In Touch News with Stowmarket – June 2018 by steve@intouchnews.co.uk

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Vol. 19 • Issue No. 2 • NOVEMBER 2013

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Carnival is Coming!

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

NEWS

Do you know what a non-Newtonian fluid is? My eight-year-old son has just explained it to me, and even demonstrated it using cornflour and water. In case you are interested, a non-Newtonian fluid is one which changes under stress. It may become thicker and act like a solid (as Jack’s cornflour concoction did) or get more liquid (as ketchup does when you shake the bottle). Remove the stress and they will return to their earlier state. I think most of us are non-Newtonian beings. Most of the time we’re relatively reasonable! We deal with life’s typical trials and tribulations without too much fuss. We know how to manage our moods, we recognise our triggers and we manage them. We may even have a release value we engage when it all becomes too much. I rely on Leonard Cohen and chocolate, perhaps it’s jogging or maybe baking. Leonard had to work overtime yesterday! I take a cross country route to and from work and we all know how bendy our Suffolk roads are. As I approached a side road, I was overtaken by a car which came within a hair’s breadth of hitting an oncoming van head-on. I was forced to break hard to make space for the driver to pull back in (I’m still trying to find half the contents of my handbag). Thankfully the driver behind me had enough space to do the same. Two miles further along, the same car overtook two others in a 30mhp zone and again just missed an oncoming vehicle. Despite the driver’s haste I caught up with him again a few miles on and this time he pulled out at a junction and forced yet another shaken driver to slam on their brakes. The driver was on my mind all evening. I hope he made it home safely, but if he carries on driving like this I dread to think what might happen. Now the weather has improved there are more cyclists, runners and even horses on the roads, and more children playing outdoors. Please, please bear this in mind when you drive on our twisty roads and take extra care around blind bends. As yesterday’s example shows, the time savings for speeding are pretty minimal. The risks don’t bear thinking about.

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JOIN THE TEAM AS A VOLUNTEER Established in 1961, Stowmarket Carnival is an extremely important event in the local calendar. Not only does it give a huge boost to the local economy and its shops and services, but is also brings the local community together to celebrate and have lots of fun. This year’s committee has put together a jam-packed schedule with the traditional procession winding its way through town on Saturday, July 14, a host of arena events, a car show, a dog show, live music, a food court and lots more over the two days. Events like Stowmarket Carnival don’t happen without the help of volunteers happy to give up some of their time and skills to make things happen. Even an hour of your time on Saturday 14 and/or Sunday 15 would be appreciated. • Perhaps you and your partner would like to volunteer as a couple. • Perhaps you’d like to volunteer with your children or your friends. • Perhaps you are a member of a group and fancy getting together to do something fun which benefits the community. Whatever your motivation, we welcome you to join us for any period of time over the two days. We need help on the gate and in the bar. On Saturday 14 we need help with road closures as the procession takes place. We also need volunteer wristbanding staff. If you fancy a more physical role we need help on Friday, July 13 to put fencing up around The Rec. This is a major task but also a lot of fun and volunteers always enjoy a wonderful sense of achievement. Here too even an hour of your time would be a significant contribution. To find our more or to sign up as a Stowmarket Carnival Volunteer contact chairman Jayne Woods at: info@stowmarketcarnival.org.uk Look out for the 2018 Stowmarket Carnival programme in next month’s In Touch. And don’t forget to join us for Bingo on Sunday, June 2 at 7pm at Hillside Community Centre, Hillside, Stowmarket IP14 2BD. www.stowmarketcarnival.org.uk

Sunday, July 15 at Stowmarket Recreation Ground IP14 1JZ Exhibitor Entrance Fee: £5 Optional Donation Arrive from 9.30am to start at 11.30am To book a place please email: andrew@maxwellbrownea.co.uk Sponsored by Maxwell Brown Independent Property Agents

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NEWS WOMEN INSPIRE TO MULTISPORT In the UK there are more men than women playing sport every week. Women are missing out on the physical, mental and social wellbeing benefits of playing sport as a team. Lack of self-confidence and self-belief are the biggest barriers in women taking part in physical activity (Women in Sport), so we need to create positive changes around our busy lives, and playing sport or doing any physical activity can help boost our overall wellbeing. Playing any sport or activity as a team can boost self-confidence and selfbelief, building on our social aspects of team building, achieving goals, supporting others, making new friends, feeling good about ourselves, having fun and laughs, and learning new skills while at the same time increasing motivation to maintaining fitness, health and wellbeing. Women Inspire to Multisport sessions are inspired by the This Girl Can campaign to help women overcome the fear of judgement that is stopping them from joining in activities and encourage them to take part in a variety of activities regardless of their age, fitness levels and body type. The sessions are suitable for those age 35 years and over and will be providing activities that suit skill levels and abilities, e.g. frisbee, rounders, walking football, walking netball, relays, and many other upper, lower and overall cardiovascular team activities. Sessions are taking place at Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre pitch in Stowmarket from 5-6pm on Sundays, July 15, 22 and 29, August 5, 12 and 19 and September 2. So why not come along and try a new activity with friends, have fun banter within the session and enjoy time for a drink and a chat after the session? For more details and to book, contact Laura Worsley: 07801 532059

STOWUPLAND OPEN GARDENS Sunday, June 17 Three lovely gardens, adjacent to each other on the Green in Stowupland will be open from 1-6pm on Sunday June 17 to support St Elizabeth Hospice, Ipswich Two Thatched Cottage – Mr & Mrs R Cooper Caxton Cottage – Mr & Mrs R Castle Walnut Tree Cottage – Mr & Mrs P Platt

JUMBLE SALE AT ST PETER’S CHURCH HALL Saturday, June 2, 10.30am-2.30pm In aid of Stowmarket Church Bells Appeal Free entry, raffle, light refreshments Sylvia Gooderham: 01449 774842 St Peter’s Hall is opposite St Peters and St Mary’s Church

SUFFOLK DAY BARN DANCE AT ST PETER’S HALL You may have seen and heard in the media about Suffolk Day which was a new initiative last year to celebrate all the wonderful things about our county on this special day. Stowmarket Christmas Tree Festival team from the parish church believe that Stowmarket has a lot to offer and would like to support this so are hosting a barn dance on Suffolk Day, Thursday, June 21, 7-10pm. Barn dances are fun occasions for all ages so you are invited to come along and have a good time and it really doesn’t matter if you can’t dance. The barn dance will be held in St Peter’s Hall (next to the library) and is open to all in the town. However, tickets are limited and are priced at £10 per adult and £6 for children with a ploughman’s supper included in the price. Bring your own drinks. How about inviting a group of people and having a table for your own workplace, friends or family? All money raised will go towards our new hospitality project to upgrade the refreshment area at the back of the church. This will give us an improved area to serve refreshments and more flexibility to meet church and community needs. If you would like tickets please contact the church office: 01449 774652 / stowmarket.parish@btconnect.com We do hope you can join us to celebrate Suffolk Day.

STOWMARKET GOES SCIENCE MAD! Hundreds of children from across Stowmarket and the surrounding villages came together over the Easter Holidays for a Mad & Magical Mystery into the world of science. The event organised by Stowmarket Town Council and sponsored by Anglian Water saw scientists from Mad Science bring science to life for all those who attended the free event held at Cedars Park Community Centre! Event organiser Sarah-Jayne Thomas from Stowmarket Town Council said: “We were absolutely thrilled to see so many young people enjoying science, our thanks to Anglian Water for making it possible.” Town Mayor Councillor Dave Muller added: “It was absolutely superb. I spoke to many children and their parents and all the feedback has been very positive indeed.” Stowmarket Mad Science Festival included amazing interactive stage shows which took you on a magical mystery tour of the wonders of air and pressure and created a radiant reactive rainbow in the Reactions in Action show. It gave children aged four-11 the chance to get very hands-on, watch and be amazed by the wonderful world of science. They made a human light chain with plasma balls, erupting volcanoes, mixed up Mad Science slime, became champions of the tablecloth pull, got their hands on magic mud and took the hair-raising challenge with the Van Der Graaf generator. Stowmarket Mad Science Festival also offered two 30-minute workshops, Radical Robots and Junior Engineers. Radical Robots gave children the chance to get hands on with robots and automatons. Junior Engineers saw children working in teams to create super structures.

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NEWS SUFFOLK SALVATION ARMY EMERGENCY RESPONSE GROUP

WADE WINDOWS CELEBRATING 30 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, the group was formed in 1978 following a plea for help during the Wisbech flooding. Since its formation the group has offered refreshments and pastoral support to the emergency services and local community, responding to various incidents.

Wade Windows Ltd are one of the longest family-run double glazing companies in the local area and are proud to be celebrating their 30th year in business.

The unit will be in Stowmarket Market Place on Wednesday, May 30 from 10am-4pm. Please come and say hello. There will be a formal acknowledgement on Friday, June 1 at Stowmarket Salvation Army.

Established in 1988 by Maurice and Sue Wade, the business has grown to be more and more successful over the years. Maurice and Sue have retired themselves over the past few years, but Wade Windows continues to thrive and grow, being run on a daily basis by director Nathan Wade.

Over the years they have attended street and house flooding, house and commercial fires, ship fires, police search parties, aircraft crash, serious road accidents, snow blocked roads, various ‘Blue Light’ exercises, and attended the London Olympic marathons to support members of the public.

Determined to keep up with the growing trends, they can offer the following: conservatories, garden rooms, orangeries, warm roof, windows, doors, roofline… the list goes on! And all these in UPVC, aluminium and wood with a choice of many different colour options.

The group is on call 24/7, and over the past 40 years has supported 32,390 emergency workers and members of the public, served 55,842 hot/cold drinks, made 3,987 loaves of bread into sandwiches and spent 8,612 hours at incidents.

Most of all, Wade Windows pride themselves on being a friendly family-run firm with good customer service. With two fitting teams with many years’ experience between them, they thrive on customer satisfaction. By having two fitting teams Wade Windows are able to keep up with customer demand while keeping a personal touch, something which separates them from their rivals.

The Salvation Army quietly goes about its business, bringing sustenance, cheer, support, encouragement and a ‘God bless you’. The workers, who are all unpaid, trained volunteers, show their care for mankind and Christian faith through service.

