The Band of The Royal British Legion, Leiston

What a fantastic year it was for the band in 2022. It was definitely our busiest and most successful year since the pandemic, and so good to be out playing again at such a wide variety of events.

It was certainly the year for royal events with the band playing at various engagements to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the very sad passing of the Queen in September which led to the succession of King Charles III where the band were extremely honoured to play at Ipswich Town Hall to mark the Proclamation on behalf of Suffolk to an audience of over 10,000 people!

Whilst things are a little quieter now, the diary is already getting booked up for the year head and another royal event in May with the Coronation of King Charles III. Our first engagement of the year will be a concert at Woodbridge Community Centre on Saturday 4th February 2023 at 7pm to mark 140th anniversary of Woodbridge Salvation Army, with all proceeds going to their food bank.

To keep up to date on what’s happening with the band and where we will be playing next, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook or go to our website at www. leistonband.org.

Don’t forget, if you play brass or percussion, we would love to see you. Alternatively, if you are interested in learning to play, we have a training band which would be a great place to start. To find out more information, please contact our Musical Director, Peter Gray on 07388 868247.

The LYCAS Bailiffs and volunteers have had a busy Autumn and Winter so far delivering the remaining activities of the fishing programme, along with maintenance of Haylings pond. Most of the maintenance work has involved cutting back excess growth around the ponds margins, ready for next Spring. Some of the volunteers also helped clear the area for the new wildflower meadow, putting up fencing and sowing seeds.

The final fun angling competition of the year was the annual children’s Christmas match and despite the cold weather, it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm or quality of fishing. The winners received tackle shop vouchers and all participants got a selection box.

Following the Christmas competition the pond froze due to the cold snap, therefore fishing was temporarily curtailed. The committee were very sad to see so much debris thrown onto the ice while the pond was frozen, in the shape of branches, fencing, bricks and bottles. The committee strongly asks anyone who did this not to do it in the future. When the pond melted, all this debris had to be removed by the bailiffs, which is a difficult task and anything that gets missed, or sinks can be a hazard to the fish and other wildlife residing in the pond.

In the coming weeks, the committee will be getting things ready for the coming season, which promises to be even more successful, building on the previous years positives.

If you would like to become a member, or find out more about LYCAS, please contact any of the bailiffs via the details on the notice board at Haylings pond or pop into Saxmundham Angling Centre.