The cost of ‘sponsoring ‘ the page will be £25 - this guarantees the whole of the inside front cover page and would give contributors the opportunity to include their own graphics and pictures, laid out to their own design! It will be possible to request the page some time in advance, but to give fair access the page will not be blocked booked by the same individual or organisation/company for more than two consecutive months. The page will be available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, but can be booked ahead of time, with payment securing your space in the magazine.
If you would like to reserve Page 2 contact editors@stradbrokemonthly.co.uk
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Acorn Foot Health Roger C Griffiths BSc (Econ) Dip Soc Sci PGCE, MCFHP MAFHP
Foot Health Consultant Home Visits, Care Homes and Private Clinic Verruca Treatments, Ingrown toenails, Calluses, Fungal Infection, Corns, nail Cutting, Bunions and Foot Care for Diabetics, Foot Health checks and all nail conditions. For appointment Tel: 384873 Mob 07724073328 eMail : griffithstwo@aol.com Some evening appointments available
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THE CELLPHONE & FAX SPECIALIST
TGA Communications Ltd Purchase your new cellphone from TGA Communications at competitive prices Enquiries welcome 7am to 7pm days a week. We also sell secondhand equipment & part-ex welcome. WE OFFER A FULL RANGE OF CELLULAR PHONES INCLUDING Motorola - Panasonic - Mitsubishi - NEC - Nokia Professional After Sales Service Hire of Equipment (including European use of GSM) For further details contact Tim Askew, Brundish Rd, Wilby Tel: 01379 388156 Fax 01379 388109
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Keeping in touch: Dan Poulter, MP
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As you may have read in the last edition, I recently hosted a Broadband Summit meeting as part of my commitment to ensuring that faster and more efficient broadband and digital connectivity is available to all – not only those living and working in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, but also across the wider county of Suffolk. Since that meeting in October, I recently visited Stradbroke where I hosted another busy Advice Bureau earlier this month, as well as Laxfield Primary School where I enjoyed a tour of the school and its impressive garden. A very common theme that comes up time and time again is the issue of fast and reliable broadband. Even for our youngest children, reliable broadband is an essential part of every day school life now with homework or research tasks being set online. With the drive to discover new and innovative ways of delivering our health care and public services, more and more tasks are being directed online, for example ordering a repeat prescription, reporting a pot hole, requesting a library book or even paying our council tax. Not only does this help to deliver cost savings for our public services, but it also improves the ease with which we can all access public services at a time which is most convenient for us. Many of us are now able to enjoy the flexibility of being able to work from home, but access to fast and reliable broadband is absolutely critical in enabling secure access to electronic business files and records. Of course time is a precious commodity and for many of us, the option to complete our banking transactions or order grocery shopping online can often mean we have more time to spend with family and friends. I have already called for a further Broadband Summit meeting next year to review and maintain progress in this now vital infrastructure, but it would be really helpful for me to know your own views and experiences of broadband here in the constituency. I would be very grateful if you would consider completing a very brief survey which will help to give me an overview of the bigger picture for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. The survey can be found at: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DrDanPoulterBroadbandNovember2016 Understandably some of you may well have difficulties accessing this online, but if you would like a paper copy of the survey, please contact my office and they will be glad to help. Dan Poulter
Just to let you know that this morning, 1st November 2016 that I have picked up 40 (yes 40!) plastic bags of dog waste in the space of 10 minutes from the small copse adjacent to the footpath sign at the top of Valley Farm Road. These have apparently been discarded over time, probably by the same person with a relatively small dog judging by the contents. They are not recent and became visible as the foliage on the trees dies back. I am at a complete loss as to why somebody can pick up after their dog yet throw the bags into the copse when just down the road there is a dog waste bin. I do not know what can be done further to stop irresponsible dog owners from discarding dog waste like this. Kind regards, Jeremy Fox
Please send all articles to editors@stradbrokemonthly.co.uk The Stradbroke Monthly team encourages readers to submit letters to the Editor expressing their opinions, comments or insights regarding any of the material that appears in the magazine. The team will publish letters that reflect the diversity of opinions of our readers, but cannot publish all letters received. The Editor retains the right to edit published letters for clarity and length. Letters should include the writer's name and be clearly marked ‘FOR PUBLICATION’. The advertising contact for new and existing adverts is editors@stradbrokemonthly.co.uk for all your advertising enquiries. Submission Guidelines can be downloaded from stradbrokemonthly.co.uk Handwritten Submission? Articles can also be left in the library and will be collected at 10am on the Saturday after the final submission date. However, it makes our job much easier and more accurate if articles can be submitted via email. If you do not have access to email you can use the computer in the library and the librarian will happily help you to submit your article.