NEW MAYOR SUPPORTS LOCAL WELFARE AND ADVICE GROUPS Councillor Linda Baxter was appointed the new Mayor of Stowmarket at the Town Council’s Annual Meeting on May 2. This year, the mayor will be supporting two charities: Mid Suffolk HomeStart and Citizens Advice Mid Suffolk. The new mayor said: “I would like to thank our outgoing mayor, Councillor Dave Muller and his Consort, Lois Muller for their hard work over the past year. I am humbled to have been asked to be mayor and represent our town and I am very much looking forward to the year ahead.” Linda has lived in Suffolk for the past 22 years having been born and brought up in north London. She has two grown-up children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who all still live in London. Having spent her career as a psychiatric nurse, she trained as a counsellor in retirement and now works two days a week in private practice.

Wade Windows have a newly refurbished showroom at The Barn, Lower Farm Park, Norwich Road, Barham IP6 0NU and welcome anyone who would like to pop down for look around. The showroom is open Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm and weekend appointments are available by arrangement. If you would like a free, no obligation quotation with no hard sale then Nathan will be more than happy to help. Contact: 01473 832835 / sales@wadewindows.co.uk www.wadewindows.co.uk

GIRLGUIDING STOWMARKET FETE We are holding our last Guiding Fete on Saturday, June 30, 10am-3pm, at the Guide Hall, Marriott’s Walk, Stowmarket (behind Argos) Burgers, Drinks, Jewellery, Tombola, Cake Stall, Avon, Popcorn, Games, Book Sale, Face Painting Everybody Welcome

The new mayor will be supported in her duties by Deputy Town Mayor, Councillor Paul Ekpenyong. During the meeting Councillor Dave Muller announced that he had raised a total of £7,047 to be divided between his three charities and received a round of applause from his fellow councillors for his great efforts.

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ADVERTORIAL

Cloudy2Clear Announce Trusted Trader Partnership Consumer champions Which? have now joined the thousands of customers who recognise that Cloudy2Clear Windows really are a business that you can TRUST. The company which specialises in repairing windows which are steamed up, broken or damaged by replacing the panes – not the frames has received the coveted ‘Which Trusted Trader’ status after going through a rigorous accreditation process entirely focussed on customer service.

Group Managing Director Marcus McGee believes that Which? have endorsed Cloudy2Clear’s long standing company policy of delivering the highest standards possible at all times. ‘Our service is simple. If your double glazing has misted up we can replace the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 25 year guarantee. But it’s not just about saving people money, although that obviously helps. Whilst a number

of tradespeople perhaps don’t focus on customer care as much as they should do, we make sure we turn up when we say we will, do the job the customer requires and leave their house as clean as a whistle. Locally Cloudy2Clear service the Ipswich, Woodbridge, Manningtree, Hadleigh, Stowmarket & surrounding areas and manager Andy Kerridge agrees that this approach is a major factor in his success. ‘The truth is that it’s not just the personal satisfaction that I get from doing

a good job but also it makes good business sense. I get a huge amount of business from friends and family of people I’ve done work for, which just goes to show how much a little bit of effort is appreciated as both my customers and, obviously a body as nationally important as Which? now recognise.’ So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Andy a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!

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NEWS ALL CHANGE AT SALVATION ARMY New appointment of Major Beverley Robilliard, who writes:

BROADBAND SUMMIT HOSTED BY JO CHURCHILL MP

To the residents of Stowmarket and surrounding villages, I express my sincere gratitude to you for all your support of The Salvation Army, Violet Hill Road, Stowmarket during my five-year appointment as the officer (minister) in charge.

A recent Broadband Summit hosted at Westminster by Jo Churchill MP held “robust discussions” around the 92 per cent broadband coverage already available across Suffolk and the challenges to delivering both broadband and mobile connectivity to the remaining premises.

I will be saying farewell on Sunday, July 8 at 11am at The Salvation Army; come along if you can. On July 12 I’ll be moving on as a Divisional Mission Enabler in the Southern Division, based in Fareham coming alongside fellow colleague officers and church leaders to support them in mission. This will be a completely different role for me after 20 years as a Corps Officer (leading a church and having a flock of my own).

Jo Churchill MP has now called for a working group to be setup to see a “Bury and beyond” strategy developed in response to the discussions.

I thank you for the privilege of coming alongside many families in good times and bad; the community groups who have supported our work; I’ve really enjoyed my time as community governor at Chilton Primary as well leading assemblies at Woodley. Every year I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people at Harvest and Christmas, especially then enabling us to help many families with gifts, thus taking away some of the financial stress this season can bring. During our annual appeal, The Big Collection, I have appreciated you welcoming our volunteers on your doorstep giving us a monetary donation toward our work amongst homelessness across our territory. This is not an easy task, but you have made the task easier! For all this, and more, thank you.

The meeting discussed various options including the use of church spires to deliver mobile and broadband masts and how farm land could be utilised. The meeting closed with a series of commitments from BT, Openreach and Better Broadband for Suffolk which will be picked up as a working group goes forward.

Majors James and Beverley Lloyd, presently stationed in San Francisco, USA will be my successors. They will be welcomed on Sunday, July 22 at 11am; come along and meet them. I’m sure they will be well suited to The Salvation Army Church here in Stowmarket and you will come to love and support them as you have me.

“Following on from the meeting, we received positive news from residents in Great Bricett and Gislingham, some of the worst affected areas in the constituency, that some local resident will now receive fibre to their property and access super-fast speeds. I want to reassure my constituents that I will continue to do all I can to represent their concerns to Openreach, and ensure they receive answers and action to the source of so much frustration for many.”

Every Blessing, Major Beverley Robilliard

The meeting brought heads of Openreach, BT, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and Suffolk County Council together with Jo Churchill MP for Bury St Edmunds and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Matt Hancock MP. Joining with them were representatives from the farming community and the church to help drive the need for “Suffolk solutions” to poor broadband connectivity.

After chairing the meeting, Jo Churchill said: “This has been a crucial opportunity to get around the table and to begin to address the challenges we will face to reach our ambition of 100 per cent coverage. This is no small task but our resolve is clear. That is why I have called for a working group to be established from the Summit, to ensure, together, we are hitting targets and, above all, communicating progress to local residents.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Secretary of State Matt Hancock MP said: “The government’s rollout of superfast broadband has already helped take superfast speeds to more than 92 per cent of Suffolk, but we know more needs to be done. Right around the UK we are reaching thousands more homes and businesses every week, and we are making high speed, affordable broadband a legal right for everyone in the UK by 2020.”

STOWMARKET AND DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Friday, June 1, 10am-noon: Coffee and Networking Needham Market Community Centre, School Street, Needham Market Friday, June 15, 6.45am: Breakfast Finborough Hall, Great Finborough, Stowmarket IP14 3EF To book online, follow the link on: https://stowmarketchamber.co.uk/networking-events

Openreach CEO Clive Selley said: “I would like to thank Jo Churchill for getting everyone back together. I am grateful for the opportunity to give an update on all the work we have been doing to improve broadband connectivity in the area and to reinforce our commitment to continue working closely with all parties to help resolve issues raised.”

CPR DEMONSTRATION St John Ambulance will be holding a CPR demonstration and recruitment day alongside Stowmarket Food and Drink Festival on July 1. You’ll find them in the town centre from 9.30am-4.30pm. St John Ambulance meets at the Boys Brigade Hall in Combs Ford on Monday evenings at 7.30pm. The unit manager is Mike Wager: 07747 787098

EXHIBITION FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED IN STOWMARKET The East Suffolk Association for the Blind has organised an exhibition of equipment suppliers and service providers for anyone with a visual impairment in Stowmarket from 10am until 3pm on Friday, June 8 for which entry is entirely free. The exhibition will be held at the United Reformed Church Hall in Ipswich Street, Stowmarket IP14 1AD. Light refreshments will be available throughout. Representatives from a number of service bodies will be on-hand to inform about their services and answer your questions. In addition there will be

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some suppliers who can demonstrate and sell a range of daily living aids. The following organisations will be attending: Optelec, Dolphin, Calibre, Blind Veterans UK, Cobolt, Sensing Change, RNIB, British Wireless for the Blind (BWFB), Newstalk (Stowmarket Local Talking Newspapers), West Suffolk Sight and East Suffolk Association for the Blind. This is a fabulous opportunity to see and learn so much under one roof in Stowmarket so please do not miss the chance to visit it. For further information, please call: 01473 611011

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NEWS BEING A TEENAGER IS HARD – SOMETIMES PAINFULLY HARD In recent years there have been big increases in the number of children and teenagers reporting long-term pain conditions. A major factor is thought to be growing social pressures. Teenagers often experience stress from lots of exams and there are numerous reports of the negative effects that social media can have on mental wellbeing. Other factors contributing to long-term pain in teenagers could be, being less active or spending more time looking at screens for study or leisure. Teenagers complaining of back pain or pain in the arms or legs is common. They may also complain of abdominal pain, headaches or facial pain. Unfortunately, teenagers experiencing pain can become fearful of activity and begin to avoid it. This has an impact on both their physical and mental health. Joints and muscles can become stiff and they may lose fitness or develop sleep problems. This can lead to mood changes and feelings of isolation, anxiety and loss of confidence. Sadly the result of all this is often more pain, creating a vicious cycle. How can we help? The golden rule is to listen. Show them you believe them even if the symptoms seem far-fetched. An over sensitive nervous system will interpret safe information as dangerous and send pain messages to the brain. Even if there is a psychological element to their pain, the physical symptoms they feel are real. Beyond this, physical activation is often the key to the teenager’s recovery. An exercise program designed and supervised by qualified professionals will aim to enable teenagers to manage and control their pain. By managing activity levels and improving fitness this often leads to better sleep and increased self-esteem. At times, the cause of long-term pain in teenagers can be an underlying mental health issue. Often their pain will not improve until psychological help is given. In these cases health care professionals can help to identify mental health issues and seek specialist help if needed. It is up to parents, teachers, coaches and health care professionals to educate teenagers on the benefits of exercise. This will improve their health and self-esteem but also hopefully help to reduce the numbers of teenagers being treated for long term pain conditions in the future.

