LEISTON & DISTRITCT PHILATELIC SOCIETY

The Society was pleased to welcome a distinguished guest to their Christmas social and quiz event held in the afternoon of 14th. December at the United Church Hall, Leiston.

Cllr. John Last BEM, Chairman of Leiston Town Council was formally welcomed by the Society's Honorary Chair, Michael Simons, and introduced to the members and their guests. Cllr. Last was then shown around the various philatelic exhibits taken from members collections, and also a display of Christmas Island stamps through the ages. Cllr. Last was also invited to take part in the quiz. Later in the afternoon, members and guests were invited to partake of the excellent buffet and wine provided by the Society for the occasion, and afterwards Cllr. Last presented the prizes to the winner and runners-up of the quiz.

In his closing speech, Cllr.Last thanked the Society for inviting him along, and said how much he had enjoyed the event, even though he had only be able to answer a few of the quiz questions ! He went on to say how important it was for him to keep abreast of the activities of local Society's and Clubs in the area, and wished all present a very Happy Christmas..

The Society's honorary chair, Michael Simons, thanked Cllr. Last for attending the meeting and showing such a keen interest in the Society's activities and also gave his seasonal greetings to all present.

The meeting closed about 4pm.

The Society has been active in the Leiston area for more than 50 years and now has more than 45 members covering a wide area, however, new members are always welcome. The Society's monthly meetings, displays and competitions will continue through 2023 until June, and meetings will recommence in the autumn after the summer break.

Further information about the Society can be obtained from Alan Martin on 01728 832455 or e-mail: andy.soutar@ btinternet.com

Leiston Community Allotment

Would you like to grow your own fruit and vegetables but don’t have a garden or the time to work on a whole allotment? The Community Allotment gives you the chance to take on a small area to try out for free and we provide tools and seeds. The purpose of the allotment is to encourage people who are new to growing and this year it is even more important with everyone facing rising bills and food costs. We can help you get started and there is a group session on Wednesday mornings from around April to October if the weather is kind.

Even if you don’t want to grow anything but would like to get involved in other ways, we would love to hear from you. It’s a beautiful spot to sit in nice weather. We would be grateful for any help you could give as it’s quite a big site and needs a lot of watering and maintaining. We are all volunteers trying to do something for the benefit of local people so if you could spare the odd hour to do a bit of weeding that would be fantastic.

February is the start of the seed sowing season so now is the time to think about getting involved. We are having an open day on Saturday 25th March between 10am and 1pm (weather permitting) so do pop along and we can show you around. The allotment is located at the north-east end of the Valley Road allotment site near the railway bridge. The nearest entrance is the last track on the right before the bridge on Valley Road. Or you can come along the track from King George’s Avenue with Charles Adams Close to your right.

If you would like to find out more, do call us on 07724 777465 or email leistongoodneighbour@gmail.com. Or just pop a note through the Leiston Town Council door with your phone number and one of us will call you.

Quiz Night For Leiston Works Railway

The Leiston Works Railway (LWR) are pleased to announce they are holding a Quiz Night on Friday 3rd March 2023 at Knodishall Village Hall starting at 7.00pm.

All proceeds are in aid of the LWR, which is relaying the industrial railway line that connected the two Garrett factories in Leiston.

During the evening there will be a supper as well as a draw. Please note that you will need to bring your own drinks. Teams are a maximum of six people with the cost being £7.00 per person. Teams must be booked in advance.

For more details and to book a team, please contact Jim on 07800500278 or Stephen on 01728 831902.

Since Lockdown the Deben District is now once again fully functioning and the Leiston Scout group has seen a large increase in members in all sections- Beavers - Cubs - Scouts. At the end of last summer we held our first camp for over 2 years at the Sizewell Christian Hall for all our sections where we had a number of activities over the two days. This year there is a District Camp being held at Henham Park (home of Latitude festival) where over 500 young people from all sections will be camping and enjoying activities. The World Scout Jamboree is being held in South Korea