Warm welcome awaits –whatever the weather

Despite the beautiful sunshine as I write this, it is cold and still the time to stay indoors and craft…or come along to one of our workshops where you will be guaranteed a warm welcome.

In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Ipswich Croquet Club (ICC) was made homeless. However, the Club was determined not to be beaten.

After much searching and several disappointments, the Suffolk Agricultural Society at Trinity Park came to the rescue with a 1.6 acre area in a corner of the Suffolk Showground’s car park.

ICC has turned this meadow into what will become one of the largest fine turf lawns in Suffolk. The Club’s objective is to create a championship facility and a vibrant and inclusive club fit for the 21st century.

The Croquet Association (Croquet England’s governing body) has given its blessing and invested heavily in this ambitious project. When finished, there will be four full sized croquet courts, a club pavilion, equipment store, toilets, a remote controlled watering system, and plenty of parking. ICC will move to its new home on Saturday, 1st April when it will open its doors to new members. Croquet is played by people of all ages and backgrounds and is one of the very few sports that offer genuine gender equality.

Interested? ICC arranges free taster sessions for all would-be members. For further information please contact Martin Brown, at croquetclub. ipswich@gmail.com, or telephone 07780 704 792.

We still have some red sticker bargains around the shop so take a good look and see what you can find. We are having a sort out of our workshop space and have some items – mainly stamps at the moment - that may have only been used once but could be just what you want.

We stock a variety of ink and ink pads so there should be something for you all…. acrylic ink, Indian ink, and coloured ink for the artists. For the crafters we have distress ink pads, oxide distress ink pads, dye ink, permanent ink, chalk effect ink, pigment ink and alcohol ink… All producing varying effects and using different techniques.

We can offer a wide range of paint too… For artists we have oil, acrylic and water colour tubes and sets and again for the crafters and hobbyists we have acrylic, fabric, enamel, sprays, chalk effect, metallic and satin. There are different ranges of brushes too from 39p upwards.

We have a new beading class on a Saturday each month as well as a new knitting class on a Tuesday so, if you would like to come along and give these crafts a try, then sign up. These are just two of the many workshops which we offer so check the website or call in for more information.

We pride ourselves on our customer service and knowledge of our products so some in and see us!

A reminder that Craftability’s opening times remain at 9.30 – 4.00 Monday to Saturday.

Tricia Walker - Craftability

On Wednesday 8th March the Suffolk Book League welcomes the writer Natasha Brown. After studying Maths at Cambridge University, Natasha spent a decade working in financial services. She then had a radical career change, developing her 2021 debut novel Assembly after receiving a London Writers Award in the literary fiction category. Assembly appeared on many ‘Best of 2021’ lists. It was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, shortlisted for the Folio Prize, the Betty Trask Award, the Goldsmiths Prize (for work that ‘breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel form’) as well as the Orwell Prize (for ‘political fiction’). Doors open at the Ipswich Institute Reading Room & Library 15 Tavern Street IP1 3AA at 7pm with the event starting at 7.30pm. Tickets, £5 for Suffolk Book League members, £10 for non-members and free student passes can be obtained via the League’s website www.suffolkbookleague.org/ Students with a pass will need to show ID on the door.