GOLFERS RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

MacMillan Cancer Support organise The Longest Day Golf Challenge every year to raise funds and this year 20 members from Stowmarket Golf Centre are taking part. The challenge involves playing 72 holes of golf in one day! Stowmarket Golf Centre is a nine hole course, so everyone will be playing eight rounds of golf! The seniors will be playing on Wednesday, June 20 and there will be groups playing on Friday 21, Saturday 22 and Sunday 23, usually starting at 8am and continuing until we are finished. It is quite likely that there are going to be some very long days. All the members taking part are raising money, through sponsorship, in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support, so we are hoping to raise a significant amount between us. There is also an online fundraising page where any and all contributions would be welcomed to support this very worthwhile cause: www.justgiving.com/Thecentreparty Anyone who knows anything about MacMillan Cancer Support will know what incredible work they do, which is only possible if they receive financial support from the public, so the opportunity to raise funds on their behalf is something that everybody taking part is looking forward to. Malcolm Barnes

Father’s Day Charity Screening

If you have a teen in trouble with pain, don’t wait and hope that things get better, act on it now and get them booked in to see a healthcare professional and we can get them hoping back to wellbeing. Senior Physiotherapist Claire Reach MCSP HCPC Practice Principal & Sports Physiotherapist Robert Grainger MSc MCSP HCPC CSCS PhysioFixx Physiotherapy Clinic

STOWUPLAND OPEN GARDENS Sunday, June 24, 1-6pm More than 20 gardens will open (an all-time record) including Columbine Hall, a 14th century moated manor house. Also thatched cottage gardens including Shed of the Year winner, one with rare breed animals and the garden of an award winning flower grower.

Regal Cinema Stowmarket In support of the 24th World Scout Jamboree 2019 Sunday 17th June 2018, 5.00pm Allocated seating. To book call The Regal on 01449 612825 or visit www.regalstowmarket.co.uk All tickets £5.00 to include soft drink and Cadbury’s chocolate animal biscuits

Admission is £5 with under-16s free. Plant sales at Columbine Hall and homemade cakes and teas. Tickets available from Holy Trinity Church Hall, Columbine Hall or at any open garden. All proceeds to Holy Trinity Church.

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NEWS

ANNUAL REPORT BY KEITH WELHAM District Councillor for Stowupland Planning Planning applications seem to have come thick and fast in the last 12 months. Details for both phases of the Bloor (former Gladman) site have been approved – 175 homes in all. Full planning approval was granted for 10 homes opposite the URC chapel; a decision on the application for 18 homes opposite Holy Trinity Church is anticipated in May, having been deferred from January. Work is still underway in the preparation of a new Joint Local Plan. The first round of public consultation generated over 1,000 responses. A Community Infrastructure Levy Expenditure Policy has been agreed and a first round of bidding commenced on May 1. Housing A new joint in-house maintenance team (BMBS) has been formed to oversee all the repairs and improvements to the council housing stock. It is hoped that this will eventually create savings for both councils. Three ‘Unity Housing’ estates have now been regenerated and 17 new council homes were completed in Woolpit. Finance and Organisation Core funding from the Government has decreased again and will reduce to zero by 2019/20, so there has been another 0.5% increase in Council Tax to create a balanced budget for next financial year. The Council has moved its offices to Endeavour House in Ipswich and is making claims that this will save £5.8m over the next 10 years. However, this figure is for both Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils so is actually only approximately £2.9m and that’s for both capital and running costs. And it isn’t saving we will see. If the councils hadn’t moved to Ipswich, they would have retained only one office as a head office so the true ‘saving’ is even less. And had the two councils moved into a single office in either district there would also have been some considerable savings made. A Capital Investment strategy to create ‘profit for purpose’ is now underway, borrowing at low interest to invest in property or projects to provide an income to support council provided services. Some of the proposed £25m has been invested in commercial and retail premises outside of the district. MSDC has again not spent its budget during 2017/18. Underspending has been on average £700,000 for each of the last seven years. Over roughly the same period of time, they have received about £10m from government grants for getting homes built (New Homes Bonus). This

should be used to provide services for the residents of Mid Suffolk but it remains largely unspent. Enterprise Land earmarked for the Stowmarket Enterprise Zone has been purchased by the council as an investment. The council has invested £2.56m into the Regal Theatre in Stowmarket to create two more screens. A new joint Economic and Tourism strategy has been created to help attract businesses to the districts. Communities Over £81,000 was awarded in capital grant projects across the district, which has enabled another £500,000 of external funding to be allocated. Individual members of the council were given a locality budget of £6,250 to allocate to projects within their wards. Projects benefitting from this in Stowupland were the village hall new oven and window blinds, pre-school equipment, Telstar, short mat bowls club and improvements in the cemetery. Boundary Review The Boundary Commission is currently reviewing the ward boundaries within the district and there will be a reduction in the number of councillors for the election in 2019. The final round of consultation ended on April 30 and it looks likely that Stowupland will be part of a two member ward with Haughley, Wetherden and Old Newton with Gipping and Dagworth. The final recommendations should be published in August. Is the merger with Babergh still likely? Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils proposed a merger and this was approved by both councils subject to a detailed business case showing that the merger would be beneficial in terms of finance and service delivery. In March Colin Noble (Leader of SCC) appointed consultants to consider alternative local government structures for Suffolk including disbanding all district and borough councils within the county and setting up unitary authorities (or a single county-wide unitary). In response to this, the leaders of Mid Suffolk and Babergh Councils decided to call a halt on the merger and it is on hold at least until the results of the work being carried out by the SCC consultants are known. There is therefore little possibility of the merger being agreed in time for the district council elections in May 2019. Keith Welham Keith.Welham@midsuffolk.gov.uk / 01449 673185

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What’s on offer: ● Live cookery demonstrations in our indoor Kitchen Theatre by local chefs

S U N D AY

1 July 2018 10am to 4pm

Market Place

● Food and drink to sample and buy supplied by traders from across the region ● Specialist foods including vegan and gluten free ● Competitions and “hands on” experiences for children ● Free car parking and free admission

It promises to be a great day out!

STOWMARKET

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NEWS CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S LIFELINE As we prepare for the arrival of the summer group we are also turning our thoughts to our trip to Belarus which will take place not long after the summer group have returned home. The majority of the people joining this trip have never been to Belarus before and by travelling under the protection of the charity they will be able to see the ‘real’ Belarus, not as a tourist would. One of our first stops will be the children’s Cancer Hospital in Minsk and recently we have received a request for two particular items that we hope our supporters may be able to help with. The first is MacDonald’s Happy Meal toys. These small toys are used to give the children as rewards or incentives when they have to have a medical procedure which at times can be very painful. McDonald’s has not long opened in Belarus and so the Happy Meal toys are quite a novelty, but generally, most people cannot afford to eat there so it is usually frequented by richer visitors from Russia and other countries. The second request came in the form of this message from the psychologist we know at the hospital. “I did not know that such a thing as Lego Hospital existed until someone told me recently. This would be a great aid for us to teach the children how to deal with their stay in hospital, but unfortunately it is much too expensive for us to buy, do you think you could help?” So, if you have either of the above you could donate please either drop into

the charity shop in Needham Market or give me a call and I will be happy to arrange to collect. CHARITY SHOP We have recently received a donation of a large quantity of pop up bags which are ideal for use to store toys, craft and bric-a-brac or could be used for children’s laundry. They come in four bright colours, fold away when not in use and are only £1 each so drop in and pick up a bargain. As always we have a great selection of top quality clothing for adults and children with changing room facilities, shoes, bags, books, toys and many other items too numerous to mention. We look forward to welcoming all of our supporters and customers in the coming months; let’s hope the good weather continues and you can join us in our little garden. We are now pleased to announce that we can accept payment with all major credit and debit cards. So little can mean so very much; thank you for remembering us. Link Chair Elizabeth Parker 01449 760343 / 07771 550868

OLD NEWTON AND GIPPING COMMUNITY COUNCIL Chairman’s 2017 Report as presented to the 2018 Annual General Meeting on April 16 Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the work of my predecessor Sue Arnold as chairman, Sue not only maintained the continuity of the community council but saw its transition into a charity registered with the Charity Commission. In the achievement of this we recognise also the expert support Sue received from her husband Tony. We were sorry that poor health forced Sue to relinquish our chair, but we thank her for all she has done for our parish and we wish her and Tony well for the future. The measure of Old Newton and Gipping Community Council’s success is how responsive we have been to requests for grants from our local organisations, although we are limited in our ability because our available funds depend entirely upon the net income from the Little Ernie lottery, plus any net income arising from advertising in The Crier. We remain mindful of the fact that in 2015 our grants and loans exceeded £12,000, which substantially reduced our bank balance and led to a period of austerity. Fortunately our honorary treasurer is most careful, at each of our committee meetings, to clarify the current available funds for the awarding of grants or loans, taking account of the figure we must retain in order to meet outstanding commitments and our regular annual costs. As a result 2017, like the previous year, saw a very modest outlay in new grants. It did not, however, require us to reject any grant applications – and this was probably because village organisations were aware of the tight financial situation and avoided making speculative applications. In fact we made two grants, totalling £1,233, the recipients being Old Newton United Football Club and Old Newton CEVC Primary School. This sounds simple, but it certainly is not. In order even to be in a position to consider grant applications, we rely upon the work of many people in this parish. Although I cannot mention everyone by name because there are so many, I roundly thank for all their time and effort, the numerous collectors of Little Ernie subscriptions and distributors of The Crier – all of you are contributing to the community council’s income and our ability to help village organisations by awarding grants. To mention a few individual names, I am especially grateful to Maureen Horgan, Sue Turner and Pat Dorling for their tireless work. But in respect of more general roles working for the community council, I must commend two people who have served our community so well

– Suzanne Duncan our lottery organiser, and Louise Harbidge our Crier advertising manager. Without them the functioning of the community council would not have been possible. There are, however, three particular people who have contributed hard work and dedication to ensure that our longstanding organisation is able to continue with its work. The first is our Hon Secretary Felicity Groom, an absolute treasure who faultlessly organises our committee meetings, records our transactions and liaises with our grant applicants as well as anything else that requires her unfailing attention. The second is our Hon Treasurer Julia Baldwin, who has been efficiency personified in maintaining our bank accounts, recording our financial situation and reporting to each committee meeting on our current position. Julia has advised in advance that she will not stand for reelection at this AGM owing to her many other commitments, but she has also confirmed that she will devote the necessary time to ease a newly elected honorary treasurer into the role. And last but certainly not least, what would we do without our editor of The Crier, Annie Stearn? Annie’s tenure has been some 12 years, and she has said from time to time that she would quite like to hand over her role to a new incumbent. But Annie’s problem is that she has been ultra-successful, expanding the size of The Crier almost three-fold and improving its attractiveness and appeal – which includes securing sponsorship for coloured front covers to such an extent that sponsors are competing for them! So I offer enormous thanks to Felicity, Julia and Annie. But returning to the committee itself, I must emphasise the great value of representatives of parish organisations attending our quarterly meetings. Even if your body does not have a grant application under consideration, the effect of your input on our results is important and democratic. It has been an honour to chair the community council, and I am grateful for the support of Jonathan Miller as my deputy chairman. A trustees’ report and an annual return will be finalised following this AGM to meet the requirements of our registration with the Charity Commission. So to conclude, the community council looks forward to another year in which it can fulfil its objective of raising funds for distribution to local organisations as a means of assisting them to provide activities for public benefit. Chairman Melvyn Barnes

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NEWS / OUT & ABOUT STOWMARKET POPPY APPEAL Stowmarket RBL Club is holding a Race Night on Saturday, June 9 from 7.30pm, profits from which will be donated to Stowmarket Poppy Appeal. Sponsors are sought for the races at £20 per race. If you are able to sponsor a race or would like further information please contact the RBL Club on 01449 613621. Basket meals will be available during the evening. Stowmarket Remembers Schools Project

OLD NEWTON COUNTRY FAYRE & DOG SHOW We are delighted to be holding our annual Country Fayre and Dog Show again this year on Sunday, July 15 to raise much needed funds for a refurbishment of our village hall. The hall provides immense value to our community and to many other village organisations. One of our star attractions this year is Andy Hulme and his birds of prey displays. Andy has been a falconer for 30 years, working at various birds of prey centres nationwide and has successfully bred many species of raptors. He will be bringing a few birds including Button the Merlin and Skye the young Barn Owl. They are both native species. Please come and see the birds and Andy, who will be on hand throughout the day to answer any questions you may have.