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November 26th Craft Fair at Stradbroke High School from 9 am to 1pm 27th Radio Stradbroke on air 10am – 2pm (see page 18) 28th Crime Reduction Officer in the Court House from 2.30-4pm (see page 12) 29th Badminton Club meet at the High School at 7.30pm and every Tuesday 29th Contact Club meet in the Community Centre at 10am and every Tuesday 30th Table Tennis meet in the Community Centre at 7.15pm and every Wednesday 30th Hand Bells rehearsal in All Saints Church from 7pm to 8pm December 1st Brownies meet in Primary School, 3.20pm-5.20pm, and every Thursday (see page 10) 1st Court House Cafe open 9.30am- 1pm and every Thursday 2nd Christmas Fair at the Primary School from 3.15pm 2nd Prize Bingo iao Stradbroke Play Park at the High School at 7.30pm (see page 14) 3rd Court House Cafe open 9.30am- 1pm and every Saturday 4th Radio Stradbroke “Sunday Sessions” (see page 18) 4th Christmas Carols in the Churchyard at 4.30pm (see page 18) 8th Stradbroke Cinema presents “Absolutely Fabulous” 7 for 7.30pm (see page 20) 9th Christmas Carols around the village with “Mothership” iao Stradbroke Play Park (see page 17) 9th Christmas Bingo iao the Football club (see page 22) 10th Christmas Cake Stall iao All Saints Church (see page 4) 10th Create and Chatter at the Baptist Church 10am (see page 3) 10th “Black Ice” by Made To Measure Theatre company @ Wingfield Barns 8pm (see page 20) 11th Radio Stradbroke “Sunday Sessions” (see page 18) 12th Parish Council meeting in Community Centre (see page 6) 13th SNAP adviser in the Court House 2-4pm (see page 12) 14th Christmas Lunch Club 12.30pm (see page 3) 12-16th Wacky in Wool for St Elizabeth Hospice (see page 9) 16th Family Social Evening from 6pm-8.30pm (see page 18) 18th Radio Stradbroke “Sunday Sessions Festive Cheer” 10am-4pm (see page 18) 18th “A Christmas Carol” by Roughcast Theatre Company, Wingfield Barns (see page 20) 18th Carol Service at All Saints Church at 3pm (see page 3) 20th Council Drop In Clinic in the Library 2.15pm (see page 6) 21st Deadline for applications to join Parish Council (see page 9) 22nd Stradbroke Cinema presents “The BFG” 2.30 for 3pm Community Centre (see page 20) 23rd “Stradischeer” festive disco at the Community Centre from 7pm (see page 18) 25th Radio Stradbroke “Marty’s Christmas Crackers” 9am-12noon. (see page 18) 31st Ceilidh at Wingfield Barns 8pm (see page 20) January 2017 8th Puzzle House Pantomime present “Red Riding Hood” St Edmunds Hall Hoxne, (see page 20) 9th Parish Council meeting 7.30pm at the Community Centre (see page 9) 11th Lunch Club 12.30 (see page 3) 14th Create and Chatter at 10am (see page 3) 19th Stradbroke Cinema (see page 20 ) 20th **ARTICLES FOR FEBRUARY EDITION STRICTLY BY THIS DATE PLEASE** 21st Saving All Saints Display in the church, 9am-11.30am & Cake Sale (see page 10) 25th WEA course “The Pastons” in the Community Centre 2pm-4pm (see page 27) 25th Drop in for Coffee 10am (see page 3) 27th Prize Bingo for Burns Night iao Stradbroke White Hart BC 7.30pm (see page 18)
For Christmas Posting Times from the Stradbroke Post Office please pop into the Post office for a leaflet detailing all the last posting dates, or go to www.stradbroke.org.uk/profile/TheStradbrokeMonthly for all the details.