Woodley Primary School has held their workshop which was attended by Stowmarket Town Mayor, Councillor Dave Muller, Lois Muller, the mayor’s consort, and the Poppy Appeal team. The school has been working on models connected with their Second World War project and this dovetails nicely with the centenary of the formation of the RAF on 1 April 1918. The model planes will make an excellent addition to the exhibition to be held at Stowmarket Library and the Museum of East Anglian Life from October 13 to November 11. More details concerning the exhibition will be published in the coming months. Additionally the 1st and 3rd Stowmarket Scout Groups are working on profiles of those who have Commonwealth War Graves in Stowmarket Cemetery. The product of this work will also be on display at the exhibition Knit to Remember The Poppy Curtain is off to a good start with almost one fifth of the poppies to complete the curtain made. The work on building the net will begin soon. Drop off points for completed poppies are the RBL Club, Baldwins Department Store, St Peter & St Mary’s Church, Wool Street Shop and the wool stall in the Market Place. All we can say at the moment is thank you for all the hard work and support and PLEASE KEEP KNITTING! Rachel Oakley, PAO Stowmarket – EJD59 rachel@oakleyvillas.co.uk

WOOLPIT DRAMA CLUB Our next production is The Happiest Days of Your Life which we present from November 22-24, a brilliant farce set after the Second World War when a boys’ school receives the news they are to billet another school which is all female Auditions will be held on Monday, June 18 at 7.30pm at The Bull Inn, Woolpit. New members always welcome.

Stowmarket Chorale and Dorian Singers combine for a pair of concerts in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK, Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo by Michael Flanders and Joseph Horowitz, and Songs of the Fleet (by Charles Villiers Stanford). Saturday, June 23, 7.30pm at Trinity Methodist Church, Hamilton Road, Felixstowe IP11 7AN. Tickets £12 including refreshments. Saturday, July 7, 7.30pm at the United Reformed Church, Ipswich Street, Stowmarket IP14 1AD. Tickets £12 including refreshments.

Come and join in the dog show with pedigree and fun classes. The dog show starts at 10.30am, £1 per class. The Country Fayre promises to be a fun filled family day with dog agility, owl displays, music, licensed bar, tombola, marching band, Punch and Judy, bouncy castles, trade stands and many other attractions. We really hope you can join us. If you have any questions about the event or would like to discuss any finer details please contact Diane Tween: 01449 775504

STOWMARKET UNITED REFORMED CHURCH PLAYERS We were delighted to have been joined by the Mayor of Stowmarket, Councillor Dave Muller for our 15th murder mystery evening. This annual event also had the town mayor’s consort, Mrs Lois Muller, taking a leading role. Inspector Prickle and the case of Murder at the Music Hall by Gwyn Guy stumped the audience who failed to identify the murderer. Those attending were treated to jacket potatoes and a selection of desserts as they watched the action unfold over three acts. It was an excellent evening enjoyed by all who took part and watched. The picture by The Rev Chris Wood is of the town mayor with his wife and the rest of the cast. Your next opportunity to enjoy an event at the URC in Ipswich Street is at 6pm on June 30 when Unisono, the Bezirkskantorei Pirmasens Youth Choir, visiting from Germany, perform a new work, Missa in Jazz for choir and band. Advance tickets (£8) are available from the church office for collection at the door: 01449 675045 / stowmarketurc@btconnect.com

Stowmarket Chorale take part in Ipswich Music Day on Sunday, July 1. Further details available soon. On Saturday, November 3 we perform Handel’s Messiah at St Peter and St Mary’s Church in Stowmarket. We would welcome guest singers to join us for the autumn term at our weekly rehearsals to sing this marvelous work. Further details available soon. www.stowmarketchorale.org.uk

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visit Gladwells Pet & Country Store Unit 6, The Lodge Works, Stowmarket Road, Old Newton, IP14 4EE â&#x20AC;˘ 01449 673806

gladwells.stowmarket@copdockmill.co.uk Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday: 8:30am - 5:30pm www.copdockmill.co.uk

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OUT & ABOUT SIMPLY BY THE SEA

THE REGAL IN JUNE It wasn’t so long ago that you used to have to wait 20 years between Star Wars films, but following the hugely successful The Last Jedi in December, we have Solo: A Star Wars Story from May 24, complete with a midnight screening for the mega fans! We have some fantastic charity film screenings in aid of some very worthy causes in June, with Jumanji and Sunshine on Leith on Sunday 17 and Rough Night on Sunday 24. Live on stage we have The Hollies & Searchers Experience on June 10, country music with John McNicholl on June 25 and Neil Sands with his new show Land of Hope & Glory on June 28. Solo: A Star Wars Story: sci-fi adventure starring Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany and Woody Harrelson. During an adventure into a dark criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion. Sherlock Gnomes: family animation voiced by Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp and Michael Caine. Garden gnomes, Gnomeo and Juliet, recruit renowned detective Sherlock Gnomes to investigate the mysterious disappearance of other garden ornaments.

Hello from everyone at Simply Brass Stowmarket. We may have been quiet over the last few months, but we’ve all been working hard to put together a new selection of music for the busy summer season ahead. Seven of our members have also managed to pass (with flying colours) their latest round of music exams so a big well done to them! In more exciting news, we’ve managed to secure an invitation to perform in a concert at the Bandstand on the Beach on Wednesday, June 20 as part of the acclaimed Aldeburgh Festival. The coach is booked and the music is ready, all we need now is the sun! If you fancy a day at the seaside why not come and join us?

Deadpool 2: adventure, starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin and Morena Baccarin. Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool joins forces with three mutants, Bedlam, Shatterstar and Domino to protect a boy from the all-powerful Cable.

Of course, if Aldeburgh is a little far, you can always catch us at a variety of local school and village fetes as well as our own fourth birthday celebration at Needham Market Community Centre on Sunday, July 8 at 2pm. You’ll find details of all engagements on our website.

Life of the Party: comedy starring Melissa McCarthy, Debby Ryan and Christina Aguilera. After her husband abruptly asks for a divorce, a middleaged mother returns to college in order to complete her degree.

If you’d like to contact Simply, either to book us or join, you will find us on Facebook and at: www.simplybrassstowmarket.org.uk

On Chesil Beach: drama starring Saoise Ronan, Emily Watson and AnneMarie Duff. Based on Ian McEwan’s novel set in 1962 England, a young couple find their idyllic romance colliding with issues of sexual freedom and societal pressure, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night.

ARTISTS ANNOUNCED FOR EIGHTH ANNUAL STOWBLUES FESTIVAL

Book Club: comedy starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Richard Dreyfuss and Andy Garcia. Four lifelong friends have their lives forever changed after reading 50 Shades of Grey in their monthly book club. Entebbe: thriller starring Rosamund Pike, Eddie Marsan and Daniel Bruhl, inspired by the true events of the 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight en route from Tel Aviv to Paris, and the most daring rescue mission ever attempted. www.regalstowmarket.co.uk / 01449 612825

STOWMARKET ARTISAN/CRAFT MARKET We had 18 stalls at our May market, which demonstrated the diverse talents and skills that our local artisans possess. The market has something for all ages: Gemma’s Curiosities has scorpions, beetles, butterflies and all sorts of bugs. Karen’s Up-cycling has lamps made from cameras and bowling balls. Sue’s jewellery is very reasonably priced and ideal for the young at heart and Jill’s Knits just appeal to all ages. These are just a few of our talented crafts people. Our next market will be Saturday, June 2 at the Scout Centre, Milton Road North, Stowmarket. Doors open at 10am, admission is free. For further information check out our Facebook page (Stowmarket Artisan Market) or email: suedelf@btinternet.com

Popular Stowmarket Festival StowBlues returns on Saturday, June 9, 2-10pm with a fantastic line-up of local, national and international talent. Eight live acts will provide a day full of electrifying blues music as audiences relax in the stunning setting of the Museum of East Anglian Life. The line-up includes Kent Duchaine, who has rocked out at major blues festivals in the USA and at over 100 tours in the UK and Europe, fnky riffs and incredible vocals from Clare Free and the youth movement of British Blues with performances from Chris King Robinson and Hot Tramp. Perennial StowBlues favourites Back Porch will be back as well as the smooth vocals of Malaya Blue. Cold Norton and The Mighty Bosscats round out the festival line-up. Organised in conjunction with BBC Radio Suffolk and compered by DJ Stephen Foster, the event has been able to attract a succession of quality bands. The event also benefits from the expertise of Mike Rushmore, a well-known name in the East Anglian blues scene. With a CAMRA supported real ale bar, the event hosts a selection of ales from brewers from across the region including Grain, Earl Soham Brewery and Colchester Town Brewery. There will also be a selection of food available throughout the day, providing a fun festival atmosphere throughout the afternoon and into the evening. No form of alcohol brought in from off the premises is permitted at the festival. Tickets (£10 on the day, £8 in advance) are available now from Stowmarket Tourist Information Centre and online at: www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

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OUT & ABOUT

CABBAGES & KINGS AT THE MIX

If you missed our near sell out spring Vinyl Lounge, don’t panic! Our midsummer Vinyl Lounge is coming up. It has become an extremely popular event with great people, great tunes, great dancing.. and the beer is great too at only £3 a pint. Join us for a unique night in an environment like no other on Saturday, June 16. Get into the attic, dust off your records and bring them down to the iconic John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket and have a boogie. £3 admission in aid of The John Peel Centre. 7.30-9.30pm: Vinyl Share Two hours of your vinyl being played by our DJ. Bring a couple of your favourite tracks and we’ll do our best to play them.

Cabbages & Kings at The Mix is a hidden gem in the crown of Stowmarket that has been quietly growing for the last three years with support from customers, volunteers, the staff team and other businesses around Stowmarket. Now to sustain that growth we are launching new projects and events. With help from our friends at PPG and their Global Colourful Communities Project, we have re-vamped our garden ready for summer! So, no need to be stuck inside when you come to visit us. See the great work that PPG do in our area on Facebook at PPG People or view #colorfulcommunities on Instagram. Not only that, our new catering trailer is on its way. We will be providing catering to events and fairs in and around Stowmarket throughout the summer. We still have dates available! If there is an event in your area that requires catering services get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.

9.30pm-Late: Vinyl Party Dance the night away with our own and guest DJ’s playing more requests and classic vinyl from all genres. No vinyl? No problem, we’ve got loads!! Check out our popular Pop-Up Record Shop from 1-8pm featuring vinyl from Whizzy Wallop and Better on Vinyl. Mark Wilkinson (www.the-masque.com) will also be with us this month to sign copies of his book. He is responsible for various illustrations and designs on Iron Maiden and Marillion album covers and will be happy to sign copies of these for anyone that brings a copy down with them. Find us on Facebook for updated information.

Cabbages & Kings’ Dining like a King nights are becoming a massive success! Our one night only (every other month) pop-up restaurant has proven to be quite a hit, with the last night selling out in just 56 minutes! Fret not though, if you missed your chance this time more dates are planned.

HAUGHLEY VILLAGE FETE Saturday, June 9, noon-4pm

Let’s not forget, the growth of Cabbages & Kings catering equates not only to good food and great service, but also to astounding care and essential support for young people in and around Stowmarket through the work of The Mix which benefits from every penny you spend with us.

Book a stall for £15 Contact: acsargent48@gmail.com All proceeds to Haughley Royal British Legion

THE IMPORTANCE OF UPDATING YOUR WILL A case that was heard by the court in 2017, has illustrated why it is important not only to make a will, but also to ensure that it is kept up to date. In that particular case, the deceased made a will around 30 years ago. At that time, he was married to his then wife – but by the time of his death in 2014, they had been separated for many years. The deceased’s circumstances had changed, and he was now living with somebody else. However, the deceased and his new partner were not married, and as the deceased had not updated his will, his new partner did not benefit from his estate. She therefore brought a claim against the deceased’s estate – on the grounds that she was entitled to reasonable financial provision, under the legislation put in place to enable her to make such a claim. Her claim was successful, but matters would no doubt have been much more straightforward for her, had her deceased partner updated and changed his will.

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This case highlights how important it is to make sure that your will is up to date, but it also presupposes that you have a will in place already. When surveys are carried out, it is often found that a relatively low proportion of the population have made a will. Not only does it allow you to control who benefits from your estate, it also makes things generally much more straightforward for family members, as wishes are made clear. These are two very good reasons for making a will – and there are others, such as tax planning – and if this is something that you have not done, then please do get in touch with one of my colleagues here, who would be pleased to assist.

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

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OUT & ABOUT STOWMARKET CONCERT BAND Stowmarket Concert Band continued its busy calendar with three brilliant events in April. Over £2,250 was raised at our sellout charity concert. Hosted by SCB’s main band and training band plus around 70 fantastic guests from Combs Ford and Cedars Park Primary Schools, we had a fantastic night of music and fundraising. Thank you to all involved – performers, audience, supporters and parents. Special thanks go to Jeffries of Bacton for their continued support of the band, and to Mr Ashley Cole who co-ordinated the schools’ participation and led extra rehearsals especially for this collaboration. Videos and images are accessible from our Facebook and YouTube. All takings from this event have been passed directly to Possibilities, a local charity working tirelessly to help some of the world’s most vulnerable children in Uganda. Possibilities were thrilled with the event: “A huge thank you to Stowmarket Concert Band and the children of Cedars Park and Combs Ford Primary Schools for the excellent entertainment they provided, and for raising funds for us. We are so encouraged by your support.” At the concert we thanked our ‘kit’ player Mark, who has to stand down due to other commitments. So the search is on for a new drummer! If you or anyone you know is interested in coming along and seeing what we do, please get in touch. We rehearse Monday evenings from 7.30-9.30pm and have a kit available if required. We were also delighted to perform a tailored programme to a great crowd and share the 90th birthday party of Sylvia in Elmswell. Happy Birthday Sylvia and thank you for inviting us! To conclude April for the band we sent 35 of our main band musicians to share some of our new repertoire with our friends at Stowmarket’s Monday Club, always a great night for us. The following public events are included in our upcoming calendar; we hope to see you there. June 10, 11.30am-1.30pm: Rural Pastimes at Euston Hall July 1, 10.30am-12.30pm: Stowmarket Town Council’s Food & Drink Festival July 7, 12.20pm-1pm: Training Band at Abbot’s Hall Primary School Fete July 7, 2-4pm: Training Band at Combs & Battisford Village Fete July 14, 12.30-2pm: Stowmarket Carnival Procession August 4, 12.45-5pm: Bacton Fayre August 26, 2-4.30pm: Nicholas Everitt Park Bandstand, Oulton Broad www.stowmarketconcertband.org.uk

HULLABALOO DELIGHTS!

STOWUPLAND SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB FAMILY DAY AND RE-LAUNCH Saturday, June 23, 2pm-late BBQ, Children’s Activities Free membership offer for three months Have a drink in the bar and lounge Tea & Cakes Come along and see what has changed and what is planned for the future.

MID SUFFOLK TRACTOR RUN The two Rotary Clubs in Stowmarket (Rotary Clubs of Stowmarket and Stowmarket Gipping Valley) will be holding the annual sponsored Mid Suffolk Tractor Run and Classic Vehicle Display on July 8 at Warren Farm, Haughley New Street, Haughley, Stowmarket IP14 3JX. The tractors will assemble at 10am for a 10.30am start. Already over 50 tractors have entered and the Rotary Tractor is being supplied by Claas (UK) Ltd which can be sponsored by other Rotary Clubs and public. People can sponsor by texting RINS18 £5 to 70070. Members of the public will be welcome from noon onwards and there will be a classic car display together with stalls for ice creams and hot food. Raffle ticket books will be on offer with a first prize of £250, second £150 and third £100. Extra prizes will be available for other runners-up. All profits will be distributed between St Nicholas and St Elizabeth Hospices. More details regarding this event are available from either Peter Andrews (pa@hrdinternational.com) or Terry Auld (terry@jantelms.com).

CHATTISHAM MIDSUMMER OPEN GARDENS Sunday, June 17, 11am-5.30pm A great family day out with 12+ gardens open in this friendly village. Enjoy visiting a wide range of types and ages of gardens including formal, natural and aquatic features. Attractions include plant sales, cakes, lunches and cream teas. Family competition.

FREE ENTRY TO OUR ANNUAL FUN DAY!

Admission £4, accompanied children under-14 free. Tickets on the day from car park or any open garden.

Saturday, June 16, 1-5pm

All proceeds to Chattisham Church Restoration.

Earl Stonham Recreation Ground (on the A1120 at IP14 5HJ) Live music and brass band, Morris dancers, birds of prey, bouncy castle Hedgehog Rescue Centre, farm machinery, plants, cakes, burgers and beer fire engine, games for kids and fab draw prizes

Three miles west of Ipswich, one mile south of the A1071 at Hintlesham / Sat Nav ref: IP8 3QE.

Helping to raise funds to refurbish East Stonham Village Hall

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

Further information: 01473 652359 / r.d.chase@uwclub.net www.hintleshamandchattisham.onesuffolk

Woolpit Nurseries_Bury Golf Club_200x138mm_PRINT.pdf 1 15/12/2016 10:02:38

OPEN Mon-Sat 9 till 5 & Sunday 10 till 4

01359 240370

If you’re looking to be spoilt for choice when it comes to your garden then come and see us The majority of our bedding plants are grown here at Woolpit Nurseries. We grow 90% of our plants on site so we are able to focus on producing only the finest quality products.

We have over an acre of growing greenhouses, plus half an acre of outside growing space and a large net sided poly tunnel.

CMY

We are specialists in hanging baskets with over 2000 produced every spring. We offer a large range of plants including seasonal bedding, a range of structural Italian plants, structural shrubs, small trees & ‘instant gardens’ with ready-to-go pre-planted hanging baskets and containers. Ever expanding, we also offer a wide range of gardening products including stoneware, pots & baskets, plus fertilizers, plant foods and grit and a variety of composts. With a qualified horticulturist on site we are able to provide professional & friendly advice to gardeners in need.

www.woolpitnurseries.co.uk

Old Stowmarket Road, Woolpit, Suffolk, IP30 9QS

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OUT & ABOUT WOMEN’S SECTION ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, STOWMARKET Twenty-four members and two guests, Joyce and Helen, attended our meeting on April 18 at The Royal British Legion. Hazel, our chairlady, gave the exhortation and silent tribute and Sue Priest thanked members knitting poppies for the centenary presentation. Rick Grant, leader of the Air Cadets, spoke of the remembrance of George Ward who died in battle at the age of 19. The War Graves Commission attend and look after his grave. The parade at St John’s Church took place on May 6. Our speaker was Kevin Stone who gave a fantastic slide show of the royal family including our own at Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral as well as Danish and Swedish Royals. His knowledge was boundless and he personally tours with his camera to give footage. Thank you Kevin. Kevin judged the competition, which was a royal ornament: first place went to Maggie, second to Liz and third to Brenda. We are holding a jumble sale at Hillside Community Centre, Combs on September 22 at 2pm. Our next meeting will be our fish and chip supper outing on June 20. Audrey Glavey

ELBOW PAIN / TENNIS ELBOW Ouch! Toothache in my elbow! Imagine not being able to hold a cup of tea or open a bottle of wine? No, I couldn’t either, until I had been stuck with a deep, aching, toothache like pain in my elbow for several months. The antiinflammatory pills the doctor gave me upset my tummy so I just put up with the pain for several months, but eventually it become more difficult to bear. That was when I went to see Annya. She asked me to point at where the pain felt most intense, so I pointed at my funny bone and deep into my elbow joint. Annya said: “When Jane pointed at where the problem was I knew I needed to use a combination of microcurrent treatment and acupuncture to help calm down the pain and inflammation. The toothache sensation reduced to mild soreness within a week after treating her which was a very rapid result. Not long after that Jane was able to hold her tea cup with one hand!” For pain relief contact Annya on: 07841 203412 / annya@annya-stoddart.co.uk

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STOWUPLAND LOCAL HISTORY GROUP Wednesday, June 6: AGM and Ipswich Suffragettes by Joy Bounds This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act which granted women (over 30) the right to vote for the first time. Joy will look at the long campaign which led to this in Suffolk and especially Ipswich women who were involved. She has covered the subject of Ipswich suffragettes in her book A Song of their Own. A very short AGM, starting at 7.30pm, will precede the talk. Wednesday, July 4: A Virtual Tour of The Green by Group Members Last summer we led a walk around Thorney Green looking at its role in the life of the parish. Houses and cottages around The Green were often built from clay dug on site, the resulting pits becoming ponds that were at one time the only water supply. The Green was undoubtedly a busy place with commoners exercising their right to graze animals along with traffic between shops, windmills, beer houses and the surrounding farms. We shall revisit the stories of The Green in this illustrated talk. Wednesday, August 1: Archive Evening This meeting will provide an opportunity for the group and individual members to display material relating to Stowupland: documents, photos, artefacts or the results of family history research. Please bring anything of interest – we have plenty of tables. Items new to our archives relating to Stowupland Flower Show and the village hall will be on display. These were collected by Ena Carter, who was closely involved with both. The flower show in various forms was a big event in the parish for almost 90 years until it ceased in 1969. We meet at 7.30pm in Stowupland Village Hall IP14 4BQ where there is an ample car park. Visitors are always welcome and refreshments are available. Admission is £1 for members, £3 for non-members. For more information, please contact Judy Clarke: 01449 615386

STOWMARKET RAMBLERS Sunday, June 3: 5 mile walk in the Needham Market, Barking and Battisford area. Park and meet at Hurstlea Road car park in Needham Market at 10.30am / GR: TM 085552. Leader: 07919 350170 Sunday, June 10: 6 mile circular walk from Stowmarket via Harleston Church. Park and meet at Stowmarket Football club at 10.30am / GR: TM 046596. Leader: 01449 612093 Sunday, June 17: 5 mile walk around Rattlesden. Park in Rattlesden where legal and meet outside Rattlesden Church front porch at 10am / GR: TL 978591. Leader: 01449 676533 Sunday, June 24: 5.5 mile walk in the Saxmundham area. From Saxmundham town centre traffic lights go north along the High Street and take second left; the car park is on the right. Meet here at 10.30am / GR: TM 386632. Leader: 07359 536673

OUT & ABOUT STOWMARKET LOCAL HISTORY GROUP Monday, June 18: St Audry’s Mental Asylum in Melton 1829-1993, the history of medical facilities that made a difference by David Phelan Monday, July 16: Annual Outing A walk around Stowmarket part two; meet outside the Tourist Information Centre at 7pm (free parking in Asda car park). Meetings are held at 7.30pm at The Salvation Army Hall; members £1, nonmembers £3.50. For further details contact Jeannette Baldry: 01449 675271 www.stowmarket-History.co.uk

STOWMARKET AND DISTRICT CAMERA CLUB John Wrigley visited the club on April 9 to judge our portraiture and audio visual competitions. He was in his usual good form as he went through the portraits and decided that several should be held back for greater scrutiny. Eventually John decided that there should be two winners, ‘Steve’ and ‘Carol’. Both pictures were entered by Roy Fidler, to whom John presented the Colin Stubly Shield for portraiture. Next he judged the AV entries, of which there were unfortunately only two. Both entries were good – and well done for entering – but the salver went to Chris Hale whose AV was excellent. On April 23 we held our AGM. All the current officers were re-elected and after AOB we watched the video of entries to the annual show. While some were not to everyone’s taste, all were of a very high standard.

GREAT WAR IN STOWMARKET BOOK STOWMARKET LOCAL HISTORY GROUP Was a family member involved in the war? Information appeal, drop-in sessions at Tourist Information Centre on Saturday, June 16, 10am-noon Contact Jeanette Baldry: 01449 675271 www.stowmarket-history.co.uk

1ST STOWMARKET BROWNIES As part of our exciting term of activities going out and about enjoying the summer evenings, 1st Stowmarket Brownies took up the offer to try our skills at archery. The girls aged seven-10 years had a wonderful time shooting arrows at targets and did remarkably well, with some hitting the bull’s-eye. Brownies love to have fun while learning in exploring new arts, meeting inspiring people, discovering local traditions and helping other people. Also this term we will be focusing on the royal wedding, playing games with care home residents, having a tropical party, going on a chip hike, making crafts and cooking marshmallows on an outdoor fire. If any girls would like to join us or go on our waiting list please contact Mrs Eden: 01449 678623

BACTON & COTTON LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY Tuesday, June 19, 7.30pm at Bacton Village Hall: The English Gypsy Caravan Geoffrey Kay will tell us where gypsies in England come from, their society, way of life and their horses. Against this background he describes the different kinds of gypsy caravan and his experience in actually building one. Members £2, non-members £3.

We are very excited to be meeting Justin Minns at our next meeting. He will be delivering a talk on landscape photography, and as one of his pictures features on the cover of Landscape Photographer of the Year – Collection 10 we are looking forward to his talk. NEXT MEETINGS Monday, June 11: Open 5 Competition to be judged by George Buxton Sunday, June 24: End of season photoshoot – venue Southwold Monday, September 10: The new season starts with this meeting, when we welcome prospective new members and catch up with existing members. Please note that the first meeting for prospective new members is free of charge, whenever they attend for the first time. New members are always very welcome. All you need is a camera – any camera – and a real interest in using it. Our members use DSLRs, mirrorless, compacts and bridge cameras. Regular meetings are held at Stowmarket Community Centre, Hillside, Stowmarket IP14 2BD, usually on the second and fourth Monday of the month between September and June. We start arriving at around 7pm for a 7.30pm start. We’d love to see you there, so why not join us? For more information visit: www.stowmarketanddistrictcameraclub.onesuffolk.net

STOWMARKET & DISTRICT MONDAY CLUB Stowmarket & District Monday Club are continuing to enjoy their weekly activities. The Beetle Drive was fast and furious with plenty of noise. The bowls and games evenings were also very popular. Another evening was spent making crowns to be worn at the royal wedding street party we have organised. The crowns varied in their use of decorations but were a great success and the actual making was very much enjoyed. This will be celebrated when we restart after the early May Bank Holiday. The following week we have a disco organised, with our friends Jane and Julian providing the music. We are a club for adults with learning difficulties and meet from 7.30-9.30pm every Monday at the Community Hub in Crown Street. We are run entirely by volunteers and new members and helpers are always very welcome. If you would like further information, please contact us on 01449 672123 or just come along on a Monday evening.

In Touch online:

www.keepingintouchwith.com/stowmarket

OUT & ABOUT

NEWS FROM RED GABLES

NEW BOYS BRIGADE AND GIRLS ASSOCIATION St Peter and St Marys Church launched the 2nd Mid Suffolk Boys Brigade and Girls Association on May 1 with games, craft activities and refreshments. The next session for boys and girls aged five-11 will be from 6-7pm on Tuesday, June 5 in St Peter’s Hall with weekly sessions planned to start in September.

As part of the arboretum project which was funded by a grant from Tesco’s Bags of Help, we have a wonderful woven willow fence which helps to separate different parts of the garden as well as providing a beautiful curved structure for people to enjoy as they walk along the path through the grounds. The Garden Project had a day trip to visit Beth Chatto Gardens to research and learn about plants for the new drought garden, also funded through Tesco’s Bags of Help as part of a project to improve the gardens. Transport for the trip was provided by BSEVC, the community transport group based at Red Gables. ELVIS IS ALIVE AND COMING TO RED GABLES! For one night only we have the fantastic Andy Ottley, the local Elvis impersonator, coming to Red Gables. On Friday, June 7 he will be performing in the Redwoods Old Library from 7pm. Light refreshments will be provided and tickets are just £7. The last time Andy played here it was a very popular event, so we expect it to sell out again. To book tickets call 01449 673947. For more information visit: www.facebook.com/redgablesstowmarket We are planning to take part in the Great Get Together from June 22-24. Red Gables will be offering guided tours of the garden with cream teas served outside if the weather allows or in the garden room if not. Please come along and join us in this event which brings communities together and celebrates all that unites us. It was inspired by the late Jo Cox MP who wanted to see people getting to know each other and encouraged friendship. Funding News Red Gables would like to thank all of those who have supported us through the recent Tesco Bags of Help scheme. This time it is to fund a healthy eating project through the growing of vegetables all year round and learning how to cook them. At the time of writing we don’t know what the final result was and how much we will be awarded. Wild Play Activity is a project which plans to offer free holiday activities for children aged four-eight years and their parents/carers, some of which will be at Red Gables. The activities will include bush craft, den building and wildlife detectives! To vote for this please visit the Stowmarket Tesco store in May and June and post the blue tokens to show your support.

There is also the opportunity for potential leaders to get involved, with a variety of roles including working directly with the children, admin, crafts and refreshments. The usual checks are required for anyone working with children and training is available. Please contact Rev Michael Eden on 01449 678623 for more details. To register your child for the session on June 5 please contact the church office: 01449 774652 / stowmarket.parish@btconnect.com

INNER WHEEL CLUB OF STOWMARKET Members were encouraged to bring friends to the April meeting to hear Pip Collings give a talk on The Power of Song. My report may be a trifle biased as Pip is my daughter. She is director of the charity Sing for Your Life (South East) Ltd, installing singing boxes mainly in care and residential homes. It has been proved that singing greatly enhances the lives of the residents and improves their moods, well-being and social skills. Having accompanied my daughter on some of her visits, I have seen for myself how residents who have been sitting in silence, start singing once the music starts and the words appear on the screen. They then reminisce about the old times. When we leave they are all chatting to each other. It’s a delight to see the transformation. Pip told how singing in schools is an excellent way for pupils to digest information, so she composes catchy songs that include details of nutritional messages. The children sing the songs and absorb the knowledge and enjoy doing it. Pip was thanked by the president, Jane Auld, and Inner Wheel gave a generous donation to her charity. Jackie Collings

Volunteering At Red Gables Volunteer Drop-in we have many varied volunteering roles with local charities. For more information contact Sue – 01449 673947 / sue.redgables@gmail.com – or drop-in on Thursday between 10.30am and 12.30pm. Assistant Manager Robert Horn

STOWMARKET AND DISTRICT FLOWER CLUB This month’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 27 at 7.30pm in Woolpit Village Hall. It is a members’ evening entitled Midsummer Madness, when six members will demonstrate a mix of traditional and contemporary designs to be raffled at the end of the evening. Sales table, club stall, fun and friendly time with flowers; visitors always welcome, £6 on the door.

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OUT & ABOUT / SCHOOLS SPRING TIME AT ORCHARD BARN

OLD NEWTON OPEN GARDENS Sunday, June 10, 11am-5pm Old Newton’s gardens are to be open on June 10 between 11am and 5pm. About 15 gardens will open, ranging from cottage, wild-life friendly to ones more formal in style. In addition the village allotments will be on show. Refreshments will be available in two of the open gardens. In addition there will be plant stalls in some gardens and two showings (11am and 2pm) of the film Bygone Years of Old Newton in the Church Institute (IP14 4ED)

At the time of writing (early May) our ancient apple trees are in blossom. After some gentle pruning in the winter we are hoping for a bumper crop this year. We are planting some more apple trees and are extending our vegetable beds. We now have a polytunnel which will enable us to extend our growing season and have more organically grown fruit and vegetables to sell. We continue to run a number of courses, such as: June 15: Saw Fest workshops, including handsaw restoration & sharpening June 16: Saw Fest demonstrations of many types of saws (free) This day will include two-person sawing competitions open to all ages. June 25-29: Advanced Timber Framing July 6: Restorative Plum Tree Pruning August 4: Tree to Timber Event (free)

Standing on guard in many of the gardens and elsewhere around the village will be scarecrows made in response to the theme Weddings/Marriages, topical in that there will have been a very recent Royal Wedding. You will have the chance to vote for the best scarecrow. The gardens can be found on a circular route around the village: Church Street, Chapel Road, Brown Street, Silver Street and Station Road. Each open garden will be identified by a sunflower sign and number. Parking is available at the village hall (IP14 4ED) where there will be a large map of the route. Entry is by programme (£4), available at any of the open gardens. Children are free when accompanied by an adult. The day concludes with a Songs of Praise at 6pm in St Mary’s Church (IP14 4PP). Funds raised will go towards the upkeep of this ancient church. For further information contact: Mrs Brooks: familybrooks@btinternet.com / 01449 775334

To find out more or to apply to join a course or workshop, please visit: www.orchardbarn.org.uk

COMBS FORD PRIMARY SCHOOL

If you are attending any of the following events, please come by and say hello to us at our stall: Combs Fete on July 7; Kid’s Fair at Needham Market Lake on July 8; Latitude Festival at Henham Park from July 12-16.

Recent fundraising efforts to improve the AstroTurf area of the playground have resulted in shiny new hoarding reminiscent of Wembley Stadium (well, nearly!).

 

  

         

Years 5 and 6 were asked to design crowd scenes; thirty were chosen and local companies were invited to advertise with great effect. The area now looks so much cheerier for the children and local groups that use this area daily. In the coming weeks there will be a competition to name the new stadium. Do you have a child due to start school in 2019? We are hosting some open events for prospective parents and children to tour the school and meet some of the teachers. There will be an open evening on June 26 and open mornings on October10 and 17. If you would like to attend please contact the school for details. Combs Ford Primary School, Glemsford Road, Stowmarket IP14 2PN

   

01449 613112 / admin@combsford.suffolk.sch.uk

MENDLESHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL       

 

          

On a wet and windy day at Mendlesham Primary School, Suffolk County Councillor Andrew Stringer presented a projector to Mrs Gillian Hendry, the education officer for Suffolk East and Ipswich Branch of the RSPCA. Mrs Hendry thanked Mr Stringer and said the equipment will help her greatly with her work promoting the welfare of animals to organisations in the community who do not have access to a projector. Mr Hendry, a trustee of the charity, also thanked Councillor Stringer for readily supporting the charity by obtaining the funding from his Locality Budget. Mr Hendry also said if there is any organisation in the local RSPCA area who feel they would benefit from a talk they can contact his wife Gillian at: education@rspca-ipswich.org.uk

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SPORT

1st Combs Scout Group

STOWMARKET CRICKET CLUB With the season truly underway, the Two Counties adult sides have certainly hit the pitch running. Highlights have seen Paul Blake’s 1st XI, after being promoted last season, win the first three matches in some style and 2nd XI skipper, Richard Baxter, scored 107 not out in his team’s first fixture, a comfortable win versus Bury St Edmunds. We’re still looking for additional players of all ages and abilities to enjoy and play in competitive matches throughout the season. We are especially keen to attract boys and girls in School Years 3 and 4 to play in our soft ball short format cricket matches, so why not give us a call? With a great track record of developing youngsters into promising cricketers who have graduated into county level age group cricket, Stowmarket CC is great place to start. For further information get in touch via social media or contact Clive Witherly: wigg51@btinternet.com / 01359 240019 www.stowmarketcc.co.uk

STOWMARKET TENNIS CLUB Another month, another crop of injured players. Andy Murray decides not to play in the new Glasgow tournament in order to give his January hip surgery more time for recovery. If he decides to miss the grass court season as well we may not see him play again until the hard court tournaments in late August. Novak Djokovic is still struggling with his recovery after elbow problems and admitted that he returned to competitive play too soon; quite an admission for a professional athlete and a question mark over the advice he received. Many of the top touring players have been asking for the schedule to be reduced although there’s no requirement to enter every event. Several players, either those with a favoured surface or those of advancing years, often choose the events in which they compete. This gives them a little more time to recover between hectic periods of activity and travelling plus a slightly higher chance of gaining those all-important ranking points. No such troubles down at our club; we play for the sheer fun of it plus the chance to race around the court staying reasonably fit at the same time. There’s plenty of competitive match tennis on offer at the moment with the summer league fixtures in full swing. We have two ladies teams, three men’s teams and three mixed teams which gives a large number of the members the chance to represent the club in the Ipswich & District League. Home matches are always on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday from about 6.30pm so if you popped into the club you’d get a taste of what it’s all about. These matches will continue right through to the end of July with the prospect of promotion always dangling in front of the stronger teams. The coaching program continues all through the school term with new faces appearing after seeing a tennis assembly at school. We run separate starter sessions for different age groups, and also for adults, so there’s bound to be a group just right for you. Rackets can be borrowed so if you fancy being the next Johanna Konta or Andy Murray come along and give it a bash. And if you take it easy to start with hopefully you won’t end up injured like some of the pros. See you on court. Senior Club Coach Chris Cunningham chris@chriscoaching.plus.com

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Duck Race

Sat 9th June 2018 2pm

Pikes Meadow Combs Ford Rides, Refreshments, Stalls, Games, Entertainment for all the family 1st Combs Scout Group is a registered Charity 1018301

STOWMARKET C ENTRE C OMMUNITY HILLSIDE, STOWMARKET IP14 2BD

Stowmarket Community Centre offers

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

Room Hire

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

Lots of organisations use us Come and see if there is something for you Make New Friends, Achieve, Enjoy Contact Heather Tooke on 01449 613084 Email: heathert@stowmarket.org 29

SPORT SCORPION ACADEMY Eleven members of the academy recently passed their blackbelts in universal karate and kickboxing after a five hour exam, a 10 mile run for the kickboxers, a 200 question exam paper and essays, plus all eleven had attended many extra classes. Blackbelts were awarded to the following students: Emmy Cooper – 1st dan in Universal Karate Lucy Daly – 1st dan in Universal Karate Luca Gambling – 1st dan in Universal Karate Vaughn Ruffles Francis – 1st dan in Universal Karate Stephen Sumpton – 1st dan in Universal Karate Kiera Holder – 2nd dan in Universal Karate Maisie Allen – 2nd dan in Universal Karate Jamie Gilson – 1st dan in Kickboxing Damian Murphy – 1st dan in Kickboxing Gerry Murphy – 1st dan in Kickboxing Alex Utteridge – 1st dan in Kickboxing

ELMSWELL BOWLS CLUB (AT STOWUPLAND) At long last the summertime league bowling programme is underway and we at Elmswell Bowls Club are looking forward to an enjoyable and fruitful season. Our green is in good shape and bowling well. Although it was not our wish to vacate our previous location, we are now blessed with superior space and facilities and continuing welcome support. We begin our results news with just two league matches played in April. Stowmarket & District Tuesday Afternoon League: Elmswell 24 / Needham Market B 46 Stowmarket & Distrist Triples League: Elmswell 89 / Walsham Le Willows 39 We held two drives during May and the next dates for this event are July 14 and 28 with the final one on August 11. All begin at 2pm and visitors are very welcome to come and watch. David Begg

STOWUPLAND FALCONS The grading panel consisted of Senior Master Andy Lewis (5th dan blackbelt), Master Hannah Povah (4th dan blackbelt), Coach Josh Trent (3rd dan blackbelt), Senior Instructor Mel Walmsley (2nd dan blackbelt), Senior Instructor Mike Oglesby (2nd blackbelt), Coach Rob Bird (3rd dan blackbelt), our invited guest instructor from Scunthorpe in North Lincs, and Grandmaster Mark JR Trent (8th dan blackbelt).

Stowupland Flacons vs Bury Town KO Cup Final 3-2 AET

Image by Richard Sheppard

Inspired by our new blackbelts, everyone at the academy is now working towards the coloured belt exams in July. At the invite of Hayley and Russell Langley, Mark JR Trent recently taught selfdefence to a wonderful group of youngsters at Stowmarket Saturday Club who meet at Red Gables. Simple to learn but highly effective moves were taught and the legal aspects regarding self-defence. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the session. Mark specialises in self-defence and safety having spent the last 30 years involved in security business and 40 years in the martial arts. Any club or group wishing to hold a self-defence course is most welcome to contact Mark to discuss running a session. Scorpion Academy has the Combs Fete demonstration on July 7 plus the Stowmarket Carnival on July 14 to look forward to, plus a seminar with Grandmaster Brian Dossett, 10th dan blackbelt and world famous martial artist, on July 29. Recently we held another one of our hugely successful Nerf gun and Star Wars light sabre training sessions. A big turnout of juniors thoroughly enjoyed the training and a big thank you to Paul Leech for supplying the light sabres. Since 1990 the academy has been teaching martial arts (kickboxing, muay thai, universal karate/tkd) to the local community and has produced many excellent blackbelts and masters, plus kickboxing champions. One month free to all new members joining us. Please contact Mark JR Trent for further details: 07708 644162 / scorpionacademy@live.co.uk

Sunday, April 22 marked the day for Stowupland Falcons U14 Yellows second KO Cup Final in a row and a first for Bury Town U14s. Falcons started off by dominating the game with Lukas Fishlock scoring in the tenth minute as his well taken shot hit the top of the net. This was then shortly followed by a solid hit volley just inside the box by Will Miles to make it 2-0 to Stowupland. However, Bury Town started to ramp up their game scoring from a one on one through ball to make it 2-1, followed by a tap in from a corner half way through the second half to make it 2-2. The game went in to extra time with Stowupland changing formation to slowly take control of extra time. In the last few minutes of the second half Stowupland found a killer pass that found Lukas Fishlock one on one with the keeper who made an excellent save. The rebound fell to Will Miles who placed his shot into the corner for his second of the game. The final few minutes seemed to take an age to pass, however Stowupland smartly managed the game out to claim a second KO Cup Final in a row. Credit to both teams as temperatures hit record highs for April and many thanks to all the parents, family and friends for supporting the boys through this season. I would like to thank the whole squad for all their hard work and commitment this season: Ethan Bryant, Luke Davies-Stokes, Lukas Fishlock, Robbie Francis, Jago Gayle, Louis Hart, Owen Jordan, Lewis Leggett, Lewis Maskell, William Miles, Matthew Reeve, Fraser Swann, Jamie Turner, Ryan Whebby and Tyler Whebby. Trevor Fishlock

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SPORT STOWMARKET SWIMMING CLUB NOVICE ACHIEVEMENTS CELEBRATED

NEEDHAM MARKET BOWLS CLUB Hello again, from NMBC. The opening drive was a great success with 32 bowlers taking part. Gill Cantwell took the prize for most points scored and John Cook won the Spider. The outdoor season got off to a cold and wet start, but we were successful on the greens with all our teams winning their matches in the first week. As I am writing this article on May Bank Holiday Monday the sky is blue and it really feels like summer so hopefully we will be able to really enjoy our bowling.

A young team of eight to 12 year olds (pictured) enjoyed an afternoon at Team Ipswich who hosted a novice gala on Saturday, April 14. For most of the Stowmarket swimmers this was their first gala, but everyone had a great time and there were lots of personal best times. A total of 26 medals were won and every competitor received a certificate for competing. On Saturday, April 28 two of our Thursday Night Disability swimmers, Olly and Harley (pictured), competed at The Suffolk Swimability meet in Lowestoft. They both came away with medals and certificates. Our Thursday night sessions are run by volunteer parents and swimmers from the club, and we are currently looking for support from anyone who may be interested in sponsoring this group to help fund additional training and equipment. Please contact us at: stowswimadvertising@gmail.com Stowmarket Swimming Club is very proud of all the above mentioned swimmers.

Congratulations to the green team all their hard work over the winter has paid off and the green is bowling really well. Work is underway on constructing a new patio area where we can hold our annual barbecue and people can sit and watch the bowling. We shall be holding our President’s Day match with teams representing the president and club captain competing against each other. There will be a club triples and pairs competitions (same format as last year). These events will be held later in the season, actual dates will be announced later. MEET AND GREET DAYS AT CROWLEY PARK Our meet and greets were disappointing this year mainly due to the weather. However, for anyone interesting in bowling we have social bowling every Wednesday at 2pm where you will be made welcome and can either just watch or take part. Tea/coffee and biscuits are also available. Although bowls is an ideal sport for the active older person... Remember YOU ARE NEVER TOO YOUNG TO BOWL. Contacts: Pat Hadden 01473 831308 / Alistair Bailie 01449 720759

FINBOROUGH LADIES NETBALL CLUB 6 a side ──── No cricket experience necessary ──── Each game lasts 30 minutes

Stowupland 6ixer’s Nights Regional competition On April 21 Finborough Kestrels played Thetford in a regional qualifier. Everyone played amazingly! The effort was exceptional from all. Kestrels played against a full Thetford squad while only having eight players themselves who had never played as a team before! Kestrels won three quarters and were drawing at full time so they had to play another two ends of seven minutes each to decide the game. The girls fought until the very end and were really disappointed to lose 60-64. It sounded like a cracker of a game! Well done Kestrels. England Roses I hope many of you were able to watch the England Roses in the gold medal match against Australia at the Commonwealth Games. The Roses made history when they were eventually victorious in the last second 52-51. This has definitely put netball on the sporting map! Membership and Publicity Secretary Helen Cape www.finborough-netball.com

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──── Each team to have a minimum of 3 adults ────

Cricket Bar BBQ What Friday Nights are for!

£2 per player per night

Join us for all or any of the dates Starts at 6.30pm

To book your team

Friday 15th June

or email

Friday 22nd June

stowuplandcc@gmail.com

Friday 6th July

https://goo.gl/forms/znpOKNHErG8Q3PAI2

Church Rd, Stowupland, IP14 4BG behind Stowupland Village Hall

Friday 20th July

www.stowuplandcricketclub.co.uk 31

CHURCH NEWS CHRISTCHURCH, NEEDHAM MARKET Methodist/United Reformed Church, High Street, Needham Market IP6 8AP Ministers The Rev Mary Playford (URC): 01449 711798 The Rev Rita Carr (Methodist): 01449 612619 Sunday Morning Worship: 10.30am (including crèche and Sunday Club) Service of Holy Communion: Second Sunday WEEKDAY ACTIVITIES IN CHRISTCHURCH HALLS Tiddlers: For mums and babies up to four years, Monday from 9.30-11.15am in term time. Contact Victoria: 07725 037026 Scrabble Club: Monday from 2-4pm. New players please contact Sheila Norris: 01449 720871 Knit for Peace: First Wednesday, 2.30-4pm. Contact Sheila Norris: 01449 720871 Christians Together Ecumenical Group: Thursday at 10am, Room 4 Christchurch (term time). Contact Ann Devereux: 01449 721575 Coffee Morning: Second Saturday, 10am-noon, always with a selection of cakes for sale. OTHER REGULAR BOOKINGS Weight Watchers: Saturday 8-10am / Monday, 7-9pm Moosical Fun for your Little One: Sing, dance and play for 0-5s, Tuesday morning from 9.15am-noon in term time Osteo Stretch & Exercise: Tuesday, 12.30-1.30pm Karate: Tuesday, 6.30-8.30pm Karate: Wednesday, 5.30-7.30pm (term time) Karate: Friday, 6.30-8.30pm Rainbow Guides: Thursday, 5.30-6.30pm (term time) Brownies: Thursday, 6.30-7pm (term time) Exercise Classes: Friday, 9-11am HALL LETTINGS: There are spaces available for hire. To arrange a visit to view or for further information ring: 07851 742847 CHURCH CONTACT: Ann Devereux, 01449 721575 www.christchurchneedhammarket.co.uk I’ve just returned from holiday – Nordic Walking in Derbyshire followed by a weekend with my family who live ‘in the North.’ For the walking part of the week, I have to say that the weather could have

been better, but the company was good, the routes challenging and beautiful. In church the week before I went away I had chosen a hymn which includes the phrases ‘steep and rugged pathway’ and ‘through endeavour, failure, danger...’. As I struggled up Dovedale and through Milldale those words kept running around my head! A case of two parts of my life colliding you may say! But do our lives really consist of separate parts or different compartments? Instead aren’t they actually made up of a number of interconnected parts which result in a complex and fabulous whole. I was further reminded of this when I was with my family and I was simultaneously daughter, sister, sisterin-law and aunt, while still also being mother and grandma even though my daughter and granddaughter were not around. Many titles and roles within the family which come together to make up ‘me’! On the first evening back from holiday I attended Needham Market’s Annual Town Meeting where reports from various organisations were presented, from councils to community centre, from community cafe to churches, with many others in between. It really brought home that a huge variety of things happen in this small town, and each one is dependent on others for its existence: the volunteers who take on various roles running the clubs, the charities who provide grant funding, the elected councillors who take on responsibilities, and organisations like the community centre and the churches who offer space for people to meet and form friendships. Most of the people attending the meeting have more than one role within the town or are part of more than one organisation. I do hope that each one of you reading this feel you have a place within this town, and indeed feel valued and part of the community. Have a look at this newsletter and perhaps resolve to try something new this month – I’m sure you will be welcome. There’s a song we sing at Christchurch where the first line is this: “Let’s build a house where love can dwell, and all can safely live...” The chorus then goes like this: “All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.” I hope that whoever you are and wherever you go, you will find a welcome Reverend Mary Playford

THE SALVATION ARMY Violet Hill Road, Stowmarket Wednesday, May 30 Friday, June 1 Sunday, June 3 Wednesday, June 6 Friday, June 8 Sunday, June 10 Sunday, June 17 Saturday, June 23 Sunday, June 24 Sunday, July 1

10am-4pm Emergency Unit in Market Place 11am Salvation Army Emergency Team 40th Anniversary 11am & 5.30pm Services 7.30pm Live Lounge at Costa SA Football Club Annual Awards Evening 11am Service / 4pm Messy Church Young Peoples Band Sharing Service at Sudbury 11am Service 5.30pm Senior Band at Debenham URC Songs of Praise Songsters Giving Concert at Brantham Church 11am Service / 4pm Café Church 11am & 5.30pm Services

WEEKLY EVENTS Mondays 9.30-11.30am: First Steps Parent & Toddler Group Tuesdays 10am: CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other) 2pm: Over Sixties Club Wednesdays 5.45pm: Kidz Club (ages five plus) 7.30pm: Live Lounge at Costa Coffee (first in month) Fridays 7-9.30pm: Café at the Rec Saturdays 10am-noon: Coffee Morning (third Saturday in month) We have interesting and varied activities during the week, and well attended Sunday Services. For more information, please ring Jenny: 01449 614133.

All are welcome to our Messy Church Service on Sunday, June 3 at St Mary’s Church, Combs.

This month’s theme is The Road to the Kingdom of God and we will be using playmats and toy camels, making clay/playdough characters from the story and origami camels. At the end of the service we’ll have one hump or two ice creams! If this sounds like fun we’d love you to join us. The service starts at 11am with bacon rolls and tea, coffee and juices served from 10.45am.

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